Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

Its not an uncommon sight to see some man relieving himself on the side of the road here in South Africa. Any road be it alley way, highway, side street or through-way. I guess as an American where a public bathroom is almost readily available its still an odd scene. So with that said, finding a public bathroom here is South Africa can be a difficult task.
As we enjoyed our day off, we ventured into a new town, Tokai (toe-ki). After checking out a few stores, we stopped for a quick lunch at McDonalds, or Old Mcdonald's aka Emily. So as we sat enjoying our lunch of chicken and french fries and hamburgers, the call of nature suddenly called upon Kevin. We assumed the baby store would have a bathroom, so he quickly grabbed Katie from her car seat and made a bee-line for the store with Emily & I in hot pursuit. But his hopes were dashed when it was discovered that the store was closed!!! Now what?
Sweat began to roll down his face, as he desperately contemplated his next move. Again, with Katie on his hip, we dashed into a grocery store, sought out an employee and asked for the bathroom. "Is it for her?", they asked seeing the small child he held.
"Her, me," was his reply.
"Ask the girl in the back."
The Lord was good, because it was a small store and getting to the back was a very short walk. Desperately he sought out another employee.
"Where's the bathroom?" he asked the girl.
"No, you can't use it," she informed him, "Its for employees only."
What was he to do? A scene from a not-so-wholesome movie jumped into his mind (think Democratic icon).
"Is it for her?" she asked, again making reference to Katie, who was just along for the ride. I guess his desperation showed.
Now what to do – lie? Could he? Should he? It WAS an emergency!!!!!!
He could only think to push Katie towards the woman, as if to say look at this little girl, would you deny this face?
So the girl-in-the-back led Kevin and Katie to the employees-only-bathroom. He was forced to do his business with company. Now I tell you as a mother, this is not an uncommon scenario - no privacy in the bathroom, as many of you fellow moms will concur. However my husband will desperately wait, or call me home so he can do his business in private. So I know his desperation was great if he so willingly took Katie with him without batting an eyelash.
And so Emily and I roamed the store looking at magazines, as I anxiously waited to see the other half of our family emerge from the employee-only doors. And so they did. A big smile on daddy's face, and a cleaner Katie. Apparently the bathroom was REALLY clean (always a plus when having to do the deed when out and about) and Katie just played with the water in the sink as her daddy thankfully did what HAD to be done.
So was it wrong to use his daughter as a coy so he could use the employee-only bathroom? I think his colon would say not. And I for one, don't even want to think of the consequences if he had not.

Dogs & Fish

This was a fun filled weekend for the Logans. The weather all week was rainy and cold. But God was merciful and gave us a beautiful Saturday & Sunday. Bright sky, no clouds, no rain!
Our first event was Liam & Luke's Scooby-doo birthday party. Nope, not twins but Helena (Pastor & Evelyn's youngest daughter) lucked out. Her boys are 2 years apart - but their birthdays are only 2 days apart! (Pictured with their Aunt Sonja) I don't remember which, but one was born on Sept. 17th, the other on the 19th! She just throws one party for them both! And what a party! She did an amazing job with the decor and everything. It was very laid back, but the kids had a great time with the playground and bounce house. I took a few notes! All of us slept like logs - I was in bed by 9:30-10, which is early.
On Sunday, we attended church and then headed off to Fishoek Beach. It was just warm enough to really enjoy the sand and surf, but still cool that these Floridians kept on the long sleeve shirts, though we were in shorts. Emily spent practically the whole time jumping the waves and karate-chopping the water. She was soaked. Don't worry, we had extra warm clothes for her. But she had a blast! Katie on the other hand wouldn't let us take off her shoes for the first hour or so. She didn't like that her feet were getting sandy and wet. So we just hung out and dug in the sand (apparently its okay if her HANDS get sandy and wet ??) But we finally got them off and she enjoyed cleaning her hands and feet off in the water. Yes the water was FREEZING! It was like painfully cold. Despite the temperature we had to practically drag Emily onto dry land when it was time to go. And yet again the girls were fast asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow.
So we're looking forward to the new week and the blessings of God both in our work here and our personal family time. You can read more about our week at the Center at Logans in South Africa.

It Has Arrived!!

Yep, got them in our email yesterday. Our absentee ballots have arrived. So we'll vote, mail it in and hopefully be casting our vote for the next prez. Who are we voting for? Isn't great that its our privilege and right not to have to tell you :P
Don't forget to cast your vote this election year. And may our Lord & Savior be merciful and give us a leader we need, and not deserve.

Daddy's Nightmare

Well it finally happened. The one thing I think every dad of a little girl dreads. The day when he is no longer the love of her life. The day she starts to notice that the boy she's known all her life is indeed a BOY! As we sat enjoying a nice lunch at our favorite family spot, Spier, it happened. As we sat soaking up the warm sun and enjoying God's creation, it happened.
"Hey, look its a boy," she commented.
And then the dreaded words…
"Hey, he's cute!"
OH NO! DID SHE JUST SAY WHAT I THINK SHE SAID???!!!
My wife tried to reassure me that it's not what I was thinking. Its like when we comment that a baby is cute or something they're doing is cute. It wasn't what I was thinking.
But it WAS a glimpse into the future. So who's this cute little boy that my Emily played with, took pictures with. They only thing we could get out of him was his name is Dan and he's 5.
As Holly let them take turns taking pictures he suggested she take a picture of them together. And so she did. So here's the little boy that my Emily thought was cute. She could do worse I guess. He had his own Au Pair, so it can't be all bad!