Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Blogging Vacation
Well, it's pretty obvious that I'm taking a break from blogging - I just thought I'd call it a "vacation" and make it official. Things have been crazy busy lately, and blogging just hasn't made it to the top of my to do list. I hope to do some catching up at some point, but it will have to be after the first of the year, because the next three weeks are just packed! I'm so grateful for all the good things God has put in my life that are filling my days lately. Here are a few of my blessings:
1. My family! As always, taking care of them keeps me busy.
2. Christmas! I love all the activities associated with celebrating the coming of our savior: parties, programs, concerts, etc.
3. Mission Denton! On Saturday we had our 2nd annual Christmas Store where all the kids from our apartment and mobile home churches came to our church to shop for gifts for their parents. People from our church donated items so the kids could "shop" for free. A lot of time went into preparing for the day, but it was all worth it!
4. Family trip to Turner Falls! This weekend we're renting a cabin in OK and spending time with my family, our Christmas gift to each other.
5. Visit to East Tx! We'll be visiting Robert's family next week. I love Christmas there, because we get to see Rhonda and her family, in addition to Tonya and her family and Robert's parents.
6. Peru! I'll be leaving the day after Christmas for my second mission trip to Ventanilla, Peru. I'm involved in the planning for the trip and it has been very time consuming, but I'm so thankful to be a part of it and am so excited to be there! We're updating our trip blog again this year: http://www.southmontmissionperu.blogspot.com/
May your Christmas be filled with joy and the New Year bring many blessings from God!
See you in January,
Amy
1. My family! As always, taking care of them keeps me busy.
2. Christmas! I love all the activities associated with celebrating the coming of our savior: parties, programs, concerts, etc.
3. Mission Denton! On Saturday we had our 2nd annual Christmas Store where all the kids from our apartment and mobile home churches came to our church to shop for gifts for their parents. People from our church donated items so the kids could "shop" for free. A lot of time went into preparing for the day, but it was all worth it!
4. Family trip to Turner Falls! This weekend we're renting a cabin in OK and spending time with my family, our Christmas gift to each other.
5. Visit to East Tx! We'll be visiting Robert's family next week. I love Christmas there, because we get to see Rhonda and her family, in addition to Tonya and her family and Robert's parents.
6. Peru! I'll be leaving the day after Christmas for my second mission trip to Ventanilla, Peru. I'm involved in the planning for the trip and it has been very time consuming, but I'm so thankful to be a part of it and am so excited to be there! We're updating our trip blog again this year: http://www.southmontmissionperu.blogspot.com/
May your Christmas be filled with joy and the New Year bring many blessings from God!
See you in January,
Amy
Sunday, November 7, 2010
October
Okay, so I realized it's been OVER A MONTH since I blogged! I have thought several times about sitting down to blog, but then the further behind I've gotten, the more overwhelming the task seemed, and I just haven't had the motivation to do it. So, here's a photo recap of the month of October to catch up. Hopefully I'll be better in November!
Cullen and a friend at "business day" at school:
At the Pumpkin Patch with friends:
With Nancy, one of our missionaries to Peru, who was in the states visiting:
Kenna playing at a football game:
Cullen and a friend at "business day" at school:
At the Pumpkin Patch with friends:
With Nancy, one of our missionaries to Peru, who was in the states visiting:
My 40th birthday
(with the yummy pecan pie that Robert made from scratch!)
Pumpkins!
"Ninja Dentist" (only Camden!):
"Harry Potter":
"Hermione" (from Harry Potter):
Trick or treating with our neighbors:
"Ninja Dentist" (only Camden!):
"Harry Potter":
"Hermione" (from Harry Potter):
Trick or treating with our neighbors:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Happy Birthday Camden!
Okay, so I realize that this post is long overdue, but at least I'm getting in done in the same month as Camden's birthday! Camden turned 8 (I still can't figure out how in the world he's eight already) on September 5th and we spent the first weekend of the month celebrating.
On that Friday night we had a couple of his best buddies over for a Lego-themed party.
We had all kinds of Lego games, like guessing games, building contests, and balancing contests.
