Wild Weekend!

What a weekend!  It started Saturday making a sweet memory with my mini-me.

Lily's been wanting to see some kind of show, ANY kind of show, ever since she realized they existed a few years ago.  The price has turned me away every time I've researched it, but two months ago we looked and looked together and found "The Wizard of Oz" showing in Philly.  We decided to go, and then I just couldn't bring myself to spend the money.

When Matt found out Lily and I weren't going, he made me change my mind :)

And I'm so glad I did...look at her!

She had SUCH a great time, has been excited for so long, and even though there was a major mix up about whether the wicked witch was actually TRULY DEAD or just the actress PRETENDING to be dead...it was GREAT.  

A million miles away from our Haiti home, and magical as it comes.  She is such a dear girl.  It IS as Matthew 7 tells us: If we, even being of sin nature, evil, know and want to give good gifts to our children, how much MORE does our Father in heaven want to give us good gifts!

I love thinking about the joy MY joy brings God the Father, just as Lily's great joy over a silly play made my month.

Lis and Sofie and Adam picked us up and we headed for a BBQ joint they've been dying to try...the girls are just SO EXCITED to meet baby girl!

But they were obviously very excited to eat.  I'm not joking...the "Philly Five" is quickly turning into the Philly 10.  Doesn't matter how long we are in Haiti: America, I will ALWAYS prefer your food.

While we were at the play, Aunt Lee turned out this adorable Olaf cake (from Frozen, for anyone living under a rock or who does not have small children incessantly singing "Let it Go" at the top of their lungs.  Or their husbands, if you're me.)

Sof was thrilled, and Lily even managed to convince her to let her help blow out the candles.

Then, the neighbor kid and I had a very special moment marveling over the dishwasher...a dear dear appliance I miss and appreciate so badly, and a miracle machine he had neither heard of nor seen before.

I always try to convince myself in Haiti over a continual MOUNTAIN of dishes that washing dishes by hand is just as fast and easy as loading and unloading a dishwasher.

**LIES**

Finally, we spent today at the Philly Zoo with Matt's parents, Barb and Keith, the final ka-boom of Sofie's big 3.  

I know kids aren't super hard to please.  But following 11 months of adventures of goat-slaughtering,  being the only foreigner at the local school, and learning to avoid fire ants...theater, bbq, and the zoo?  Yeah, they are just besides themselves.

You would have thought Van Gogh painted their faces with candy, they were so happy, and "raaaaaa!"-ing all the day.

Matt's parents joined us for the day (they live in Delaware for another 3 weeks until the move to Florida), and the girls were elated after not seeing them for almost a full year.  Sofie was a bit shy, but Lil picked right up where she left off...

It was SO good to catch up with their rapidly changing life and to all share the day together!  We all missed Matt!!

While we were there, Dad called, 6 hours behind us, and while we were talking, Matt called in, six hours ahead of us, and the reality of life right now really hit me.

We are so far from home, with our Matt on one side of the world, Dad on the other, Lisa about to have a baby so soon, Matt's family about to move far from our summer circuit, missing our friends and family at home and so thankful to BE FRIENDS to our family here (there, and everywhere.)

I'm thankful He only lays out one day at a time, thankful it is HE that points and places, and thankful thankful that even with so much going on all around, I can be firmly planted in our One Constant.