Where does the time go???

Today, Jeremy had his end of the year program for pre- K. I can't believe that it is almost the end of the school year already...and even stranger to me is that he is done with an entire year of pre-K!!! When I think about Guy and myself taking him to the school to see his classroom for the first time and meeting his teacher for the first time....it seems like it was so long ago in one sense, but then, it also seems like it was just yesterday. People would always tell me the kids grow up so quickly, and I would always disregard what they would say as I would hold Jeremy in my arms when he was a baby. But, it is so true...we all get busy with things and now, I look at him, and he has lost the baby fat that used to be in his cheeks; he no longer cries when I leave him in the classroom...and sometimes he even wipes off his cheek after I kiss him...he is getting older each day. It is at these times I have to remember something a friend of mine told me once. She said that the main goal as a parent is to teach your children to be independent. I guess she is right.....I don't want a thirty year old son living in the basement of my house....but if he could grow up just a little bit slower...that would be great!:)

Top Ten Reasons the Traffic is bad in Lagos

Here are the top ten reasons Fatai has given me why the traffic is bad in Lagos
10) It is a Monday
9) It is a Tuesday
8) It is a Wednesday
7) It is a Thursday
6) It is a Friday
5) It is a Saturday
4) The sun is too shine
3) Rain is going to fall
2) The rain is too much
1) The okadas are too much
I don't know...maybe Fatai could get a job as a traffic reporter for the radio.:)

Confirmation of the Fish Heads

I was beginning to think I wasn't really noticing anything crazy around here any more. It is becoming scary to me that seeing a man on the back of an okada carrying a window unit air conditioner isn't phasing me anymore. I was thinking it was time for me to leave for the summer and come back in August with some fresh eyes and ears again so I can notice things around me better... that is until yesterday. Happiness was making us fish for dinner and she had filleted them and cut off the heads. When she was leaving, she asked me if she could take the fish heads home with her. I told her that was fine with me.....but everyone who knows me knows I have to know everything....or at least try...so I had to ask her what she was doing with them. She was going to use them to make a stew.....not sure if it was appetizing to me...but she seemed pretty excited about it. A few minutes later, the phone rang...it was the front gate security. I answered the phone and the guard said,"Good evening , Madame. I am calling to confirm the fish heads." I couldn't believe that they were actually wanting to find out if I had indeed given her the fish heads or if she was just taking them. The whole thing was very ironic since many items of furniture seem to disappear from around here without a call from security...but they needed to confirm the fish heads. What a crazy place this is!!!!:)

Tea Time

On Thursday, I didn't have to go anywhere at all...which is pretty nice since I feel like I am always running everywhere!:) So, I had some tea with my little girl. Just so you know, she dressed herself up...I didn't help her with the shoes, necklaces, or glasses...it was all her own idea. And, I have to say, she made the best pretend tea I have ever tasted. She also managed to whip together a pretend pie. ( I know she doesn't get that from me!) We drank tea together, and in her words it was "tasty!":)

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Today is Mother's Day, and as many of you know I wasn't even sure if I would ever even get to celebrate being a mother myself. There were years of wondering if I would ever be able to join the elite group of moms. Then, in March 2006, we brought Jeremy home, and in March 2008, our baby girl, Elizabeth, was born. Mother's day is always an extra special day for me to remember how special being a mom really is.:) Guy got me beautiful flowers and a cake, and both Elizabeth and Jeremy made me Mother's Day cards. I even got an extra special gift today. When I called my grandma to wish her a happy Mother's Day, she felt so good that she sang "Ave Maria" to me over the phone. What a precious gift that was.:) To all of my family and friends, I wish you all a wonderful Mother's Day!:)

Finally!!!

Late last night, the Nigerian president was finally declared dead. He had been rumored to have been dead for the last few months, and already the second man in command after him was in control of the government. He had already thrown out the cabinet of the president and brought in his own cabinet members. No one had physically seen the president in so long that most people had assumed that he had passed on. Now, it is official. In true Nigerian fashion, no one knew that today would be declared a public holiday. So, everyone was up and going to work and when they arrived, they were told to go home. Guy wasn't even told it was a holiday until half way through the work day. Jeremy's school found out so late they decided to keep the kids at school and give them tomorrow off as a public holiday. No wonder people in Nigeria can't really plan ahead..the government can't even tell them when they want to declare a holiday until the actual day...just one more reason things don't ever go as planned here.:)

Last T-Ball Game of the season

Saturday was also Jeremy's last T-ball game for the season. I just wanted to post a few pictures from his last game and from his awards ceremony. It was so fun to watch the kids from the beginning of the season until now. At first, they didn't even know what hand to wear their glove, and now they are were out on the field chasing after the ball and throwing it. They have grown so much. Guy also did a great job helping coach the Brewers. It is crazy to think that my little boy is already done with his very first season of t-ball.:)

Monkeys, Peacocks, Tortoises... and garbage?

I have been behind on posting the pictures I took this past Saturday. We met some friends out at the Lekki Conservation center. We had heard about this place from several people as a nice place to take the kids to see some animals. Jeremy was pretty excited and was wondering which animals he would see. I have to say that it was really a neat place for the kids. The whole area is covered in small wooden bridges which are raised up a little from the ground. Before we even got on any of the bridges, we saw a few peacocks. Elizabeth saw them and immediately exclaimed ,"Chin chins!!!!" ( interpreted as chickens) After our friends arrived, we walked on the wooden walkways and saw a tortoise and some monkeys in the trees. We never did see any alligators even though the people who run the conservation center swear they are there. I was just beginning to feel like we were really taking the kids to somewhere else other than Nigeria when I saw the giant tortoise walk over to a huge pile of garbage and start eating. I was shocked back into reality. It is "so Nigeria" to have such a pretty place and then have trash dumped right in the middle. But, the kids didn't even notice the trash pile...they were too buy petting a giant tortoise.:) As Jeremy said, "How cool was that?"