Too many family photo shoots?

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

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

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 . . .

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!

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 . . .

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

Why is Wiley Crying?

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

Drive Thru Pizza

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

Down by the Creek Bank...

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

Morning!!

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