Haircuts and why daddy needs a big stick

Four haircuts this past saturday...I feel like I earned my keep:) The girls are posing with the results.

They are just too cute/pretty...I think daddy will have his work cut out when they are teenagers (he already does with Marianna at school...everyone it seems knows her!)

Shhh...don't tell my kids it isn't "normal" to use just one roller skate at a time! Ha ha ..they love it and they don't fall TOO much! We have one scooter now another worker gave us, as well as a pair of spiderman skates I picked up at a garage sale here for $2. So...you can see the problem. Two fun "rolley" things, and three kids! So...one roller skate each:)

Senegal Pictures & Operation Christmas Child

Here are a few pictures from the recent Operation Christmas Child box distribution at SIL in Dakar as well as a couple others of just life in Africa. I'm not sure why the layout is funky here.

Christmas Program, Playtime and Party

Marianna was in the elementary Christmas program at her school "Dr. Newheart's Christmas Cure" or something like that. It was really cute and well done. The best part were her fellow kinders being silly when they were supposed to be singing:)

I think they were singing Go tell it on a mountain in some of these pics.

Daniel went to the workers' party at D.A....here are some of the staff that attended along with his co-worker Daniel and some other Senegalese friends. 

Louis found a use for the disposable diaper while he waited for mommy to put it on him...put toys in it!

The girls were being cute pretending with their "doo-doos" to play school

Louis again with a better shot of his diaper full of cars.

The smashing couple at the Dakar Academy Christmas party (at a nice restaurant) with AC!  And my new red hair color in case you haven't seen it:)

Last half of November 2013

We had not just one but two thanksgiving celebrations this year! We hosted the first, this is the second. No turkeys to be found, but we had mashed potatoes, chickens, corn, rolls, and pies. Our dear friend Cathy even rehydrated some craisins to make cranberry sauce for us! Here is the "adult" table:

And the kids:

Olivia and I in our matching dresses made at a tailor.

We were SO excited to receive our first piece of mail here: thanks Jan and Mike! We are taking turns opening the advent calendar doors each day!

Rachael and the kids making muffins together.  So many big helpers to get the job done!

Works better when you spread the big helpers out throughout the kitchen, I've found:)

Sunset in Dakar.