Changing Seasons

4th of July, freezer cooking, etc...

2009-07-07T09:37:00.002-04:00

We've been busy lately! July seems to be flying by; less than 1 month and summer is over (teacher training starts the first week of August). Here's a run down of what we've been doing:
-3 play dates last week
-"Celebrated" 4th of July on the 3rd with a picnic lunch in our back yard. Jeremiah finger-painted some nice red and blue pictures. :)
We finally turned on our deep freeze and are now trying to fill it!
-Really stretching a chicken: Saturday we bought 17 pounds of chicken (4 large chickens), at about $1/lb from a place that sells fresh, farm raised chickens. It's nice to support local business and know our chickens have some freedom! I used the necks, wings, feet, and skin for broth (yield=9 cups). After cooling it, I skimmed off the fat and saved it to use for cooking. I saved 1 chicken whole to roast (which will go towards at least 2 meals). I have 2 freezer bags of half chickens (also more than 1 meal each unless we have company) and 2 bags each of 2 thighs and 2 breasts. So, the chicken meat itself will give us at least 10 meals, and the broth chicken fat will go towards other meals.
-We also bought 4 pounds of ground beef (also about $1/lb here). I used this recipe (more or less, but added some bell peppers and garlic) to make a "ground beef mix" and divided it into 6- 1 pint bags for 6 different meals. I can use it for quick sloppy Joes, chili, rice casserole, pasta casserole, stuffed peppers, etc.
-After all that I did some weeding and trimming in our back yard. Daniel made a "square foot" garden that I'll transplant my seedlings to after they've started to grow.
-Sunday: after church, we drove with a team here from Minnesota (they're here with our church) to a little neighborhood/town further up in the mountains. We parked our cars on the side of the road and then hiked down the "stairs" into the valley (the only access to the town). We played in the river, and looked at the cabins that they rent out (we're staying there this Friday, for Daniel's birthday). Then we hiked back up to the car. I crashed for the rest of the day.
-Yesterday (Monday) I mostly crashed, but managed to make Mangu for breakfast, cook 7 jars of pasta sauce to freeze and visit Daniel for lunch. Then I crashed some more, went on a walk with my family, and had a light supper.

So, that's been our past week. I'm continuing to fill the freezer little by little. I want to have it well stocked for when baby comes (only 2 months now)! Jeremiah enjoys helping me cook and bake. I didn't really take any pictures last week; I'll try to do better this week! :-D
P.S. If you have any great freezer-cooking recipes, please share them with me!

Meet-and-Greet: Shaving Cream fun and senior graduation

2009-06-29T08:44:00.004-04:00

So I realized that even though I'd posted pictures to my Picasa web album, I had yet to put them on my blog. Graduation was actually about 2 weeks ago. It was the first senior graduation for Jarabacoa Christian School! Quite a few teachers from past years came down the the event. The graduating class consisted of 4 students; the graduation included the ceremony, a meal, and dancing. We left before the dancing because it was already late by the time the dancing began (almost 11), and we wanted to relieve the babysitter. Here are the pics:

Last Thursday Jer and I went to a friend's house to having some shaving cream fun. 4 boys+ lots of shaving cream = a big mess! The youngest of the other boys is 3, and Jeremiah attempts to say his name. When I ask him if we had fun, or say we're going to have fun today, he nods and says "agua, An-y." (We've also been going to the pool with them once a week). So, Jeremiah associates fun with water and "An-y." And now for pics:

And they're finally clean!

For more pics of shaving cream fun, go to our online album here:

June

For more Meet-and-Greet, head over to The Natural Mommy and meet her new arrival!

Pics

2009-06-22T09:19:00.008-04:00

Here are pics of our "making do" without running water:

Daniel lowering the bucket into the cistern

Pushing the bucket under the water

Drawing the water out of the cistern

Dish washing set up: wash in gray bucket, rinse with water from green bucket and pot, put in white basket

Bring over white basket, dip in bleach water, set in drying rack

We'll see how the dish-washing attempt goes. I really want to get some dishes washed in spite of my left hand. I was planning to do dishes Friday, but that didn't happen due to my "exciting" walk.

