from CONFERENCE to HAND SURGERY

 

December 17-19^th our team had its annual team training.  We love our mission family and so enjoying hanging out with them. 

 

This year our training was extra special because our missionary friends from Bolivia came as the speakers.  In 2003 our family (back when we just had three kids) spent a month in Bolivia with the Hawthorn family.  They drove us all over their big country, introduced us to their fellow missionaries, allowed Jeff to work in the clinic (Steve’s a family practice doctor), talked with us extensively about mission organizations, raising finances, working and raising a family overseas.    

 

It was wonderful to be able to host them in Paraguay.  After our team workshop we took the Mary and Steve to our house for a few days.  The first day they were with us, I stabbed my palm with a knife while trying to clean out a groove my refrigerator.  It immediately showed signs of infection; my index finger became hot, red, swollen and very painful.   I became unable to straighten it or really move it at all.  Jeff immediately started me on powerful antibiotics (ouch....those shots hurt!) and although they kept the infection at bay, my finger/hand wasn’t getting any better. 

We drove our guests into Asuncion Saturday and Sunday morning saw them off at the airport.  Sunday afternoon Jeff drove me to the ER.  I was seen at 3:00 and by 3:15, I was undergoing surgery.  The surgeon (with Jeff assisting) opened my hand, cleaned out the infected tendon sheath and sewed me back up (about 10 stitches)....all on the ER gurney.  An hour after arriving and $150 later, I was walking out to the car.  There’s nothing like surgery a few days before Christmas.  Jeff asked on the way home if a correct diagnosis counted as a Christmas gift.

 

HAPPY 12th BIRTDAY, GINNY!

We took one of Ginny’s friends with us to T.G.I. Friday’s for lunch.  She and her best friend shared shrimp and sesame chicken wings.  We all loved the T.G.I. Friday’s atmosphere and the food was great.  Next we went out or ice cream where Ginny opened her gifts.  Among her gifts was Reddy Whip which we immediately added to our ice cream.  While Joshua and I were out the day before we found Reddy Whip for the first time in country.  Reddy Whip is one of the things Ginny says she misses the most from the U.S.  After ice cream we all went shopping at a store Ginny loves.  At the day’s end Ginny said she had had the best day. 

PIZZA NIGHT

This was our first time grilling pizza.  It was tasty.  It was made even better by the sweet fellowship of team mates.  After dinner the little kids helped decorate mini powdered donuts to look like snowmen.  Then we projected a Christmas movie on the big scene.

 

Personal grilled pizzas....Yum

so many toppings to choose from

the grill master

pizza + coke = happy kids

 

Messy. Cute, fun. Memories.

 

My kids pretty much live in their bathing suits all of December.

ONION HARVEST

Today Mariza and Cesar asked us to help with their onion harvesting. It was a fun afternoon.  I’m not sure how much actual help we were, but we did bring several capable workers.

 This is Cesar, Mariza.  The kid with the blond ringlets is their 3 year old boy, Ivan

A porch full of onions

Sitting around cutting off the onion’s roots and getting rid of an outer dirty layer

 

Bagging the onions in order to be sold

 

Even the little guys helped, although Julia only wanted to bag the biggest onions

 

Looking at Cesar’s field

 

It’s DECEMBER and it’s HOT

Today’s temperature hovered at 100 degrees forcing us to spend all day outside. 

 

When we lived in North America we tried to stay inside where the air-conditioning was during the hottest months.

 

Here in Paraguay, in my poorly constructed house, there is no air-conditioning.  It is just as hot inside the house as it is outside.  If my oven is on, the kitchen becomes intolerable in the heat.

 

The hotter it gets here, the more time we spend outside doing school work, visiting, reading, playing and doing food prep.    

This little guy loves the water.  Can you tell he’s sporting a bathing suit with the Australian flag on the side?  Our last year interns sent it to him.  So cute.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

We have so much to be thankful for!

 

We spent Thanksgiving Day with teammates. We had lots of food, lots of fellowship and surprisingly lots of rain. The rain and cooler weather were a nice change from the previous day’s 100 degree weather.

 

 

The kids trotting off to do fireworks.

Annual talent show.  This year Ginny read some limericks, Joshua did two experiments using balloons, Tyler played the harp and Micah did two experiments using eggs.

Baseball game after lunch.

Josiah's first Thanksgiving

 

 

 

FUNNY-NESS

Micah: I want a turkey leg.

Dad: They are all taken.

Micah: Ok.  I’ll have the hand. (I think he meant wing.)

 

 

Tyler: One of dad’s patients just told me that our chicken has laid a bunch of eggs across the road.

Micah: What’s her name?

Tyler: I don’t know, just a lady.

Micah: Not her name, the chicken’s name.

Tyler: I don’t know.  She didn’t say.

JOSIAH at 8 MONTHS

11-7: Josiah’s getting up on hands and knees and rocking.

It seems that some days all we do is sit around admiring Josiah, praising him for any new milestones no matter how little. 

His little personality shines through more and more each month. 

He loves people and easily goes to any open arms. 

His huge grin and chuckle warms us all.  

His hair is starting to grow, looks kind of blond

11-24: First sickness.  Poor guy had a fever for a couple days, an ear infection and fussiness for a week.  I’m ready for him to get to feeling better and again be his happy carefree self.