smilinin Joel

I’ve been told that I need to get some pics of joel smiling on here as he’s been doing it for a few weeks now.   Here is a picture of him showing off both dimples..sorry for the blur.

Here Joel is studying hard to catch up with his brother and sisters in Spanish and English

Joel’s cousin Megan had this same picture with the binki squished on the cheek after falling out…so thought Iwould stick it on here to prove their cousinhood.

The 2 oldest and Gabe (counseling) are at day camp this week.  Essie is at “camp Mima” with cousin Levi…will hopefully have some pictures to share later as Joel and I went to visit yesterday.  The first day all 3 kids were at camp I had quietness for the first time in the house since…I can’t remember!  It was overwhelming trying to think of WHAT to do FIRST!  My list of things to do had been piling up since a bit before Joel was born.  So, I just began somewhere to begin and not just sit staring at my list all day.  I got a bit done, but I’m not sure anyone could really tell…unless you looked at the 7 things I had crossed off my list .  So, today mom took Essie one more time while the other 2 are gone and I have some more time to go around the house in a mad craze trying to get more of the list done…trying to do the hardest things to do while the kids are here (ie. things that take some concentration…not laundry:)  So i will keep the laundry piled on the couch for later:)…better get going!!

More belated pictures:)

Aunt Molly comes to visit!

Molly takes me out in her in-laws Mustang (at least Gabe tells me that is what it is… I have no idea ) for my first time out after Joel was born.  It was fun to ride…although my hair never blew in the wind as she did not go over 10 MPH …due to the congested traffic of course !

Anadoring brother

News update…if you do not get it via e-mail

Dear Friends,

I heard someone say that once you have your third child, the fourth doesn’t make much of a difference.  Now that we have our fourth, I’m not so sure that’s true. J  We are really glad these days as Joel, formerly known as Jediah, is now almost sleeping through the night!  I can’t quite promise his name will be the same in the next newsletter, but I’m hopeful.  J

We are very thankful for answered prayers in seeing kids come to Christ at school.  Early this month I got an email from Mark Mattix, who is running the Junior and Senior High chapels. He mentioned that they recently had a baptism where a number of our current students were baptized, including alumni who just recently started a relationship with Jesus Christ.  We appreciate your continued prayer for this!  Abel is doing a fine job of running the school, and Alex, a friend who finished one year at the Camiri Bible School, is doing an excellent job of teaching the High School Bible classes this year in my place.  They had their big Mother’s day event with performances for “mama” by kids from various grades.  We are very thankful for the gifts that keep coming in as this continues to be a part of school support as well as our own. 

We are still in Sandy, Oregon for now where I continue working part time helping migrant families with education, and are involved with a local Spanish speaking church called Comunidad Cristiana.  The brother (Jorge Osorio) who started the work recently passed away, and we would like to help out in any way possible.  Last week I was able to be a part of a meeting where the church leadership was decided and the vision for outreach was renewed.  It is nice to be able to use Spanish and be a part of this as a family.

Prayer Requests:

-          That we would get our passports from Bolivia so we can start the paperwork to return before their next school year starts in February.

-          For more kids at the Escuela Cristiana to start a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

-          That we will find the right person with a heart and vision for the Christian school who would like to run it in the future

-          For wisdom in future decisions: setting up a school board, financial issues, continue improvement of infrastructure, and so on.

-          For our spiritual growth, health, and strength as a family.  Also that we would BOTH be on the same page with our desire to go to Bolivia and willing to do what God wants.  Kari is pretty concerned still about health issues as we think about returning again.

-          That we would be of help to the growth of the Comunidad Cristiana while here.

A belated birthday blog!