Our crazy week: including dog attack

2009-06-22T09:19:00.006-04:00

Wow, here's a run down:
-Last Saturday (13th): senior graduation; power went out are our house
-Sunday: Church, Cook-out at a JCS parent's house, nap time, dinner at Regan's house
-Monday: Still missing one line of power (we have 2 lines of 110 running into our house), extension cords throughout the house (as we have two working outlets).
-Tuesday: go to pool with another mom and kids, Daniel has meeting
-Wednesday: date night; yay!
-Thursday: Daniel takes off the day and we go to Santiago for baby check-up. Buy a deep freeze with tax rebate. The trickle from our spare water tank runs out leaving us with no running water at all (we were already avoiding showering at home and running wash)
-Friday: Daniel uses buckets to lift water from our cistern to wash the diapers in our washer.
-Same day: I'm walking with a friend when Chiste is attacked by a german shepherd. Of course, instead of letting go of the leash, I try to kick the dog off Chiste. Dog bites me, I start falling (Jer's on my back) and grab the nearest thing: a barbed wire fence. Spend the day going to the clinic, resting at friend's house, etc. Daniel takes off work to be with me. Thankfully, the owner of the dog goes with us and pays for the damages. Chiste has bites, but is doing fine. Jeremiah has a few scraps from the barbed wire fence, but nothing deep.
-Saturday: rest
-Sunday: Father's Day: attempt to make breakfast with not much use of left hand (all scratched up from barbed wire), church, rest, go to hotel for lunch and swimming in pool.

So, that was our exciting week. I'm still on the mend, and my left hand is getting sore from typing. I'm so thankful that Jeremiah is fine and for our various friends who helped us, fed us, gave us medicine, etc. What a blessing they are!
We're still missing our 1 line of power, but Daniel re-wired things on Saturday so that all our lights, and fans are running on the 1 line we do have. Still no water, though, as the pump needs both lines.

Beach Trip!

2009-06-10T08:21:00.001-04:00

Here are pictures from our beach trip. As it takes forever to upload pictures onto the blog, I put them on Picasa. You can view them on the slide show or click on the show to reach the album:

On Recovery...

2009-06-09T11:38:00.003-04:00

So, most of last week went according to our schedule. Friday afternoon we drove to the beach and had a wonderful time. We joined our friends at a huge beach house that they rented. It even had its own pool! The first evening we relaxed, swam, had a yummy dinner on the beach, and then returned for an evening swim and a movie (the movie Bolt). The next day we walked down the beach to have breakfast, walked back, and then took Dylan and Jeremiah to the beach (the group of beach houses we rented were on the beach, but ours was a little ways back; about a block away). We had so much fun jumping in the waves, playing in the sand, and burying Dylan. The older Jeremiah grows, the more fun we have at the beach!
After about an 1 1/2 hrs of playing at the beach, we headed back to the house for lunch, swam in the pool, and then packed up to drive home. Upon returning home, Daniel dressed for the 8th grade graduation and headed out the door. I fed the boy and put us both to sleep.
The next day (Sunday) our plans deviated vastly from our schedule. I threw up 3 times in the night/morning and felt absolutely terrible. Daniel and Jeremiah stayed home to take care of me. I finally made it out to the living room at about 4 in the afternoon. I was finally able to keep down some food, and went to bed early, but didn't sleep very well. Monday I stayed home with Jeremiah and rested all day. Happily, he was a very sweet boy and allowed me to rest on the couch while he played around me. Due to the half day, Daniel came home for lunch to check on me, hang the diapers, and put Jeremiah down for his nap.
Last night I slept super well and have so much more energy today! I am so thankful that my illness fell on the two days when Daniel had no mandatory events to attend. I am also so thankful to my wonderful husband who took such good care of me!
I'm guessing my illness was mostly due to over-exhaustion along with the active day in the sun (I was really throwing myself out there in the ocean!). The other times (earlier in my pregnancy) when I was this ill also followed multiple days of less sleep and being over-tired.
So, eventually I will post pictures of the beach (we took lots!). And the beach trip was worth it, even if I did over-extend myself!!

The craziness has begun!

