New Beginnings

Today, my little brother Dana started Air Force Boot Camp in San Antonio, Texas. This marks my parents official introduction to military life. Suffice it to say, our hearts are now connected to the men and women in uniform that are far from home this holiday season, including my brother-in-law Joseph Ndjerareou, stationed in Bagram Airforce Base, Afghanistan.

In honor of Joseph and Dana I wanted to shine light on Operation Gratitude that sends care packages, scarves, candy and personal letters to the armed forces stationed around the world.

Thank you again for your prayers for Dana and Joseph. We look forward to seeing Dana at graduation in February and we're counting the days until we see Joseph next summer.

A Must Have Stocking Stuffer

It's no secret I adore children's books. Long before I had Sophia, I've believed children's books are good for the soul. The simplicity of story telling, powerful words and beautiful illustrations, continue to be one of my favorite art forms. I'm thrilled to high light Rachel Isadora's work, it contains these best aspects with an African twist.

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Rachel Isadora is the classic song with gorgeous African visuals that speak for themselves. Five golden necklace rings. Eight maids a milking (goats.) The nine ladies dancing looked remarkebly Swazi, one of my former homes. Sure enough, Rachel spent 10 years in Africa some of that in Swaziland.

Delighted by this book I started looking up other Isadora books and discovered a couple were already favorites on my family shelves including:

At the Crossroads

I'm exceptionally thrilled to introduce Isadora's classic children's stories to Sophia. As an inter-cultural family, I'm always touched to find wonderful books to create a dynamic and visually diverse context. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!