He Is Risen . . .

. . . He Is Risen, Indeed! We have had a very blessed and full Easter Sunday! As we reflected on the Risen Savior today, we thought of Wiley's grandfather and some of his great-grandparents who are in heaven with Jesus now, rejoicing around the throne, and rejoicing as they saw Wiley dedicated to the Lord. We started the day with a sunrise service with all of the other missionaries. It was a nice time to reflect on our Risen Saviour and the impact He has had on each of our lives. We sang songs, heard testimonies and then ate breakfast together. (Yes, we made it there with both boys at 6:30 a.m.!!) After that, we went to church where we had Wiley dedicated to the Lord. In true PNG fashion, it was not completely organized, so as we walked into the church Daddy filled out the dedication certificate; when it was time for the dedication, the pastor took a few minutes shuffling us around in front of the church until he had us where he wanted us - in the order of the dedication certificates he was holding. There were probably about 15 children dedicated, with Wiley as the only white baby. The pastor announced the name of each child and his parents, then prayed a prayer of dedication for each one. It was a special, meaningful time and we truly believe that Wiley is in the Lord's hands. While we would have loved to have our families a part of this special day, we were blessed to have so many of our missionary family and especially his namesakes present for this time. Wiley did really well. He slept through the entire event. Wiley James is a special little boy and we know that the Lord is going to use him in a special way someday.

Why is Wiley Crying?

Wiley is a pretty good little boy, but he does have his moments. With so much going on sometimes, he will often get relegated to a blanket spread out on the floor. He often keeps himself entertained by the toys that Aden piles up around him or just by watching Aden run around the house. However, there comes a time when he needs a nap or something to eat. At that point, he gets a little cranky. Recently, while lying on a blanket, he began to cry. Assuming he was probably tired, we were trying to finish up what we were doing before getting a blanket to wrap him up in. Before we could though, Aden decided he better assess the problem himself. As he hunched over top of him, nose to nose, he quickly informed us "Wi-wey need tenshun (attention)!"

Drive Thru Pizza

Aden loves his cars. When he is done eating, it is often because he wants to go and play with his cars or bring them to the table (which is not normally allowed). Aden also loves pizza, possibly even more than his cars. We can tell when he has had enough to eat because his pizza will then turn into a car in between bites as he drives it around his plate making car noises. Tonight we caught him in the act. Here are some pictures of his pizza car. Or as Aden would call it, "nnghh!" (because he never says car)

Down by the Creek Bank...

Aden has a new friend here for a few weeks. Caleb's dad is a fourth year medical student volunteering at the hospital and they will be with us for two months. Caleb is just four months older than Aden so they are having a lot of fun together. This morning they had a chance to color easter eggs, but decided it would be more fun to play with toy trains while their mommies colored the eggs. This afternoon, we went for a walk down to the river (about ten minutes from our house). They had a good time walking the path that happened to be filled with a number of pigs today for some reason and see the big mountains that were surrounding us here in the Wahgi valley. Aden and Caleb really enjoyed throwing rocks into the water together. I am sure there will be more adventures to come with these two over the weeks to come.

Morning!!

One of the common greetings that we have in Papua New Guinea is to say "Morning" any time between the waking hours and noon. It is often said in an almost melodic tone as we pass by friends or even strangers. I don't think we ever realized how often we did use the greeting until recently....Aden was playing outside with a Papua New Guinean girl. She soon had to leave to go back to school. Aden's latest thing is to ask where everyone went. He is constantly asking, "uh daddy go?" or "uh mommy go?". Well, in the instance of this little girl, Aden came inside and asked, "uh, morning go?" We were later in town at a restaurant. The waiter served us and then tried to talk to Aden. When he left from our table, Aden again asked, "uh, morning go?" When we saw our waiter pass by a few minutes later, Aden exclaimed, "Hi, morning!" Apparently, Aden has picked up on us always saying "Morning" to Papua New Guineans, and he seems to think that everyone with dark skin is called "Morning."

. . . and #10 . . .

"Mommy's Sunshine Grandma's Joy" made by Mommy and Grandma Karen

#9

"I'm a King's Kid!" made by Debi Berk and Susan Myers

This Just In . . .

. . . Rice Cereal! We have to interrupt the "onesie" series for this breaking news: Wiley started solid foods tonight! He took his rice cereal like a pro, and all of it landed, and stayed, in his mouth, rather than on his chin, or his bib, or anywhere else. Mommy was amazed at how he gobbled it down and seemed to know just what a spoon is all about . . . Daddy enjoyed the opportunity to feed his little boy at last . . . and Aden cheered him on, dancing around his brother's chair and saying, "Yummm, Wiwey!"

#8

"Missionary in Training / 'Da Bum' " made by Jill Bassler and Debbie Beam

#7

"You are my sunshine!" made by Kathy Radcliffe and Garnet Beam

#6

"GIVE (Love) HERE" made by Gail and Emma Dooley

#5

"Jesus loves you Precious u will always be" made by Cherri Thompson and Jill Fuhrman

#4

"I'M A BIG FAN OF THE CREATOR" made by Jessica Myers and Karen Comstock

#3

"SPOIL ME ALL YOU WANT" made by Allison Dooley and Lois Staton

#2

"I Love My BIG Brother" made by Lydia Radcliffe and Jerissa Belsha (Wiley wore this one on Aden's birthday.)