Interview with J. D. P.

Name: J.D. P
Age: 1.41666 yrs
Occupation: Full-time Toddler
Interviewed by: Ma P


Ma P: Thank you for giving us a few minutes of your time today.

J.D. P: No problem. But I only have a few minutes before nap time.

Ma P: I'll be quick. To start out, tell us a little about yourself.

J.D. P: Well, I'm a typical toddler-boy who loves to hit things, throw things, make noise, eat, chase the dog, and follow mommy and daddy around.

Ma P: What's it like living on a tropical island?

J.D. P: It's wonderful! I get to play outside in the sun. And when it's raining I try to go outside and make myself as muddy and wet as possible! I also eat delicious foods such as fresh fruit, avacados, and comida dominicana.

Ma P: Sounds exciting. Tell me, what type of activities fill your busy day?

J.D. P: Well, I always start out my day with some hearty breakfast and good ol' mama's milk. Some days I go walking with mommy. I'm there to navigate in case we get lost. I have some time to read books and play with my stuffed animals and toy piano. Otherwise, being a toddler is hard work! I sweep and mop, re-organize the kitchen cabinets (mommy always puts things in the wrong places), feed the dog, hammer wooden balls, help mommy with the laundry, instruct mommy in making lunch and dinner, and entertain daddy when he comes home from work. It's a lot, but somebody's got to do it! And nap time fits in there too.

Ma P: Wow, sounds like you've got an important job to do! You had previously mentioned something about a dog?

J.D. P: Ah, yes. We have one dog, Chiste, and one cat, Chai. Chiste says, "Woowoo" and Chai says "Mow."

Ma P: Interesting. And what is your interaction with them?

J.D. P: I feed Chiste. And sometimes I give Chai treats. I enjoy playing with both of them. I like to pet Chai. Chiste is a little rougher. Sometimes he bumps me over. He also gives me doggy kisses.

Ma P: Well, it looks likes it's time for your nap. Is there anything else you want to tell us? Maybe some helpful information for fellow toddlers?

J.D. P: Always remember that your role in the family is very important, despite your small size. Mommy and Daddy are depending on you, so remind them to drink lots of water, bring them their shoes, and give them plenty of hugs and kisses!



And indeed, what would I do without my snuggly little boy who continually hands me my water bottle, brings me my sandals when I mention a walk, and adds so my joy to my life?!!

mopping the rug

reading with mommy

Our tropical Christmas

Rain, waterfalls, palm trees, 70 degree weather, sancocho, rice and beans....
Sound Christmasy? Maybe for some, but this year was certainly an unusual Christmas for us.
The past three years we traveled home for Christmas. This year, we decided we'd had enough of traveling to a frigid climate, the shock of the dry air that leaves our mouths feeling parched, and me feeling nauseaus, etc. So, we decided to stay. While we missed many of our family, we enjoyed "staying put" for the holidays this year.
Here's a run-down on our week:

Monday- get the house ready for my parents to come; Daniel picks up my parents from the airport. Yay!

Tuesday- wrap presents, hang out around house, Dad not feeling well :( , make moro, ensalada russo, and pollo guisado for dinner, Jer has fever

Wednesday- walk with friend and mom; Dad is still not feeling well, but is willing to go to waterfall (during a clearing in the rain); visit waterfall; finish wrapping; make Sancocho for dinner; Mom, Daniel, Jer, and I go to Escuela Caribe for Christmas Eve service and dessert

Thursday- Christmas!!! Sticky rolls and ginger tea for breakfast, read advent scripture, relax, open presents, relax, open more presents, Jer takes nap, Jer eventually finishes opening presents, relax, make dinner (Daniel smokes pork, I make Dominican salad), guests come (a family from church), eat yummy food, talk, sing Christmas carols, watch "It's a Wonderful Life," go to bed late

Friday- Go walking, Mom not feeling well, go to another waterfall when it's not raining, relax, eat Columbian food for dinner. Daniel gets sick (fever). Power goes out in the middle of the night... twice. Wakes us. Wakes baby. Baby cries and throws tantrum. Daniel spikes a high fever.

