Campfire Fun

A few weeks ago we had a mock campfire where we roasted hot-dogs and made smores. It was great fun! And no one got burned.

Superman and his bridge jumping sister

Parker was gifted with the opportunity from our sweet, sweet friends to be able to Zip line at Arenal. He is our little superman!

Ally and her friend Rosie anjoy the bridge at the pool! Good times!

Trying to Catch Up

I have a night of no homework, so I've been trying to update like crazy. Here's one post with random tid-bits. Enjoy the pictures in all the other posts:

- Yesterday I decided to hike around the mountain at the bottom of the volcano. It is no exageration when I tell you that I hiked UP one solid mile UP hill before I decide that I couldn't go up anymore. Who knew you could even go UP for that long? It was crazy, but so awesome to see the volcano and doing what I love to do. I felt very close to the Lord. 1 mile? Crazy! That means I had to go one mile DOWN. Can we say stomach cramps?

_ We are still discipling (not disciplining) Blanca (the woman that John lead to the Lord). She is really hungering for the word. She wants to know how to pray and read the Bible. She is reading but not understanding and she even started watching Christian television. She said she never read the Bible before and she is really desiring to grow in the Lord. I am learning a lot from Pam (a career missionary who is teaching me the ropes and my friend). She has been very patient with my Spanish and has been such a doll in letting me share what God lays on my heart during our studies. Please keep praying for Blanca. God laid on my heart some training techniques we learned during training and I'm sincerely looking forward to see her being radically transformed. We meet with her on Wednesday evenings.

- John is preaching for the 2nd time tomorrow. He is preaching about Faith and Obedience without Spanish notes at the House of Restoration! :) He is amazing. God has truly gifted Him.

- I am going to lead, with the Lord's help, my 2nd Bible study at the House of Restoration this Thursday. We are going to start studying the entire book of James and I am glad we are going to be going verse by verse in one book. I do not think jumping around each week is a good idea. Anyway, my teacher is going to let me practice it in class first and hopefully the kinks can be worked out by Thursday.

-Please keep praying for our family as we seek to learn, love and serve!

My tutor

I just have to brag on my Spanish tutor. She is such a gift from the Lord. Not only do I consider her my friend and sister in Christ, but she is a great teacher as well. Our mission is paying for me to have a tutor because I really struggled with concepts last trimester. I studied and studied and at times just couldn't get it (like complemento direct and indirect). Well, Ana (my tutor) teaches me these hard concepts in English and then we review them in Spanish. Just knowing what they mean in MY heart language have made all the difference for me. I feel like I am finally getting it and I wish I could take credit that it's because I'm so intelligent, but really God has blessed me with 2 wonderful teachers and a radical (does anyone use that word anymore) tutora. We had our Spanish mid-tri reviews on Friday and of course John's were perfect, but I was really surprised that both of my teachers felt like I needed to move up to a highler level Spanish class, a little faster moving class. What an honor. But NO THANKS!!! This semester has been wonderful for me. I am enjoying going slower. My family is thrilled to have me with them in the afternoons not feeling stressed out and my confidence level in Spanish is up. And NO MIGRAINES! All that to say, my tutor is doing a great job and this semester is a million times better for me than last tri! Thanks Ana! She is the best.

Amazing Creation!

We were blessed to spend 2 nights and 2 days at the world famous Volcano Arenal. Here are pictures of this amazing creation that we not only were we blessed to see (it is often difficult to see because of the weather), but privileged to go with many other wonderful missionary families from our school. God's creations envoke in me a desire to worship Him.

Running Pictures

Running running so much fun.....look to see just who won!

See if you can spot my kids in these fun pictures. We have completed 3 weeks of track meets and have 1 more left. We have had a blast and Jaxson decided to get in on the action.

Our baby turned 2!

Last weekend we celebrated Avery's 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe that she was born in our home 2 years ago. The time has gone by so quickly, but at the same time it feels as if she has been with us forever. She brings joy to our hearts every day.

Some of our favorite things about Avery:

She says "I like.....Pizza." And says the Pizza part really loud!

She loves to hug and kiss her brother's and sisters.

She is super affectionate.

She smiles with her nose crinkled up and her eyes squinted.

When she wants to be held, she holds her hands up and says, "hold you, hold you."

She has 2 pinkies (things she sleeps with) and now she has decided that she doesn't like one of them and she says "don't like, don't like" and throws it out of the bed.

She is bi-lingual and talks Spanish as well as she does English.

When we pray, she bows her heads and squints her little eyes closed until we are done.

She is just precious in every sense of the word.

Here are some pictures from her special day last week. Try to guess which one is her fiance?

And yes, I made the cakes - a first for me. Usually we order them from Publix, but there is no Publix here.

We did a special little Milkshake party. We made these cute little menus and made homemade milkshakes for everyone. It was a ton of fun!