After finally getting the laundry done (and out of the living room) after 2 weeks of trying, and getting the kitchen cleaned and finally giving all the kids a bath(Gabe did that one:)  I feel like I can blog a bit tonight  

Here are a few happenings:

Joel has been “smilinin” (as Essie likes to say) a lot more recently.  Essie and Kaleb have had colds.  Kaleb is getting 3 cavities filled…for a price:-/!  We are thinking of having him sell lemonade to raise money for the price of his teeth .   We will have him hold a sign that says: “Buy lemonaide to help me fill my cavities”.  Maybe we should make it sugerless lemonaide .  Selah just turned 5 and had fun at the zoo with a free pass for all!  It was a nice day!  It was also the most walking I had done since I was 7 months pregnant probably and I paid for it for 3 days afterwards…OUCH!  Kaleb is quickly DEVOURING the library books.  I think he will be reading 3rd grade level books when he begins 1st grade this year!  I caught him trying to read a 4th grade science textbook that Mima gave us to look at a few days ago.  He got stuck on the word “epidermis” but otherwise read and understood it pretty well!  It amazes me as I watch kids learn…and as I continue to learn things too:)!  Gabe is working more full time this month as they asked him to recruit some migrant families in some other areas now too.  Kaleb AND Selah are going to Day camp at Eagle Fern Camp and are pretty excited about it, although I’m not sure they really know what it is:-).  Gabe is going to counsel at Day Camp (4 days) on June 29th -July 2nd.   I see the Dr. for the last time (hopefully:) this week.  Selah saw the urologist for the last time (hopefully) a couple weeks ago.  She still has another Gastro apt. to go though.  She will continue to be on both her meds into the next year sometime.  I’m glad that we are not in the humidity and heat of Bolivia right now as that increases the likelihood of her infections.  Well, this is getting long….here are some pictures of the past few weeks

Happy birthday Levi (3)and Selah Joy(5)!

Papa and Joel hanging out.  By the way, yes, his name is Joel now…we are hoping to legalize that name soon …so we won’t be able to switch it again!

Cousins Kaleb and Josiah doing some soccer moves…hmmm I wonder who is going to get the ball  

Mima and Joel snugglin’

Here are some pics of the birthday girl at the zoo!  Kaleb and Selah are watching the sea lion swimming right by them!  So cool!

Mima came with us to the zoo too!

We took a ride on the zoo train that went to the Popular “Rose Garden” (first time I’d ever seen it and I’ve lived in Oregon since I was 8!   Here is one of the views of the city from the gardens…and a rose too

Selah opening her present from papa and mima…playmobile princess, which she loves…and her next present?  An ant farm, which she also loves.  Maybe we should call her the “bug princess”

Whew!  That was a lot of activity for a one month old…I think I’d better sleep some more!

Ok, well this took me 2 nights to do…I should keep them shorter!

Are you ready to die?

We are eating lunch last week and Selah randomly pops a question (she takes after me there .   “Mom, it’s taking a LONG time to die isn’t it?”  I am surprised a bit by her question and ask, “You want to die sooner?”  Selah: “Yes, I really want to see what heaven looks like and the house that is there for me.  That’s why I want to die right now” she states matter of factly.  I think a bit (I get a bit sad) and say, “We would miss you.”  She says, “Well, after I play with my presents for a long time, then I will die.”(she just turned 5   Then she adds, “I will die whenever God wants.”  That sounded better to me.   …and we sure had a good conversation after that question!

Locks of love and a free haircut… :-)

There’s nothing like a haircut after having a baby.  It is “freeing” in a way I think.  Maybe that is why so many people do it.  As well as the fact that baby’s have a grip like none other and it does not feel that great when they grip your long hair!   Well, I went for the shortest cut I’ve ever had…and it was more “freeing” than ever, yet maybe in a different way this time…as it was FREE AND made me feel even better after as it would be sent to Locks of Love for cancer patients.  If your hair is 10 inches or more they can cut the whole chunk off and send it there, and you get a FREE haircut.  I used the coupon I had for Selah’s hair (who had been getting food and toothpaste in it for years now and we were ALL tired of her “trying” to comb it out every morning!   She got a short bob cut, per request to have a cut “just like Mima’s hair”.  

Here are some pictures of the new us

 

5 year old pictures  before her hair cut.

