Bonding Opportunities

A big change happened at our house today! We used our Saturday to deep clean the boys' bedrooms and in the process decided to move the boys into the same room! They are excited to share a room and I think it is neat for siblings to share a room (I have great memories of sharing a room with Char for many years!) In some ways I think we might be crazy since there is nothing pressing them to be in the same room for another many months - so why make them adjust to each others naps and sleeping patterns if they don't have to?! Well, on the other hand, it is going to happen down the road so why not do it now when we don't have a newborns nighttime waking to add to the mix. So we moved Chase's crib in and we will see how it goes. I think it will be fun for them and will provide them bonding time and more chances to scheme ways to get into trouble together - ha! Tonight, Chase was so excited to be in Reece's room, he was jumping on the bed and giggling - Reece looked at me and said, "he is going to wake me up!" But - so far so good - all is quiet.

The other good thing this move does is open up a little more space for me to set up a table and try to get busy on scrapbooking. I am one of those Mom's with great intentions but I have 2 toddlers with incomplete baby books (and actually, I won't say how many pages are even completed!). But with #3 on the way, I would love to get organized and finish each of their first year books at least. I need to get into a rhythmn and stop worrying so much about making the perfect layout. I tend to get paralyzed when it comes to finalizing a page and taping the pictures into place. I take a ton of pictures and so it makes it even harder to select which ones deserve to make it into the album! Oh, the pressures of life - ha!

Heart Stuff

Just wanna say that I am still alive even though it has been a long time since I have posted! We are all doing well - went to see the doc yesterday and we were all excited to hear a strong and healthy heartbeat of the new little one. Reece was especially cute when we explained to him what the sound was and he began to dance in rhythmn to his/her little heartbeat. Special moments. Feeling fully blessed with life and family and friends. What a great God!

Announcing...

With great joy and thankfulness we announce the news of a new baby brother or sister for Reece and Chase - expected to arrive sometime around March 24! We are all excited! I am feeling well for the most part - a bit naseous (first time to have that pregnancy side effect) and quite tired... but since this is my last week of the first trimester, hopefully more energy will be mine soon!

We just explained the news to Reece and Chase this weekend. They are happy! Well, Chase was not too concerned, while Reece melted my heart by proclaiming that when the baby comes out of my tummy he wants to hold it - but he will be very careful and not drop it! Reece most definitely wants a sister - but we reminded him that another little brother would be lots of fun too! Chase is learning the word "baby" but still is much more interested in "balls". Enjoy the video of their conversation by clicking on the "play" button...

Oh, and you can read my thoughts from my post on the day we found out about the pregnancy here.

House Rant

Okay, I don't know if it is just time to cleanse a guilty conscience or what - but I absolutely cannot believe that it is Friday again. And I had intended to get the house completely in order last week - HA! The days pass quickly and I feel a little behind in the clean-house accomplishment department. I had a good conversation with a girlfriend of mine (same stage of life with 2 young kids) and she reminded me of the importance of being realistic with regard to what we can expect to get done around the house at this stage in our lives and motherhood. Thank you Erin for your voice of balance. During the days the picture in my home is a couple of happy, active boys that I love to spend time with and enjoy - and a laundry basket that is more often overflowing to the floor than ever empty....other laundry baskets with neatly folded clean clothes that just have not made their way home into the drawers (my worst habit in the world!!!)...a normal scene of an obstacle course of toys strung along the floor...a kitchen floor with cheerios and other fun stuff to step over and around...a sink full of dishes that are waiting until the drying rack does the automatic job of drying the clean dishes...and so on. Oh - don't get me wrong - I have almost perfected the "ohhhhh, people are coming over mad dash of straightening up and it looking presentable" but in my heart of hearts, I am tired of living that way. I want to be on top of it - but I think the truth of it is that for me, it is a process and not a snap of the fingers change in my life. So - instead of feeling overwhelmed at the many, many things I lack in having a spotless and orderly house - I am going to chip away at it and focus on doing a little better every day - using my time more effectively - and continuing to enjoy what really matters in life! This week I am going to make a mental list each morning and I bet my house will look at least a little better next Friday! Here's to new habits!

Changing Shop...

