Adventures of Aden and Wiley

We're Moving!

2009-07-13T18:24:00.000-07:00

No, we are not leaving Papua New Guinea, the Kudjip mission station, or even our house. We are proud to announce that we are moving our blog address. You will still be able to visit this site and re-read all your favorite stories about Aden and Wiley. But to see new stories about the Riggins Boys, you'll have to visit the New Blog. A few weeks ago, we ran a poll to get your ideas for a new name for the blog.

And the winner is . . .

Uncle Andy and Aunt Judy Bennett,
with their write-in vote of
"Band of Brothers".

Perhaps they had some "inside information" and knew we were suspecting a third boy. Not surprisingly, when we tried to use "Band of Brothers" in the blog address, we discovered that it was taken, along with any variation on it. So, the address you'll now need to save is a rough Pidgin translation of the phrase: mipelabrata.blogspot.com. You can begin to visit the new site immediately, and if you forget the address, just come back to this post and click the link above to find new stories about our growing Band of Brothers.

"Hollo-cotchter" (Helicopter)

2009-07-11T03:48:00.000-07:00

As we've posted before, patients are sometimes transported to Nazarene Hospital, where we live, by helicopter. Usually when we hear a helicopter circling, we grab shoes, hats, and camera and run out the door to see it land. Today, however, we already knew the helicopter was coming, so when we heard it in the distance, we left the house and leisurely walked the 100 yards or so down to the field where they usually land, just outside Daddy's office. There was great excitement around the field as a handful of the hundred or so gathered to gawk knew there would be a special treat today. After the patient (another missionary) was helped out of the chopper and moved to guest housing, the pilots agreed to give a short ride to Uncle Mike and Josiah. Uncle Mike was prepared to take some aerial photos of the new hospital, and Jo just loves airplanes and helicopters. (What 13 year old boy wouldn't jump at the chance to ride in a chopper?)

There was a short delay in the plans when the pilots requested help with charging the battery - apparently the alternator belt was broken and they could not get the helicopter started again. While we were waiting, I asked if Aden wanted to get a little closer and see the helicopter or meet the pilots. "No," he quickly replied. At his request, to get away from the wind and noise, we had already moved several yards away from the scene. Not wanting any regrets later, I asked again if Aden just wanted to stand near it so that I could take his picture. It wasn't moving and wouldn't be moving until a battery was found. Again, he answered, "No." But this time I realized that Wiley had also been answering my questions all along, as I heard a little, "Yeah." Without hesitating, I picked up Wiley and Aden followed as we walked back to the field. Aden got excited about getting close, but still refused to sit in the helicopter. I was able to set Wiley inside next to Jo long enough to get a picture, and then got a picture of Lydia with Aden and Wiley standing close to the helicopter.

When they were ready to take off again, Uncle Bill spotted us from a distance and we remembered there was more to this spectacle than the boys' getting to see a helicopter. Five of us (Uncle Bill, Lydia, Aden, Wiley, and Mommy) quickly made our way to the new hospital. As we stepped into a small open area between a couple of the wards, we held up our hands and waved at the chopper - and at Uncle Mike's camera hanging out the open door - a moment that will be etched in the history of Nazarene Hospital for years to come.

Bunkin' Up

2009-07-08T03:39:00.000-07:00

Aden and Wiley have officially moved in together! Wiley essentially spends most of his waking hours in Aden's room since that is where most of the toys are, and so it was only natural that they become roommates. Although, having a baby on the way, in a three bedroom house, also has a way of making this seem like a great idea.
To save on 'play space' we decided to go with bunk beds. We found some old ones in the Mission warehouse (where furniture from the last 54 years of the Mission's existence here in PNG is kept) that we converted to a loft bed and then used Aden's existing bed to form 'L' shaped bunk beds. With Uncle Bill's help, we used his vast knowledge, experience, craftsmanship, strength, and patience as both a father and grandfather, and accomplished this in just one afternoon.
Aden slept on the top bunk right away as though he has been sleeping five feet off the ground all his life. The best part to him, of course, is going up and down the ladder. He fell from the second or third step once, and that has been enough for him to be very sure-footed as he backs down the ladder each time. Wiley didn't move in until the fourth night. We still had a little work to do for it to be completely ready for him to move to a 'big boy' bed. He seems to like the idea of sleeping in the same room with Aden though, and after two nights he has slept through the night and loves to be able to get out of his own bed in the morning. He usually walks out of their room in the morning, saying "Big Boy bed." Right now, Wiley is not able to climb the steps and will search to find anyone who is willing to help him up. When he does learn to climb the ladder on his own, watch out!!
With an 'L' shape, you get a little space under the top bunk and beside the bottom bunk that can become a natural 'clubhouse' of sorts. However, this quickly became the boys' cafe. Orders are taken on a magna-doodle. The space between the first and second step of the ladder is the window where orders can be placed as well as picked up. The menu is pretty wide open, but the specialties seem to be chocolate pizza, chocolate pudding, chocolate milk, and Pepsi. You can order whatever you want though. Chances are, they will have it. If they don't, Aden will be quick to let you know. This space has also been an airport and a hospital (probably reflective of where we live and spend a lot of time.) I am sure this space will become many other things over the next few days, weeks, months and years.

Cairns

2009-07-02T04:08:00.000-07:00

After 3 days and 4 nights on the Gold Coast, we used Mommy's frequent flyer points to fly to warmer weather in Cairns. For Aden and Wiley, the best part of Treetops, where we stayed, was "upstairs," a room above the office with toys and books. One of Mommy's favorite finds at Treetops was in a swap box of sorts, where she found a sleeper gown for the baby. We spent part of our time just as we'd planned - relaxing and not doing much of anything, just enjoying the time together away from our normal routine. We also found some new things to explore. On our last day in Cairns, we managed to squeeze in all of the boys' favorite activities - a train ride, visiting animals, a ride on a skyrail, and swimming at the Esplanade (which we had already enjoyed earlier in the week).

We started the morning on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, riding up to a village a few kilometers away. Although we arrived at the train station 45 minutes early, the boys loved every minute of waiting on the platform. While we waited, we had a special treat of watching a steam engine pass through the station en route from Brisbane, in celebration of 150 years of the railway. We finally boarded our train and began the 1 1/2 hour journey up to the village, through tunnels and over bridges. The boys loved all the sights and sounds of the railway, from the train's whistle to the spectacular views of waterfalls and coastline. Although the train made one 15 minute stop at a scenic lookout, Aden was too excited to get off with the rest of the passengers, and he and Mommy stayed on board.

Because of the spectacle of the steam engine, we were late arriving into the village, where our time was already short. We had also discovered on our trip up that Wiley was running a fever (probably lingering symptoms suspiciously akin to swine flu - see "Honesty is the Best Policy"). So our first stop was to the local pharmacist for some medicine for Wiley. After lunch, Daddy took Wiley to the local doctor, just to make sure the ear infection was not raring its ugly head in time for more airplane travel, while Mommy and Aden set off to see some Australian animals. Aden seemed to enjoy the experience, but a playground had caught his eye on our way, so the animals only held his attention for about 15 minutes altogether - the same amount of time that Wiley was in the doctor's office, finding out that Mommy's worries were for naught. We met back at the skyrail station in time to catch our ride back down to the city. While the train was especially exciting for the boys, everyone enjoyed the relaxing ride on the skyrail, skimming the tops of the trees and making the return trip a bit faster.

After a full day already, however, our day had only begun. We finished some shopping, and took the boys to the Esplanade for one last picnic. This time we went at night, and had Pizza Hut dinner by the free public pool. Since it was later and getting dark, we had the entire pool almost to ourselves. Splashing through the fountains, walking through the sand, and swimming under the stars was a great way to cap off our family vacation.

SeaWorld

2009-06-27T06:04:00.000-07:00

It rained quite a bit during our time on the Gold Coast in Australia, but the one day that the weather cooperated happened to be on the day that we had decided to go to SeaWorld. It was really a fun day for Aden and Wiley (and Mommy and Daddy) that started off by getting to ride on public transportation. This was always one of the highlights for Aden and Wiley to ride on a big city bus. And just when you thought it couldn't get any better, the bus takes you to SeaWorld, full of dolphins, seals, sharks, polar bears, penguins and fun rides and shows. We did our best to cram it all in, and here are some of the highlights:

The Dolphin Show - Aden and Wiley loved seeing them soar out of the water an do flips, and also throw the trainers up into the air on some of the jumps. This show really made an impression.

The Shark Tank - There was an underground viewing level making it like a giant aquarium. Lots of sharks, rays, large fish and other sea creatures to look at.

The Water Ski Show - Lots of acrobatics and jumps to enjoy watching while we ate our lunch.

The Sesame Street-themed amusement park - there were rides that the boys (along with Mommy and Daddy) could enjoy. Some were trucks that went around a track that we all rode on. The boys rode in the driver's seat and pretended to drive. There were helicopters that we were all able to ride in. Aden was the pilot and loved every minute of flying us around. It went up in the air about 15 feet or so. There was another that was an airplane that Daddy rode on with Aden. And there was a carousel that was a lot of fun too.

The Viking Ship - this was similar to a 'Log Ride' where you float around through tunnels and caves relaxingly and then go up the conveyor to the top of a hill, only to come sliding down into a pool of water which of course splashes everyone in the boat. Daddy rode this one by himself the first time, but later Aden asked if he could ride it. The two of them stood in line uncertain if Aden was even tall enough. When he was measured, he was just at the line and was able to go. They had a boat all to themselves. They went all around and then came splashing down. Daddy quickly asked Aden if he liked that (not really knowing if Aden would be terrified by such a ride in the first place) and the only response that came from Aden with a stunned look on his face was, "My pants got wet!"

Other fun things were the monorail and skyrail around the park, watching Daddy on the big roller coasters (not sure this was as much of a highlight for the boys as it was for Daddy) and seeing the polar bear and penguins. All in all, it was a fun day that was of course capped off by another ride on the city bus back to our hotel. That night, there was quite a splash in the bathtub when we were able to see the Dolphin Show re-enacted.

Honesty is the Best Policy

2009-06-24T06:06:00.000-07:00

"Ladies and Gentlemen, we are about to land into Brisbane International Airport. We have a small boy in the back of the plane, however, that has a slight cough. Due to Quarantine regulations, we are going to ask that everyone remain seated with your seatbelt fastened, once we reach the gate, until a Quarantine Officer can come aboard and have a look at the young lad."
As we flew from Papua New Guinea down to Australia, we were required to fill out a Health Check form for the Australian Quarantine Officials. This was due to the "Swine Flu" scare. Australia has always been very strict with their quarantine rituals, and rightfully so. Because the form asked specifically if you have a cough, headache (although I thought this one was rather random), fever, shortness of breath or other flu-like symptoms, we felt that we should be honest. After all, here was Wiley coughing quite regularly and it would be fairly difficult to hide that from any officials. Not as easy to do with a one year old as it might be for people to hide the fact that they did have a headache, but marked NO on the form. (I still find it odd that we were the only people on the whole plane who could say YES to any of those symptoms.) Knowing the stiff penalties of Australia, we just wanted to be honest.
The plane pulled up to the gate, and we sat there. Nobody entered the plane and nobody was allowed to get up. Finally, the silence was broken once again with an announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, again we are just waiting on a Quarantine Officer to come and check out the little boy in the back of the plane. Shouldn't take long. In the meantime, we have begun re-fueling the aircraft and we are not allowed to have passengers with their seatbelt on while doing this. Please remove your seatbelt, but do not get out of your seats until the little boy has been checked. (People are starting to look at us at this point since we are sitting on the last row and have a little boy who happens to cough every now and then.)
Finally, we see him. A man in a "Swine Flue Mask" (as we have seen them advertised for sale in stores here in Cairns) walking down the aisle to the back of the plane. He finds us and first asks us to put one of the masks (child-size with Disney characters) on Wiley. Yeah right. That wasn't happening as Wiley refused and fought every attempt. The Officer proceeded with his routine questions of whether or not we have recently been in the US or Mexico. How long has he had the cough and if he had any other symptoms. We explained that Wiley was coming off of an ear infections (still on the antibiotics) and had no other symptoms. After several more questions, they eventually let the rest of the passengers get off the plane and we followed shortly behind. The Officer escorted us inside and we were led through an area that appeared to have video cameras set up. We were told to walk separately through this area. Apparently, it was taking our body temperature. Daddy was holding Wiley and they appeared to have borderline high temperature, but not enough to worry about. After this, we still had to be seen by additional Quarantine Officers, which included a Nurse. He asked a few questions, but was not concerned by us so let us go on through after taking a few details from us. We were finally cleared, but still got a few looks from fellow passengers as we collected our luggage.
Ironically, after hearing and seeing that the cough was perhaps just part of the ear infection, or at least was no way a symptom of "Swine Flu," the Officer told us that we should have just marked NO on the form. We could have avoided having to be seen by the Nurse. As it turned out though, being seen by the Nurse helped us avoid having to stand in the long lines of people at Immigration. Proving once again that Honesty really is the best policy.

