The Conrods

While We Wait

2009-07-14T07:57:00.004-05:00

We don't have our visa, yet.

This past Saturday we took the kids to Hibernia park and went rock hopping in the Brandywine. They had a blast and it made for some nice photos. We're using bug spray, but we've found 3 ticks so far on the kids in the past 3 days. We're watching those spots closely, especially with all we've been hearing of Lyme.

This weekend we'll celebrate Nandry's 9th birthday with some of her Crane and Conrod cousins up here in PA. I'm glad that we get this extra chance to see everyone...and I'm hoping birthday presents are small and easy to pack (think DS game or money!).

Catch of the Day

2009-07-10T21:51:00.002-05:00

Asher caught his first fish this past weekend at the Lake. I think the cape helped by giving him extra superhero strength. He was so proud! Both of the boys learned how to cast a line and got lots of practice. We threw the fish back in...maybe we'll cook them up next time.

Pre-haircut

2009-07-07T15:11:00.003-05:00

My little thugs here, wanted mohawks when I was cutting their hair. I let them have their hair like that for one day, then finished cutting it all the next day. I didn't realize this style was back in until we went to the pool and there were a bunch of little boys with mohawks (just not spiked on the top).

DELAY

2009-06-30T16:19:00.002-05:00

Our bags are packed and we are ready to go...however, we haven't received our paperwork yet and have postponed our plane tickets. Our plan was to leave on the 4th of July, but we are now waiting until we have the documents we need before re-booking our flight. Keep lifting us up in prayer!

Bedtime Questions

2009-06-25T21:32:00.003-05:00

The kids were getting to bed pretty late tonight, and they were trying to stay up as long as possible. Here are the questions I got called back into their rooms for:

Boaz: Are elephants warm blooded, or cold blooded? What about dogs? How do cold blooded animals get warm?
Asher: Why does lightning come from the earth?
Nandry: What's 255 plus 265...no wait, I mean 165 plus 165?

I love them so much! I can't explain where those questions came from. Maybe Boaz was thinking about his stuffed animals...we haven't seen lightning for a few days...and the random numbers????

Pray for us all as we go through another transition from life in the US to life in the Cameroon jungle. Nandry's been getting very sad about all the people that we are leaving behind.

Sorting...to store, toss or pack.

2009-06-24T06:49:00.002-05:00

The kids lined up all their stuffed animals so they could watch a show that Nandry and Boaz were going to perform. I'm deep in the packing mode, so when I see anything going on like this in our house, I can't stop and enjoy it because I'm thinking of what category it needs to be in (store in the US, take to Cameroon, or throw away/give away). Then I think about the best way to get rid of the things we aren't keeping without the kids or Nathan noticing and making a big stink. First of all, I can't believe all of the stuff we have collected in the past year. When we leave, we'll have 10 suitcases, 50 lbs each, that is our allowance, plus 5 carry-ons. Seems like alot, but it's filling up quickly and we still haven't packed some of the big stuff like Nathan's drill and possibly a keyboard and a propane water heater. Our first term we didn't use all of our luggage allowance and only had 9 suitcases. But, we did ship a bunch of stuff over. We are trying to avoid shipping things this time.

Our bush house is small, so each time I pack something I try to picture where it's going to go in our house (there's no more space in our kitchen for any more appliances like the smoothie maker Nathan wants to bring).

It's easier for me to "go without" and not buy/pack things that are more frivolous. But it's so difficult to demand that the kids do this. Nandry wants to take all of her crafts, dolls and toys but is ok with leaving all of her stuffed animals. Boaz wants to take everything because he wants to show the Baka kids and give some of it away to his Baka friends 'cause "they will think it's so awesome". Asher wants to take everything, even stuff that Nandry and Boaz are leaving.

I hate that we live so high above the Baka people when we are in Cameroon, but yet compared to being here in the States we really have so little. Packing is such a stressful time for me when I think about it in this way.

So for now we leave behind bikes & scooters, tea sets, stuffed animals, dress-up clothes, Nerf guns, body boards, musical instruments, decorations and kitchen appliances to surprise us when we come back with how big we've grown and how much we didn't really NEED them in the first place.

Buried in the likeness of His death...

2009-06-21T17:39:00.002-05:00

...raised to walk in newness of life. Nandry and I got baptized today on our last Sunday at Atlantic Shores, which also happens to be Father's Day. T. Jay Williams, the youth pastor, performed the baptism. Nandry was a bit nervous and not sure what to expect, so she was glad that I went first while she stood in the tank and watched. I'm so glad that I got to share this experience with my daughter. It was a happy day for Nathan too, and a Father's day that he'll never forget.