Looks like we will be changing locations of our coffee shop. You learn things as you go in all things in life, including opening up a business. The things we thought made our current location ideal have turned out ot have some negatives too. We are right on the corner - which we loved the idea of that - but along with it has come a lot of noise from the street, exhaust fumes from all the buses driving by, dust and dirt and occasional flooding since we are in the rainy season. Our landlord has expanded and built a little shopping plaza right alongside our current coffee shop. He offered us the option to change locations if we were interested. After some analyzing we think we are going to do it. The new spot is very close to our current location (less than half a block and in the same little plaza). It is upstairs (which seems to be the only downside because it is not as convenient as right off the street) - but the rent price is the same, the space is a little bigger, it has a glass door and windows all along the front, and still has a great view from the street. We believe that it will be quieter, cleaner, cozier, and provide an environment that will allow us to have the kids up there a little more often (they love to be at the coffee shop - but our current spot is wide open to a busy street and is pretty much impossible to contain 2 toddlers safely). So in the next week or so we will change things around. We feel like it is great timing to expand our hours also. We think we will have much more business as this plaza opens with 10 or so more businesses attracting people to the area. We ask for your prayers through this transition and for God to expand this ministry to introduce us to more people. Ultimately we pray for a chance to shine Jesus and to draw more to Him.

Random Kid Things

I have gotta say - my kids are so sweet. Yes, there are moments during our days where "sharing" does not happen very peacefully, but when they are playing together, and laughing together it is an awesome thing. We were recently talking to some friends of ours who are planning to have only 1 child. It has made me thankful that I grew up with siblings and that my boys have each other - they are learning some pretty major life lessons as they interact together.

Well, for some updates...

We no longer have a high chair around the table. Chase has longed to be a big boy like his brother and sit around the table. I resisted this step for awhile, but the chair needed cleaning so I gave him a trial run. He loves sitting like us. We had talked about buying a booster seat, but have learned that the old fashioned phone book trick is working great and saves us the money! So far, no accidental falls have occured so maybe we are good to go. Chase has been placed at the head of the table, which has kind of become our joke because he likes to dominate meal activity. I personally have enjoyed not having that big chair in the way!

Reece has been doing really well at school. Today is only his 5th day to go - but on his third day he jumped out of the van and grabbed his teachers hand with no tears, and has done so each day since. We are so proud of him. Him enjoying school has sure served as affirmation to our decision to send him! He is tired by the end of a day filled with spanish - but he is really having fun. He had homework for the first time on Tuesday - 3 little tracing assignments. He was thrilled. I am learning quickly that his new step of going to school is creating a new "homeschooling role" for me too. He was not content with doing only his school assigned work - I created 4 extra assignments and he was begging for more. Yes, I will remind him of this love for homework a few years down the line. Another cool thing is to hear him speaking spanish a lot more. I had not expected that to happen for several months - but after the first day he was trying to recall phrases and put together "quieres jugar" (do you want to play) when he was playing with Chase. The other day his teacher told us he said all of his colors in spanish. I knew he knew them but was happy to hear that he has the confidence to speak out loud in school.

Chase is slowly beginning to say more words too. It has been fun to watch how excited Reece gets when Chase repeats a word. Chase enjoys singing and so we have had quite a few laughs out of letting him fill in the blanks to "there once was a little boy ________, down by the babbling _______, etc.. etc. Okay - to everyone else - they hear nothing but sounds, but to a loving parents' ear - we hear - "Da-vid" and "brook".....he is getting especially good at the "round and around and around" part. And has totally nailed the "crash" where the giant comes a tumbling down!

The other day we had some friends, Gerardo and Dulce over. At one point Benjy and Gerardo ran down to the tienda and I ran upstairs to get Chase who was waking from his nap. When I came back downstairs, Reece was sitting on the couch beside Dulce, telling her stories from his favorite Bible and she was listening intently (she understands some english). He was explaining who Adam and Eve were and then skipped way on ahead to the wise and foolish builders. Of course, it made us missionary parents proud to see our son sharing the "good news" at his early age.

That's it for now - just thought I would share some stuff about our kids. We are really loving this stage of our lives!

