Where has the time gone?

-
Six years ago we arrived in this country with you, our 6 year old boy and 4 year old girl. During our first week, we celebrated your birthdays; Ty-ty turning 7 and Jori turning 5. Our blonde haired, blue eyed babes, getting older, but still so little and sweet.

This kid.

Just like brother.
And now today, we suddenly have a teenager in the house. Tyson Alan we are celebrating you turning 13 today. Where has the time gone? No really, where has the time gone? How did you go from this little 7 year old boy to a young man? 


Today I watched you dance in front of a crowd of children and adults from our neighborhood. There was a time not so long ago that you would not have dared to put yourself out there, but lately your brave side is shining through. Whether it is dancing or putting out a fire with your mama. You know, a fire that you told me was going to get out of control, but mother knows best, right?

Our "little" garbage fire burned half the field!
You were so scared, yelling "We are going to die" as I yelled at you to get more towels to beat the flames. "We have to call someone, mom. We cannot do this ourselves." Oh buddy, you were so right. Thank God for our neighbor, Lameck, who ran out with some buckets and took on one side of the fire by himself while you and I beat the flames around the electrical pole with wet pieces of Nala's bedding. You were scared, but you did. not. give. up. You didn't. You fought through your fear and you stepped up and stamped out that fire.

This boy! Smart and Brave!
Sweet sissy. Turning 11 in 2 days; following after your big brother as you do in so many ways. Yet you are also becoming Miss Independent. You have spent more of your life in South Africa than you did in the US, and you are definitely our American-African girl.


This is your first year being at school alone and you have handled it like a pro. It wasn't easy for you as you have come to depend on your big brother more than you like to let on, but we see you there, shining your own bright light each day as your head off to school. 

Fierce and Funny
You have what some might call "personality plus". You are entering the moody pre-teen stage, which scares this mama too much, but your sweetness and spunk are what shine brightest. Your pjs have a hood with ears and you love to wear it around and call yourself "The Living Teddy Bear". The Living Teddy Bear loves hugs. And cuddles. And kisses. And lots of them!

I'm The Living Teddy Bear and I like Warm Hugs
As we get ready to head back the US for only the 2nd time in 6 years, I find myself thinking about the two of you and wondering who you would be if we hadn't moved here, but I don't think about it too much because I love who you are. Brave and Kind. Fiery and Sweet. I hope you will look out for each other no matter what continent we are on. You are spectacular on your own, but even better together. 



Brother and Sister. Best Friends Forever. 


Comments

Gram said…
Was the fire outside the gate where you burn trash?? Tys you have grown up right before our eyes. The fireman leader, the putting up of that sharp wire on top of your fence with your dad, kind to all and a true friend to your neighbor friends. Those are the neatest friends anyone could have. I am super thankful your parents listened to God's call to Africa. You will be a light and a witness and have love for 'red, brown, yellow, black and white. I could write a book on your life and JoriYou share your love of dancing and singing with them sharing your music. I admire you my dear 13 year old!! Love you all, but you kids have my heart! Love Gram
June 16, 2017 at 3:01 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Connection and Community

-
Image
When we had made the decision to uproot our lives in the US and move to South Africa, I was so hungry for information about what living in South Africa would look like. We had been to South Africa several times as a couple, Darin had come on work trips, and we had spent 10 weeks here with our children. We knew some people, had been into various shops, and had a familiarity with the sounds of English being spoken with a variety of accents. However, there is a big difference between leaving home to visit a place for a few weeks or months and entirely uprooting your life in one place to start over in another. What were the schools like, would I have access to familiar ingredients to cook with, what about healthcare?  I scoured the internet to find stories about living in South Africa and found a few women who were more than happy to answer my questions, however random and weird they were. There was Annie, an American living in Pretoria, whose entire blog I read in one day and when Dar...
Read more

New friends

-
On Saturday, we finally met the DiCocco’s. I had first found out about Billy, Trace and their family through my friend Sarah, who had met them at Mars Hill church. Trace writes a blog, which I began stalking as soon as I knew we’d be moving to South Africa. Strangely enough, my other friend Sarah and I later figured out that the family I kept going on and on about used to be her neighbors! Such a small world. The DiCocco’s have been living near Johannesburg for several years doing ministry with a few different organizations. I loved reading through her blog, seeing the pictures, and imagining what our life might look like once we moved to South Africa. As our move got closer, I began to email Trace and she would answer all my crazy and not so crazy questions. It was so wonderful to have someone over HERE who used to live right near us and knew all about the transition process. Since we’ve been her, we’ve continued to email and we also made plans to meet up with them to check out a ho...
Read more

Family Fun Friday

-
Image
We have almost reached the end of the winter holiday. Tyson and Jori go back to school on Wednesday. We have some fun activities planned for the next few days, but we will also be cleaning bedrooms and setting out uniforms and lunch boxes. Let the school fun begin! Overall, it has been a fun holiday. Tyson and Jori have both had school friends over to play, we've made it to church twice, we've been out for pizza, had donuts, did some baking, and more. Friday, however, was probably the highlight of the school holidays for us. The day started with Jori losing her first tooth! Our baby girl is growing up. We had a few errands to run and took the kids with us. While Darin was busy at Cashbuild ordering supplies for an upcoming building project at TYB, Tyson, Jori and I went to Pick N Pay and King Pie for a little treat. We shared with Darin, of course. We spent a few hours at home, then headed out at 3 for our big adventure. We drove slowly and took a mini game drive on ...
Read more