Drooling

2009-06-15T04:31:00.001-07:00

About 6 weeks ago, Daddy came home drooling over the possibility of owning a Labrador Retriever puppy. A nearby missionary was leaving the country and had several lab puppies for sale for 2000 kina each (roughly 600 US dollars). Daddy had already done his homework and excitedly told Mommy that this was an excellent price for a lab puppy, that labs are great dogs for kids especially, and even showed her a picture of a lab puppy that he had found online. Mommy, however, was not convinced. She thought of the Baby on the way, and all the work and expense involved in owning a dog (feeding, bathing, making a suitable home - for us this would mean improving our fence, training, finding fleas, and the list went on). We didn't make any decisions or say anything to the boys, but a month later we received word that the price had been cut in half. The missionary really wanted to find good homes for the puppies before he left. This made the offer a bit more tempting, but Mommy still had a lot of good reasons not to buy one.

Then, over the weekend, we found out that a couple of single ladies on our station were going to purchase the last black lab puppy; there were two yellow labs left, and they would be offered for free to two interested families on our station. (Daddy had written that there could still be some interest at Kudjip - referring in part, of course, to us.) Daddy read the e-mail, then pulled up the photo on his computer and showed it to the boys, not mentioning that we could possibly own such a dog. That didn't seem to matter to the boys - Aden and Wiley sat in front of the computer drooling over the picture. Wiley kept pointing and saying "Doggie! Cute!" for about 15 or 20 minutes. To help pull him away from the screen, Mommy printed the picture for him, which he carried around the rest of the morning.

Perhaps that was all it took to push Mommy over the edge; perhaps it was only a matter of time. When Daddy came home and announced that the black lab and one of the yellow labs were being "retrieved" today, he and Mommy did some quick thinking and decided to surprise the boys with the last puppy. Mommy still had reservations, so we worked out a deal with the Radcliffe family - we will share the puppy some, sharing responsibilities and caring for him together. Without further delay, we piled into a truck with the boys and the other soon-to-be-puppy-owners and headed about 15 minutes down the road. The boys didn't know where we were going, but Aden's eyes lit up when we asked if we should take one of the puppies home with us. Now the boys will not be the only ones drooling around our house . . .

He's Back!

2009-06-15T04:12:00.000-07:00

After 6 days of fevers on and off, crying or fussing most of the time, barely eating, and 5 nights of sleeping very little, Wiley is finally back to himself. After we discovered that he had an ear infection, we added a regimen of antibiotics and changed his cold medicine, and it made a world of difference! When we woke up yesterday morning, after nearly a full night of sleep, Mommy felt like a new person. Wiley must have as well. Our first clue was when he stood up in his crib and the first word out of his mouth was "Milk!" When we went to the kitchen to get him a drink, he started naming all the foods he could think of "Jell-o!" "Cereal!" "Apple!" He ate breakfast, then promptly decided he was done. He was immediately ready for a walk, donning shoes and hat overtop of his sleeper, and standing at the door, ready for someone to help him outside. However, we have also discovered that one of his new meds seems to wake him up rather than put him to sleep. The last couple of nights he's been so much happier at bedtime that he lays in his bed for an hour or more, talking, singing, laughing, and calling out for anyone willing to be an audience. It is nice to have our little boy back to himself, even if it means he doesn't fall asleep right away!

Aden and Wiley's Big Announcement

2009-06-05T18:25:00.000-07:00

Well, if you didn't guess from the title of this post, and haven't already heard the news, Aden and Wiley are expecting a little brother or sister in early October.

Aden in particular seems to be preparing for the many changes this will bring to our lives. He has brought his blankets to Mommy in the living room, wanting to share them with the baby; he's offered to share his room with Wiley so that the Baby can sleep in the crib in Wiley's room (a change we were already planning to make); he continually offers to help Mommy and Daddy, at dinnertime, diaper-change time for Wiley, and anytime Mommy and Daddy seem to be busy. We're hoping he will be just as eager to help after the new baby arrives. Aden has also been eager to share his preference for a baby sister.

The "official" due date is October 5; both Aden and Wiley were about a week early, so we will see. As we wait and prepare, one of the dilemmas we have encountered is what to do with the blog. It will need to include a third child, and if we follow our pattern, we won't be ready to announce the name until the baby is born. So, as you can see in the sidebar, we would like your input into the official Renaming Of The Blog. To write in your own idea, simply leave a comment on this post. Once we make a decision, we will announce what the new blog name will be, and we will also change the URL. Be sure to change the bookmark in your web browser, as we know that the boys' blog is at the top of your bookmarks list.

The Great Nap Time Dilemma

2009-05-30T20:25:00.000-07:00

Each afternoon, after lunch, the boys take naps. Some days, this comes easy. Mommy and/or Daddy read a book, turn on some soft music and they are out. Other days are not so easy. Aden has had a few days where he just can't fall asleep. He actually does well to get some books and read in his bed for awhile until he is told that he can get up. There are still times though, when being out of bed seems a lot more fun than being in bed. Here is a recent story from one of those times:

Aden had been in bed for about thirty minutes but was not falling asleep. Finally, a soft voice could be heard from his bedroom.

Aden: Daddy....Daddy....Daddy....
Daddy: Yes, Aden.
Aden: I need to go potty.

They go to the bathroom and after five minutes, nothing has happened. Aden has a slight smile on his face as they get settled back in bed (as if to say that he has found a naptime 'loophole'). Ten minutes later...

Aden: Daddy...Daddy...Daddy... (in a soft whisper again)
Daddy: Yes, Aden.
Aden: I need to go potty.

Fresh off the potty training, we certainly didn't want to deny him of the need and have him not tell us when he needed to go anymore, so we made our way to the bathroom once again. After five minutes and nothing happening...

Aden: Daddy, my body can't be quiet.
Daddy: Why not?
Aden: It can only be loud, and wants to wake up Wiley.
Daddy: Can you tell your body that it would be good for it to get some rest on your bed? Your body doesn't have to sleep, but just needs to rest.
Aden: (pulling up his shirt and looking down at his belly at this point) Body, can you just rest and not go to sleep? (short pause as if he is listening to the response) Daddy, my body said it could try.

Oh, the mind of a three year old. Watch for a Volume II of the "Kids say the 'darndest' things" coming soon once we can compile them together and get them written down.

I Want to Wear. . .

2009-05-22T20:53:00.000-07:00

Aden has recently started picking out his own clothes to wear some days. It is often times the motivation needed to make getting dressed a big enough event so that he will do it. He has his favorite play clothes like his basketball shorts, Solomon Islands shirt, Third Day shirt, and Shark shirt (as he refers to them). He also has his favorite 'non-play' clothes though too. Recently, he kept asking Mommy to let him wear them to play in. He tried for several days. Well, finally Mommy gave into his persistence. After all, he generally does not like to be too dirty, (although that doesn't always stop him). So, included here are some pictures of what Aden picked out for himself to wear, (along with some of the "faces of Aden.")

The shirt and shorts that he is wearing, are affectionately referred to by Aden as "Bubu Jim shorts" and Bubu Jim shirt." The reason for that is because Bubu Jim has some shorts like this (not exactly, but plaid) and he used to have a shirt like this (same style and colors). He was pretty excited about being 'Little Bubu Jim' for a day.
Incidentally, a couple of weeks ago the MK High School students had their Spirit Week. Each day was a different theme in which they would dress accordingly (e.g. Nerd Day, Mafia Day, Mis-match Day, etc.) In honor of this and because of the clothes Aden picked out, we decided to declare a Spirit Week of our own and this day as "Bubu Jim Day!" The rain boots are optional.

Aden, on Marriage and Handedness

2009-05-12T23:47:00.000-07:00

Apparently, the two go "hand in hand." I'm not sure if Aden heard the phrase "giving your hand in marriage," or where he developed his concept of marriage, but over the last week, when we go for a walk, he asks Wiley to hold his hand and then explains, "so that we can be married." And as Wiley reaches for Aden's outstretched hand, he repeats, "Marriage." It is a little hard to explain where this may have come from, since handholding is not culturally accepted in PNG by married couples, so Aden does not see his parents, or anyone married really, holding hands.

Today as we walked, he gave a bit of insight on the question of handedness. He took Wiley's hand and pronounced themselves married, and then said, "Now I'm going to hold Wiley's left hand." (Amazingly, he had identified correctly.) He then declared, "I'm left-handed." Incidentally, this has been hard for us to distinguish, as Aden appears to be ambidextrous, often switching between hands for just about everything he does. We haven't wondered too much about Wiley yet, but are guessing he'll be righthanded since he tends to use his right hand for just about everything. But Aden cleared up any doubts we may have, as he stated confidently, "And Wiley is front-handed." . . . Then again, just as we thought Aden had cleared things up, he changed his mind again later this afternoon when he said, "I'm backhanded."

Mother's Day

2009-05-12T04:16:00.000-07:00

Mommy decided to make a guest appearance on the blog just for Mother's Day, though you may not realize that Daddy is the one who writes most of the blog posts. Aden was thrilled to wish me a Happy Mother's Day many times as we ate breakfast and got ready for church. After I finished teaching Sunday School, I came home and Wiley greeted me wearing only a diaper. I commented, "Wiley, look at you in just your diaper!" "Diaper. Tummy," he responded, patting his diaper and then his bare tummy. Apparently Wiley took a spill on the way home and had to leave his clothes at the door. Aden proudly told me how he was sharing his cars with Wiley (and also how Daddy had taken the cars away for a while to help him remember to share). Then Aden asked how he could help me and quoted his Bible verse for me, "Honor your father and mother." As I was preparing for dinner, I heard Aden in the next room, announcing the things the boys were doing to help get ready for dinner. "Mommy, we got you a gift! . . . Mommy we made you a card! . . . Let's put the gift here on the table . . ." Aden and Wiley had each made me a homemade card, and I also got tea lights and a beautiful bamboo table runner. It was a wonderful day, and I am so thankful for the blessing of my children.

A few of the things I love as Aden and Wiley's Mommy:

I love to hear Wiley whisper when he is excited
I love to hear Aden learning Pidgin
I love to hear the boys laugh
I love to watch them imitate each other trying to get attention
I love to watch them grow
I love to hear Wiley learning to talk and put words together
I love to hear Aden's speech "growing up"
I love tight squeezes from Wiley
I love to see Aden's love of books and reading
I love to hear Aden pray
I love to see Wiley stretch out his arms to pray before meals
I love to watch them sleep
I love to see their love for each other
I love Wiley's curls (and can't cut them off!)
I love to hear Aden learning Bible verses
I love to see their unique personalities and how they are different

It is my prayer as their Mommy that they can see Jesus' love in me, and want to be like him because they see Him in me.

The Things We Will Do For Fun...

2009-05-11T04:14:00.000-07:00

... and the people who help us to do them!
This past Friday night, the MK High School had been planning to have a bonfire and invited all of the families to join them. The plan was to cook hobo dinners over the fire and watch a skit that they had all come up with to cap off their Spirit Week. Sounded like fun. Aden has had a couple of accidents this week, so Mommy and Daddy used this event to get him to be more careful and alert when "nature calls." It worked, and he was excited for the bonfire with everyone. Well, the weather was not so cooperative and it rained Friday night. The bonfire was postponed to Saturday. It is still not the easiest thing to explain to a three year old, but he was finally convinced that Saturday would be OK. The anticipation began to build as the afternoon wore on, but also as the clouds began to roll in. We maintained hope. The bonfire was scheduled to start at 6pm, but at 5pm the call was made to cancel once again and move the party to the High School (with no bonfire). This did not go over to well with Aden who had been looking forward to this, for what must have seemed like an eternity to him. It was still not raining at 5:15 so Daddy went out to inspect the fire site. He coerced a security guard who was nearby and seemed to have plans of a fire for himself (for warmth), to help get a fire going. We called around to tell everyone that we were going to go ahead with our own bonfire if they wanted to come as we were convinced that the rain was going to roll past us. Aden was excited and we were determined to make it happen.
Well, in the end, Bubu Jim was the only one who came up and the rain eventually came. It was going to take a lot more than rain though to keep us from having this highly anticipated bonfire. Aden and Wiley got bundled up in their raincoats. Bubu Jim and Daddy worked tirelessly to keep the fire going (not easy to do when you start out with wet wood) by holding banana leaves over the fire to protect it from the rain. They eventually sheltered themselves as well under an umbrella. Meanwhile, Mommy was inside getting the hot dogs and bread ready for roasting. The rain did not seem to be letting up and everyone was quite wet, so Bubu Jim and Daddy decided that their fire skills had been proven enough and it was OK to let the fire go out... but not before they roasted something edible to make it a true bonfire for Aden. Mommy brought out enough hot dogs for each of us to have one, but after roasting one over what was left of the fire, it was decided that we could all share that one and call it a success. We were all soaked, but Aden and Wiley loved it. A hot dog never tasted so good, and the memory was priceless.

