Invisible Moms

I am posting this to encourage you, as a Mom, that the little things you do each day are making a difference. It made me think - and inspired me - and stirred that "creative" part of me. Read it and then realize, today, the great work you are doing! (I cut and past so I apologize for the way it lines up - but, hey, I have more important things to do with my time than edit the spacing of this text!)

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I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way
One of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be
Taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"
Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping
The floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see
Me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you
Tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not
Even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite
Guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order,
"Right around 5:30 , please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes
That studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now
They had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's
Going...she's going...she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a
Friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and
She was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there,
Looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to
Compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress;
It was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was
Pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut
Butter in it.

I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully
Wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this." It was a book on the great
Cathedrals of Europe . I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until
I read her inscription: "To Charlotte , with admiration for the greatness of
What you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover
What would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could
Pattern my work:

1. No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of
their names.

2. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see
finished.

3. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit.

4. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of
God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the
Cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny
Bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you
Spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by
The roof? No one will ever see it."
And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost
As if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the
Sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of
Kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is
Too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great
Cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease
That is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own
Self-centeredness.. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep
The right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the
People who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on
Something that their name will never be on.

The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever
Be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to
Sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's
Bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the
morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three
hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a
shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And
then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna
love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're
doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel,
not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to
the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Live Simply.
Love Generously.
Care Deeply.
Speak Kindly.
Leave the rest to God

Does Parenting Age You?

Reece is more or less out of the throwing fits stage (thank goodness) but is entering the "talking back" stage to replace it (yikes!). He can say the funniest things when he is frustrated or angry - we often have to cover our smirks and laughter in the moment and wait till he is away to let it out! Yesterday I got onto him for something and asked him to take a break and go to his room for a moment. On the way up the stairs he responded with much agitation, "Mom, you are like 67 - you aren't even 32 years old!"

Oookkkkaaaayyyyy.

A Girl!

We are excited to learn that Jared and Betsy (Benjy's sister) are having a baby girl! This little one will be the first girl on both sides of their families. She will be loved and spoiled and have a lot of big boy cousins to protect and teach her not to fear snakes and bugs and rough play (there are 5 grandsons on the Brednich side and 2 on the Gowens side). So...needless to say I think everyone is thrilled to be able to buy some pink this time. We are so very thankful to God for this little niece of ours - she will be the first to enter our world since having our own kids. Kate Elizabeth - please know how special you are to us already. Keep growing! We are looking forward to knowing you!

Good Change

I just want to say that Benjy and I really feel blessed. The past few weeks have held a lot of change for our family - new school, new home, beginning a new group to share Jesus with friends. Change can be hard but these changes have all proven to be refreshing and encouraging. We both feel like we have had more conversations with new people in these past weeks than we have had in a long time. Ironically, we have even had more conversations with our neighbors from the old house since our move than we had during the three years we lived there! Many of these new conversations have begun because of our children. A new school experience and a new neighborhood for your kids to run around in....it has opened doors for us! It is exciting to think about what God might have in mind for new friendships from these places. To be honest, things had been feeling a little stagnant but not anymore.... The changes have been needed and we believe God is working on us to be more bold and intentional in being ourselves with people. Sometimes on the mission field it seems like even teeny tiny baby steps can bring so much encouragement. So... imagine how encouraged we have felt when a couple approaches us at Reece's school program and asks us about our purpose here and tell us they are interested in seeing what house church looks like. Or when we hear news that one of our Christian brothers who moved away last year has been talking to his family and they want Benjy to study the Bible with them. We sense good things around the corner - new opportunities, new friendships, good things. Thank you for your prayers. They are important to us! Our Sunday night group is just forming but it is exciting for us to try a new way to create Christian community with friends who have been studying the Bible with someone on our mission team. This group provides another step for them to have more conversations about Jesus. Continue praying that God would use this group to plant another house church.

Funny Chase

Chase NEVER ceases to amaze us. He is a funny little boy....and sometimes in these 2 year old days...a bit mischievious. Although I don't know why, he seems to respond quite well to "reason" - which can be entertaining and time consuming at the same time (but almost always worth the time it takes to draw him to an appropriate decision). Here is the most recent humorous conversation....

