On April 16 Ben turned twelve years old. Here is a look at how we celebrated him this year.
On his birthday eve we had friends in town who invited us to supper at Hotel Antigua. After our delicious meal, they had the waiters sing to Ben and present him with a dessert.
When we returned home we sent the boys to bed, and I stayed up to decorate the kitchen.
He did not choose a theme this year, but when I saw these gaming themed balloons I knew they would be perfect.
Ben asleep on his birthday eve.
He had chocolate chip banana pancakes for his birthday breakfast.
We took several photos before we started our school day.
For lunch we had a mother & son outing to McDonald's. It was great one on one time and might be something we do again in the future for his birthday.
The main reason he wanted to eat at McDonald's was so that he could try their blue raspberry Sprite.
We returned home for dessert. Instead of a cake, this year he wanted a lemon pie.
birthday pie
For supper, we enjoyed a family meal at Ta'Cool.
His party invitation.
He got to choose a few friends to go to Sky Zone.
Pizza lunch at Sky Zone after a morning of jumping and playing.
Ben's 1st through 10th birthday photos
11th and 12th birthday photos
Our family celebrating Ben's 1st through 10th birthdays
David and I began the month in Lima, Peru attending a work meeting. Our volunteer, Terrie, stayed with the boys while we were away. The quarterly field trip with Encounter Academy fell during that time so Terrie went along to chaperone. They went to Sky Zone in Guatemala City.
Terrie with some of the kids on the van to Sky Zone. We are very thankful for her servant heart! While here she spent several days at the school helping out and really enjoyed her time with the kids.
Sky Zone group photo
lunch time at Sky Zone
friends
The only homeschool photos I took during the whole month of February was of a Science experiment that David and Cruz did. I really need to get back on track with my homeschool posts.
They made an edible ocean layer model.
It included chocolate and vanilla pudding, crushed cookies, and whipped cream.
We started Valentine's Day with a heart-shaped pancake breakfast.
David and the boys gave me flowers.
I also got a new coffee mug from San Martin. I love collecting cups from there.
That evening we enjoyed a date night to Pasta Nostra. It is a favorite of ours.
We helped kick off a new thirteen week Bible study at the Baptist church in Parramos.
The boys ready for the program to start.
They will be meeting every Saturday afternoon for the next thirteen weeks.
singing during the program
David preached and shared his testimony at the Baptist church in San Andres Itzapa the following night.
worship in San Andres Itzapa
beautiful church flowers
We had some cool nights which allowed us to enjoy a few fires.
Game night by the fire. Ben is a fierce checker player!
I look forward to our Friday afternoon coffee dates all week long. On this particular outing we went to Patsy's. They were advertising a piña colada cheesecake. It was delicious! We also enjoyed their frozen coffee drinks.
I am continuing to host a mom's group on Wednesday afternoons while our kids are taking P.E. class at Encounter Academy. Terrie was able to join us while she was here and share some wisdom with us. This group of ladies brings joy to my heart. I am thankful for each of them.
This semester we are going through this study by Gather Moms. It has been wonderful so far. In addition to the book there are videos on Right Now Media that go along with each lesson. I am excited that they will be coming out with a Spanish version soon.
A family photo with Terrie before we drove her to the airport to fly back home. We miss having her around. Her two months went by quickly.
After dropping Terrie off at the airport we stopped by Burger King in Guatemala City. While eating, the boys noticed the WiFi sign on the wall. Cruz pronounced it as "free whiff" and they posed like this. It gave us a good laugh.
Also during the month of February, we attended the 37th Kekchi Annual Assembly. We gathered together with our mission family for a Super Bowl party. We attended the annual Intermissions Conference, and I celebrated my birthday. You can click on these links to see blog posts about those activities.
Lastly, in my personal study time, I'm ending the month starting this new study by First 5 on the book of Ruth. I love doing their book studies. We just finished Deuteronomy last week. I am looking forward to diving into this new one.
February was a full month. We look forward to seeing what March holds.
.jpg)
.jpg)
Our family on Ben's 11th and 12th birthday