Saturday- raining, sleepy, Dad and I go out for breakfast (we're the only healthy ones), hang out, decide to drive to Manabao (further up into the mountains) as the rain cleared up and Daniel felt a little better, I drive, we picnic by the river, drive back down, starts to rain again, go back home and relax, go out to eat for dinner

Sunday- Daniel wakes up with sore throat and neck; Dad, Mom, Jer, and I go to church; come home and grill; relax; Mom and I walk to the farmacia to buy medicine for Daniel; Mom and I go to neighbor's for birthday party (for their 6 yr old); throw-together dinner (mac n cheese); pray together

Monday- Daniel drives Mom and Dad to airport

So, in spite of all but me being sick at some point, and it raining some every day, we had a very enjoyable time together. Things on tab for this week:
-do stuff around house (make shelves, hang pictures, etc.)
-visit friends
-get some work done (tutoring prep and grading, Daniel needs to look over final exams teachers have written, etc.)
-play with Jer and his new toys

Daniel's family comes in two weeks, so Christmas decor will stay up (yay!), and we'll just extend the Christmas season (we'll keep listening to Christmas songs, watch Christmas videos...). We're looking forward to seeing them!

Christmas Caroling, Dominican Style

It's the middle of the night; you're asleep in your warm bed, dreaming of family gatherings and Christmas plans, when you're suddenly awoken to loud voices and banging. Is it a burglur? Is it the end of the world? Did Santa Claus come early? No, no, and no. Music fills the air and you realize that it's just some typical Dominican Christmas caroling. Afterall, what't the fun in caroling when everyone's already awake? This noisy disturbance is what befell my household last night as we lay tucked under our blankets, slumbering peacefully:

Waking to drumbeats and voices, my heart beat quickened as I heard the commotion. Realizing what it was, I rolled over in my bed, hoping they would pass us by quickly so I could continue my snoozing. After a few minutes I realized, They're not moving any farther away.
"Why are they still here?" I mumbled to my husband.
"Maybe they're staying until they can tell they woke up someone." He suggested, as he lumbered out of bed to investigate.
My mind, still slowly waking, pondered this idea. I recalled previous years in our other house, when we woke to carolers passing quickly by, causing noise and disturbance in one minute, but leaving us to go back to our dozing in the next. No, this doesn't make sense.
As I lay there in my room, trying to unravel the mystery, I began to notice certain clues. The drumming- it sounds experienced. And there's a guitar. This isn't just a random group; there are musicians outside.
[Side note: While things are slowly changing, opportunities to learn to play a musical instrument with fluency are available, but not prevelent in our little town of Jarabacoa.]
Suddenly, a voice stood out from the others; a voice that I heard each and every Sunday at our Spanish church.
The lightbulb turned on; I bet it's a group from our church! They had mentioned something about caroling (though in my naïveté I had assumed it would occur much earlier).
I climbed out of bed to inform Daniel of my newly aquired discovery. However, he was not in the living room, as I had expected.
"Daniel," I called quietly.
It was then that I realized the door stood open. Peaking out into the dark night, I could make out a few vehicles, and by now, I had begun to recognize more voices. Timidly, I reatreated back inside, not feeling fit to be seen in my wrinkled pjs and messy hair. They finished their last song, and I mustered the courage to go outside and join Daniel, realizing that in the darkness, they could not see me very well. "Merry Christmas!" they hollered, and proceeded to choose their next victim. As they drove off, we called for our "watch" dog who had somehow slept through the commotion, as did our child, much to my relief.
Crawling back to bed, I tried to slow my racing heart and calm my awakened nerves while feeling strangely appreciative that we were included in this festive tradition. Meanwhile, a few miles away, another family lay in slumber, unaware that they too would be jolted awake by a friendly, and very loud, group of merry Christmas carolers.

Christmas Coffee House

Last night we had our "annual" Christmas Coffee House for the JCS staff. I (with the help of a friend) baked cookies (sugar, candy cane, and ginger snaps). We also had rice crispy treats, M&Ms, candy canes, and guacamole. It was a wonderful time, and made many feel that it was truly Christmas season (it's hard to feel Christmas-y in 70 degree weather). Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

Check out this huge avocado! It's almost as big as our pineapple!

We used two of those avocados (50 cents each) to make all this guacamole- it filled half of a large(8 1/2 in diameter) sauce pan.

