March Moments

Today I am catching up on our random daily life photos.  This post will cover a little bit of everything over the past few weeks.

We do not do a whole lot to celebrate St. Patrick's Day outside of wearing green and having a fun breakfast.   Some years I have hung streamers and balloons but did not this year.  I actually attempted to but realized that I was out of green balloons and did not feel like going to the store just to buy some.  I assumed my family would not think much of it and was quite surprised when Cruz came running into the kitchen that morning and asked "Mama, isn't it a holiday?  Why didn't you decorate?  Where are the streamers and balloons?"  Oh my goodness!  I have created a monster.

our family

St. Patrick's Day 2017

I made green pancakes and sprinkled some Lucky Charms cereal around their plates.

St. Patrick's Day

We had the Lubecks over for supper one night and then joined them for supper another night at their house.  We always enjoy our times of fellowship with them.

A circus came to town and we could not wait to go see it.  I am not sure who gets more excited, me or the boys.  We do love the circus!

The boys playing checkers one morning before breakfast and school.  

The rest of these photos were taken earlier this week while in Guatemala City.  We spent a few days there doing medical check-ups for our upcoming Stateside Assignment.  Our mission board requires complete physicals and routine exams to be done at the end of each term.  We have to have medical clearance before we can return to start our next term.  We began that process this week.  We had some long, tiring days filled with one appointment after the other.  It is not that easy shuffling two young ones around from clinic to clinic but thankfully they did really well.  We are glad to have the bulk of things behind us.  Other than a few follow-up lab exams I think we are done for now.  Whew!

It has been a while since the boys have had to visit their pediatrician clinic.  It was good to go back and see the staff again.  We have always loved this clinic and the care we have received there. 

Cruz looks thrilled to be doing a little schoolwork doesn't he.  Here we are sitting out in the hallway of an office building waiting on one of the clinics to open.  He did not have to do much school work while there but we did cover language and reading.  Is it just me or does he look about ten years old in this picture?

Many of the clinics we visited were in high-rise buildings.  The boys were fascinated with looking out the windows and seeing the city.  The doctor in this particular office got very tickled when Ben shouted out "I see a Dunkin Donuts sign!"  My boys love donuts.

More looking out over Guatemala City.  This time they were watching a crane work at a construction site down below.  I think they would still be there watching if we had not made them leave.  Thankfully this became a fun way for them to pass a lot of waiting time.

We had studied fish last week in Science and I promised the boys a visit to an aquarium while in Guatemala City.  The Nais restaurant chain here has an aquarium themed restaurant at one of the local malls.  It has been a long time since we have been there and I knew the boys would love it.  We went for a late breakfast in between appointments one day and then let the boys take some time to see the fish.  The restaurant is built with the aquarium in the center and the tables just circle all around it.  Almost every seat in the restaurant has a nice view of the fish.  There are also several smaller aquariums all throughout the restaurant.  It is just a cool place to eat and visit.  I hope it is not several years before we get to go back.

our family at the Nais aquarium

Ben looking at some of the fish.

You can see how the tables just wrap around.  The ceiling reminded us of the bones on the inside of a whale. I'm not sure if that is the idea they were going for but it sure felt like it. 

You can climb inside this lookout and feel like you are inside the aquarium.  They really loved this!

me and the boys watching the fish swim by from inside the lookout

That's a shark passing by in front of us.  You can imagine how that made them squeal with excitement.

the shark again

oh how fun!

breakfast at Nais

The lobby has a goldfish aquarium you can walk on.  It made me nervous but the boys thought it was cool. 

There is a Lego store in the same mall.  The boys are currently obsessed with all things Lego.  They loved looking at all the options and we started a little wish list for when we get to the States.  Legos are not cheap there but they are definitely A LOT less expensive than they are here.  Oh my!  I just gasped at some of the prices. 

They loved this Buzz Lightyear made out of Legos that was on display in the store window.  To infinity and beyond!  They repeated that phrase the rest of the day. 

playing at the mall food court playland

silly boys

they both got haircuts

We renewed Ben's Guatemalan passport.

Here he is just a few days old with his first Guatemalan passport.  Is my baby really about to turn five?  Where has the time gone?

his first passport photo

We enjoyed getting to eat lunch at a new TGI Friday's that is now across the street from the pediatrician clinic building.  Of all the places to eat in Guatemala City Friday's has always been my most favorite. 

I took this photo of the bathroom doors at this Friday's location.  It took me a second to decide which one to enter but when I figured it out I had to laugh.  How true is that?

Tomorrow is April 1 and that means it's now only three more months until Stateside begins.  Thirteen more weeks to go.  Getting this medical work behind us just makes me all the more excited about it.