My Babies!

Things have gotten busy!! And I'm loving it! I began my au pair work last week. I am now going 3 days to week to help with the housework and give Vero some extra time to herself. I'm still trying to learn how she does certain things, and working on getting Veerle more comfortable with me...but it's AWFUL nice to get out of this church building every once in a while. And the public bus has since become my best friend. Not as scary and frightening as I once thought! Still not as convenient as a car...but faster than walking, and much cheaper than a taxi!! Anyway, I thought I would introduce you to my babies! Posted to the left is 6-week old Neo. And yes, he is named after the Neo on the Matrix. They've gotten some interesting comments on his name...no doubt! He will smile at you constantly 30 minutes after he's eaten (approximately when this picture was taken!) and tends to be a very happy baby, in general. Isn't he a cutie? And posted to the right is 1 1/2 year old Veerle...who is the sweetest and most obedient 1 year old I've ever met! However, she wouldn't stand still long enough for me to get a good picture...hopefully I'll get a better one of her and post it. She has her own vocabulary...and once you know which word means what...it's just as normal as though she were actually speaking a language! She is, in fact, a bilingual child...so in case you were wondering, I am able to speak to her so that she understands. She can absolutely melt your heart with the word "huggle". When she says this, she is usually right in front of you with her arms up in the air. "Huggle" means "I want a hug", "I want to sit in your lap", or "I need attention because mommy is holding Neo." It's so cute! "Ba" means "I need to go potty", "ghana" means "What is that?", "dry" means "turn", "ugh" means "up", "down" or "help". And the rest, she can sign for! She's a pretty amazing child...I'm enjoying spending time with her a lot!

And let's not forget the newest member of my family, Scarlet Joanna Smith-Farray!! Two weeks ago, I adopted (with another girl) a Nederland's Dwarf Rabbit. She's great! She fluffy, cute, and likes to cuddle! As you can see in the picture, she'll just lay in your arms, content to be held. This is her "other mother", Sheritha, who has "joint-custody" and will be keeping her after I leave. We were so excited the day we got her, that we forgot to ask how old she was. So I've still got to run back over to that pet store and find out! She's really good about Sheritha cutting her nails, and hasn't ever bitten us before. Overall, we're really happy with her!! She definitely keeps me company on the rainy days when I'm stuck inside!

And last night, I had the pleasure of witnessing a baptism for the first time since I've been here! A man named Frans, well into his 50's and raised Catholic, decided after two years of studying with a member of the church, that it was time to commit his life to God. So at 9:00 at night, approximately 20 members drove to the closest river, and watched as Remco asked for his confession of faith and baptized him. It was so dark, the only light we had was from the few flashlights people brought with them! But it was a wonderful experience. We...well...THEY...were blessed with relatively warm weather, and said the river wasn't too cold. So that was good. Afterwards, we all came back to drink tea and eat some snacks. It was a fantastic night!

This weekend, I have a day planned for children, ages 3-10. The theme is "Through the Eyes of David". It's kind of like VBS...except in 4 hours on one day! We'll start out with the story, a skit, and songs...then divide into 3 groups, where they will create a shield of truth, a belt of faith, and be able to "measure up" against a real-life size Goliath before throwing paper rocks at his head. Then for snack, we're going to have 6-foot roll-ups (creative, isn't it?) and award them with a "Certificate of Armor". I'm excited about it...but have an absolute TON of stuff to get done tomorrow in preparation. Anyway want to help me cut out 30 cardboard shields of truth?