Miss Ashley, missionary teacher to both of our kids, had her Golden Birthday on Monday. The weekend was a flurry of preparations for our kids and the younger two Masso kids, who share her classroom. Naomi and Liana are her third graders and Quinn and Gaby her kindergartners. It’s an active class with Ashley shuttling back and forth between the two groups of learners, and managing to incorporate an incredible amount of fun time too; games, songs, art, etc. Ashley is also our new girls soccer coach at Christ School. We’re so thankful for Miss Ashley!

Gaby and Liana spent Sunday night sleeping over at our house, getting things ready for Miss Ashley’s birthday party. They decorated toilet paper banners with carrots and rats - Miss Ashley’s two least favorite things! (see her expression in the first picture!) Naomi and Liana also designed and prepared a scavenger hunt for Miss Ashley. We ate lemon poppy-seed cupcakes, played games, and laughed.

Poor Miss Ashley gives and gives, and we are trying hard not to give back in the wrong way . . . This week Quinn and Gaby both had massive haircuts in an attempt to keep scalp fungus from continuing to spread to others (they both catch it easily from local friends.) Both of us families are also using bactroban to try to group disinfect from some nasty staff infections that we keep passing back and forth, and to our teachers at school too, of course! Aahhh . . .the joys of life on a close-knit missionary team. Those who disinfect together, stay together. We’re really family now.