July 23, 2011

Meet Kaylee

This week we are hosting a few folks from the Sunshine State. My husband's job is to be tour guide to them and to share with them his extensive knowledge of the beautiful country we live in. Along with these guests came Kaylee.

This is Kaylee.
This is Kaylee's "I'm not eating anything weird or new" face.
 Kaylee is also from the Sunshine State. In fact, we grew up in the same hometown and I know her Grandparents, Parents, Siblings, Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins.  I know them because most of my family and most of hers attend the same church in our little hometown.  I remember when this gorgeous young lady was a tiny adorable doe-eyed infant.
You can smell the durian before you ever crack one open.
 During our time in the states I had time to watch and observe Kaylee in action.  Mostly at church since that's where I know her from, I saw her love and serve others, faithfully attend church and be an active part of a believing community....not because she was dragged there but because she has a genuine Faith and it affects (for the better!) the people around her.  Alongside her mom she cares for her 2 young nephews everyday and she also worked at my Uncle's feed store (Yes ma'am, we are frum the cawntree!) so I got to ask him about her work ethic and what kind of "employee" she was - (totally behind her back;)
Freshly baked in a WWII-era wood burning oven, Banana Bread! Yum!
  So why tell you about Kaylee?


Easy to smile while smelling delicious banana bread.
Because she will probably be appearing on this blog quite a bit until December.  She will be living with us for the fall semester.  So maybe here is where I can include that she's probably got some sort of Crazy in her too, but that's alright as it'll make her fit in better with us.  We call her our "Au Pair" as that sounds way more world-travely and exciting than "Nanny"...but the truth is, she's agreed to taking a semester off school to come all the way over here and help me take care of our boys so I can get out of the house a bit easier and to help with the transition from 2 to 3 Rivers children in October.
...but there's a time when everyone who comes has to eat durian. Kaylee included. Doesn't matter how many diapers she says she'll change. Durian is a rite of passage.
 We warned her. We told her about poop and pee and temper tantrums (the first 2 are about our boys) and culture shock and the heat and the durians, and the squatty potties but she came anyway.  And for that we are so grateful!
I'm quite positive she is contemplating how to not eat the durian that lady is about to break open. On a side note, we didn't MEAN to schedule her arrival smack-dab in the middle of durian season.
 She's spending her first week here with our guests from the University of South Florida and then after that she'll be moving into her room off the kitchen.  She's particularly excited about learning aaallll about the world of cloth diapers and seeing me in the kitchen every morning before I brush my teeth.
At the Southernmost Point of the Continent of Asia. See. It hasn't been just her eating weird things.
Her presence has already been such a blessing and help to us and to our boys. Keep it on this channel to see all the fun she'll be adding to our family...the more people involved in our poopy and weird food stories, the better!

5 comments:

Emily said...

So exciting for both of you! You're gonna get spoiled like we are with our Kiley. :)

Brandon and April said...

Welcome Kaylee!!! Anyone that loves and serves our friends, we love too!! But you be sure and tell her that's it IS possible to live in Asia for an extensive amount of time and NOT have to eat durian. I'm going on three years now of still not trying it. :) Which makes me rethink our MY trip because of the fear of you force feeding it to me. :)

CAL said...

I am so glad that Kaylee is there to join your family for a time. I can see even from the pictures that she will be such a huge blessing to your family. Missing you even more these days :)

Julia said...

I just love Kaylee! You're getting an awesome "nanny" and taking away one of my favorite babysitters;) Just kidding, I totally support Kaylee and I'm sure excited to see what's in store for her (other than durian). She's awesome and you've got a good one! Take good care of her and send her back even crazier than she left! Remember that picture of her jumping in front of Cinderella Castle? Remember us saying that she was totally "dorky" like us? Takes one to know one! Seems we had her pegged right all along!

Anonymous said...

YAY for you! So glad you will have some help adjusting! And YAY for Kaylee. No doubt she will be forever changed...and not just as a result of the durian and poop. Much love to all, Ginger