Tornado Scare

Hey all,
We had a fun tornado scare last night.
The radio was tracking the storm (no tv remember)
We got out the map of the area from the phone book.
We gathered in the kitchen, cooked dinner while waiting for the storm.
I put a few things in the hallway in the middle of the house, just in case.
The storm missed us by about 10 minutes.
It was coming straight up the freeway towards us. Right before getting to us it turned east and kept going north.
Tornados were spotted just south and just east of us.
Jeremy said he was not too worried….we do no live near a trailer park!
But he was a little jittery and did ask what I had put in the hallway.

It was 4:40 pm and I had just arrived in the rain from our WIC appointment.
There was a sound in the air… I don’t know what a siren sounds like but…. And boy, you cannot hear it in the house.
Christy came to get her umbrella so Jeremy was standing on the front porch when we arrived.
Yes, I had to drag two kids out in this storm. They did great. Even in the thunder and lightning.

Pray for those affected.
Central Texas
March 30, 2007

School vs. Home

Mackenzie came home talking funny.

It took me 2 days to figure her out.

She was talking in baby talk.

(or northern!)

She was not pronouncing her "R".

"whe-u" was where

"the-u" was there

"wat-u" was water

I am not even sure I can spell her funny words.

We did figure out one of the girls at school talks this way.

Where they lead---someone will follow.

****

She also HATES when the boys play "power rangers"

I don't even know what that means.

Second month of Pre-K

March 2007

Buzz Words

Luke and Mackenzie have found their

"get out of jail free card"

their "buzz words".

Mackenzie thinks "I'm full"

will get her out of everything.

(She is currently too busy to eat, at home AND at school)

and if that does not work...

"I'm hungry" will do the trick!

(She is currently[also] postponing bedtime)

Luke now thinks "pot"

will get him out of everything.

But man, does it work!

They all learn to manipulate the system.

We, parents, just try to keep up.

March 2007

Mackenzie's First School Performance

My Lion
Luke was a little tired of the show
Mackenzie in her first school performance

Circus.

This is her Pre-K class at Columbus Avenue Baptist Church

Waco Texas March 2007

Bathing Beauties

March 2007
Love the water

Love the bubbles

Love the attention

March 2007

Athens--aka Palmer Oaks

Tire horses for Luke and Mackenzie
Tire swing for the adults commandiered by Mackenzie.

She can get up and down herself,

she is quite the monkey.

The driver/boss Mackenzie

with her crew,

Coralyn and Luke

December 2006

Cowboys

My three cowboys!

Grampa's hat,

On Luke,

Modeling "Guy".

"Guy" is the name given to the monkey, made by

Granny for Luke for Christmas.

No one knew Luke would name him and love him

and cherish him like no other monkey.

December 26th 2006

PS. I did not even notice the matching shirts until just now!!!

My First Haircut--both!

Luke 1 year and 9 months.
My first Haircut

(really just a bangs trim)

January 2007

SUPER NOT HAPPY ABOUT THIS!
"Is it going to hurt?" she asked

My first Haircut

(just a bangs trim really)

4 years and 6 months

(yes the first, and on the same day as Luke's)

January 2007

Christmas 2006

Better late than never!
Christmas in Corpus Christi Texas
Cousin Isaiah (almost 6)
Mackenzie (4 1/2)
Luke (1 3/4)

December 2006

Coco-Nuts

Luke and the coconuts.

This is from last fall but I thought I'd share.

Harvest in the fall in Nicaragua

November 2006

Differences

I know boys and girls are different.

I know first's and subsequent are different.

I know everyone is different.

Mackenzie potty trained in a month with cloth diapers,

at the tender age of 23 months.

We had just moved to Nicaragua and did not have

access to paper diapers.

It was time any way.

Two days of cloth diapers and she was set.

Where's the potty?

********

Luke is 23 months.

Don't get me wrong...

We are NOT trying to potty train him.

He is a boy, right?

However!!!!!!!!!!!

When he comes straight to me and grabs his diaper

and screams "STINK",

We go!

At first I did not understand,

but now after not changing a dirty diaper for 4 days in a row....

I like this.

Now, we are not forcing, we aren't even encouraging,

we are just adapting to his changing needs.

He "stinks" in the "pot" before he learns to "peeps"?!

I thought it was the other way around!

Well, they are all different, aren't they!??!

So, code words are "stink" and "change",

Take him to the "pot"!

March 2007

Little Miss Independent

Luke was stinky!
Mackenzie informed us repeatedly: “Luke is stinky”
They went to play in the other room.
Mackenzie came to the living room with a diaper in hand
to get a wipie out of the box in the living room.
MJ: “I gotta get a wipie”
Mom: “why?”
MJ: “to change Luke’s diaper. He is stinky”
Mom: “really?”
MJ—walks off.
Mom—finishes task.
MJ: “MOOOOM! I need some heeeelp!”
Mom—rushes into the next room
Luke—on the bed half diaper—off, completely content and waiting.
MJ—standing over half naked baby—wipie in hand.
MJ: “I need some help wiping. He is stinky.”
Mom—called dad.
Dad—helped out while laughing at the sight.
MJ—finishes the task and
Dad --helps with pants.

Little Miss Independent.
If they won’t take care of it I WILL.
January 2007

Arkansas trip

It was great to see our friends in AR last weekend.

We traveled back on ice,

but did fine.

