Cute Suit

Sunday was finally warm enough for Jeremiah to wear his "Easter Suit." When I dressed him in it in the morning he got upset becuase it was shorts. He was pulling on the shorts saying "mama, fix it!" But he looked extremely cute!

On the swing with papa. Jeremiah is waving hello!

Sunday was an absolutely beautiful day. Jeremiah decided he wanted to pose for pictures by the tree in the front yard. I'm serious, he was posing for these pictures! So funny.

Playing in the sand

Jeremiah loves to play in the sand that Granddaddy is using to build a patio in the back of their house. Here he is on Sunday afternoon playing with "Tad" and "Chees" in the sand.

Jeremiah goes off in search of new adventures.

Uncle Caleb& Aunt Monica

We had a visit this weekend from Caleb & Monica! It was so great to see them! They spent Saturday night at our house and Jeremiah had a blast playing with them. He even insisted that they give him his bath while Aaron and I were banished from the bathroom. For some reason we didn't take many pictures but here is Caleb reading Jeremiah books on Sunday morning before church.

Washing Self

Lately Jeremiah has been pitching major fits when it comes to being washed in the bath. He loves playing in the bath, but getting washed and rinsed was just not something he wanted to happen anymore.
So my smart husband started letting Jeremiah wash himself. He is quite proud of his new accomplishment!

No News

Just an update on Aaron's job hunt.

We still have not heard anything from the principal at Lafayette Middle School (LMS). But a friend who works there told us that they have not hired anyone yet either so...

LMS is our first and ideal choice becuase it is literally 2 blocks from our house and of course in the community in which we live. But we are also realizing that Aaron needs to put his application in at other schools as well. So he will start doing that next week. Most of the other schools that have opening are about a 1/2 hour drive from here. So not ideal but we may not have a choice.

Please continue to pray with us that Aaron will get interviews and get hired soon. It would be such a blessing to know about a job soon enough to plan for the summer!

Memories

My dad has been making posts on his blog with memories from their years as missionaries in Nigeria. It has been 30 years since my parents (then in their early twenties) left America for Nigeria where they spent 10 years. It has been interesting for me to read my dad's memories and reflections of that time.

I grew up in Nigeria. I think that I was about 6 or 9 months old when we went to Nigeria. We left Nigeria when I was 10 years old.

Like every one's childhood I have good and also difficult memories. But in general I consider my childhood to have been pretty idyllic. With no tv, video games, or computer (we didn't have electricity) we played for hours indoors and out letting our imaginations run wild. I also read books for hours on end.

I did go to boarding school for 1st - 4th grade. But this was not a hardship for me. Being a social child I loved being at school surrounded by kids of all ages and nationalities.

As I have grown into adulthood and become a mother I have thought many times about what life in Nigeria must have been like for my parents. As a child I did not realize how difficult their lives must have been. My mom had to run a household in blinding heat with no electricity. Wash was done by hand. Bread was made from scratch. Vegetables were grown in the garden. Shopping for groceries meant going to the local market where produce and meat was covered in flies and prices were bargained.

It must have hurt them immeasurably to send their children off to school at age 6 to be cared for and nurtured by others. But that is the way it was for missionaries then, we didn't home school or have the internet.

While were were difficult things about being a missoinary kid I have never wanted to have a different life. Growing up in Nigeria and then spending my teenage years in the Netherlands has shaped me in ways that I know and probably in ways that I have yet to acknowledge. I think that in general it has made me a compassionate and thoughtful person who takes her faith seriously and wants to impact the world in a positive way. I am appreciative of my broad worldview and experiences.

I am also proud of my parents. I know that life as missionaries was not always easy for them but I am thankful for their example of faith (though sometimes imperfect) in action.

Insomnia

This is driving me crazy!

I am physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted by the end of the day. But no matter what time I go to bed or what I do before going to bed it is after midnight before I finally fall asleep. That means that for the past few weeks I have only been getting about 5-6 hours of sleep. Some nights it is less because I get up with Jeremiah.

I am absolutely exhausted. And I am not a very nice person when I haven't had enough sleep.

Will you please pray that God will enable me to have deep and refreshing sleep at night?

The Great TV Experiment

Last Monday I posted that we had decided to hide all of Jeremiah's video's and have him go cold turkey from the TV. I must say that I was dreading the process.

