If you are one of the faithful who regularly check my blog...
Sorry for the LONG delay in updating you on our family. I hope you enjoy a peek into what we've been doing the past few months (see next 4 entries). And - for your sake - I hope that my (unwritten) resolution of keeping this blog better updated doesn't get pushed to the side before Spring arrives :)
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Holiday Happenings
We stayed in Mexico for the Christmas holidays and had a string of fun holiday activities.
The school break began with an all-school Christmas party. We enjoyed the time with friends and the good wishes for a nice vacation for all. This also marked the end of my term on the school board and my last event as the school board president.
We had an early Christmas dinner with the AIMers, before some of them left to spend the holidays with family or friends. In addition to the meal that everyone helped put together, we had fun decorating a Gingerbread house, playing games and watching Christmas movies.
Christmas day at our house was a relaxed, festive day. We enjoyed stockings and presents together. The kids always love their stockings and were also excited about a couple of new Wii games. Sarah and Philip surprised us with stories they had written, illustrated and bound at school. Sarah's story, Jesus is Born, is written from the perspective of Mary; and Philip's story, Twinkle, is written from the perspective of the star that shone over Bethlehem.
In the afternoon, we had a second Christmas dinner. The AIMers who were still in town joined us as well as one of the youth from the church.
The week of New Year's we took a quick trip to the Texas border. We spent a couple of days in south Texas. New Year's Eve, we spent the day in Austin. It was the first time we had been to Austin and we found it very pretty. In the evening, we drove down by the river - not thinking about the crowds heading down for New Year's Eve events. The traffic made us feel right at home! We ended up stopping at a great Thai restaurant in downtown Austin. Thai food is not easily found in Mexico City, so our New Year's Eve dinner was well-enjoyed.
We had a nice holiday season and were (sort of) ready to get back to the swing of school and church activities.
The school break began with an all-school Christmas party. We enjoyed the time with friends and the good wishes for a nice vacation for all. This also marked the end of my term on the school board and my last event as the school board president.
We had an early Christmas dinner with the AIMers, before some of them left to spend the holidays with family or friends. In addition to the meal that everyone helped put together, we had fun decorating a Gingerbread house, playing games and watching Christmas movies.
Christmas day at our house was a relaxed, festive day. We enjoyed stockings and presents together. The kids always love their stockings and were also excited about a couple of new Wii games. Sarah and Philip surprised us with stories they had written, illustrated and bound at school. Sarah's story, Jesus is Born, is written from the perspective of Mary; and Philip's story, Twinkle, is written from the perspective of the star that shone over Bethlehem.
In the afternoon, we had a second Christmas dinner. The AIMers who were still in town joined us as well as one of the youth from the church.
The week of New Year's we took a quick trip to the Texas border. We spent a couple of days in south Texas. New Year's Eve, we spent the day in Austin. It was the first time we had been to Austin and we found it very pretty. In the evening, we drove down by the river - not thinking about the crowds heading down for New Year's Eve events. The traffic made us feel right at home! We ended up stopping at a great Thai restaurant in downtown Austin. Thai food is not easily found in Mexico City, so our New Year's Eve dinner was well-enjoyed.
We had a nice holiday season and were (sort of) ready to get back to the swing of school and church activities.
A Visit from Family
In December, Sean's dad, Sid and his wife Barbara visited us. We had a wonderful time - as you'll notice from the pictures below.
We enjoyed a good day trip to Cuernavaca. We walked through the main market downtown and took in all the sights: fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, toys, housewares, shoes, Christmas supplies and even fresh meat. We walked away with a few purchases; including a small Christmas piñata, baby jicama, and limes. Later, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants in town. How we love restaurants with gardens!
We were glad that we were also able to show Sid and Barbara the kids' school and let them meet some of our friends from there; as well as introduing them to our friends and co-workers at the Tierra Firme church.
We enjoyed a good day trip to Cuernavaca. We walked through the main market downtown and took in all the sights: fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh flowers, toys, housewares, shoes, Christmas supplies and even fresh meat. We walked away with a few purchases; including a small Christmas piñata, baby jicama, and limes. Later, we ate at one of our favorite restaurants in town. How we love restaurants with gardens!
