Sudze in 🇿🇼 Zimbabwe 🇿🇼

We are trying to travel the world for teaching geography. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints actually is very helpful in this regard: we have often used returned missionaries to help us "travel" to these places, and they show us pictures and tell us what it’s like there, or speak some of the language. Well, on Thursday we traveled to Zimbabwe with two college girls I met at the Temple when Ryan was traveling in Ukraine. Emily served in Ukraine and Caitlin served in Zimbabwe. We had already made food from Ukraine, so we went to Zimbabwe. She made Sudze, boiled corn meal and we ate it with beef and diced tomatoes. She showed us pictures and it was great.

We will choose him again

I love the words to this song. They are powerful and true.

Small Magic Moments

 I’m realizing that motherhood is hard, but sprinkled with magic moments. That is the gold that you have to capture and hold on to... it's about perspective. If I’m focused on the messy house (it is almost always messy it seems, even if you try to clean it) then that’s all I see: I see the kids as little expert mess makers, but when I remember that they are God's children, that’s what I see. It’s what you choose to focus on.

 So I’m trying to see the magic moments and capture them.

My big helpers

 Amy has really morphed into a very talented, helpful big sister. She changes diapers, can run the clothes through the washing machine and dryer, and make some meals. She cares for the chickens and tries to play teacher to Lena. I'm grateful she can be so helpful. M

 Monta is also an incredible helper to me. Words don't express how I love and value her.

Field trip: Antelope Island

 For 10$ we took the family to Antelope Island. This was a quick, fun, educational field trip.

Parenting Solo

It's hard when Ryan is gone for work. He has had to travel twice since the birth of our wee little boy. It's a different dynamic when he is gone. I often feel the girls don't listen as well to just me. My mom jokes that familiarity breeds contempt, and maybe that's true.

All I know is that the two of us together make a great team.

 There are still magic moments. The above tea party after the girls finished their homework.

Esther's awesome face after she and I had cavities filled at the dentist.

Freedom to Explore

 One of the things I love most about where we live is that the girls can find wildlife. They love to explore in the back field. We now have a barn cat named Thundercloud, 9 hens, frogs in the back field (they named two of them Croaker and Escaper), and we've seen snakes, Sphinx moths, praying mantis

 The girls have significantly increased their bug collection. The country was made for studying entomology.

 Esther