Toddler Theology

Over the past few weeks, in our family discussions and "preparing for school" conversations with Reece, we have been reminding him that God is with us and goes with us and will be with him as he begins school, etc.. He would frequently comment on how he was soon going to go to school and God was going to go with him. Here are a few recent "Reece insights" that have made us smile, laugh, and have challenged us in the complex job of explaining God to a young child....

Several days ago in the bathroom. Benjy trying to explain the importance and logistics of going to the potty independently at school:

Benjy: okay Reece, when you hafta go potty at school, you don't need the teachers to wipe your bum when you go poop if you can learn now to wipe your own bum. Here is some toilet paper. Go ahead and try to do it on your own.

Reece: But if God is going with me to school why can't God wipe my bum.



In the van. Driving home from his first day of school yesterday, talking about how his day went...
Reece: So why didn't God go to school with me for real?
Me: Well, He was there with you Reece. Remember how we talked about how He lives in our heart and goes with us.
Reece: Ya, but why wasn't He there with me for real?

Ahhhhh, tough one.

We All Survived the Big Day!

Yes - Reece's first day of school has come and gone and we are all still okay! The reality of dropping our baby off at a foreign school was a big step for our family - but we are thankful to God that He takes care of us...as He always faithfully does...

Reece came prancing down the stairs this morning at 6:45am - unexpectedly beating the alarm - and forcing his Mommy to wipe away the early tears that were caused by listening to an emotional song that was serving as a prayer for him today. He was quick to pull out all the books from his backpack that I was labelling the night before - checking that all was in place. He helped prepare breakfast (proudly cracking his first eggs!), played with Chase and got all ready in plenty of time for me to snap some cute pictures. As we got settled in the van he said with a hint of denial in his voice, "well, I am not going to school for a few months" (oops - and we thought we had prepared him sooooo well!). But we gently reminded him how much fun he was going to have. We arrived, said a prayer together and he hopped out - concerned that we had forgotten his all important and special backpack! He loaded it up on his back again and smiled as bravely as you could imagine as I snapped a few pics in front of the school door....
 
 
 

And then it all changed....

As we entered into the classroom he mustered up all the courage he could find to wave a greeting as he met his new teacher, Miss Anna. And then began to grow a little clingy as we hung up his backpack and he felt the inevitable about to occur. With a broken heart and lots of tears he asked why Daddy, Chase and Mimi couldn't go and prepare his suprise while I stayed with him at school all day. I kissed his head - and with all the courage I could muster - turned my back and walked out of the classroom - hearing his crying increase. We received reassurance from the secretary and other mothers that he would be fine....and we all sat in the van and shed our own tears. More than anything I felt like somebody had just punched me in the gut. My poor little boy - surrounded by spanish and what must have felt like total chaos to his little being. The morning passed extremely slowly - although we did feel better when we called and found out he had calmed down and was drawing with the other kids.

When we arrived at 1:15 to pick him up, we were so pleased to see him sitting at the table - intently working on a craft with the other kids. We watched him for a few minutes....I snuck the picture below and then we entered in. He smiled - but kept working hard - asking me if I would like to sit down beside him even though it was a little chair and maybe they had big chairs in the other room for me. :) He was very composed and very much enjoying his activity. When we asked if he was ready to come home, he got up and began to load up all his workbooks and supplies from the shelves. When I told him he would just be leaving his stuff at school for now - he replied with determination, "but I need it to do my homework." Well, to make a long story short - he was quite adamant that he needed homework, so I created a drawing assignment for him! (eager little beaver, eh?!) He refused to take off his uniform, talked off and on all day about his time at school and overall seemed very pleased with this step of his life! Praise God!

 

 
Reece with his teacher, Miss Anna - feeling much more confident now than a few hours earlier!

We celebrated with a little suprise for him and then headed out to meet his good friend Kate for banana splits! I am thankful for the opportunities I believe this experience will do in Reece's life. I am thankful for a husband who is such a good Daddy to Reece and shares so much love and concern in all things in ours sons life. I am thankful that Mimi was here to share the day with us. And I am thankful for all of your prayers. We are doing fine! 

