Some gifts came early through the mail - like these bagels Grandma Trudy sent for Hannah. (The puppy was NOT a gift - it belongs to the Bundys next door. Buddy is more than enough for us to deal with right now!)
Here's MY favorite gift - Melissa ordered me in a bottle of Nyquil and I was finally able to kick my sinus infection. She didn't intend it for my birthday, but it was certainly a welcome "treat".
On Friday night, the house started to fill up with a small herd of pre-teen girls ready to celebrate Hannah's birthday with a sleepover. Melissa suggested I take my Haitian sons out to a restaurant to celebrate Johnny's birthday - and I gladly jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house.
We drove into Cap Haitien to have dinner at a burger joint called Lakay ("The House") which is along the shore.
Before heading into the restaurant, we stopped next door at one of the two grocery stores that Melissa and I tend to frequent: Kokyaj. Johnny had never been inside and he and the other two took lots of pictures ... of themselves posing in front of canned goods.
I was looking for crackers but came upon a rare treat: cans of Dr. Pepper. I decided to buy one can as a surprise for Hannah and one to share at dinner with the three guys who (gasp!) had never even heard of Dr. Pepper before.
At Lakay, Johnny, who is newly 21, opted for ham pizza and the four of us enjoyed a great conversation around the table.
It made me wish I had done something like this MONTHS ago. I learned stuff I never knew - like the fact that the father of one of these boys worked as a bodyguard years ago for a famous Haitian president (and spent some time in hiding afterwards as a consequence!).
We also talked about the Lord and our individual hopes and plans for the future and how they may or may not align with God's. It was a beautiful evening.
I lost all track of time. Eventually Melissa called, wondering what had happened to us. She needed my help back at home, re-arranging mattresses to get all seven girls into one bedroom for the night.
Thankfully, the young ladies didn't stay up TOO late, so Saturday morning they were up early looking forward to some chocolate chip pancakes.
If I remember correctly, snapping this pic was followed by these words: "Daddy! Don't post that on Facebook or the blog!" (She never reads my blog.)
After breakfast, Grandma Trudy Skyped and that gave Hannah an excuse to open some presents so Grandma could be a part of the moment ... from a distance.
Much of the rest of the morning was spent in crafting. Hannah was in such a good mood, she even allowed her little sister to participate as well.
These girls were serious about their crafts!
Then there was pizza (and one Dr. Pepper) for lunch.
And chocolate cupcakes!
Grandma Gross had sent money and a hairbow- and bracelet-making kit - all of which was a big hit.
That evening, the celebration continued with a dinner at the Heckmans' house. Delicious food and great company! And more cupcakes.
On Sunday we spent the day at Cormier Plage, just on the other side of Cap Haitien. A gorgeous day at the beach.
The kids and I started our time with a bit of exploration of the rocks at the far end of the beach.
I got to spend quite a bit of time snorkeling - one of my favorite beachside activities. The highlight this time was finding a fist-sized octopus that I pestered for nearly 30 minutes. He was so mad he inked four times.
For some reason, throughout the day we kept running into Cowman students - four total! Like Sarah's little friend from 1st grade, Hannah.
Not to mention the Heckman family and the Weavers! Our kids were thrilled to get another meal in with Haylie and Ethan and Melissa and I enjoyed our adult time with Emily and Phil Heckman and Cheyenne and Ryan Weaver, who all work at Emmaus Biblical Seminary.
Once back to the house, we had the boys over for dinner - poppyseed chicken by Hannah's request - and dessert: BROWNIES!!!
And homemade ICE CREAM!
A perfect ending to a fantastic weekend. I don't know that I could be any more thankful for the friends and family - both here and in the States - with whom God has so abundantly blessed us.
P.S. [Warning: I can't resist the following humble brag.] I praise God for good health! I turned 46 last Sunday but started the day with a two mile run and a hundred push-ups ... and Ryan Weaver (who has known me for several weeks now and is technically a fellow adult) jokingly guessed my age as "45", thinking I would be insulted since he actually figured I was no older than 37 or 38! Maybe Haiti is keeping me young...
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