If you haven't heard, it is HOT here. Next week has three consecutive days of 108 as the high. 108!!! We may actually melt. We are thankful for lots of swimming pools around to cool off in this summer.
Back in June, Shannon and her kids were in town for a week. It made for some fun swim days.
This picture is before Will was scarred for life in Mimi & Grandpa's pool. He took a little dip underwater and did not like it one single bit. (Side note...he went swimming today and was back to his happy water-loving self.)
Morgan Mallory & Tate started a fun game of jumping off the side, yelling something, and doing a "trick" before you landed in the water. They seriously thought it was the funniest thing ever. And they seriously must have jumped off the side 100 times. :) Fun times with Aunt Shannon & the cousins!
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And then in mid-July, it was time for swim lessons again with Mr. Kaleb. This is Tate's 3rd year to take lessons from him. He did great again this year, and I think the skills are sticking for good this time. Ever since the lessons, he has loved jumping in by himself and swimming to the side with no floaties. Plus he learned the breaststroke (arms), rolling over to a float, and treading water. Way to go, Tate!
Maybe some of those Enright swimming genes (which skipped me) will stay with Tate?
In mid-July, Will turned 15 months old. Wow. It has been a fun few months in Will's world.
The big question is if he's walking. Kind of? He has been cruising everywhere and into everything. And just in the past few weeks, he is taking 5-6 steps at a time. He is still a super-fast crawler, so I think he knows that method is much quicker. So he walks...just not a lot yet. Fully capable but taking his own time. :)
With the extra mobility, he is becoming quite the explorer. It's been hard to keep him contained. We had a couple of months with the "baby prison" in the living room (big circular gate). And now, we have a system of babyproofing, doors to close, etc. before you can let him go. So far, so good. He loves to walk while pushing chairs (or anything) around. And his absolute favorite thing to do is to open cabinets and take out all of the contents. He was quote surprised and frustrated when the ones containing glass and heavy items became babyproofed. There are still plenty of others to destroy/sort. :)
With all of that is this stage of getting frustrated. The combination of not being able to get where he wants and not being able to communicate that can get frustrating for everyone...him and us. We are working on some signs and ways to not always scream...this too shall pass, right? :)
First Haircut!
He likes: eating and seems to enjoy most any food (but especially fruits, milk, casseroles, and yogurt), pushing things around, cabinets, Peek-a-Boo, going to Gymboree class with Mommy, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Elmo, balls, playhouse doorbell, cuddling before/after nap, nesting cups, "dancing" to music, bathtime, You Are My Sunshine and Happy Birthday songs, and he LOVES playing with Macy and Tate.
He dislikes: ice cream (we are still in disbelief!), being stopped at a red light (screams!), being stuck in the stroller when he really wants to get around, having diaper changed, the chute at the bank drive-thru, baby oatmeal, taking medicine, and swimming (more disbelief since he LOVES baths).
In health news for Will, he gave Wade a little scare while I was in Haiti. Head-to-toe rash. Almost looked like chicken pox (it wasn't), and we thought at first it was a food allergy. Turned out to be a weird viral rash and was completely gone in 3 days. And also after four ear infections in less than four months, it was time for ear tubes. His surgery went great, and thankfully no infections since. Keeps us on our toes...and helped us meet our deductible! :)
He talks/babbles a lot, but we really can't understand much of it yet. He has said Mama, baf (bath), babees (for baby video), bye-bye, da da, and br (brother). Hard to understand still but when he goes into a full discussion in his own dialect, he appears to fully understand what he is saying.
Funny story about this picture of him asleep. Around 13-14 months, he transitioned to one afternoon nap a day. On Sundays, he is in the church nursery for a good chunk of the morning and gets pretty tired. He has discovered his favorite chair. When he gets fussy or tired, they pull out this bouncy seat (that he is probably way too big for). Will climbs in it on his own, gets his legs to start bouncing the chair, and can sometimes put himself to sleep. Hilarious.
And some fun videos (all from my phone so not best quality) of our Will. Yes, the falling asleep eating one is greatness and just might need to be sent to America's Funniest Videos.
We had a nice Father's Day this year celebrating the fun Dad in our house. I attempted a picture of Wade and the boys. Sun, wind, and two squirmy boys=you get what you can get. I still think it's a good one of my three handsome guys. And there is THAT wristband again...it's everywhere!
