Mother/ Son Date with Ben

As one of his Christmas gifts, Ben got a homemade coupon for a mother & son outing to Starbucks and coins at our local arcade.  We recently made a visit to Telares mall to use them.

 

coffee date at Starbucks

He loves Frappuccinos, and I love iced lattes.

 

He also loves an arcade! He always has.

 

On this game he won 100 bonus tickets.

 

Air hockey is our favorite.

 

more tickets

To Ben, tickets equal candy, and candy is his favorite thing to eat.

 

 

We had such a fun time together. 

I love one on one time with my boys and need to make it more of a priority these days. Time left with them at home is passing quickly!

More Miscellaneous Moments from December 2023

 Here are some random photos from the month of December.

 

Our table decorated for Christmas

 

our tree

 

our family ornament for 2023

 

We always put a small tree in our kitchen area.  I made these Names of Jesus ornaments several years ago and we add one each day to our tree during the month of December.  We read the verse during breakfast and reflect on what the name means.  It is a fun, simple tradition that we do.

 

We had a puzzle night.

 

Cruz had a sleepover with his friend Canon.

 

We saw many beautiful sunsets during December.

 

This one was from our new mall.

 

So pretty!!

 

We finished the school semester and began our much needed break.

 

Our last day of school celebration breakfast.

 

We enjoyed a fun visit from the Johnson family.

 

silly boys clowning around at the mall

 

Having fun at the arcade that is in our new mall.

 

playing video games together

 

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I then started packing up our Christmas decorations on the 26th.  I know that is early and much earlier than I normally would have.  We had a work travel trip planned for later that week, and I wanted the house to be in order before we left.  I will share about that amazing trip next.

Christmas Eve 2023

 

  We started our Christmas Eve day with a fun pancake breakfast.

 

I wore my new t-shirt from my friend Malinda representing their drug store back home.

 

I also love this new ornament she gave me this year!

 

 

We went out for lunch at Pappy's BBQ.

 

Next, we stopped by our new mall (Plaza Telares) to walk around.  Ben got ice cream.

 

It was shaped like a reindeer.

 

The rest of us got coffee at our new Starbucks.  We now have two in Antigua!!

 

That afternoon we cut our "Happy Birthday, Jesus" cake.  It is a Christmas Eve tradition.

 

That evening we attended a Christmas Eve candlelight service.

 

After the service everyone enjoyed tamales and hot fruit cider.

 

Christmas tamales, a Guatemalan tradition

 

a family photo at the church

 

 

We then walked around town to look at all of the decorations.

 

Next, we joined a group of neighbors for fireworks.

 

Ben and his buddy Josue

 

We came home and watched A Charlie Brown Christmas, which is something else we do every year.

 

We shot more fireworks.

 

And, at midnight, we went back outside to watch everyone else shoot fireworks.  It is a huge tradition here to shoot fireworks at midnight on Christmas Eve.  It is similar to New Year's but much bigger.  It sounds like a war zone but is so fun to experience.

 

We put out the Christmas gifts and got to bed a little after one.  Whew!  What a day it had been.