2009-06-01T20:10:00.000-04:00

It began with this weekend, and will continue for the next two weeks. Here's a rundown:
Friday, May 5: coffee house at our house for JCS staff
Saturday, May 6: graduation ceremony/grad party for two MKs.
Sunday, May 7: Dinner at Ark after church to celebrate Dominican Mother's Day; home for nap; BBQ at Escuela Caribe
Monday: free evening!
Tuesday: Pick up friend and former teacher, Leah, (and her son) from airport
Wednesday: go out for a date; Leah babysits :)
Thursday: Have friends over for dinner
Friday: go to beach for the night
Saturday: drive back from beach in the afternoon; 8th grade graduation
Sunday: church, potluck at Escuela Caribe; church members meeting that evening
Monday: free night!
Tuesday: Kindergarten graduation
Wednesday: Awards night
Thursday: Staff party
Friday: Report Card Meeting, hang out with friends
Saturday: 12th grade graduation
Sunday: Dinner at friends
And hopefully that's the end of the craziness! So, if you want to know what we're doing any given evening, there it is.

Meet-and-Greet Monday: Enjoying the Outdoors

2009-06-01T20:01:00.004-04:00

I don't have a lot of pictures, but I'll post what I have. This weekend was absolutely beautiful, following weeks of rain. I had a bad head cold (given to me by my wonderful boys for mother's day), but I was still able to enjoy the weather somewhat. (Actually, I had a very nice Dominican Mother's Day, starting with a yummy breakfast of sticky buns.) We also had a very busy weekend (more on that to come later). In spite of this, we managed to sneak in a little hammock time on Saturday evening:

Our banana trees are growing nicely

Some preggie shots:

For more meet-and-greet, see the natural mommy.

Toddlers and Blogging

2009-05-27T14:02:00.005-04:00

So, because I've been trying to spend more deliberate time with Jeremiah, I haven't been on the computer nearly as much. However, he's been hitting less during the day (the evening is another story...). So, more time with Jeremiah= less time on computer= happy toddler. But, it also =less time blogging = less pictures of Jeremiah on the blog = not as happy grandparents. ;) (they haven't said anything, I'm just assuming they miss pictures of him). So, due to mail day yesterday and Jeremiah receiving a cool cook set and play food from Grammy Dee and Grandpa How, I've had a little more free time today.
Mail day was indeed exciting yesterday. We also received a wonderful baby/toddler care package. It has lots of fun things, including toys Jeremiah will receive when the new baby comes (and some we'll give him between now and then).
-I need to interrupt myself to mention that Jeremiah just brought me a plate with bread, a tomato, two slices of cheese, a can of salmon, and a can of baked beans. He also made a plate up for himself of cheese (he really likes the cheese), lettuce, can of salmon, and canned corn. And just a few minutes ago he was blowing on the pots and food saying "hot." It's so fun to see him using his imagination!-
Okay, what was I saying? Oh yeah, so last night we had fun opening mail. :)
Other things we've been doing lately- I finished making curtains for our bedroom, and a curtain to cover the shelves in our hallway. I'm excited about having those finished- now every window in the house (besides the ones in the shower and the high window that opens to the laundry room) has some sort of curtain/window treatment. It only took 4 years! (we didn't do much in the other house) I'll put up pictures some time.
Alrighty, time for pictures of Jeremiah (and other misc. things like squid).

Jeremiah practicing hammering (unfortunately, we had to take this toy away as he kept hitting me with it)

Jeremiah showing off his Wisconsin Onesie Jeremiah loves to snuggle Chiste!

We've been trying to teach Jeremiah how to be "suave" with Chiste, while at the same time trying to teach Chiste that if he's going to be an indoor dog, he needs to put up with toddlers. :) Hopefully they're both learning.

Jeremiah and his "train" that we made out of boxes

Chef Jeremiah with his new cook set

Cherry pie/cheescake:
I had some frozen cherries I'd been saving, pitted them (which took forever!) and made them into cherry pie filling. But I decided to go the extra mile and make a cheesecake layer for the pie. However, the cherry filling was heavier than the cheescake layer, so instead of being layered, it turned into a mix. But it was still super yummy!

We found squid (tentacles) for less than $1 per pound! Doesn't that look appetizing? ;) We're excited, anyway.

Toddler Discipline: A little advice, please?