Graduation

2009-06-10T09:51:00.005-05:00

The words of the Dora the Explorer song are stuck in my head, "We did it! We did it! We did it, yea! Lo hicimos! We went OVER to the States and started preschool. We did it! We did it! We did it, hooray! We went THROUGH the school year and learned our alphabet. We did it!..." Oh boy.
Asher didn't want to go to graduation because he wasn't really sure what it meant and what it required of him. When we told him it was basically getting a piece of paper that said he didn't have to go to preschool anymore, he didn't believe us. The ceremony was cute. I've never seen so many cameras and camcorders in one place before. The kids pledged to the flag, the Christian flag, the Bible, and then sang some songs that they had learned throughout the year. It was so great that Asher got a chance to be in this environment with lots of kids his own age and with such loving and kind teachers. I'm not sure if Asher (all the way on the left) is actually singing in this picture...I kind of think he's yawning. With all the activities of the past week, the kids haven't been getting to bed as early as they should.

He did it!!

Disney...a month ago already!!!

2009-06-02T06:45:00.002-05:00

I really need to catch up on blogging. Here is a photo of all the Crane cousins en France at Epcot, 9 kids ranging in age from almost 2 years old to 8 years old. We spent 2 weeks in Orlando with my parents and my brother's families. The kids had such a great time vacationing, and we enjoyed the getaway. We went to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood Studios (MGM) and Sea World. I think that Sea World was our favorite with Epcot & MGM tying for a close second...but it was all incredible. The place we stayed at had 2 different pools with kid splash zones and a lazy river, so some days we just hung out there! The kids got to experience their first roller coasters, see trainers riding killer whales, be 4 feet away from an enormous gorilla and share all of this and so much more with their cousins. I posted more pictures on Facebook, so if you have an account, look us up.

Our Week at COD

2009-05-21T17:45:00.004-05:00

It's already been 3 weeks since we were in Pennsylvania at COD's Mission Festival. It was a really great time getting to know the church a little bit and meeting so many of their congregation there in York, PA as well as spending time with some seasoned missionaries from around the globe. This weekend, Nathan is driving back up to COD to speak on Sunday night. We've been "in process" with them since before Christmas and we are hoping that they will decide to take us on for support. It would help us out tremendously towards our goal of getting back to Cameroon by July 4th.

One of the activities during the week was a trip to Gettysburg. It was fun for the kids to sit on the cannons and they learned about the Civil War. The kids even enjoyed the museum and cyclorama and riding on the church bus.

While in PA, we stayed at the Crane's house at Lake Meade. As soon as we got there, Boaz was eyeing the fishing pole. He caught 2 fish during the week, both bass, I think. The weather was kind of cold, but that didn't stop the kids from enjoying the water. They swam the first 2 evenings we were there (it wasn't as cold) and used the water toys during the other days. I didn't get a picture, but we even spent an afternoon with Darla, our previous tutor in Cameroon. We all have a very special bond with her since being in Cameroon together. The kids were thrilled to hang out with Darla, roast marshmallows and make s'mores.

Saturday Night Game Show

2009-05-19T11:51:00.004-05:00

We are back after 3 weeks of traveling, frantically trying to get caught up and even get ahead (is that possible?). One of the highlights of our trip was participating in Branywine Bible Church's Mission Fun Night. I copied a PowerPoint presentation of Millionaire complete with theme music and added a few questions about Cameroon. Brian Y., the Mission Coordinator, printed out an awesome sign from his studio for the advent. During the game, Nathan the host led our contestants in the hot seat from the status of Average Joe to Missionaire (French for missionary). We even had the option of take away 2 answers, ask the audience and everyone's favorite: phone a Baka. Ellis (pictured below with Nathan) was our young grand prize winner, impressing everyone with his knowledge of Baka culture.

The Greatest Show on Earth!

2009-04-23T06:50:00.004-05:00

Last Saturday was the first time Nandry, Boaz, Asher and I ever went to the circus (Nathan went too, but he's been to the circus before). It was incredible!

We got there early so that we could walk around and see the animals and the pre-show. We stayed at the tiger cage for about 15 minutes...it was amazing to be so close to animals that could do you so much harm. One of the tigers roared and jumped at another tiger and my heart just stopped as a wave of fear overtook me. When we were looking at the elephants getting ready for the show, one worker was strapping on the elephant's harness and was practically underneath the elephant making sure it was on correctly. You couldn't pay me enough to do that and be under an animal so huge it could trample me.

This performer was being held in the elephant's mouth!!

The performers who did their routines with the ribbons dangling from the ceiling were a big hit. What incredible skills. It's amazing that some of these folks are 4th generation circus performers. What an interesting life, growing up in the circus!