Jeremiah didn't watch much TV, at the most an hour a day, and when he did watch it was always a Baby Einstein or Veggie Tales video. However, we had begun to notice distinct changes in his behavior and attitude that were not positive.

To my surprise and great thankfulness last week went relatively well. The first two days or so Jeremiah would constantly ask to "wash noonies" (watch movies) but after a couple of times of sitting down and explaining to him that the movies had gone bye-bye for a little while he seemed to accept the fact.

Now, I don't think that Jeremiah will never watch TV again. And I am not saying that no child should ever watch TV. However, it was very clear to us that the lack of TV in just one short week really made a difference in Jeremiah's attitude and behavior.

Here are some positive behavior changes that we noticed:

- He began to intiate play with his toys on his own again.

- He began to request to read books again.

- I noticed a huge drop in temper tanrums, power struggles, and general whining.

Yesterday when I was talking to Aaron about this in the car Aaron said, "I wonder what would happen with us if we stopped watching TV?"

Um...my astute and wise husband.

But let's not get too radical......

Weekend Wrap-Up

Monday morning again and time to fill you in on the happenings of our weekend. And this morning I am pleased to report that we all had a fun, but also relaxing weekend!

Aaron has not been feeling that well (sinus congestion) and so got home at lunch time on Friday. What a treat to have him home so soon! We brought Jeremiah to the grandparents on Friday evening and then went out to dinner. Let me just tell you that a Steak N Shake cheeseburger and chocolate shake taste very good to a pregnant woman! We also rented the movie The Prestige which was really good and we highly recommend it.

Saturday morning we both slept in a bit and then Aaron was off for a day of motorcycle riding with friends. I just puttered around the house for the morning not really doing anything special but just taking my time to get ready and everything. It was so nice to have the house to myself! I stopped at some yard sales on my way to pick up Jeremiah but there were only girls clothes. I am hoping to hit some more yard sales in the next few weeks and try to find clothes for this new little boy.

Sunday was of course our usual day of church, lunch at Steve & Brenda's, and then small group.

Aaron has his day off today but is doing school work (just one week left!) so Jeremiah and I are going to do some housecleaning.

Sunday morning was again a refreshing time of worship. We keep Jeremiah with us during the singing part of the service and he loves it! He stands on his chair and dances to the music. When each song ends he promptly requests, "more song?." I love watching him be a part of worshiping our God even at this young age.

We sang this hymn that has been running in my head since.

1. How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds,

In a believer's ear!

It soothes his sorrow, heals his wounds,

And drives away his fear.
2. It makes the wounded spirit whole,

And calms the troubled breast;'

Tis manna to the hungry soul,

And to the weary, rest.
3. Dear Name, the rock on which I build,

My shield and hiding place,

My never failing treasury, filled

With boundless stores of grace!
4. Jesus, my Shepherd, Brother, Friend,

My Prophet, Priest, and King,

My Lord, my life, my way, my end,

Accept the praise I bring.
5. Weak is the effort of my heart,

And cold my warmest thought;

But when I see Thee as Thou art,

I'll praise Thee as I ought.
6. 'Til then I would Thy love proclaim

With every fleeting breath,

And may the music of Thy name

Refresh my soul in death.

What to do?

I find myself with a question that I haven't asked myself in a long time.

What should I do this morning?

Jeremiah spent the night at his grandparents because I thought that I would have a meeting this morning and Aaron was planning on going on his first motorcycle ride of the year with some friends from church. (He just roared off.)

Late last night I got a call that my meeting had been cancelled. So this morning I slept in until 8am!

Now here I sit wondering what to do with myself for the next few hours......

Week 21!

We have now technically crossed the halfway point!

It truly is through the grace of God and your many prayers that I have made it this far.

Positively I would like to say that the past few days I have been feeling more like myself. Food is starting to taste relatively normal again and I have had more energy to fulfill my tasks as wife and mother. This week I have a cold coming on and so that has sapped my strength.

One item for prayer - for some reason I have not been able to sleep well the past few weeks. No matter how tired I am at nap or bed time it takes me about 2 hours to finally fall asleep and then I don't sleep that well. This is extremely frustrating.

We talk with Jeremiah a lot about our "baby in mama's tummy." Now if we ask him where our baby is he pulls up my shirt and rubs my tummy. Cute. As we think about names we like we ask Jeremiah to pronounce them - we are trying to make sure that he can say the baby's name too.