Camden won the "tallest tower" contest:
Balancing a Lego on the nose:
Friends:
On Sunday, which was his actual birthday, Camden got breakfast in bed, followed by present opening. He's been wanting a "snuggie" for quite some time and has been wearing it proudly since his birthday.
After church, we let him choose where he wanted to go for lunch. He surprised us by asking for Golden Corral. All Camden ate was pizza and then he felt too sick to eat the special dessert that our waitress made for him!
On Monday (Labor Day), Nana and Papa went with us to our neighborhood pool.
After swimming, Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Kevin joined us back at our house for lunch and presents.
On that Friday night we had a couple of his best buddies over for a Lego-themed party.
We had all kinds of Lego games, like guessing games, building contests, and balancing contests.
Camden won the "tallest tower" contest:
Balancing a Lego on the nose:
Friends:
On Sunday, which was his actual birthday, Camden got breakfast in bed, followed by present opening. He's been wanting a "snuggie" for quite some time and has been wearing it proudly since his birthday.
After church, we let him choose where he wanted to go for lunch. He surprised us by asking for Golden Corral. All Camden ate was pizza and then he felt too sick to eat the special dessert that our waitress made for him!
On Monday (Labor Day), Nana and Papa went with us to our neighborhood pool.
After swimming, Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Kevin joined us back at our house for lunch and presents.
Great weekend celebrating a great kiddo!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Oklahoma!
In July, we spent a long weekend with Robert's family in Beavers Bend Oklahoma. We rented a huge cabin and enjoyed spending time at the cabin, as well as hiking, swimming, canoeing, kayaking, and eating (lots of eating!).
Hiking:
Canoeing:
Playing Bingo:
This was supposed to be a "wide, easy to walk" hiking trail. We should have known to turn back when the bridge at the beginning of the hike was missing and we had to hike across the river. Camden lost a flip flop in the water, so he, Robert and I did turn back. The rest of the gang forged ahead - the hike didn't get much easier from there, but they all made it!
Kayaking:
The big boys jumped from the 15 foot ledge, while the rest of us were content to jump from about three feet:
It was very hot, but the water was very cold, so the kids spent a good bit of time just playing in the sand:
CeCe bought all the kids sno-cones:
CeCe bought all the kids sno-cones:
Hiking:
Canoeing:
Playing Bingo:
This was supposed to be a "wide, easy to walk" hiking trail. We should have known to turn back when the bridge at the beginning of the hike was missing and we had to hike across the river. Camden lost a flip flop in the water, so he, Robert and I did turn back. The rest of the gang forged ahead - the hike didn't get much easier from there, but they all made it!
Kayaking:
The big boys jumped from the 15 foot ledge, while the rest of us were content to jump from about three feet:
At the nature center:
Train ride:
We enjoyed a lot of beautiful nature and wildlife:
MeMe and CeCe with 11 of their 15 grandkids:
Our whole group - 21 in all:
Train ride:
We enjoyed a lot of beautiful nature and wildlife:
MeMe and CeCe with 11 of their 15 grandkids:
Our whole group - 21 in all:
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Peru Update
We found out on Saturday that the school in Peru has hired someone else for the position that Robert applied for. This has been a long journey (Robert applied in April), so I am glad to have some closure, even if it didn't work out the way I had hoped. From the little we know about the candidate that was hired, she is a better fit for the position than Robert would be, so I definitely feel that the school made the right choice. And, I'm so grateful that God took the decision out of our hands. I have such a passion for Peru and Robert really doesn't (at least not yet!), so I'm thankful that it didn't come down to Robert having to make a choice, and me resenting him if he said no.
Now, I still have this passion for Peru that I believe God has placed in me, so we'll have to figure out what to do with that. Maybe that just means we make adjustments to our lives here so that I can take more trips to Peru and support others who are called to Peru, or maybe that means we'll move there at some point in the future. Either way, or if God has something totally different in store for us, I'm confident that He has led us through this time in our lives for a purpose; we just have to be open to seeing what that purpose is!
Now, I still have this passion for Peru that I believe God has placed in me, so we'll have to figure out what to do with that. Maybe that just means we make adjustments to our lives here so that I can take more trips to Peru and support others who are called to Peru, or maybe that means we'll move there at some point in the future. Either way, or if God has something totally different in store for us, I'm confident that He has led us through this time in our lives for a purpose; we just have to be open to seeing what that purpose is!