Give Us This Day, Our Daily Bread...

2009-05-05T04:14:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of each meal (or should I say when the boys believe it should be time to eat), the boys find their places around the table. Aden's first assigned chore, now that he is three, is to help set the table with plates and silverware. He is quite good at it, and it buys mommy a little more time on getting dinner to the table. Sometimes if the meal is not quite ready yet, they may get something to start with to 'keep them happy,' an appetizer if you will. By the time all of the food has been brought to the table and everyone is gathered around, mommy or daddy asks the boys if they are ready to pray. Without the slightest hesitation, and sometimes even before the words are said, Wiley throws his arms out in each direction (sticky fingers and all by this point depending on the appetizer) to hold hands, Aden offers up the blessing, "Thank you Jesus for this food. A(pause)Men!" Wiley then concludes with his emphatic "Amen!"

Aden has often times prayed longer prayers that include helping everyone who is sick and being thankful for everything he is going to do. He also sometimes confuses his asking for help and giving thanks. For instance, this week when daddy was not feeling well one evening, Aden said, "thank you that daddy is not feeling well." I think he meant to say help daddy who is not feeling well. We can only hope anyway. He also had quite an extensive prayer last Friday when he was thankful that mommy and daddy were going to have a date night with Uncle Ben and Aunt Katherine at our house, and Aden and Wiley were going to have a 'date night' at Bubu Jim and Kah-tee's house. (And that sentence was his prayer moreless.) What an incredible thing it is to hear your kids pray, but also to hear them pray about what is on their hearts and minds without any hesitation or care. Priceless!

Boys Will Be Boys

2009-04-27T04:12:00.000-07:00

The boys have found a new place to play. It is within the limits of the yard, out of the sun and rain, on the ground and within earshot of mommy and daddy. Here is how it happened.
Recently, daddy went outside on the back porch to check on the boys who had been playing with their toy cars, dump trucks, backhoes and loaders on the nice covered patio. When daddy came outside, the boys were nowhere in sight.
"Boys, where are you?"
Aden's response came, "we are under here."
"Under where," daddy asked.
And then he saw some movement between the deck boards and realized they were under the porch. Of course! There is dirt under there and how can you play with dump trucks on cement?
"Wiley, are you under there too?"
No response.
"Wiley, if you are under there, say 'Hi, Daddy!'"
"Hi, Daddy" came in a soft voice.
We let them play for awhile, as they were just under the steps and not back under the part of the porch where there are lots of spider webs (although I am sure a day is coming when that part will be explored as well).
Finally, it was getting close to dinnertime so daddy went out to call the boys out from under the porch to get cleaned up. "Jill!" came the call as he watched the boys crawl out. Wiley was covered from head to toe, literally, after he apparently had been dumping the dirt over the top of his head several times. Aden was deserving of a bath, but not nearly as dirty. He seems to stay clean through all of this and it makes you wonder who is dumping the dirt, although he has always been pretty particular about being dirty. Needless to say, we had bath time before dinner. It took one tub of bath water to rinse them off and get the dirt and grime out of Wiley's hair. It took a second tub of bath water to get them clean.
I wish we could say that this 'not so delightful' head and body scrubbing was enough to discourage them from wanting to do it again anytime soon, but just today we had to have (two) baths before lunch. Boys will be boys....

Easter

2009-04-20T04:03:00.001-07:00

To help the boys celebrate Easter this year, we colored eggs on Saturday. Last year Mommy ended up coloring the half dozen eggs she had boiled, since Aden was more interested in playing. This year, however, Aden and Wiley both enjoyed the activity and thought that a dozen boiled eggs wasn't quite enough. On Sunday morning we got up early for a sunrise service on the McCoys' deck. Wiley got up early with Mommy and Daddy, and Aden was carried to the service in his pajamas, straight out of bed. After a late, interesting lunch (sorry, Uncle Bill and Aunt Marsha!), we were invited to go to the Radcliffes' house to hunt for Easter eggs. Just as Wiley would find an egg, Aden was there to pick it up and put it in his own basket. Wiley did find a few on his own and would not-so-gently toss the "ball" into his Easter basket. Needless to say, Wiley's eggs were quickly consumed shortly after the hunt. We enjoyed a (much better) Easter dinner with the Radcliffes that evening.

We have realized that Aden does not yet understand the significance of the Easter story. While he knows the story, he often stops at the crucifixion and is quite sad. We continue to prompt him about what happened on the third day, hoping that he will soon realize the joy of the Resurrection. He did enjoy the Seder meal we shared with the Radcliffes later in the week.

Madang!

2009-04-10T05:27:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday, we left for a few days' of much-needed vacation in the PNG coastal town of Madang. Aden, Wiley, and Mommy flew with the other ladies and children on our trip (Radcliffes and some volunteers), and the trip was only 30 minutes; Daddy drove with the men and split a rough 10-hour drive into two days. As we boarded the airplane, Aden started talking, and he didn't stop until we got off the airplane in Madang. His initial question (of many) for Mommy was, "When are we going back to PNG?" And so the trip began.

We enjoyed pizza we didn't make ourselves, watched the sunrise, visited the ocean and swam in swimming pools (Mommy and Daddy went snorkeling, but the boys were still a bit overwhelmed by the ocean), waited in the car while Mommy shopped at the market and bought lots of pottery, enjoyed many meals in restaurants and a few at the guesthouse where we stayed, and went to a new church. Although Wiley did not seem too excited about swimming, Aden quickly overcame any past fears of the water and was soon jumping into the kiddie pools. He even learned how to say the name of the hotel with his favorite pool, "Jais Aben."

The boys enjoyed the time away, though a lack of routine was quite taxing by the end of five days, and we were all happy to be back home again by Tuesday evening. We recently discovered a new way to get multiple pictures onto a blog fairly easily (thanks, Meghan, for letting us steal your idea) . . . So, since a picture is worth a thousand words, Madang in pictures looks like this:

If you click on the image, you can take a closer look at the individual photos in the collage.

Morning Entertainment

2009-03-29T15:49:00.000-07:00

Eating scones and watching the lawnmowers

Success is Counted Sweetest . . .

2009-03-29T03:54:00.000-07:00

. . . By those who ne'er succeed. We seemed to be able to relate to these words of Emily Dickinson as we worked to potty train Aden. After nearly a year (off and on) of trying everything in the proverbial book of potty training methods, nothing seemed to bring success more than once or twice. We even tried new things - dancing for success with his favorite CD playing in the bathroom, the "Potty Train" (making train sound effects while sitting on the potty), and moving into big boy pants. Our last attempt, moving into big boy pants, was a once and for all effort. We read about the technique online and decided to give it a try. After all, it had reportedly been used for a hundred years with guaranteed success. The method is simple: throw away all diapers and move into big boy pants. The child becomes so uncomfortable sitting in a mess that they are motivated to use the potty. The parents have to deal with a few messes until the child gets the hang of it, but this really shouldn't last long. As with all potty training methods, parents are strongly urged to stay positive no matter what. Tell the child with each accident, "That's okay. I'm sure you'll remember next time."

Mommy was pretty excited about the new effort, although we had to make a few changes and adaptations along the way. First, we were too cheap to throw away the diapers. We kept the cloth ones in a closet in case Wiley grows into them (we're hoping he is trained before he needs the bigger size), and he is already wearing Aden's few leftover disposable diapers (even though they are a size too big). We also began to realize that the experts have not met Aden. He has an amazing tolerance for discomfort, and can sit in wet or dirty pants for hours if you let him. When we told him "It's okay. I'm sure you'll remember to use your potty next time," he heard, "It's okay if you don't use your potty. Mommy will just keep cleaning up the messes with no complaints." While we had much support from our station family (even gifts of a new potty book and a potty DVD from Olivia), it was not enough.

After 72 hours, when we had seen no progress at all - every time he sat on the potty involved much effort - we began to enforce some discipline. Aden would have to start cleaning up his own messes, and he would have to start using his potty if he wanted certain privileges, like visiting friends. Cleanup didn't seem too bad the first time when he was wet. He wiped it up quickly and proudly - two times - that first morning. Then Uncle Bill walked by outside and Aden asked if he could play. Mommy said it was okay, if Aden would stay outside. Then she added, "Why don't you come sit on your potty first?" To her surprise, Aden immediately complied and had success. He called Daddy at the office, and then called Uncle Bill and was able to go play - inside. He was so thrilled with his own success and the reward that he agreed to sit on the potty again after lunch. Again, he had success, and this time we even called Grandma Karen and Grandpa Dan. The rest of that day he kept his big boy pants dry. There were some pretty big rewards in sight - playing with Cilla in the afternoon, and the promise of Aunt Kathy's birthday party the next night. Aden only had one accident the next day and was able to go to the birthday party at Uncle Bill and Aunt Marsha's. We even took the potty chair with us in case he needed to use it while we were there. After he'd finished eating, he came back to the table and told Mommy he needed to use the potty . . . and he requested that Aunt Marsha go with him! When he had success, everyone cheered for him and he said, "Let's do it again!" Mommy was excited, but also hoped the new trend would not die with the party.

We are proud to announce that Aden has only had two accidents since he started his "dry run." And he is now letting us know when he needs to sit on the potty - even when there are no major rewards in sight. Ahh, sweet success!

Kids Say the 'Darndest' things....

2009-03-22T03:51:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the favorites from the past couple of weeks.

Being a fan of Thomas the Tank Engine has taught him new words like "Comdumptor" for the Conductor. It took Mommy and Daddy awhile to figure that one out.

In this age of gadgets, you shouldn't go anywhere without your "ipod." In Aden's case, his ipod is a three-legged stand that holds your camera when you want to take a picture of someone. "Say Cheese" he (and now Wiley too) will say when the "ipod" is set up and ready. Photo shoots are often done in Aden's room (in a designated chair) before Daddy goes to work.

There is the classic, "When I was a little boy, I used to _______."

He recently noticed a chimney on top of one of the houses. He asked, "What will they say if a dog comes near their house?" We didn't know, but he promptly told us, "not by the hair on my chimney, chimney, chimney!"

One day, Aden told Mommy that they need to have a "meeting." When Mommy asked him what the meeting was about, he responded "a meeting about making some cookies." His meetings usually have an agenda of what we will eat or what we will make to eat.

Daddy was recently playing with Wiley on the couch and making him laugh by kissing him on his tummy. Not to be left out, Aden ran to the couch and said, "Daddy, come make me funny too."

I am sure there are more, and we will try to write them down and do another blog entry. So watch for more 'darndest' things in the future. It won't be long before Wiley is contributing as well (although right now he just tries to say everything that Aden says). We leave you now with one of our favorite Aden sayings,

"See you wayter, after a cwocodile."

Whatever It Takes

2009-03-11T04:07:00.000-07:00

We have been working with Aden to sit on the potty for quite some time. Each time we have faced a severe lack of motivation on his part. But, now that we are settled in again after returning from our home assignment, we've decided to tackle potty training again. And we'll do whatever it takes to get him to sit for a while.

Such as . . .

. . . motivation from his younger brother. Although Wiley is only 17 months old, he has quite an interest in the potty chair just his size in the bathroom. He seems to enjoy sitting on the potty, and for a few weeks all we had to do was mention the potty and he would take off for the bathroom. There are certain books he likes to read on the potty, and he has even had some success sitting on the potty at just the right time. Aden is usually there, not necessarily ready to use the potty himself, but certainly ready to clap and cheer on his younger brother. Once we started rewarding Wiley with an m&m each time he had success, Aden decided to sit on the potty, too.

. . . the foot bath. One morning while Wiley was sitting on the potty we thought it would help him if we put his feet in water. (We had realized that he often feels a need to "go" when his feet touch his bath water.) So we turned the bathroom step stool upside-down and put some warm water in it. Almost immediately, Wiley had success! And Aden had finally found new motivation to sit on the potty chair himself! We put fresh water in the stool and called it a foot bath. The foot bath was so inviting that Mommy also put her feet in and gave herself a brief pedicure.

. . . motivation from friends. Aden's good friend Olivia came to our house with her family to join us for dinner last week. While the adults visited around the table after dinner, Aden came running down the hall from where the children were playing. He excitedly announced with wide eyes, "Mommy! Olivia went pee-pee in the big potty!" Although she didn't necessarily want to encourage co-ed potty time, Mommy responded with enthusiasm, "Wow!! Maybe you can learn to do that, too!"

