Kilee's First Blog Post

Since moving to Haiti many people have asked us how our children are adjusting to life living abroad. We wanted to share a little piece of that here.  Kilee received a Hello Kitty camera for Christmas and we received it this afternoon through MFI (Missionary Flights International-They fly our mail over each week.) and these are a few of her first videos taken along with some of her friends here at BHM.

Christmas Week Part 1

As I sit here in the 70 degree weather of mountainous Haiti (you wish you were here, don't you?), I am deciding that rather than try to sum up our Haitian Christmas in a post, I am going to divide up the events of the past week over a couple of posts, lest I leave out some piece of vitally important information... :)

Christmas week has been a busy one up here on the mountain!  We have had a lot going on here at the mission with Christmas events, birthdays and the like.  Since the week was so packed full, we ended up celebrating a certain little girl's sixth birthday on Wednesday the 19th!  We baked a cake and had a celebration with all of the mission staff after dinner that night.  It was so much fun!

 

Blowing out 6 candles on her Hello Kitty cake!

 

Opening gifts from friends.

 

Hugging sweet Naomi after receiving a handmade gift.

 

We made a "Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty" game.

 

 

The next day was a busy work day for Scott. He had to work really late, but he had a Haitian friend pick up some of my favorite flowers (like the ones I carried in our wedding) he brought them home that night. What a stud.

 

 

 

Then, the next day we got to see the Crossings college staff mission team who came up the mountain after their week ministering in the Montrouis area. We were so excited to see them!!!!! It's always good to see familiar faces when you are so far from home.

 

Friday night, while the Crossings team was enjoying a bonfire, Scott and I got to have dinner with several of the Haitian pastors in our area and meet their wives.  It was hosted by our Field Director and his wife in their home and it was such a fun time!  After that was over, we got to chat with David Rouse, Patrick Greer, and Quentin Matthews, some of the Crossings staff we worked with in the states.  We had so much fun hanging out with them.

 

Saturday was busy morning until night.  I have absolutely no recollection of the specifics of what we did, but it was a busy day. 

Moms out there, you know what I mean? 

 

Then, on Sunday we celebrated the REAL birthday of our dear sweet Kilee Anne Bidwell!

Can you believe she's 6?

 

 

Daddy and Bub made PINK pancakes for her birthday breakfast!

 

 

 

She got some cool stuff: A stuffed poodle, a Kouri Deye necklace from her bub . . .

 

. . .which he received a giant hug for!

 

And a vintage "fashion plates" toy like I had when I was a little girl.  Does anyone else out there remember these? 

 

All in all, we had a WONDERFUL "Part 1" of Christmas week.  Stay tuned for "Part 2"!

 

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

It's starting to look like Christmas up here on the mountain!  Thanks to some borrowed decorations, stuff sent from family, and Haiti's natural beauty, we are enjoying some normal American traditions as well as some new ones!

 

We were blessed to be able to borrow some garland from our neighbors and we ordered a little tree off of Amazon for $10!  We call our tree the "missionary model."

 

Then, our upstairs neighbors had an extra string of lights, so we decked out the kitchen!

 

The kids made little foam gingerbread houses I got from Oriental Trading Co.

 

Our stockings didn't make it to Haiti, so my mom picked out some fabric to send us and I made the kids some stockings.  It was so much fun and the kids really like them!

 

And guess what Christmas flower grows wild up here on the mountain? :)

Gotta love Haiti in December!

 

Merry Christmas!

Joyeux Noel!

Visiting a Local Orphanage

This past week has been a flurry of activity!  One of the best things we got to do last week was visit an orphanage that is really close in proximity to the mission.  A sweet young lady named Leahna was visiting the mission for the week and she accompanied Kilee and me. 

Haitian orphanages, by and large, have a terrible reputation because they are often associated with corruption, fraud, and trafficking of children.  The orphanage we visited, however, is a shining example of integrity and compassionate love.  They take wonderful care of the little ones entrusted to them and have a very high adoption rate among the children they care for.  We were very impressed with all we saw.

No matter how respectable and nice an orphanage is, it still doesn't change the fact that an orphanage exists because tragically, children do not have a mother and father to care for them.  As we approached the rear entrance to the building, a dozen toddlers were peeking between the bars of the enclosed outdoor porch.  Behind them, inside we could see rows and rows of cribs.  I held back tears as we walked in.

