Lagniappe

Here are some more comments from the kids lately:

Elizabeth: We were at church yesterday and I usually give the kids some money to put in the offering basket. I just took for granted that the kids knew they were putting money in a basket. I was so shocked when Elizabeth asked me while she was holding her money "Mama, where the trash?" really loud in church. I guess she has always thought she was throwing the money in the trash basket.:) ha ha

Jeremy: Yesterday, we were going to watch T.V.and Jeremy told me he wanted to watch Little Red's Neighborhood (instead of Little Red Riding hood) :) ha ha

Every time Jeremy jumps in the pool, he pretends to be Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. He always yells "To infinity and Deyond!!!!" I have tried to tell him that it is "beyond" not "deyond" and he tells me (almost rolling his eyes at me)"No, mom, you don't know...it is deyond." So, maybe we should contact the writers for Toy Story and have it changed.:)

Yesterday at church, Jeremy asked me "Mommy, why don't God and Jesus fall down from heaven? What keeps them up there?" Wow...I didn't see that one coming...I am going to have to think about how to answer that.:)

The "Go Slow"

In Nigeria, whenever there is a traffic jam...it is called the "Go Slow". I don't know how these guys manage to know exactly where the traffic is going to be slow...but somehow, they do. You can find just about anything in the "Go Slow". on this Saturday, there were people selling, toilet seats, mops, brooms, pool toys, clocks, and yes, even beer...to drivers....who were driving on the road...very scary. The men run along side vehicles with passengers who want to purchase an item. I have to say...they must be really in shape to run after cars all day long. I also saw a "staff bus" transporting some construction workers. When I say staff bus, I mean a container which has square holes cut out of it and being pulled by a semi...only in Nigeria.:) The picture of all the men riding on the truck is pretty typical of how you would see people riding around Lagos. Just think, if you were here, you could see all this on just a typical day in Lagos traffic.:)

Jeremy's First Day of School

We have been having problems with Internet connection here on the compound so I haven't been able to post anything lately. Jeremy started school on his birthday last Wednesday. He walked into the class like a pro. He put his backpack and lunch in his cubby, and went straight to the carpet to sit down and have circle time. When the bell rang for him to go inside...I had to turn around and look for him...he just went in the class without me.:) We are so proud of him...his confidence has really grown.:)

He's Five

Here are the very first pictures ever taken of my five year old boy.:) Today was his first day of school and his birthday. He was so excited to be a helper at school and ,of course, to open up some more presents.:)

Final Four

The minutes are getting closer to the time my little guy turns five. I can't believe it...he will be FIVE tomorrow. I remember when I got to hold him for the very first time. I kept thinking to myself at that time "Is this really for real?" And now, I am finding myself asking that question again...except I am asking "Is it for real that he is turning five?" I had to take a picture of him in his final moments of being four....because tomorrow four will be just a memory...

Spidey Time

This week was a really difficult week in Nigeria for me...maybe the hardest week so far since I have been living here....but the good news is that it did get better. Partly because of the news of the flight attendant who lost it and grabbed a few beers and went down the emergency slide ( at least I knew that things were also crazy in the U.S. and it really made me laugh) and because of Jeremy's Spiderman birthday party. He is really into Spiderman right now even though we really haven't watched the movies. He is into the superheroes and defeating the "Bad guys". So, there was no other option than to have a Spiderman Birthday party. Jeremy doesn't officially turn five until the 18th...but all of the little spidermen had a great time rounding up the "bad guys" at the party. We played "Pin Spiderman on the web, we made webs to catch the "bad guys";we made Spiderman masks, a villain walk...and the all time favorite...wrap up the "bad guy" ( which I found on the web). The kids had to draw from a paper bag, and if they drew the villain, the others on their team got to wrap them up with toilet paper. I never knew that four rolls of toilet paper could be so much fun at a birthday party. Of course there was pizza and french fries, and you couldn't have a birthday without cake and ice cream.:) The kids had a ball and I have to say that Guy and I had a great time seeing the kids have fun. Especially Elizabeth who repeatedly wanted to a "bad guy" and get wrapped up in the toilet paper.:)

Ice Cream!!!