2009-05-21T16:18:00.003-04:00

So I definitely have a 2 yr. old now. Not only does he like to contradict me and change his mind a bajillion times (says he's done with food, I take it away, he gets upset and asks for more, I give it back to him, he pushes it away, I take it away, he gets upset, .....), but he's becoming obsessed with throwing things and hitting. Throwing and hitting have never been allowed. Either he gets a time out, or the object he threw gets taken away. Or both. But the hitting and throwing continue. After time out, I make sure to tell him he needs to be "suave" (gentle) with whatever he was hitting/throwing things at ("Suave with Chiste". Or, "suave with mommy"). He repeats "Suave" and sometimes even gently pats me if he had hit me before. If he threw books, I give him a book and make put it down nicely before he can come out of time out. Yet the hitting and throwing continue.
Sometimes it's out of anger, sometimes it's just for fun. For example, as I was writing this he:
Came up to me, happy, and hit me with his sippy cup. I took the sippy cup away. He did not like this. He started crying, found a wooden ball, and threw it at me. Now he's in time-out.
Is this something that he'll eventually grow out of? Should I continue taking away items, putting him in time out, emphasize being "suave," and just give it time? Or do I need a different strategy? Any suggestions would be welcome!

Abortion and our society's responsibility to women (and all)

2009-05-14T13:38:00.006-04:00

First, I want to start with a disclaimer: Although I am adamantly pro-life, I am not writing this against women who have had an abortion. While I do believe the act of abortion is wrong, I am in no way passing judgment on women who have had an abortion (just as people can think eating meat is wrong without judging me as a person just because I eat meat, though they may disagree with my decision). What I want to talk about is society's role in abortion. I'm also not getting in to when life begins, etc., etc...

I want to paint a scenario: You do something that somehow ends up crushing one of your legs terribly (below the knee). You go to the hospital. They tell you it's not life threatening (you don't need to amputate to save your life or your leg). However, if you don't amputate it, you will be crippled for the rest of your life. You will never be able to walk without crutches or some kind of help. However, if they do amputate, you can get a prosthetic leg that will allow you to walk, though not as you could before. (Obviously this example is a far cry from being pregnant- the majority of abortions aren't chosen because of an injury, life-or-death situation, or even because of a problem. Also, the fetus has it's own, separate, human DNA. But bear with me...)
Now, your doctor comes to you and tells you, "I think you should get it amputated. Things would be easier." Your friends and family tell you, "yes, get it amputated. Don't find out about other options. Don't ask about other options. In fact, the doctor shouldn't even give you other options!"
Would you make the choice to get rid of your leg without knowing your options? Without finding out how they will take it off or what it will do to you? Without information on what would happen if you did keep your leg?
Many people are pro-choice because they think it gives women liberty and freedom. I believe, though, that the way abortions are performed in the States actually distorts freedom. Freedom, in my opinion, is making choices knowing fully the consequences, and being expected to deal with the consequences. I don't believe we are empowering women by allowing abortions without feeling the necessity of letting them know the consequences for abortions. Until I see an abortion clinic that brings women in, says, "Here is what your baby looks like right now. Here's what will happen during the abortion. Here's how the baby will react. Here are other alternatives to an abortion if you desire them. We want to give you all the information to empower you to make the best choice possible for you and your unborn child. If you choose not to have an abortion, great. If you do want one, come back and talk to us."
Until I see that, I don't believe that pro-choicers even have a right to argue their case. If I did see that, I still wouldn't agree with abortion, and I would still use my right as a citizen to respectfully argue against it, but at least I would believe that society and the government actually cared about women and their unborn children (even if I still don't believe abortion should be legal in most cases).
Take another scenario: I serve meat to my children (yes, I do eat meat). I try to hide from them that what is on their plate ever looked like a cute cow. I don't want them to hear that the cow was butchered. I don't want them to be told how the cows are treated before they are killed and about what happens afterward. I do not believe this is empowering my children. I want my children to make decisions based on all the information. I want them to know where their food comes from. If they decide they will continue to eat meat, okay. If they decide to become vegetarians, that's okay too. But in truly helping and empowering my children, I want them to make decisions based on all the information and, most importantly, I want them to deal with the consequences! I desire this because I truly love them and want them to grow in character and maturity. I believe it would do my children a great dis-service if I let them do whatever they wanted, but tried to hide the consequences of their actions from them.
We live in a culture that very much wants to do what it wants without dealing with the consequences. Many (not all, I know, but "93% of all abortions occur for social reasons (i.e. the child is unwanted or inconvenient)." according to this website, that obtained it's information from pro-abortion sources.) abortions occur because people want to sleep-around without dealing with the consequence. By saying, as a society, that it is okay to do that, we are teaching current and future generations that they can do whatever feels best without thinking about the outcome. Instead of empowering women and giving them choice, I believe it is actually stripping women of power.
If someone is truly pro-choice, I believe they should foster wise, empowering choice making. Women and girls should be treated as mature adults and given all the information. No woman should ever have to say, "If I had known what abortion really did to the child, I would never have done it..."
Most importantly, we need to let women, and all people, deal with, and be aware of, the outcomes of their choices. Hiding ourselves and others from our consequences stunts growth and twists the idea of "freedom." To see true pictures and videos of abortion, go to this site. If you are pro-choice, you should be willing look at the reality of abortion and know what you are fighting for when you fight for/accept legal abotions.