We met a sweet lady named Ryan who serves there and she gave us a tour of the facility.  It was very clear that they take great pride in providing a clean, safe, loving environment for the children.  Haitian women (nurses or nannies) were rushing everywhere, mopping the floor, making bottles, caring for the very small babies in the the neonatal unit, and changing diapers.  Ryan knew each child by name and how that particular child was doing.  Most every child we saw was already in the process of being adopted.  There were several special needs children that had no waiting families, but we were very encouraged to know that 2 out of 3 of the babies with Down Syndrome that they care for had families waiting for them!  Still, there were many that were waiting for a family.  We spent a little bit of time playing with the babies in the crawler room!  There were also a few toddlers in the room that had specific health needs that needed to be cared for in a room where they wouldn't be romping with other toddlers.

Ryan asked if we had time to play with some children.  Of course, we were excited about this!  One of the wonderful things about the orphanage is that each child gets 1 hour of one-on-one time with a volunteer or staff member every day.  They spend this time on the top outdoor floor of the mission in a huge play area.  Several children are up there playing with their particular volunteer at one time.  Parents who were there to visit their children during the adoption process were also up there playing with their sons or daughters.  We had the pleasure of bringing two sweet little ones up to play with us.  We will call them Miss A and Baby J. 

Miss A had been born extremely prematurely at a dangerously low birthweight.  She had been brought to the neonatal care unit at this orphanage in hopes that she would survive.  She strengthened, but over time the staff began to realize that her brain development was incomplete and she had quite a few special needs.  She was such a joy to spend time with!  She has been at the orphanage for 3 years or so and still has no family waiting for her.

Baby J was just a little cuddlebug!  I did not know if he already had a family waiting for him or not, but we were overjoyed to have the opportunity to spend the morning with him!  He really enjoyed the hanging bouncer!  Leahna spent most of her time with him while Kilee and I hung out with Miss A and another little boy.


We were so honored to have the opportunity to spend time with these precious little ones!  It was such a blessing for me to watch Kilee love on them.  She is growing up so fast!

I'm sure we'll be visiting again in the near future. :)

Autobiography of the Life of Hudson Taylor

As you may have noticed on the blog, we have been reviewing several books and posting them under our "What We Are Reading" tab above.  Please take note: we are not book reviewers by profession, nor do we think of ourselves as well-read book critics.  We are just reading some interesting books and wanted to write about them and share them with others.  With that said, here's our latest installment in the "What We Are Reading" series.

This is the story of Hudson Taylor who in the early part of the 19th century founded the China Inland Mission.  He details much of his preparatory work in prayer, fasting and preaching prior to leaving for China and then goes on to explain how the China Inland Mission began.

This autobiography of the Hudson Taylor's life has been an extremely challenging read and not so much because of the use of difficult language but because of the faith that he demonstrated through prayer.  This book is filled with example after example of God providing for himself, his family and his ministries at just the right time and in just the right manner for Him to receive all of the praise, glory and honor.  Early in ministry Taylor decided to not receive a set salary so as to have to depend upon the Lord for everything that was needed.  And he recalls in vivid detail how the Lord worked all things together for His glory.  I am grateful for men like Taylor who were recklessly abandoned for the cause of Christ and the Gospel.  It is both encouraging and humbling to learn of his efforts and of his faith. 

Notable Quotes:
"I believe we are all in danger of accumulating—it may be from thoughtlessness, or from pressure of occupation—things which would be useful to others, while not needed by ourselves, and the retention of which entails loss of blessing."

"In the study of that Divine Word I learned that, to obtain successful labourers, not elaborate appeals for help, but, first, earnest prayer to God to thrust forth labourers, and, second, the deepening of the spiritual life of the church, so that men should be unable to stay at home, were what was needed." (After this the Lord provided 24 people to help him to begin the China Inland Mission.)

"The great enemy is always ready with his oft-repeated suggestion, "All these things are against me." But oh, how false the word! The cold, and even the hunger, the watchings and sleeplessness of nights of danger, and the feeling at times of utter isolation and helplessness, were well and wisely chosen, and tenderly and lovingly meted out. What circumstances could have rendered the Word of God more sweet, the presence of God more real, the help of God more precious?"


