My first Mission Trip (first of many, I hope)

Hola Amigos! I'm back from my mission trip and I have to say a HUGE thank you for all your prayers and support. I had a great time and I saw some amazing things. I believe that God was working in Cofradia and I am thrilled that I had the opportunity to experience it!

We stayed 6 nights at a church in Cofradia, Mexico. It was unlike any place I have ever been. Most of the people in that area have a Roman Catholic upbringing, but it is actually a mixture of catholocism and witchcraft. We heard several beliefs about curses and "keeping the evil spirits out". Their word for "priest" is the same word that they use for "healer" or "witchdoctor". The missionaries that have lived in that area for over 12 years have established a Christian church and are starting to really build a congregation. There were about 70-80 adults at church on Sunday, along with lots of kiddos!

During the week, we held a ladies bible study, studying the book of Ruth each morning. In the afternoon, we broke up into groups and had lunch at different houses in the village. We went to three villages, a different one each day. That was my favorite part of the trip, because we got to have some more intimate time with the ladies in their homes, and we ate some really delicious food! After lunch each day, we congregated at one house and all the ladies from that village "hung out" with us for the rest of the afternoon. This was when I presented my talk on first aid and newborn care. I also taught the ladies the Heimlech maneuver. They were very attentive, soaking up every word. I really pray that they remember some of the things I told them and that God uses that information to keep them healthy and maybe save a life one day. (I got word several days ago that a few days after we left, one of the women's sons was choking and the women remembered what I had taught them. She preformed the Heimlech maneuver on her son and he threw up the piece of candy he was choking on. She saved his life!! I am so honored that God used me to do that!) Some of the other ladies on the trip also had things to present during that time, but for most of the time we just talked and laughed together. Much of the trip was about building relationships.

The big project that we did was a drama on the story of Ruth. The ladies in the church all participated in the drama and we presented it to their friends and family at the end of the week. We served hot dogs for dinner, which brought a crowd! They estimate that about 400 people came to watch the drama! It was very exciting and there were two people that accepted Christ at the end of the night.

The thing that was most surprising to me was how open and welcoming the ladies in Cofradia are to us "gringas". The first day that we met them, they gave me hugs and kisses on the cheek, and treated me like an old friend. One woman, Delila, told me before I left that I was like a kindred spirit to her. And the crazy thing was that I felt that too, although I had probably exchanged less than 20 words with her the entire week. God transcends language!

The other surprising thing was how much I want to go back again next year. In the two weeks leading up to this trip, I was very stressed. Christmas had come and gone, and I hadn't put much preparation or mental energy into the trip. I had a long "to-do" list and not very much time. I knew that once I got to Mexico, the trip would probably be great, but I thought it was too much stress and I told myself that I will never do this again! But now I am eating my words. It is my prayer that God allows me to return to Cofradia next January. I plan on corresponding with several of the women that I met throughout this year, and I hope that I get to see them again next year, when we really will greet each other as "old friends".

Shannon leading the ladies in Holy Fit

A Rare Day

Houston is having a rare day. It is snowing outside! Craziness! Unfortunately, this is the night that Drummer Boy and I chose to host our 2nd annual wine and dessert Christmas party. We had a pretty good list of people planning to come, but now because of the weather and the crazy Houston drivers, we are expecting most of our guests to decide to stay home, and we don't blame them of course. So we've been preparing all week for nothing! Oh well.

And on top of that, Princess has been at home with me the last 2 days because she has strep throat. She missed school and was very glad she got to go back today. She is doing so well, reading up a storm. She read The Foot Book by Dr. Seuss all by herself, and then a couple of days later, she read Green Eggs and Ham to me. I am so proud of her. It still amazes me to listen to her read a book!

I am reading 2 books right now that I would highly recommend. The first is a cookbook that my dear friend recommended to me to help me cook with all the random vegetables I am getting from my CSA veggie co-op. It is called How to Cook Without a Book by Pam Anderson. The book teaches cooking techniques and simple recipes that you can use with whatever ingredients you have on hand. I am hoping that I'll be able to "cook without a book" one day, but even if I never get to that point of expertise, I'm glad to have basic recipes that work with a variety of different ingredients.

The second book is a book of daily devotions for Advent. It is called Preparing for Jesus by Walter Wangerin Jr. It was given to me several years ago and I read it every year from December 1st through the first part of January. It really helps me to keep the reason for the season at the forefront of my mind while I do my Christmas shopping or wrap presents or clean my house, etc.

My next post will hopefully have pictures of snow at my house :)

No Tricks, Just Treats Please!

Halloween this year was a gorgeous day in Houston, a rare find I know! It had rained cats and dogs a couple days earlier, which had brought the temp down a few degrees and on Saturday the sun was out and it felt like fall, (well, sort of...it felt like fall in Houston anyway). The girls couldn't wait to go trick-or-treating. All day long we heard, "when is it going to be Halloween?" We tried to help pass the time by carving a pumpkin. The girls enjoyed pulling out all the slimy seeds, and Princess helped Daddy draw the pumpkin face and carve the jack-o-lantern. It turned out really cute!