Scene: Chase is in the bathtub - I hear break outs of laughter - I approach the bathroom and see puddles of water down the hall. He decided it would be fun to pour cup fulls of water out of the tub and onto the floor. I pull him out and set him on his bed as I clean up the mess and collect my thoughts ;) In an attempt to use his preferred means of concluding life - we begin to reason.... "why did you do that?" "do you know it makes Mommy sad when you do things you shouldn't" "look at the big mess I had to clean up and all the water you wasted" and then this...

Me: "Chase, do you know that God wants you to think and make good decisions. What did God put in your head?"

Chase: long pause......"nothing"

Hmmmmmmmm.

Our New Home

Well, we are moved - not completely unpacked but we are moved and settling in. We feel very, very blessed and enjoy our home already. We were waiting for our internet to be connected and have been really busy so I have not been on the computer much as of late. But anyway....our new place... There are about 35 homes in behind a 24 hour guarded gate and so we feel very safe. Not too far from where we lived before and only about a 7 or 8 minute drive to Reece's school. It is quiet and pretty - lots of nice landscaping and a common area with a playground for the boys. We have been welcomed by so many friendly people. And perhaps the thing that warms my heart the most is that there are a lot of kids running and playing outside. Earlier this week the doorbell rang and there were a handful of kids outside, inviting our boys to come and play with them. Reece and Chase were thrilled and it has been difficult to keep them inside ever since. Their favorite friends so far live in house 12 and yesterday Reece asked me if he could go ask them to come outside to play. I said it was fine but he had to be brave and go speak to him himself. Reece returned a few moments later, explaining that they first had to eat but then they would come out (I asked Reece if he spoke in english or spanish and he said, "well, first I spoke english but they didn't understand me - so then I spoke in spanish") We know it will be so good for the kids to make Mexican friends here at home - outside of school or church friends. Seems like all of these kids are learning english in school so they are loving the chance to try to speak to Reece and Chase in english too. As parents, we really feel blessed to be in this home for lots of reasons - but especially for the boys.

Thank You God for the way You continually provide and care for our needs. We appreciate Your hand in leading us to this neighborhood, this home. Please use this place to offer hospitality and real friendship to people. And most importantly, may these walls surround our family and create a place where we love each other, grow together and learn and live for You. Thank You for the children who have already blessed my boys with friendship and fun times. Amen.

I will try to post some pictures soon....and I have a lot of stuff to share about so I hope to post more often!

And He Is Off......To School

We sent our little boy to kindergarten today....yes he is only 4. It is one of those strange parent moments where your heart couldn't feel prouder...and yet so full and almost sad at the same time. I can't help but wonder why I am supposed to feel "ready" to pass him on to be given influence, care and direction by someone else for over 25 hours a week. That is a lot of time. And yet I also know it is an important step for him - that he will learn and grow and mature in ways that he wouldn't if he didn't head off to school. Good and sometimes difficult life lessons await him. I am excited for the way his mind and heart will stretch and grow from experiencing life in a classroom, making new friends, being creative and learning about our world. And it makes me feel all the more determined to heighten our influence on him with God, building character and values into his mind and heart.

Our day was good. Reece was excited this morning and got ready for his first real encounter with his new school. He thoughtfully said good-bye to his little brothers, reminding them he would be back to play with them, and wished us all a good day. He had a little bit of a difficult time being left, but we knew he would be okay once we left the scene. And that is what happened. When we arrived to pick him up he had a big smile on his face and shared with us the good things and the fun stuff he got to do. He especially loved recess as he got to play with Kate and Caleb. I am proud of him....and thankful that this first day is over.

I know that all parents believe this about their children but I will say it anyway - Reece is a special kid. I really think he "gets it". Although he did shed a few tears when I left him this morning I asked him what enabled him to stop crying and enjoy his day. His response tonight was: "God just helped me". He is memorizing Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous and do not be afraid. The Lord your God goes with you wherever you go". I thank God tonight that His Word is taking root in his young heart. Mold him, Father, into a boy and a man after your heart.

Fun Family Time Before School Begins!

