Pictures...

Just hangin' out 

And More Pictures...

Reece and Chase - playing sports together! 

My Kids

I am really enjoying this stage of life in our family. The closeness of age between Reece and Chase is really fun right now. Reece LOVES to entertain and Chase LOVES to be entertained... so they have become quite the pair. They laugh and play together really well - other than the occasional surge of energy that takes over Reece and demands a reminder (sometimes verbal and sometimes a little stronger) that he needs to play gentle with Chase. Chase is a very happy little boy - but there isn't anyone that can cause that deep gutted belly laugh as effectively as his big brother. I am sure that there will be days in the future when they don't get along quite so well and the closeness in age may become a competative issue...but right now, I am very thankful to God that I have two boys who love each other so much. I asked Reece the other night, as I was tucking him in, "who is your best friend"? He answered, "Chase". Could that make a mommy any happier?

Other "boy news"....Reece is doing very well at potty-training. He has had a few naptime accidents but hasn't had any during any of our outings in the past weeks. We are quite proud of him. We are still using a diaper on him at nighttime and are trying to figure out when to take that next step. Any advice? Reece is a pretty creative kid with quite the imagination. It has been fun to watch him play and see what he comes up with next. He is definitely busy! His latest faves are creating food out of play-doh, the UNO card game, and painting. And Chase has been officially tagged our own portable vacuum cleaner. The kid can find the tiniest crumb - it is amazing! He is getting a lot stronger and is becoming discontented with sitting. He wants to pull up and is closer each day to crawling (yikes! this second time around I am learning that life is easier when your baby stays in one spot!) His appetite has grown tremendously and between the two of them - they are eating us out of house and home and they aren't even close to the teenage years. Look out grocery budget!! Chase still has only two bottom teeth, but his whole top gumline is swollen so he may be popping out several at one time up there. Poor guy. One of my favorite times of the day is right before afternoon naps and right before bedtime. We all crash on the floor or on Reece's bed and read a few books together. Chase has especially taken to this time and expresses his enjoyment with lots of squeals and kicks. Reece, is having to learn to share the books - not always an easy thing!

Anyway, I could go on and on. I will stop here with a short word of thanks to God for my incredible children..."Father, I cannot express in words the gratitude I feel for allowing me to spend each day with my boys. I know there are times when I forget the true blessing I have, but in moments of reflection I am quickly reminded of how fortunate I am. Thank You for the way my children teach me about You. Their simplicity, their joy, their excitement over the things that really matter. I thank You tonight for Reece's Christ like heart. His desire to pray and to always be thankful and thoughtful of others challenges me. Thank You for Chase's love and admiration of his brother. Would You help me to grow in love and admiration for Jesus. I leave both Reece and Chase in Your hands and ask You to protect them and to grow them in You. In Jesus name, Amen.

A First Step...

No, I am not referring to Chase taking his first steps...although he is getting very close to crawling! I am actually talking about what happened last night in our work here. Benjy and I, along with Stephen (one of our AIM student - apprentice missionaries) witnessed a "first step" and very important step in the growth of our ministry here in Mexico City. We were invited into the home of Luis Espinoza, our most recent brother in Christ, to share in a Bible discussion with his mom and uncle. The exciting thing is that Luis lead the discussion - which has great implications for the direction we want our work to go. It is impressive for a number of reasons: firstly, our prayer is that last night might serve as an open door for a new group of believers and we are convinced that it is really important that it began from the first time to be lead by a Mexcian Christian. It will save us the often difficult transition from missionary-lead leadership to Mexican leadership. It is also exciting because Luis is full of faith and excitement in his new journey with Christ and we do not consider it a small thing that he is sharing his faith with his own family in such a direct way. Please pray for the journey that we believe God is beginning with this family.

Praying For...

Here is a list of a few things that you can join me in prayer about...
~ Something to rejoice about! Our teammates Paul and Kristi Miller welcomed the birth of their baby girl, Olivia Karen yesterday. Madeline has a new sister and everyone is doing well.
~ Please remember Chase in your prayers over the next few weeks. At his last check up we learned that he had lost a bit of weight and he just has not seemed to be growing much. They ran some tests and it looks like he is slightly anemic so he is on iron supplements and we are hoping that he will put some weight on by next check up. He is happy and eats well so we are expecting good results.
~ We have an opportunity with Luis' family to begin a Bible study group in his home this Sunday evening. We are hoping this may lead to a new group of relationships and followers of Jesus.
~ I am currently meeting with Hilda for a time of prayer and encouragement during the week. We have committed to growing in our reading and trust in God's Word. Pray for our follow through and submission to God's desire to transform and grow us.
~ You can be praying for my intentions of re-visiting my language studies. I feel like I am at a plateau with my spanish abilities, and although I am comfortable - I feel like I need to challenge myself to improve. It is difficult to find the time during the day to give myself to this but I want to prioritize this as it influences my effectiveness in meeting new people.
~ Luis Enrique recently underwent a follow-up surgery to intestinal problems he experienced last year. Pray for his recovery.
~ Always be praying for God to pour out His wisdom and guidance in the direction of our church plantings here in Mexico City.
~ And, for the safety and protection of our family. There are times when living in a different culture and so far away from family can be difficult.

