We had a great Christmas this year! It was Ella’s first real Christmas – one she celebrated surrounded by her family (of one) and friends.
It was a rather culturally diverse Christmas.A nice mixture of “Western” and “Ugandan”. Christmas Eve was our “western” bit while Christmas day was more on the “Ugandan” side. Both were equally as fun!
Every Christmas Eve in Arua an American Catholic missionary opens her home to all the other missionaries in town for a Christmas Eve party. The main attractions are the huge lighted Christmas tree outside and all the homemade ice cream that this lady makes, in tons of different, really cool flavors!Being as we were in Arua this year with Gift and Kathryn, we got to go too : ).
Ella got to help Kathryn make chocolate cupcakes
There were Christmas carols (in several different languages) and a reading of the Christmas story. Tons of Germans there, which were making Prossy nervous (we’ve both had bad experiences with Germans before). I made lots of fun of her then the most bizarre thing happened. A little German boy singled her out from the entire crowd, ran up and started hitting her with a plastic spoon!! We were both in surprise and shock! He ran off before we both had any time to react, then came back with his German sister and her spoon, and proceeded to try to beat Prossy more, then me and Ella!! Now, you might be able to get away with beating Prossy and me with a plastic spoon but I do not advise you to try hitting my daughter with one. I viciously grabbed the obnoxious little brat by the arm and told him to KNOCK IT OFF. This infuriated the little brat and he ended up screaming something in German and throwing the spoon at us but at least he quit and left us alone.Ella was quite dramatic throughout it all, clinging tightly to her mother’s neck whilst squealing indignantly “Bad German!! Bad German!!” delicate little princess that she is... : ) The culmination of this little drama was the “bad little German” running along and biting the dust, skinning his knee in the process and screaming bloody murder. This brought forth a chuckle from Ella and a little lecture from Mom on how, “God sees us when we’re naughty and hurt others, even if our Mommies don’t, and He disciplines us for it, just like our Mom would if she saw us.” And the funny thing was Ella totally got it!! Thank you little German boy for providing such a good example of God’s justice. A lesson on loving, forgiving and showing compassion to your enemies and those that mistreat you I’m saving for later… Maybe next year : ).
This was an incredibly cool Christmas tree. Instead of just wrapping the lights around the tree, like I would have done, each branch had a string of lights down them! It was really beautiful.
My little angel :)
The ice cream was amazing. There were flavors like mocha, cappuccino, chocolate chip and peanut butter, just to name a few. It was seriously like stuff you’d buy in the States at an ice cream shop. Definitely not like the out of the box stuff you get at Walmart or the store! And certainly not like any of the stuff you can get here. It was amazing! Definitely worth getting beaten with a plastic spoon by a German boy… ;-)
What Cody lacks in enthusiasm, Ella totally makes up for ;)
Ella, Prossy and I are leaving for Arua tomorrow to spend Christmas with our neighbors, Gift and Kathryn. Gift is from that area (extreme north west Uganda, on the DRC and Southern Sudan boarders) and they have a house up there. They left on Saturday.
I have been driving around on an empty gas tank and the fuel in Entebbe had run out, so I was beginning to wonder if we were indeed going to be able to leave tomorrow. But thankfully I found out this morning that Shell had gotten fuel in, so off I charged to fill up my car. $84 later my car is filled. Gack!! The price of traveling in luxury, I guess...
Last Friday was our offices annual Christmas party. It was pretty sweet to have young L there, in all her glory. We picked up her two little boy buddies, Blessed and Benja, and took them since their dad wasn't back from Kampala yet. They were all very well behaved and had fun, although little Benja about fell asleep in his food! Such a good boy for being a tired two year old.
The weekend was filled with some rather bizarre hog escapades. Little Spronkie lost her ears! Spokey is the one and only suspect so far as she's the only one that Spronkie is ever in contact with. Spokeys ears are just fine so I know that it's not some weird disease. Also, Spronkies ears were fine one evening and gone the next morning, so... poor little hog. I put some peroxide on them so hopefully they'll be fine. At least it's not hard to tell them apart anymore!
There was also one false alarm that both baby hogs had disappeared from their cage (they were actually both buried under all the grass in their cage sleeping soundly, which I only found out after I'd torn the entire house apart and gotten snarky with the poor enthusiastic hedgehog hunter, Ella), then Spokey really and truly did climb out of the cage yesterday. I found her under the book shelf in my room at 10pm in the pitch dark because we had no power. Trying to get a hedgehog out of a tight space is pretty difficult because they ball up and really get wedged. I ended up just moving the (fully loaded) book shelf and grabbing the little ball of prickles, all in the dark with Ella blissfully sleeping in the bed nearby :).