We decided to enjoy some family fun time at a park in the north of the city before Reece heads off to school. We were very excited to find this very modern and fun playground (I say that because it is the only one I have seen in all of the city - most are very old and basic playground equipment - and with a family of active little boys we consider it a very worthwhile drive, even though it is almost an hour away, depending on traffic! one tends to do things out of the "norm" when you live in a foreign country) The kids had soooooo much fun and climbed, ran, hung and slid their little hearts out! Lots of laughs and smiles to mark this day!

New Opportunities

We have a lot of change going on around here. As "summer" draws to a close we are excited to have our entire mission team back together. We have all taken furlough and vacation at different times over the past months so it seems like it has been awhile since we have all been together. It will be really good to set new goals together for the work and to take action on reaching more people in the upcoming months. As always, we solicit your support through prayer - we know God desires to see His Kingdom grow and we know He is already at work in people's lives - we ask Him to open our eyes and lead us to new opportunities!

We are about to send our little 4 year old boy to Kindergarten. As you might remember, Reece began school last year - attending 2 days a week. This year he will enter Kinder2 at a new school called Redlands. He will go Monday through Friday 8:30 - 2:00 - a big jump in our minds...and especially hearts. Yes, we are excited for him but I also feel a little teary to see him spend such a large chunk of his day under someone elses care and influence. I believe he is going to do great - he loves to learn and we are really happy with his school. Last night we had a teacher/parent meeting to introduce us to the new school year. We met his teacher - Miss Yuri - and I will be honest, my heart sank when we spoke with her because she didn't seem very warm and friendly - like you would want in a Kindergarten teacher(yes, I will admit I have pretty high standards and expectations for the teacher who is going to have my son). However, first impressions are not always right, thankfully. We went to the school today to show Reece his classroom, etc.. and she was really nice and I think Reece is going to love her. I breathed a sigh of relief! Benjy and I believe this school and its approach to education, children, process, learning, and partnering with the important education already happening at home will be a really good fit for our life and family philosophy. The other really neat thing is that we found out that the school Reece attended last year, called ALFA, has closed down. As a result several of the families from ALFA will be attending Redlands with Reece this year. His favorite little friend from last year will be in his class again - her name is Marifer. Zeidi (pronounced Sadie) is the daughter of our house church leaders - and she also will be in Reece's class. And our teammates James, and Erin are sending their kids, Kate and Caleb to this school as well. So...I thank God today for little blessings like that - I think it will be really good for Reece to have some friends in his school right off the bat, even though I know he will also make many more. Pray for his first day on Monday - that we can all be brave and enjoy this new stage of life. Also pray that God might create some new family friendships through this school experience.

The other big change happening around here is that we are moving! We have found a different home that is a lot of what we have been looking for. It has been our desire for several months now to move out of this house for a number of reasons. Now that our contract expired we have that opportunity. I guess being on the move is kind of part of rental life in a foreign country. We are thankful for this home - we have been in it for 3 years - and it has been the place of so much of our families growth - arrivals of both Chase and Pierce - lots of new ages and stages of our children - lots of growth and changes in us as people and missionaries. The walls of this home have witnessed a lot and the sappy side of me is a little sad to say good-bye. A house is more than just a house and even though we are just renting...it is the place where the most significant part of our lives occurs - the growing of our marriage, the raising of our boys to know and love Jesus, hospitality to friends, our personal walks with our God, and on and on. I pray that we can accomplish great things in these areas in the our new home as well. It should be a good place for us. It is a lot safer as it has a 24 hour guard at the gate, and it will provide a lot of opportunities for the kids to play and ride their bikes with other kids right there in the gated community. We believe and pray that we will build new realtionships with other families and look forward to that. Please pray for new opportunities in this neighborhood. And please know you are more than welcome - we would absolutely love to have you!

I should sign off for now. Would love a hand with packing....so if you just happen to be in the area...drop me a line and I will gladly put ya to work!

Recent Milestones!!!

We are proud of our boys and the big steps they have accomplished this past week or so!

Reece can tie his own shoes!!! I was suprised at how quickly he picked up on it - I showed him a few times and he took off with it. It seems that with every new thing these little guys learn, the more help it is for me in trying to get three kids out of the house!





And Chaser is completely potty trained! Yay! He fought it the first day or two but then grabbed a hold of it and there was no turning back. So - no more diapers for him! He is officially a "big boy".




