Half way through

We've just completed week 4 of 8 in our training schedule. At times I think that 4 more weeks seems like so long, and in the same moment I can't believe it's only 6 weeks until we'll land in Africa! Things are going very well, and they seem easier almost every day. Isaac is in a good routine of waking up only once during the night, with one all-nighter about once a week. Anya and Ethan are in a great routine of going to school, and they love their teachers and their new friends. And the really great thing is that their closest friends are going to Africa too, so we'll be with them again for our quasi-"Man vs Wild" African orientation in Zambia (called 40/40)! That's an answer to one of my most fervent prayers.

We've had some great times. Ethan survived sucking up peas through his penne pasta WITHOUT having to do the himlich, though it was close. Chad and the kids had an awesome jam session with Africa drums, singing about the snakes at 40/40. Chad has several girls trained to bow down when he enters the room "becuase he is the chief" (add your own african accent). So all in all, we're loving this time.

Ethan's teacher has been doing an amazing job of documenting their days, and each week I get photos of him. Last week they learned all about emotions...something we've all been learning a lot about over the last 6 weeks! I've taken several pictures myself, but I can't find the cord to upload them at the moment, so I'm going to let Ethan speak for us all. We've had ups and downs, but life is good, and more importantly, God is good, whether we're feeling lonely, sad, or excited!