christmas in nairobi

Soo...we are in Nairobi waiting on Zoe. We have been here almost 2 weeks now and we are having a great time! It's soooo much cooler here than in Morogoro and we have really been enjoying our time in the big city. We've been to shopping malls, excellent restaurants, even putt-putt! This is our second Christmas in Africa, and you never really know what to expect. I was a little worried about being here for Christmas, not in our own home and how that would go. But, it was such a blessing. For Christmas Eve, we went to a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and we watched "White Christmas" outside on a projector. It was nice to see snow (even if it was on a movie!). Then Christmas day, we went to a potlock Christmas Dinner and celebrated with friends all day long. We ate (and ate and ate), played games, read Scripture, and sang carols. We got to skype with both our parents and also our close friends Vaughn and Cleve from New Orleans.
Me and Nate debated for a long time over what to do for each other for Christmas. Since we will be flying back to Tanzania after Zoe is born, and we don't have much room in our suitcases, we didn't want to spend lots of money on things we couldn't even bring back with us. Soooo...we kinda just decided that if we saw something that we really wanted we would just get it. Nate ended up getting 3 soccer jerseys, a rubiks cube, and fruit roll-ups. I got some chocos and crocs and on Christmas Eve we found a very special present for me...are you ready for this!? A Diet Coke!! Yes, that's right. If you know me, you know how much i LOVE diet coke and how hard it has been in Africa without them. Yeah, they have Coke Light here...and I drink that occasionally, but it's nothing compared to Diet Coke. So the other day, we walked into a butcher to get some meat, and there on the shelf....Diet Coke (along with Mr Pepper and A&W, which are also super hard to find out here). So, Nate bought me a can and I drank it on Christmas morning while I was cooking our stuff to bring to the potluck. I must admit, it is not the "real" diet coke we have back home. It came from Europe I think and it's not quite the same, but it is MUCH better than coke light, and I thoroughly enjoyed it...even if it was over a dollar for a can. It was worth it. Here are some pictures from our Christmas...

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family! We miss everyone SO much and are counting down the days for our vacation this summer :)

pre-Christmas

So we can’t really call this Zoe’s first Christmas, because well…she’s not “here” yet. However, this has not stopped anyone from buying her Christmas presents! Since we are leaving for Nairobi on the 15^th and only allowed one bag each (to last us 2 months and stuff for a baby!) our families sent us our Christmas presents early and we already opened them, because there is definitely not room in our luggage! Nate’s parents and sister sent us all sorts of fun stuff: card games, candy, pedicure stuff for me, a baby monitor, etc. We have had a lot of fun just in the past few days playing Monopoly Deal (one of the card games they sent) and it will most definitely be making the trip with us. Here is Nate with just a few of the gifts:

My parents and sister sent two big boxes of stuff…one entire box was filled with Zoe’s Christmas presents and a few things for me as well. We opened that while we were skyping with my parents over a week ago. Here is just some of the stuff from the box. My sister sent the stuff from the first picture and the presents from my parents is the second picture:

The other box…well, who knows where the other box is. Both packages were sent on the exact same day, but we have yet to receive the second. This package apparently has our wrapped presents, including Nate’s stuff. Poor Nate, for the past 8 months we have been getting packages filled with stuff for Zoe and me, and now the one package with his gifts has gone MIA. We are hoping it arrives before we leave, but if not…we will have a post-Christmas when we get back in February.

We feel so blessed to have people sending us stuff across the world, but Christmas really isn’t about “stuff,” is it? My mom recently wrote a devotion for MOPS (Mothers of Pre-schoolers…you may be thinking she isn’t the mother of a pre-schooler, which is true! She goes to the meetings to help out and be a “mentor” type to the moms.) Anyway, I thought her devotion pretty much sums up why we celebrate Christmas…it’s not gifts, or decorations, or trees, or even family and friends…it’s about our Heavenly Father sending a Savior to Earth to bring redemption to His children.

WHO IS CHRISTMAS REALLY ALL ABOUT?

I have been feeling a little bit sorry for myself this year.  This is the first time in 28 years that both of my girls will not be with us on Christmas. Tiffany and her husband will be spending Christmas with his family in MO and Lindsey and her husband are missionaries in Tanzania.  They are also expecting their first baby, my first grandchild in January, which makes this year even more difficult.

The past month whenever I start to feel sorry for myself, I hear a little voice saying "Who is Christmas really all about?" As I read this story, written by a missionary who was working in an orphanage, I was reminded once again that Christmas really is all about Jesus.

We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger. The children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened.  Afterwards, we gave the children cardboard and napkins to make a crude manger.  Old flannel was used for baby blankets and the baby Jesus was cut from felt.

As I walked among the orphans, I noticed that 6 year old Misha had placed 2 babies in his manger.  I asked him why there were 2 babies and in his broken English he began to repeat the story about the birth of Jesus. For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger.

At this point, he made up his own ending to the story, "And when Mary laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mamma and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay.  Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give him like the wise men.  But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much. So I asked Jesus, If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?' And Jesus said, that will be the best gift. So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes filled with tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his shoulders shook as he sobbed. The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon or abuse him, someone who would stay with him always.

I've learned it's not what you have, but who you have in your life that really counts. That is the truth. The role that Jesus plays in your life makes all the difference. The beauty of the story is God Himself came down to earth to live among the people He created. Why, because he loves us so much that he made a way for us to be with him forever.

So this year, after you have spent the day with family and friends, the presents have been opened, and the food has been eaten, I pray that you will thank God for the many blessings that he has given to each of you.  And when you fall into bed and you hear that small voice asking "Who is Christmas really all about?"  I pray, that like that small boy, you will snuggle up close to Jesus, who came to earth as a baby to save those who believe in him, and you will know that amazing gift of love.  A gift that will stay with you Forever and Always!   ~Beth Franklin~

package from aunt jen!

Yesterday we received a very special package from my very best friend! It was filled with all sorts of adorable things for Zoe: baby socks, baby caps, baby blankets, and the cutest little swimsuit! Nate continues to make comments on how Zoe has way too many clothes and accessories (just like a dad!), but I'm super thankful and I know she is gonna be the cutest baby on this side of the world for sure :)

Sooo...thank you Jenny!! You are the best and I could not ask for a better friend. You have been there for me for the past (let's see....) 13 YEARS! That's pretty amazing as far as friendship goes. And I know that Zoe is gonna love her Aunt Jen sooo incredibly much! And now that it's no longer a secret...I am SO very excited for baby Graves to arrive next summer and I'm SO excited about seeing my best friend in all her pregnant beautifulness when we go home for vacation in may! I love you so, Jennifer Nichole!


at the Grand Canyon! one of my very favorites!



at one of our many Freedom Weekends together!





my very first baby shower

Thanks to some VERY sweet ladies here in Tanzania and Kenya, I had my very first baby shower and it was great! It was for both me and a friend, Erin, who is due in March. We had so much fun. We played games, got advice about raising kids in Africa, ate some great snacks (Paige made my very favorite...funfetti cupcakes! Thank you!) and opened gifts. Everyone was so generous and I cannot believe how much stuff we came away with for Zoe.

Here is a picture of me and Erin with our sweet friend Emily at the shower



Here is all the stuff we got for Zoe! Such a blessing!

 This past weekend we also had a prayer/marriage retreat in the mountains. It was wonderful! We arrived on Friday afternoon and everyone brought a Thanksgiving dish to share, so we were able to have a "family dinner." It was up in the mountains, which was even more wonderful, because we got to escape the heat of Morogoro for a few days. For anyone who doesn't know...the seasons here are opposite of in the States...so as you are cuddling up to each other beside a cozy fire, we are sweating it out in the heat, praying for cool breezes.