Yummm... Christmas treats.

At the JCS Christmas Benefit Dinner

For more pics, go here.

Needing Motivation...

I don't know why it's been so difficult to blog lately. Maybe it's because a little boy tends to throw tantrums when I'm on the computer. And when I am, I usually want to do brainless things, like read comics... Anyway, thank you, Leah, for nudging me back into gear. :) Here are the very late pictures (is it really December already?).

For some albums, you'll need to click the picture to take you to view the entire album. Others are in "slide-show" format.

Let's start with Fall Festival. The kids had a great time! Older students helped out for half the time and relaxed the other half. Younger students had both halves to participate in the activities. We had a waterballoon throw, football toss (which turned into a football game later on), basketball throw, beanbags, sack race, beads, orange (we have no pumpkins here) painting (this was a popular one), face-painting, leaf coloring, pin the nose on the pumpkin, and dancing (WMCA, Chicken Dance, etc.). And of course, don't forget the scarecrow contest and food contests (pie and hot-dog)!

Fall Festival

Ok, moving on to Thanksgiving:

And now for Christmas Decorations:

Green Onions?!

I like green onions in salads, stir-fry, soup, grilled, etc,. but I can't say that I'd ever snack on them plain. Apparently, my child's tastes differ from my own. He's been fairly picky about food lately (he'll like something one day and refuse it the next; suddenly spit it out in the middle of a meal, etc.). Sometimes, though he'll suprise me, like the time he tried something with hot pepper and like it. Today, after he finished eating, he tried to grab a dish from the table. The dish had various toppings for our Asian salad. His hand reached for the green onions, so I decided to give him a taste (thinking he would then leave the dish alone). But no, he not only ate the piece of green onion, but came back for more... several times! Strange child...
In other Jer news, he said his first phrase, "Ma, ma Papa" which translates to "Mas Papas," which translates to, "More Potatoes." (He was eating potatoes at the time and wanted more). He continues to say "Ma" a lot for "Mas." It's hard for me to tell when he's says Mas, and when he's saying Mama. He also loves to say "Chee-Tay" for Chiste (our dog- pronounced Cheestay).

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wow, am I late! But at least today's a Thursday, right? Last week was a busy, but fun week. I spent Monday and Tuesday preparing for the week, Fall Fest, and Thanksgiving (making food, cookies, and curtains). Wednesday was fall festival including games, activities, and food eating contests! Visiting school and hanging out with students (and Daniel) was a highlight of the day. We also did some dancing (country dancing, WMCA, etc.). Pictures to come...
On Thursday, the entire JCS staff (and families) were invited over to our house. About 40 or so people came. We potlucked, so the Thanksgiving feast was a wondeful combination of traditional American Thanksgiving foods, and yummy Dominican foods. Daniel smoked a pork leg, and a friend of ours brought the Turkey. The weekend was spent relaxing and decorating for Christmas.
I love Christmas time; I love the decorations and the lights. I love listening to Christmas music. Most of all, I love the time to reflect on God's love for us and the gift of His son. I feel like Thanksgiving is a wonderful "kick-off" to the "Holiday Season." I don't want Thanksgiving to be a one day event in my home, but a reminder throughout this season of all that God has given us: family, friends, and an eternal home through Jesus Christ, His son. God's faithfulness amazes me, and I want to carry "Thanksgiving" throughout the Christmas season, and into the New Year as we celebrate the birth of the King!

Frugal Recipes

I'd like to share two yummy recipes I made this week. They both include rice, as we have been consuming more rice in an effort to save money. Savory and fairly easy, they are healthy and kind to the budget!

Cabbage Roll Casserole (Adapted from Taste of Home)
TIME: Prep: 20 min. Bake: 55 min. (or cook in crock-pot)
Ingredients:
2 pounds ground beef (I used less- on the short end of 1 1/2lb)
1 large onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce, divided (or use canned tomatoes; I used a mixture of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste, because fresh tomatoes are cheaper here than canned)
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dill weed (feel free to use seasonings you have)
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cups cooked rice (I used more)
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled (I substitute this for a pork seasoning cube)
1 medium head cabbage (2 pounds), shredded
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (or any cheese)

Directions: In a large skillet, cook the beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in one can of tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat: cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in rice and bacon; heat through. Remove from the heat. Layer a third of the cabbage in a greased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish. Top with half of the meat mixture. Repeat layers; top with remaining cabbage. Pour remaining tomato sauce over top. Cover and bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Yield: 12 servings.