We had a nice lunch and nice afternoon naps, which all together make for a pretty nice day. :) And later that night, we had a make-your-own-pizza party at Wade's parent's house. My father-in-law discovered The Green Egg last summer and has been a grilling machine ever since. You can even cook pizzas in it!
But the highlight for everyone that night was spending time out on the golf course. It's kind of surreal as I remember when my niece and nephew were Tate's age, and they loved running down the fairway and hitting the ball. Lots of fun to experience that all over again with my kids.
And to make it even better, Poppy gave Tate his first real club and putter. He has been through a dozen of the plastic clubs in his four years already, but these were the real deal.
This was also the first time that Will started standing up all by himself really well. He was pretty proud of himself, and we were happy to get it on camera.
Poppy reminded Tate that every good golfer has to have a good short game as well.
The wind-blown Dads. Happy Father's Day, Wade. So thankful for the father that you have already become. So thankful that we are partners together in this wonderfully-hard thing called parenting. So thankful that our boys are learning how to love from you every day. So thankful for you!
So remember when it wasn't 138 degrees outside? We had a busy Spring in the Strzinek family and I'm just now getting around to some blog updates.
There is a park very close to our house that we absolutely love. In fact, I'm willing to say it may be the best park out there if you've got both a baby/toddler and a preschooler. Great areas for both. Back in the Spring, we were going to the park at least once a week if not more. Will discovered he loves to swing.
And then in April, it was time for the annual Daddy & Tate bike race. This is the second year they've gone together. I think Wade will be ready for Tate to ride his own bike as pulling his 40+ lbs. in the bike trailer is getting a little more challenging.
This year was even more fun as it was a Strzinek family ride with Poppy, Trip, and Mary Tish joining in. They all seemed to have a great time. No injuries. No one got lost. A success!
And Tate's friend Noah (and his dad, Brian) were there as well. Fun!
And toward the end of April, it was another annual event. Again, this is the second year for the boy's day at the Ranger game. Grandpa, Wade, Tate, & Poppy enjoyed a great game and were even on TV briefly. And then right before they left, my Dad (Grandpa) caught a foul ball.
In May, it was time for the annual Dads & Kids camping trip with our small group from church. This is Wade & Tate's second year to go, and they both loved it. Wade took just a few pictures on his phone, so there are none of him or the 50+ kids and 25+ dads. Or maybe he just chose to destroy the evidence? :)
The good thing about a camping trip without Mom there is you get to wear whatever you want. You can sit and dangle off a fence on the side of a huge drop-off.
You can climb giant rocks all by yourself with no safety gear.
And you can go kayaking. I will admit that all of those are probably much more fun without me there. :) I know this is an annual event that they both look forward to every year. Will is a good two years away from getting to go, but he still had some fun while they were gone. The moms (and little kiddos) got together for a fun dinner @ Fuzzy's. And then Monica & Spencer came over for a sleepover. Will & Spencer had lots of fun playing together and taking a bath. Senior slideshow picture??? And the moms got some uninterrupted chat time...with ice cream! :)
Tate was supposed to be in the TOT end-of-year performance at his preschool but was sick that day. So there was a make-up performance for kids from all of the local preschools. I have to give this kid some credit. It was a gym full of about 40-50 kids and their parents. He didn't know one single person, and his regular TOT teacher wasn't even there. He just jumped right in and went on with the show like it was no big deal. I remind myself all of the time to focus on his strengths. Clearly his adaptability and sociability are strengths and ones that I think will really take him far.
It was fun to see him showing his stuff. He loved participating in TOTs this year, and I could see an improvement since the last performance in January.
And at the end, he received his first-ever trophy and a TOTs wristband. He has enjoyed having the trophy, but the wristband has become a prized possession. He wants to wear it 24/7. I've noticed that the lovely wristband is in most of pictures I've taken since May. :)
It says "The Last One," but I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time I talk about Haiti. In fact, if you've been around me for any length of time since I've been back, it has probably come up in the conversation. I'm trying to find that balance...not completely annoying my family and friends with all things Haiti. But at the same time, sharing about this part of the world and these special children that we are so separated from in our every day.
Going into this trip, I knew that I would come back changed. It's a cliche, but it's true. You can't see the poverty and the need and not be changed. But what has surprised me is how much I want to go back. It surprises me how comfortable and safe I felt when I was there. It surprises me that even though it was the hottest, sweatiest, and dirtiest I have ever been, I would be back in a heartbeat if given the chance.