Anyhow, one of my favorite parts of the meeting was sharing praises and prayer requests. When it was Nate's turn, he shared that he needed prayer over not just being a new father, but a new father to a little girl. He said he didn't know why God wanted him to become one of those guys that is wrapped around his daughter's finger. He also told everyone at the meeting that if their boys decide to come knocking on our door one day, it would be work-out and sharpen his machete day. I'm so excited...he is gonna make a great daddy :)

She strikes again

Sooo...yesterday we got a package in the mail from our sweet friends Matt & Lauren Zwitt. Nate cut open the box and I pulled out the first thing. It was wrapped so carefully in bubble wrap and it looked like some sort of beautiful figurine...and as I started to unwrap it little by little, I said, "Nate, I think it's an angel!" Then...we both thought the same thing at the same time and caught each others eyes and started laughing hysterically. This is what it was:

Let me give you a little history. This "angel" first appeared on our doorstep at our seminary apartment in New Orleans. She was just sitting there. No note. Nothing. At first, we didn't know what to think. Is this a gag? Or is it a real gift that someone left for us? We thought..."surely it's a joke, I mean...look at her..." But nobody ever owned up to it, so we decided to pass along "the gift" to none other than Matt and Lauren. Well, without going into all the details, this little angel was passed back and forth I don't know how many times. Never just handed off, but she always snuck her way into the other couples apartment in some sneaky, clever way. And now...here she is...she has traveled halfway across the world to Morogoro, Tanzania. We will make a little spot for her, but not forever. Eventually, she will make her way home.

But in all seriousness...thank you so much, Matt and Lauren. They didn't just send the angel...the sent clothes for Zoe, stuff that I will need as a new mom, a book, and letters & advice they have learned from their two boys: Abe & Josiah. We are so thankful to have them as friends and we miss them SO very much. Just the other night, we pulled out a card game we haven't placed since we were in New Orleans. I pulled out the cards and the directions, which had an old score card with all four of our names on it and we thought about the good old days of playing cards, eating m&ms and just hanging out. We love you guys and thank you again so much for everything!

this is me and lauren at her baby shower for Abe!

Our Newest Addition

A few weeks ago, we added a 2–year old Rhodesian Ridgeback to the family. Another family here in Tanzania needed someone to take care of him while they will be traveling for a little over a year. His name is Chester and he is huge. Rhodesian Ridgebacks were originally bred in Southern Africa for hunting lions, and they get their name from the beautiful ridge that runs down their back. Me, personally, I don’t really care for big dogs…but Nate has found a new best friend, and I have to admit that he is a sweet dog. He loves Nate more than anything…one of his favorite things to do is jump on Nate (yes, that’s right). This dog can put his front paws on Nate’s shoulders and Nate lets him. Don’t worry…Chester doesn’t care enough about me to jump on me. He knows Nate is the only person he is allowed to “play” with like that.

He also has this weird thing that he likes to sit on our laps. If either of us sits on the floor, he carefully sets himself down on us and if we are sitting on the couch, he slowly tries to go unnoticed by sitting his butt up on the couch beside us (and NO, he is not allowed on the furniture! But I had to take this picture because this dog is so ridiculous)

He makes an excellent guard dog and he barks at anyone who comes to our gate. These poor Tanzanians, they don’t know what to think of him. To them, meeting a dog his size is like meeting a lion. Almost all our Tanzanian friends will not even enter our gate until the dog is tied up or shut away in a room. They are deathly afraid of him, and I can’t blame them.

So that’s Chester.

Nonnie's quilt

This week we got TWO packages from my Aunt Judy in Florida. She sent all sorts of good stuff: lots of baby clothes and books for Zoe, a dress and some makeup for me, and a frisbee for Nate (just to name a few). My aunt is wonderful at crocheting and sewing, so she sent Zoe a crocheted pink and white blanket, a cap and booties, and some beautiful potholders for me :)

But the most special gift in the package was a quilt that she made. It’s not just any quilt, it was made with the fabric from some of my grandmother’s (Nonnie) clothes. After she passed away, my mom gave some of her clothes to my Aunt to see if she could make something from them.  And Aunt Judy put together this beautiful quilt.