The Love Dare

2009-05-13T12:39:00.004-04:00

Daniel and I recently started going through The Love Dare, a marriage book inspired by the movie Fireproof and written by the brothers Stephen & Alex Kendrick (creators of the movie). While I have yet to see Fireproof (we're hoping to borrow it from some friends), Daniel and I are enjoying this book/devotional/challenge.
Basically, for those who haven't seen the movie, The Love Dare is a 40 day challenge to love your spouse unconditionally. It is broken into daily challenges, based on a specific aspect of love. For example, the first day includes a discussion on the aspect of patience in marriage. Following this is the daily challenge. This day challenged the reader to "resolve to demonstrate patience and to say nothing negative to your spouse at all..." Some dares are more concrete (actually doing something for your spouse or saying something to them), others are more internal. It's been a wonderful way to focus on aspects of love that are so easy to forget in our own human selfishness! Daniel and I are both committed to growing our marriage and growing in our love for one another through individual and couple prayers, couple devotional times, as well as enjoying time together. This book has been another wonderful resource to encourage that growth, and I highly recommend this 40 day challenge to any couple!
Yesterday's topic especially stood out to me. Here is a sample from the discussion on "Love Cherishes."

"Consider these two scenarios. A man's older car begins having serious trouble, so he takes it to a mechanic. After an assessment is made, he is told it will need a complete overhaul, which would tax his limited budget. Because of the expensive repairs, he determines to get rid of the car and spend his funds on a new vehicle. Seems reasonable, right?
Another man, an engineer, accidentally crushes his hand in a piece of equipment. He rushes to the hospital and has it x-rayed, finding that numerous bones are broken. Although frustrated and in pain, he willingly uses his savings to have it doctored and placed in a cast, then gingerly nurses it back to health over the following months. This, too, probably seems reasonable to you.
The problem within our culture is that marriage is more often treated like the first scenario. When your relationship experiences difficulty, you are urged to dump your spouse for a 'newer mode.' But those who have this view do not understand the significant bond between a husband and wife. The truth is, marriage is more like the second scenario. You are a part of one another. You would never cut off your hand if it was injured but would pay whatever you could afford for the best medical treatment possible. That's because your hand is priceless to you. It is part of who you are...
It's time to let love change your thinking. It's time for you to realize that your spouse is as much a part of you as your hand, your eye, or your heart. She, too, needs to be loved and cherished. And if she has issues causing pain or frustration, then you should care for these with the same love and tenderness as you would a bodily injury. If he is wounded in some way, you should think of yourself as an instrument that helps bring healing to his life... when you look at your mate, you're looking at a part of you. So treat her well. Speak highly of him. Nourish and cherish the love of your life." (The Love Dare, Stepehen and Alex Kendrick)

I desire to cherish Daniel and love him with God's unconditional love. And only with His help is such a desire possible!

Ministry Update

2009-05-11T20:31:00.002-04:00

We've just sent out an April/May ministry update. If you would like to receive it, but did not, please let me know!

The end (we hope) of the inverter saga...