Check out what our little boy is up to this week!

Fetal development in pregnancy week 21:

Your beautiful little miracle-gro baby will be putting on a full ounce and a half this week (up to 16.5 oz), but that’s just the beginning! Within the next five weeks, they’ll really be packin’ it on! For now, we’re pleased to report the addition of rapid eye movement (REM) a key component to any baby’s healthy sleep schedule. And in the dermatology department: their thin soft skin is very red, failry translucent, and a bit wrinkled. Not to worry, it’s not a premature aging disease. It's just their clever little body setting them up with extra space that will smooth out once your little one starts packing on the baby-fat. That won’t be for a few more weeks, though. So for the time being, your munchkin is still a little lean mean growing machine! The beginnings of what is commonly called “brown fat” is just starting to fill in to help your baby retain some body heat, which is crucial as they’re not yet capable of regulating their own body temperature

Disquiet

The past few days have been unsettling for me. I am sure many American's (and possibly others around the world) feel this same sense of disquiet after the horrific events at Virginia Tech earlier this week. Like the mornings of the Columbine shootings and 9/11 the news of the Virginia Tech shootings left me slightly off balance. My thoughts were the same as many others - how could this happen? My immediate reaction was to call Aaron just to say "hi" and "I love you." I have spent the past few days watching the news whenever I can and listening to NPR to get the latest updates. Tears come to my eyes when I see pictures of people who were killed and hear their friends and family talk about them with love.

My sense of disquiet comes from the sudden and immediate realization that my life and the life of those I love the most is not under my control. That fear and death can come unexpectedly in a split second in an unexpected place. I have felt this feeling of disquiet often in the past few years as people that I love and members of my church were killed or died suddenly and unexpectedly.

As the poet Nikki Giovanni said at the Virginia Tech memorial service:

We do not understand this tragedy. We know we did not deserve it but neither does a child in Africa dying of AIDS, but neither do the invisible children walking the night to avoid being captured by a rogue army. Neither does the baby elephant watching his community be devastated for ivory; neither does the Appalachian infant killed in the middle of the night in his crib in the home his father built with his own hands being run over by a boulder because the land was destabilized. No one deserves a tragedy.

But, I have also felt a stronger feeling this week and in the aftermath of unexpected death. I have a feeling of peace beneath the disquiet. I know that while there is evil in the world and that death is a reality of life I have a trust in the sovereignty of a God who not only loves me but also loves this world. Almost prophetically on Sunday in his sermon Travis said that true faith is an understanding of God's love and control that is so deep that we continue to love and trust Him even in difficult and overwhelming circumstances.

I have not yet experienced tragedy in a close way. Yet this week as I felt fear for my loved ones gripping me I prayed and felt peace in the depths of my soul. I do not know what will happen tomorrow. But I know the ultimate end of the story. Christ will return. He will set up a kingdom in which there is no disease, starvation, corruption, violence, or death. During a week like this my prayer is "Come quickly Lord Jesus!"

Passed!

Aaron passed his teacher certification test!

He still has to finish his student teaching and some classes in order to graduate May 2008 but the certification test is one thing that should help him get paid to student teach.

He is still actively applying at the local middle schools.

Pray, pray, pray!

Monday Morning

I have posted alot of pictures this morning so just keep scrolling down to enjoy them all.

We had a good, restful, and relaxing weekend. Aaron was home all weekend and had little school work. So Jeremiah got a good dose of papa time and I got to get some rest! Aaron was so sweet and let me sleep in on Saturday morning until 9am!

Yesterday we had Easter dinner (yes, we know it's a week late) at Steve & Brenda's and had fun watching Jeremiah hunt Easter eggs. Jeremiah is absolutely in love with his Uncle Chad and Aunt Cherise and enjoyed playing with them for the day. He calls Chad "hey dude" because that is what Chad calls him. It's really cute.

So now Monday morning is here. Aaron has left for work. It's just me and Jeremiah again. And I have a cold.

Over the weekend we decided to put away all of Jeremiah's movies for awhile. Last week was a constant battle to get him to want to do something other than watching movies. He didn't want to read books or play with his toys or anything. I don't think that is healthy. So, it falls on me to try and find other ways to entertain him. Did I mention that I have a cold?