To make in crock-pot (this turned out wonderfully!): I made the rice and cooked the tomatoes (because they fresh) the night before. I followed the directions in cooking the beef, and adding auce and rice. Then I layered it into the crock-pot. When I came home from church, I realized I had not used enough tomato sauce, so I added more paste and water. When it was finished, I sprinkled the shredded cheese on top and let it melt. Because the crock-pot hold in more liquid than the over, the cheese melted beautifully and mixed in well when served. Yum!

Dijon Rice & Egg Skillet Supper
This recipe uses eggs as its source of protein. Here is the link.
The only thing I did differently from this recipe was using home-made Italian dressing. I also forgot to add the parsley, though I will do that next time, as we have fresh parsley in a pot on our porch. :)

I will definitely be making both of these again and adding them to our "frugal favorites!"

Cold and Rainy

It's cold and rainy today (like 65, the kind of weather where everyone's bundled up in hats and mittens and no one wants to go out; although when most people in town drive a motorcycle, I don't blame them). I'm actually weating pants, a long-sleeved shirt, and a hoody! When we lived at our other place, I rarely wore long-sleeved shirts. Because we lived in a second story with a tin roof, the house trapped the heat (which made for really hot summers!). I'm very glad this house is cooler and shadier, but it has it's downsides: 1)things don't dry as well, so lots of things mold (dishcloths, our wedding picture...) and 2) it will be very chilly in the winter nights! Granted, it doesn't get anywhere near as cold as in the States, but at night time in the mountains in January, the temp. can drop, and when you have windows that don't really close, the house doesn't retain heat very well.
I know, I know, none of you feel sorry for me. And that's ok. It will just mean that I may need to ask for my warmer clothes, as I only have a few long sleeved shirts here. And I'll be drinking lots of tea in the morning. But during the day, if it's not rainy and the sun is out, it generally gets pretty warm, even in January. So, I think I'll probably survive. ;)

Jer Update

Alright, now to what I'm guessing most of you want to read: news of Jer. He's "grown" a lot since I last wrote a Jer update (almost a month ago).

Activity and Play:

He's walking well (and occasionally backwards), and sometimes "runs." He attempts to draw with crayons or chalk. Sometimes he wanders into his room, picks out a book, hands it to me, and signs "please." I'm glad he likes books! He also loves his puzzles. Right now he has two wood puzzles out- a dinosaur puzzle, and a farm animal puzzle.

Jeremiah is a great helper! He "helps" me put away laundry. He picks up his toys before bed (with lots of help, of course), and thinks it's the best thing in the world to feed the dog. I tell him (in Spanish) to get the dog food. He walks to the door, points to it if it's not open, goes to the food, signs "please," gets the food in the cup (unless the level is too low; he can't reach the bottom of the bin), carries it nicely to the door, makes a noise for me to open the door, and pours the food into the correct bowl. If any falls on the ground, he makes sure to put them in the bowl. Sometimes we catch Jeremiah trying to feed the dog when it isn't time!

Learning:

Through the farm puzzle and a few animal books, I've been teaching Jer animal names and sounds in Spanish. It's amazing how fast they learn! His favorite sound is the "cluck" that a chicken makes (he actually clicks his tongue on the roof of his mouth). He also likes to "woof" and sometimes will "moo" or "baaa." Usually, though, he'll just click for the animals. And the dinosaurs. And sometimes inanimate objects. He's beginning to talk a little more. His "grunts" are sounding more human (they have inflection, and you can tell when he's asking a quesion). I know this is a stage before talking, and it's fun to have him "interact," even if it's just with grunts. He's starting saying "Hola" more often, has said "Amen" a few times again, and sometimes says "byebye." He also says "Awa" for Agua.

Food:

Lately, he'll randomly like foods we don't expect (things with cumin and hot pepper, for ex.), and then turns down foods that he liked just the day before. It makes it hard to know what to feed him! He's still a good eater, in general, though, so I'm not too worried. And he'll never turn down bread and a banana (or guacamole).