. . . the timer. When Aden is in the middle of play, it can be difficult to convince him that he needs to stop and sit on the potty. So Mommy introduced the timer. He only has to sit on the potty until the timer goes off, but at least it gets him in a bit of a routine.

. . . a party. After Aden's birthday, he wanted to know when he could have cake again, and when we could hang the birthday banners again. We told him we would on Daddy's birthday (which was yesterday), but then added that when he learned to keep his diaper dry, and could sit on the potty, and then could wear big boy pants, we would have a party for him and he could invite whoever he wanted to come celebrate with him.

We're not sure which of these has been the greatest motivator, but we have seen some progress. Aden sometimes talks about the party he will have, sometimes is willing to admit that he wants to keep his diaper dry, sometimes has success on the potty, and sometimes even sits for a LONG time until he has success. This evening we were ready to head out the door, when Aden told us he wanted to sit on the potty. We gave him just a few minutes - when Wiley was dressed and ready we would have to leave. But while we were getting Wiley ready, Aden proudly announced that he had used his potty! We aren't holding our breath yet, but perhaps he is becoming a "big boy", and perhaps soon we'll be blogging about a Potty Party.

Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor...

2009-03-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

...and what about your cup of water that you leave on the nightstand overnight?
Aden is in the habit of needing a drink of water (once he has been in bed for 15 minutes already) each night at bedtime. Mommy and Daddy have been in the habit of then putting the cup of water on the bookshelf next to his bed.
Recently, Aden found his cup of water that was left from the night before and asked, "What is in my cup, Mommy? Someone is in my cup!"
And here is what we found....

Maybe it is time to roach bomb the house again.
Aden now makes sure that we put all cups in the kitchen, so that "someone doesn't get in my water again."

Another Party

2009-02-28T03:03:00.000-08:00

This week, we had another birthday party. This time, it was for Aunt Marsha, who according to Aden turned 4 years old (since he knows that she is older than him at 3). She and Uncle Bill came over to our house for a birthday dinner on Monday. It then turned into a birthday party for her and Aden. Since Uncle Bill, Aunt Marsha, Bubu Jim and Kah-tee, Ceel-ya, Jo, Ee-dya and Auntie Erin were all gone for a medical conference last week on Aden's birthday, we had them all over for cake and ice cream.
Aunt Marsha helped Aden blow out more candles, he received more gifts and we had a good time playing with them. You can't have too many birthday parties when you're 'fwee.'

Aden Turns 'Fwee'!

2009-02-19T03:41:00.000-08:00

On February 18, Aden turned three years old. And if you ask him how old he is, he will tell you just that, "On February 18 I will be fwee." Never mind that it is now several days after. He was so excited that he couldn't quit smiling, and what a day it was. Mommy stayed up the night before getting things ready, so that when he woke up (because sometimes that is before mommy does), there were already balloons hanging and a Happy Birthday sign. There was a Birthday banner that decorated Aden's chair at the table and a "This is Your Day" plate at his place. He got to pick what he wanted for breakfast, so of course we had pancakes and chocolate milk. There was one gift at breakfast. It was a miniature (but just his size) basketball. This turned out to be a controversial gift because Wiley loves balls so much. Because of this, it didn't always sound like a HAPPY birthday. The morning included going to the basketball court with Aunt Judy and inviting Olivia to come and play too. The basketball was part of that, but blowing bubbles proved to be the most fun. For lunch, another present was given. This time it was from Wiley and was two new books. This was perfect, and strategically given at lunchtime by mommy and daddy so that reading new books and taking a nap after lunch sounded appealing. The day was capped off by having Uncle Scott, Aunt Gail, Allison, Emma and Olivia over for dinner. Again, Aden got to choose what we had and so naturally it was "Torteeya" (Tortillas and the works). Mommy made an impressive chocolate/ice cream birthday cake that was delicious and we opened more gifts. We had lots of fun playing, eating and celebrating another year with Aden. What a special blessing he is to his mommy and daddy. Happy Birthday! We love you Aden!! -- Mommy and Daddy

A New Generation

2009-02-15T03:09:00.000-08:00

Since our household has been sick for about the last week, we haven't taken the time to post on the blog in a while. But we are beginning to wonder if maybe the boys can take that on themselves. Aden has a toy computer he often opens to check if those he knows are "on call." (He probably has that confused with "online," since the doctors who live around us talk about being on call.) And at breakfast one morning this week, Aden proudly announced, "Mommy, I'm on Facebook!" Apparently, Wiley is his "Facebook" friend.

Bocce Ball, Anyone?

2009-02-04T21:04:00.000-08:00

This blog post is dedicated to Uncle Kevin, who gave Daddy and Mommy a set of bocce balls when they were married. This morning Mommy played bocce ball (like lawn bowling) with Aden and Wiley. She had to re-learn the rules of the game, however. To start, all the balls must be rolled to the shade (Mommy's rule). Then someone throws the first ball. It could be the little white ball, or it could be any ball. Each person picks a color. They each roll their first ball; then if any of the balls has gotten dirty, the game stops so that the dirty ball can be wiped off (Aden's rule). All players roll their second ball. It does not have to be the same color they rolled the first time. As long as they hit another ball, it is a good toss. It doesn't matter where the ball lands. At this point, players sit down, and may find that sitting on one of the bocce balls is a comfortable place to stop and rest (Wiley's rule). Some dirt is thrown, Mommy unsuccessfully tries to get the game going again, and the game is over. Everyone wins!

A Boy and His Dirt

2009-01-29T03:33:00.000-08:00

It goes without saying that Wiley is less 'blogged' about than Aden. It isn't on purpose, but just that Aden seems to have a lot more to say (literally) these days. Wiley can hold his own though and his vocabulary continues to grow as do his antics. He very much likes to do whatever big brother is doing, but does find his own adventures as well. On our porch sits a rectangular flower pot. It is full of dirt, but nothing is planted in it (for now). The boys seems to be obsessed with the dirt that is in it. What boy wouldn't, right? Aden likes to take off his boots and fill them with dirt. However, Wiley likes to take it to a whole new level. . .

Needless to say, we had bath time before dinner on this particular night.

100th Post!!!

2009-01-24T03:04:00.000-08:00

For anyone who is counting, this is our 100th post. There were no balloons and whistles, but we were impressed that we have managed to keep it up for this long. Of course, with these two boys there is almost something that we could 'blog' about everyday. So, let's get on to what you are really here to read about...

As you may recall, Aden has been playing a lot of 'going to the airport' since we returned from the US a few weeks ago. This has slowed down a bit, although now he just talks about it and doesn't necessarily pack his carry on each time. He did pull Daddy aside today and say that he needed to talk to him about his trip. In all seriousness and even with some sighs and umms thrown in, he told him that his flight would be through Hog Kog (Hong Kong) and Sydiney (Sydney), while Aden's flight would be through London and Tokyo. We would also be going through Honowuwu (Honolulu). He even informed us that we would not have paper tickets, but e-tickets. WOW!
This week, instead of playing 'going to the airport', we played 'on the airplane'. The dining room chairs easily made nice airplane seats, as well as a pilot seat (booster chair complete with seat belt). We also had to have a seat for the co-pilot. (How does he know about this kind of stuff?) Mommy and Daddy were of course the passengers on the plane and had to take our seats. Wiley, unfortunately, missed out on this fun as he was taking a nap. You can see in the picture what our airplane looked like with all of us in it. And yes, that is Curious George as the co-pilot. Once we were all in our seats and ready, we heard Aden make the announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are now ready to take off!"

Sunday Afternoon at Kudjip

2009-01-18T03:04:00.000-08:00

After our naps and snacks, we needed something to do. So, Daddy and the boys went outside to play football. Now this activity has a different meaning to each of the three people who were playing it. For Wiley, it just means that we throw the ball, watch it sitting out there in the yard and wait for Daddy to go get it. In the meantime, he slips away to find some rocks to play with and throw around. For Aden, it is throwing and kicking the ball some, but mostly it is 'play' tackling each other (whoever has the ball). For Daddy, it is just whatever these boys want it to be, but we usually have to at least see how the catching skills are coming along.
We played at this for awhile, and the game eventually evolved into other things like trying to keep Wiley in the yard, and a little game of hide and seek. Aden would count while Wiley and Daddy were hiding. Aden was usually peeking so easily found us. You add to that the fact that he can't quite count all the way to ten in order and you can only hide so far away. After this, Wiley decided that he wanted to be the one to find us so he went over to the tree and covered his eyes as if he were counting. Because we were counting by the tree, we eventually had to try and climb it. We have a great climbing tree in our yard that has many low branches. It wasn't as easy as it looked though. In the end, climbing the tree consisted of each boy taking turns while Daddy held them up to a branch that they could hold onto.

Pretty soon, the McCoys came outside and of course Aden thought this meant it was time for him to go with Uncle Bill into his house to play cars and blocks. Grandpa McCoy arrived today for a visit though and was taking a nap, so we had a good reason not to go running into the house. Eventually, the Dooley family came up for a visit. They have three girls and their youngest one, Olivia, is just nine months older than Aden. They love to play together and ran all over the yards while everyone else sat on the porch and talked with Grandpa McCoy (fresh up from his nap by now). By the end of the evening, Olivia (who knows how to climb the tree) had taught Aden to climb up onto the first branch. I overheard part of the lesson while taking pictures. Olivia was already up in the tree and Aden was trying to get his leg up. Olivia told him to grab her leg. "Come on Aden, you can do it," she coached. And indeed he did. He was quite proud of himself. That's what friends are for.
By the time we had some of Aunt Marsha's chocolate chip cookies, and ran around the yards a few more times, it was getting late and Olivia had to go home. We started to play another round of football, but Mommy said dinner was ready so we went inside. More indoor activities followed, like preparing for our guests that would be arriving at anytime, according to Aden. He had grabbed his quilt and a pillow from his bed and spread them out on the kitchen floor. We asked him who was coming, and without hesitation he said, "Grandpa Jerry is coming to stay with us." It would be a long trip here from Heaven so it was a good thing we had prepared a nice bed for him (Aden has a picture of Mommy's daddy in his room and is learning about who and where he is). We played along with this for awhile and by bedtime we were all pretty worn out. The imagination is really taking off (as you will hear about in our next blog entry).

Stuck on Furlough

2009-01-18T02:31:00.000-08:00

We arrived back to PNG almost two weeks ago. We are getting settled back into routines and have almost got all of the suitcases stored away. We have even had Pizza Night this past Friday, which makes it feel like we are home. However, Aden seems to think that we are still on the move. While in the US, we did seem to take off quite often, not staying anywhere longer than two weeks at one time. That seems to be what has stuck with him the most. Each day, and pretty much all day, Aden is packing his backpack and on his way to the airport. It's not just his backpack that he is packing, but he actually calls it his 'carry-on'. How many two year olds even know what a carry-on is? Before he can go, he lets us know that he is ready to go and frequently asks that we pray for his trip. One day, he prayed for the trip himself and made sure that we had our heads bowed when he did. It was an extensive prayer that covered the safety of the trip to the airport and on the airplane, security at the airport, the suitcases and having fun when we get there. The destination is usually Hawaii, Oklahoma, Ohio or somewhere else we went while we were in the US. Once we have had prayer, he asks for "a hug, a kiss and a squeeze." He gets his boots on and goes to sit by the front screen door. Apparently that is the airport. Oh, the life of a Missionary Kid....

Lullabies in the Living Room

2009-01-14T21:57:00.000-08:00

Aden came to Mommy this afternoon, in all seriousness, holding one of his lullaby CD's and said, "Mommy, I was trying to sing about babies."

"Did you want to listen to that CD?"

"Yeah."

"Well, that's the CD you listen to every night. Did you want to find a different one?"

"Yeah. . . . We can just put it in the CD player and see if it works. Maybe the batteries are dead." (He had not already tried the CD player, which is out of his reach; he was simply repeating the phrases he's heard Mommy and Daddy use.) Aden proceeded to search through the lullaby CD's in his room, pointing out all the pictures of babies on their covers, until he had chosen one he wanted to hear.

"Did you want to listen to it in your room or the living room?"

"Well, where is the DVD player?"

And so we had lullabies in the living room this afternoon.

