You are my sunshine

Esther Gloria is the youngest Bemm child. I have been blessed to witness her personality blossom in the past few months. For a long time she was described as a quiet, bump on the log. Although she still won't miss an opportunity to sit on someone's lap and snuggle, she is much more vocal and has turned into a complete goofball.  She is always singing, she is ticklish all over and has the best belly laugh. She is the definition of Mommy's little helper; and unless she is in cahoots with her brother and sister she is very obedient and loves to make people smile. She is my saving grace between the three midgets always loving on you when you need it most, or disrupting the chaos with a funny comment. We gave her the nickname babushka, because she tends to show some grandma like qualities in the way she walks and talks and how she loves her sleep. Her goofiness comes out in very few words and lots of giggles and is very spontaneous; but her timing is always perfect. At nap time she is always the first one in bed, sometimes even skipping her lunch and going right to sleep (while unfortunately the other two seem to be weening off of naps, yikes!). Esther is our accessory queen. When she is sitting on your lap she will play with your necklace and earrings, ask to braid your hair, and she always has to carry a purse. She loves wearing bracelets, shoes, and she loves to have her nails painted. She changes her shoes about 10 times a day and most of the shoes she wears are not hers and extremely big for her. This causes her to trip and fall multiple times throughout the day which brings about the need for a bandaid whether there is actually blood or not. 

Caught in mid-giggle

Our accessory queen being a total goofball

Ellie is the second youngest. Her real name is Elizabeth Mercy, but we call her Ellie (which is very fitting to the little person she is becoming.) Although she is older than Esther she is much smaller in size. When I think about words to describe Ellie the words spunky, feisty, energetic, mischievous, and smart come to my mind. She is a thinker and a quick learner, always picking up new concepts and ideas. Ellie is full of energy and spunk. She is constantly moving, running, dancing or flipping. When you go to tuck her into bed at night you almost always find her upside doing a headstand. She loves to climb, hang on my back and be flipped upside down. She is a complete monkey. Ellie has a high pitched giggle and is one of the best snugglers I know. She knows exactly how to get under her brother and sister's skin and when caught in the act has a fairly convincing innocent smile. She loves to sneak off to the Kelley's house and play with Baby Hannah's toys all by herself. Although, she loves her alone time she is quite the conversationalist. She just talks and talks and talks, then pauses to take a breath, and then talks some more. When Ellie talks, if it weren't for her squeaky little voice one might assume that it is an adult talking and not a toddler. She has a very large vocabulary for her little three year old self. She also loves to sneak off and usually eat or drink something she is not supposed to. Just the other day we were all outside and Ellie went inside to go to the bathroom. After she was gone for longer than it should take for someone to use the bathroom I went inside to check on her. I found her under the dining room table with her hand in a huge tub of cheese balls and cheese all over her face and fingers. When I asked what she was doing she just smiled at me and took another bite. She is the cheese ball queen. I find that she is the hardest one to reprimand because she is just so cute, even when she cries.

Enjoying some alone time reading a book

The cheeseball queen

Shadrach is the oldest of the midgets. I am forced to adjust to the way a toddler boy shows love as opposed to the girls. When Ellie or Esther want to show me that they love me they usually grab onto my leg or crawl on my lap. Although, Shaddie does this too sometimes, most of time he shows his love with a head butt or a punch in the leg around 7 in the morning. Behind the head butting he has a sweet, tender heart and is constantly looking out for his younger sisters. Shaddie is very protective of Esther and Ellie. He is very animated when he speaks and we are fairly convinced he will be a comedian when he gets older. It's not in just what he says, but also in how he says it and the delivery. He loves to play with trucks, motorcycles and trains just like any other 3 year old boy; but we also often catch him wearing his sister's bathing suits, dresses and asks to have his nails painted. We are convinced he needs another brother to toughen him up. For now, Levi Kelley (the youngest Kelley boy) is assigned to that job. He is very particular and detail oriented. If something is not the way he likes it he voices his     opinion, usually pretty loudly and multiple times. As mentioned before he loves car, specifically riding in our big car. He talks about everyone's car on the compound and always asks to ride in everyones car. He loves sitting in the car, even if we aren't going anywhere. As soon as you get him into the car he is a non-stop jabber jaws. He talks and talks and talks. The WHOLE entire car ride.  But he always smiles at you and tells you he loves you at just the right moment.

Shaddie driving, heaven on earth for him

He wasn't really sure what to do with another boy around
the compound but they are definitely buds now

Hannah is the fourth youngest; we like to call her the tall midget. Hannah is very independent and adventurous; and sometimes these qualities get her into a little bit of trouble. Such as climbing up too high in a tree and getting stuck. Like Ellie, she is full of energy and always on the move. She was a pretty chubby baby but has long since outgrown that. She is now skin and bones and has an impeccable speed for a six year old, which I suppose is a given because she's Kenyan. She has a very compassionate heart. If she sees that someone is upset she immediately feels their pain and tries to comfort them. She doesn't like it when people are sad and certainly hates to see people upset. Not only does she sympathize with people in pain, but also in joy. She has a contagious laugh that echoes throughout the house and even the compound. She loves to share with everyone. Anytime someone gives something to her or shares with her, she turns right around and shares with someone else. She has a sweet tooth just like her mommy; which is evident by the crumbs and wrappers you often find in her bed. She is outgoing and quick to make friends. It seems to me like she is friends with everyone in the neighborhood, no matter who they are. Hannah has a knack for art and math and tends to combine the two. When she does her schoolwork you tend to find more drawings on her paper than answers to math problems. She is very gifted artistically and creative. In the mornings, when mostly everyone is asleep she can be found in the basement do some  craft or another. Being six years old and given her personality she is distracted very easily. After her schoolwork is done she shows up at the house for meal time and bed time. Other than that, we don't see much of her during the day because she is out running around.

Caught at home helping me make bruschetta
A very rare occurrence

Hannah getting ready to decorate the cross
at the sunrise Easter service

One of my favorite pictures ever.
This captures her personality perfectly

Lydia Joy is 12 going on 20. I promise you, she looks older and grows more everyday. She is loud and feisty and loves to cuddle with her younger siblings as well as agitate them. When we were at the beach a month or so ago, I watched her splash and jump through the waves as she galloped along the shoreline. I remember being envious at her ability to be so playful and so in love with life. Lydia is not afraid to be her own person and speak her mind. She has a great imagination and doesn't necessarily like to read, but loves to be read to. She is outgoing, loves to laugh and makes friends easily. She has a caring heart for babies, children and children with special needs. Although she seems feisty at times, she has a way of comforting you and making you feel loved when you need it the most.  She loves to care for people and animals and knows exactly what kind of little actions or things to say that can turn your day upright. As she continues to grow, it has been amazing to watch her discover who she is as a daughter of the King. Along with Hannah and her mom, she has a sweet tooth;and you can tell by the large bags of candy and Cheetohs she has stashed away in her closet. She won't admit to you that she likes school, but you can tell that she does by how hard she tries to do her best in everything. She is strong-willed and determined in everything she sets her mind to. When I watch her ripstick up and down the hallway or make a funny music video, it makes me miss being 12 years old and care free. I pray everyday that as she discovers who she is in Christ and continues to grow that she will never lose her sense of adventure and she would fall even more deeply in love with life and with Jesus. Over the past couple months she has dealt with some very painful deaths. She taught me to find the joy in pain. She showed me that it was okay to cry, but it was also okay to be joyful even in suffering. I witnessed God stretch her and shape her heart as she relied on God for strength instead of herself. Over the past four months she has become my little sister in the way she loves on and also the way she gets under my skin. We bicker at each other, wrestle with each other, nap together, and we love making cookies. She reminds me daily to enjoy each and every moment.

Just one of the many abandoned babies that Lydia has
cared for and loved on>

Being goofy 

 Each one of these kids has touched my heart in a very special and unique way and I cannot possibly imagine my life without them. Thy shine Jesus' light on me daily and remind me what it means to be a child of God. They remind me how blessed I am to be here with them just living life. I dread the day when we will have to be separated by oceans and countries. Fortunately, that day is a long way off but I know it will creep up on me quicker than preferred. I know in my heart, even if it doesn't quite make sense in my head, that when that day comes God will be right beside me holding my hand and assuring me that everything will in fact be okay, because he is my Father and he cares for me (another statement I am continuously discovering new depths of everyday.)

But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

-Matthew 6:33-34

Here are just a few snapshots of some of the things we do on a daily basis. 

The kids and I love to sit outside in the sun and
have a picnic lunch!

Visit the waterfall and play in the water!

Midgets helping me do dishes... 

Pizza Friday!

Toga Party.. 

One of my personal favorites, feeding the turtles!

  

Playing with home made playdough!

Making brownies for mom on Mother's day!

Taste testing the cookie dough 

Making play dough!

Just being goobers

Going for a swim in our yittle pool

The whole neighborhood found their way into the kitchen
to taste test the cookie dough

Jumping in the bouncy house at another boy's birthday party
Bet you didn't think we had such awesome
birthday parties in Africa

Superheroe sighting at Tenwek
Who the masked men are, we may never know

Okay, just one more introduction... This is Walker (Walker Wookers.) He really belongs to another missionary family on the compound, the Manchesters, but the Bemms have been taking care of him while they're on furlough. He is by far one of my favorite dogs ever (just behind my dogs Rocket and Lola who will always be tied for my absolute favorite.) He is the funniest dog and makes many facial expressions with his cute little eyebrows. A lot of people say he is fat and funny looking but we must remember that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. First of all,  If you can look at that face and tell me he is not one of the most adorable dogs you've ever seen, you're lying through your teeth. Walker loves to go on walks. Every time I go to someone's house he follows along and walks right into the house, inspects it to make sure everything is safe, and then sits at my feet and takes a nap. In the morning when I am running on the treadmill I leave the basement door open and he comes waltzing right in and talks to me. And when I say talks to me, I really mean it. One of our favorite things to do together is sit outside and star gaze at night. Most of the people in the house are usually asleep and I run upstairs and let him out and we go sit in the grass and snuggle. I am definite going to experience some separation anxiety when it's time for me to return to the states and I have to leave him behind. He is my best bud.