Ella and I skipped church Sunday and instead went to the beach and had pizza. Ella got to have her own bottle of Coke (I have never given her her own pop before, but I guess I was feeling kind and indulgent :) and play in her underwear in the Lake. It was a really nice little "date" with just the two of us. Wait a minute. It is always just the two of us!! But it was pretty nice anyway although I did miss my mom and sister :(
We came home and since Ella was on a caffeine high and being a good girl (no crying or whining or asking to take a nap), we skipped a nap and instead went over to the neighbors where Ella played and I got a hair cut!! My hair was getting LONG and SHAGGY and I really wanted one before we left for Arua. So now I have my own hair dresser literally right outside my front door! Poor Melinda. I kind of strong armed her into doing it ;). She was worried about "messing it up" but seriously, with my hair and some of the cuts I've gotten in the past, she could be blind and I wouldn't mind! Ella kept checking in and saying, "your hair looks nice, Mom!" so that kind of boosted both of our moral :).
So, this will be my last post for a while and definitly before Christmas. Merry Christmas everyone!
Ella and her skills with animals amaze me. While many mothers are proud of their child's academic or sports performances and potential, I am bursting with pride over the skills my daughter has with animals!
It is simply amazing to believe that 10 months ago this kid had no contact with animals, at all, whatsoever. Now the 3.5 year old tyke is handling baby hedgehogs like a pro, something that many adults can't even do!! You are an amazing kid, my little Ellster :)
Baby hog is slightly out of focus, but it's a good shot of the Dalmatian poster and Ella!
Again, baby hog slightly blurred but Ella's furrowed eye brows and nose are captured clearly :)
Our little hog twins, Spokey and Spronkie, taking a ride in Ella's stroller
Ella is at the point now where she doesn't just have the hogs sit in her lap. She picks them up in her hands and inspects their little legs, tummies and tails. When I comment on what a great little hog handler is she smiles proudly as says, "Like Mom". Before long I'll having her sexing the darned things (which is actually pretty easy when they're full grown)!
Ella also handles the cat really well and is quite good with dogs (pups are usually pretty skitterish around here and she's learned how to take it slow and be non threatening to them). It makes me wonder if love for animals (or anything really) is learned or genetic or maybe both. Funny the values different families try to instill (sometimes unknowingly!) into their children. Ella has told me several times, "We don't hurt animals" - something I must have told her before (more than once maybe?). In the part of the country, and farming and ranching culture, where I'm from, the way you treat and care for your animals is a reflection of the kind of person you are. When Christians mistreat or don't care for their animals well it is a really bad witness. So it's not too surprising that this is something that I've already started instilling into my daughter.
I hope that I'm unconsciously also instilling in Ella a love for the Lord and the knowledge of His great love for us. Not just "correct" answers, like who is God's Son, etc, which I am pointedly also trying to teach her.
It truly is amazing at what a "little Halland" she has become in only 9 short months!! "Little Junior" would be an apt name for her now...
FYI: Ella has also learned how to use scissors, too! She is quite the cutting fiend now :) Her coloring is also pretty good, and I think her motor skills are now that of your average three year old. I'd say her motor skills are average but it's amazing considering that she's only been working on these things for the last 9 months!! Have I said before that I think she's pretty smart? The kid works hard and picks up on things quickly. I just love the fun and funny little person that she is becoming :)
Yep, you read that right. We went sledding yesterday!! Our neighbors, the dogs, Ella and I went to the Botanical Gardens yesterday and enjoyed sliding down some steep hills on the bark of palm trees. The kids had a blast as did the moms and dogs!
First the kids found some nice sturdy "sleds"
Hmmm, how to best load people...
Heave Ho!!! A nice picture depicting team work :)
The little girls hauling the "sled" up the hill. Little six year old Sophia ran up and down the hill, hauling it up almost every single time! We finally had to almost force the kid to give herself a break, hence the little girls efforts.
This is another good shot of team work. Even Sanyu is helping!!
Part of the peanut gallery
Another part of the peanut gallery. Also doubled as security and a pillow.