From Amazon.com

Thankfulness

It's Thanksgiving week, y'all!  Even though Thanksgiving is not formally on the calendar as a Haitian holiday, we are going to be celebrating big!

In the spirit of thanksgiving, let us just share our thankfulness list with you.

We are thankful...

 

1. For our salvation in Jesus Christ.  Without Him, we are nothing.  "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

2. For marriage.  We are going on 10 years now and have never been more grateful for the gift of marriage!  August 9th, 2003 was pretty much the beginning of the best thing EVER. :)

3. For our lovely baby girl who will be turning 6 next month!  What a joy it has been to watch Kilee grow up.  She is precious beyond words.  You can read more about her story here.

4. For our sweet baby boy who recently turned 3 years old!  He is a wild, fun, loving little fella and we count ourselves so blessed to be his parents.  You can read more about his story here.

5. For our precious families in the USA.  We miss you terribly, and we are so thankful for you!  Thank you for understanding our call to go to Haiti and supporting us, even though it means being further away from our old KY home.

6. For our Highview church family at home in Louisville.  Thank you so much for your support of this mission in Haiti.  We are grateful for you!

7. For our Crossings family.  It is impossible to put our joy in serving with you for the past 10+ years into words.  Know that we love you and are endlessly humbled and thankful for your investment in our lives.

8. For our new family here at Baptist Haiti Mission.  Thank you for welcoming us with open arms!  We look forward to what the future holds!

9. For sweet friendships.  You all know who you are!  Thanks for being such wonderful friends, especially across the miles.

10. For Skype.  To be able to talk to friends and family at any time via video is pretty stinkin' amazing.

11. For mail!  We LOVE Thursdays when the MFI plane flies in.   

12. For the natural beauty of Haiti.

13. For bug spray.  Let's just say that there are a few gazillion reasons why bug spray is important in Haiti. 

14. For good-smelling candles.  When you live in a country as "fragrant" as Haiti, it's nice to have a couple pumpkin spice candles on hand.

15. For clean water to drink.  We are so blessed to be able to go to a water cooler in our home and get fresh water.  Everyday, we see children walking long distances carrying jugs of water on their heads so that they can have safe drinking water.

16. For the opportunity to homeschool my kiddos.  Since the kids don't know the Creole language yet, and we live too far from a private, English-speaking school, we are blessed to be able to homeschool.  This has given us an opportunity to be involved in what the kids are dealing with as they adjust to the new culture, while getting them out in the culture to experience it alongside us.

17. For a steam mop.  Yes, I know it's weird to be thankful for that, but when you live up a mountain where it's jungley and wet all the time, you can't mop your floors with a regular mop because it will NEVER dry.  Thanks for the steam mop, Mom and Dad!  Merry Christmas to me.

18. For faithful prayer warriors that continually lift up our family and the country of Haiti.  Thank you for praying.  We so desperately need people lifting us up to the Lord as we strive to do His will here in Haiti.

19. For the church.  Lord, grow and mature your church and its leaders here in Haiti, we pray!  Help us to be faithful in our mission to equip and strengthen the church to reach lost souls here in this country.

20. For the Word of God.  Thank you Lord for showing us Your mercy, Your majesty, Your will, and Your Holiness in the pages of the Bible.  What grace!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!!

Building New Relationships

This week has been a good one.  We have had two families at the mission from the Grand Rapids, Michigan area.  They were definitely a blessing for many people here at the mission but also for us personally as they brought along their wives and children.  Monica and the kids had plenty of fun times with them.  The men were both doctors so they served in the hospital here at the mission while the ladies and kiddos worked around the mission doing some cleaning, painting, and gardening.  We are enjoying getting to meet so many new people as they come here to serve the people of Haiti! 