Here We Go....

I honestly was not expecting this idea to work as effectively as it has, but it looks like we are on our way to potty training! For the longest time Reece has shown zero interest in anything related to the idea of "the potty"...except for reading his potty book and that only because he loves books. So - I thought I would ease him back into at least sitting on the potty by motivating with stickers. So, we made a potty poster together and I told him he would get a sticker every time he would sit on it. Well, almost immedietly that went really well so we let him run around the house with nothing on below. He soon began telling me when he had to go and besides a few accidents, I think we are on our way! We bought some "big boy underwear" this evening and so tomorrow he will begin wearing that. It has been fun to watch how proud of himself that he is. He tells everyone he sees that he went pee and poop in the potty - so I don't think he would mind me writing it here either! Ha! I guess we will see how it goes - I am expecting to have lots more laundry for a little while, but maybe I will be suprised again! I certainly will not mind having only one in diapers.

An Honest To Goodness Date!

We didn't really know what to do with ourselves - to be able to have a lengthy conversation without the frequent interruptions of " 'xcuse me mommy"'s, making sure juice isn't spilled, snacks are shared and kids are in their seats - I must say....this is worth blogging about! Benjy and I enjoyed a movie and dinner - he surprised me with roses, we dressed up, we went to a movie and dinner. What a nice evening - thanks to our great teammates James and Erin. We have decided to swap babysitting each others' kids more often so we can have these special times for our marriages. I am reminded tonight that in the hustle and bustle of two little boys - it sure is a blessing to have such a good man in my life - and to have alone time with him. Both of us commented on how strange it felt to be out without the stroller, diaper bag, and obvioulsy, Reece and Chase. And, of course, it is also a pretty neat feeling to be greeted at the door from two very happy little guys, excited to see Mommy and Daddy again! As I head to bed I am thankful for good friends that we can trust our kids with, I am thankful for the simple things like conversation, smiles and laughs from my kids, and most of all, my life partner that I get to experience each day with.

Meet...Dodger Black

Okay - I wouldn't necessarily say that I was ready for Reece to have a new pet - BUT...he has one! One of our Mexican friends gave Reece this fish after church on Sunday. Reece was quite thrilled and carried him home, holding him tightly in his car seat. We asked Reece what he would like to name him as we drove home. He confidently replied, "Dodger". We were a little suprised that he even grasped the concept of giving the fish a name so we asked again. His next response was "Black" -so...we tagged him with the name of "Dodger Black." Luis Enrique told us to give him clean water ever 15 days or so - but that he would be fine with water straight from the tap. Hmmm. This is Mexico so I wonder how long it will take for us to be explaining the death of Dodger Black to our son.



The newest friend in our house! 

We All Survived!

This is NOT fun! 

Well, we just passed another milestone in this whole parenting thing - Reece's first haircut! Yes, he is nearly 2 and a half, and yes...the time has been here for awhile but we finally took the plunge (okay, I am trying too hard to protect my husband! - Benjy finally gave the "okay"!!!). We took Reece to a place for kids' haricuts and they did a great job - even saved his first snips for me and put it in a special little envelope/card and took a picture for us (two things I was prepared to do on my own anyway!) Reece did all right - big tears rolled down his cheeks and it required a bit of convincing for him to let the whole process begin, but...he finally sat on my knee and the lady went to work. I just kept telling him that he would be okay and that he should "wipe his tears" - a phrase that, as of late, has been a favorite of his. By the end (which with as little as we allowed her to cut off - did not take long) Reece gave the lady a big hug and told her "thank you". I doubt anyone can tell - except for us, of course! I think he looks much more like a little boy - still lots of cute curls, just more polished. And Reece is quite proud - recounting the story in his own cute little way to anyone who asks him about it. And as for us, well, we are quite a bit more confident that a first hair cut is no big deal :) !