We were glad that we were also able to show Sid and Barbara the kids' school and let them meet some of our friends from there; as well as introduing them to our friends and co-workers at the Tierra Firme church.
Annual Missionary Retreat
Thanksgiving weekend, we went to Guanajuato, Leon for the annual Mexico Missionary Retreat.
This year, Jason and Heather Thornton from Tulsa, Oklahoma came to encourage us on the topic of the unity we have in our purpose as missionaries. The classes were great. We also enjoyed time catching up with old friends and meeting new friends.
Thanksgiving day, we had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner together. After dinner, the evening devotional involved some of the missionary kids - including our own sweet Sarah. The devotional focused on the many blessings that God has given us and our thankfulness for them.
During the weekend, we also had time to enjoy sight-seeing around Guanajuato. Guanajuato is an old, colonial city. Guanajuato hosts the annual International Cervantino Festival each October. It began as a homenage to Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quixote) and has expanded into the largest cultural festival in Mexico. The combination of the colonial city and the museums that have resulted from the annual festival means there are more sights than one can see in a week. We enjoyed walking around, eating in outdoor cafes and visiting the one musuem we had time for. We ended up visiting the Iconographic Quixote Museum. As its name suggests, it was a museum of art inspired by Don Quixote. We weren't allowed to take pictures of best part: a chapel-type room with a small mural depicting the story. If you ever make it to Guanajuato, the two dollar entry fee to that museum is well worth it for that mural.
This year, Jason and Heather Thornton from Tulsa, Oklahoma came to encourage us on the topic of the unity we have in our purpose as missionaries. The classes were great. We also enjoyed time catching up with old friends and meeting new friends.
Thanksgiving day, we had a delicious Thanksgiving dinner together. After dinner, the evening devotional involved some of the missionary kids - including our own sweet Sarah. The devotional focused on the many blessings that God has given us and our thankfulness for them.
During the weekend, we also had time to enjoy sight-seeing around Guanajuato. Guanajuato is an old, colonial city. Guanajuato hosts the annual International Cervantino Festival each October. It began as a homenage to Miguel de Cervantes (author of Don Quixote) and has expanded into the largest cultural festival in Mexico. The combination of the colonial city and the museums that have resulted from the annual festival means there are more sights than one can see in a week. We enjoyed walking around, eating in outdoor cafes and visiting the one musuem we had time for. We ended up visiting the Iconographic Quixote Museum. As its name suggests, it was a museum of art inspired by Don Quixote. We weren't allowed to take pictures of best part: a chapel-type room with a small mural depicting the story. If you ever make it to Guanajuato, the two dollar entry fee to that museum is well worth it for that mural.
T-bone the Iguana
In October, we added a new pet to our family: T-bone the iguana. Sarah and Philip got to pick out T-bone as a prize for their good grades during the first quarter.
T-bone is a green iguana and we've had a lot of fun learning about iguanas and how to care for them. T-bone is about 1 1/2 feet long from head to tail, but (after a number of years) he could reach 6 feet long. He eats fruit and vegetables - mostly vegetables. So far, he likes zucchini and green beans the best.
It turns out that iguanas are fun pets. They have cool eyes: T-bone will focus in and out at things around the room, especially when he's about to eat or the dog is in the room. T-bone will eat out of our hands and loves to crawl up our arms and then down our backs. And iguanas - at least young iguanas - are very low-odor pets.
Enjoy the pictures of T-bone.
T-bone is a green iguana and we've had a lot of fun learning about iguanas and how to care for them. T-bone is about 1 1/2 feet long from head to tail, but (after a number of years) he could reach 6 feet long. He eats fruit and vegetables - mostly vegetables. So far, he likes zucchini and green beans the best.
It turns out that iguanas are fun pets. They have cool eyes: T-bone will focus in and out at things around the room, especially when he's about to eat or the dog is in the room. T-bone will eat out of our hands and loves to crawl up our arms and then down our backs. And iguanas - at least young iguanas - are very low-odor pets.
Enjoy the pictures of T-bone.
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