It's Definitely Time!

He needed it so badly, I put it off for too long, and now my baby is officially no longer a baby.

New Trick

Look what Dash can do...

Fourth of July?

Yes, this post is about the 4th of July. Like I said, we've not been home, therefore the blogging has suffered. This year was an incredible fourth and there is no way I could not share it. Let me start in 1983. That's the year I started going up to Utah to spend the summers with my Grandma and cousins. I went every summer until I was 16 and every year my Aunt bought us matching cousin outfits to wear on the fourth. The town is absolutely tiny (no stoplights) and they always have the perfect all-American small town parades, carnival, and fireworks display. The celebration is one of my absolute favorite memories from my childhood and I jumped at the chance this year to share it with my boys. So, Josh, Dash and I flew over to Albuquerque and then drove up to Blanding, Utah. Of course, my amazing Aunt Patty had the boys' cousin shirts all ready for them! We stayed with my Grandma Arthur in her little house that always fits our family just right. And what a blessing! Little did we know that would be our last time at Grandma's house before the stroke. Oh praise God we went. It was a wonderful weekend. Full of family, food, and a whole lot of red, white and blue. Josh was surrounded by cousins his age, which is the greatest delight to his heart. He stayed up to watch his first fireworks display and ate way too much candy! I really hope this can become a tradition that they will grow up and cherish as well.

Four girls, five boys, all under the age of five, all in cousin shirts.

His hand on his heart as the flag comes by. Love it.

cousin time

Perfect.

Hurry Catch Up

The last two months have easily been the craziest ever, considering we were only home 7 days the entire month of July and first part of August. Needless to say I did not post Dash's 10 month and 11 month pictures or accomplishments and since he'll be one next week I better hurry up and do it!

At ten months:

We left Dash for ten whole days with my parents. When we left he was crawling and had one tooth in his mouth. We came back to two teeth on the bottom and oh are they cute. We also were amazed to see him standing up pushing anything/everything around that he could! Of course he was still full of smiles but he started to show the frustrated side as well. This was and continues to be manifested through loud crying and throwing himself on the floor in a manner that resembles a frog jumping. Josh is quick to remind him that "throwing fits will not help you get your way" which is extremely cute and helpful but not yet effective. He loves balls, cars, books, and dumping out any and all containers. He continues to love all foods but will quickly purse his lips and turn his head when he's had enough or prefers something different.

At Eleven Months:

He loves to walk, or at least the idea of walking. He can take 10 steps on his own but isn't sure footed yet and continues to crawl most places. Oh can he throw a fit! He absolutely HATES getting his diaper or his clothes changes. The good news is those are usually the only times you'll hear him cry. He has a deep fascination with both dogs and loves to chase Maggie around the house. He loves to be chased himself and will crawl away at lightening speed, look back and smile and laugh hard and loud. Dash is most definitely a climber! I'm often amazed (and petrified) to find the places he has climbed up. On that note, he is very good at turning around and climbing down facing backwards. One of the sweetest moments of the day is to see his excitement when Kevin comes home. He dashes to the door with high pitched squeals and pants like a dog. He actually pants a lot when he is excited, it's pretty funny. Josh continues to amaze me as an older brother. He is always there to rub Dash's back when he is crying (even though there is a good chance the pain was caused by Josh in the first place). He includes him in everything and will narrate to Dash what is happening or what "the plan is". He encourages Dash with the kindest words when he walks or accomplishes a new task. It really is a beautiful relationship.

It really is the biggest blessing from God to have my boys. I am thankful and amazed more and more each day.

Guatemala Mission Trip

We've been back from Guatemala for over a week now and I'm sorry for the delay in this post. I've blamed it on the editing/sorting of over 600 pictures but really I've stalled because I'm not sure how to convey what we experienced into words. I didn't want this post to be a daily account of our activities but rather a small glimpse into what God allowed us to be a part of for our short time there. I'll give it my best but please know that these simple words don't do it justice.

Our team was made of up 15 people ranging from the age of 18 months to over 60. We represented two different churches and two different denominations, a fact that had no impact on our time and our work in country. I love serving with fellow believers when Christ is our sole focus! My parents were kind enough to watch Dash the ten days we were gone and while we missed him, God was so gracious in protecting him and our hearts while we were away. Josh was able to go with us because of the foundation laid by our good friends the Leathermans. They have been working in Guatemala and with Guatemalan missionaries for over six years and have always taken their young children with them. The Leathermans run a non-profit organization called New Beginning Resources, and work closely with the people in Santa Cruz del Quiche and San Pedro, the two towns we spent the majority of our time in.