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Back to School
I am having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that the kids have been back in school for three days now! The summer - especially the last half - just flew by. I say that every year, but it seems even more true this year...but maybe that's just because I'm getting older...but I digress...back to the subject(s) at hand - my three amazing children! All three were ready for school and are off to a great start.
Cullen got in Mrs. Hendrix class - the best 4th grade teacher; we're super excited!
Camden is in Mrs. Cullen's class; I've heard good things about her. Only problem is, I already mix up Camden and Cullen's names - now I have to add "Mrs. Cullen" into the mix - oy!
And my seventh grader - how did she get so tall and grown up looking? She's almost as tall as me now!
Cullen and Camden (who is actually smiling this year!)
Cullen got in Mrs. Hendrix class - the best 4th grade teacher; we're super excited!
Camden is in Mrs. Cullen's class; I've heard good things about her. Only problem is, I already mix up Camden and Cullen's names - now I have to add "Mrs. Cullen" into the mix - oy!
And my seventh grader - how did she get so tall and grown up looking? She's almost as tall as me now!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Peru Trip - final days
It's hard to believe that we've been home from Peru for a week now. I've been meaning to get this post done all week, but a lot has happened, and I just haven't made time for blogging.
In my last post I mentioned that the trip back to Lima from the mountains was an "adventure". Not long after leaving the lodge, driving down the winding, rocky road, we had a flat tire - changing it was a group effort!
We made it down the mountain, only to have another flat, this time in Lima, on a very busy expressway. Our driver pulled over on the "shoulder" for yet another tire change. Luckily, he had the first flat tire fixed while we ate lunch, so he had a good tire to put on.
What should have been a five hour drive, took more like seven hours, but we made it safely to our hotel, La Posada del Parque.
On Friday, we spent the morning talking to some folks at the International Christian School of Lima and touring the school. Robert has applied for a position there, and we are considering the possiblity of moving to Lima. At this point, we have not received clear direction from God that He would have us go there, and the school has not extended an offer, so we we will wait until God makes His will known to us.
Yesenia and I drew pictures for each other. I found out from Lauren that Yesenia calls me her "godmother".
Lauren and Nancy rode back to Lima with us. We went out to dinner that night - Lauren was so excited to have pork chops and baked potatoes! It was such a joy to watch her enjoy that meal!
We spent Saturday in Lima Centro - shopping and sight-seeing.
We took a tour of the San Francisco church, including the catacombs.
We had such a great time with Lauren and Nancy - even though I'm technically old enough to be their mother, I like to think of myself as an older sister! I love this picture of me and my little sisters!
In my last post I mentioned that the trip back to Lima from the mountains was an "adventure". Not long after leaving the lodge, driving down the winding, rocky road, we had a flat tire - changing it was a group effort!
We made it down the mountain, only to have another flat, this time in Lima, on a very busy expressway. Our driver pulled over on the "shoulder" for yet another tire change. Luckily, he had the first flat tire fixed while we ate lunch, so he had a good tire to put on.
What should have been a five hour drive, took more like seven hours, but we made it safely to our hotel, La Posada del Parque.
On Friday, we spent the morning talking to some folks at the International Christian School of Lima and touring the school. Robert has applied for a position there, and we are considering the possiblity of moving to Lima. At this point, we have not received clear direction from God that He would have us go there, and the school has not extended an offer, so we we will wait until God makes His will known to us.
In the afternoon, we went back out to the orphanage in Ventanilla. Lauren brought out some crayons and paper and we colored with some of the kids, including Yesenia, the girl I met and made a connection with back in January.
Yesenia and I drew pictures for each other. I found out from Lauren that Yesenia calls me her "godmother".
Lauren and Nancy rode back to Lima with us. We went out to dinner that night - Lauren was so excited to have pork chops and baked potatoes! It was such a joy to watch her enjoy that meal!
We spent Saturday in Lima Centro - shopping and sight-seeing.
We took a tour of the San Francisco church, including the catacombs.
We had such a great time with Lauren and Nancy - even though I'm technically old enough to be their mother, I like to think of myself as an older sister! I love this picture of me and my little sisters!
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