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.

20 Years and Counting

If you can't laugh at yourself who can you laugh at, right?  I sure got a good laugh looking back at a few old photos of us recently.  Tomorrow, April 27, is our 20 year wedding anniversary.  Wow, 20 years!  Where has the time gone?  The last time we were in the States (which has been almost 2 years now) I scanned a few photos to have for this anniversary.  Yes, I was thinking ahead that long ago.  Yes, I'm just a little crazy, ha.  Here are a few photos I scanned to look back on from our early years together.  I didn't scan any from our dating years so I'll start with the day we got engaged-

May 12, 1995

We were on our way to another friend's wedding when David popped the question. 

Our wedding day April 27, 1996

We were married at Harmony Baptist Church in Crystal Springs, MS

Young, in love, and off to begin our lives together.

We began our honeymoon with an overnight stay at the Elliot House Bed and Breakfast in Amite, Louisiana.  We were instantly hooked on the bed and breakfast idea and it began a trend for us in the years to come.  We have since spent many nights in different bed and breakfast places.  We love the houses.  We love the history.  We love the hospitality.  We just love everything about it!

Our room

The next day we drove on down to New Orleans to catch our flight to Cancun.  It was our first time to fly and our first time to leave the U.S.  When we checked in the attendant upgraded us to first class.  Other than one other man we had the whole first class section to ourselves.  That was fun and very kind of him.  We would then spend the next several days soaking up the sun at the Omni Resort there in Cancun.  It was beautiful!!!

It is hard to imagine a time when I didn't take as many photos.  I have always loved taking pictures but I guess in the pre-digital years it just wasn't as easy.  I sadly do not have many from our honeymoon.  I surely wish I had taken more.

an ocean view from our balcony

me on the way to supper one night

David on the way to supper one night.  Don't you just love that fanny pack!!! Oh how I have laughed at that.  And those socks!

Here we are one day eating lunch at Tony Roma's in Cancun.  Oh my! Bless our hearts. ha

Then there was this... It just screams TOURIST!  I have cried big tears laughing at this picture.

We booked a few excursions through our hotel.  One of our favorites was this speed boat trip that took us to an area to snorkel.  It was really fun driving that boat.

snorkeling in Cancun on our honeymoon

the best Coke I have ever had was in Cancun, Mexico on our anniversary

Our anniversary has always been one of our biggest days of the year.  I have always worked hard to plan something fun and special for us.  I love to celebrate the day that we were married!  A few of our early anniversaries were spent in the Smoky Mountains at Gatlinburg.  Several were spent at bed and breakfast places with our favorite being Cedar Grove in Vicksburg, MS.  But, our favorite vacation of all has been taking cruises.  We took several for our anniversaries before moving to the mission field.  Below are some miscellaneous photos from anniversary trips past.

celebrating our 2nd anniversary on a Caribbean cruise

 our first cruise in 1998

 an anniversary bed and breakfast stay in Galveston, TX

 cruising for our 8th anniversary

Another anniversary cruise formal night.  Dressing up on formal nights is our favorite thing to do.

snorkeling in Cozumel, Mexico

visiting the southernmost point of the continental U.S.A. in Key West, FL

Kayaking tour in Key West, FL.  That was a fun memory!

This picture has always made me laugh.  David was wearing a swimsuit but it doesn't look like it in this photo. 

kayaking in Key West, FL

a photo from our 10 year anniversary cruise

We were docked in the Cayman Islands on our 10 year anniversary.  We celebrated the day by parasailing.

parasailing on our 10 year anniversary in the Cayman Islands

having supper on our 10 year anniversary April 27, 2006

The cruise staff sang to us, brought us dessert, and tied our arms together. This was my favorite anniversary trip of all.  I think it will be hard to top that week.

Eight months later we would be arriving in Guatemala to begin our service here.  We have spent all but one of the past ten years celebrating our anniversary here on the mission field.  We have had some fun celebrations here also.   The last five anniversary trips have included the boys.  They sure add an extra layer of excitement to our celebrations.

Last night we introduced them to our wedding video.  It was very funny listening to them talk while they watched it.  They asked a lot of questions and laughed at us a lot.  It was a sweet time to reflect on our marriage with our boys.  David's cousin, Kevin, videoed our wedding.  As a gift to us he made us a music video from our baby and childhood pictures.  He made us another music video of our dating years.  He also made us a music video of our wedding.  Here is the video he made of that-

We began this morning with a celebration pancake breakfast and then we're off to celebrate #20.  I am anticipating a fun few days ahead.  Twenty years has gone by fast.  It has been some amazing years and I cannot imagine a day of it without David by my side.  I will never doubt that God put us together.  The joy of my life has been walking side by side as his partner, helpmate, and friend.  We are a team and we want nothing more than for our lives and marriage to honor the Lord.  I pray he gives us many, many more years to do that.