A normal day consisted of work projects in the morning (building, painting, digging) and then vacation Bible school in the afternoon. We'd return home to the dorms in Santa Cruz, have an authentic dinner provided by a wonderful local woman and meet with Guatemalan missionaries. Every part of our day was special in its own way but I particularly liked the stories the Missionaries shared every night. They have all witnessed the miracles and steadfast love of Christ and provided a real life glimpse at the faithfulness of God. Story after story of God's protection and sovereignty, especially as most of them remained in country during the 36 year civil war. While many people fled during this time, Grace and Juan (founders of the Utatlan Evangelical school in Santa Cruz) stayed and continued to educate and house hundreds of students. They trusted their protection to Christ alone.

It reminded me so much of Job when God reminds/rebukes Him, saying, "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?...Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn it's place?...Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are"? (Job 38: 4, 12, 35) and of course Job responds, "I know that You can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." (Job 42: 2)

No plan of yours can be thwarted! The people we met on this trip were living proof of this.

The majority of our time was spent in the small town of San Pedro, 15 minutes outside of Quiche. We worked closely with Arnold and Claudia, the founders and directors of a small church and Christian school. Click here to see videos and pictures of the schools opening earlier this year. Also, coming soon will be an opportunity to sponsor students attending the school, so be sure to check the NBRI website frequently. After spending time with the students/teachers who attend the school and church I can guarantee you'd be making an excellent investment, not only in a valuable education but in the hope and possibilities an education can lead to . Arnold and Claudia are amazing people who have truly dedicated their lives to Christ in their service to the church, school, and small town of San Pedro.

VBS was so much fun and with each new day our numbers grew and grew. This was probably attributed to the fact that we served a hot lunch everyday which was evidently a treat to many of the students who would stuff their pockets full of meat to take home to their families. Josh was old enough to participate in VBS and the Guatemalan children LOVED him. So much so, that they really smothered him if he was sitting down for too long. In fact every where we went Josh really opened doors for us. He provided us many opportunities to talk to people in the market places, town squares, and along the street. He was along side for the entire week, digging drainage, serving food, and singing wacky songs to Jesus. I'm not sure if he'll have memories from this trip as he grows older but I'm so thankful for the opportunity to expose him to new places, people, foods, and customs. I'm even more thankful he was given the chance to see our love for Christ put into action through service, which did require some selflessness on his part.

Overall, it was an incredible week and very difficult to leave. God was so gracious in answering our prayers concerning the language difference. I was amazed at how easily and quickly the years of spanish classes came flooding back into my mind (although I guarantee I wasn't conjugating any verbs!) We pray and look forward to our next opportunity to go, hopefully, back to Guatemala!

Guatemala...

We've been home for a week but I'm still sorting, editing, and working on pictures for the slideshow. I promise it is coming soon! Here is one of my favorites while you wait. This is Arnold (and his family) the pastor of the church and school we worked at. Amazing story. Amazing people.

Backyard

I LOVE my backyard this year. We added an addition to the porch, a sidewalk and rock which is really keeping the mud away. I have flowers blooming all over the place, adding such beautiful color! But the best part is our garden. It is year number three for our garden and this summer it is actually producing food. Real, edible, food! We have tons of cherry tomatoes, roma tomatoes, green beans, snap peas, strawberries, and radishes. We have a few red peppers about to ripen and we have picked 3 jalapenos. Now this probably doesn't mean much to our average reader, but my mom will get a kick out of this entire post. You see, my mom has a real green thumb. She loves gardens of all varieties, the vegetable and flower. She has tried for years to teach me how to grow and take care of living plants. I've never been interested. Now? Now I have a whole post about how much I love digging in the dirt and the results that come with a little time and loving care.

This creeping vine covers the back fence.

I planted these Myrtle bushes about a month ago.

We added rock and Josh has spent many an hour loading and dumping.

Pears. I can't take the credit for these, they were there when we moved in and grow bountifully every year

Mom gave me lily bulbs for Mothers Day 2 years ago. This is the first year they've bloomed!

Beautiful.

This has absolutely nothing to do with the post except that I get in trouble when there are no kid pictures!