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When we had only been home about three months and Gertie and Ollie's English was not as good as it is now -- we had a little disaster.  We've had plenty of mishaps actually, but this one has since repeated itself. 

So, the FIRST time the toilet overflowed I had been outside planting flowers.  Gertie came up and gently tapped my shoulder and said something like:  Momma, oh-no, water, kitchen, uh-oh, go inside, momma.  So, after a few repeats I head inside to find water pouring through the ceiling tiles of the kitchen and all over the floor.  There was so much water that it had also leaked to the basement and poured on my laundry table and into the detergent box.  Ollie had gone to the potty, flushed something larger than could be handled, and when it overflowed he just went outside to play. 

So, the other day I was talking on the phone with Roland and I hear the water running in the main floor bathroom off the kitchen.  Ollie has more than once forgotten to shut the water faucet off when he washes his hands -- so that's what I assumed it was.  Alas, no.  Water, water everywhere - for who knows how long again.  And ofcourse the water has flooded the bathroom and is pouring down the heating vent into the basement and all over the piles of clean laundry (which I don't have enough of, right) as well as into the bucket of  Tide.  Learn to shut the lid already hey?  I used 9 beach towels to try to sop up the carpet in the downstairs bathroom (more laundry).  The carpet didn't dry but rather an overwhelming stench developed and I had to keep the bathroom door shut the rest of the week until the weekend arrived and we could rip out the carpet and tile the floor.  -- Which I really love, so thank you son.    

Ollie is my busy little guy.  I havn't really had this sort of parenting opportunity before!    We went to Michigans Adventure on Labor Day and Roland and I both thought we were keeping a close eye on him - until we lost him.  We went on our frantic hunt and found him yelling to us from high up on some rocks.  There was water on both sides of the rock island and a life guard spotted him the same time we did and went all freak show.  Ollie is jumping and waving to us - so proud of himself - from his rocky peak.  And this life guard is blowing her whistle shouting codes.  Thats our boy!

We have been homeschooling now for four weeks.  It's going really well but I did put Ollie is pre-school three mornings per week just for sanity sake.  And, so, those of you who send your children away to be educated - what a nice idea!  You are brilliant.  Wow, this is a new experience for me.  ahhhhhhhhhhh.  Really, I LOVE homeschooling - but I think I am going to LOVE the two and half hours three days a week of pre-school too.

 We have an awesome Tutor named Carlie from Calvin College who is helping me one day a week.  This has been so nice - for Gertie to have one on one attention, as I work more intensely with Claire and Simon.  We are in over our heads with school, and Kyle's football (he had some AWESOME plays last night by the way!!), Simon's football (standing in the rain for 2.5 hours watching them win) , Ollie's soccer (four goals this morning), piano lessons, pottery lessons and art lessons for Claire and dance for Gertie and Claire.  We are really enjoying life.  We're as broke as can be -- but really enjoying every moment.  I'm amazed at the joy I have for just serving these kids and their awesome (and extremely handsome) dad.  My girlfriend said to me today that I opened my gifts, my blessings from God.  And to think -  this journey seemed so impossible. 

Our friends are in the process of adopting from Uganda.  They have a little girl and boy that they recently found out about.  They are not in an orphanage -- but being cared for by a village.  They are in the middle of so many obstacles - such a mountain of crazy impossibilities.  The perfect context for God to work.  Pray with me for Dan and Lori - that their babies can come home soon.  I am still in awe that we had just begun this adoption process about a year ago!