I know all of the above it normal for toddler, but it amazes me how quickly they learn and develop. They are so aware and smart at this age; it is truly a blessing to watch him grow!

He can get in and sit in his chair like a big boy!

Wearing Daddy's helmet!

I blame the diaper hunt

Wow, it's been a long time since I posted! Since I don't spend much time sitting at the computer, I've spent most of my "internet" time on the cloth diaper hunt. (It's only through November) It's been fun to hunt through cloth diaper sights looking for the diaper icon, and discover what all is out there in the cloth diaper/natural baby products world. But, tonight I set aside time to blog, as Jeremiah is in bed and Daniel is outside making our dining room table.
What all have I been up to lately? Well, for those of you that wonder (and that's ok if you don't), here's a "loose" schedule I follow:
Monday, Wednesday
-Wake up at 6:30, make breakfast and eat with Daniel
-Daniel leaves, baby wakes up
-Play with baby, feed baby breakfast
-Put diapers in the washed
-Walk with a neighbor
-Do chores (laundry, dishes, plan tutoring, water plants, etc.)
-Read to Jer, Jer goes down for nap (11 or 11:30)
-Have quiet time, eat lunch, get Jer's lunch ready
-1:30 tutor; Jeremiah wakes up, feed him while tutoring
-2:30-3:30 play with Jer
-3:30-4:30 Algebra II tutoring
-Make dinner, Daniel comes home (Mon. Daniel makes dinner and I go to a women's prayer group at church, 5-6; Wed. Daniel and I have date night)

T/Th
-Get up a 6, quiet time
-breakfast, Jer wake up, etc.
-I exercise with another neighbor (run or video)
-Come back, do random things, put Jer to nap
-Bake, sew, write, work outside, etc.
-Tues-lunch, feed Jer, more baking or other work, or Jer play
-Thurs- Jer wakes up, go to school to have late lunch with Daddy
-E/o Tues night- "dinner party" with friends

Friday-
-non-eventful morning
-shopping in afternoon
-Bible study after dinner

Ok, that's fine if you skipped all of that. But, if you really wanted to know what I'm up to, there it is. :)
And I'll leave you with some pictures from our Costufallaween Party (Daniel's a clown, Jer's a leopard, and I'm the ring leader. It's our own family circus.).

$5 Dinners in Foodchannel.com

I just had to link to this post. Foodchannel.com wrote an article on $5dinners.com. I enjoy reading this blog (even though frugal things in the States don't always transfer here) because it is written by a friend of mine. Daniel and I spent the first week at her house when we moved down to the D.R. We also enjoyed many of her meals first hand at the "Tuesday Night Dinner Parties" we had with her family and another dear friend. Some other fun memories include "camping" out at their house after Thanksgiving, roasting marshmallows over a campstove at our house, and driving up a very steep mountain for a picnic.
Congratulations $5 dinner mom!

More Jer pics

I tried to put these on the past post, but it didn't work. Now that it's been a while, I thought I should make a new post rather than editing the previous one.

Jeremiah Pics

The family at a waterfall

Some favorite toys:

Dustpan

Rake


Chair

The (clean) plunger

PJ pictures

Trying to wear daddy's shoes

A friend of ours (that moved to the U.S.) was visiting the D.R. Her daughter is on the left.

(notice Jer. stuffing cheerios into his mouth)

Sharing:)

A kiss

Victory in Jesus

This weekend we had a "mini-retreat" for our staff at JCS. Friday was teacher training/work on report cards. Daniel showed a hour of Facing the Giants (I blogged on it here) to discuss the idea of victory, working as a team, doing our best for God, etc. That evening, we showed the second half of it, followed by a campfire, singing, discussion, and smores. The next morning we made breakfast for whomever wanted to come, and had a reflection time, more singing, and sharing. The weekend was a good time to fellowship and reflect. So often I find myself thinking I'm not doing enough, or doing the "right things." After all, I'm a "missionary" but I'm home with my child all day. I get this idea that I must be doing "big" things and must have results to be pleasing God. God reminded me that He wants me to do my best in the "small" things and leave the rest up to Him, trusting that He can use the "small" things in BIG ways! Instead of being paralyzed by guilt that I'm not doing enough, I want to take joy in the work that God's given me right now!
I'm so thankful for that reminder, and thankful for the peace God brings. We recently had our trees in the back yard trimmed. Before, we did not have much sun. Now, the sun shines brightly and I'm so refreshed (although very warm) from speding time with God outside in the sunshine. My favorite place to reflect is my hammock. Somehow, I feel more peace and can focus better when I'm outdoors. So, I'll leave you with this:

Jeremiah Update

Activity and Play:
Jeremiah is walking well now and is almost running! His recent achievements are climbing the step ladder (only the first step) and climbing onto his little-boy chair. He also enjoys hammering things with his toy hammer. Other favorite toys include: The dustpan (with a long handle), the plunger (don't worry, it hasn't been used), the rake, his other plastic tools, and his bucket with shapes (and holes for the shapes).
He also loves water. We recently went to a nearby waterfall. He enjoyed playing in the freezing cold water, stripped to the skin. Today we filled our pool and he played in it (also cold, mountain water). One of his favorite games is hide-and-go-seek. I run away saying "Busca Mommy!" (find/get Mommy) Then I run away and he tries to find me. When he finds me he gives me a huge smile.

Learning:
He continues to learn. It's amazing how fast children learn new things. He's learned more signs: hot, baby, and bathroom. When he signs "more" I usually sign back "more what?" by making a "what" gesture. So now he sometimes signs "what" after signing "more" by pressing his elbows into his sides and putting out his hands. It's really cute. Obviousy, he has no idea what "what" means! :) I'm trying to speak to him in mostly Spanish (at least short commands and new words). It's been helping me learn more Spanish too! He understands "sit down, "eat," "thank you," "please," "come," "more," "get," "milk," "water," "hello," "goodbye," and other words in Spanish. We're working on parts of the body and colors (very slowly). He has spoken much lately. He babbles, but still only says "mama" and "dada." A few months ago he could say "Amen" and "Hola" but he stopped a while ago. :(

Food:
Jeremiah loves to eat! And he eats all sorts of things! The other day we had a get together and some JCS staff and one of them brought guacamole (very good, very garlicy!) Jeremiah signed "eat" and I decided to give him some, expecting him to not like it. Instead, he loved it! He kept going up to whoever had it, and eventually we got a spoon to feed it to him. We've been giving him so "new" foods. One night this week we had mashed yuca with chicken soup and noodles (yuck being the new part). He devoured it. He also liked the fried rice we made, and the eggdrop soup with ginger (well, he liked the broth part). Today he ate half of a stuffed bell pepper and a banana for lunch (and that's a small amount for him). Oh, and he liked the rice with sardines we had last night too. I think he had two bowls of it, along with cooked veggies. Crazy child (actually, it's really good and not too fishy tasting). We've been making Dominican food more often, and he likes rice and beans. And, of course, he likes Italian food as well!

So, that's a "brief" update on Jer. :) Pictures will come (eventually...)

My excuse

I've been meaning to blog lately. I even think of things I want to blog about. But lately I've been busy. And the days I'm not busy, my brain is too tired to blog. Last week I added Algebra 2 to my tutoring. I'm not doing a lot now- only two hours Monday, two hours Wednesday. I'm teaching writing to three students (who are partly homeschooled) and Algebra 2 to two students (one is homeschooled). Even with only two hours, two days a week (and all the prep time), it takes energy. I enjoy doing it, but I certainly wouldn't want to have more classes. Jeremiah tends to be whiney when I'm tutoring, especially during the second class (which happens to be Algebra 2). It's hard to concentrate and think about math when there's a child throwing a tantrum! My first class is 1:30-2:30. My second is 3:30-4:30. I try to spend the hour in between giving Jeremiah lots of attention. But he's usually so tired by the afternoon (and resists a nap), so he's crabby anyway.
I realize that I haven't taken many picture of Jeremiah lately, either. So I haven't had pictures to post. The first quarter at JCS just finished. Yay, Daniel for making it through the first quarter! Ok, I should start on supper now. Fried rice and egg drop soup with cabbage. Mmmmm...