And Pierce - well, nothing too new with him...but he is 5 months today and that in itself is hard to believe!

Prayer Request

I am excited to say that we (our mission team) had a really encouraging conversation this past week - sharing ideas with one another and proclaiming ways that God is at work in different relationships with people in our lives. We decided to search for a way to bring all of the individual opportunities together in some way - the specifics are yet to be determined. We are praying for guidance and for wisdom as we seek to lead people towards another step in their pursuit of Christ. Please join us in prayer - that God would enlighten us with fresh persectives and new ideas that would effectively accomplish our purpose here: to make more disciples. Here are a few specific names to bring before the Father: Gerardo, Dulce, Javier, Laura, Angelina, Jorge, Erika, Veronica.

Thank you!

An Ode To Cousins

When I was young we were always surrounded by a whole lot of cousins. Both of my parents came from larger families and so there never was a shortage of cousins to play with! Lots of good memories. I am thankful that my 3 boys have cousins their ages too. There is just something special about seeing your kids connect with, make friends, and play with their cousins. Although we don't get to see them often enough - we make the most of it when we get to be together. Mackenzie, Kalen, Camrynne, Caden and Tabor, and soon to be baby Gowens - we love you and thank you for the special place you hold in our hearts!!!

Reecer

Reece is really growing up. He is a really good helper to me in many ways. We are impressed with the interest he takes in so many things in his world - he asks a lot of good questions and loves to learn new things. We are excited for his school experience this fall as he starts a new school and will go 5 days a week. This summer he was brave enough to put his head all the way under the water - a pretty big deal for him! Reece is a good big brother and plays really well with both Chase and Pierce.

Chaser

Chase is doing great - he is talking up a storm and makes us laugh a lot with the things he says. He is typical two year old - "me do it myself" is a common phrase out of his little mouth! He repeats everything he hears and tries to be just like big brother Reece. He is a funny kid - and can dance better than anyone I know!!! We are beginning to want to tackle potty training these days...he has his days when he thinks it is fun and those he doesn't care to try but we are going to have to bite the bullet. My favorite thing these days is that he now says "I love you" all on his own.

Little Pierce

I would say Piersen is the one in the family who has grown and changed the most over the past few months....here are a few visuals of our handsome baby! He is a sweet little guy and seems like he is going to have a super fun personality. He is easy to make smile and laugh...just lots of fun! He has been drooling a lot these days and a little fussier than normal, I suspect some teeth on the way! And he's still a BIG HIT with the older brothers! Contrary to popular belief "the neweness of a baby in the house" has not yet worn off! He receives more than enough kisses, hugs, and rubs on the head from his brothers!

A Good Father

My husband is a good man. I overheard him in a recent conversation with some friends.... The other person was commenting on our family and said, "you have really good kids." Benjy, without hesitation responded, "we think so. we really do - they are good boys." I was in the other room and smiled when I heard Benjy's response. Why did I smile? Because I love that he is honest about how we feel about our family. He went on to talk about how important he believes it is that our children hear us talk about them in positive ways to others because it seems much too common to reply to a compliment with something like, "well, they aren't always well behaved" or "you should see them sometimes" and on and on. I think Benjy found a pretty powerful way to communicate to our boys by communicating to others. I know they overhear a lot more than we think they do and I am proud Benjy was bold about his love for them. It reminds me of my Heavenly Father who sees all of my behavior and yet, I believe, looks at me and sees the good!

Announcing....Another Baby!

Ha! Made ya think there for a minute didn't I?!?! No - not me pregnant this time. It is my sweet sister in law - Betsy! Jared and Betsy will have their first child in February. Congratulations! We are so excited to meet this little cousin/niece/nephew! This will be the first niece or nephew born after having my own children. Caden, Tabor, Mackenzie, Kalen and Camrynne are all so very special to us and we are thankful to have another one join our family. Please pray for a healthy and safe pregnancy for Betsy. All seems to be going well and we thank God for that!

Highlights of Our Journeys...

I like to remember our trips and so thought it would help me to make a list of some of our more memorable moments...