Jeremy got sick.

Luke did not sleep much all weekend.

Therefore, neither did we!

Both the kids are tired of this limbo we are in.

We are all craving schedule and some normalcy.

*****

Jeremy is gone this weekend at a job possibility.

Next week we will be going to GA to visit my brother and his family,

and more friends.

Wow, God has blessed us with so many friends!

Thank you for your support and prayers.

Please pray for our future as we take the next step,

Please pray we SEE the next step.

January 2007

Cavities and Words

Mackenzie went to the dentist.

Cavities!!!

I am blaming it on the lack of flouride in her life

for all of her life.

******

Luke is repeating everything we say!

If it is one syllable it comes out pretty good,

If it is more, the last part is what comes out.

He is also good at praying before meals,

He has an emphatic "Amen!" at the end,

With both arms straight up to the sky.

He reminds us when we forget to pray.

He has started saying something every time

I sneeze (often), it sounds like an attempt at

"Bless you"

They are so cute at this stage.

January 2007

December Events

Continued...
Christmas Day we drove to Waco to spend the next
"Christmas" with Granny (Viola) and Grampa (Jim),
Jeremy's parents.
Uncle Chris and Aunt Becky brought Baby Coralyn.
It was our first time to meet Coralyn too.
(She is 6 weeks younger than Alex.)
Coralyn is a super happy baby; She lights up the room.
She has her mommy's lively spirit.
After Family Pictures (to be seen soon!)
We drove to Athens Texas, also known as
"Palmer Oaks" and the retirement land, for some R &R.
We froze to death and got a lot of work done.
With no running water and minor electricity, the wood-burning
stove did a lot for the place.
Marshmallows over the fire, nightly, did a lot for our spirits.
******
Granny and Grampa kept the kiddos for a few days.
Jeremy and I went to a well-needed, marriage retreat.
Thank you, you know who you are!
******
It was a sad good-bye, as we all went our separate ways.
It was GREAT to spend some time with Chris, Becky and Coralyn.
We have not had much time to get to know the new additions
to our family in the last few years.
******
Praise the Lord for a few job opportunities He has provided.
Please pray for guidance in the choices for our future.
Praise the Lord for the addition of a minivan to our lives.
I do feel old. Mom with a minivan. I guess it was going to happen
sooner or later!!
Please pray for our adjustment to America... it is difficult.
Six years is a long time to be "out of it".
******
Thank you for all of your support during these past few years.
God has done amazing things.
Please let us hear from you...
January 2007 (Is it really?????)

Been a while

I guess you have noticed...
I have not been blogging!
The children and I returned to Texas on November 26th.
Jeremy stayed behind to finish up some things
and do some traveling.
We traveled with the team from Corpus Christi, TX,
including my dad, PawPaw.
We missed DaDa but had a great time with
Cousin Isaiah, almost 6,
Aunt Brittney, Grandma, and PawPaw.
After DaDa arrived, Uncle Corey, Aunt Kelly,
and baby Alex, 10 months, came to visit.
It was our first time to meet Alex.
He is a delightful child.
He has good parents!
We "did" Christmas while the Gilberts were visiting.

More in a minute... nap for little boys...

Sickness Strikes

Hello All,
We are all super sick. Cough and the yuck.
The kids and I are traveling to Corpus Christi this Sunday
with the team from Real Life Fellowship,
My Dad's church.
My Dad is actually on the team!!
They have gone 12 hours up the Coco River
in a canoe,
to build a church in Klisnak.
SO--Granddad will be on our flights back to the US of A.
Jeremy will stay with Clint and assist Jim in his crazy busy visit.
Allison will be assisting the boys in their travels too.
Pray for us this week as we pack.
Pray for us the next two weeks as we are without Daddy.
Pray for Daddy and the boys (and Allison) as they travel to Honduras and back.
November 2006

Another animal update

huge iguana
5 1/2 foot long snake
tiny frog
2 quarter size crabs
1 rat
Monday morning:
4 guys tried to get the snake out of the generator shed.
Instead they caught the 1 1/2 foot iguana.
Not poisonous
Monday lunch:
Jeremy, with a shot gun, blew the snake off the roof of
the generator shed, when it came out to sun.
Monday night:
Jeremy rescued Summer from the dime size frog in the shower.
Tuesday early morning:
Jeremy rescued Summer and Mackenzie from 2 quarter size crabs.
These crabs where IN THE HOUSE crawling around my hall and bath room.
Tuesday mid morning:
2 guys moved an old fridge out of the house...
(we knew the rat was in the house!)
they rolled over his foot,
stunned, he waited for me to scream,
Clint ran in to rescue me and scared the rat into limping off,
Valdi came and stomped the rat to death and carried him outside.
Praise the Lord for animals of all kinds.
The iguana was eaten by some of our guys.
November 2006

Gorgeous Granny

New Publicity Photo
What a babe!
October 2006

School Days

Mackenzie is doing better at school.
She was "not nice" the other day when her dad,
Uncle Clint AND Miss Allison left for Rosita.
The next day she skipped and jumped ahead of me to the car.
She wrote her first letter (on purpose),
She drew an "M" and said "Look this is Mackenzie!"
And her teacher said she calls her "Profe" just like the other kids.
She is speaking Spanish more and more.
She even talks to her brother in Spanish.
She answers in Spanish too.
October 2006