The Fey Family

It has been a long time, too long since I wrote anything on this here blog. And now I am finding it really hard to sit down and write a post as I have too much to share. So I am just going to dive in and start and eventually I’ll find a way to get everything said. I think this year I will challenge myself to sit down and write at least 2 posts a week. If I can squeeze one in, I’ll be thankful, but I met someone a few weeks ago who also blogs and she said she just schedules the writing time in and makes a point of sitting down and putting her thoughts to paper (or screen as the case may be) and I want to get into the same type of habit.  So bear with me and feel free to nag me a bit if I am already slacking by mid-January J We had a most amazing time with Darin’s folks. In one hour they’ll be boarding a plane, heading back to Minnesota. It will be a long journey for them and I hope they can sleep a bit as they’ll have to hit the ground running with work and family obligations. ...

Darin and I are in Swaziland right now. He is currently out meeting with people for business and I am just chilling in our room. It is the perfect kind of holiday for me. We do hope to do a bit of sightseeing tomorrow before we drive back to Hammanskraal, but I think we both needed some time to just totally relax. Things have been busy back at home. Darin’s mom arrived on the 20 th and her time here has already been full. Tyson and Jori have been spending every evening at Grandma Karen’s playing card games and begging for snacks.  I am sure they will be trying to wheedle even more goodies out of her now that we aren’t there, but she can handle them! I love a grandma who isn’t afraid to say NO!! Not only has Karen been busy with our kids, but she has also been going on walks and playing with the little ones at TYB. They are already calling her “grandma” J To top it all off, she has been cleaning and painting down in our new cottage, getting it ready for the big move this week...

New Pictures are up for September, October and part of November! Click here to check them out!

With all of the changes that are coming and the talk of back cottages, front cottages, guest cottages, volunteer cottages, main house, across the road and the like, many of you are probably feeling a bit confused. Those of you who have been to Tshepo ya Bana before can probably figure out who will be living where, but if you’ve never been here, which most of you haven’t been, you are just lost! First, let me share with you a picture that shows where Tshepo ya Bana is in relation to some other places you’ve heard us talk about, namely Tamboti Lodge and James and Juliet’s house, which is also known as across the road and/or the first house we lived in. There is a little key in the bottom left corner that will give you a better idea of the distance between each location. Before the Big Five were introduced, we often walked to TYB from our old house and I know there were a lot of volunteers who used to walk to Tamboti. The main tar road is in the direction of our old house. Onc...

Since November 2012, we have been living in the main house at Tshepo ya Bana. For those who have never been here, the main house is one of 5 houses on the property and is where most of the children reside. It is loud, chaotic, busy, fast-paced and a whole lot of fun! Our family has really been blessed by the time we’ve spent in this house and know that it is an experience we will treasure forever. That being said, change is coming. In December, our family of 4 will be moving to one of the other houses here at Tshepo ya Bana. This house has been known as the Innotec Cottage, Uncle Daniel’s Cottage, “Germany” (courtesy of Uncle Martin) and most recently the Volunteers Cottage. Soon it will be known as our home. There are several reasons why this move is set to take place. The two biggest reasons are the health of our family and the growth of Tshepo ya Bana. I’ll tackle the health of our family first. While we have all enjoyed living in this house there are some definite downside...

It has been a busy few weeks, which explains my blogging absence. At the end of September, little Amo had a seizure. It was the second one and was a lot more intense. She was having convulsions for over 2 hours, and continued on even after medication had been administered in the hospital. Our experience at Jubilee was much better this time around. I think it all depends on the mood of the people who first greet you. Last time we were viewed with suspicion by one sister (nurse) and that led to a lot of hassle and stress for us and Amo. This time we were ushered right into an emergency room, oxygen was started as soon as we laid Amo on the gurney, and the doctor came in within minutes and administered meds. We were so very thankful for the love and care shown to Amo and the way these professionals listened to us instead of treating us in a suspect manner. Amo was in the hospital for almost a week as she was on IV antibiotics. She was so tired the first few days after coming home, bu...

It is Thursday morning. Tomorrow is the beginning of the school holiday. Some of the older boys don’t have school at all, and the rest are out at noon. I’m pretty sure they all go back on October 1 st , but will have to figure that out for certain at some point. On Sunday, a very special man will be turning 36, which I used to think was OLD, but now that I am not so far behind I think it is still pretty young. We have plans to go to church and then out to lunch with friends to celebrate. There will also be some swapping of kids taking place, so Tyson and Jori will either be sleeping over or having a friend sleep over on Sunday night. It is officially hot here. Winter is over and the winter stuff has been packed away. The little ones are now heading out for their morning walk at 8 instead of 9 to try and beat the heat. I’m thinking they’d all have to be up and out of the house before 5 to really beat the heat, but we do what we can.  I can hear Amo talking to Mama Mina ...