Grateful for Her Life

We have really enjoyed Mary Beth (my mother-in-law) being here with us over the past week or so. It has seemed like a long time since we have had quality time with her and it has been a blessing. Our conversations this week have been good - and recalling certain events in her life over the past years have called me to remember that we are blessed to have her in our lives today. She has overcome numerous trials - some of the most impressionable to me this week are that she has survived cancer twice since 1998. She shared some of her memories of battling it - physically and emotionally - and I just want to declare my gratitude that we have her here with us - strong and healthy. She is a beautiful person and an example to all of us in so many ways. We love and appreciate you Mary Beth/Mimi!

Preparing for School

Okay - so the countdown is on. Reece's first day of school will be on Monday. We have found a school that will accomodate our desire to allow him to go for only a couple of days a week instead of the typical full time Kindergarten that goes five days a week. He is just 3 years old and for where we are at in our thinking, we want to slowly move into the "school thing" and so we feel really glad that this school was willing to work with us. The school is about a 5 minute drive from our house. We went on Friday to get his little uniform and books and all that stuff. I was feeling (and still am and will for sure be on Monday and possibly days following)emotional about it all - but I have also been smiling a lot to see how excited Reece is. We went shopping for school supplies and the highlight for him was picking out his own backpack! He has already paged through his school workbooks (eager to begin working in them) and has showed us numerous times how he can load everything into his backpack and carry it all - feeling quite proud of how strong he is! I am having good childhood memories of this time of the year - as new school supplies was a big thrill for me - labelling everything, laying it all out on the living roon floor, packing it all up, etc.. etc.. So - I am happy to be able to be doing it all again with my little boy.

I think Reece will do well overall because he loves to learn! I think he will enjoy the routine, make new friends, learn spanish, etc.. My heart feels for him as he takes this step - but especially as he will be thrust into it in a different language. Please pray for his little heart on Moday morning - and pray for mine too! :)

I will post how the first day goes - pictures and all - so check back! Thanks for your prayers!

Mimi's In Town...

I haven't been blogging much these days. Mimi (or Benjy's mom) is here and we have been enjoying our time with her! Reece bonded very quickly and is seeking her constant attention (poor Mary Beth, as the little guy can be rather persistent). She brought a neat little sticker/coloring book that has been quite the hit. And she will serve as moral support for us as we send our little one to school next week - more on that later.

Wedding Weekend

We enjoyed a cultural weekend by attending a wedding in Tierra Blanca - a pueblo about 4 hours from here. Alfonso (who attends our house church) and his new bride D'amariz were married on Saturday. It was a beautiful wedding! D'amariz is Hilda's sister (Jorge and Hilda are leaders of our house church) so we were able to meet a lot of their family over the weekend. It was a neat experience and a great opportunity to experience Mexico! What a beautiful country! We were invited to eat breakfast with the family on Saturday morning before the wedding - the kids were thrilled to see the large area of space, the young litter of puppies (which got dragged all over by them), the cats, the chickens, turkeys, and the three goats! We were returned on Sunday afternoon for another family meal and faced a lot of questions from Reece about the whereabouts of the three goats. Benjy's response was that they were "on vacation" to avoid the explanation that they had been butchered and were boiling in the pot right there! We enjoyed the tasty goats in a traditional barbacoa meal. I think I was away watching the kids when Benjy was served a consume soup with all sorts of interesting body parts of those goats (hey, i am not complaining!). We also travelled to nearby Veracruz (along the Gulf of Mexico) to visit the port with all the huge ships - and even got to see an Aquarium - very fun!

I was reminded this weekend about the goodness of living with simplicity, enjoying family, and the blessings of love and watching a new marriage begin. Alfonso and D'amariz will be moving to Mexico City so we hope to get to know them even better.

The Boys

 
  "yes, we love each other...can't you tell!"

