Gi fon, Ka Papa!!

My how the week has passed!! We've shoveled and used the snow blower several times to clear the driveway. I was soo very glad that we got out when we did to make our snowman. It got soooo very cold just after we finished- the snow became so powdery that it wouldn't stick together at all. When I say cold, I have to laugh.... we were about the same temperature here in SE Ohio as it is in Krasnoyarsk, Russia- south central Siberia. BBBBRRRRrrrrrr!!!! I referred to it as the juvenile temperatures in my mind- most were below 0, but for a few days we almost made it to 18 **grin**

Friday night, after a very busy week, Tim and I gave Elisha his bath, got him ready for bed and said our prayers together. Not much different from our usual routine. Only this time, Papa was saying goodbye for a week!! He is with our team from church working in Haiti for a week.

As it was my turn to pray, I prayed for safe keeping for Papa and the rest of the team as they were serving in Haiti and a safe return of everyone. As we said amen, Elisha looked up at Papa and me and said, "Lya go Haiti w Papa, too?" He wanted to go with Tim to Haiti, too. Someday, we told him.... not now.... not yet, but some day.

Tim arrived safely, and after an hour delay on the tarmac due to some generator problems on the ground, they were able to get to the guest house. I am looking forward with great longing to talk to him again and hear how everything is going. We have found that he can actually text me on his phone from Haiti. I am soooo very glad. The lack of communication is what had me so concerned.

Saturday evening, Elisha and I made a calender to put on the fridge. I thought it might help him to be able to see the activities and all we will be doing all week. The big magnet he moves each day to see how far we have left until Papa comes home. He is getting a big kick out of the airplanes and Papa's big red truck.

Saturday night, as we were getting ready for bed, we got all ready to get tucked in. Our final thing was to pray. As I told him it was time to pray, he said, "gi fon, Ka Papa?" I told him, "No, honey. Papa is in Haiti, remember? We can't call him there, he is too far away." (side note- Papa is gone for close to 30 hours or more at a time when he works, 2-3 times a week, so it is not unusual for us to not have him home at bedtime. However, we always call Papa and pray together as a family, even when he is at work or a meeting.)

He said, a bit more forcefully, as if I didn't hear or understand him the first time, "Mama, gi fon, ka Papa!!!??!!!" I gently tried to explain to him again that I would love to be able to call Papa, but he is in Haiti, working with other people to help out the folks there. We would have to go ahead and pray without Papa, but pray for him while we were praying.

He began chanting, "Gi fon, ka Papa...Gi fon, ka Papa... Gi fon, ka Papa..."

Is this a 2 year old thing? He has been repeating anything he'd like to do lately that I am not doing for him. Must be the "Mantra" age..... "0)

How hard it is to say no to your child when you desire to do what they are asking.....

I got my first project completed :) Yeah!! I made tree skirt this year for our tree- I wanted to start a new tradition. It will eventually be quilted all around and will be my keepsake of our young family.

I had Elisha dip his hands in fabric paint and place them on some scrap fabrics. These I cut out in a circular pattern, blanket stitched onto the back of the tree skirt, and then quilted around the circle and Elisha's beautiful tiny little handprints. I used black thread, not only to stand out on the back to highlight the precious hand prints, but so the hand prints stand out in great relief on the front of the quilt. Great insurance for me that if the paint ever does wear off, I'll still have those precious little hands and fingers. And he loved helping me :0) I guess finger painting will be a favorite.... once it is warm outside, so we can sit outside and make the big mess..... Hmmmmm hosing everything down will be fun.... :0)

Hoping to continue this tradition for a long time, finishing the "quilt" as my little ones head out on their own so I will always have a treasure of the times we had together :0)