Momma and the girls

I couldn't choose - there are too many cute facial expressions!

Photos I somehow missed before

Could Seth's grin be any bigger!? Marmi and Papa had this picture on their camera from a couple weeks ago when Seth was still on oxygen but still got to ride a pony to his great delight. 

Will looks JUST LIKE Isaac in this photo. I had to do a double-take. I think part of it is the sunlight making his hair look more blond, as Isaac's was. The profile is Isaac's, too, including the grin. (Marcie and David are raiding Marmi's closet in the background. I was not present when this photo was taken. Marmi is a VERY good sport!)

David's excitement in this photo is priceless. Gracie and Will are very happy too.
They love their friend Kaitlyn, who was leading them in the hokey-pokey, and this was the "yay!" at the end.

David during his puppet show last week

Apologies and a sigh of relief

It's terrible that it's been so long since I updated the blog. We had some really busy, stressful days last week simply because we have five two-and-a-half-year-olds, and they are all acting their age, requiring lots of full-on parenting, and I was just too tired to do anything after their bedtime (except cry. I was pretty good at that one night.).

Seth's most recent "cold" never turned into anything remarkable, and none of the other kids got it. SO GRATEFUL!!!!

Thanks for praying. The kids are super fun and cute (this IS my favorite age!), albeit lots of work. We enjoy them greatly yet greatly enjoy putting them in bed and being done for the day. :) We do need prayer for wisdom, stamina, love and patience, as always.

Tonight Will and Marcie spontaneously told each other, "I love you!'

Will walked into the room, saw David and said, "Hey, big guy! What are you doing?"

They really are super fun. Seth is talking tons more now too.

Love and gratitude,
Carrie

P.S. Seth's climbed up the growth chart, height-wise, (10th to 19th percentile) although he's fallen further down the chart weight-wise (5th to 3rd percentile). We're going to try a medication he used to be on to help his little appetite. I think he's just so busy he can't be bothered to eat unless he's really, really hungry. Thanks to all you who pray for him!

We attempted to get Mommy/Quint photos. Not super successful, but still pretty cute.  Left to right: David, Gracie, Marcie, Will, Seth. Gracie refused to sit on my lap. She wanted to be a big girl.

David "sawing" wood with another piece of wood

still sawing . . . 

David loves this motorcycle. He only gets to play with it once a week, on Mondays. It's special!

Last week's pony rides and yet another cold(!!!)

Jadia and Victoria introduce David to a new friend

David was so ecstatic and brave to ride with Victoria! (He was staying with her family during our recent illness.)

Tiny Gracie just got her oxygen tubing off before heading out the door for pony rides. Marmi helps out!

A bittersweet picture: the cannula makes me sad, but I'm SO glad Seth got to leave the house and have such a great time! He had a huge grin on his face most of the time, but Karen wasn't able to catch it on camera. Papa helped Seth stay on.

Seth and Papa again

Marmi with Marcie and Papa with Seth. You can see Papa carrying the oxygen concentrator over his shoulder. It's such a nifty, light-weight thing when only a little bit of oxygen is needed and Seth can breathe through his nose. Otherwise, we have to use the heavy-duty continuous flow oxygen from the clinic that comes in the clunky tanks. 

Which brings me to yet another item for fervent prayer: Seth has yet another cold. No, he hasn't been to daycare or nursery or exposed to others who are sick (that we know of). It just happens. I feel my throat getting a bit scratchy, too, and so many people have said they are just going from cold to cold to cold this time of year. I was soooooooooo hoping this last virus was the end of it for us. Lord willing, this will be just a minor one and Seth will sail through (Gracie too!) without needing oxygen. It all depends on the part of the anatomy the virus tends to attack. [You know how some colds are the stuffy-head kind only while others are deep chest cough colds? Seth and Grace do not do well with the latter kind.]

Thanks for praying!

Love and gratitude,
Carrie

Yesterday's fun at Debbie's house

The Hokey-Pokey is a huge hit with the quints, especially the "yay!" at the end. Kaitlyn is a great leader.
I love the huge camera around David's neck. Gavin says he seems to always have some sort of accoutrement!

David and Seth putting on a puppet show

Will asks Debbie to take his picture and show him.
He must realize he's pretty cute stuff. :)

Is Mommy Marcie on the phone?

Marcie and baby again

Thanks for praying for Gavin's trip

It went really well, quite a bit shorter than planned. That made me (and Gavin, and the guys he was flying/hiking with) very happy! One village had been nearly wiped out by flooding recently, so instead of the 300 or so people expected, there were only 10 people there. The rest had moved away to find work and food. The gardens had been virtually all destroyed by landslides. So sad. :( The government is supposed to be flying in rice and other food supplies, so we hope and pray that happens soon or already has happened.

The other two areas were more populated and the guys were able to get some good language data. Sleeping in a bush house with a fire pit in the middle and no ventilation whatsoever was definitely not Gavin's favorite, but he had a good attitude and survived. He was also served taro, a tuber/root with a very strange flavor, which he had to choke down. We think it's pretty gross stuff. I guess it's good the Lord hasn't asked us to be translators out in the bush!!

Twin mommies with twin babies