  

Difficult, Yes...Worth It, I Believe So

I have been feeling God challenging me to grow in my time with Him through prayer. I just finished reading a book (which is a huge accomplishment for me to be able to say I finished a book these days!) called Armchair Mystic by Mark E. Thibodeaux. It is about easing into contemplative prayer. I have really loved its practicality, its simplicity and the way he describes prayer in different stages. The book talks about the importance of solitude in our lives - that we are so busy, and surrounded by noise that we have become uncomfortable with silence. The book is a challenge and a call to a deeper and more real relationship with God. I have decided to follow some of his practical suggestions and commit to growing in this area of my life. I believe it will be difficult to develop the habit, to strive for consistency and to approach the process with the right spirit and attitude...but I also trust that if I can be patient - God will open my eyes to a richer relationship with Him that will be very worth it! Pray for me! And if you are interested, pick up a copy of this book and let's journey together. I would love to hear how your prayer life is!

An Appropriate Gesture of Honor and Pride

Although my Dad has been gone for a year and a half already, my Mom recently shared with me something she plans to do in honor of what he loved and was proud of. My sister, Charlotte, is in a Country Gospel group called All 4 One and they just produced their second cd entitled, Along the Way. Their first cd was the pride and joy of many I am sure - but none more than my Dad. He talked to everyone about it and bought numerous copies for family members and friends - so they could hear his daughter sing. My Mom has been saving the money that was found in his wallet on the day he passed away for something to do that would honor Dad....and she is very appropriately going to buy a large number of Char's new cd's and share them with family and friends - a perfect idea - and exactly what I know Dad would have done.

Char, you are gifted and talented. Thank you for the encouragement you bring to me -and so many others - through your voice. I love the cd - it has filled the walls of our home many times already in these few short weeks since its release!

Mom, thank you for your kind and thoughtful gestures to honor Dad in our family and community.

I love you both!

A Toddlers' Self-Diagnosis

Reece: Mommy, would you snuggle with me and hold me to make me feel better cuz my tummy isn't feeling well.

Me: Of course, come here. Now tell me how it feels. Is it a little pinching feeling? Is it pinching? Or is your tummy turning round and round like it is going in circles?

Reece (with a sigh, a moment of thought and then a serious response): No, it is more like it is going in triangles.


:) Don't you love the way their little minds work!

Family Get Away for a Taste of Paradise!

Okay - so I worked hard to post all my great pictures with my new fancy camera on this flickr.com thing and as I was doing it I found out there was a limit to how many I could upload before I hafta pay - grrrrr..... So....please enjoy a few of my favorites here on the blog, a few more on the sidelink (just click on one of the pics and it will open up the slideshow) and the rest after I get permission from my husband to pay the $24.95 to post them all! And please note: a few of the flickr pics are from our May trip to SeaWorld - I can't figure out how to separate them so just bear with me - I am technologically challenged!

We took a little family get away to an absolutely beautiful place called Cocoyoc. It is about an hour from Mexico City - and a breath of fresh air from the cement, traffic and busy-ness of big city life. We took a bus - which was a fun adventure for the kids. And we went alone - just us - and that was especially neat as we often do things like this with teammates, friends or family. We just spent one night but it has recharged me - it was so great! We questioned whether we should go or not....because the weather wasn't the best - but we decided to just do it and it was wonderful. It did rain hard but it was all the more refreshing and we were still able to swim and take many "family walks". We did end up being in three rooms on a one night stay (a record maybe) because the rain was coming down so hard that it began leaking through the roof in room 905, they moved us to 904 at 11:30pm for it to begin to drip on Reece again in about 20 minutes. So we packed up and went down to 813 where we were nice and dry! Great memories! Family time is so priceless and I thank God for the time we had to have it together in such a beautiful place. If you ever come to Mexico, you need to check this place out!


 
 
 
  
 
 

A Little Husband Pride

I would like to journal some thoughts and thanksgiving for my husband. I am so impressed by his faith and service - in many ways, but I am thinking specifically about the coffee shop right now. I walked down to the shop last night with the kids so we could visit him for a bit and as I approached the shop, I was overcome with a feeling of, "wow. we really did this. we really stepped out in faith and have a coffee shop in Mexico City - how crazy!" I love the way Benjy has given himself to this opportunity. He is so good with people and it is obvious. He is gifted and natural at making people feel listened to and important. When he works in the coffee shop (because there are a few days that we have others working it and he isn't there) - I believe, people really notice that he isn't there. His face is connected to that corner. I just watch him interact and serve others and I see Jesus in him. I love it and praise God for the way He is at work through Benjy. I am proud of him. Because of his service, we spent the morning with new friends Gerardo and Dulce. Benjy took the initiative to invite him to run with him at the track and then to come over to the house after, with his wife and we would eat together. So we spent several hours today with this couple - good conversation, laughs, and the continuation of what Benjy has created with them at the coffee shop. So, I say all this to say a word of thanks to God for the good man I share my life with - and to ask Him to continue to use Him. I am one blessed woman!