We are continuing to take Creole lessons with Wilner and are beginning to build relationships with some of the Haitians that work here at the mission because our creole is starting to come along.  One of the guys working here at the mission has a daughter who is 6 years old.  He has been sharing with me this week that his daughter has been sick with a high fever and didn’t want to eat.  Throughout the week he had made plans to bring his daughter to the mission to have her see a doctor.  Fortunately she was able to see a doctor here at the mission at very little cost to the family, but she needed some medicine that couldn’t be bought here at the mission pharmacy.  He hung his head when he told me that he didn’t have the money to buy the medicine down in Petionville (a town not far away) and I asked him how much the medicine would cost.  He told me it would cost around 45 Haitian Dollars, which equals around $6.00 US.  Typically we have a policy of not giving money out to anyone because it can be easily abused and lead to dependency but I checked with some of the missionaries who have been on the field longer and they said it would be fine to help him out, but to do it in a way that preserves his dignity and offer to pray with him for his daughter.   Later that evening, I had the opportunity to talk with him and I handed him the money (that would barely buy a value meal at a fast food restauraunt) and told him (in my broken creole) I know how it feels to have a sick child and I hope that this money can help make his little girl feel better.  His eyes lit up and he responded by saying thank you, thank you.  What he did next blew me away.  He led my by the hand over to where he had stored his bag for the evening and pulled out a worn novel and in its pages he kept 5 pictures.  One picture was of he and his wife on their wedding day and the others were of his two daughters.  He held out one of the pictures of him with his daughter and said, “Ou ka gen sa.” (You can have this.) I was shocked, he was wanting to give me one of the precious pictures that he kept with him at all times.  His selflessness was humbling.  I asked him if I could pray for him and his daughter and we did.  We shook hands and I headed home reflecting on what had just happened.  The rest of this week has been filled with updates on his daughter and time spent talking about our children.  As I reflect on our circumstances I am confronted continually with the gulf that exists materially between myself as an American and so many of the Haitian people. I realize that I have much to learn from their selfless, giving hearts.

Blessings in Boxes

This last week has been extremely encouraging for the Bidwells. Many of our friends and family from back in Kentucky took the time to send us care packages! It is like Christmas in November!! Some of our friends who were coming into the country even brought several bags of tools, food and office supplies! Our kids have loved the glow sticks, the balloons and the candy (maybe mom and dad did too!). Monica has definitely enjoyed all of the fall-smelling candles and decorations that many have sent!
As I sit here this morning reflecting back over this last week I am once again encouraged and affirmed that the direction we are heading is what the Lord has for us. It is encouraging to know that we are a part of a body that has many parts and that rejoices together as the Gospel goes into all the nations (1 Cor 12). Thank you for being a huge part in the Bidwells being in Haiti.
-Scott

A Tour of Our Haitian Home

Bienvenu, tout moun!  Welcome, everyone!  Sorry it took so long to get these pictures up, but it took awhile to get all of them taken and uploaded.  It's funny -- our internet is through a cell phone signal and since it rains/storms up here in the mountains every evening, the internet is not always working.  I never thought internet could be dependent on the weather!  Ha. 

We've been working on our home little by little over the past several weeks as we had opportunity.  It's coming together pretty well.  Some of the stuff we have in here is ours that we sent from America, other stuff is the mission's, and we purchased some of it when we got here.  Household items here are many times more expensive here than in the States, so we haven't really bought a lot of Haitian household goods since we arrived.  We do most of our shopping through Amazon Prime, so we can get American prices on things we need.  We are so thankful for how the Lord has provided for us as we have settled in here in Haiti.




Welcome to the Bidwell house!  Our church back in the states recently had a ladies' Pinterest night, so I decided to join in.
Just because you live in Haiti doesn't mean you can't pack crafts in your suitcase and make a Pinterest wreath!

Our living room.  All of our floors are concrete and so this rug is our favorite thing in the house!

Another shot of the living room.  The homeschool room is the room in the background.

In honor of Honest October, I thought I'd post a picture of my kitchen with a ton of dirty dishes on the counter.
This is what the kitchen looks like all of the time, usually even messier though.  :)

Another shot of the kitchen.  That's our source of clean, healthy water there in the background.
Never ever ever ever drink out of the tap here!

The kids are sharing a room, which has been an adventure!  We were thankful that BHM already
 had these bunk beds so we didn't have to buy any.

Another shot of the kids' room.  One of the tubs we packed the container with doubles as a great toy box.  Thankfully, the dresser was already here, too.  The jungley art over the dresser is a Haitian piece that we haggled for at the market.  Kilee picked it out and Scott sealed the deal.

 

This is mine and Scott's room. 

Thankfully we were able to pack some vinyl wall scriptures in our suitcase to use so that our walls would not be so bare.
This one is a great one to see first thing in the morning!  The basket under it is a handwoven Haitian hamper that we bought on the side of the road in Port-au-Prince!

