Here is a glimpse of some family activity during the month of February.
We began the month getting our yearly eye exams.
We celebrated the opening ceremony of the winter Olympics. We had friends over to watch it with us. I have been making this cake for every Olympic opening ceremony since 2012. It is a fun family tradition. We had pizza for supper and cake for dessert.
Cruz over the years.
It has been our tradition to let the boys redecorate their bedroom when we return from Stateside Assignment. They get to pick out new bedding in the States and bring it back. It gives them something to look forward to and helps build excitement for our return. This was the first year they insisted on different themes. Yes, it made my heart a little sad. Cruz chose Minecraft and Ben chose baby Yoda. At least the colors still coordinate.
Ben helping me dice potatoes for supper. We were making a pot of potato soup.
A sunset view from the balcony of Doña Luisa in Antigua. You can see the volcanoes in the distance.
Our city has cobblestone streets. Lately, there has been a lot of repair work being done on them.
The cobblestones add to the character of our beautiful city. They are nice to look at but not so nice to walk and drive on.
me and my boys
We spent a Saturday afternoon with friends at Pitaya in Panorama. We walked to it from our house. They have a restaurant and mini golf area. It is a beautiful garden setting and a fun place to relax and fellowship. We enjoyed coffee and snacks while the kids ran around playing.
mini golf with friends
There was a birthday party taking place that day and the kids got to participate in the exotic animal show. A guy had brought several exotic animals that the kids learned about and got to pet. It was fun for them but I watched from a distance. I am not a fan of snakes!!
What a fun time we had!
David preaching at the Baptist church in San Andres Itzapa on a Sunday evening.
David and the boys after church.
Our Valentine's Day breakfast.
My guys gave me roses, chocolate, and homemade cards.
That evening we went out for an Italian supper at Pasta Nostra. It is one of our favorite places in town.
I love their eggplant Parmesan!
We normally get Glacy ice cream afterwards but it was a little cool that night so instead we picked up some cheesecake from Cafe Condesa. We brought it home to eat.
We love watching the Kids Baking Championship on Food Network each year. We spent every Monday night on the couch watching the show. All of our favorites made it to the finale.
I attended a "Moms' Night Out" with a group from Encounter Academy. We spent a Friday evening at a local cafe drinking coffee and enjoying fellowship around the table. I look forward to more of these nights in the future.
David made an overnight trip to Chiquimula and took our missionary friend Abner with him. While they were gone, the wives and kids spent time together. Here are the kids enjoying milkshakes at a local cafe on a warm Saturday afternoon.
Our partner church, First Baptist Mount Pleasant, SC, had their annual missions conference. We have never been able to attend in person but try to send videos when we can. My sweet friend Jennifer sent me this picture of our video being played during the conference. We are thankful for all of our partners and the way they promote our work and pray for us.
We had been to Pitaya in Panorama for mini golf earlier in the month and while there learned that they have two more locations nearby. There is a restaurant in Antigua and a restaurant and mini golf location at Finca Azotea in Jocotenango. The Panorama mini golf has nine holes and the one at Azotea has eighteen. The Waldraffs, IMB/ Send Relief missionaries, drove from Guatemala City one day to join us for lunch and an outing. We took them to Pitaya at Finca Azotea and had a wonderful time.
Pitaya is now one of several restaurants that is open at Finca Azotea. It has really expanded in recent months.
ready to golf
Lastly, I mentioned in another post about our recent trip to Panajachel for the Intermissions Conference. I did not take many pictures that weekend but here are a few more random ones to share. This is David and the boys at the lookout. You can see a little of the lake in the distance.
The boys before breakfast on Saturday morning.
a beautiful view of Lake Atitlan from our room
Cruz with a new friend and his favorite leader from the volunteer team.
The boys favorite part of the whole weekend was just being with MK friends.
Being with friends was one of our favorite parts of the weekend as well. It was like a missionary family reunion for us. We were able to see and visit with many families who have been a big part of our missionary journey. Here we are with the Wisemans who were our dear friends when we lived in Coban. We spent many nights at each others houses having meals and playing games during those years.. We visited with Ms. Barbara Stoltzfus who we knew from our time in Sayaxche Peten. We soaked up time with the Lubecks from our Chiquimula days. We also had a few meals with the Hardemans and Stones. It helped us reflect and see that no matter where we have lived in Guatemala, God has always been faithful to put people in our lives to do life with. He is continuing to do that even now in Antigua. What a blessing!!
