What a Month! (part 2)

As you saw from my previous post, a lot has been going on around here.  Basically, every weekend from mid May until now has been booked solid.

After the events of the last post, we made it to the first weekend in June.  Both Kaitlyn and Nathan are involved in the school choir, and Nathan is in band, so Friday, June 3 was the evening of concerts.

Nathan started out the year playing trumpet, which he enjoyed, but he transitioned over to percussion, which he is loving.

We have a lot of talented kids, and some great band and choir teachers here, so we are really thankful for that. :)

The next day after the concerts we had a combined birthday party for Kaitlyn and Nathan since both of them will be in the village on their birthdays.  We rented the "Waterslide" here in Ukarumpa and they both invited their whole class (so 6th and 8th grades) plus a couple other friends.  We had a fun afternoon of sliding, and even the downpour that arrived later in the afternoon didn't stop the fun.

The Waterslide- Ukarumpa style

What do you do while waiting for your turn to slide? Play in the mud, of course!

Julianne and her "Twin"- she loves hanging out with the 'big girls'

For a birthday treat we had giant cookies. Since I was baking cupcakes the next weekend for graduation, I didn't want to deal with them for this party.

When the rain and clouds came, it got a bit chilly.  Huddled together for warmth.

Trying to stay dry!

Elijah's first time down the waterslide... probably will be his last for a while, the poor kid was terrified!

The waterslide party was so much fun for everyone!  And those kids are awesome! :)

Well, as I mentioned before, 6th Grade Graduation was coming up.  Here, there isn't a graduation, or any deal at all made for finishing 8th grade, but there is a graduation ceremony, reception and an after-party for the 6th graders.  It's a big deal, and Nathan's class was anticipating it and had plenty of ideas of what should happen. :)

The 6th graders all play a band piece together at the start of the ceremony

Sharing memories

The now7th grade boys!

A reception followed the ceremony, and us parents worked together to make food and decorations and turn the school auditorium into a party place. :)  After the reception, the kids (along with chaperones) stayed and played for a few hours.  They had Capture-the-Flag in the dark on the school grounds, a bonfire, and the hit of the night:  Bush Dancing (think Aussie line-dancing)

Of course, while all these things are happening, normal life is still continuing on.  I'm still working 2-3 mornings a week at the Clinic, and on Sunday mornings for this past year I have been teaching Sunday School for the 5th and 6th graders.

Most of my Sunday School class

Hmm.. maybe a more accurate representation of how they usually are! :)

The last month has also been filled with me trying to find time to prepare and pack for our village trip.  As you can probably tell, normal life has taken up 100% of my time, so it's been a bit of a challenge to try to get everything done.  But the food has been planned, bought and packed.  My dehydrating is done. My lists are crossed off and most of our cargo is waiting out at the airstrip for our early morning flight tomorrow.

Time to head to bed as we'll be up super early tomorrow to head out to the village for a month.