Once Upon a Time We Went to the Beach...

... and I took five-million photos. That is, perhaps, a slight exaggeration... but not by too much... lol. Last Sunday afternoon, Jenna and I loaded the kids up into the Schick's brown van and headed to Bahia de Kino for a mini-vacation at the beach with the house kidlets... and it was great! Two doctors from Tucson have generously offered the kids from the orphanage the opportunity to rent (at a very low price) this house right on the water... and it was a blessing!

Here are some of the photos that got taken, as well as a few anecdotes from our journey... (testaments to the fact that we managed to make it back safely without the protection of a man, dear director Bill... ;) But, thankfully we had the protection of our Father in Heaven!)

Above: Photo time on the beach at sunset...

All seven kids walk along the water's edge - giving Jenna and I photo opportunities...!

(Left to right): Ezequiel, Candi, Aaron, Poncho (behind), Diego, Julissa, and Jazany.

While Jenna and her kids headed to the pier one morning, the five of us stayed on the beach and took sand photos... :)

There's something interesting and unique about creating sand art, since it is so quickly demolished... and it was quite fun getting the kids to lay down next to their names before the waves drenched them!!!

More sand art...

Jenna and I at sunset on the beach... I was thankful to share this experience with someone who likes to laugh and cry just as much as I do... ;)

Some of my favorites: (top left) Candi's first experience getting sand inside her swimsuit... she was not a big fan, and protested... LOUDLY. (top right) Diego posing after he sprinted toward the water, and then biffed it big in the wet sand... lol. (bottom left) Aaron is such a little stud... am I allowed to say that?!? He would stand out in the waves, letting them crash against him, trying to retain his balance and giggling like mad afterwards! (bottom right) Poncho poses with one of the "life-savers" on his head... ;)

The kids - for the most part - played really, really well together. They built sand castles, buried all kinds of treasures, and hunted seashells for hours and hours. Sometimes the ingenuity of children amuses and fascinates me... their ability to be entertained and to entertain!

(left to right) Candi, Poncho, Julissa, Aaron, and Diego pose with more sand art... :)

The house we stayed in had framed photography from the same artist on all the walls. Unfortunately for me (a perpetual picture-straightener), almost every single frame was crooked. However, after some rearranging I was able to sleep at night... ;)

The mural (above, left) was also part of the decor. (Above, right) Jenna and her three kids walking down the beach at dusk.

The older kids did a great job of watching over Candi... and taking her for "walks" to collect seashells. Above, Candi and Poncho made countless journeys back and forth along this stretch of sand to bring me their discovered treasures...

The "shower" at the base of the steps leading out to the sand got quite a bit of use... and provided a lot of extra entertainment for the kids! For some reason, they felt like they needed to stand above while others were showering and drop things on top of them... like dead bugs... :)

And speaking of dead bugs... or live ones, in this case... there were (not joking) more than 25 cockroaches that ran out of our downstairs shower drain... all my kids were afraid to go into the bathroom by themselves... lol. Candi couldn't remember the word for "cockroach," so she would come running to tell me there was a "spider" every single time... lol.

(Left) Poncho, Diego, and Aaron brave the waves with the inflatable "boat"... this quickly became the favorite beach toy! (Right) The first afternoon, we apparently went into the water at prime jellyfish time... Jazany got stung quite badly, and the rest of us also experienced the "joys" of jellyfish stings, though not as severely.

So... we were careful to keep out of the water at "prime" jellyfish time, from then on. A lady came over and helped with Jazany; she told us about the main times when jellyfish come out... and guess what she poured on the sting? Windex... that's right... Windex.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding, nada... lol.

So... all in all, it was a great time. Tiring... but a lot fun, and worth it for the memories we will have... :)

Graduacion del Kinder

Last Friday night was Aaron and Julissa's graduation... from Kindergarten... ;) Maybe that's really common now (in the States), but I certainly did not have a graduation this formal... and I think I'm thankful for that... lol. It was actually a fun night, and though I wasn't thankful at the time for the oppressive heat and long-winded thank you speeches (written by the teachers, for the teachers... how convenient is that?)... I now have some great pictures to show!

Above, Aaron and Julissa pose at the orphanage before heading to the ceremony...