And yes, I did come back changed in other ways. In fact, many of the ways I'm still trying to process. But I know when I was there, I got a big, huge dose of perspective. Don't worry, we're not moving to Haiti. We're not selling all of our possessions. But it does make me take notice of where or what I place my priorities. What is important? What is fleeting? What is of value? What is trivial?
James 1:27 reads, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction." To me this isn't a judgement if you're not visiting orphans. But it's a statement that when you are, you are able to experience the pureness of what Christianity is all about. That's what I felt.
And the way it all started was when our friends Mark & Chelsea began sharing their journey to serve orphans in Africa (they are there right now!). All of a sudden, I had this little glimpse into a world I really knew nothing about. But I knew that I wanted to know more.
I'm so thankful that they shared their journey and so grateful to the Lord for putting this on my heart and giving me the courage to follow through. And now I hope for many more opportunities to go back on my own, with Wade, and hopefully in several years, with my boys.
We pray for him every night, so they need to meet my friend, Fransos, as well. :)
And one last video. This one was made by the talented Alisha, who was also on our team.
I feel this need to apologize that my blog is being overtaken by my Haiti stories and pictures. But I won't. :) Pictures of my own kids will re-appear soon, but for now, I'm trying to capture and document as much as possible from my trip for my own memory. I have big hopes to turn this blog into a Blurb book one day, and I don't want to forget any of it. So there's my disclaimer.
The final orphanage we spent time at was the Children Of Hope Orphanage, which is about an hour+ drive to the town, Thomazeau. The drive there was beautiful.
There was a notable difference from the second we arrived at this orphanage. This one fit the image I had in my mind of an orphanage before I went on the trip. These children are all in the adoption system. The facilities are well-kept (although still painfully meager). There seems to be a good amount of structure and system to the day. The workers are involved and loving. It was all so refreshing to see.
I had spent so much of the first six days frustrated that these orphanages weren't receiving near enough resources. Don't get me wrong, it still didn't seem like enough here, but it was definitely a comfort to see how COH was being run.
The kids quickly flocked to us and we started a good 'ol game of Duck, Duck, Goose. So funny how universal that game is. And these kids were in it to win. They ran hard and fast to get back to their spot.
And then I got a tour of the facilities: classroom, a bathroom, separated sleeping areas, an eating area, a living room of sorts, etc.
Next was time for a fun memory. Silly String! We gave them each a bottle, but I really don't think they had any idea what was coming out of it. :)
Of course, it was over in just minutes. But it was so much fun. Every kid deserves some silly string fun!
The girl below on the left is my friend, Chivena. Pretty sure she's one of the oldest there at 16. Beautiful girl and sweet disposition. We hung out together most of the day. And it practically took me most of the day to finally learn the "clap game," but I FINALLY figured it out. She was nothing but patient with me. :) I couldn't go near as fast as these two girls could, but I tried.
And COH was our final donation delivery. We had close to 100 pairs of flip flops to give. 30 of which were from my incredibly, generous friends! :) It's a little crazy trying to size and organize that many kids and that many shoes. But we did it, and they seemed to love them.
Interesting to me that I just assumed they would put the new pair on. Some of them did, but the majority immediately took them to put away in their space to save. Just an entirely different attitude for things.
And none of us could get enough cuddling time with this sweetie. She has just been at the orphanage a couple of weeks, I believe. Melt your heart.
And before we left, it was mealtime. From what I was told, they receive two full meals a day at COH. For the most part, it was similar to what we had seen at the others, but with some extra Tabasco sauce and a piece of sausage. What was the same is how they ate every single bite on the plate.
We only had one day at COH, and the day went quick. As with the others, it was hard to leave. But I definitely left with gratitude for the situation here and prayerful that these kids would have new families adopting them very soon.
And with only one day, this video from COH is a short one. But it has my favorite song of the entire week. Oh how I hope all of these children believe the words as they sing, "I am not forgotten. God knows my name."
Morgan
Mallory & Tate started a fun game of jumping off the side, yelling something, and doing a "trick" before you landed in the water. They seriously thought it was the funniest thing ever. And they seriously must have jumped off the side 100 times. :)
Fun times with Aunt Shannon & the cousins!