If you think about it - I could use your prayers.

Yesterday in church we sang a song that I intend to keep running in my head today for encouragement.

I am not ashamed of the name above all names

For it has the power to heal and to save

Strength for the weary, and peace to the troubled soul

Peace to the troubled soul

It's the name of Jesus

It's the name of Jesus

Mightier than mountains, He lives among the weak

Ruler eternal, we kneel at your feet

Jesus, name above all

Jesus, name above all

Easter Egg Hunt Pt. 2

Easter Egg Hunt

Jeremiah's face after his first jelly bean. "Yum!"

Off with his bucket to hunt for eggs.

There's one!

Are there more somewhere?

Strange sleep...again

This is the scene that Aaron came upon on Friday evening. Again, while all seemed quiet in his room Jeremiah must have been up and about because this is how he fell asleep!

Sneaky

Last night it seemed that Jeremiah went to bed pretty easily. Aaron and I watched the Office and then headed to bed. This is the scene that Aaron found when he went in to check on Jeremiah. Yep - sound asleep in the chair. He was even snoring. Silly little man!

Some Thoughts On Having Another Boy

I still didn't sleep much last night. That's two nights in a row that my brain has been in overdrive despite the exhaustion my body feels. It's a bad habit that I think I get from my dad.

My mind was whirling with all the possibilities of having another boy. And I will admit, I couldn't stop trying to think of names. I'm a task oriented person so once we found out that this little one is a boy the next thing on the list was to get a name chosen. This will be quite a task as Aaron and I rarely agree on names that we both like. But here's a teaser - I think we are making some headway already.......

This child has been surprising us since his conception. Finding out he was a boy and not a girl was just another surprise. Aaron and I were both convinced that this was a girl. But, upon seeing the ultrasound I was not disappointed. I was excited! A brother for Jeremiah! Another son for us!

My brothers are about 3 years apart in age. When I think about our childhood I see them as being inseparable. They always played together. They loved being outside and would be gone from sun-up to sun-down inventing games and getting filthy dirty. Even as teenagers they had similar interests and many of the same friends. As the one sister I always viewed their close relationship with a little bit of jealousy.

Now, I know that there is no guarantee that my 2 boys will be as close as Ben and Will were. But the possibility is there. In my minds eye I see two blond headed boys with holes in the knees of their pants coming in the back door with a misciveous glint in their eyes asking for a snack. The picture brings tears to my eyes.

Plus, there is always the practical side: less stuff in the house as they can share toys, clothes, books etc.

This morning I feel so blessed by God! I know that He has wonderful plans for my children. I can't wait to meet this new little boy!

Oh yeah - and I have already started praying for cool daughters-in-law! :-)

Drum Roll Please......

Yep - its a BOY!
All of us who were convinced it was a girl were wrong...
We are so excited that Jeremiah is going to have a little brother close to his age. Hopefully they will be playmates and enjoy each others company.
Now we just have to think of names.....
Everything on the ultrasound looked great. He (it feels great to type that) is the right size and everything with a strong heartbeat, working stomach and bladder. He was not moving around much, the morning is usually his quiet time, but he was positioned just right that within 30 seconds of the ultrasound starting I said, "Look, it's a boy!"
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers. We are so blessed to have so many people who love us and our sons.
Now

Worn

I feel worn around the edges this morning.

Just tired: tired of feeling sick, tired of even mundane tasks taking great effort, tired of being pregnant. But, you've heard it all before.....

I know in my mind that I should not feel this way. That I am blessed beyond what I deserve. But I am having a hard time this morning getting my heart to feel different.

I need to put on some praise music and get all of this in perspective.

The positive thought that will get me through today is that tomorrow morning we will see our little baby on the ultrasound and hopefully find out girl or boy! I can't wait!

Aaron's Job Update

Today Aaron emailed the principal of the LaFayette Middle school to set up an interview.

Please pray that he will get an interview quickly, that it will go well, and that we will know something about his job situation soon. It would really take some stress out of our lives to know. We are trusting God to provide and care for us as He has always done, it is just sometimes hard to wait.....

Also, he gets the results of his certification test back on Monday!

Program Note

The BIG ultrasound is Wednesday morning!

We'll be posting a special announcement on the blog later that day so stay tuned.....

