Celebrations

In the life of an MAF pilot, the first day to solo in a new location is a significant event.  A few weeks ago, David made his first solo flight in Papua, and a crowd of MAF staff and national workers were on hand to give him a ceremonial water dousing.  

Luke and Zoe fill buckets as we wait for David to arrive.

The children managed to douse me as well.

So David's new schedule of rising very early (he likes to be airborne by 6) is having an effect on me, a wanna-be morning person but truth-be-told night owl.  Yesterday I was napping by eleven, after having already done several hours of chores and homeschooling with L and Z.  

Part of my fatigue is also due to post-party recovery.  I do this to myself every time one of the kid's birthdays rolls around.  I dream big, plan an ambitious party, and nearly kill myself in carrying it out.

Grace's birthday party was this past weekend, and she chose an "Around the World" theme.  It took a lot of prep and imagination; I found myself thinking more than once, "in the U.S. this party would be so easy: buy the chips, buy the salsa, buy the decorations, buy the pinata, buy the lasagna, buy, buy, buy!"  And here, it is make, make, make!  But, all said and done, it was very fun and totally worth it.

We set up Mexico out in the yard, where the girls snacked on chips and salsa and drank horchata (a rice-based drink) and whacked at a home-made pinata.

Then we journeyed to Hawaii, set up at a friend's house, where the girls sipped on pineapple juice, made a lei, then did a hula dance.  Very fun.

After that we had the main course in Italy, which was lasagna and Italian cream sodas.  

For our after-dinner tea, we traveled to Great Britain and solved mysteries.

We wrapped it up by having cake and ice cream in the good ol' U.S.A.  

A follow up to my last blog post about Carter's snake: he thinks she will soon lay eggs (still not sure how he knows this).  He is so sure, and I am still skeptical.  Recently he came home from school and told me, "Darryl wants one of the baby snakes, and so does Jonah." And I said....wait for it..."Don't count your snakes before they hatch."