I love getting pictures at just the right moment! That was a pretty small ring, up pretty high in the air for him to jump through!

We had such a great time and we'll go again next time we are in the States if we get a chance to!

Easter with the Conrods

2009-04-19T10:24:00.003-05:00

We spent last weekend and part of the week in a huge cabin in Pigeon Forge, TN with the Conrods. There were 9 adults and 10 kids, plus we got to visit with Nathan's Grandfather and his Uncle's family who live in the area. Easter Morning, the kids came in single file to find their baskets all in a row. You can tell in the picture that Boaz was disappointed looking at a blue horsey and a baby doll, until he realized that wasn't his basket!

We got everyone dressed up, Nandry and KK had matching dresses, matching shoes, and matching dresses on their dolls. It was pretty sweet and they looked like they could be twins. We got a few pictures with Grandma and Grandpa then headed off to the little church down the road.

The 19 of us descended upon this tiny Missionary Baptist church and we almost doubled their attendance. We weren't sure what to expect, and were wondering what we had gotten ourselves into...how 'bout that sign above the pulpit (KJV only)? The church was happy to have us and they got Leigh (Nathan's brother-in-law) up front to sing. He has such an amazing voice...and was singing w/o accompaniment.

Mom got in on the action too and was our pianist for the day. It was neat to be able to be a blessing to this church and the kids did super well during the LONG service where the pastor preached and YELLED his message. It was definitely unforgettable, though next time I think we'll go for something a little more contemporary and a little less...quaint.

We spent the rest of the day with Nathan's Uncle's family (6 more adults and 2 little kids) having a blast hiding and hunting eggs, stuffing ourselves with Aunt Vicky's good food and just being together.

Thanks for your prayers!

2009-04-07T13:21:00.002-05:00

Today, Nandry had a procedure at CHKD with the ear/nose/throat doctor. She had fluid built up behind her ear drum for over 5 months and we noticed at the beginning of January that she was saying, "what?" more and not hearing us as well. Today they drained the fluid and put tubes in her ears while she was under general anesthesia. When she got home she was a bit groggy and having trouble walking straight. I asked her (in a normal voice) if her ears hurt, and she said, "yeah, but only because you are talking so loud!" We are glad that things went well and happy to have her hearing at 100%...though we'll have to teach her brothers to be a little bit quieter when they are talking to her.

M for Mama!

2009-04-06T06:47:00.003-05:00

Yesterday in the car, Asher was trying to write a note to me saying "I love you, Mama". When he got to the word "Mama", he sounded it out and asked what an "m" looked like. I told him that it's like two mountains or two humps. He was still trying to figure it out when Boaz jumped in with, "You know, like McDonalds". Of course, Asher had no trouble after that!

5 Years of Asher

2009-03-30T20:04:00.003-05:00

I can't believe our youngest is 5 years old! We had such a great weekend with Darla, last year's tutor in Africa, who was visiting from PA. We did lots of fun stuff to celebrate Asher's birthday weekend such as playing on the beach, bowling, jumping on the inflatables at Kangaroo Jack's and a birthday party with the Conrod cousins.

Last Sunday

2009-03-26T07:10:00.007-05:00

Mr. Handsome here was getting ready for church. He let me comb his hair and put gel in it. "No rubbing your head on the couch" was my rule, and he added to it, "or the wall" and was careful to keep his hair looking good until his special debut at the 9:30 service. ASBC was giving Bibles to all of the 1st graders this week in celebration of them learning to read.

It was hard to get a good pic, but you can see Pastor Roger presenting Bo with his first Bible.

After church we went with Grandpa & Grandma to a Japanese steakhouse where they grill the food at your table. The kids LOVED it and are coming up with ways that we can do this at home.

At the restaurant, Asher was showing off how he could eat his broccoli with chopsticks. This is one thing (the broccoli...and the chopsticks too I guess) that we don't often get in Cameroon and the kids are enjoying it, along with cauliflower which we have affectionately named "scared broccoli".

Fun With the Kids

2009-03-26T06:56:00.003-05:00

Nandry set up shop right outside her bedroom selling tiny paper airplanes. So far she's made almost 10 cents. While Boaz is the one who loves to dump his piggy bank and count his money, Nandry's the one that's actually coming up with ways to make money.

Asher is growing quite a bit, especially his feet. He's wearing my shoes already! :) He has tons of energy and reminds me of Tigger -- always bouncing and boinging. Though, he does have the ability to concentrate on his Leapster if it's some kind of puzzle game.

Game Night!!

2009-03-03T18:23:00.007-05:00

Notice David's intensity...that could mean only one thing: It was game night! Time for the rematch between the guys and gals in our small group.