On the way to the graduation: Aaron always gets kind of funny at these points... almost as though he's too macho to be bothered with this silly stuff... that makes me smile... ;)

Aaron's graduating class: He is definitely one of the smaller kids... but that doesn't seem to stop him from being a "tough guy." His best friend is the little kid with the seventies hair the next row back and to the left... apparently they defend one another from the class bully. :)

Grandpa Bill came to the graduation... here he is with Aaron (at left) and with Hilda's little girl - Alexa. I think it's important that these kidlets get a sense that they're in a very loving family, and so I'm glad Bill was able to make it...

Fortunately, part of Julissa's family was also able to come - Jose, Zulema, Hilda, and Alexa. I was thankful for their presence, as well... :)

Aaron receives his graduation diploma... and it looks pretty authentic! As Jenna said that night, we got lots of certificates in school for different things, but they never looked this formal... lol. Aaron and Julissa both shook the director's hand, some of the teachers, and other important personnel from the board of directors.

Jenna and Julissa pose after the graduation. I know I'm biased, but I think Julissa was one of the prettiest little girls there...

The graduation party... (l-r in a circle) Me, Hilda, Jenna, Julissa, Zulema, Alexa, and Aaron.

The after-graduation party! Jose, Jenna, Julissa, Aaron, and I went to Momo's for some celebratory carne asada. Above, Jose and Julissa... I caught Jose right in the middle of a laugh, and I think this is one of the biggest grins I've ever seen on his face... lol.

The "mothers." Jenna and I at Momo's... right as I wrote that, I had such a weird moment... we're in the position of mothers? Sometimes I just have to wonder about God's plan... but I'm thankful He knows the road we're on... I would definitely be lost by now if I were on my own... ;)

Jenna and Jose outside by the playground at Momo's...

And... the Adorable Award goes to this guy... ;)

How can you not fall in love with a little face like that?!?

The Reason I Smile...

... has a lot to do with the same reason I get beautiful table decorations like this weed from Jenean's garden... ;)
This magnificent arrangement was Diego's contribution to the "beautify-ing" of our living room, and I was in full support. We also daily have dead insects, "sparkly" rocks, broken toys, and flowers of all sizes, shapes, colors, and - of course - dismemberment, added to our collection. I wouldn't trade it at all... :)

A while back (before I left to go home), the kids and I were walking up to the house from the dining hall, and there were a bunch of papers scattered all over the ground. Aaron gave a huge gasp, ran over to pick up a piece of paper, and - wearing a huge frown - marched over to me and told me that someone wasn't caring for our world... lol. I was... very, very happy! So we picked up the papers, threw them in the trash and had a piece of candy to celebrate taking care of our world... ;)

Candi was playing in my room the other morning as I finished up an e-mail, and I looked over toward my bed (when I suddenly realized that all was eerily quiet... usually a sign of some sort of trouble... lol) to see her propped up on the pillows, leg crossed, intently studying my copy of Emerson's writings... :)

And... though there were no pictures... she kept looking at it for quite some time! It's amazing how kids pick up on and emulate the things adults do... we aren't allowed to leave the house without Candi or I having a book in our hand... lol.

Chelsie, the kids are absolutely enfatuated with their frogs...! Everyone that came in or near the house this week had to get a demonstration of the froggy abilities... of course... ;)

Poncho had an assignment to make a television for school the other day... this was his creation, and he was so super-excited about it, that he convinced Candi and Diego that they all needed to sit on the floor in the living room and "watch" the program about flying, while he narrated...

... and they did! I came out of my bedroom and saw the three of them sitting like this... it made me smile, and to think of Dad saying, "Intelligent people don't get bored." Neither do people who are easily amused... ;)

Jenean invited the kids and I over for supper on Tuesday night - which was amazing, by the way - and afterwards we went to the plaza in town for ice cream. Now... the last time I went with these kidlets (and Jenna's kids, too), Katie, Jenean, and I ended up having to haul them to the bathroom every five minutes... literally. Poncho used the restroom four times in the space of fifteen minutes that night... and Julissa and Aaron weren't much better. This time, Poncho, Aaron, and Diego all had to go again (after they had used the restroom at least three times at Jenean's house) within five minutes of reaching the plaza and getting their ice cream... absolutely ridiculous. Next time, I'm putting diapers on all of them...

And speaking of using the restroom... Aaron was in "time out" the other afternoon, and I came in the room to find him face down, hind-end propped up so that he could dry out his pants with the overhead fan... fast asleep. Really rather ingenious, if you ask me... ;)

And another reason to praise...

