THIS WEEK

10-7-12

 

Since being home from the hospital/Asuncion we have had 3 days in a row of missionary visits....all coming to help in my recovery (bringing food, helping clean).  We cannot say enough how much we love our SIM Paraguay team mates and value their friendship.  Several neighbors and friends from San Francisco have come by to visit.  They’ve brought fresh milk, yogurt, bread, homemade cheese and vegetables from their garden.

 

You know you live in a friendly culture when.....Jeff needed to change a poopy diaper while at friend’s house.  He went to the car to get the diaper and realized that there were no wipes.  He went to the store across the street to ask if they had any.  Their response, “We don’t sell those.  But we’ll change your baby for you.”

Even though Julia can say (almost) all her siblings’ individual names, she prefers to call them all Joshua.

 

Julia calls Ginny “Nee-naw” and Tyler is “Ty-lor”.

 

I don’t know why, but Julia calls all her Paraguayan friends, “Baba”.

 

I love the look on Julia’s face as she tries to protect the guinea pig from a very curious cat.

 

We continue to host Bible study at our house every Sunday. We have three consistent families that participate, plus several neighborhood children. It is a great time of singing and Bible story telling....a highlight of our week.

 

we're such a friendly family - here our cat Boots is giving the guinea pig a hug.

Did you know that moving is even stressful for chickens?  When we mentioned to our neighbors that our chickens were still not producing eggs they’d say, “Give them more time; chickens don’t handle change well.”   Exactly a month after the move, they all began laying eggs again.  It took them longer to get settled into their new home then it took us!

 

Micah’s job is to collect eggs throughout the day, a job he takes very seriously.

10-8-12.  What a good start to the week (except for the heat!).  We put a big dent in homeschooling.  I had a great visit with a neighbor today and went out of my comfort zone telling the Elijah/Mt Carmel story.  I am continually amazed that God would chose to use me in spite of and despite of my weaknesses and imperfections.  Jeff was on cloud 9 after a leaders’ meeting in San Francisco.  God is doing some amazing faith building things and the men are stepping up to the challenge!

HAPPY 8th BIRTHDAY, TYLER!

10-10.12

 

Tyler celebrated his birthday with chocolate chip pancakes, enchiladas and homemade pizza and coke (birthday boy’s menu request), homemade ice cream in waffle cone bowls, riding his new bike, playing with neighbors, exploring with siblings, a game of Settlers, extra Wii time and no homeschool.

Tyler bought a guinea pig, Patches with his birthday money.

Tyler loves exploring and has a happy-go-lucky attitude about life.  He is outgoing, sensitive, and a daddy’s boy.  He loves to give massages and is getting better at reading. 

MISSIONARY LIFE

We have become one of “those” missionaries who boil the pig’s head!

 

I hear there is more than one way to do this....skinning a rabbit

 

Our ping pong table is getting lots of use these days.

Chicken lover

study time

OUR HOUSE BEFORE and AFTER

I have been waiting to take the “after” pictures at a time when the house was all picked up and clean.  But guess what?  The house is hardly ever all picked up and cleaned.  Therefore, I never took pictures.  However, with much prompting from the grandparents, I finally took some shots of the house (dirt, mess and all).

 

We didn’t do much to the front of our house, just painted.  Jeff sees patients to the left.

To the back, we put up a quincho (where our ping-pong table resides and we drink terere), windows on the house and we made a better fence.

 

 

I love the windows and the view from them!

 

The door on the right goes to our kitchen/living room.  The door on teh left goes to Jeff and my bedroom.

 

 

We added locking doors and screen doors.

 

This is the far wall as you walk into the kitchen/living room:  Jeff’s piano, upper cabinets, the bathroom door is on the right.  To right (where the picture is cut off) is the kitchen counters, sink and oven.  To the left (where the picture is cut off) is a sofa and a door leading to the kids’ room.

 

This is looking back toward the front door.  We made Ryan a loft room...just like in Little House on the Prairie.

This is to the right as you walk in the front door.

Looking toward the front door (on the right).

Jeff and my bedroom. 

The kids’ room.

Hope you enjoyed your tour!

HAPPY 6th BIRTHDAY, MICAH!