Not sure if you can tell by the picture just how far ahead the RED team was (us gals!!!) but it was a significant win!

I think Katy was drawing Schrodt baby #4 in the crib. Do we know if it's a boy or girl yet?

Here's Katie (with an ie not a y) doing the cancan during our enthusiastic game of Guesstures. Mr. Sea Turtle will never be the same again.

Minerva, our gracious host, using the guy with the camera as her prop...her word was photographer.

We had such a good time and took so many great, yet incriminating, pictures that I decided to post the rest of them on facebook (I'll bring them next Sunday and pass them around for all you folks who aren't facebook-ers).

Mr. Too-Cool

2009-02-25T20:03:00.004-05:00

"Mom, take my picture, I look FANTASTIC!"

All of our kids have been sufficiently Americanized by having participated in a school program...we can return to Cameroon now with contentment. Boaz, aka Mr. Cool, was the only kid wearing shades (he even refused to smile). Do you see his right hand giving me the secret "hi-mom-don't-embarrass-me" wave? I LOVE our kids and it's so fun to see how different they each react to life with their unique personalities! Though, I think Bo must have been taking cool lessons from Uncle Chad.

Wonderful Birthday

2009-02-11T08:04:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was a great day! For my birthday I kept up with a tradition that started last year of running 5K and going swimming with the kids (though this year the pool was inside and not as green). Then we came home, had some leftover ice cream cake (from our party on Sunday with the Conrods), opened presents that the kids made and wrapped themselves and then Nathan took me out to dinner.

It was just unplanned irony that we went to Catch 31 for my 31st...but cool none the less to eat good seafood at the beach.

We got to dip our toes in the freezing cold ocean and walk on the sand for a bit. We also enjoyed taking pictures with the impressive statue of Neptune.

We need to ship this to Cameroon!

2009-02-04T11:23:00.003-05:00

Monster truck with a little bit of hearse thrown in there...

More fun from Florida

2009-02-04T10:07:00.007-05:00

While in Florida, Nathan and the boys got to go out fishing with Mr. Nelson on his boat. They caught fish with just about every cast. Mr. Nelson scaled the fish and the boys fed the scrapes to pelicans. Nathan came home with a whole bowl full of fillets and broiled them for lunch. It was fresh and yummy!
Folks from CBC recommended the Lion Country Safari in West Palm Beach, so we headed down there for a day. It was so cool seeing so many African animals closeup. The kids loved feeding the giraffes, they have enormous heads and super long tongues. We recommend it if you are ever in FL!

We had a great time at CBC and at the Family Worship Center at Indiantown. Nathan enjoyed preaching at the church he grew up in. This is the church his Dad started and pastored for 18 years.

Oceanograhpic Coastal Center

2009-01-23T09:30:00.003-05:00

Yesterday we spent the day petting sting rays at the museum right across from Stuart Beach (because it's been way to cold to be on the beach). The kids had a blast feeding the rays and socializing with them.

We also went on a mile long nature hike to the Indian River estuary area and the kids (and Nathan the big kid) asked so many good questions and we learned so many new facts about wildlife and plants of Florida. We even got up close and personal with the black mangrove tree, which sweats salt out of it's leaves. Yum?

The kids loved the touch tank, and since we were pretty much the only people there yesterday, they got to ask so many questions. The volunteers at the center were impressed at our kid's attention spans. They must get their love for nature and love for learning from Nathan! It's cute to me because Boaz can remember all kinds of crazy facts, but not the names of the creatures he's learning about. He keeps telling me things about the "shoe fish" (horse shoe crab) and the "sea swimmer" (sea horse).

FLORIDA!

2009-01-18T19:15:00.002-05:00

We arrived in Florida last night, spent the morning at Community Baptist Church, had lunch with the pastor's family and other missionaries, then hit the beach (come on, it was 50 degrees warmer than when we left Virginia). The kids braved the cold water, Nathan and I wrapped ourselves in beach towels and watched.
The kids were really excited to arrive in Florida. This morning they kept commenting on how much it reminded them of Africa because of all the palm trees and because it was so warm they could wear sandals again. I think up until today, Asher was convinced that warmer weather was gone for good. Folks at the church who had been around for years were excited to see Nathan and I heard lots of "I used to watch Nathan in the nursery". Asher, our 4 year old who has the knack of saying the cutest (and most embarrassing) things, stood at the door and greeted people as they came in for the evening service with a handshake. I thought it was cute until I got a little closer and heard him telling someone, "My Dad is an African, and so am I!" I realized that what he was meaning was that he was wearing his African shirt just like his Daddy was.