We had Kate's 15 month check up yesterday. I can't believe she's getting so big! She loves going out to the store and Church, and anywhere else where there is people that will tell her how cute she is. She was the same way at the Doctor's office. She was just having a ball walking around the waiting room and waving at everyone and greeting them. The folks in the waiting room weren't so warm and welcoming as she. One lady actually picked up her infant seat holding an infant and stood up so that Kate was nowhere near the baby. That's when I realized I no longer have a baby....I have a kid. A kid that makes grocery store check out people go "Oh my goodness, please don't pick my line." Gone are the days of people coming up to the cart with googly eyes wanting to see my precious bundle. Don't get me wrong, I think she's precious as ever, but I am terribly biased. She is in the 87th percentile on height, 55th on weight, and 20th on head circumference. She is tall, skinny, and has a teeny tiny head! The doctor laughs every time. (Not maliciously of course).

Lately we have so enjoyed playing outside. It's been a little hot, but sometimes sweating is refreshing and it makes the house feel so cool and the water taste so good. We are still having some constipation issues (Kate, no one else), so we are giving her Mira Lax every morning. The doctor said sometimes it takes up to a year to get their system regulated. And it doesn't help that she won't eat a single vegetable. Not even the sweet ones! She loves grapes, bananas, blueberries and strawberries and chicken sausage. The sausage smells really bad (to me) but she eats it up and her burps stink the next day. Haha.

This is a frequent activity right now while it's so hot. We just turn the sprinkler on low and she sits underneath it. She LOVES water. We can only take showers while she's napping because she climbs in the bath tub with you...fully clothed.

We've also been playing in the backyard a lot. She doesn't like to walk in the grass but she will sit there and explore and pull up grass one blade at a time. Soon she will have a friend to play with in the backyard when we go out there...Jason got me a collar for a puppy for my birthday!! We are in the process of finding a Wheaten Terrier to adopt.

This is how I found her one day. Sooo, I have to be VERY diligent about closing the dryer door.

This is one of many pictures I took on my trip to South Sudan. The man that we stayed with is named David Kaya. He is on staff with e3 and he is from South Sudan. He is the pastor of First Baptist Kajo Keji(the name of the village we were in). The church is on a plot of land that also has huts nearby and these are some of the children from that little area. Most of the people that live around there are involved somehow with the vocational training school, the church, Seed Effect or the Seminary(all of which are on the property). It's a very close-knit little community, they all know each other and they all greeted us with warm welcomes and hugs. A few of the children, like the one in the red and white stripes had never seen a white person before just because of how young they are, and this little one in particular was VERY afraid of me. She kept looking away but the little on in pink was very congenial. =) We shared some candy and gum with the two older ones. Thanks for all of your prayers and support while I was on my trip. I talk about the experience more in our newsletter, but it was an incredible experience. I miss the people of the village and I'd go back in a heartbeat. Hopefully, next time Jason and I can travel there together. Blessings!!