Thanks, Anna

It’s been a couple of weeks since we last wrote b/c for the first time in a long while . . . nothing’s going on! With a schedule that’s normally full with traveling, we are thoroughly enjoying the more relaxed pace of being at home and are simply enjoying being at home. My (Lindsey) favorite place recently has been to sit under our grape vine in our side yard during late afternoon and enjoy the “winter breeze” we’re getting this time of year (remember we’re below the equator; seasons are flip flopped). I also love this area of our yard b/c it allows me to watch Anna as she plays outside with various neighbor kids. She’s recently acquired a swing and as much as she loves to be pushed in it, she’s loving even more pushing her “bebeh” (baby) in it. She’s growing up so fast, and her vocabulary increases every day; today she went around calling for “Daaaaadih” (her version of “Daddy”), and she knows that pictures of fireplaces are “hot” even though she’s never seen one; she points at dogs, cats, horses and knows them by name. She can count . . . to one, only knows “diaper” as “popok.” When I ask her to go get me a popok she comes back with a diaper, her wipes, and diaper rash cream. And to top it all off, her laugh is simply precious. The other day, Joseph had her jumping from our high dresser into his arms and she was simply having a ball!

I recently had a tough weekend as I struggled with missing home and wondering “why again did we move half way around the world?” and it was this little bit of joyous sunshine that cheered up the sadder corners of my heart. She seemed to know I was down and would simply come up to me, look at my seriously, and then wrap her little arms as far around me as she could and hug me. Oh the sweet innocent laughter of a little one. Thanks, my little munchkin.