   For the life of me, I cannot figure out why this is posting sideways. No matter how many times I rotate it, it just does this. Sorry! This is an extra room. Scott mounted a tabletop to the side of the wall so that I would have a place to sew. I am very excited about this room. :)

Thank you for joining us on this home tour!  Y'all come back now, ya hear?

New Jersey Team

In our time here in Haiti we have had the opportunity to host several mission teams.  Most recently we had the opportunity to serve with an incredible group of guys (and gal) from New Jersey. They came to Haiti with the goals of constructing a house for a family that lived near the town of Ft. Jacques, building some cabinets at camp Laphare, and helping Kyrk and Deborah Baker move forward with BHM's project in Atrel. Little did they know that throughout the week a few of their guys (professional welders) would also fabricate two hand rails for steps at a local school.



The team that stayed here at the mission completed their house on Thursday and had the opportunity to dedicate it along with the family and the Haitian workers on Friday morning. It was an intentional reminder to the family, as well as to me, to allow their house to be a beacon of light situated on a hilltop for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To allow them to proclaim the reason for the hope that have they have (Not just BC of a physical protection provided by the house, but because of the spiritual redemption they had found in Jesus.)

I also had the privilege to take Kilee along with me to the house dedication. We hope to intentionally teach our children about the vast poverty that most Haitians face, as well as, the vast riches that we have been blessed with. I asked Kilee if she wanted to go inside the new house and she was excited and said "Yes!" As we walked in she suddenly stopped. She looked around the two room concrete floor, concrete wall home approximately 15' x 15' and turned to me and said innocently, "It's really small." Kilee had already met the three daughters, mom, and grandmother that would be sharing this space and she correctly deduced that this house was close to the same size as her bedroom. I told Kilee that this new house was a huge blessing to the family and that because we build the house for this family we were able to tell to the family about Jesus. I also had the opportunity to show Kilee where the family had been living since the earthquake. Basically it was a 10' x 10' tin wall and tarp covered structure.

I am encouraged by the opportunity not just to build houses for people that desperately need them but with the intentionally that BHM insists on in communicating the Gospel and connecting the families with the local Bible believing churches.  Also, I am extremely grateful for teams like this one from New Jersey.  They demonstrated what it means to be a servant  all throughout the week and it was both convicting and encouraging.

Nou Ap Etidye Kreyol!

Translation: We are studying Creole!  And it seems to be going well.  We have a great teacher named Hassan and we are working hard to understand and speak this language if it's the last thing we do!

Scott and Hassan

Hassan is a medical student at Notre Dame University in Port-Au-Prince.  He is very excited about school and is working hard to complete his studies and serve his people in the medical field.  He is passionate about Jesus and spreading the gospel.  He recently went on an in-country mission trip with his church to spread the gospel to an unreached people group in one of Haiti's remote provinces.  They had a great deal of resistance from many of the people, but tens of people came to know Christ during the trip!  He teaches a "New Christians" class at the church as well.  We really are enjoying getting to know him and hearing his heart for Haiti.  And the dude puts together some pretty tough Creole exams for us bewildered Americans, too!  Whew!  We are glad he is working with us so diligently.  It helps us to push harder each day.

We think it's starting to pay off!  On Wednesday, Scott had a "speaking exam" with one of Hassan's friends.  Hassan invited his friend to meet Scott at the mission and speak only Creole with Scott for a solid hour while Hassan listened nearby!  Scott was speaking so proficiently that Hassan had to tell his friend to interrupt Scott from time to time and redirect conversation!  My friend Judy and I are having a speaking exam soon with Hassan's mother.  I am having opportunity to speak with several Haitian employees of the mission on a daily basis and they insist that my Creole is getting better "piti, piti" (little by little).  They have been very encouraging overall.  We are so thankful!

Mesi Seigneur!  Thank you Lord!

School Has Begun

For many students throughout the country of Haiti this week brings much excitement as school is beginning.  There were students from all over Haiti who, I'm sure, woke up early, put on their school uniform, gathered their backpack and school supplies and headed off excitedly to begin another year of school.  I'm sure that many students had similar experiences as I did on the first day of school -- a little excited and a little nervous about the new year and all that it may bring.  We can even hear the sounds of young students beginning school with songs from our front porch each morning.