The Short Version of a Long Trip Home

2009-01-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

Ten days before we were to leave for PNG, we were re-routed because of an error on the booking of our tickets. We were supposed to go from Columbus to New York to London to Tokyo to Cairns (Australia) and then after two nights there up to PNG. The new route was going to be Columbus to New York to London to Hong Kong to Sydney (overnight) and then up to Cairns. This made the trip time about 8 hours longer. Twelve hours before we were to depart for the Columbus airport, we were re-routed once again. This time we would be flying from Columbus to New York to Los Angeles to Brisbane to Cairns. While the process was a bit nerve-wracking, the route was much better for us. It had us arriving into Cairns 16 hours ahead of the original route and 24 hours ahead of the second route. So, a very long trip became a little shorter (but it was a long trip nonetheless with two restless boys who didn't sleep long enough on the flights for mommy and daddy).
We were thankful for a video on our personal video screens that kept Aden entertained for part of the time. He watched the making of the A380 Airbus at least 15 times. He didn't always make it through it, but it was started that many times for him. It was also nice to have a few days in Cairns to relax and adjust back to the routine of naps and nighttime sleeping. We also had some fun in the swimming pool as it was very hot there (a drastic change from the Ohio winter that we had just left). We enjoyed this time with "Bubu Jim", "Kah-tee", "Ceel-ya", Jo and "Yeedeeya". They traveled on our original route so we left them in New York and were reunited in Cairns before returning together to PNG.

From Aden and Wiley to You

2008-12-25T09:16:00.000-08:00

"I'm not tired . . .

2008-12-22T06:15:00.001-08:00

. . . I was just rubbing my eyes for a little bit." - Aden, at naptime recently

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2008-12-20T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last year as we celebrated Christmas, I realized that Aden was forming his own ideas of the season. I probably would not have given much thought to the traditions we celebrate, but it somehow dawned on me that Aden didn't know anything about Santa Claus. Aden saw the gifts under our tree, but never tried to open them. I don't think he realized that more than half the gifts were for him. Instead, he became fascinated by our nativity scene and the characters represented in it. He loved to hear about the angels and the shepherds, and the wise men and the star, and especially about Baby Jesus. This was the same Jesus we pray to and that Mommy and Daddy talk about. As I saw his true childlike wonder, I realized I had a unique opportunity to shape his view of Christmas. I began to look at the things we do for the holidays, considering the significance behind each activity. Some are full of meaning (the tree with lights, the gifts we give), while others seem pretty shallow (Santa Claus). We began to celebrate Christmas much more intentionally, emphasizing the Baby that inspired it all. One of the things we did was celebrate Jesus' birthday with another missionary family who has done that for many years. Aden got to help blow out the candles on Jesus' birthday cake.

So this year, we continue to be intentional in how we celebrate. I'm sure Aden loved being spoiled by gifts from his grandparents as we celebrated an early Christmas with Mommy's family last Saturday, but all day he also eagerly anticipated having a birthday party for Jesus. We had made a cake together, and he was again excited to blow out the candles and sing Happy Birthday. As I hear him recite (unprompted) various details of the Christmas Story, I like to think that he's beginning to understand what Christmas is all about.

Fast Forward...

2008-12-19T13:04:00.000-08:00

There were many things that happened over the next two weeks, but we will try to summarize it all into one blog for the sake of time:

After flying to Michigan from Oklahoma, we spent four nights at Great Grandma and Great Grandpa's house on the lake. Our highlights there were being with family, celebrating Thanksgiving, and celebrating Mommy's birthday on the day we left. Aden sang his own birthday song to her without even being prompted to do so. It went something like "Happy Birthday to you, to my mommy. I love you."

We went from Michigan down to Fort Wayne, Indiana for two nights. There, we go to wake up to snow one morning, although it was gone fairly quickly. We spoke in our home church there and were reunited with many friends. Aden received a special recognition in the service when he was called up on to the platform. He wouldn't go without Daddy though and kept his head buried in Daddy's shoulder throughout the 'interview.' They took a special love offering for the boys. While Wiley has no idea what it was all about, Aden figured it out when one of the little boys in the church told him that he could probably buy a lot of cars with that.

We drove down to Indianapolis after that and spent three nights at Aunt Keri and Uncle Josh's house (along with Archie, their dog). We had fun with them playing around the house and even doing a little shopping. After all, we had some money to spend from Fort Wayne and found some new little cars for the boys that should come in handy on the many plane rides ahead of us. Uncle Kevin came over one night too and while Mommy and Daddy were out, they kept the boys entertained by turning a suitcase into an airplane.

It was then on to Ohio where we would spend the next ten nights, one of our longest stops yet in one bed. It's always fun to play at Grandma and Grandpa's house. There are lots of toys and best of all, the basement. Down there are games, a train and plenty of other things to get into. Wiley knows the word basement now, trying to say it himself. When he hears the word, he goes to the basement door and starts hitting it. It's amazing what they pick up.

Highlights from our time included riding on the pontoon boat at Great Grandpa's house (as it was finally pulled out of the water for the winter); making hand-made ornaments (snowflakes made from their handprints cut out of felt); a trip to the Air Force Museum; time with Radcliffes, Myers, and Statons (ENT who regularly volunteers at Kudjip); and our very last deputation service for this home assignment. Aden is pretty excited that now he will be able to sit with Mommy and Daddy through the whole church service!

This gets us caught up to within a week of this writing and we have more stories to share. Stay tuned.....

It's Christmas Time...

2008-12-19T12:28:00.000-08:00

We are going to rewind a bit and try to catch you up on the adventures of Aden and Wiley. The hustle and bustle has kept the blog from rolling, but we will try to get it back up to date.
A few weeks ago, we were in Oklahoma and had a chance to help set up the Christmas tree. This was pretty exciting for the boys. Aden was quick to help get all of the branches organized and on the trunk of the tree. Wiley was just having fun moving the branches from one part of the room to the other and climbing inside the tree box.
We kept it fairly simple with just a few ball ornaments and lights, but there were oohs and aahs when the lights were turned on. We capped off the night with some cookies and hot chocolate. The next morning was a 4am departure for the airport to fly back up to Michigan.

Wiley's Breaks the Silence

2008-11-20T11:06:00.000-08:00

After a long silence, Wiley has become rather vocal about his lack of attention in the blog. He wanted to share a few things that will help remind everyone that these are the adventures of Aden AND Wiley.

- Wiley now has TEN teeth!

- Wiley loves dogs, and loves to play with balls.

- Wiley is getting big, just like his brother. (Though he doesn't yet weigh 20 pounds.) He is no longer nursing and can even out-eat his big brother.

- Wiley knows FIVE words in sign language (please, more, milk, all done, change).

- Wiley has a HUGE toothy grin.

- Wiley never cried on two flights today, in spite of a "significant" ear infection (diagnosed only yesterday).

- Wiley is on the verge of running, motivated to keep up with big brother Aden.

- Wiley is saying lots of new words, trying hard to earn more space on this blog. So, we have introduced "Wiley's New Words" in the column at the right.

Pretending

2008-11-13T19:47:00.000-08:00

Aden is really moving into a phase of pretend play. Since we saw Tim Radcliffe play basketball a few weeks ago, one of his favorite things to do is to play "Tim." Aden loved to run back and forth in our hotel rooms, or a living room, or a church hallway, telling us to cheer for Tim or asking us to say, "Shoot the ball, Tim!" so that he could throw his arms up in the air. During our hours on the road, he was Tim playing the drums, or it was Tim's birthday and we would all have to sing Happy Birthday to Tim. We would clap for Tim and his amazing basketball abilities. Daddy would change "Tim's" diaper, or give "Tim" a bath, as Aden narrated his activities throughout the day. Just as it got to be quite an obsession, Aden shifted gears a bit. He began to play "Cilla." Cilla was the basketball player, Cilla would take a bath with Lydia (Wiley), Cilla was having a birthday . . . All of this has led into just what you would expect - Daddy and Mommy are now Bubba Jim and Aunt Kathy.

Playing Deputation

2008-11-13T13:24:00.000-08:00

All of Aden's time on the front row of our services is starting to surface in his play . . .

Lately he's been playing "deputation," although he doesn't call it that. He usually just announces, "We're mishuwawies" or "We're speaking to all the kids." Then he talks about Samuel and Eli (a story Mommy usually shares), or asks us to sing in Pidgin. Sometimes he'll raise his hands and mimic the latest music leader, encouraging everyone around to "Pwaise the Lord". At least he isn't growing tired of church!

Niagara Falls

2008-11-13T12:40:00.001-08:00

We spent the first eight days of November speaking ten times on the Central Canada District (mostly the Toronto area of Ontario). Since the drive from Xenia, Ohio to Toronto, Ontario would be quite long for our boys, we broke it into three days. We are getting pretty good at making long trips even longer. On the first day we drove an hour and a half north to Mount Vernon, spending the night after watching Tim Radcliffe play basketball (related blog coming soon). The next day we drove to Buffalo, NY and spent the night in a nice hotel (thanks to a good deal on Priceline.com) after a nice evening with Joel and Bekah Potter. The third day we stopped at Niagara Falls - both on the US side and the Canadian side - before heading on to Toronto.

On the New York side, once we had stopped for lunch, the boys enjoyed watching the river and hearing the roar of the falls. Aden's favorite part was walking up the steps and onto the half-bridge to look at the falls. Then he got cold and Mommy took the boys inside where it was warm while Daddy took more pictures.

Then we drove over to the Canadian side, marking a new country for Aden and Wiley. It was cold and drizzly when we arrived, and only cleared up a bit while we were there. Wiley rode in the baby carrier, wrapped in Mommy's coat, and Aden bundled up in a hat and coat. In spite of the cold, the boys seemed to enjoy looking at all the water. We even managed to get a decent family photo. As the boys became more restless, we decided it was time to get back in the car where they might fall asleep on the way to our first service. Just as we had walked back to the car and were driving away, the sun came out and made some beautiful lighting on the falls. So Mommy jumped out of the car with the camera and Daddy, Aden, and Wiley drove around the block before coming to pick her up.

Febuwawy eight - . . .

2008-11-12T13:27:00.001-08:00

(pause) . . . - teen. - when Aden will be "fwee," according to Aden.

The Drinking Fountain

2008-10-28T10:00:00.001-07:00

Sunday night we were in a church where Aden quickly made a new friend named Lydia. Lydia showed Aden the drinking fountain, and never having seen this before, Aden pushed the button and proudly exclaimed, "We're making water come out!" This amazing phenomenon kept his attention for quite a while, until eventually he walked away with a wet shirt.

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-24T14:31:00.001-07:00

What is autumn in America without a trip to a pumpkin patch? Of course we had to take Aden and Wiley to pick out their own pumpkins. Yesterday evening the weather was beautiful, and according to the forecast, it could be our last opportunity to actually enjoy our trip to the pumpkin patch. So we coordinated our fall clothes for a family photo and headed out the door for Young's Dairy.

Wiley loved everything about the pumpkins. He liked to lay across them and see if he could get them to roll; he liked to crawl around them; he liked to hug them and see if he could pick them up. Aden had his eyes set on the tractors nearby, so once we had an acceptable family photo, he headed for the big machines. He tested them out and we took more photos, then the boys each picked out a pumpkin. Mommy and Daddy picked out a bigger pumpkin, and we spent some time looking at all the animals - goats, a sheep, a turkey, cows, chickens, and ducks.

We hope Aden and Wiley enjoy carving (or watching the carving) and decorating the pumpkins as much as they enjoyed the pumpkin patch.

Wiley is One

2008-10-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

On October 9 Wiley turned one. He started the celebration when he woke up in the morning, generously giving out kisses to Mommy and Daddy and Aden. We then took him and Aden to Trevecca Nazarene University where Mommy and Daddy spoke in chapel, and later that evening to another church where Mommy and Daddy spoke. We had actually celebrated the night before with one of our LINKS churches on the Tennessee District. It was already Wiley's birthday in PNG, and they threw a party for him where he got his first taste of birthday cake.

After arriving in Ohio, we invited Mommy's family to join us for a family birthday celebration. Wiley had just begun to sit still for short books, and seemed to show particular interest in the zebra page of a zoo book. So we had a zebra-stripe theme at the party. Both Aden and Wiley got excited as we set the stage and blew up some balloons. Mommy helped Aden wrap a special gift for Wiley, and then Aden immediately brought it to his brother and unwrapped it for him while Wiley watched him and played with another toy. When it was time for cake, Mommy had decorated the cake with zebra stripes, and had a small bundt cake for Wiley to enjoy all on his own. Wiley knew just what to do with the cake and didn't hesitate long before diving right in. (Quite unlike his older brother on his first birthday! For those of you who don't remember, Aden didn't like the messy icing and flicked it off of his fingers rather than licking it off.) Aden was quite a help at the party, blowing out the candle and unwrapping the gifts. We finished the party with a game of Tape the Stripes on the Zebra. Now we have to try to convince Aden that even though he unwrapped the gifts, they were really intended for Wiley.

At his one-year check-up Wiley weighed 17 pounds, 10 ounces and was 28 inches long. He is walking more and more steadily every day, and walking is becoming more and more preferred over crawling. He seems to be saying quite a few words already, and really tries to repeat almost anything we ask him to. I think Aden probably did this as well, but we didn't always recognize it. Now our ears are more trained to understand what babies and toddlers are saying (or trying to say). He especially likes to identify tractors (cack-ah) and trains (coo-coo). We were thankful for a healthy report at the doctor's office and for our happy, growing boy.