After a very frustrating morning at the U.S. consulate here in Lagos ( just getting passport pages added to our passports.....it took three and a half hours!!!) I decided to take the kids to KFC before going home. Since it took so long for the passport pages, they missed their playgroup. On top of that, you cannot bring any food or drink into the consulate so they were starving and thirsty. It was really nice to see them smile and have an ice cream cone for 100 naira after they had lunch...it almost made things feel "normal" again.:)

Conflict of Interest?

I pass by this school everyday and always wonder to myself...is a law school in Nigeria a conflict of interest? You can make that decision for yourself.:)

Popcorn

Every Friday and Saturday night at our house is popcorn night for our family. To say Jeremy and Elizabeth LOVE it is an understatement.....they absolutely inhale popcorn. But, last night, Jeremy gave me his take on popcorn:

Jeremy: "Mommy, do you know that you only eat the corn...not the pop."
Me: "Really, what is the pop?"
Jeremy:" You know what the pop is, Mommy."
Me: "No, I really don't."
Jeremy: " You know the pop is the balls at the bottom of the bowl."
Me: laughed:)

So, there you have it...you don't have to call them kernels anymore...you can call them balls.:)

Lagniappe

Elizabeth : While she was in the car, she said " the kadas go berry pass" Translation: "The okadas go very fast." I don't know if she will ever really understand it when someone calls an okada a motorcycle.:)

Jeremy: "Mommy, I eat all my fruits and vegetables." I said " Fruits and vegetables make you healthy." He said, "I like carrots." I said, "That's good because carrots are really good for your eyes." He said very matter of factly, "Yeah, I know. I can see all the way to Houston."

Our First Baby

This last week has been pretty quiet around here. There are still many families who are traveling and are returning next week before school starts. The kids and I are getting a little stir crazy, but enjoying some quiet rest time before school and schedules get crazy.:) I was just thinking today about wishing I was back in the U.S. so I could hop in the car and take the kids to a different park each day when I looked over at Bernice. She was lying on the carpet sleeping. As soon as I got up her tail started wagging a little bit. She has been here since last year and never left the compound, and she has never complained about it.:) She was our first baby, and she is going to be 11 in October. She has been a wonderful part of our family, and I have to say the quietest baby we have ever had. Although she is moving alot slower these days, she is always there for us when we get home with her tail wagging. I know she is a dog, but she can teach me alot about where my home is. For her, it doesn't matter where she is, she is home when we are all together. The first few weeks I get back from the U.S. I am usually in a funk, but I have to think that home is where my family is and right now it is here in Lagos.:)

Of Course

So, I was riding in the car today with Fatai looking at all the interesting things Lagos has to offer as I drive by when I noticed a small bug crawling across the windshield. Of course I grabbed a piece of toilet paper from the roll on the gear shift (Fatai's toilet paper) and squished the bug. Doesn't everyone have a roll of toilet paper sitting on the gear shift in the car just in case you need it? I guess I should be happy Fatai uses it.:)

34

34 was the number yesterday. If you add the numbers together, you get the number 7. If you double it, you get 68. For me, it meant how old I became yesterday. I am 34 years old...wow...to say that is really weird to me. I can't believe that this year would be my 17th year high school reunion. It would be my 12th college reunion!! Who is that 34 year old?? It can't be me...no way! But, it is true, I am 34, and before I freak out about it too much more...I am going to focus on the positive aspects of this number. I think back ten years ago when I was 24....still teaching and not knowing if I would ever have children. I had just moved to New Orleans and thought I had moved to another country! I was so green then. Alot has happened in the last ten years...Guy and I moved to Houston and then to Lagos. We have two beautiful children and a great family. I have met so many new friends on my path of the last 10 years as well as staying touch with my old ones and seeing how our lives change together along the path of life.:) Now that I think about it, 34 isn't too bad...I am wiser and have learned so much. Now, I hope I can think this way when I turn 44! Ha ha:)

My birthday was great! Jeremy and Guy cooked breakfast for me and the kids gave me flowers. Guy gave me a blackberry so I can keep in touch with everyone so much better through e-mail at my fingertips.:) The day ended with a steak dinner on the grill and a birthday cake.:) ( and the gift of three poopy panties from Elizabeth..a gift only a two year old can give). 34 isn't too bad.:)