Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Lots of Outings

What have we been up to lately? Well, aside from the normal routine, we have:


attended Priscilla y Alberto's Boda Civil.
We went to Queretaro for the religious wedding, Wes preached & the some of IBUC's jovenes led the worship time at a church there, and we had some hang time with the Lamberts & Grosses. (sorry no pics)


We went on an expedition to Grutas de Garcia - a nearby cave. VERY impressive - We had a great "field trip!






Anna got a haircut. And wore it straight for a few days. She wished it would stay that way.


We went with Tio Jaime to Saltillo.


Wednesday, April 02, 2008

a day in the park











Well, I guess Spring is officially here. But March was in the 90's half the month, and it got over 100 at least 2 days! Nonetheless, we love spring!

Monday, March 24, 2008

Wow, me too!!!!

Today Shawnda posted that this post should have been her. Oh my goodness, it so could have been me too!!! Well, except I just took the Servants By Design test yesterday and my lowest personality part is dreamer (the part of your personality that focuses inward), so I wouldn't have expended that much energy thinking about it, but if I had, her conclusions would have been my own!!! Thanks for the insight!!

some things i'm learning (or trying to)...

* it's not enough to say i struggle with pride; we all struggle with pride. therefore i need to specifically share how it's manifested in my heart and life. the key for me is to be specific and honest!

*one of key ways i can treat others how i want to be treated is by not judging motives and by thinking the best of them. that i what i want from others, and to do anything less is hypocritical, unloving, judgmental.
Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. Luke 6:38

*i need interdependence and community! this is a hard achievement in a foreign country with four small children, but without true accountability and confession my heart hardens so quickly!

*God is the God of grace and unconditional love. He has accepted me only because of My Savior's life & death - but He has accepted me & wants me to walk in the abundant life & extend His love and grace to others, as imperfectly as He knows I will.

* i'm being reminded how radical Jesus is! he goes against all the norms. he goes for the heart with unrelenting power! his life was one of valuing people, giving, forgiving, healing and encouraging us to walk that path! i want to live Matthew 5 & Luke 6!!!

*i'm very saddened but also thankful that i can so readily see my sin reflected in my children. the tones, the looks, the impatience, the anger... saddened b/c my words and actions so often do not align, and they see it. saddened b/c their hearts are prone to hew the same broken cisterns as myself. thankful because it provides me with an opportunity to apologize and seek forgiveness. thankful because it provides me with an opportunity to be humbled and remember the goodness & grace of my Lord to work despite my pitiful offerings.

Thursday, March 13, 2008

Mini-Update



I wish I was more faithful at updating the blog, but life is always happening. But do know that there is a constant supply of blogs in my head. Somehow they just never materialize here.

Anyway, we are staying busy with homeschooling. I LOVE LOVE it. We have had such a wonderful experience. Anna & Maggie are learning tons, reading very well, interested in everything, growing in creativity (that has NOTHING to do with me :), and content with the schedule. We love the Sonlight Curriculum and have read so many great books this year. It's awesome.

I am in the midst of potty training both Claire & Elaine. Yup, that's tons of fun ;)! It's been about a month, and all I can say is there are okay days, bad days, and days that make me wonder what kind of insane person am I??!!!! But I try to be hopeful that today will be the day when everything clicks...

There's more, of course, but I gotta take care of those lil' ladies calling for me.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Saturday, January 19, 2008

It's a New Year




Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I didn't mean to take such a long break from blogging, but that's how it turned out.

The girls and I went to Texas early December for Shanda Yarbrough's (now Anderson) wedding. We hung out doing school, visited w/ friends and family and did some last minute Christmas shopping until Wes arrived the 23rd.

Once Wes got there we began the holiday blitz. It was so fun to see friends and family, celebrate the birth of our precious Savior, enjoy the New Year, and even make some new friends.

On January 5th the festivities for DBC's Missions Conference began. We had an incredible week of spending time w/ fellow SERVE missionaries, being taught by some wonderful folks (I plan to share some of this later), having lots of time of group worship, eating wonderful food, praying, being prayed for, playing, laughing, sharing and learning. The conference culminated in the church-wide portion on Friday night and Saturday. The Body was invited to come learn about missions and missionaries. The program was stellar, and it was very well attended!

Following the conference, we began the trek back home. We made a pit-stop in Austin where we got to see the Stewart's and Ford's.

Anyway, we are home and still unpacking. Less than 12 hours after arriving I headed upstairs just in time to see water begin trickling down the stairs because a bathroom sink pipe broke, flooding that bathroom, the babies' room, and half of the upstairs playroom. There is nothing like standing in 3 inches of water wondering how on earth you are going to get rid of it all. I can honestly say that the entire ordeal was one praise after another:

* there weren't any electrical appliances ruined, nor was I shocked rushing to cut off the water source
* we were home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
* all the flooring was tile and concrete, so no leakage or musty carpet
* the big rug in the playroom stopped the water from reaching the computer
* we have a wet-dry vac and lots of mops and a mop bucket
* very little furniture got wet

I don't know why the Lord was gracious in allowing all of those things, but I do thank Him. I pray that my faith would be strengthened, and that I would sing His praise even if none of those things were true. More than that, I pray that my mind would be focused on Him and His goodness even when there not an "emergency" and life seems mundane or the children irritating or my hands frozen b/c I want to blog instead of unpack=).

Love to you all!

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Thanksgiving Celebration


A bunch of got together last night for some Thanksgiving festivities. It was very fun and soooo yummy! Here are a few photos from the evening:

Elaine patiently awaiting the food


Fox with Lil' Bit (Alejandra)


Finally it's time to eat!


Amazing, right?


Let the games begin...

Friday, November 16, 2007

The Ideal Christian Woman

Read Part 3.

This n' That

I am not a play therapist, but I think Claire is trying to tell us something every time she lines all of her toys up looking longingly at Anna & Maggie's bedroom door


Sweet Elaine turned 2 on Nov. 6th!!!!


Wes & I attended Suzanne & Memo's Boda Civil last weekend

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Documentation of Why I'm Going Crazy...


At least 15 times a day Elaine asks me (thankfully in the most adorable voice) "Whatcha doin', mama?" And at least 15 times a day I answer, "Cleaning up, Elaine."

3 is a very concrete age, and their little minds are working very hard to make sense of everything. And oftentimes Claire's mind is beyond her vocabulary and ability to communicate. So I spend a lot of time having conversations like these:

Claire: "What's that?"
Me: "It's a box of cookies."
Claire: "Where's it from?"
Me: "The store."
Claire: "Why is it from the store?"
Me: "Because that's where we bought it from."
Claire: "Why is that where we bought it from?"
Me: "Because they were selling them, and we wanted them."
Claire: "Why did we want them?"
Elaine: "Whatcha doin', mama?"
Me: "Cleaning up, Elaine"
Claire: "Why are you cleaning up?"
Me: "Because the house is a mess."
Claire: "Why is the house a mess?"
Me: "Because no one puts their things away when they're finished playing with them."
Claire: "Why don't no one put their things away when they're finished playing with them?"
Me: "That, my dear, is a stinking great question!"
Claire: "Why..."

Or sometimes the conversation ends early with:

Claire: "What's that?"
Me: "It's a box of cookies."
Claire: "Why is it a box of cookies?"
Me: "Because...it's...it's... a box of cookies... because... that's what it is........."

Saturday, October 06, 2007

Cultural Slideshow

The DBC Missions Women are featuring Mexico at their meeting this month, and this is my contribution to their efforts.

Enjoy!