Ella and Sophia flying down the hill
A blurred shot of Maddie and Janet flying past
The kids also spent some time in the "jungle" playing in the water with their boats and one rubber (and very popular) duck. Why is it that with four boats and only one duck, everybody wanted the duck?!! Oh, that's right - because they wanted the opportunity to learn to share!
Ella and Janet
Maddie wading in the water
Ella and Maddie climbing. They are our little Laura Crofts :-)
At last! Ella and I got to attend a "pig play date" at our friend Summers house on Friday. It had been postponed a couple times before, due to illness of various family members (not the piglet!).
I must say, my maternal instincts are really roused when it comes baby pigs. I think it must be from when I was a child (about 9 or 10 years old?) and some friends kept their two sows and a total of 15 piglets in our barn. My sisters and I never played with dolls much because we didn't need to. We had 15 piglets to mother, for heaven's sake!
Ella and our friends piglet
Eliza and Ella, holding Eliza's little pig
Ella, proudly holding her own baby hedgehog, Spokey
You can see just how small the baby hogs are. Just a tad bit bigger than my phone!
Ella has had quite a streak of independence lately. Last week she told me she was going to go get on an airplane and fly to Montana to visit Granny for a week, leaving me behind to take care of the dogs. Then Sunday she told me to stay home because she was going to drive herself to church. She hoped I wouldn’t cry J. Sweet kid, eh? Fortunately she didn’t want to fly the plane!
There was much drama in the Halland house this weekend. We had a runaway! I knew that Spike was a troubled hog but had no idea that it would go this far. I seriously do not know what I did wrong with Spike. I’ve tried to be a good hedgehog mother. He was a really cute little lump of a baby hog, very easy going and sleepy. I guess he just didn’t take his abduction from his mother land very well and I’m sure that the death of poor little Pokey upset him as well. No idea why he turned into such an unsocial grump but I guess the recent arrival of the babies, Spronkie and Spokey, just put him over the edge.
Saturday he was out lolling about under the marigolds in his hog corral and when Ella, Prossy and I went out for dinner and I sort of forgot him out there. I’ve forgotten him a few times before so I didn’t think it was such a big deal. He’s not much of a climber anymore, like he used to be. We came home and when I went out to search the marigolds it was discovered that the troubled hog had gone AWOL.
RUNAWAY HOG
Cell phone in hand (it has a little built in flashlight) the dogs, Prossy and I went out searching in the dark. Search activities ceased while I bathed Ella and put her to bed. She prayed that Spike would come home and that he “wouldn’t feel bad”.
I finally took one of the little hogs out to Solomon, who was on night guard duty, to give him a heads up on what the runaway would look like, only three times bigger. Solomon is on top of things and within 10 minutes him and the neighbor dog had found a very grumpy and huffy Spike ball! Surprisingly Bridger and Sanyu were pretty much no help at all (besides offering their companionship), although Bridger put on a very good sniffing show running his nose through the grass snorting really loud.
So, Ella’s prayers were answered and Spike was found and made it safely back to his home. Not sure if he was feeling bad or not.
It’s not like we don’t love and include Spike in our daily activities. Here is a picture of Ella sharing her sucker with Spike.
And, because he enjoyed it so, here is a picture of Spike spitting on himself afterwards :)
His little escapade and short disappearance did make me realize just how much we really do enjoy Spike and how much we’d miss the little grump were he gone and not living in our kitchen. You don’t live with a guy for almost two years and not feel any attachment to him, even if he is a bit fat, grumpy and has terrible manners! We love our little fat Spikey boy ;)
Since it was obvious that Spikes running away was a cry for help, Sunday I decided that he just needed some “Mommy time”. This is a time that any ill behaving or annoying young creature in the household gets held by ol Mom for a few minutes until they can calm down. It is amazing how well Mommy Time works with Sanyu! Just a couple minutes with her on my lap rubbing her tummy and it’s like she’s a different dog (she can get super annoying at times). Works well with Ella too, only I don’t usually rub her tummy :) (she can get super annoying at times too!).
Well, Spikes Mommy Time quickly turned into a realization that he needed a bath. He’s quite a dirty little hog and plus, he’s rather fun to torture because he is such a dramatic grump. So I called for my willing little assistant, got a basin, two (old) toothbrushes, water and a cup, and proceeded to give the little guy a bath!
Naked hog in a bathtub!
Scrub a dub dub, one hog in a tub!!
