Party Pooper

Finding the perfect gift for someone always makes you feel good. But in Mongolia, where you just never know what you'll find, it's even more exciting.

The other day, Hetee and I were in a small grocery store, picking up a few things. I noticed a display with reusable stickers. Since Abi's birthday is coming up I was on the lookout for something she'd like, to make her day extra special. I thumbed through the different sticker selections, I came across a huge "Strawberry Shortcake" sticker. Perfect! I thought

We paid for our stuff and headed home. Knowing I'd be ambushed by the kids when I walked through the door, I left Abi's sticker on a shelf on the porch. I thought I'd bring it in later and hide it until her big day.

Well, I forgot and the next day, the kids were playing on the porch with their friends and Nate, who's now apparently tall enough to see onto the shelf, spotted the sticker. He brought it to me and asked what it was. I snatched it quickly and told him it was a secret and not to tell Abi. He said he already did so I told him to talk about something else so she would forget. He said he'd try, then he ran back outside.

I overheard this:

(Nate, very excited)

Abi! Remember that thing I just showed you?! It's your birthday present! Now quick, think of something else!

Real smooth, Nate.

Thank you for praying. Kenny is doing much better. He still has a bit of residual cough but the fever is gone and he's back to his old self and his old routine (which basically consists of bossing people around).

In other news, my washing machine is dead. Apparently my forgetful husband was supposed to remove some pretty important screws after we moved the washing machine to the new house about a year ago, but he forgot. Now, it's broken beyond repair and I find myself trying to stay afloat, washing 5 people's clothes by hand in the tub. Fortunately I have a helper, Boloro who does most of it. What would I do without her?! I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hopefully we'll get a new washer in the near future.

Kenny

Please be in prayer for Kenny. He's been very sick with bronchitis, brought on by an allergic reaction to cow's milk. At least I'm almost positive that's what it was. I removed the cow's milk from his diet completely and replaced it with homemade rice milk and he seems to be doing better.

I think the worse has passed. He had 2 days and nights of high fever and no appetite. He survived on rice milk, fresh carrot juice and electrolyte replacement drink. His fever broke last night and I'm hoping to see a happier baby today.

We appreciate your prayers!