2009-05-11T19:36:00.004-04:00

So, a few Tuesdays ago I posted about my joy in having new inverter batteries. Well, the very next day the inverter ceased working. That week we tried to contact an inverter repairman and endured a week of terrible power outages. Finally, we contacted one that could come and the following Monday he came and took the inverter to fix it (the transfer-switch wasn't working, so it wouldn't turn on when the power went off). He came back on Tuesday with it fixed. Yay! But.... he put the case on upside down (which isn't a problem except that the vented side was then on top). That evening a strong storm came and... the inverter died. So Daniel had to change our electricity to bypass the inverter and go straight to city power. We soon discovered the problem: since the inverter is in an caged outside-area with only a tin roof, water from the storm leaked into the inverter. Before, when the case was on the other way, the vents were on the bottom and we had no problem. But, since he switched it, water could now leak in. So, we called the guy again and he came the next day. Finally, on Thursday, he brought it back repaired (We only had to pay for the new switch thing). Of course, after all this, we've had power all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But, today the power was off for all of 10 minutes, so we were able to enjoy the inverter!
Of course, as soon as it's fixed the power magically goes from being terrible to wonderful. But, I'm not going to ccomplain. City power is good (it means I can do lots of laundry and have cold food!). :) I just hope that's the end of the saga!

Meet-and-Greet Monday: Gardening

2009-05-11T15:22:00.001-04:00

Last Monday was labor day. So, we decided to do some gardening. This mostly meant clearing up areas, digging up weeds, etc. We also put in a few flowers. We still have a long ways to go, but it's a good start!

Jeremiah wanted to help out:

Chiste decided he liked the newly tilled garden spot

Jeremiah played in the pool while our friend Christy helped till and pull weeds

Daniel hard at work

Proof I helped:

Jeremiah trying to spray Christy with the hose

Here are the newly tilled/weeded areas:

In the above picture I planted 3 impatiens plants and lots of impatiens cuttings (you can't see them very well in the picture). One of the things I love about gardening here is that you can take so many different cuttings and just plant them in the ground! They are already starting to bud and bloom, but this pic was from last week.

Again, I planted some cuttings. There are also some rose vines in the middle of the area.

Our next gardening adventure: growing lechosa (papaya) trees from seed and planting ground cover. Eventually I'd like to plant beans too.

For more meet-and-greet, see www.thenaturalmommy.com

Preggie Belly

2009-05-06T15:21:00.003-04:00

Here's my belly right now. Some people are surprised at how much I'm showing for 5 months; some are surprised at how little I'm showing. I even had one person (who I'd really just met) say something to effect of "you're really big for only 4.5 months!" I wasn't sure how to take that. I personally like having a preggie belly, so I'll take it as a compliment. :) 4 more months to go!

Meet-and-Greet Monday: Jeremiah's best friend

2009-05-04T15:07:00.010-04:00

Jeremiah loves Chiste. And now that Chiste is an indoor/outdoor dog (in and out throughout the day, sleeps in our laundry room area at night) he can play with him even more! Sometimes Jeremiah gets upset when Chiste wants to be outside and Jeremiah is inside. He's constantly asking where he is: "Chite!?" (that's pronounced Cheetay) We're having to do some training to teach Chiste that Jeremiah is not a puppy, but comes above him on the "doggy scale." And it's helping that Jeremiah is starting to reprimand him when he's naughty. So, Chiste is getting much better at not growling when Jeremiah annoys him (gets at his food, bothers him when he's resting, etc. And of course, we're trying to teach Jeremiah not to do those thing (but we still don't want Chiste reacting to it). But, Chiste's getting better (not so sure about Jeremiah). Anyway, here are some pics of Jer and his buddy:

Trying to "snuggle" Chiste

Joining Chiste on his doggy bed

And now for some more random pics of Jer:

His first play dough experience!

Just plain cuteness

Here's the play food set I made out of really bad silverware (the fork bends when you stab broccoli), extra lids from lost plastic containers, and laminated paper food. I tried to make a nice place setting...

...but it didn't last for long:

Eating cheese with a spoon

And here's what happens when he puts his shoes on by himself:

For more meet-and-greet, visit the natural mommy!