Also, pray that the baby will cooperate. I know it sounds silly but I have looked forward to this for so long that I would be very disappointed if we didn't find out the gender on Wednesday. So, I think it is ok to pray for this - God cares about this stuff too right?

Easter

We had a fun Easter Sunday. It started off cold (30 degrees this morning) so instead of his cute little Easter outfit we had to put Jeremiah in warmer clothes. But he insisted on wearing his cowboy boots and hat, which were perfect gear for our afternoons activities. It is our church's tradition to go to Mrs. Linda's house after church, eat a huge lunch, and then hunt for confetti filled eggs (cascarones) that you then smash on people's heads. It's quite fun. A tex-mex tradition that our pastor brought up from his home on the Texas/Mexico border. Mrs. Linda fills about 80 dozen eggs with confetti so there is always plenty to go around. Jeremiah loved being at Mrs. Linda's house and spent the afternoon exploring the property.
We got home late this afternoon, took a long nap, and Jeremiah and Aaron are now watching Veggie Tales together.
Scroll down for more pictures.

Jeremiah explores Mrs. Linda's property.

Once he found an egg he wouldn't let go!

Jeremiah learns to smash eggs on papa's head. He got into and did the next one himself saying "smash!" with gusto.

Jeremiah loved watching the big kids play basketball and then wanted to play himself. He got a little help from papa.

The scene as people from church ran around finding confetti stuffed eggs called cascarones and smashing them on each other's head. It really is more fun than just hunting the plastic eggs - and is definitely more fun to watch.

Tax Frustration

Aaron has taken Jeremiah for their traditional Saturday outing to the library.
I am working on taxes.
Just thought I would briefly share my frustration:
On my completed on-line return using software the final word is that we owe $500.00.
But then I re-did everything manually on my own with the traditional pencil and paper and the final word there is that we get refunded $500.00.
What the heck?
I'm going to take a break and look at it again later.

Not Wanted

Here is an illustration of the special bond between children and their fathers:

This morning Aaron got up with Jeremiah and let me sleep an extra hour. I would have slept longer but I had to pee and I was hungry. Anyway, when I got up I heard them playing in Jeremiah's room so I went in there to see what they were doing and get some morning hugs. As soon as he saw me Jeremiah said, "Bye bye, mama" took my hand, and walked me to the bedroom door.

I love it that he wants to spend some special time with his papa.

We are actually enjoying a restful and relaxing day here at home with no schedule or responsibilities. Well, the only thing that has to get done today is our taxes. Yes I know, I am a procrastinator.....

Conviction

Another 2 post day - but I couldn't resist sharing this quote from another blog that I read regularly. You all have been part of my journey through this pregnancy. I have gone from denial and questioning to acceptance. However, there are still many times that I think forward to all the sacrifice the will be required of me after this baby is born. With some trepidation I forsee sleepless nights, trying to be a parent to a toddler and an infant, the restrictions of breastfeeding, the feeling of being tied down to the house because of needing to work around a newborns schedule.

The following quote revealed my selfishness to me. God has given us this baby, it is His will for me that I serve Him by being the best mother that I can be to the children He has blessed me with. Only in serving Him and bringing glory to Him (even in the most mundane of tasks) will I truly find freedom.

Elizabeth Prentiss in "Stepping Heavenward" has just found out she is pregnant again. Others are viewing the pregnancy as a burden. This is her response:

“She says I shall now have one mouth the more to fill and two feet the more to shoe, more disturbed nights, more laborious days, and less leisure or visiting, reading, music, and drawing. Well! This is one side of the story, to be sure, but I look at the other. Here is a sweet fragrant mouth to kiss; here are two more feet to make music with their pattering about my nursery. Here is a soul to train for God; and the body in which it dwells is worthy all it will cost, since it is the abode of a kingly tenant. I may see less of friends, but I have gained one dearer than them all, to whom, while I minister in Christ’s name, I make a willing sacrifice of what little leisure for my own recreation my other darlings had left me. Yes, my precious baby, you are welcome to your mother’s heart, welcome to her time, her strength, her health, her tenderest cares, to her lifelong prayers!”(Stepping Heavenward, p.228-229)

The world says that children are a burden. The Bible tells us they are a gift from God (Psalm 127:3). The world tells us that our significance is found in making a name for ourselves. The Bible tells us that we are to make God’s name great, in whatever He has called us to do. I need to remember, in however mundane the task, that God has bestowed on me the high and holy honor of raising children to live for His glory. May we embrace our calling as Mrs. Prentiss did, with great joy and purpose, making a willing sacrifice of time, love and leisure for the sake of the precious children the Lord has entrusted to us.