* we drove something like 8000 miles over the course of our furlough - from Mexico to Canada and to various places within the United States - that's a lot of car time! we shared a lot of quality conversations together - evaluating our lives, our parenting, our work in Mexico, our future plans, etc.. we read a lot of books, listened to lots of radio, and tried to be creative with our time being strapped safely in our buckles (including the very popular game of pumping our arms to get the semi-trucks to honk their loud horns - this was by far a Reece & Chase fave!) - we saw so much of God's beautiful creation and the boys noticed a whole lot of animals
* Benjy enjoyed his 1 week Master's class at ACU - very challenging
* spending time with our good friends Scott, Melissa, Cameron and Casey Smith - they shared their home with us and it was good to reconnect and pick up right where our friendships left off - they are just those kind of friends!
* little Pierce begins sleeping through the night early on the journey - great thing for me!
* we learned the hard way that one should make hotel reservations when travelling through not so populated states like Montana, Wyoming and Kansas (many extra miles were added on to already long travel days for "no vacancy" in the entire towns on 3 different occasions - the reasons: Jehovah Witness convention, rodeo, wrestling tournament, german convention)
* ok, call me biased but there is nothing like a Saskatchwan sky - I loved being home - it was so green, so pretty, so wide open! good afternoon/evening spent with good childhood friend Jenn and her husband Terris and kids Rahimay and Rohan. Benjy and I loved our walks/jogs out on the country roads, breathing fresh air - the boys loved playing outside for hours - riding tractors, quads, motorcycles with uncles, chasing cattle - they loved connecting with cousins Kenzie, Kalen and Camrynne and of course grandma! we loved our camping trip with Auntie Char and Uncle Dale and Grandma - lots and lots of fun! We ate and ate and ate - good food! We enjoyed this most relaxing part of our furlough and appreciated the time for devotionals and spiritual conversations with my Mom...and the visit with Char that lasted until 4:30am. I am blessed with a good family. Thank you!
* loved listening to the not so intelligent toddler/preschooler arguement in the car between Reece and Chase about whether the animal spotted was a donkey or a horse!
* we enjoyed Father's Day weekend with the Brednich siblings and Benjy's Dad (Gary) and Robin - this was the first time in along time that all siblings were together and it was a lot of fun - the boys loved time with cousin Caden - they loved the family afternoon at Cabella's and the highlight of the weekend....Auntie Betsy and Uncle Jared announcing their pregnancy - we are thrilled to meet this new little family member in February!!
* we learned that when travelling by plane early in the morning with 3 sleeping children and way too much luggage - it is not a good idea to cut your time close - we ended up missing our flight as there was a line at the curb-side check-in line and we spent several hours waiting to fly stand-by...amazingly all getting on a few hours later!
* contrary to my thoughts that a trip away from home is no time to begin potty training...Chase takes great interest in using the potty like a big boy - almost always telling us when he needs to go #2!
* our 2 weeks in Louisville, Ky with our partnering congregation (Westport Road Church of Christ) were wonderful - they are the nicest people - very hospitable and warm - we loved reconnecting and meeting new friends - our kids loved playing in a different back yard every night and with so many fun friends like Isaac, Elijah, Ian, Kirsten, Ian, Oliver, Makaela, Drew, etc..
* our family trip to the Newport Aquarium was a lot of fun - we enjoyed the shark tunnel, watching the deep sea divers, and racing the penguins!
* time with the mission committee and leadership team from Westport Road were special - from blueberries and ice cream with Dan and Jan, tractor rides at Jim and Sue's, playing cars at John and Debbies, bowling with Doug and Reagen, bunnies at Ken and Brenda's, or the fish pond at Larry and Dianne's - the kids made memories with people that serve our work in such a special way...and we felt the love, encouragement and support from our church family!
* Reece and Chase made a big step in life and were ready to go off to Bible class on their own (they were quite proud of this!)
* a very special baby shower put on by Gina and Stephanie for little Piersen - it was a great way to have some time together as ladies and for Pierce to laugh and smile his way into more hearts! we are grateful for their genersoity and love for our family.
* protective big brother Reece saves Chase by screaming to us that he has fallen in the pool as we let him out of our sight for a few seconds - we got a pretty big scare to see him under the water....but in typical Chase style he coughed for a second and was ready to go back and play!
* we loved the church picnic and the special fireworks - what a great way to spend our last evening with Westport Road!
*our visit to Washington DC was to see Mimi (Benjy's Mom, Mary Beth) and she made sure to fill it with lots of activity - themed around the White House - we got a tour of the White House, the West Wing and a White House lawn view of the President's departure on Air Force One (yes, we saw President Bush wave right at us!) These are interesting things to see - maybe not quite so age-appropriate to young little boys who don't understand why security guards yell at you when you are simply stepping on the White House lawn (yes this happened) or why it is inappropriate to slobber and make farting noises on the leather chair outside of the oval office (yes this happened too)...or to be told by an overzealous military person on the tour of the Pentagon that you shouldn't wander away from the group during the tour or you will get shot (yes...true - comment aimed at Reece - with a not very impressed Mom listening on)...but it was very cool to all of us to see all the sights - even where Mimi works at the Capitol building.
* the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, the water fountain at the Sculpture Garden - all very neat things to see!
* we got a chance to see the Cubs play against the Nationals - Pierce's first major league baseball game - while Reecer and Chaser stayed with Mimi! Benjy was so happy to see his Cubs (as this is "the" year according to him!)
* Mimi and Uncle Burke kept all 3 boys as Benjy and I had a few hours to ride the metro, check out a museum and most importantly just be us!
* we had an opportunity to have several significant conversations with Jason and Heather Thornton who had given us pre-marital counseling and now graciously shared their time with us - giving us a marriage check-up - time well spent.
* arriving back to our home in Mexico City at 2:30am - hoping the kids would transfer from their car seats to their beds...only to have them wake up with excitement - taking about an hour to get them back to sleep after seeing their dogs, their toys and their home after weeks of being away!

