Now I know what it must feel like to be a grandparent!

I say that because Todd and I are coming to visit the children when they are on strict routines that work well, and all we want to do is spoil them. The poor mamas have had to deal with more fits and crying because we keep distracting the kids, they dont want to participate in the "normal" circle time, when we put them down they cry, and when we go in to tuck in our babies all the other babies start yelling "auntie and uncle". The mamas are so gracious and actually encourage us to show this special love. So all this to say...Mom, go ahead and give Jaden, Kellen and Sage some extra M&Ms!!!
We are doing very well. We are having such a great time and are continuing to soak it all in. I have so many thoughts to share that today I will do it in a list format...
* We are still amazed at the things Ugandans balance on a boda boda (a bicycle). We saw a couch strapped to the back of one!
* When we were flying to Africa and passed over all the very, very dry deserts, it made us think of when Moses led the Israelites through the desert and God provided their food and drink for 40 years. It gave us a whole different understanding of the magnitude of that miracle.
* When we saw the Nile River it made us think about baby Moses being placed in a basket floating down that river.
* There are 37 mamas that work here on day and night shifts. These are very godly women that shower the kids with the love of Jesus. They sing ALL the time. There is so much joy in this place. They always greet us with smiles and hugs and are so appreciative of us being here. They are so happy that Chirstopher and Katie have a family waiting for them. They do an amazing job. Mama Edith is especially LOVED by our kids. They are crazy about her. She is the only one that are kids will even think about leaving our arms for. It is so comforting knowing how much these mamas love on our children to meet their physical and emotional needs when we cannot be the ones to do that. Please lift the mamas up in prayer and pray a special blessing on them.
* We are eating so well here. For breakfast we eat at hotel Triangle. We eat omelettes loaded with diced vegetables, mango juice, slices of fresh pineapple, slices of papaya, watermelon, bananas (which are sweeter and better than ours), bread with butter and jam. For lunch yesterday we had rice, potatoes, cooked cabbage, and beef stew. Mama Cook is an excellent cook and the food was delicious.
Our kids eat porridge in the morning and a hard boiled egg. They have snack at 10am which were "biscuits" a hard rectangle cookie like Nila Wafers. At lunch and dinner they eat potatoes and beans, or stir fry, and the kids eat everything even all their vegetables. I am pleased with the amount of nutrition they are getting. They have a snack at 3pm which consists of chunks of fresh fruit.
* We never see the kids drink anything though and are a little concerned about Katie staying well hydrated with her sickle cell anemia, so today we gave the kids sippie cups from home (different than the kind they typically use) and filled it with water and a Propel drink mix. It was hilarious watching their expressions. Christopher, aka Chubbers, could not get enough. He kept downing the drink, which tastes like lemonade. We finally had to take it away because it looked like his tummy would explode. We saw our first temper tantrum! Katie who is much more cautious and timid, was a little unsure, but she continued to drink, make a funny face, and then smile. We then played bubbles with all the kids--they loved it! And then we realized that because of the sippies are kids had su-sued (pottied) and were leaking through the diapers.
*Christopher has been glued to Todd. He only wants Todd, he reaches for Todd, he goes anywhere Todd goes. When we were playing with bubbles, Christopher was in a real dilemma because he wanted so bad to chase and catch the bubbles but he would not leave Todd's lap. When Christopher goes to me, he immediately reaches back for Todd and will fuss and lean out of my arms until Todd takes him. I am delighted to see this connection.
* Katie is mainly in my arms. Whenever she sees me she lights up. Yesterday the kids had awaken from nap time, but they have to stay in their cribs for awhile. Todd and I kept peeking in her room, and she would smile everytime she saw our faces. She cries anytime I put her down or hand her over to the mamas. We are having so much fun with them and will soon take them out on their first outing!
* Christopher is busy and likes to get in things and is very curious and adventurous. He is not afraid to push someone out of the way so he can have Todd's attention. He is fascinated with birds right now and yesterday we got to hear him say "bird" and point!
* Katie is much more reserved, cautious, and hesitant. She can be moody too, so as a girl, I think she will fit into the Moore household well! She has given us many smiles and giggles. She loves to be pushed in the swing. She also likes to be tickled and have her feet massaged--what girl doesn't??
* Erryn thank you for the clothes you have let me borrow--they have worked out great. Siouxanne loved receiving her goodies and families and volunteers loved the chocolate. We have been able to share baggies, and possibly some Malarone and pepto. We were able to give some gatorate packets to someone yesterday. Everyone is looking at us as being ultra prepared and full of resources--all thanks to you!!
* Ariel, thank you for the clothes. It is so nice not having to worry about what to wear each day. I am staying very comfortable. The kids loved the bubbles, I wish you could have seen the excitement in their eyes and voices. The mamas and volunteers were excited too. We are still waiting to disperse some of the toys.
* Lacey, I wish you could be here to experience this and to see all the kids. I have no doubt that you would have a little boy picked out in no time. It might actually be dangerous if you came...you wouldnt know how to say no, and you might end up as a family of 12! I will have pictures of Weiss soon.
Mom, Junior and Weiss seem to be good buds. He has an incredible smile. Yesterday they were sitting in the hammok with Todd pretending they were on a boat and that they couldn't fall into the water. Melody kept pikcing flowers and leaves and carrying them in a frisbee saying "auntie, here's another flowe.r" She also told me she wanted to hold my hand as we walked. We had fun playing ring around the rosie, and our circle kept growing bigger and bigger.
Jaden, You would love the green grass. There is so much room to run and play. Yesterday the boys were having races to see who could run the fastest. The tree house is really cool. The weather is beautiful, sunny and hot. Great weather for playing outside.
Kellen, you would have so much fun with all the kids. They love pretending--yesterday the kids were under the treehouse playing "kitchen" since all the kitchens here are outside. They also like running around playing with balls and hula hoops. You would make so many friends. Also, there are so many babies that like to be held and cuddled, you would be great at that.
Sage, you would love all the animals here. There are chickens and baby chicks that run around, lots of birds, geckos, and dogs. You would have so much.
* Yesterday, we got to be part of a send off for a family. They were going home with their two Ugandan children!! The volunteers, mamas, children, and families all gathered around. We prayed for them and sang "You are Worthy, You are Faithful." It was emotional and awesome to celebrate with this family. God is faithful and He keeps his promises.
* Pray for our lawyer here. We just found out that she has not returned any calls and is proving already to be unreliable. Amani needs to have a reliable lawyer. Pray that God would direct the right lawyer. We cannot move forward until then.
This has been one long entry, so I should probably sign off now. As you can, a lot happens in one day!
* Christopher and Katie were weighed today. Christopher is 22.2 lbs. and Katie is 20.8 lbs. They feel and look totally different though. It is amazing was two pounds can do at that age.
Love you and miss you.







I had trouble uploading pics and I couldnt flip them, etc.
Also, this post was very long so I am not going to proof it...hope it made sense!