Finally, at about 5:00, we put on our costumes and headed down the street to the block party at our neighbor's house. It was so great to see all the kids, and some of the parents, dressed up in costume. We hung out (well actually, I hung out while Drummer Boy stayed home and watched the end of the Tech v. Kansas game), we ate some frito pie and dirt cake complete with gummy worms for dessert. The kids ran around like crazy, and then we left to go trick-or-treating. Our cousins joined us and we ended up splitting into the big kids who ran way ahead gathering as much candy as their pumpkins could hold, and the little kids who were pulled along in the wagon, getting in and out at every house to say, "trick-or-treat!" It was so cute, and I had as much fun as the girls did I think.

Fall Happenings

The last week has been full of fall activities. On Saturday, we went to our neighborhood Fall Festival, dressed in our Halloween costumes. Princess was dressed as Tinkerbell and Pumpkin was a SHARK! (real scary!). The girls had a great time at the festival. Princess rode the ponies several times, played in the blow-up gyms, and even tried the rock wall. Pumpkin, on the other hand, didn't do anything except swing and play in the sand, and eat cotton candy of course.



Today, when I pulled Princess's artwork out of her backpack, I noticed this drawing. I held it up and asked, "Princess, what's this?" And she replied, "it's a octopus pumpkin." Oh, yes, of course. :)

After school today, Princess got busy making a "story box" like the one on Pinky Dinky Doo. Dad pulled a large box from the garage and she jumped inside and started drawing a picture from her new library book, Lasso Lou and Cowboy McCoy. I have a feeling this box is going to be a staple in our living room for a while. 

Yesterday at lunch, Pumpkin was being so cute, wanting her "black-n-kitty" to sit on her lap while she ate lunch. It was so adorable, I just had to grab the camera.

What precious children I have. Blessings from the Lord.

Princess, kick the ball!

Princess loves to run. She runs everywhere she goes. So naturally, we thought soccer would be a perfect sport for her. So far she has had 3 practices and 2 games. There are 6 girls on her team, and 4 of them share her name. It's pretty funny. All you hear during the game is "get the ball, Princess!"

During the last practice I had to laugh. I've heard other parents talk about how some of the kids spend their time picking flowers instead of playing the game. For Princess, it's not flowers, it's grass. She spent most of practice picking grass and leaves and whatever else she could find. I was concerned with how a 40 minute game would go.

On Saturday, she was geared up for the game though. We arrived early and she "warmed up" with a couple of the other girls on the team. But really they just ran around kicking the ball, using up all their energy. So halfway through the first quarter, she was so tired she just walked off the field, leaving the team one kid short. By the second half, she was ready to get back in the game though and she made a pretty good run with the ball, kicking it down the field. We were very proud of her. And I think she had alot of fun. Can't you see it on her face? 

Goodnight Mom

This is a poem that I saw in Parenting Magazine. It really made me smile, so I thought I would post it here, for your reading pleasure.

Goodnight Mom

(with apologies to Margaret Wise Brown)

In the messy green family room

There was a telemarketer ringing the telephone

And a crying toddler because his brother just popped his red balloon

And a picture of-

The cow jumping over the moon (which someone colored on with permanent marker)

And there was a missing teddy bear,

And a girl with gum in her hair

And one to be scolded

And laundry to be folded

And a very hungry spouse

And something stinky in the house (that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush

And a colicky baby who just won't shush

And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room

Goodnight scribbled-on moon

Goodnight cow getting out while she can

Goodnight telemarketers and the popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear

Goodnight cereal bar smeared all over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup

And Goodnight leaky sippy cup

Goodnight much-too-little house and

Goodnight grumpy spouse

Goodnight comb and goodnight brush

And goodnight to a certain 4-year-old who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo

Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,

or the next day

Hello chardonnay and TiVo-

"me" time finally

-by Sarah Jio

Native American Names

Last week, Princess and I were talking about names and I told her that if she was Native American, her name would describe her or tell something about what she likes to do. I told her that if she was Native American, her name would probably be Draws with Markers. She thought that was really funny, but later that night when I was telling Drummer Boy about it, he came up with a more appropriate name for her: Doesn't Sit Still.

This morning, I told Princess that her new Native American name is Doesn't Sit Still. We then proceeded to come up with Native American names for our whole family. Princess wanted to name Pumpkin "Stinky Diapers". But in the end, it was a toss up between "Snacks Alot" and "Screams Loudly". Princess named me "Cooks Ice Cream" and Dummer Boy's name is "Walks Around". I'm not sure why she wanted Walks Around for him. We'll have to think about that and come up with something better, like "Watches College Football" or "Plays with Doesn't Sit Still".