Time for Play

From my earliest memories I thrived on adventure and exploration. That flickering flame was fanned into a roaring blaze on my fifth birthday when my kindergarten teacher read the Weekly Reader magazine. You DO remember those don't you? It was on that day that astronaut John Glenn rocketed into outer space, orbited the earth, and splashed down safely into the great Atlantic ocean. (Yes, I am THAT old!) From that moment on, I longed to experience my own adventurous space travel as our nation's first woman astronaut.

Obviously I didn't make into space, (unless you count my explorations via Google Earth), but I did make it to Africa which has to be just as much fun. Every day brings about about new discoveries.

What really brings joy to this mommy's heart is watching my children uncover mysteries of creation where ever we happen to be. Our Zambian home provides daily opportunities for discovery. Below, Carlin carefully investigates the pool for the latest inhabitants. He never comes out empty handed.

He rescued several frogs from becoming lunch for birds circling overhead and others perched on surrounding walls. Crows and even "our" falcons scour the pool bottom for a fast easy meal. We call it the McDonald's of the predator world as unlucky creatures fall or jump into the gaping cement hole particularly after a heavy storm. Their only way out is either clutched firmly in the penetrating talons of hungry birds or in the gentle grasps of the Sibley boys.

Frogs of all sizes are given free transport out of the pit of despair to the dense cover of ground nut (peanut) plants where they find a second chance at life. Above, Carlin thoroughly checked this little guy out for injuries before carefully placing him in the safety of the garden.

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Our talented daughters recycled the cardboard fronts and backs of their finished school tablets to create little houses. Naturally a house has to have a family living in it, so they scavenged fabric and thread scraps to fashion little characters complete with hair, faces, and clothes! Isn't that just priceless? Isata meticulously designed her people first. Her sisters took note and requested sewing needles along with all of the other items needed to begin cloth families of their very own.

Our girls squealed with delight when Jane and Prudence accepted an invitation to play with the new creations. It was quite the bonding experience for all.


Last week, Shauna and Sia exercized their wedding planning skills to orchestrate a ceremony and reception. The wedding included bridesmaids and groomsmen along with parents of the happy couple. I was asked to photograph the blessed event which I did enthusiastically.

You will never guess what happened next. When I inserted the flashcard into the reader, up flashed a little window with the words "corrupted data" written boldly within its borders. What in the world causes something like that to happen? The girls assured me that more weddings would follow and that I will have many opportunities to recapture the lost images.


Naturally, the boys were not to be out done. Carlin put together something that is barely identifiable as a horse or camel or some kind of beast of burden. Thankfully, all they wanted pictures of were their Lego people.

Once again, it's approaching midnight here in Zambia. If I am going to keep up with nine enthusiastic learners tomorrow, this post must come to a close.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie