Impromptu Niece Visit

Today was a great day! Just a few days ago my sister-in-law...really, so much the "sister I never had"...though that sounds cliche, so I just call her Angie...well, she called and said she and my nieces would be in town and come visit today. Yipppppeeee!

It was a wonderful day! The kids all played well together, which left Angie and I tons of time to catch up...and all the while I got to hold little Megan! Yeah! It was a day of great blessings. I am so thankful for this family. They are amazing and fill our lives with fun memories and tons of laughter.

Here are some fun photos from today...I started to move the baby doll on this one...but thought that actually made it a little more fun! Brooklyn is fascinated by Megan...and from the look of this photo, Megan might feel the same way about B.Five cousins all looking at the camera with minimal wierdness on their faces...people, that is the definition of a successful photo shoot! (I should probably leave out the fact that there were 2 cameras, three adults and 25 actual photos taken to get this one.)

This is happiness! I love this little girl!! Will happened to be downstairs, so Angie asked him to pop in for a photo with our favorite bitty baby girl! And yes, that is a Sonic cup in the background...a staple of all good visits with my sis-in-law!

"Uncle Robbie" got home from work just in time to get a few snuggles and coax Megan into a little nap before time to go. A perfectly fun day!

Extreme Makeover...small edition

I love DIY (do it yourself) shows, projects, ideas, etc. I have tons of fun crafting and creating new things...especially out of things I already have...it is like getting something brand new only without the price tag!

However, I have no attention or patience for these projects. I want to see my results the same day. So, I have learned to pick small things.

Awhile back, Glidden had an offer for a free quart of paint. A quart won't cover much, so I ordered a fun color that I would enjoy painting....a nice pale aqua color...

I have had the paint for several weeks, but was not inspired by anything...but then....

I saw the lapdesk Robbie made me when we were newly married. I had seen one in Bombay Company and liked the concept, but not the price. We were visiting his parents, so he just went out to his Dad's shop that afternoon and made me one! It had that "10 years ago" light oak look...and I had honestly stopped using it/loving it...

Make-over time...I wish I had taken a better picture of the "before"...I thought in the middle of painting..."Ooooh, I should blog this"!

And after...

The top is done in chalkboard paint...and I have some great chalkboard pens that I got at Michael's (they write like markers, but only come off with water)...so I will use them to make lists on the top of my desk (paper saver). The top hinges and the desk opens up like this...
...and I keep my stationary, pens, and such in there! SOOOO fun. I am loving my desk makeover! What else should I paint?? Any ideas?

Oh, and I just entered this in a DIY day over on a blog I like to visit...so many great projects on there...go take a look...

Fond Memories and a Fragrant Home!

So, a few months ago there was a freebie from Fleishman's (you know, the people who make yeast for bread)...it was a "No Knead" bread cookbook. It said these were easy breads to bake and required no kneading. I signed up for one and it came within a few weeks. For months I did nothing, but this week at the store I remembered to buy yeast...so, yesterday, I started the process.

Easy. Really...mix, cover, let rise (for hours in the fridge). Put out of fridge. Stir. Let rise. (overnight). Stir. Put in pans. Cover. Let rise. Bake! Yummmmmmmmy smelling house. Warm bread. Fond memories of Mom and Gran baking homemade bread. MMMMMMMMM!!!

I cannot believe it. Really, I am not this domestic. But, here I sit with homemade oatmeal bread. I can hardly wait to try more recipes. Do you bake your own bread? Have recipes to share? Please do. This is a fun little hobby I am starting...and it will keep me exercising to work off the amount of bread I eat!!

Will Wright will write!

All puns intended!

Will just returned home from Mimi and Poppy's house. He had a few days all to himself with them and no shortage of fun!

He came home with a book he wrote. The handwriting is Mimi's (I only wish I could get my boys to write so neatly)...but the thoughts are all Will!!

Enjoy Will's first story...

Yes, this should be considered a work of non-fiction as all these methods have been used to calm his baby sister! He is planning a sequel "How to annoy your baby sister"! He has huge success in this area, so I am sure it will be equally fun to read!

Relaxation

This week has been all about catching up on life at home. Mostly, that has been doing a few chores each day before heading to the pool! A friend of Jackson's has been staying with us all week and they've had a great time. Here are some photos from the pool...I can already tell this is going to be a favorite photo from this summer! She did not want to get out of the chair...but the lifeguard said it was an extra and said all the kids could take turns.Will and his friend are using Jackson and his friend as tug boats! They have never been at a loss for games to play...the pool is endless fun for these guys!

Beach Baby!!

Today was an amazing day at the beach!! I have packing and junk to do now, so it is mostly going to be fun photos...because really...it was a beach day...and the photos say everything. Very fun!

A sweet day to end a wonderful adventure! I will blog more about this trip over the next week as we complete our debriefing packet and I process more of what we did/saw. Thanks for keeping up with us through this trip and praying for our team!

Isai, Ice Cream, Purses, and Paradise

This morning we had another graduation ceremony. All went well...though we were a bit sad to complete our last day at the school.

Yesterday I mentioned that Jackson and another boy had talked in English. His name is Isai (pronounced E-sa-E). Today I asked him if he would like to take a picture with Jackson. He was SO happy!! They took some pictures together, then talked a little more. I may have shed a tear or two....but then again, it is hot here....could have been sweat!

As we were wrapping up the clean up at the school, we found this little guy sitting on the porch. Yes...he is holding a machete in his lap! Yes...I had someone with better Spanish skills than my own ask if I could take his photo...for fear he might chop off my head! However, he is very gentle with his machete and was happy to have his picture taken. His name is Polito. He is adorable...even with half his teeth missing and holding a machete...The big joke of this trip has been Will's purse. A little background...when we were having the garage sale to raise money for this trip, Will and Jackson sold sodas. One of the girls helping us brought out a little black purse for them to put the money inside...they chose to use a ziploc bag! It really stuck as a joke with Will...people asking him where his purse was and him saying "I don't HAVE a purse"...so Becca and Jody, a Makarios staff member, presented Will a pink purse (made only minutes earlier from yarn and cardstock)!

Our next stop of the day was the Mac house...short for the Makarios guest house. They are building a home that will support larger groups as well as housing for the host couple (they are what makes the Mac house run smoothly). It is amazing...a true missionary paradise! In the first photo we are standing on the roof. Makarios currently rents a house for the interns, visiting trips, and the host family. The Mac house will be a great relief when it is completed.After the visit to the Mac house, we went to the malecon (the boardwalk). It overlooks the Atlantic Ocean...and the port where Christopher Columbus thought he had found the West Indies. We had a good time just walking and relaxing there...and then...out for ice cream! The real treat here...it was the first time our skin has felt air conditioning since leaving the plane! After only a few minutes, Jackson was cold!!

Soccer Balls, Jump Rope, Tears and Graduation

So, the title sums it up...but I will give more details. Yesterday was good and hard. We went to Makarios in the morning and helped with the graduation ceremony for the kids. We had made them certificates, served them snacks, and were able to meet some of their families. The second picture here is the view from the front porch of the school as the celebration was wrapping up.

After the celebration, we went to Chichigua to play with some of the kids we would be teaching today. When we came to the village, we just walked through with a few teachers from the school and several kids followed us to a field to play. They had a great time kicking the soccer ball around with our kids. We pulled out the double-dutch style jump rope and before we knew it all the kids were gathered around. Some of them were amazingly good...and most of them were barefoot...jumping on rocks! Crazy. Becca and I swung the rope forever and team members and kids alike got involved in cheering ones jumping.

This boy was amazing...he had a different style...it looked like dancing. His name is Ronal. He was amazing...he just kept getting in line to jump again!

It was so much fun.

The kids also got to eat sugar cane cut straight from the field. Have you ever seen a kid look so hot in your life?

I promise...we took Haleigh into the shade quickly after this photo was taken!

The tears came with Vanessa...the little one in this photo...She is almost exactly Brooklyn's age. She came and held her arms up to me...answered my broken Spanish questions...and broke my heart. Except for the time spinning the jump rope...I held Vanessa. I didn't cry about her until that evening...but it was a good long one. She is so sweet and is growing up in a house that literally looks like the livestock sheds from my father's farm. Her entire village is like this. I pray God will lay claim to her heart. I pray she will follow Him. I pray we have shown Him to her and her entire village in some way that makes Him irresistable.

Today was another day of teaching...tie-dye, beads and such. I have blogged about this...but there was one very cool moment where a boy who had taken some English classes started talking to Jackson. He asked him questions in English and was teaching Jackson some Spanish...it was so amazing to see them connect.
So here comes the random. This is where we have been eating when we are not at the Makarios house...Yes folks...that is the restaurant/car wash! The food is pretty good...and you get to watch cars get clean! They really were washing a car while we were eating on the patio on Sunday!! More blogging soon...

Gringa Comprenda! Si!!!

It has been an amazing day! Turns out...I still understand Spanish from those 2 years I waded through back in high school! And...by the end of the day, I was even able to speak quite a bit to the kids.

Today we were at Makarios, the school we are working with here in the Dominican Republic. We are preparing kids for a graduation from the year long Bible class they have attended. Today's activities included making bracelets and tie-dying t-shirts using colors that would serve as a reminder of a part of the Bible. For instance, green meant God is perfect and created everything. We had five different colors that detailed attributes of God and aspects of the gospel. The kids picked up on it fast and we were excited to be part of their learning process.

We were all a bit uncomfortable at first...just trying to make sure our lesson was working and the kids were understanding...but soon...Makarios felt like a new home. Fantastic stuff!

Our kids served their kids breakfast and lunch. It was amazing to see them jump in and help. Many of the Makarios students said "Thank you" in English to our children. It was touching to see them reach out in the way they thought best.
This afternoon we spent time sharpening pencils...just a little service project we saw at the school. The kids did a great job on this one as well.

After much pencil sharpening, we walked to the store...honestly, the size a guest bathroom in the States...just a few items, but you can buy a cold drink...un Coca Light por favor! Yum!!! The kids had a few different choices.

Dinner tonight included tons of laughs with the Makarios staff. They are so warm and inviting...it has been amazing. If you want a really good laugh, go look up flemish giants. I promise, you will not be sorry.

Travel Fun and Day One

We are here. Safe, sound, tired, and blessed!

Saturday ended up being a long travel day with layovers that turned into longer layovers....here's how that looked...

Robbie got us into the Admiral's Club to spend a portion of our layover in Miami. We did actually talk to each other...though this picture does not show our true personalities!

Haleigh and Will amused themselves with bubbles and apples.

Will had some pretty heavy luggage for his size (technically, we all did)! Becca and I were both trying to get a nice picture of everyone walking in the airport...and then Will just went down in front of us. Because of his heavy luggage he went face first. (I cannot believe my camera flashed the shot as he fell...really, I am not a cold, unfeeling mom...the camera went away as soon as I saw him splat)!! He came up bleeding from the mouth (from an already loose tooth) and with a nice bonk on the noggin.

We were all pretty tired by this point...but Will was beyond tired...and here is the result...

We ended up with an extra 2 hours in Miami...so he got a nice nap.

And then...we celebrated the flight leaving!! (notice...it says Puerta Plata)

We got through customs just fine and on to the Makarios house. We had a nice July 4th dinner of hamburgers, potato salad, watermelon, and apple crisp...yum. Then we had our orientation followed by trying not to flush toilet paper down the toilet or stick our toothbrushes under the faucet. So far, we are successful!!

This morning we went to church. Honestly, I did not expect to get much out of a service entirely in Spanish. However, we sang Old Rugged Cross and some other old hymns...made pretty easy by knowing the tune...all I had to do was concentrate on the words! The friends from Makarios were kind enough to tell us what Scripture they were on...if it wasn't easy to translate...and I was in awe. Of course...God is God....no matter what language...whether you speak the language...He speaks...He moves.

After church there was a lunch...beans and rice! We had a nice long lunch. They don't rush through things here and I like that! After lunch and a photo shoot (I will have to get those from Makarios staff members)...we went to a fair trade shop owned by a girl from Canada. She works with Dominican and Haitian women to teach them art trades so they can provide for their families. It was a very cool shop. Lots of jewelry, purses, scarves, candles...I went Christmas shopping. I only spent $44 US money...but that is half a month's salary for a these women! WOW! That is a sobering thought.

When we finished shopping, we visited Pancho Mateo. Many of the children that attend Makarios live in this village. It took some "warming up" but the kids were interested in us. By the end they were getting piggy back rides and our kids were passing out high fives!