Family News

This last two weeks has been very busy for our family, but it has been a lot of fun also. Carey has finished kindergarten. Starting in August she will be a first grader. Since she finished K5 our family decided to have a little graduation for her. Patty made her a nice graduation hat. She also received a certificate of completion. Not only that she was first in her class! Which is not to hard since she is the only one in it.

The following our little graduation ceremony the family had a nice opportunity to relax. I decided that we would all play a super fun game that I used to play in college. When the guys would have to much energy we would sumo wrestle. In the dorm we would tape a circle on the ground, then everyone would stuff about 4 to 5 pillows in his t-shirt, then all out sumo chaos would ensue. It was great! So, our family decided to sumo. Our floors are a little hard here, so we had to cover the floor with couch cushions, but the girls loved it. Her our a few pictures of us with our sumo bellies!

Jumping into Fall Leaves- The MK Way!

Growing up in the northern part of the mid-west of America, I grow up with four seasons. But one thing that is really true about Ghana is that it does not have the four tradition seasons. I think that my wife and children miss fall the most. (This could not be said of me, since I do not miss the raking, heating bills, and other nice things that come with the season, though I do like the trees).


One of the things that Carey remembers most about her year back in America was jumping in the Autumn leaves. Always around Thanksgiving time, she starts to ask us when the leaves will begin to fall. We do have a few that do loose their leaves. The almond trees that grow here, loose their leaves each fall. They all turn a bright red and gold at the same time. Then about a week later they start to grow their new leaves.

Since the almond tree (white-mans ground nut, as they call it here) has huge leaves, it is fun for the girls to walk in places that have a lot of these trees. They love to crunch on all the leaves and kick them in the air. Since most of these trees grow in public places, it is quite interesting to see the looks people give as they pass by and see our kids laughing and jumping in the leaves.
Though we do allow the girls this time of fun, we try to limit their frivolity a little. About two years ago Patty discovered a great way for them to get their leave jumping urge out without the public spectacle. Patty cuts most of the bushes in our yard and normally has a very large pile once she is finished. After finishing one day, she had the great idea to letting the girls jump in them. They where not dried, but they where still great to jump in.
Since that day a family tradition was born. So now each year around Thanksgiving the clippers come out and the leaves are piled up. The kids love to play until they are exhausted. (The pictures are from this year's leave jumping extravaganza! Carey and Ella love to ham it up for the camera).

The Week in the Life of Two Missionary Girls

I come from a family where girls where the majority. My father and I where out numbered 3 to 2, but this did not bother me so much, since I spent most of my time outside in the mud. Growing up the majority of the time I spent with my sisters was used trying to rescue my G.I. Joes from them, since they where using them for husbands for their Barbies. All the other times where spent when they came outside with me and played. This outside play would always lead to mud throwing, ruff housing, or occasionally people being shoot with a BB gun, but that is another story and I digress. So, even though I grow up around girls and have become quite close to my sisters, I was not prepared for the new world that I would enter when the Lord gave me two little girls.

When my wife and I married, we knew right away where each other stood. My wife is a very activity athletic lady; she likes sheik modern lines and elegant feminine charms. There where no lace, pink, or home school jumpers. This sat quite well with me. My wife and I have the same ideal concept of a woman, which follows the line of Audrey Hepburn and Jackie O, not Paula Dean! So, we both assumed that when are girls where born that they would seem to gather these same opinions through our genes. But, then we both entered the World of Little Girls.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Our girls are not spoiled princesses, that pouter their faces all day long, or are more worried about their clothes then getting in the mud. They can get ruff and tumble and are tuff, but they are ALL GIRL! We love them and have learned to love their intense female interests.

It is quite funny having a five year old going on six, and a two year old going on three. I have learned more about girls in the last few years than I ever knew was possible. Life is full of little girlie things, and little girlie ways. How does one describe a little missionary girl? I figure I should just sum up the weeks activities.

What happens in a week: Ten tea parties (bottled water included, if they can sneak it past mom radar), three different outfits a day, necks covered with every necklace of local beads ever made, dress-up shoes clomping through the house, dried tears from a scrapped knee caused by the concrete yard, little voices singing on the top of their lungs in two languages, toy baby dolls being feed and carried on their backs, questions about why people bath outside, half day school in the home school room, making the girls takes bath underneath the water storage tank after covering themselves with mud after they make ‘food’, long walks to the gas station with dad for plastic sachets of ice cream, Daddy letting girls put barrettes in his hair and beard, imaginary fufu and other local and foreign foods being prepared for Mom to eat, pacifier searches, and add on top, pink, princess, smiles, dancing, hugs, bows, and two pairs of blue eyes that look to their parents for love and comfort.

I am not the only that has had to change some routines since having girls added to life. Patty had her scrap booking and other ladies activities, but she had no idea what these little ones would bring with them. She has since learned how to pack purses for little girls, with just the right amount of coloring books, dolls, extra bows, and lip gloss. Patty never carried purses before having children, but now she is the master of fitting 10 tons of child care products into a tiny purse. Patty has even learned to have tea parties… yes, tea parties. Not water in plastic cups around a small table in the kid’s room, but a real tea party. The girls and Patty make little muffins and hot chocolate (since she does not like tea), and brake out the Blue Willow tea set. The hardest lesson seems to have been allowing the girls to have their own dress style, to a point. For Carey the choice is easy, if it has pink and twirls she like it. If it is Ella, if it has buckles and is shiny she like it. All together the ladies have meet together and found a happy medium where everyone is happy.

These little girls have come to stay and have truly changed us along the way. They have brought their girlie ways and bags of accessories, but we would not have it any other way. So to all those out there that have little girls in their life, enjoy! God gives these little gifts wrapped in pink paper and bows to remind us of all that is sweet and beautiful!