2008-10-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

From Oklahoma, we made our way east to Tennessee. We are finding that it takes a little longer to make the long trips as Aden and Wiley like to "stretch their legs" a little more. It is always helpful when we can break a trip up and so that is what we did. Our first service in Tennessee was not until Wednesday night, so we left on Monday afternoon to make the ten hour trip. The first day, we drove to Little Rock, Arkansas where we stayed with family friends, the Harrises. It was dark and rainy for most of the trip, so daddy was happy to take a break as well. Roger and Carol took good care of us and we had a great time getting to know them (for Aden and Wiley) and catching up with them for mommy and daddy. The second day we drove to Memphis, Tennessee where we stopped long enough to get a picture with Elvis (actually we stopped for the bathrooms but his statue was at the rest stop) and then on to Jackson, Tennessee to see some friends with connections from both daddy's college days as well as from Kudjip. The Harpers had invited us to stop through on our way. We were planning to have dinner and drive the rest of the way to Nashville, but mommy didn't feel well and they had said we could stay the night. So we did. They had a big great dane dog named Jinx and he was about twice as big as Aden. He was really nice though. We enjoyed our time with them as well. On Wednesday, we finished our drive over to Nashville with plenty of time before our evening service.
We had a great time meeting new people in all of the churches and visiting friends around the Nashville area. We played at Uncle Bob and Aunt Beth's (Merki)house. We played at Uncle Mike and Aunt Becky's (Hancock) house. We had dinner and a surprise shopping spree with Tera and Shibu. We also got to play on the boats at the Bass Pro Shop (after dinner with James and Jonquil) and pretend we were going to Hawaii, Vanuatu, Samoa and most of the South Pacific. The Opry Mills mall had a carousel that was fun to ride on as well as a train that Aden and Daddy rode on that took us all through the mall. Grandma and Grandpa also came down for part of the time and traveled with us to the churches (and watched Aden and Wiley while mommy and daddy had a date night).

It was a fun week in the Music City and the weather was perfect. We enjoyed all of our time with the churches, Trevecca and our friends and even had a chance to celebrate Wiley's 1st birthday with one church. We would later have a family birthday party for him (that should be the next blog), but first it was on to Ohio...

Trip to the Zoo

2008-10-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

What is a trip back to the US without a trip to the zoo when you have little boys? We had to go fast because the weather is quickly turning cold. So before we left Oklahoma, we were able to go to the zoo with Aden and Wiley's cousins, Seth and Corey to the Tulsa Zoo. We had a great time seeing animals that we had only seen in books before, riding on the train, and playing with cousins. We saw monkeys, giraffes, rhinos, lions, reptiles and birds. It was a fun way to be with family before heading out for our next destination - Tennessee.

Weekend Away

2008-10-05T21:53:00.000-07:00

We had a long weekend last week and spent it up in the state of Washington with family. We flew to Seattle, which anytime we are in an airplane it is a vacation in itself for Aden. We actually stayed in Anacortes at a very nice beach house. The weather was perfect Fall weather and we had a great time hiking around Deception Pass, taking the ferry out to San Juan Island and just hanging around this big, beautiful house with family. Aden's highlights were riding a Big Wheel that was at the house and getting to wear the helmet, playing with aunts and uncles and grandparents, skipping stones at the water, and being in the car while we drove it onto the ferry boat (and the ferry boat ride itself). Wiley's highlights were crawling all over this large house and exploring the new spaces, eating, getting spoiled by Grandma, eating, 'going along for the ride', showing off his new found ability to walk, and eating. The trip back on the airplane was not as exciting since Aden missed naps most days and the adrenaline rush was wearing off, and Wiley had an ear infection (we discovered after the trip which explained a lot). We were not the most popular people on the plane, but we didn't let that ruin the fun weekend we had.

One small step for man . . .

2008-09-26T23:27:00.000-07:00

. . . one big milestone for Wiley. We'll let this video speak for itself, as Wiley took his first steps on Tuesday this week. While the video only shows two steps, he has taken as many as five. It won't be long before he's able to keep up with Aden!

Amamas!

2008-09-26T17:27:00.000-07:00

While in Hawaii, we had an opportunity to speak to some groups of children. We spoke to four different groups on three different days. Mommy usually did all of the talking during these times. Part of her presentation included a song that is played during a slideshow of pictures. The song is in Pidgin and uses the word "amamas" a lot. After the slideshow is over, Mommy always asks the kids if they can say that word with her - "amamas." Once they do, she tells them that they did a good job and explains what the word means (Happy). We haven't spoken to any kids' groups or heard that song for over a week, but we realized that Aden is listening and picking up more than we realize. This week, out of the blue he started saying (with as much enthusiasm as he had heard it), "Everyone, can you say 'amamas'? Good Job!" It has also evolved into, "Mommy, can you say 'amamas'? Good Job! Daddy, can you say 'amamas'? Good Job!" I think by next Home Assignment, he will be able to give our deputation talk for us.

Race For the Cure

2008-09-23T07:46:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, we all participated in the Susan Komen Race for the Cure in Tulsa. There were a lot of activities going on, as well as a 5K Fun Run/Walk and a One Mile Walk. Our whole family went together to represent Grandma, and to help future and current fighters of breast cancer.We had a good time in the process riding in the wagon with our cousins. Most of the group did the One Mile Walk. Mommy and Daddy with Aunt Andrea though did the 5K Run/Walk. Mommy and Daddy hadn't run in a long time so said they would probably walk for at least part of it. However, their pride got the best of them and they ran the entire 5K. With literally no warm up runs beforehand, this 3.2 miles was quite an accomplishment. All of a sudden though, they are walking around funny and say they can't hardly bend over to pick us up. It was fun though, and we hope to make it an annual (for us it will be every other year) event of our family. Here are some pictures from that day.

And so the journey ended..or did it just begin?

2008-09-17T22:14:00.000-07:00

We left Hawaii on Monday night and arrived into Oklahoma on Tuesday morning. We had a great time and it turned out to be a very nice way to break up the trip so that the boys could transition slowly into the time changes. While in Hawaii, we spoke nine times but had a lot of free time to see the island. The boys loved going to the beach, of which we spent most of our time at Waikiki and the North Shore (Sunset Beach and the Banzai Pipeline).

Unfortunately the big waves are in the winter, so Aden and Wiley did not get an opportunity to ride the waves. I think they were too busy eating sand at each beach to care. Not sure what that's all about.

We drove around the entire island, went snorkeling at Hanauma Bay, rode a train and ran the pineapple maze at the Dole Plantation (and couldn't believe that they were selling pineapples at a price of 3 for $23 and people were buying them), visited Pearl Harbor/Arizona Memorial, and took in as many sunsets as we could.

On the Big Island, we drove around the entire island, as well as sampled Kona coffee (not the boys, it makes them too hyper), went to the southern most point of the US, saw the massive amount of black lava rock that cover the ground on this island, visited the Hawaii Volcano National Park (although the air quality was reported as being bad for infants and children, not to mention daddy, and we didn't stay too long) and finally...played on every playground that we saw.

It was a great time and one that I am sure the boys will both soon forget if they haven't already (because of their age, not because it wasn't memorable). It was fun to see them enjoying the moment though and I am sure they will never believe mommy and daddy when they tell them someday that they have both been all over Hawaii. In the words of Aden, we close by saying "Ah-woh-ha, Hawaii!" Although, for him I think that actually translates as "Is it time to get on another airplane yet?"

Ah-Puwa! - Not just a name in Hawaii...

2008-09-15T01:04:00.000-07:00

How do you get a two year old to brush his teeth? It's not always easy, but we have found a way that seems to work most of the time. When Aden is denying that he is tired and ready for bed, asking him to come brush teeth does not usually sound too appealing and it is met with either a "NO!" or simply running away to hide. However, when daddy changed the question to asking him if he wants to come spit, a two year old boy can't seem to refuse. He comes running. Ah-Puwa! is the sound of spitting. He hasn't actually learned how to spit, but that is the sound we make to represent what we are doing. After a good brush and a few 'Ah-Puwas', he knows that the bedtime story is next. It has worked well for Aden so far, but we will see in a year if Wiley is so easy.

Front Row Seat

2008-09-07T16:57:00.000-07:00

This morning was the first Sunday service of our three month deputation tour. We decided it would be best to pass Wiley to Grandpa Ben, who was happy to hold him. Aden, on the other hand, selected a front row seat. Mommy and Daddy were a little nervous and asked him several times to make sure he really wanted to sit front and center. But since that's where Mommy and Daddy were sitting, that's where Aden wanted to stay. We told him repeatedly that we would leave him there while we got up to speak, and he would have to sit quietly . . . but he still wanted to stay on the front row.

So, we got up to speak not knowing if Wiley would catch a glimpse of Mommy and cry out for her, or if Aden would start running around or whining. Wiley was a bit squirmy in Grandpa's arms, but did just fine and was very quiet during the service (especially once Grandpa stood up in the back). Aden stayed on the front row, and never uttered a peep! In fact, he sat and listened to the entire presentation, and gave Daddy a big, supportive grin every time they made eye contact. Of course, we can't expect this from them with every service, but today we watched our well-behaved boys with pride (and awe)!

Waikiki

2008-09-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Aden and Wiley have had quite a few adventures in the last couple of months . . . so many, in fact, that we've been unable to keep up with the blog! Together we've been around the world and back again, in countless airports and airplanes (though no matter how many hours or how many planes, Aden never seems to tire of them); we've been to parks, driven over bridges and through tunnels, ridden buses and boats, adjusted to too many time zone changes, and now we've finally landed.

For a couple of weeks, life seems to be slowing down a bit. The boys have discovered the joy of the ocean and the sand here in Hawaii and can't get enough! While our time here has been a much needed bit of a break (even though Mommy and Daddy are speaking during our stay here), it could be the calm before the storm as we begin our tour of the US over the next few months.

The Quilt

2008-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Of course, Wiley loves it already!

Remembering . . . and missing . . . Grandma Sue

2008-08-13T03:17:00.000-07:00

While Aden and Wiley are too little to really remember their Grandma Sue, we deeply miss her already. She loved all ten of her grandchildren, and was almost always caring for at least one of them. As we looked through photos recently, we found many of Grandma holding her grandchildren.

We remember our last furlough, the last time we saw her, when Aden fell in love with her. He would reach for her, even preferring her above his mommy and daddy. He would let her cradle him in her arms, snuggling up to her in ways he wouldn't do with Mommy and Daddy. She had a special place in her heart for each grandchild, and he seemed to sense that from the moment he met her.

When we came back to PNG, Aden loved talking to Grandma on the computer, showing off for her, telling her he loved her, praying for her, and telling her all about his trucks.

Wiley didn't have the chance to meet Grandma Sue, but we're thankful for modern technology that allowed Grandma to "meet" him over the internet. She often said of Wiley, "I can't wait to get my hands on that baby!" Grandma would be proud to know that in one stack of papers we found at Grandpa's house recently, we learned that Wiley's great-great-great grandpa was also named Wiley!

We will especially miss Grandma when we go back to the US for our home assignment in a few weeks. We are thankful for the legacy she has left, for the testimony of her life that we can share with our children. We know she was proud of her grandchildren and loved them very much!

Identity

2008-07-14T03:54:00.000-07:00

We have been paying closer attention over the last few days, and we are now certain that Wiley knows Daddy (Dada) and Aden and calls them by name. Mommy, however, has been waiting for recognition, so we have been working harder on that recently. Wiley has been able to repeat and recognize her, but today was a very special moment in the process. As Mommy worked to get dinner ready, Wiley was crawling at her feet moaning for her to pick him up. Finally, he pulled on her skirt and cried out very clearly, "Mama!" Immediately he had her attention and was wrapped up in her arms!

We did have Wiley's 9-month check-up last week, and most everything looked good. He was happy through the whole appointment and didn't cry once. Of course, it helped that he didn't have to have any shots! We've realized that Wiley is a small baby, but this was confirmed by his weight. At 7040 grams and 26 7/8 inches long, he actually has only gained a couple of ounces and about a quarter inch in length since his last check-up at 6 months . . . despite the fact that he has an amazing appetite and out-eats his older brother. We're making a few changes in how we feed him, and will weigh in again in a few weeks to see how he is progressing. We are not too worried at this point, since he is meeting all his milestones and seems to be developing well otherwise.

Wiley's First Movie

2008-07-09T03:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, this blog is about both Aden AND Wiley. We haven't said much about him lately, but in honor of Wiley's nine-month birthday today we decided to try something new: our first video post.

