"I'm all better now"

These were Isabella's words this morning after we experienced our first bout of the "stomach flu" and the vomiting that comes with it. Yesterday she woke from her nap in cheerful spirits then suddenly screamed for me. I came into her room shocked but perhaps less mortified than she was at the stinky substance all over her dress and crib. This continued every 15-20 minutes for a few hours throughout the evening. Amazingly, it slowed down and we all got a good night's sleep, well relatively. After a 10am wake up call, she was pretty much back to her bouncing-off-the-walls-Isabella-self. Here's a picture of her and her (clean) "V" bowl!

Hawaii or bust...

We're doing it! We're actually going on a vacation...one in which we're not working in Madagascar or visiting friends and family. Of course, we love those things too but we haven't been on a REAL vacation since our honeymoon over 5 years ago. We think it's time! Our sites are set and our tickets are purchased (with miles!) for Poipu Beach, Kauai. 2 whole luxurious weeks of rest, relaxation, surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, hiking, sleeping, sunbathing, and playing! Are the kiddos coming you may ask? Yes, but so are grandma and grandpa....Hallelujah! The only hard part about this trip...it's not until May 2009! The waiting will be hard but the payoff should be awesome!

Running to Madagascar

Tonight on our way home in the car, Isabella started up a conversation with us from the back seat. It went a little something like this...

Isabella: "I'm going to Madagascar"
Jamie and Alissa: "You're going to Madagascar? How are you going to get there?"
Isabella: "I'm going to run. Let's put our running clothes on."
Jamie and Alissa: "We're going to run to Madagascar? "
Isabella: "Yes, it'll be fun. Then we'll have dinner. I'm two years old."

Wow, if I could only be a fly on the wall of my daughter's brain to see her thought process, I think I would be constantly entertained as well as amazed.

I can't remember from who, but we've been told that when God calls a family somewhere to serve Him, He calls the whole family. Is this God's way of saying He's calling Isabella to Madagascar also or is it because she likes the movie... hmmm. Perhaps a little of both.

feet and smiles

Feet say a lot about a person... in Madagascar in the remote fishing village we've worked in, someone's foot print left in the sand is hugely important, it tells others if that person has passed through an area and about how long ago. Our friend Josy, has everyone's footprint memorized. If you're a new comer to the area, chances are likely he'll have it imprinted in his mind within the first 24 hours.
All this to say and without any correlation, Isabella got her toes painted for the first time complements of her mama. The color... why hot pink of course! She was in love and oh so proud.






Eliana has got some time still before her first toe painting. She's such a joy to our family. She's been a super mellow baby, quite the opposite of our exuberant 2 year old. She's full of sleeping, eating, pooping and smiling! Life is good!