Grace is healing very well! I am so proud of her. She walks with her walker and is moving around much better. I am so glad to see her fierce Independence and will power!

In other news we made cheese this weekend from fresh milk we pasteurized. Kelly is my hero! He went with an acquaintance to a market, picked up the milk and mad cheese with kids all morning on Sunday! We now gave mozzarella and ricotta cheese to eat and store :) yummy!

Due to Kelly's hard work we had home made pizza on Sunday. We celebrated Faith's eighth birthday with the pizza and chocolate cake. I can't believe how old Faith us getting. She is so FULL of fun:) Happy birthday,Faith! We love you ~~~

We received some new bikes last week. The kids were so excited to ride! You can't really ride bikes on the road safely in Bamako. Thank God we have a vacant lot,that we call the "Rock Farm", close to our house that is perfect for riding bikes.

Grace even got to go with us. She was bummed to not get a chance to ride her new bike, but also happy to just be outside.

The best thing was watching the Malians stare at us, the strange Westerners. I am sure they were wondering "what is on those children's heads" and "why aren't they just riding their bikes on the rode?"

We had a great time and I an sure we will be at the "Rock Garden" riding again soon : )

Today the country of Mali celebrates 51 years of being an independent nation. In 1880 the French colonized Mali and some of the surrounding nations. On the 22nd of September 1960, Mali had gained complete independence from the French. The French influences still remain strong in the country. The national language is French.

Today we celebrate independence with our Malian hosts. We of all nations can understand the celebration of Independence. Large Malian flags hang all over the capital of Bamako. Viva La Mali!!!

This is my favorite photo in Mali last week. I saw this after picking up my little ones from school. This is a shot of a Malian filing station. The women sitting near the gas pump is breastfeeding her twin boys. I love that women can nurse so freely in public. As I am in the process of becoming an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), this is truly my favorite picture I have snapped in Mali. I love countries where breastfeeding is not a big deal, but just a normal part of the day. Viva La Mali!!!!

After posting about how we are adjusting to life in Mali, WHAM, tragedy struck at 5:30 am this morning!

Our oldest daughter, Grace, ran into a sliding glass door that separates our family room from a hallway on our second floor. Grace is doing fine now as I type this, but it was a difficult, exhausting day!

It all started, for Kelly and I, with loud crashing and screaming frantically " I don't want to die!"

We entering the dark family room, to find Grace on the floor with blood pooling. I could feel my adrenaline kick in. Grace says as I comfort her "Mommy, I know God still has work for me to do here on earth, I can't die!" is she not true to her name, she is grace personified. She is certain she has more work to do for God, not that she needs to see one last movie or get an IPod. When she is scared about how badly hurt she is, she is still concerned about what God has for her to do in the future. I love that girl !!!!!

Next thing I know Grace and Kelly are off to the Health Unit at the Embassy and I am on the road to drop off the other kids ti school.

When I finally arrive at the Health Unit, Grace is getting stitched up and is doing very well! I knew that I married the right man :) He is my hero!

After she is all stitched together, Kelly says that the gash on her knee is very deep. He tells me we need to go meet with the local Orthopedic surgeon and get his opinion.

We arrive at the clinic are immediately whisked into the Surgeons office. He says he thinks we should put her under anesthesia and see what was cut. So, Grace had surgery in Bamako! She has been such a trooper. It was very wise of the surgeon to operate, because Grace sliced her Patella tendon. The surgeon was able to reconnect all the right areas while my husband watched the whole thing. It is such a blessing to have a Physician for a husband!

Here are some photos of Grace pre-surgery and post. Lastly is the photo of that nasty glass door. Please pray for Grace as she recovers, she will need the prayers as she heals. Thanks, Crystal

Hello to all! I know I have been a failed blogger these past months, but I am now going to try and make a come back into the blogosphere : )

In late July we arrived at our second post and new home, Bamako. For those of you that don't know that is in the country of Mali. Mali is in west Africa and has the legendary town of Timbuktu in the north of this large country.

We have loved our time in Mali so far! Is it hard here? Yes! TIA or "this is Africa" can be heard frequently coming from my lips. My expectations were low coming here, but I have been quite pleasantly surprised. Malians are some if the nicest people! They are warm and friendly, always greeting us and smiling. That alone is a huge improvement over our last post.

We have a home with beautiful tropical plants and fruits. The pool in our yard has been enjoyed almost daily by our children since we arrived in Mali. Most importantly for a bird lover like me, BIRDS are all over. I am already adding birds to my "life list".

Another development for us here is our new "pets". Kelly worked very hard and built a deluxe chicken coop so we could raise chickens for the eggs. The kids have loved the four hens and one rooster. They each have their own chicken that they care for each day.

All our kids have started school since labor day weekend. I am alone at home in the morning for the first time in 9 1/2 years! I am glad that Timmy and Hope are going to preschool, but I miss my little ones.

I am going back to school to get a Bachelors in Science: Maternal Child Health. When I am done I will be able to take the board certification exam to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. This has been a dream of mine for many years. My free time while my littlest are in pre-school is spent getting schoolwork completed.

I hope to post more about our life very soon. Blessings to you all from Bamako, Crystal