Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot!

Whew, I can feel the perspiration on the back of my neck, my forehead and above my lip as I begin to type. There is no denying that hot season is upon us. I'm not sure how hot our house is right now, but I do know that usually from 11 am till after dinner is ready every day I am sweating inside our house. Thankfully, a few weeks ago we got the other two air coolers in the house up and running! We now have an air cooler in the main room of the house which has been SO helpful, especially on the days that I am baking. We have noticed that the air coolers don't work well with humidity (unlike an AC unit) so we'll see how much stickier things get in the weeks ahead as we get closer to the rainy season. The kids really don't seem to mind the heat in the house. However, Eli frequently tells me that he doesn't want to go outside and play because it is too hot. I can't argue with him since I am usually in agreement! So, we have been a little more home bound in the past few weeks and had to be more creative with our time.

Eli made up a game hitting a little soft ball along the ground with some plastic serving spoons. We hit the ball back and forth for probably a half hour and he loved it. Marc was pretty excited when I showed him these pictures because he felt assured he could made a hockey player out of Eli once we move to Peoria. :) 

Eli and Hailey both love playing drums with some of our empty powder milk and oatmeal cans.

 And there is usually a video (or two) for the kids each day along with some nice salty popcorn to help replenish all that we sweat out. :)

We have started putting Hailey in pigtails to keep her neck a little cooler.

With only 37 days to go, we are no longer rationing anything... including the sticker supply. :)

(They recently put new cushions on our couches! Aren't they nice!)

And we certainly enjoy several trips a week to the pool! A few days ago Eli swam the length of the pool in his swim vest all by himself. He was so proud. He is quite a little fish!

We received this email below from a missionary mom here in Niger and thought it was too funny to not share. We certainly enjoyed a good laugh...

OK, all of you who are hot season experts, this is only my second hot season. Please humor me as I laugh about my life right now, and add whatever you'd like! I'm sure you all have your own lists.

Top ? Reasons You Know It's Hot Season:

-You consider refrigerating your child’s bath water so she doesn’t complain about the tap water being too hot.
-I’ve heard of wipe warmers… anyone know where I could get a wipe cooler?
-You start to wonder if major psychological changes happen when your external environment is consistently higher than normal body temperature
-Your high-tech camera shuts down and gives you the following error message: “Too Hot.”
-Bedtime: Instead of snuggling with your sweetheart, you opt for a block of blue ice wrapped in a pillowcase.
-Your rubber bands in the desk drawer melt into a big blob. Bummer! One more non-food item that has to be refrigerated…
-Your air conditioner keeps turning off because it’s overheating.
-Not only do you let your child sleep with a sippy cup, but, “Here! Have two, or three, and don’t forget to check to make sure they’re all empty before you call me for a refill!”
-Your temperature-sensitive infant spoons tell you your silverware drawer is too hot for your baby’s mouth.
-You try to think of places to go in the car to have an excuse to sit right in front of an air conditioning vent.
-Everyone asks if your children have a skin disease – you want to just put a sign on each child that says something like “Diagnosis: Heat rash; Cure: Cooler temperatures in a couple of months.”
-Your elastic waistbands start to feel considerably looser, not because you’re losing weight but because the elastic is melting.
-You get creative in starting to freeze items such as pillows, blankies, and snuggle bears before bedtime. You know you’re in trouble, as you’re distributing frozen snuggle bears, when your two-year-old asks you to, “Make my diaper cold!”

The Lord will guide you always;

he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land 

and will strengthen your frame.

You will be like a well-watered garden, 

like a spring whose waters never fail.

Isaiah 58:11