Boring Update

We are at the half-way mark in our trimester at school and we are definitely feeling it. Athough this tri has been much better emotionally, spiritually and health-wise, we are still worn out and feel like we are hanging by a thread. The responsiblities that we have definitely out number the hours in a day. Last night we found ourselves going to sleep at 8 p.m. in an effort to not feel so tired today. It helped some, but what we really need is like 7 days of sleep to recover. But, we are plugging along, seeking the Lord daily for his wisdom, strength and guidance. We are in a good routine, but it is a routine that is packed much to full. :)

Anyway, things are good. Nothing exciting to report. We are going to the volcano this weekend for 2 nights and 2 1/2 days on a school field trip. We are extremely excited about this. If you want to see it, look up Arenal Volanoe online. :)

Oh yeh, the doctor said my knee is looking good. I am up to 3 miles, every other day, and he said I can increase miles and days of running. I don't need to see him until 4 more months unless something goes wrong. He is confident it will continue to heal.

Everyone, praise the Lord, is healthy and doing well.

Wednesday afternoon at the track!

The past year has brought a lot of transition for our children and at times their behavior has shown the effects of these HUGE changes. So, I am glad that they have found something they love, love, love. And I especially love that they love my favorite activity - RUNNING!

Today we participated in the school's track meet (2 more to go after this). Ally, surprisingly, won her heat for the 100 meter dash and she managed to take 26 seconds off of her mile time to come in at a 9:26. Woohoo! She got first place in her division, but I think she was the only one in her division. Heheeee....don't tell her that because she was so happy to get the first place ribbon.

Parker ran every race possible except for the relays and by the end of the afternoon all he could say was, "I am worn out." He came away with 3 first place awards in his divisons (and there actually were other kids in his age group) of the mile, 1/2 mile and something else which I can't recall. He improved his mile by 12 seconds which is surprising b/c the kid must've ran for 2 hour straight.

Jaxson tried to run the 1/2 mile, but by 200 meters he was crying because of stomach cramps. Daddy had to go rescue him off of the track because I was helping 2 other kids durig the race. He also ran the 100 meter race against 5 and 6 year olds. He came in last place and the boy that came in first place was also named Jaxson. When they gave out the awards they called for a Jaxson. Well, my Jaxson went up and accepted his first place award. :) And then we found out that the boy who won is Jaxson as well. The coach was so sweet and let him keep his award. He's only 4!!!!!

We love Wednesday afternoon track meets and can't wait to see what the next two weeks will hold. It's such an amazing family bonding experience. And.....I'm totally loving being a track mom. :)

LIES!!!!!

Who has been praying for our marriage? It must be someone out in the world of cyberspace connection. This weekend, I went to a retreat for missionary women (FREE!!!!! but worth like 10,000K) and God used this in my heart in a major way. Can you believe that I - a missionary - was believing at least 3 pages (small pages, okay) of lies from Satan? For some odd reason (must of been your prayers,) I decided to list each lie one by one, and at least 70% of them were about my relationship with John. I was so convicted by these lies that I decided to write the truths out on 3 more pages. Seriously - this was a miracle in changing my thinking. Once I realized that Satan wants to destroy us and our marriage and that I was believing ALL of His lies (he is the father of lies and that is about all he is good for), I quickly turned to the Lord for what His truths are about John. I came home from the retreat ready to give him ALL of my heart - which I have been withholding for awhile because I was consumed by these lies. And once he saw the change that God did he said, "I'm so glad my baby is back." All the glory is to our Lord!

A question for you: What lies are you believing in regards to your husband, children or you life? Write them down, pray over them and then live in the truth. Remember, Satan wants to attack your in your weakest area! :)

Hair: Before and After

Okay, the cold sore isn't going away anytime soon so here are some before and after pictures of my hair.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I look yuk in this picture, so try to focus on the cute hair! :)

Yummy to my tummy!

We've upgraded from ants in our food to...........

WORMS!!!

No commentary is necessary b/c the pictures speak for themselves. YUK!!

Born to run!

My little runners competed in their first track meet on Wednesday afternoon. The track meet was held by the track team and all of the kids that ran are on the track team - with the exception of my cuties. Although my babies came in last due to their ages, most of the kids were 9-15, they still ran their hearts out.

Parker did come in first place, however, in the 100 meter dash.

Ally and Parker ran the 100 meter dash, the 1/2 mile and the mile. I ran all of Ally's races with her (except the 100 meter dash). Check out these pictures of us together. I have had some amazing running experiences (running in Central Park in NYC, 2 Disney Marathons, and now running with my 5 year old as she completed her first mile in a real track meet.

And....I almost forgot to tell you that she ran her mile in 9:57. Yes, that means nine minutes and 57 seconds. Can you believe it? I was shocked when I saw her time. I was expecting 13 or 14 minutes, which would be more typical for her age group.

And then my little Parker ran his mile in 9:40 without his mommy by his side and after he competed in all of his other events. He even wanted to go to the track today to practice because there is a meet each Wednesday for the next 3 Wednesdays. So, he ran another mile today for practice.

My heart is extremely proud of them - partially because I am their mom and partially because I am runner (and a running runner at that).