Kermes

2009-05-03T19:28:00.004-04:00

Wow; I am so behind in blogging! After our joy of having new batteries for our inverter, it stopped working the very next day. And so our inverter itself is getting fixed. And, of course, this past week has been one of the worst lately in power outages. The times we have had power I've been concerned with figuring out what to do about Jeremiah's ongoing rash, making paper-play-food, and spending time with the hubby.
So, with that introduction, last Sunday was the annual JCS Kermes. Daniel worked all day (and subsequently had Monday off) while I came after church and nap time. In spite of the rain, it went very well and I chased around a little boy the whole time. :) There were many games, but only a few suitable for a 1 1/2 yr old: the lolly-pop pull (he won tickets, but I didn't give him the lolly-pop), duck pull, and sponge toss (except we modified it to the sponge whack for him). With the tickets he won, he picked out a few prizes (a mini toy car, which Chiste ate the wheels off, and a little toy motorcycle). Here are a few pics from the event:

Decorated for the "safari" theme

Unfortunately, we only have video of Jeremiah smacking his daddy with a sponge, but here's a pic of a student throwing a very wet sponge at "el director"

Us in our "safari" outfits (hey, my shirt has leaves on it- it counts!)

After our lunch break

Blogging without city power!

2009-04-28T11:40:00.002-04:00

Exciting news (for us anyway). We now have new inverter batteries! Which means I can still use the computer, have lights, have internet, have vonage, use the bread-maker and crock-pot, etc. even when the city power is off. Daniel bought and installed them yesterday. We praise the Lord for using others to provide for us! :-D The power has been off a lot recently, which makes it even more timely. Yay!

Our Trip: Spring Break 2009

2009-04-22T10:58:00.004-04:00

I finally uploaded our pictures to a picasa web album! Most of them, of course, are of Jeremiah.

Here's a brief run-down of our trip:

-Arrived Wednesday, April 1. Hung out with my parents next two days; ate at a German restaurant one night and had my grandparents over for my b-day celebration (and a huge Pennsylvania Dutch meal) the next. It was so fun to be home to celebrate my b-day!
-Saturday my mom had a mini-reunion with some women from her college dorm. We ate lots of food and hung out with my friend Devon.
-Sunday we went to church and then had a big party with Daniel's mom's fam. at their house. Daniel's sister was in for the week as well. We also ate lots of yummy Italian food.
-Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday we spent the days with Daniel's family, and Daniel did recruiting at 3 different schools. On Monday Daniel's parents and I took Jer. to a children's museum. Tuesday night we ate yummy Thai food. Wed. night we had a family get together with Daniel's dad's family and (you guessed it) ate lots more food.
-On Thursday Daniel and I went on a lunch date and then came back to hang out with Daniel's cousin and his two kids at the Peterson house. Thursday night we hung out with friends from highschool.
-Friday we spent time with my family and my brother and sister-in-law. That night we went to a good Friday service where you walked through different "stations" in groups, going through the night of Christ's death. It was a very powerful experience.
-Satuday we spent with my family. That night we had a seder dinner (though we were two days late) with the Peterson family.
-Easter morning we had a big yummy breakfast with Peterson fam, a mini Easter egg hunt outside and in and attended a great celebration service at the church. Afterward we went to my parent's house and had a yummy dinner with family and another Easter egg hunt.
-Monday was our last day with family so we went out to dinner with both our parents.
-Tuesday we left.
So, basically, we spent lots of time with people, and ate lots of yummy food. We were spoiled. :)

A Discontent Heart

2009-04-21T11:05:00.005-04:00

The background:

This week has been a rather difficult transition back to the D.R. The first few days I spent organizing and unpacking, while Daniel spent his evenings (after work) fixing things. The first evening he fixed a leak (well, more like a gush) in our pipe; the next night he fixed our washer. It wasn't until Friday afternoon (we came home Tuesday evening) I got out of the house and saw anyone (Jer. and I visited the school). Friday evening Daniel had a board meeting. Saturday we were in Santiago all day; Sunday we actually relaxed, and then Monday the power was out most of the day (so I couldn't post pictures!). We had tried making bread in the bread machine, but everytime it got to though the first rise the power went out. I finally baked it in our over and we now have a hard and dense (but edible) loaf of bread. Monday evening Daniel spent taking out the toilet to search for a diaper insert that I accidentally flushed down (while cleaning a really poopy diaper!). oops...

Today I went to the grocery store only to discover that my bank card was rejected. So I walked across to the bank but the atm wouldn't let me draw money. I was told I could only take money out by waiting in a line (a very long line). Since I was feeling weak and dehydrated, I was not up for standing in a long line, and gave Daniel a call. Except that my minutes had expired. Feeling panic-y and emotional (being a tired preggy does that to me) I went back to the store (trying hard to cover my tears) and explained the situation. The very kind woman at the register let me "buy" a phone card to call Daniel, trusting that he would come and pay for the groceries and the phone card. I called, my hero came to my rescue, and I felt much better (we later found out they froze many bank accounts because of some big fraud going on).