Since we only have a semi-fast connection, we've kept it pretty short. You can't see them in the video, but he actually has two new teeth coming in on top! We've heard him say things like "Dada" and "Aden", though we aren't convinced they are intentional or in context. Wiley will have his nine-month check-up tomorrow, and we'll be able to post all his current statistics. Until then, we'll let his smiles show how healthy he is.

Dessert

2008-07-07T03:55:00.000-07:00

As dinner was coming to an end, we were discussing what the rest of the evening would hold. Mommy spelled out "D-E-S-S-E-R-T" and suggested it as an option after a bath. Don't all parents use that trick? Aden immediately agreed by saying, "Yeah, dessert after bath!" We have tested him a few times since and are convinced that it must have been a fluke, but impressive nonetheless.

Cool Dude

2008-07-03T04:46:00.000-07:00

What's 'cool' to one is not always 'cool' to another. When you are two years old, lots of things seem cool if simply for the fact that they are new. Some things stay cool and some things become ordinary. Backhoes and tractors are still as cool today to Aden as they were the first time he saw one. Mommy and Daddy are still cool, but for how long we don't know. One thing that became cool this week and that we hope will stay cool for a long time can be seen in the pictures below, and this is how we found him when we walked in. Even Wiley can't wait until it is his turn. How can it not be cool when you get a star sticker on your shirt for doing it...

Public Service Announcement

2008-06-30T14:35:00.000-07:00

At breakfast this morning (after he'd been up for a half hour) Aden announced,

"I'm awake! I came back."

"From where?"

"From my room."

Imagination Airlines

2008-06-28T04:08:00.000-07:00

After the recent adventure to Australia, and then watching so many people come and go to and from PNG, Aden is ready for another ride on the airplane (he likes to use the Pidgin word of 'balus'). At first he just used his toy airplane and flew it around the room. Now, he has taken the bed rail off of his bed and imagines it as his 'balus'. When asked where he is going, he will give all sorts of answers. One day it was to see A-Bu and Baka (Uncle Bill and Aunt Marsha) who left three months ago on an airplane and Aden thinks that is still where they are--on an airplane. When he claimed he was not feeling well one day and said he was sick, he was going to go to the 'haus sik' (hospital) to see 'Bubu Jim.' Tonight, he was going to go to "Papa New Ginni" to see "Karen-Dan", which would be 'Gam-ma Karen and Gam-pa Dan' in Ohio. He will often invite "Wiwey Boo" (his new nickname for Wiley that he came up with all by himself) along for the flight. It's a long flight, you know. In the picture you can see that he has all of his essentials. The red plates are for their pizza. The lotion is for 'Wiwey Boo' and Thomas the Tank Engine is just along for the ride because he is one of Aden's good friends. We will see where his imagination takes him next. Get your tickets here. We promise the cost of tickets will not go up because of the cost of fuel.

He's At It Again...

2008-06-23T04:01:00.001-07:00

Aden hadn't been building too many towers lately. He has recently revived the art though, perhaps to steal some of the attention back. It's hard to build a tall tower when there is a little brother crawling around and always wanting to be in the middle of whatever big brother is doing. He found a way though to keep Wiley out of the process, and it was actually quite impressive. The towers are now being constructed from on top of the coffee table, which little brother has not learned to pull up on quite yet. To make things more impressive, he has been building them in the back of one of his toy dump trucks. The towers get so tall, since they are on top of the table, that Aden has to get the kitchen stool to stand on so that he can reach the top. His record has been fifteen blocks so far. He gets quite excited with each block, as he runs over to get Daddy high fives. This one is for you, Abu!

Gas, Please . . . Pssshhhhh!

2008-06-15T02:01:00.000-07:00

As has been well established in this blog, Aden loves playing with his cars. He is very careful with them as he drives them around the coffee table (his favorite place to play cars). Unlike most two-year-olds, he doesn't often let them crash and likes to keep them in neat order. Uncle Bill and Aunt Marsha taught Aden how to take care of cars by filling them up with gas, and they taught him to ask nicely when he pulls into a "station": "Gas, please," and then, of course, the sound of filling up - psshhhh! The phrase and sound effect have carried over to all vehicles and things that move, like toy lawnmowers or the tractors we saw on the farm. A few days ago we were having breakfast with the Radcliffe children and Daddy asked Lydia if she wanted a cinnamon roll. "Yes, please," Lydia politely responded, and Aden immediately repeated what he'd heard - "Gas, please...pssshhhh!"

A MAN-icure and Pedicure

2008-06-10T03:53:00.000-07:00

As the only female in a house of boys, Mommy sometimes looks for moments to do "feminine" things. Today she decided it was time for a manicure and pedicure. She pulled out all her supplies - clippers, a foot file, emery boards, scrub and lotion, and nail polish - and then filled a bowl with warm water. Aden, of course, was immediately interested. With a bowl of water set on a towel on the floor, and Mommy soaking her feet in it, what 2-year-old wouldn't be curious? He wanted the experience, too, so Mommy washed Aden's feet and put lotion on. Then Aden wanted to know what all the colored bottles were for. And he wanted to try some on his nails, too. That was where Mommy drew the line. She told him he'd have to wait for Daddy. Mommy did get her nails done, just before Wiley woke up hungry, and Aden found his own use for the nail polish - hauling it around in his dump truck!

Eitpela Mun Nau

2008-06-09T03:20:00.001-07:00

Wiley is eight months old today! He encouraged us to celebrate by sleeping through the night last night for almost eight hours (the first time since we rerturned from our trip). Wiley wanted us to share with you eight of his favorite tricks and accomplishments at eight months of age:

Crawling
Moving to a sitting position
Pulling up (most of the time to his knees, though he has made it to his feet)
Waving (sometimes on command, most often in his high chair)
Discovering new sounds to make (Mommy's favorite is a very soft "t" sound)
Eating solid food (and shoes, and toys, and paper, and . . .)
Touching his nose with his toes

eight. Laughing and giggling

Catch Phrase

2008-06-04T01:56:00.000-07:00

With a vocabulary that is growing exponentially, Aden seems to find new phrases every day. We have some favorites we wanted to share here, a little too long for the 'aden dictionary' . . .

pint-apple - pineapple (he must think we slur the "t")

"Don't say it" - we have no idea where this one came from, but maybe it's when he thinks we're talking about something he's said or done

"Say . . ." - apparently we've asked Aden to repeat a lot of things, or try to say a lot of things. Now he asks us to repeat after him; "say" has also become the new "please", so when he wants something he'll sometimes ask, "Mommy, say Aden pintapple."

uh-no-oise - when we were traveling we heard lots of new noises, and Aden managed to stretch "noise" into a three-syllable word, continually asking us to identify the new sounds he was hearing.

No! Mine! - he is two, and Wiley is into much more these days . . .

Yee-ah - Like "noise", Aden has drawn out "yeah". Even though he is two and enjoys saying no, he also seems to like responding affirmatively (usually when he's sure it's something he'll like, thinks it's good to agree, or if he doesn't understand the question)

Sorry - our sensitive little boy says this when anyone gets hurt, whether or not it was his doing

All done - this is used quite a bit, usually preceded by someone's name (Mommy, Aden, Wiwey), and followed by whatever activity Aden thinks they ought to be finished with (most often sleeping or eating)

poopy diaper - any diaper, clean or dirty

"Mommy coming! Wah dutch*, Wiwey!" - This is Daddy's favorite of the week, and though we've only heard it once, we're almost certain we'll hear it again . . .

*see aden dictionary

The Rest of the Trip...

2008-05-29T05:04:00.000-07:00

After returning to Brisbane, we had one night before Daddy left for his trip to Tonga and Samoa. He was sick when he left and it seemed like Mommy was due to be sick by then, but luckily she stayed semi-healthy. Aden and Wiley were both doing better but still a little congested. During the week, they were able to see more wallabies and even a koala. They made some friends from South Africa that live at the Bible College and were able to play with their toys and ride their bikes. Aunt Becky from Kudjip came by one night on her way back to PNG from her own trip around the islands. Before they knew it, Daddy was back on Friday. Saturday was a big day. We borrowed the Bible College car and drove ourselves down to the train station. Aden and Wiley loved riding on the train into downtown Brisbane to an area called the South Bank. There, we walked along the river where there are many shops, restaurants, paths, and playgrounds. Aden loved playing on the slides and managed to not get run over by the older kids who were playing tag up and down the slides and all over with no acknowledgment of the smaller kids. After walking around for awhile, we went on a boat that took us down and back up the river through downtown Brisbane. It was a great way to end our time at the South Bank before getting back on the train to come back to the Bible College. Both boys took short naps on the boat, but loved being on the water and taking in all of the sights. The next day, we got to fly on the airplane again. Always a highlight for Aden. We took our now designated seats on the back row and enjoyed the two and a half hour flight north to Cairns. TreeTops Lodge would be our new home for the next three days while Daddy was in meetings. We had a good time there and both boys were good for Mommy during the day and we all went to the Johnsons in the evening where they enjoyed playing with Uncle James and Aunt Joy and Uncle Harmon. One night we even went bowling and Aden got to bowl for free. They had some of the cool shoes in his size and he bowled a 53 in both games. Wiley had a good time as well being passed around to whoever was not bowling at the time. Well, after 25 days of traveling, we flew back to PNG on the 28th. Aden was excited to see Aunt Kathy at the airport when we arrived and was again excited to see the rest of the family when we ate at their house. He was all smiles and giving out hugs freely. I think we all enjoyed being back in our own beds last night and was able to get a good night of sleep. Now it is back to our routines, and hopefully that will include updating this blog a little more regularly.

Vah-Wah-Too

2008-05-16T15:20:00.000-07:00

We are leaving today from Vanuatu to return to Australia, but wanted to get at least one entry in before we go as there was much to write about with our visit here. Despite both boys battling sickness, and then Daddy becoming sick, they have had a great time here at Uncle David and Aunt Sylvia's house. They have a neat wooden train track that Aden enjoyed playing with, a wheelbarrow for rides around their property, and water guns for playing in the water. One day we went to town for a little shopping. Aden did really well with it, but eventually told us, "Aden all done shopping." Wiley just loves being carried around in his carrier and charming all of the vendors. We then met the Isaac family (PNGian missionaries to Vanuatu who have three boys and the youngest one is Aden's age) for lunch at a hotel where there were swimming pools of all shapes and sizes. Aden didn't want to get all the way in, but did enjoy splashing and kicking in each of them.
As for Wiley, he also had a good time exploring new floors. He reached another milestone when he took his first 'Crawl Steps' last night. We knew it was coming and had predicted that it may happen on this trip. This means we are entering a new phase with him by no longer being able to leave him alone in a room for more than ten seconds.
We have all had a great time here in "Vah-Wah-Too" as Aden calls it, and hopefully haven't left all of our sickness here for Uncle David and Aunt Sylvia to get. They took care of us well. I am sure Aden won't soon forget our time here, but right now he is excited to go on another plane ride this afternoon.

Airplanes--A Cure For The Common Cold!

2008-05-14T03:12:00.000-07:00

After a week in a drafty old farmhouse, both Aden and Wiley developed a bad cold with fevers, runny noses and sore throats. It was just in time for a trip to Vanuatu. Aden was actually feeling so bad the night before our trip that Mommy and Daddy were praying if the trip should even happen. The morning of the trip, Aden woke up with a fever and his voice sounded terrible. However, he remembered that it was the day to get on the 'bah-loose' (pidgin for airplane). He was a big helper to assist Daddy in getting the luggage down to the car and we headed for the airport. Despite the fever, Aden enjoyed helping to push the cart full of luggage around. Good thing Daddy could see over the luggage as they pushed because Aden sure couldn't. The nice lady at the counter gave Mommy a big compliment when she asked, "Is that all you have? You still have heaps of luggage allowance." We then ate breakfast while watching the airplanes come and go into the airport. Finally, it was time to get on the plane. We were in the back of the plane in what turned out to be the 'nursery' of the plane with probably five other families with kids under two years of age. Not to brag or anything, but Aden and Wiley were by far the best behaved of the bunch. It was about a two and a half hour flight and even with Wiley's squirminess and Aden's occasional moaning from the fever and sore throat, they were fairly quiet for most of the flight. Aden was excited to get to ride on another airplane, but was ready to get off in 'Vah-Wah-Too.' By this time, the fever was coming back and he needed a place to rest. They are recovering nicely at the Potters' house here in Vanuatu and we will have more stories to come about their time here. We are thankful for the Lord's healing touch on their bodies though (and for their love for airplanes).

