Christmas Day 2024

We got to bed really late on Christmas Eve and made a deal with the boys to let us sleep in until 8:00 a.m. on Christmas morning.  I think it was the latest we have been able to sleep in on a Christmas morning since we had kids. At 8:00 a.m. on the dot though they burst into our room eager for us to get up so they could open gifts.

 

the boys ready to open presents on Christmas morning

 

Cruz's WhatsApp mug.  Ben got a YouTube one.

 

Ben got a new hat.  He got one last year for Christmas but accidentally left it on an airplane on one of our trips earlier this year.  It was one of his first Christmas requests this year.

 

Ben checking his stocking for all the different candy he had asked for.  He is our candy man and loves anything sweet.

 

 

they got a mega gummy bear

 

Ben wanted an alarm clock for his bedroom.

 

a family gift that we will all enjoy

One of my gifts was these beautiful purple juice cups that Cruz picked out.

 

I spent the morning cooking.  Here is our table set for Christmas lunch.

 

At noon on Christmas Day, everyone shoots firecrackers.  We went outside to light a few of our own.

 

Our Christmas Day lunch.  We had ham, carrot souffle, corn casserole, mac n' cheese, Lima beans, deviled eggs, crescent rolls, and sweet tea.

 

 

David and Cruz eating lunch on Christmas Day.

 

We spent the rest of the day relaxing.  We watched several movies.

 

 

We ended the night watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. It was my first Charlie Brown video to watch since my dad passed away.  I thought it might make me sad, but instead, it brought me comfort and made me smile.  I am thankful for that!

 

Christmas Eve 2024

 We began our Christmas Eve celebration with a snowman pancake breakfast.  This has been our Christmas Eve tradition since the boys were very small.   I decorate them a little different each year, but the idea is still the same.

 

For Cruz's main Christmas gift, he asked for a desk for his bedroom.  We shopped around for one but ended up having one hand made for him.  He chose the design that he wanted and gave drawings to the men who made it.  We picked up the wood a few days before Christmas and the metal legs were delivered a day later.

 

 

On Christmas Eve morning David and Cruz worked together to assemble it.

 

Cruz with his new desk. 

 

He loves it!

 

For lunch I cooked shrimp Alfredo pasta with Texas toast.

 

Later that afternoon we went into town for coffee.

 

That evening we attended a beautiful candlelight service. 

 

a short video from the service

We love singing Christmas carols in Spanish.

 

 

me and Cruz

 

Ben with his friend Ethan

 

After the service everyone enjoyed a traditional tamale meal.

 

my Christmas Eve supper

 

 

Ben with his friends Ethan and Noah at church

 

After eating, we walked around town to see the Christmas lights.

 

 

We came home and watched Home Alone.

 

our family on Christmas Eve

 

We shot fireworks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed up until midnight to see the main fireworks go off.  At midnight on Christmas Eve, everyone in Guatemala shoots fireworks.  It is very loud but also very pretty. 

 

 a video of the midnight fireworks

 

 

We came back in and got the boys to bed.  I then set out the Christmas gifts and got everything ready for the next morning.

 

We got to bed around 1:00 a.m.  We were tired but excited for Christmas Day.

Life Lately August 2024

 

  We began the month celebrating David's birthday.   He turned fifty-one on August 2.

 

 

On Monday, August 5, we started back to school.

 

 

The boy's youth group also kicked off the new year with a fun "groovy" themed celebration. Wednesday night youth group is a highlight of their week!

 

 

We made an overnight trip to Quetzaltenango to secure housing for the English family.  While there we had a pizza and movie night with the Robertson family.

 

They watched Rio 2.

 

 

Cruz and Luke

 

Ben started back attending Encounter Academy for extra-curricular classes.  This year he is only attending one afternoon a week and will have health, P.E., and art classes.  They had their first field trip recently.  They spent the day at Finca Florencia, which is a park about fifteen minutes up the mountain from Antigua. 

 

 

We spent an afternoon visiting with a prayer supporter of ours.  Mrs. Debra taught preschool at her church in Florida and learned about our family several years ago through their Lifeway curriculum.  She has been receiving our newsletters ever since.  She was in town on a mission trip and wanted to finally meet us in person.  We love encounters like that!  It was great to spend a little time with her and get to know her better.

 

On another occasion, we met a missions pastor and his wife for supper.  They serve at a church in Kentucky and were in Antigua on vacation.  It is the home church of one of our IMB colleagues who serves in Mexico.   He put us in touch and that allowed us the opportunity to discuss a possible partnership with them in the future.  They are specifically interested in mobilizing their students to be on mission.  We had a great starter conversation and will follow up with them soon.

 

Here are the boys one Sunday after church waiting to eat lunch at a local restaurant. They are growing and changing so fast these days!

 

 

David has been patiently teaching Cruz how to drive the motorcycle.   Currently, he is only making loops up and down our street.

 

He also started rehearsals for Little Women.  There will be weekly rehearsals from now until the play in mid-October. 

 

At the end of the month, Cruz joined a local youth group here in town for a scavenger hunt at Telares Mall.  They were divided into teams and had to take photos with the items they found. His team didn't win, but he had a lot of fun! 

 

youth group scavenger hunt

 

 

Cruz at Telares Mall in Antigua

 

It is rainy season, but August has been more dry than rainy.   We took advantage of a beautiful clear mid-week evening and ate outside.  We built a fire and cooked hotdogs and marshmallows.   Sitting out by the fire is one of my favorite things to do.

 

 

We were thankful for two date nights this month.  Here we are enjoying pasta at our favorite Italian restaurant in town.

 

 

I began the task of restocking our freezer with baked goods.  I began by making several loaves of chocolate chip zucchini bread and chocolate chip pumpkin bread.

 

 

Later I made a few loaves of chocolate chip banana bread. 

 

I made several batches of sausage balls.

 

Lastly, I made several pans of cinnamon rolls.  I think we should be well stocked for a little while.  It would be a great time to stop by for coffee.

 

David has been busy this month finalizing plans, paperwork, and preparations for our upcoming medical team.  They will arrive on Saturday, August 31.  Be praying for us this upcoming week as we host this team. 

 

It's time to drag out the fall decorations!!!