What They Are Doing These Days

Since I kind of use this blog as an update but also for making notes of certain things that are happening in our lives, I completely understand if you are not interested in all the details of this post. Seriously. It will be lengthy and really it is more for my memory than anything....

As life marches on and time changes things and brings about new stages in our kids and in our family life around here, I would like to record where the boys are at. Before I know it, this stage for each of them will be long gone. So for my old sentimental heart...

Reece is 3 years and 3 months old - but for some reason he seems so much older. He is still a pretty big kid for his age, I think, and the rate at which he outgrows his clothes makes me realize how quickly he is growing up. He is pretty active - loves boy things like water guns, balls, trucks and trains. He still likes his books. I am impressed that he has held on to his love for books since being a baby, and he has a pretty long attention span too. He goes through phases of his favorites - some I am glad he likes, others...not so much, but hey. We have also begun to "tell stories" rather than only read. That has been really fun. It all started with us sharing stories of when we were little and so sometimes when Reece wants to tell a story he will say, "once upon a time when I was just a little boy..." I think this story telling stuff has really spurred an imagination in him. I love to watch his expressions because he really pays attention to what might happen next. He now asks us if we would like him to tell us a story - that is pretty fun! Yesterday at the dinner table he talked for what seemed like 15 minutes with barely a pause - telling us all about his adventures with the cow and the dangerous bug they met in the swimming pool, and weaving his characters in and out of the plot. Reece almost always leads our prayers and uses "Father thank you for all these blessings" - and sometimes he will go on to list those blessings but sometimes that is it too - short and sweet. Another highlight of our bedtime tucking in is "happy parts, sad parts" We each share the part of that day that made us feel the happiest and then also the saddest. It is very insightful. It has caused Benjy and I to realize how much goes on in a day and before you grow into the habit of reflecting on those things,how much you miss. Now, it is much more natural to identify the little things that brought happiness and sadness. I love this time because it has created great communication between us and Reece. He has shared some really neat stuff. I sometimes like to play his game back at him and when he asks me what my happy or sad part is, I will respond - well, I am not sure. He is quick to state, "well, you hafta hink (because he pronounces his "th"'s as "h"'s) about it. I guess he has heard us say that to him before! I have left those "tucking in" times many nights with a very thankful heart for the sweet things that bring happiness to my son. And when I hear something like his "happy part" being that I read his favorite book to him that day, I am pretty thankful that I get to stay at home and spend so much time with him. Reece likes to learn and that is fun. He continues to seem to have a heart for God - quickly grasping important values from Bible stories, etc.. He can ask a lot of questions as he is in this "why" stage of development - but it is neat. He usually responds quite well to discipline - he has had his moments too, of course, but he is quick to restate why he was sent to the naughty chair or spanked and apologizes. He has now learned to say, "I am really really sorry" - which can be a pretty fake statement at times! He does know that it makes mommy/daddy/God and Jesus sad when we act certain ways and I have faith that someday it will all sink in (even if it seems like the lesson is not being learned in the here and now!). He is struggling with hitting or being too rough with Chase right now and that has been frustrating for me. He sometimes forgets but he really knows from the many times it has been stated to him that "throwing a fit" never gets him his way... I love to watch him play - he is in that stage of creating scenes with his animals or trucks, etc.. and he will narrarate the events taking place. Again - he has an imagination. He continues to want to be a helper around the house - especially when it involves baking. It has become an unspoken promise between us that I will always save him a little bit of dough to make his own cinnamon rolls. He has gotten really good at it too. His interest in tv is growing and he has to be reminded a little more often, it seems, than it used to be that he only gets a 30minute show a day (more or less). He likes Caillou the best and that is usually what he chooses. He also is really gaining his Daddy's personality in the "being funny" department. He has endless facial expressions or dances or voices that he uses to make me laugh. He is fun to have around, that is for sure. And as a big brother - wow. It seems like Reece and Chase are either the best of buds or fighting over every little thing - where is the middle ground? He really is sweet to him - kissing Chase's bumps and bruises, helping him up onto chairs and places he shouldn't really be up on yet, and welcoming him in to cause trouble. They can play very well together. They can. But they also can fight a lot too. Reece has a bit of a disadvantage because he is the older one and the rules are understood better by him and more is expected of him so he sometimes feels frustrated, I think. He knows he is supposed to share - but that sure can be hard to do sometimes....especially when Chase can certainly be a little tease. But it is certainly one of my favorite moments in life when Reece and Chase are laughing their heads off together. Reece knows how to get Chase to laugh and it is pretty sweet. He is a good big brother. And as a son - he is thankfully still in that very expressive stage of his love for us. He says he loves us and Chase frequently in a day. Pretty special. He is a good eater most of the time. He wants snacks all of the time. Grrrr. He can be convinced to eat or at least try almost anything these days because he is fascinated with the concept that "that makes you strong and healthy". Powerful influence on him. He is pretty shy around people he doesn't know, but once he warms up he will play with anyone. His greatest concern right now is going to school. In some ways he seems excited but also, naturally a little scared. We will see how that all plays out but I do think he will adjust quickly and thrive in that environment (if his mommy can let him go!). His favorite memory as of late has to be our recent trip to Sea World - he loved it! He is still taking a quiet time/rest time each afternoon but only actually falls asleep once every 3 or 4 days. The others are filled with him asking every few minutes "I'm done, can I come down now, my body had a good rest..." He responds well to and frequently requests the "beeper" to send him to bed or naps. In his mind, he has bought more time - even if I only set it for 3 minutes more. Oh well, if it works, it works! Anyway, I could probably write on and on about Reece but I think this paints a general picture of where he at in life right now. He is very loved and very special to us!