Just goes to show that last isn't always least! :) They did their very best and that is what is important. Check it out:

Parker is on his way to his victory in the 100 meter dash!

Here is little Ally at 5 years old with a beautiful stride, already.

It looks like I am upset with her, but I am telling her that she is a tough girl and she can catch those boys in front of us. Go girl, you can get them - and she was very close! Look how intent she is!

Step for step - What a dream. If anyone knows how to crop and zoom on this picture and still have it a nice quality, I would love to have it!

A new day - a new doo!!

Today I got about 5 inches more cut from my hair! Don't freak! It's a little above my shoulders with lots of cute layers and it kind of flips out. I had been growing my hair for over 3 years, but since I got it colored here in C.R., I have been losing hair by the buckets and it was irreprably (is this a word) damaged. I have decided I want to let my hair grow back to its normal color. So I want long hair (again) but without highlights.

Okay, so where's the picture. John took some picts of me, but I have a nasty cold sore right above my lip and you won't be able to appreciate the pictures because all you can see is the big spot on my face.

So, in a few days I will post some pictures.

Parker and Ally have their very first track-meet today. We are a family of runners, you know?

Parker is running the mile, 1/2 mile and 200 meter.

Ally is running the mile, 1/2 mile and 100 meter.

I told them it doesn't matter how fast they run, just as long as they finish. :)

Pictures to come....

Leaving and loving it!

Guess where I'm going..........AWAY + FOR FREE = yippee!

A ministry is coming to Costa Rica that ministers to missionary women and they are having a 2 night, 3 day retreat for us for FREE! We even get to stay in a hotel! Did I mention it's for FREE! Their ministry is to encourage and bless missionaries. How awesome is that? A lot of my friends from school are going and it's going to be FUN! This will be my first outing since October away from the kids and the first one in almost 2 years where I wasn't nursing a baby when I left home. I will miss the kids and John, but I think these few days are just what the Lord ordered. I am missing a day and a half of school and will be gone Thursday at noontime until sometime Saturday.

Also, yesterday, 3 of us went prayer-walking in our neighborhoods. It really struck me that if we prayed dilligently all the time that we could see these streets TAKEN OVER for the Lord. I prayed as God led me. We met some women in the park and my friends prayed with them while I played with the kids. We also stumbled upon an elderly daycare and they invited us to pray with them as well. They also said I can come back with my family. It really felt as if the Lord led us there. The Lord also led us to an orphanage type home right around the corner. It was sad to hear the story of these precious little ones with no parents. I wanted to scoop a few up and take them home. Who knew there were ALL these needs in my own neighborhood? I'm going to keep seeking what the Lord might have for us. We are going to continue our prayer walking in 2 more weeks.

Jaxson is improving. His fever was much better today. If he doesn't have one tonight, he can go back to school tomorrow.

P.S. We have a week off in March if anyone wants to come visit!!!! PLEASE!!

Jaxson Dean

Another day, another virus. Jaxson woke up in the middle of the night ill. He had a mild fever this morning (102.2), but now he is up to 105. We request your prayers that he would be healed. He is red, hot, tired and very uncomfortable.

Little Fatty and spiritual stuff

Okay, so I'm totally not inspired to blog although there is a lot to blog about. I think it's because I read other people's blogs and their's are so creative or funny or super-deep spiritually and then there is my blog! BORING! So if you're content to read boring than I'll update more, but I think I'm just uninspired because I'd rather post nothing than a boring ol' update - which seems to be all that I can muster out these days.

Anyway, John preached and it went very well. He said the worship time that he had to lead was disasterous. I am going to let him blog about his preaching because I wasn't there and I don't know what to tell you except that it was about Gideon and it was in Spanish and he probably did a great job! :)

I lead the Bible study on Thursday at the House of Restoration and it went better than I had expected. We stayed on course. I understood a lot of what was being said, but not all. My friend Rita helped me when I needed it. We studied Ephesians and putting off our "old man" and walking in the Spirit in our "new man." Everyone participated, except the lady who fell asleep (she's detoxing). My friend, Rita, said it was a beautiful. I truly felt like I was out of God's way during the study because my Spanish and understanding is limited, it had to be ALL about His WORD. Praise God!

Also, John's language partner, Blanca, is going to be discipled by our friend and co-worker here in Costa Rica. She has been a missionary for over 25 years. She is going to meet with Blanca on Wednesday night and asked me if I would like to join them. The kids will be sleeping so I think I will. :)

Parker is improving everyday.

A funny - there is a parakeet that we walk by everytime we go to the grocery story. He says "Hola, Hola, Hola....." You get the point. Today I walked over to him to say "Hola," and he said, "Hola, Gordita." At first I thought gordita was the name of his owner! HAAAA! Then I realzed he was saying, "Hello, little fatty!" Nothing like a sweet talkin' bird!

Another funny - I bought a bathing suit at the cheap grocery store (think Save-A-Lot) for $8 and it's Body Glove. :) How fun is that?