Down (Under) on the Farm

2008-05-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Aden and Wiley spent last week with Mommy and her good friend Nikolai ("Neked-why" to Aden) on a farm near Brisbane, Australia. Having seen farms and tractors and cows only in pictures or in his favorite videos, the whole experience was new and exciting for Aden. He loved everything - watching cars go by on the road, throwing grass in the billabong, pushing a toy lawnmower, and entertaining Nikolai's 7-month-old daughter Cherith, who quickly became a good mate for both Aden and Wiley. It was also a bit overwhelming at times. Although Aden loved walking out in the paddock to see the cows, when a large bull poked his head into the old, rusty car where we were playing, Aden lost a bit of his enthusiasm! And while Aden loved looking at all the tractors, trucks, and equipment on our walkabouts, when Philip (the farmer) offered him a ride, the noise of the big machine kept him from getting too close. But when the tractor was quiet, and Mommy climbed into it with Wiley, Aden wasted no time in joining them. Perhaps because the week was such a new adventure, Aden was a particularly good boy all week! As every mother of a toddler experiences, sometimes Mommy begins to wonder if anything she is attempting to teach Aden really sinks in . . . but on the farm Aden impressed everyone with his obedience and quiet manners. Mommy was so proud and thankful to share with her boys a week with a good friend.

The Airplane . . . through the eyes of a 2-year-old

2008-05-04T18:07:00.000-07:00

The adventure on the airplane started long before we set foot on the tarmac in Mt. Hagen. It probably started the day before we left, when Aden realized we would actually get to go on an airplane, together. He was so excited he began dancing in a mud puddle on our back porch, and even sticking his head in the dirty water. By the time we got to the airport the next day he could hardly wait to get on the plane. But when it was actually time to walk out onto the tarmac and climb the steps up to the plane, he began to get cold feet. it was then that he realized we'd be leaving Bubu Jim and Jo (who had taken us to the airport) back at Kudjip. Even though Aden loves all things that move, and especially big machines (bicycles, vehicles, lawnmowers, tractors, backhoes, airplanes, etc.), he has a healthy fear of them, too, and doesn't like to get too close to them. It had been a year since he had been on an airplane, so he didn't remember what the experience was like. He followed Daddy onto the airplane and to our seats. But he was quite resistant to sitting in his own seat, instead wanting to sit on Daddy's lap. Just before takeoff, Daddy coaxed Aden to sit in his own seat with his seatbelt on, with Daddy's arms tightly around him. But throughout the flight, Aden warmed up to the experience. He snacked on some pretzels Mommy had packed for him, played with a toy train, and looked at a magazine. Soon one of the mornings* came and brought cookies and apple juice, and Aden didn't even have to ask for it! When he was done, the same nice morning* came to take away his rubbish. Wow! Aden needed the security of Daddy's arms again when it was time to land, but by the time we got off the plane, he was running through the corridor to the terminal. Sunday morning we had an early flight from Port Moresby to Brisbane. Daddy picked up Aden out of bed at the last minute, and as he carried him out the door, Aden woke up. Daddy explained what was happening and Aden whimpered, "Mommy." Thinking Aden needed some reassurance, Mommy said, "Yes, Aden, I'm right here." Aden replied with excitement, "Mommy, Aden going to airport!" The adventure was only beginning . . .

*see aden dictionary, at right

"Mine!, Mine!, Mine!..."

2008-05-04T05:53:00.000-07:00

Do you remember that scene from Finding Nemo where the birds are all after the same fish and are all saying "Mine, Mine, Mine, Mine" over and over? That is what it sounds like sometimes around our house these days. Aden has entered the stage of thinking everything is his. When Wiley even reaches for one of the 20 or so toy cars Aden has scattered around the house, you hear the familiar phrase, "No, Wiwey, Mine." Even Wiley's toys are sometimes thought of by Aden as "Mine." We have been listening to our Curious George soundtrack again with Jack Johnson's rendition of The Sharing Song that goes "It's always more fun, to share with everyone." It's a catchy tune that we all like, but I don't think the words are sticking yet.
If you are eating right now, the rest of this story may need to wait... recently on our plane trip to Australia, Aden found something that really was his and that we hope he doesn't ever try to share with everyone. Aden had his head on daddy's lap, at which time daddy noticed Aden's nose was quite 'crusty' as he is just getting over a cold. As is his job, daddy proceeds to try and clean out Aden's nose. Aden then interjects with "No Daddy, my booger!"

Sitting and Spitting

2008-04-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

Wiley is doing both! He is sitting up, and very close to crawling - getting so big! And the house isn't quite ready. Aden didn't really put things in his mouth too much as a baby, and for most of his 'crawling months' we were in the US in other peoples' homes, so we're learning what it means to baby-proof a house. Wiley is also spitting things out as he gets his first tastes of 'real food'. It's a challenge here, since there isn't really decent baby food available. We were excited to find rice cereal, but discovered that it is loaded with sugar, so now Wiley spits out anything that isn't sweet enough for his palate (which is pretty much everything we give him). Now we know why he loved his baby food so well! On top of that, the baby food Mommy makes isn't always the perfect 'baby-friendly consistency' so he is discovering new textures, too. Usually after gagging his way through a few meals, he adjusts and takes new foods just fine. It certainly is a learning curve for all of us!

"It's okay, Wiwey . . . mmm-ah (kiss)!"

2008-04-30T17:30:00.000-07:00

Wiley's two front teeth

2008-04-28T04:52:00.000-07:00

Finally, the photo you've all been waiting for . . . (the teeth are there, just look closely) . . .

Aden Needs Attention!

2008-04-27T04:21:00.000-07:00

I knew that Aden would sometimes get a little jealous of the attention that Wiley received from mommy and daddy, but I had never seen it quite so obvious as today. We were in Aden's room playing today, while mommy took a nap on the couch. Aden and daddy were playing on one side of the room with some cards that Wiley would undoubtedly try to eat if he were near them. Wiley was on the other side of the room rolling around and grabbing at anything that happened to be near him. I looked over and he had trapped himself between a bookshelf and nightstand. His feet were tangled up in the cord hanging down from the lamp on top of the bookshelf. I asked him how he got all the way over there and told him that we better get his foot out of that cord before he pulls the lamp down on top of himself. So, I moved him back to the middle of the room. In the meantime, Aden had moved to the other side of the room and positioned himself lying on his back, in the same place between the bookshelf and nightstand and had wrapped his foot up in the cord. I turned around to find him whimpering and saying "Aden foot in cord." So, I rescued his foot and picked him up. He had a big smile on his face and put his head on my shoulder. I guess Wiley isn't the only one that sometimes needs a little extra attention.

Just out of Reach

2008-04-25T21:42:00.000-07:00

Last night after dinner Mommy was sitting on the couch feeding Wiley, and visiting with Aunt Kathy. Aden came to Mommy asking for some juice. Mommy saw Aden's cup sitting on the dining room table, about 5 feet away, and realized it might be difficult for him to get without some help, or without climbing into a chair. Unable to help him immediately, she encouraged him to try to get it himself, "Can you reach your cup over there on the table, Aden? If you need help, just tell me." Without hesitation, and without moving his feet, Aden stretched his arm as far as he could reach, and cast his eyes at Mommy to make sure she could see that his arms just weren't long enough.

Home Away From Home

2008-04-23T04:46:00.000-07:00

One of Aden and Wiley's favorite places to go is to the house of Bubu Jim and Kah-tee, Ceeya, Jo and Lee-ya (a.k.a. Radcliffe House). So imagine how excited they were when Mommy and Daddy said we were going to stay there for a week while Bubu Jim and Kah-tee were in Singapore for some regional meetings. OK, maybe you couldn't tell from Wiley's expressions that he actually knew any different, but Aden was obviously excited. It started off by Daddy and Aden taking them to the airport to say goodbye. Aden sang all the way to the airport "Aden will see balus!" (pronounced 'bah-loose', it is the pidgin word for airplane) We got back to the house and he has never had so much attention, getting to play with Cilla, Jo and Lydia every morning, afternoon and evening. And of course, the toys and books are always a nice change. We have enjoyed getting to stay here. We will be moving back to our own house tomorrow, but not before Daddy and Aden make another trip to see the "balus" and pick them up. All week, when Aden has been asked where Bubu Jim and Kah-tee were, he has responded, "Bubu Jim go on big balus." So, I am sure that when we see them getting off of the airplane, Aden will be reassured that they indeed have spent the last week flying non-stop around the world on an airplane. And to think that Ah-Bu and Baka, who are on furlough for four months, are also circling the globe in an airplane as far as Aden is concerned. It does make you wonder what actually does go through the mind of a two year old sometimes.

Six months and counting

2008-04-15T03:27:00.000-07:00

Wiley is now six months old (as Aden says, "one, two, fee, five, sick"), and had his well child checkup on Saturday. He weighed almost exactly what his brother did at six months - 6.98 kilos (Aden was 7 kilos), or 15 pounds, 6 ounces (if we did the math right). He is 26 3/8 inches long. At the time of his checkup he only had one tooth, but just today we discovered that another one has broken through. We'll get a picture soon to add to this post - it shouldn't be too hard since he is usually so eager to smile.

Too many family photo shoots?

2008-04-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday when Mommy walked into Wiley's room where Aden was entertaining his little brother, she found an unusual sight. Aden had pulled out the tripod, set it up, and aimed it at Wiley's crib. As he carefully adjusted things, he looked into the top of the tripod and explained to Mommy, "Aden taking picture (of) Wiwey."

Wiley Reaches New Milestones

2008-04-07T23:59:00.000-07:00

Wily has his first tooth! Actually it emerged two weeks ago on March 25th, but we kept waiting to announce it, thinking we'd get a picture of his 'little pearl' to post. We've finally given up and decided to get the word out before his second tooth breaks through. Wiley is also rolling all over the place, and it's becoming quite common to find him in odd predicaments as he rolls around the house. He is exploring more than just his surroundings - he is trying out all kinds of new sounds with his mouth. He loves to vibrate his lips, and his latest fascination is making a popping noise with his tongue and his pacifier. He continues to laugh at all those around him, especially Aden, who can really crack him up!

Working

2008-04-07T23:53:00.000-07:00

Today we began to wonder what Aden imagines when he asks if "Abu" (Uncle Bill) is working on the wards (at the hospital), or when we tell him that Bubu Jim or Uncle Andy is working at the hospital. The possibility of some confusion occurred to us when Aden appeared in Wiley's room this afternoon armed with a toy hammer. He proudly announced, half in English and half in Pidgin, "Aden go work at haus sik (hospital)." So what does he think Daddy does when he goes to work at the office?

Okay, now . . . I'll be right back . . .

2008-04-07T23:52:00.001-07:00

We knew early on that eventually our kids would someday imitate the things we say and do. But when it actually happens, it seems to catch us off guard. Evidently two of Mommy's favorite phrases are "Okay, now . . ." (thinking aloud about what is next on the to-do list) and "I'll be right back . . ." Aden has adopted both into his vocabulary, tossing around the new phrases like one of his footballs. He seems to say "Okay, now" almost every time he changes activities, which is quite often in a two-year-old's day. He even said it once when he was getting off his potty chair! On a recent walk with Mommy, he brought along a little nerf basketball. Mommy stopped to pick flowers at a nearby house that has a basketball goal. As Mommy turned toward home, Aden turned toward the basketball goal and said, "I'll be right back!"

Wiley's First Teen Retreat!

2008-04-01T03:17:00.001-07:00

This past weekend, mommy and daddy had the privilege of being the devotion leaders/chaperones for the MK High School's retreat, and Wiley got to go with them. He did so well and fit in great with the teenagers. It is amazing how much teens and infants have in common. : ) He loved hanging out with everyone because it meant extra attention. The retreat was at a Swiss Mission guest house located even farther up in the mountains than we live, about an hour and a half drive from Kudjip. It was beautiful with the towering mountains around us, and the running river to lull us to sleep at night if the rain on the metal roof was not enough. We enjoyed our discussions around the fire and the games by lantern and candlelight. We went on a short hike that Wiley just loved while strapped to daddy in his carrier. It was a lot of fun and we hope to go back again sometime with the whole family. Don't feel too sorry for Aden though. He got to stay the weekend at Bubu Jim's house and that is just as much fun as any trip into the mountains on a road that was full of big holes, big rocks and scary bridges. We were all happy to be back together though, and maybe none moreso than Aden and Wiley. They were all grins when they saw each other and Aden said "I wuv you Wiwey!"

He Is Risen . . .

2008-03-23T01:03:00.000-07:00

. . . 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?

2008-03-23T00:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-03-21T04:38:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-03-21T04:18:00.000-07:00

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!!

2008-03-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

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 . . .

2008-03-09T20:19:00.000-07:00

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

#9

2008-03-08T02:40:00.000-08:00

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

This Just In . . .

2008-03-07T02:42:00.000-08:00

. . . 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

2008-03-07T02:29:00.000-08:00

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

#7

2008-03-06T14:48:00.001-08:00

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

#6

2008-03-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

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

#5

2008-03-04T14:44:00.000-08:00

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

#4

2008-03-03T21:58:00.000-08:00

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