10, 12 and 40-something

We've had lots of reasons to celebrate over the past few months.

In December, Ben turned 10, entering the double digit stage, never to be aged as a single digit again!

In January, our daughter turned 12- just one year away from making Andrew and I parents of a teenager!

This month, Andrew celebrated 40-something (a prize to those who can guess what the "something" is ;-))

Next month, Joel will also celebrate his birthday, making these 4 months a true succession of celebrations! (and if you want a challenge, try saying those last 4 words quickly!!)

Just to keep you up to date, here are a few photos from our recent birthdays, as we thank God for His gift of each person and for each year that He has blessed us with...

Ben's ambition at 10 was to jump off a 7 metre diving board at a hotel pool in Entebbe. He managed the 5 metre board brilliantly.... but we'll have to go back next year to try for the 7 metre board :-)

 
He brought 3 class-mates along to enjoy the day at the pool and they all had lots of fun....

... as did we all in our family! Joel repeatedly launched himself with ease off the 1-metre board

Esther nonchalantly jumped from the 1-metre, 5-metre AND 7-metre board! She's a courageous one, is our Esther!

And I think this splash was Andrew after a dynamic dive off the 7-metre board! Being a pilot, he had NO excuse not to fly off each diving board!

And to top the day off,  friends who had won an AMAZING cake from one of Kampala's top hotels (at a school Christmas event) generously donated their cake to Ben! What a fabulous birthday cake!!

Just over one month later, Esther enjoyed her birthday cake, along with a gaggle of girls, as we celebrated at our home: 

Not just cake, but singing and dancing and crazy games made up part of Esther's birthday morning:

In the evening, to mark Esther's birthday with just a few special friends, we took Esther to a restaurant in town and celebrated her 12 years with some special birthday glasses:

Andrew celebrated his birthday last weekend, but in a low-key manner and there are no photos to share! However, another special birthday happened recently: the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a gift to my good friend Grace from South Sudan!

Grace and her MAF pilot husband Dut welcomed their second daughter and I was privileged enough to get to the Kampala hospital to visit Baby whilst she was barely 12 hours old. So special! What a cause for celebration :-)