However, for many students and families this week was yet another reminder of their lowly status here in Haiti.  For many of my new found friends around the mission, this week has been challenging.  Many have shared about the weighty responsibility they feel to send their children to school and the oppressive condemnation that accompanies their inability to provide this life-changing opportunity for their children.  Today especially was a challenging day. I sat and talked to one of my friends and in my broken Creole and in his broken english he began to explain to me that he was unable to send his children to school this year because he did not have the money to pay for their necessities (food, water, clothing etc) as well as their education.  He was broken and frustrated.  He said, "I can't sleep, I just can't figure out how to make it all work.  I just lie there and think."  It was heart breaking.  I sat there without words in English or Creole. 

Today I was confronted with what it means to have been blessed beyond measure.   Growing up in the United States, it never occured to me that it was a privilege to attend school, it was just something that we did and most often begrudingly.  As I began hearing about and studying Haiti it became obvious that the vast majority of the people of Haiti are very poor and that many people couldn't afford to provide food and clean water for their children, much less to send their children to school (aka. their very small chance at creating a life that is not marked by abject poverty), but today that knowledge became personal. Today that knowledge had a face and a family. 

Today I thanked God for the opportunity and privilege to have been born in the United States.  Something that I didn't work for or earn, but something that God, in his providence, granted through His precious grace.  I thanked God that he saw fit to bless me in incredible ways that so often I take for granted.

Most of all I thanked God for Jesus and for His death on the cross on my behalf.

Thank you Lord Jesus.

Scott

A Day In Our Haitian Life

Several of you all have asked what a typical day is like here at the mission in Haiti.  In an effort to capture what this looks like, we have compiled a typical day's schedule to share with you.  It's nothing super-awesome or earth shattering, but it is interesting in some ways.  Hope you enjoy!

5:00  Wake to the sound of roosters, goats, pigs and dogs.  Haitians are waking up now and starting their day.  We hear the voices of people that live nearby.  Try to go back to sleep.

6:30  Light is streaming in the window and K and J are waking up.  We start to get moving.  Do we have electricity?  If so, turn on shower because the water will be warm.  If not, wait 20 minutes and try again.

7:00 Breakfast together.  Hear a Haitian man belting out "How Great Thou Art" in Creole while he works down the hill.  He's pretty good!  Prepare list of needed items from the market: Lettuce, Mangoes, Potatoes, Eggs, and Tomatoes.  Wash and bleach dirty dishes.

8:00 Scott heads to work.  Takes list of market items to Haitian BHM driver to pick up on his daily route.  (So thankful for this since I have no driver's license here yet!)

8:30ish Start school with Kilee.  Try to keep Josiah occupied and entertaining himself for the first half of the morning.

9:30ish Reading time with kiddos.  We read several books in Kilee's curriculum and Josiah joins in.

9:45  Run down hill to see if laundry facility is being used.  It's available!  Run back up hill to gather laundry and start a load.

10:00 Snack time for kiddos.  Decide what to make for lunch.  After snack, do math and science work with the kiddos. 

11:00  The house is a wreck!  "Everybody pick up your stuff!"  After pick up time, go outside and play.  I run down the hill and throw laundry in the dryer.

12:00  Daddy walks home for lunch.  Eat together and then put Josiah down for a nap.  Kilee goes outside to play with the other MKs.  Wash and bleach dishes.

1:00 Our Creole Lesson with Hassan

2:00 Scott goes to his office to have another hour of Creole study with Hassan.  I go inside to do housework, read email if internet is working, or just sit down and loaf a minute before Josiah wakes up.  Go get laundry from dryer.

3:00  Josiah's up.  All kids go outside to play some more.

3:15 Oops!  Tropical rain shower is coming!  Kids come inside and watch a movie instead.

4:30  Pick up stuff around house.  Bust up fight between kiddos.  Start to cook dinner.  Bust up another fight between kiddos.  (It's just that time of day, you know mommas?)

6:00  Eat dinner together.  Skype family. 

7:00  It's dark.  Wash and bleach dishes.  Hang out as a family for a bit.

7:30 Get the kids ready for bed.  Get filtered water from kitchen for brushing teeth.  Read story, pray.  Good night, kiddos!

8:00  Pick up stuff around house.  Work on blog, answer emails, put laundry away.  "Josiah, get back in bed!"  Work on lesson plans for homeschool tomorrow.  Read, study and/or watch a DVD.

After 9 but sometime before 11 : Good night!