Chase is 1 year and 7 months. He is a little guy for his age - and is feisty because of it (and b/c he is a younger brother). He is walking, running, climbing, and so on. He has figured out how to go backwards and thinks it is pretty funny. He has more soccer moves than I can believe - loves to race around a ball and kick it and move it around with his feet. He has slowed down a bit with his recent fascination of throwing things, thankfully, altho that still comes into play. It seems as though he has no fear. He will straddle up the slide and then lean over the edge - it scares me to death. He can manuever his way onto the chair or lazy-boy and loves to climb up Benjy's chair and try to hang over the top - even tho he knows he shouldn't. He loves to climb the stairs and has quickly caught on to the "hand on the wall" rule and can get up pretty fast (altho I am still afraid to let him do it alone). He spends more than 80% of his days, so it seems, walking to the cupboard, opening it and pulling out snacks and bringing them to us. He is determined! He loves getting into water and that is the first place he heads to when he is allowed to play outside (any kind of puddle or place where rain may have collected). He loves balls more than anything - but will also gain a real interest in whatever Reece might be playing with. He loves to destroy Reece's towers or roads or train tracks. He is a little tease about it too - he will grab something of Reece's and then run away as fast as he can with a twinkle in his eye and a giggle. When him and Reece fight, Chase usually comes out the winner - he is tough and defends himself well. He can also have a hard time sharing but can respond to directives to share - and you can see he is proud for obeying when he does. He isn't talking very much but he sure can understand it all. We have recently begun using the naughty chair to discipline him in time out. He can go and sit as soon as he is told too - but he also can be very stubborn as well. If he is really mad he will watch you and slide off of his bench and flop on the floor. And as soon as you tell him to get back he will either obey or just look at you with this stubborn look of challenge. He has thrown some doozies of fits. I think he might have a strong personality. I have heard Reece voice a prayer to God asking him to help Chase not throw fits - if that tells you anything! He clearly understands questions like "do you need to go to your bed, do you need a spanking, are you ready to be happy, etc.." He knows how to say sorry in action - if not in words. After serving his time on the naughty chair he comes to get his verbal reminder of what not to do, he gives a sort of sideways hug and rubs his cheek up to yours - sometimes saying, "awwwwwww". But, although he sure can tease Reece, he also really loves and admires him. He tries to do what he does and go where he goes. They have a lot of fun together. They can be as thick as thieves too when they are into trouble - giving each other a look of approval and laughter even tho one of their parents is in the mode to correct them. Chase has finally arrived at the age where he will sit through a book. He loves "The Big Red Barn" - especially the page at the end where all the animals are sleeping. He puts his finger to his lips and in a slurrish way says "thhhhssshshh" (a word he also has learned from being told he must be quiet to get to come off the naughty chair). He likes puppies, especially, and imitates them as soon as he catches sight of one. Of course, as with any toddler, he prefers the control of turning pages but is slowly letting go of that I think. He likes to sing these days - or for us to sing to him at least - he knows all the actions for "who did make the fishies swim, the flowers grow, the birdies fly" and points to heaven at the "God in heaven above" part as he tries to say "above". It is pretty sweet. And of course, he loves, "this little light of mine" and blows that candle out pretty strongly. He really likes music and is a dancer - whew. He has trademarked a new way to hold hands during prayer time. He holds out his index finger when he is in his highchair and it has now become our family's way of praying. At night when I lay him in his crib he holds out his two index fingers for me to hold on to as I pray with him. And he has also created the "double clap" in place of the word "Amen". If he feels you are praying too long, he simply double-claps to try to wrap it all up. He can certainly eat when he wants to and is well known for handing you his plate and saying "mmmmaaa, maaaa" - for more. And if he isn't interested in what you are serving he is known to swoop that arm and move whatever the undesired food is onto the floor - in spite of the many hand spanks that has produced. His speech is a little behind but I feel like he is making attempts to imitate words more and more. Before we know it he will be blabbing away. As far as naps - he is pretty much down to one in the afternnon. We have tried to give him a quiet time each morning as we did when Reece was younger. And then he naps for an hour or 2 after lunch. We have weaned him from the pacifier except for when he is in the crib (or occasionally in the car). He handled the transition really well - but sure giggles with glee when he sees it lying there in his crib, awaiting him. He is in an affectionate stage that is sweet beyond sweet. He loves to give kisses and hugs (which are reserved mostly for me!). He enjoys climbing up on you if you are on the floor and laughing and playing. And he is one ticklish little boy. He has a couple of spots on his legs and his chest that will create the greatest and most genuine laugh - it always makes my day! He is lots of fun and is very loved by all of us. It will be a lot of fun when he begins to speak more and actively participates in our happy part/sad part each evening. I love to watch him and wonder what his little mind is thinking and processing. Before long he will express a lot of what is going on there. What a special little guy we have.