Two days ago marked six months since Pollito returned to his mom... six months that have wrought many changes here at CVE, as well as within each and every one of us. We are not the same people we were, nor do we wish to go back... even though those who have moved elsewhere are still in our thoughts, our prayers... constantly in our hearts. I didn't think it was possible for six days, let alone six months, to come and ago without my breath catching and my eyes filling. Even as I write this, tears are falling, and the ache in my heart is the same today as it was six months ago. It's not an ache I think will ever go away... but it's an area where I have learned to trust even more in the plan of our Lord, and to realize - yet again - that He doesn't promise us the brilliant sunshine of eternity with Him without the rainclouds of pain that experience and life will inevitably bring. I pray that I am learning to serve Him more and more each day, and to put Him first in my life... above all else.

But thank you to each of you who have continued in prayer, and I ask that you would continue to pray that Pollito and his family will one day come to know the Lord and to serve Him... all in His timing.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

The Chronicles of Home...

There are a lot of quotations about what a "home" is; where it's found, how it's created, the impact it has upon your life... the people who make it what it is. And I've realized that as sojourners in this world - our brief epoch of time in the yellow brick road of eternity - we carry our homes with us wherever we go. I am who I am because of the home I was raised in and the values that were taught... and that home helps me to make wherever I am a home as well... and how many times can I use "home" in one sentence??? ;)

In a word or two or twenty, I am grateful for the chance to visit my home, my family, and to realize that I - like Dorothy - will probably always want to go back. And yes... it's obligatory to use Wizard of Oz terminology... ;)

So... it was an enjoyable trip back to Kansas; the land wherein dwell tornadoes, accents that tell me they're "warshing clothes," and my dead pet fish, Odysseus.

Good times. :)

Also good times... getting pictures of your parents looking their very best... lol. Gracias a Dios, they're pretty good sports!

It would be embarrassing to say how many times we tried to take a good picture of the three of us that night... maybe something to do with the subject matter??? Yes, Dad... we blame you. ;)

Tif and "Bubba," a kidlet that she babysat in high school. Jaret is seven and has cystic fibrosis, and Tif has always been pretty special to him. He brought delight and laughter to our household when he visited!

The Lindsborgian element... fortunately, I was able to visit with some of my college friends and professors over dinner on my trip home... my bi-yearly dose of Swedish-ness... :)

As one of my sisters said, "Once a Kiowa Sunday School member... always a Kiowa Sunday School member!" Apparently, we will never, ever graduate from the yearly Sunday School photo... ;)

Working with Dad... "working" being a bit of a relative term here... lol. Tif (at left) and Chel (right) sometimes make picture-taking a lot more enjoyable... :)

(Left) Mom and Tif sit in Dad's shop one evening; (Right) The sunset and barn silhouette outside Barb and Stub's house in Hazelton.

I once heard someone say, "You know you're in Kansas when there's a tornado warning, and everyone goes out on the porch to look for it." Yep... that would be my family. Here, we were all sitting on the porch during some gusty wind and rain strikes. It rained almost every day I was home (which was wonderful, since I hadn't seen rain for a very, very long time), and a good number of nights were spent watching storms. Dad and we three girls were outside in the yard one night watching the lightning, and Dad asked, "Does anyone have even an ounce of fear right now?" Everyone responded with a definite "no."

Upon reviewing this in my mind, I think perhaps that those answers could denote a complete lack of fear... or an incredible amount of stupidity. I'm not sure which... ;)

GRANDPA RUDY'S CATFISH

From the time that I was little, every trip to Grandpa and Grandma Bahr's house also meant a trip to the Catfish pond. Grandpa Rudy bought bags of fish food, and we would fill a pail with these pellets, bump over the cattle trails in his old, orange Chevy pickup truck, and feed his special catfish. As the pickup lurched across the field, the fish could hear it's engine and from all sides of the pond, ripples would appear as his "pets" would come for feeding time... definitely an amazing experience for little kids.

What am I saying? It's pretty cool as an adult, as well... :)

Visiting the pond: (left) Dad was going to attempt to catch a fish... and I was going to help him really enjoy the experience. Never mind that I would have been dead shortly thereafter... lol. (right) Tif and Chel... doing... something interesting, I'm sure. :)

(left) Chel also attempted to catch a fish... I think she might have touched a fin... :)

(right) Both grandmothers watched as their kids and grandkids fed the voracious fish.