Wildlife Surprise

Our intentions were a relaxing family stroll but instead we had a walking wildlife adventure!

As shown in Gracie's birthday post, we enjoy the Great Plains Nature Center that is not far from our home.  Usually ducks, geese, turtles, an occasional (not sought after) snake are the typical sightings, but today some 50 speices were present as our "captive" audience.  What a special treat to stumble upon this annual event and fundraiser for the nature center!

Snapping Turtle
Gracie was bummed to learn this one had no "name"

We actually learned that the turtles in these tubs were the same turtles we saw in Pratt (see end of previous March post for recap).

Snakes, snakes, snakes...

We decided that given our upcoming move and future African surroundings, Gracie should NOT learn to pet snakes.  Sure the varieties here were harmless and she was interested in touching them -- but would rather her maintain a healthy fear and avoidance of ALL snakes for future safety sake.

The set-up for the Wildlife Walk was really neat.  Small stations with different animals were dispersed along the walking path.  Gracie's favorite question for the volunteers manning the stations?

"What it's name?"

Usual response:  "It's a opossum...(or whatever animal it was)"

G's response:  "No, what's it's NAME"

She was satisfied when the volunteer could report that the praire dog was "Yip" and the turtle was "Pancake" and the beaver was "Chompa," BUT when the volunteer didn't know the name or said "He doesn't have one," she was a bit bummed. 

Talking about O-possums

Vulture

The Hawking Club drew quite  a crowd...

Gracie was brave and touched the tail feathers! 

Crawfish...should I touch???

Why not ?!?

This was definitely a fun family treat for us on this relaxed Saturday!  

Last weekend we had fun sharing God's work in Chad with a couple churches and fellowshipping with friends.

Gracie singing with Dr. Chacko

Learning how to "play" piano

As our Wichita departure date approaches (less than 6 weeks away), we appreciate more and more the wonderful experiences and meaningful relationships that are here.  Thanks to all of you have played a role -- and still play a role -- in our life...be it in Wichita or beyond!

Enjoying HIS gifts and HIS creation,

DD&G

Pink Ponies and Prancing Princesses

Pink Ponies and Prancing Princesses, Gracie's turning THREE!!

Gracie has been very excited about her approaching birthday this year.  When asked what type of party she would like she rattled off several of her latest favs: "Pink...ponies...princesses."  And so this year's party theme attempted to incorporate all three...

Her birthday is this coming Tuesday, so we decided to celebrate early and take advantage of the holiday weekend which allowed for Gracie's cousin Anabel (with Uncle Josh and Aunt Michaele) to come from Kansas City and join in the fun.

As we thought about where to go and what to do, we ran across a great spot close to our apartment, the Great Plains Nature Center.

The party started at the Koch's Habitat Hall where Gracie, Anabel, Gabi and Lily enjoyed exploring the Great Plains and discovering various wildlife...

Quite a challenge to get all 4 girls in one shot

Then we watched a short Geo Kids (National Geographic) video (yes, it was literally VHS) on the big screen.  The girls (and parents) enjoyed this free trip to "the movies."

Not wanting to stay in any one place for too long (with 4 girls under age 3), we cut the video short and headed outside to feed ducks, geese, turtles, fish, and anyone else who needed a snack.

Part 2 of the party was back at our apartment (conveniently less than 2 miles down the road).  Originally we hoped to picnic at the Nature Center, but the picnic shelters were pre-booked for other parties.  Retrospectively, it worked out better to have our little ones indoors for eating, presents, etc. instead of outside fighting the KS wind!

A couple of crafts and a pile of balloons kept the girls busy until dinner was ready.  These crafts were adaptations from various sites and blogs with pony party ideas.  Given our pony-princess dual theme -- we decided on tiara's and "tutu" style ponytails.  The original suggestion involved pony headbands and matching ponytails made out of multi-colored yarn.

Decorating Pink Tiaras 

Prancing with a "ponytail"
Gracie thought this was GREAT!

A picnic style dinner of turkey dogs and crock-pot BBQ chicken (thanks Aimee for the recipe) with veggies, chips and dips refueled us before heading into the main event...

PRESENTS!!

Gracie -- with the help of her friends -- enjoyed unwrapping the gifts...

and she squeezed in a few "thank you" hugs in between!

Then she gifted her friends bandana goodie bags filled with stickers, bubbles, jewelry and chap-stick.

Lily trying out the new chapstick

No 3-year-old's party is complete without cake and ice cream!

Family Picture with Pink Pony Cake

The cake was actually easy to make thanks to THIS site.  Gracie chose strawberry cake with pink icing and pink glitter sprinkles...

YUMMY!!

Thanks to everyone who joined us in celebrating Gracie's special day!!  She is such a blessing to us, and we thank God daily for entrusting her to our care.  What a joy-filled little person she is!

With pink pony hugs and prancing princess kisses,

DD&G

ECHO

ECHO :  Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization

Last week was a wonderful, refreshing experience for us.  We travelled to ECHO's farm in Fort Myers, FL for a MedSend (organization for Dianna's med school loan repayment) sponsored conference -- Health, Agriculture, Culture and Community.  The conference focused on best practices for community health, innovative agriculture techniques and whole-person care.

ECHO's Mission: "to equip people with resources and skills to reduce hunger and improve the lives of the poor."

ECHO's Vision:  "to honor God through sustainable hunger solutions."

To learn more about ECHO check-out the website.

As you might imagine, ECHO's farm was a natural fit for Dean -- we are seeing how God will put his forestry background into use.

Demonstration for gardening where land limited.

Roof-top gardening techniques for inner city

Malibar Spinach...one of our staples in Niger

Moringa
AKA: miracle tree

Just a few of Moringa's "miraculous" traits

So...who took care of Gracie while we were busy in Florida?

GRANDPARENTS!!

We were able to arrange long layovers in Atlanta, which allowed for a smooth Gracie drop on the way from Wichita to Ft. Myers and pick-up on the way back.  Gracie enjoyed time in Aiken and Columbia with Nana, Papa and other family members.  She particularly enjoyed a Zoo trip with cousin Dylan.

Mid-week, Nona picked-up Gracie for some quality time at Nona's house with horses and a visit from Papa Jeff, too!

Thanks Papa Jeff for the beautiful pictures!!

Despite all the fun and activity in FL and SC, we were all ready for our Atlanta airport reunion on Saturday night.

Enjoying an "early" birthday cupcake
before saying good-bye.

ATL Plane Train...such a big girl!

Traversing the airport in style

AND....we would like to introduce "officially"  Baby K5!!

Baby K5 at 10wk 6d
Due late November 2013

We are praising God for this new little life He has entrusted to us and trusting Him for a healthy pregnancy and safe delivery -- truly our Thanksgiving baby!!  Please join us in praying.

Echoing HIS praises,

DD&G