A few minutes with 4 kiddos near dinner time

It’s dinner time…well almost.  i start the hamburger cooking.  I am trying to burp the baby at the same time.  Selah opens the door and begins to cry, her finger got stuck in the garage door.  I kiss it and say sorry, that was a quick fix :-).  I finish feeding Joel while the hamburger is cooking/burning:-/.  I hear the water outside turn on.  It is Essie for the 3rd time that day playing with the hose water.  I go out and tell her to turn it off and find her trying to spray her older brother and sister who are screaming for her to stop( how does that work?)!  I then go back inside to stir the hamburger (while still nursing).  It was stuck to the bottom of the pan, opps.  Gabe comes home…ahhh (*sigh*) finally.

Wanna kiss?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At 3 weeks and almost 12 lbs already…he doesn’t quite fit in the sink anymore.  We should try and find a baby bathtub maybe …

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can’t have a mother’s day without chocolate covered strawberries…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ”Hmmm, I THINK she has been a good mommy so far”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The cousins having some fun on mother’s day.  Levi driving Essie’s luxury boat

 

 

 

 

 

This was the baby bath before the sink , thanks Molly for the bowl…it has come in handy in MANY ways !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bottle practice…just in case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trying our hand at some “professional photography”  Hey, it’s cheaper!

Reality has HIT…

Selah woke up this morning telling me she had a dream where a man told her to “Help your mommy“.  Well, we had a crazy evening the night before while Gabe was at singing practice for church and the kids were “stir crazy”.   I guess we have had a crazy week so far…most likely to get crazier.   Parents getting sleepless nights, kids not getting the normal amount of attention and 3 Dr. apointments this week during the day has made it hard on the older kids I think.   Plus they all have colds .   My midwife told me yesterday that I am “overdoing” it…not sure how to help that with 3 other kids who have not had much attention nor been able to get out and just PLAY much with all the rain and a mom who can’t walk to the park with them yet. After 2 weeks I felt it was time for me to get out and start acting normal physically…probably not the best idea. As the midwife told me, “You’ve just had major abdominal surgery, you need lots of breaks through out the day!”  She said the 6-8 week rule of taking it easy was very realistic and that it will just take longer if I kept up overdoing it… DON’T want that!!!  I think I need some ideas on what the older kids can do, or some easy things I can do with them for awhile more!  Although just think they might need to get OUT.   Thanks Mandy for the craft you brought for them…that was a great idea and good for them to be able to do something like that! 

 I just realized how different it was with Essie in Bolivia. Even though I had to take a taxi or walk to the hospital 4 days after she was born c-section about 3 times per day…I still was at a mission house and did not have dishes, laundry or a house to clean looming over me …and Gabe was there the whole time  for the other kids .   I remembered I read through the entire Love comes softly series that they had at the N.T. mission house.   I suppose having one more kid makes it different now too .  So, so far The baby and I have had an appointment this week…next one is Friday for Selah to see the gastrontologist…hopefully for the last time!! 

We are praying like crazy about our future plans…so many things are up in the air…our passports are “stuck” in Bolivia, we have to all get visas before leaving whenever we get our passports back, medical issues with Selah need to be completed, we don’t have a house there anymore (possibly in Jan, we would though), we don’t have a vehicle there anymore as well, nor tickets yet to get there.  Most importantly, we would both like to be on the same page about  going there again…and have a PEACE about it.  I would like to WANT to go there without feeling nervous (or at least at peace) about health issues with the kids and I again.   Please pray about these things with us when you think about it!  We both want to do what God wants us to do.  We were advised by another missionary who was advised by someone else to not rush the decision and to wait until we were BOTH SURE…and the baby is a bit older too.  Good advice I’m sure.

Here is Selah with….hmmm we actually are thinking of changing his name…

bad dreams already?!

Mother’s day wordle…try it out :)

Happy Mother’s day mommy!!!

www.wordle.net create one of your own …Thanks for the site Bethany!