Quote of the day

"How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in life you will have been all of these."
-George Washington Carver

I love this quote. I found it on my teacher calendar. Something every teacher, but also every person has to remember.

Silly Songs for Ella

So, apparently being a mother has brought out a strange side of me...the side that enjoys rewriting already existing songs so they pertain to my baby. Here is one example:

(To be sung to the tune of "I'm a little teapot")
I'm a little baby, short and stout
Here are my hands, they're here in my mouth
When I get all steamed up, hear me SHOUT
Tip me over and drool comes out!

Please refrain from making fun of me.

Another, wierder one is to the tune of "I'm a lumberjack", done by Monty Python:
I'm a baby girl and that's ok
I poop my pants and I like to play
I'm a baby girl and that's ok
I'm a cute, little, screaming baby girl.

If you want to comment, just remember that parents do wierd things to amuse their kids...and themselves. :)

Ghana is right here. 

Perseverance

So I've decided to try to stay and work at doing school where I am. I still will change next year, and I'm still looking around in a low-key way for a job, but I will try to fight it out where I am. I'm getting some help from guys at my church and I'm going to be trying some things. I can do three months right? :-{ I've realized I do have a good job. I get vacations, flexibility in the afternoons, and a variety of things I can do, things I can create. I'm really the boss of my own class, and I love kids. Its a lot of work, but they do need me there for now, as much as I feel like someone else could do a better job. All prayers are still welcome.

carrots mmm...

Purty

Bathtime with Pooh regalia

Ella likes taking baths. She has some cool cute stuff with Pooh on it that Erin likes to dress her in (Bet you didn't know that Erin used to LOVE dolls). This is a matching bathrobe and booties set. Ella has a bare booty at this time so we try to quickly get her in the bath.

Toe jam

Ella likes chewing/sucking on her toes when she is on the changing table. It makes me laugh.

Bolivian Baby

Here is our beautiful Inca girl, with her hilarious hat, sitting on a "carona"(I think its called) wearing her wool sweater and with the Charango guitar hanging in the background. Nathan & Kimberly Weaver-Olson (Erin's brother and sister-in-law) have lived in Bolivia now with the Mennonite Central Comitee for almost three years now. This picture is dedicated to them. Hmm... I need to find the baby carrier you guys sent...

personality test

So I just got an opportunity to take the 16pf personality test. Very interesting actually, I don't usually put much stock in those things but this one was pretty good I think. I was really high on creative areas. I think I'm going to quit and become a rock star tomorrow. I was also high in helping areas as well, like child development and English teacher type jobs. I don't know.

The test seemed to be very perceptive about how I'm feeling right now and where I am at this point in my life.

Shostakovich

This is our visit to the Disney hall to see the LA Phil do Shostakovich and some Mozart and stuff. We took our parents and got some great seats behind the orchestra so we could see the conductor in action. The building is a very cool place. We love going there once in a while. Beautiful.

Nuestra casa en Compton

oops
Here's our humble home. It's been a bit of a shock financially to go down to one income, have a baby and have a house all in one year, but we think its working out. We really like the house, praise God. It is truly a blessing. We've been here a year now. We really like our immediate neighbors, and no problems with anyone else so far.

Solid food!

Ella is eating solids now, pretty exciting. She likes it. Usually.