Okay - well, i am glad that I wrote this all down. It will be nice to have on paper (or internet) someday.

Calling All Bakers!

Well, it is Thursday again - which means baking morning for the coffee shop. It has become my routine to do as much baking for the weekend as I can today so that I don't feel like I am spending all weekend in the kitchen. My selection of recipes have come mainly from my Mom, a few suggested recipes from cook books, the odd experimental try, and a random search here and there on the internet. But I am ready for some variety that has the word "experience" attached to it. So, to any of you out there who love to bake - or who don't even necessarily love it but know of some good, yet simple recipes for cakes, pastries, etc.. - would you mind passing them along to me? I would love it - just remember that I live in Mexico so don't have all of the ingredients accessible like you - but I'll creatively try to figure out some kind of substitute if I need to.

Some good news about the coffee shop....we believe that we might be seeing the first apparent fruits of our work there. We have met a young couple, Gerardo and Dulce, who very recently (about the same time we opened up the shop) moved into a house up the street from us. They have become faithful customers - often sitting for an hour or so most weekends - talking, asking questions, and building a friendship with Benjy. We are thankful for what God seems to be opening up with them and we anticipate our friendship and time together growing beyond the walls of our coffee shop - exactly what we have prayed for. We have talked about going together to get tacos sometime this week. Please pray for their hearts to be open to what God wants to do for and in them. And pray for us to have wisdom to be natural, and patient with the opportunity.