I just love it because even though Nonnie isn’t here to meet Zoe, we know that she is looking down on her and now Zoe will always have a special piece of her great-grandmother in the quilt.

the BIG 3-0

Pregnancy Highlights:

How far along: 30 weeks

Maternity clothes: i'm still wearing my normal jeans but mainly lots of skirts and a few maternity tops that my mom and nate's mom have sent

Gender: a sweet baby girl

Movement: lots...mainly after i eat, especially the wasabi cashews that my mom sent in a package...im not sure zoe appreciates those very much.

Food cravings: um...lets see: diet coke (oh, how i've missed it! by the way, coke light is NOT the same and its gross) anything from taco bell or chick-fil-a, olive garden's lasgana or baked ziti, chilli's chips and queso, mcdonalds fries and mcflurries, wendy's coffee toffee twisted frosty...you know, pretty much everything that's impossible to get here 

Sleep: a little uncomfortable at times, but still pretty good!

Belly button: still an innie, but then sometimes after i eat alot, it raises up on the sides like a volcano...i dont know, its weird

 Best moment of the week:  we just got a package from our good friends in Rome: Reid and Kyra. they sent a pink and brown zolo baby carrier (so cute) and the sweetest note, complete with a comment to Nate on how zoe will have him wrapped around her little finger! thanks guys! you are the best :) 

What I miss:  please refer back to the food cravings question, also (and moreso) i miss our family and friends!

What I'm looking forward to: zoe's arrival! my mom visiting in march, going home for vacation in may, nate's parents visiting in june :) it's gonna be a good year!

zoe's room

It's not quite finished yet, but we are trying to do as much as we can now, because we leave to fly up to Nairobi on December 15...which is getting closer and closer!

This is the sign on her door

And this is her room...Nate did such an awesome job painting the room pink and brown...and we were so happy that the colors we picked out for paint matched so perfectly with the bedding, which we had yet to see !

This is a close-up of the wall mural that my mom sent over in a package, which also happened to match perfectly with the paint and bedding...yay!

3 YEARS!

So I figured today is a good day to write my first blog entry. Today marks exactly 3 years that I have been married to the most wonderful husband in the whole world! We are celebrating tonight with lasagna and funfetti cupcakes (which did not come cheap, but I’m just happy we found the mix here).  Also, last time we were in Dar, pillsbury strawberry frosting was on sale (and when I say on sale, I mean less than $5 a can). I never would have bought strawberry frosting back home, but when you find frosting for a good deal…you gotta jump on it, you may never see it again…so I bought 3 cans!! Given it is past the expiration date, but it will still be good.  This year there will be no anniversary presents exchanged because we spent all our money to go on our vacation to Zanzibar (which was worth every penny!). And we have the most special gift on the way in January…who needs more stuff?

We also celebrated another anniversary at the beginning of this month…October 9 marked one year since we arrived in Africa. Some days it feels like a lot shorter, and then there are days that I think it must be more than just a year. But it sure has been a crazy year and it is hard to believe that a little over a year ago, we were in Georgia eating Olive Garden, speaking not a lick of Swahili, and getting ready to fly halfway across the world.

Anyway, I’m starting this blog mainly so that family and friends can keep up with us. Nate keeps up with our ministry blog: www.beautifulfeetofTZ.wordpress.com/home But this will be more about our family, more personal… so that friends and family can keep up with the upcoming arrival of our precious little baby girl Zoe (which…let’s be honest…is the most important thing to certain soon-to-be grandparents right now).

That’s all I have for now…happy anniversary to my amazing husband ! Oh, and I’m putting some pictures below.

Oh, and I would like to thank my mom for the sweet anniversary card she sent. Yes, my mother, the woman who gave birth to me. Notice in the picture, the card is for her son and for her "daughter"...so basically she considers Nate a son and I am "like a daughter." I always had a feeling my parents liked Nate better...this confirms it. Just kidding, of course, I love my mom.