October Newsletter

We just sent out another newsletter. If you'd like to receive it but didn't, let me know!

PDA suggestions?

I'm asking for advice from anyone who knows about these things...
Daniel and I would like to buy him a PDA to help him stay organized. I admit, I'm pretty clueless about what is out there right now (everytime I visit the States there's some new organizer/cellphone/thing). We're looking for something basic- one that includes calendars, to-do-list, reminders, alarms, etc. I had a PDA a while back (in highschool) and we don't need anything fancier than that (but I no longer have it). So, what inexpensive PDAs are out there? Where's a good place online to look?
Thanks!

Wordless Wednesday

It was the perfect time of day to catch a little baby shadow:

Home again

Well, I am home again. The flights back went well, and my wonderful husband was waiting for me at the airport (with dinner, water, and flowers). It's good to be back, but it's hot!
My time in Wheaton was wonderful; I was able to spend time with my parents, my in-laws, and extended family. Brent and Sara even drove in and back on Sunday to see us! Matt and Alisse's wedding was beautiful. Ashley and Joanna (and their hubbies) were also at the wedding, and then stayed the night at my parents house, so I enjoyed extra time with them. My short visit home felt like a real vacation; I was able to relax and not worry about running around as much as we normally do when we're hin the States. And Jeremiah had a blast with his grandparents! While he was in Wheaton, he showed off his walking and his signing. He's been doing so well with signs, and he signed a lot while we were there due to more people being around. His current signs are: milk, more, eat, water, help, please, thank-you, and change (as in diaper change), and he's beginning to sign in "phrases."

Here are slideshows of the pics from our trip:

Cosley Farm

The wedding

And for more pictures:

Wheaton Visit

Fun at Cosley Farm

On Friday, my mom took off work to take Jeremiah and I to a "farm." They had decorated for fall.

Playing in the Hay

More play

Pumpkin Patch

Cutie Pie!

My Baby Pumpkin

Scary Scarecrow

Mama and Baby

Looking at the Pigs

Piggy!

The barn

In the bird's nest

Feeding the Ducks

What?!

Looking at the cows

Petting the horse

Walking with Nonna

Llama!

Jeremiah had a great time feeding the ducks... once he finally figure out how to do it. At first he wanted to eat the food himself.

Successful Flights!

Besides waking up at 4:00am, everything went super well! After my flight from Santiago to Miami, I discovered that another Jarabacoian (missionary as well) was on the same flight. Furthermore, she was flying to Chicago on the same flight! She helped me juggle baby and bags through customs, etc. And we discovered we're flying from Miami to Santiago on the same flight next week. What a blessing!
On the first flight, Jeremiah was great. We sat by some kind Dominicans. On the second flight, there was an empty seat between me, and a business man who enjoyed interacting with Jeremiah. So, he had extra room to stand, walk, and even sit. All the flights were on time, and I was in Chicago by 1:00PM! So, thanks for all the prayers, and Praise the Lord for great flights!

BTW, we're already enjoying having family time. :)

Traveling!

Tomorrow I'm traveling to Chicago with Jeremiah for a friend's wedding. I'm a little nervous about traveling by myself with a toddler. Hopefully, flights won't get delayed and I'll make my transfer. I'd appreciate any prayers! I look forward to seeing some of you soon!

Beach Video

Here's a video of Jeremiah and me playing in the sand. He's scooping sand into a plastic container. At one point someone walked behind Daniel, and Jeremiah waved at him, trying to get his attention. Alas, the person didn't notice.

And here is a video of Jeremiah learning to roll "dice." When Daniel and I were playing Yahtzee, Jeremiah was intrigued with the dice, so I found a large plastic cup and put some plastic letters inside.

Beach Pics!

I wanted to get these up for Meet-and-Greet Monday, but that didn't happen...

Pictures from our Beach Trip:

Our spot under the palm tree

Playing with daddy

Dinner at the beach

Sushi!

Jeremiah's "rat"

(bread from the yummy bakery, given to him by the owner's wife)

Our little balcony

The view from the balcony

The tunnel

Jeremiah loves playing with the squeaky toy we bought previously for Chiste;

Chiste is afraid of it

He had a great time at the beach!

And video to come...