The point:

So, now for my main reason to post. I'm not writing this to complain (though it is good to vent a little) or to make anyone feel sorry for us. After all, I'm sure everyone reading this has weeks when everything seems to break or go wrong. The main point is to share my lack of contentedness (I guess that would be called discontentedness- is that even a word?). Coming back this past time has seemed more difficult than ever for me. For two weeks I was surrounded by family and friends. Now I'm home all day with Jeremiah. For two weeks I enjoyed consistent power, lots of hot water, a dishwasher, clean tap water, smooth sidewalks and roads that allow for a stroller, etc. Then we came home to the previously mentioned problems. After those two weeks of feeling spoiled, I did not want to come back. (You'd think after 4 years I'd be used to it!) And there have been many times when I've felt adjusted and content. But it comes in waves. The bottom line is this: I care way too much about my own comfot! And I know God's been working on me in regards to that for a long time. But I still have a long way to go. Needless to say, my attitude has not been the best this past week and my heart has not been joyful. It's not my circumstances that need to change- it's my heart that needs to change. God has blessed us so much, yet I still complain about the little annoyances. Our house now is so much better than the first place we lived, and yet I compare it to our parents' homes in the States.

The sacrifice:

Daniel and I both know that God has called us here. And following Him means sacrificing. The sacrifice is different in each person's life- but we're all called to sacrifice. For Daniel and I the big sacrifice is raising a family far from home and loved ones, and giving up little comforts. I know that, but part of me still fights it. Part of me wants to throw a tantrum just like a two-year old. And another part of me knows that I'm supposed to be here, that I do love it here, and that I'd rather being struggling and where God wants me than anywhere else. In His presence is the only true contentment and comfort. And in Him is the only place I'll find my peace.

News on Baby Peterson!

2009-04-19T17:37:00.003-04:00

We had our monthly check-up this past Saturday. With Jeremiah we decided not to find out the gender but to leave it as a surprise. With this one we decided to be different. So, on Saturday we found out the gender of Baby Peterson! Jeremiah is going to have a little brother! We're excited and knowing the gender helps me to think of the baby more as a person. And now I'm going to be really outnumbered. Even our dog is a boy! Also of importance, the baby looks healthy as far as the doctor's can tell. We even listened to his heartbeat!

Baby P's head

Little hands and a foot

The end of the nursing...

2009-04-15T20:27:00.002-04:00

Although it was the first night I haven't nursed, Jer went down without much fuss tonight. I was willing/planning to nurse longer, until Jeremiah decided to start using those sharp little teeth of his. We were down to about 3 or 4 nursings/day when he started biting. I told him "suave" (soft) and "no dientes" and said "ow" numerous times, so that he began to say "suave" and "ow" each time he went to nurse. And so we quickly went to nursing only before nap and bedtime. Over break we cut out the pre-nap time, as Daniel was there to put him down and offer him a cup of milk. Each night I would prepare myself for the pain and each night it seemed worse. Finally, last night, after he hardly sucked from either side and just bit and pulled, I decided it was time. And so today we went without any nursings. He was a little upset before nap time (since I put him down), but fine at bed time. And now I have 4 1/2 months before it begins all over again!

We're Back!

2009-04-15T20:19:00.002-04:00

After a wonderful vacation with family and some chilly weather, we are now back in the warm D.R. We have tons of pictures that I'll share later, but I just wanted to send a brief hello for now. Jeremiah had a great time with grandparents, aunts, uncle, etc., and I enjoyed time relaxing and visiting. I spent very little time on the computer (thus the lack of posts). Daniel visited some colleges (Wheaton, Trinity Int., and Moody) and established some contacts there for possible future teachers. We also ate lots of yummy food while we were home- our moms spoiled us!
More on the vacation to come later...

Visiting Wheaton

2009-03-30T16:34:00.001-04:00

Just so people know, we'll be in Wheaton from April 1 to April 14. We'll be pretty busy, so we won't be able to drive out anywhere, but if anyone is up for visiting us, we'd love to see you!