Random News of the Month
Wow, it has been a long time since I’ve updated our blog. I
will write more on the reasons why in another post, if I can get my thoughts
together, but for now, I will dig through my brain and try to remember what we’ve
been up to this last month, other than baking and writing our support letter.
Darin has been the busiest Fey in our family. The first
weekend of September he was in Johannesburg at the Getaway Show, a huge outdoor
expo, to get the word out on the water filters. This show was a big success as
Darin and his associates made a lot of connections with several parties
interested in purchasing or getting more info on the filters. These interested
parties were outdoorsy type people and NGO’s. The second weekend in September
Darin was gone again to Mission Fest in Pretoria. Many more connections were
made and several have been followed up on these past 2 weeks, which has meant
more days and nights of Darin being gone to meetings. Tyson went along to Mission
Fest on Saturday and participated in a kids’ program where he learned a lot
about countries like Northern Sudan and North Korea and the spiritual darkness
in these places.
Tyson has been doing so much better in school. His peg has
stayed on green almost every day since I last posted early in August! He has
started handwriting/cursive and, although he loves being able to do something
new, getting the letters right has been a struggle for him. During
parent/teacher conferences, Ms. De Clercq gave us a lot of helpful suggestions
to get his fine motor skills where they need to be, so we’ve been working on
those things at home. Lately, I have been realizing how grown up my boy is. I
think that being in school and away from home has really brought about some big
changes in him. I wish I could just freeze time, but I know that isn’t
possible. I just can’t believe Tyson is closer to his preteens than to his
preschool years : (
Jori has also been doing well in school. She has been
bringing home lots of worksheets and little reading books. She always comes
home full of stories about the kids in her class. She is such a girl and I love
listening to her chatter away about her day. Jori loves to play games and
definitely has the competitive spirit of her dad. She is a big fan of Skipbo
and I am finding it harder and harder to win against her! I made the mistake of
letting the kids watch a detective show that I thought would be interesting for
them, but it was a bit too much for Jori. For several nights she came out of
bed in tears saying she was scared that “the PG13” was keeping her awake. She
also couldn’t walk back to our bedroom alone to get something for me because of
“the PG13”. Thankfully she seems to have forgotten “the PG13” and is back to
her fearless self.
These last 2 weeks have been rough ones for Tyson and Jori. Last
Monday, the 10th, Tyson came home with a slight fever, but woke up
feeling fine. The same thing happened on Tuesday, except his temperature
climbed higher as the night went on. He ended up being home from school until
this Tuesday, the 18th and is still coughing and ready for bed by 6
each night. I have never seen him looking or feeling so miserable. Jori was ok
until last Friday night, when her temperature started climbing. Both kids spent
Saturday laying on chairs or sleeping in bed. By Sunday, their fevers were
gone. Their school was actually closed on Friday and Monday due to outbreaks of
chicken pox and a stomach bug, but on Tuesday they both headed back, tired and
coughing, but seemingly ok. They headed off on Wednesday in much the same way,
but Jori ended up spiking a fever at school and came home around noon. She
slept most of the day and was pretty much miserable. Thursday she stayed home
again and finally woke up this morning with a big smile. We are really hoping
that both kids will make it through the whole day. Thankfully they have a long
weekend to rest up as Monday is a holiday.
We’ve had a little house guest staying with us for the past
month, Miss O. She adds a lot of joy to our days. She has been learning lots of
new things these past few weeks, like drinking from a regular cup (held by us),
using the toilet, army crawling (when she wants to), learning which funny face
is most appreciated by each person in the family (Tyson loves the cross eyes, Darin
loves the “Stevie Wonder”, Jori loves the “cute face”, and I am partial to the “Mr.
Chin”). She likes the song “If you’re Happy and You Know It” and will perform a
number of actions to go along with the song (touch your nose, close your eyes,
roar like a lion, stick out your tongue, etc.). She is a great eater, an ok
napper, and a pretty good nighttime sleeper.
I have been busy doing what I guess would be called “play
therapy” with Miss O. I have also made it to the art therapy group once this
month, where I sang a rousing rendition of “We are the Champions” on stage.
Good times. I’ve been hanging out with my favorite group of boys and one baby
girl at TYB at least one long day a week, but I like to stop in to visit with
the Mama’s and go on walks with my little friends a bit more often than that.
Since our guest has moved in, I’ve been rearranging bedrooms. Tyson and Jori are
now at the front of the house so we can hear Miss O if she needs us at night. I
finally feel like I have our house in order for at least the next 6 months.
We have had a few friends over this month. The Van Gilders
came one Saturday when Darin was gone to keep the kids and me company. We also
had a couple from our church, the Warrens, over last week. They recently moved
here from Virginia and will be working with our church to help rural churches
with feeding programs and crèches (nursery schools). We spent one Sunday a few
weeks ago visiting 2 churches in North West Province with another family from
the Take Action group and this Sunday we have been invited to the Warrens for
lunch, assuming we are all healthy enough to do so. I am especially excited to
get out as the only place I’ve been since church on the 8th of
September is across the road at TYB.
So, I think that brings you all up to date on our life.
Exciting stuff, I know. Honestly, it has been a hard month, but we are seeing
God at work and we are eagerly waiting to see what He will do next.
Comments
Many greetings, Ursina
Much Love
Jo
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