Ella thought it was especially funny when he pooped in the water. Not someone who you’d want to go swimming with…
Finally, wrapped in a towel drying (he pooped in his towel, too :)
This was royally entertaining to Ella and me. We loved it! And we ended up with a squeaky clean hog, too :). Fun for the whole family… except maybe Spike!
Sanyu's "Dog of Pompeii" imitation. She looks a little grotesque with her teeth hanging out like this. She's open to a tummy rub anytime of the day :)
I asked Sanyu to help clean up Ella's chair and she really went above and beyond the call of duty!!
Ella thought this was hysterical :-)
I think she looks quite stunning in this little ball cap! Not sure how much protection from the sun it will provide however...
It's good to have a puppy in the house! Ella finally got the picture that we're not taking the dogs with us to Montana next year. She seems okay with it although she was a little surprised at first. She had been playing and pretending to gather their passports (Bridger's still needed a stamp apparently) in order to get on a plane and fly to Montana to see Granny, when I gently broke the news. Now I just need to break the news to Bridger....
I welcomed TWO NEW BABY HEDGEHOGS into our home yesterday morning!! Imagine my delight when I got a text from Tanya in Juba saying that a lil’ hog was on its way with our buddy Richard! Sure enough, yesterday morning as I was preparing to come to work I got a call from the man himself saying that he and TWO hogs had arrived in town the night before. So Ella and I were off like a shot to pick up the little darlings! They are SO CUTE. I had forgotten just how sweet little hogs can be after living with that huge, grumpy Spike. Precious! Ella can even hold and touch them because they aren’t so gosh darned pokey and grumpy. So, I am just “over the moon” as the Australians would say.
Ella and I got them home and into the bottom half of the dog crate, in Ella’s room. They are WAY too young to be Spike’s wives yet and I am totally against child brides so we’re just not going there! As Sarah pointed out, he would just squash them flat anyway. So they will be growing and maturing into big, beautiful girl hogs before I introduce them to Spike. He’s a bit grumped because I gave them his house so now all he has in his cage is a little tube. Not a happy hog but he’ll get over it and I’ll get him another house.
Tanya and Richard had quite an adventure capturing little hogs to bring, which you can read all about here. Yep, they are two very good friends! And I really like the idea of a Pixar film on escaping hedgehogs… ;)
As you can see, Spike is about three times their size! Right after Spike met them he promptly peed. Yes, lovely Spike ;)
Being little girl hogs they aren’t as pokey and don’t curl up into a prickly, huffy ball so Ella is DELIGHTED that she can hold and touch them!! I’m really excited that she’ll actually have a decent pet now. She was working so hard with Spike but honestly, he is a loser in the cuddly pet department. I have great hopes for these two new little hogs!! Hopefully with careful handling they’ll turn out like little Pokies :).
Yes, holding your hedgehog while in the nude is the sign of a very resolute hedgehog enthusiast! Ouch!
* She had just woken up from a nap soaked from a “little” accident and couldn’t wait to hold a baby hog. I did make her take off her sopping wet clothes first but she simply had to hold a hedgehog ASAP.
Little Spronkie – her looks reminds me a bit of Pokey
Funny story of Richard getting them over the boarder. He told the Ugandan officials that he was taking them for a traditional Sudanese (Dinka I’m sure) ritual. On Christmas they bless the hogs, then release them and this is an ancient custom. The Ugandans totally bought it!!! They said, “Oh!” When they told him that they needed the proper paper work for them, Richard patiently explained that since he wasn’t going to eat the hedgehogs that they didn’t need the paperwork. Oh, okay then. Paugh!!!! Richard is the BEST bull shitter I know! And I guess Ugandans are pretty gullible ;)
Wee little hog, Spronkie
Still trying to nail down a good name for this little hoglet. Ella suggested “Jesus” but somehow I just can’t see that… Plus, it’s a little girl hog ;)
One little, two little hedgehogs… (the handler has her clothes on now, thank goodness!)
Taking a nap on the couch.
I plucked three ticks and two mites off Spronkie but the other hog didn’t have a thing. They are starting to bring back fond memories of Pokey, and Spike too when he was a baby (he really was a cute baby!). Ahh!!I’m just a sucker for little baby hedgehogs. So cute! I’ve a feeling these are going to grow into fine hogs, too. Very fine hogs. And what fun it will be to have another little hedgehog enthusiast in the house to enthuse with!