I am back!

Hi friends....

After a long retreat from blogging, I am back. We returned to Mexico City after our furlough to the States and Canada. We are getting settled back into home and loving not having to live out of a suitcase. The boys felt like they had a whole bunch of new toys since the hadn't seen them in awhile! It is good to be back here. We had a very, very good time away and loved reconnecting with so many important relationships that we have with family and friends. Thank you to each of you who shared your time, homes and encouragement with our family. We are reminded how very blessed we are to be surrounded by so many special people. When I get around to finding the time and the space on my computer to dowload some hundred of pics from our journeys - I will post some. I have missed the blogging world and hope to catch up on some of yours!

Be back soon...

We are Home!

Not Mexico...we have been in Canada for a few days - it has been really good to be home! My boys are having a blast playing outside and doing farm stuff...they are worn out by the end of the day! We had a long drive up here but I just have to say how proud I am of my kids. They are really good travellers - really good....and make the trip much easier than it has the potential to be with three young ones. We don't have a portable dvd player and yet we kind of like it that way. The boys color, read, play and enjoy looking for cows and horses, and have seen great scenery along the way. It is amazing how many different things you will see from Mexico to Canada - but all very beautiful. God is truly creative! This trip has introduced the energetic attempts at getting semi truck drivers to honk their big horns. We have passed many a semi on the highways and Reece and Chase light up when they realize that by pumping their arms, the kinder drivers honk - their little eyes light up at this magical cause and effect (yes, their Mom feels a little silly since I doubt the drivers are seeing the boys through the tinted glass - but hey, anything for entertainment when you are trying to pass the miles!) It has been fun! Needless to say, it was nice to arrive and see grandma and aunts, uncles and cousins. We are taking opportunities to rest and renew ourselves. The plan is to depart here next Wednesday and head back south to see Benjy's family. We'll then fly to Louisville to spend several weeks with our partnering congregation and a drive up to DC to see Benjy's Mom. So as we have much more travel ahead of us, we continue to trust God for our safety. Thanks for your prayers.....and hey - let's meet up somewhere!!!!

Oh - I must insert this big milestone! Piersen is amazing. Several days after arriving in the States, he decided to follow the guidelines of a furlough - to rest and renew oneself! He has been sleeping through the night - usually 11pm to 7am! It has been wonderful for me...and for him. He is in the very fun stage of lots and lots of smiles, and tries to have a conversation with you with his many cooes (sp?)Pretty sweet boy!