 

September 29, 2012

 

I cannot believe this guy turned SIX today!

 

His birthday dinner request was chicken hearts.

 

I am thankful to be released from the hospital in order to help celebrate with him, although I didn’t feel like eating any chicken hearts.

 

We tried to try to find a bike for Micah for his birthday.  After zero success, a Paraguayan told us that it’s a seasonal item.  Who knew?  We’ll keep checking and hopefully he will have a new bike before we leave the city.

 

Micah bought a hamster with his birthday money.  His name is Lucky.

In the evening of his birthday Micah told me that he didn’t think he was really six.  When I asked his why, he said, “If I am six, then why do I still suck my thumb?”  Good question.  Micah did stop the habit a couple months back, but began again when we moved into our new house.  We’ve been pressuring him to stop by his birthday.  He told us in the days leading up, “I have decided that I might maybe possible stop on my 6^th birthday.”

 

Around here, Micah is probably best known for his fashion.  Let’s see...there were the rain boots he wore every single day for 2 years and now that he has out grown them, it’s a real struggle to get him to wear any shoes.  A bathing suit and no shirt have been his preferred “outfit” for a year and a half now.  This kids needs to be a beach bum in California!  Every now and then (if we’re going out and we require actual clothes), he will put on a skeleton costume or and army costume.  What can I say?  He’s six.

PARAGUAYAN BIRTHDAY PARTIES

Thought you’d be interested in seeing how children’s birthdays are celebrated here in Paraguay among the middle to upper class.  It is a bit different than in the US.

 

There are several tables set up with table clothes.  As people arrive they find a seat.  Fathers/men usually don’t come to birthday parties (Jeff was one of 2 father’s there).  Each table is then served with a soft drink and finger foods – chipita, sopita, croquetitas, empanaditas, and milenesitas.

Then the birthday kid is presented by entering the room to music.  No special announcement or words.  She just enters.

Then it is cake time.  A styrophome cake topper and a table filled with candy.

A big balloon filled with candy that is cut with a knife.  Children scramble for the contents.

Time to go home.

AN UNEXPECTED HOSPITAL STAY

September 28 and 29 

            I thought it was a bit strange that my morning sickness continued past the morning.  As the afternoon wore on, I became more nauseated and my stomach was feeling really gross.  I chalked it up to the pregnancy and went to bed early.  About midnight I woke up with cramps and could not go back to sleep.  My first thought was that I was having a placental detachment, like I had with Micah.  At that time, the doctor said that there was a 50% chance the placenta would tear more and I’d miscarry or it could stop separating and I’d have a healthy baby.  As I laid bed from midnight till morning, I prayed that God would protect this baby.     

            In the morning I woke up Jeff and told him what I thought.  He immediately did an exam and diagnosed me with appendicitis.  Never did I think I would be so glad to hear those words, but I was so relieved the baby was going to be ok.  I am so thankful for the knowledge God has given my husband and the reassurance that he was able to give me (over and over) that the baby was not in danger. 

            This was my first ever operation.  I was a bit nervous, but by the time 3:00 came around I was ready to be done with the pain. Jeff was able to be in the operating room with me, which gave me some comfort.  I am so thankful that we were already in the city and I didn’t have to pack us all up in the pain and travel 5 hours (some of those on bumpy dirt roads).

            I was totally unprepared for the painful recovery.  I naively thought that it would be like childbirth – you pay your pain dues at the beginning, but once the thing is out, you feel great.  NOT.  Those first couple days are rough! 

            16 hours after surgery I was released (on Micah’s 6^th birthday).      I am so thankful for the friends that helped watched the kids while I was at the hospital and for a team mate who came from 3 hours away to stay 2 nights with kids.

            4 days later we headed to our home in rural Paraguay.  I am thankful for my children who are good little helpers and my husband who has been patient with me.  I am so thankful that this baby continues to have a strong heart beat and wiggles inside of me.

 

 

While the doctor was doing an ultrasound to diagnose appendicitis, he noted that my gall bladder had 20-30 stones in it.  I don’t know what that is all about since I have never had any gall bladder symptoms.  Would you help pray with me that I won’t experience any symptoms while pregnant and that I won’t have to have my gall bladder taken out as well during this pregnancy?