Happy Birthday Ben!

My brother Ben is 28 years old today!
There are so many things I love about Ben; his laughter, his love for life, his childlike wonder and spirit.
As kids and teenagers we fought like crazy, but as adults we are good friends. It has been such a joy to watch him grow in so many ways these past few years.
I am so thankful for Ben and all he has meant to me.
This is one of my favorite pictures of Ben and me. I think his smile - even as a baby - says more about his personality than I ever could.

Ben, I hope you can feel big birthday hugs coming your way today!

Good Friday/Easter Thoughts Pt. 2

I was listening to worship music this morning while cleaning and this song struck me and had me weeping at the gift of grace given to me. It is simple but powerful. I hope you will take time in the next few days before Easter to consider the picture of Christs love and grace flowing down from the cross and covering you - making you perfect and holy in God's sight!

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
Amazing love, now flowing down
From hands and feet, that were nailed to the tree
His grace flows down and covers me.

Good Friday/Easter Thoughts

I know that most people love Christmas and the whole Christmas season. I do to. But I also love Lent, and this Good Friday and Easter week. I pull out Handel's Messiah (which I read somewhere was acually written for Easter) and try to spend time contemplating the enormity of what God did in sacrificing His Son - for me. This thought overwhelms me. I know the sinfulness that exsists in my heart. I know how unfaithful I am in so many ways. And yet - God's love and grace covers me! Sometimes I don't even understand how that can be.

Yesterday while listening to some praise music I heard this hymn again. I think the words speak for themselves.

O Sacred Head, Now Wounded
1. O sacred Head, now wounded,

With grief and shame weighed down,

Now scornfully surrounded

With thorns, Thine only crown

O sacred Head, what glory

What bliss ’til now was ThineY

et though despised and gory

I joy to call Thee mine

2. What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered,

Was all for sinners’ gain;

Mine, mine was the transgression,

But Thine the deadly pain.

Lo, here I fall, my Savior!

’Tis I deserve Thy place;

Look on me with Thy favor,

Vouchsafe me to Thy grace.

3. What language shall I borrow

To thank Thee, dearest friend,

For this my dying sorrow,

Thy pity without end?

Lord make me Thine forever,

And should I fainting be,

Oh let me never, never

Outlive my love for Thee

4. Be near when I am dying

Oh show Thy cross to me

And for my succor flying

Come Lord and set me free

These eyes new faith receiving

From Jesus shall not move

For he who dies believing

Dies safely, through Thy love

Resourceful

Jeremiah has become very addicted to watching "movies" (Veggie Tales or Baby Einstein) lately. This is probably a result of me using them as babysitters while I went through the worst of my morning sickness. Anyway, the past few days I have been limiting the amount of time in front of the TV every day. But he always asks to "wash movies" and then proceeds to name which one he wants to watch; "Dave," "Nezzer," "Animals," "Blueberry." He has a name for them all.
Today I was on the phone with Aaron in the kitchen and I came out to this scene. This child is creatively trying to get the VCR to work on his own. He kept at it for a little while. That is one determined kid!

In one week from today we will find out the gender of our new baby!

Nice!

I guess that Aaron has taught Jeremiah to say the word "nice" whenever he likes something. Today for snack we had strawberries (look at the size of them) and they were "nice." He saw a box waiting to go out to the trash, pulled the Styrofoam pieces out and said "nice." And of course his bed is "nice."

After nap we usually have some cuddle time in my bed. Every day I have Jeremiah look at my stomach and tell him that our baby is in mama's tummy. Up until now the only response to that has been to poke his finger in my belly button (hard) and laugh. Today was different and moving - he rubbed my tummy gently and said "wow." In order to make sure that he really understood the concept (at least for the moment) I asked him a few minutes later, "Where is our new baby?" He rubbed my tummy again and said "wow." How sweet is that?

It is raining right now. A soft gentle rain. The smell brings be back to Nigeria - it is a specific, earthy kinda smell that I only catch here every now and then. I guess a combination of warm, dry earth and cool, wet rain. Beautiful.