January Catch-Up

So... here's a brief catch-up of January (which I feel has flown by) and some extra photos I found when going through Jenna & Jodi's photos!!! Thanks, ladies... ;)

We received these shirts from some ladies in China last fall. They had these neat, hand-drawn and painted animals on them that were just beautiful... and the kids love them!

The dirt pile in front of our house is the result of some pretty nasty sewage work that Joel and Bill had to handle in December. I am so thankful that we have professionals here who can deal with all the fun stuff... ;)

So... anyway... the dirt pile has become a favorite spot for the kids to play in! Above, Aaron and Edi play in their new "dirt box" with the plastic animals and dinosaurs they got for Christmas.

One Sunday morning Jodi & I decided that the boys needed to have new "hair-do's"... with lots of gel... naturally.

Three of the boys thoughts it was a great adventure (and ended up wearing it to church); can you pick out the boy who was hating every minute of it?!? :)

Alright... a happier photo!
Four little men... I am so thankful they are in our lives and I praise God for the relationships He has built in our house!

The kids have turned into beggars... seriously. :)

A day doesn't go by that they aren't pestering Joel to give them a ride... and that he isn't spoiling them by hauling them around!


A few of us had the opportunity to go up to Tucson for a night out to catch Wicked. Having seen the show before, it was more fun to watch and listen to the exclamations from my fellow show-goers! I am thankful for the time that we spent together... and the awesome Italian food we had at Mama Louisa's! :)

So... I'm sure that somewhere in the past four years I have mentioned Jenna's tendency to go wacko after 10; well, our housemate Jodi seems to have fulfilled that position... although the time is more like 8:30 now... ;)

From what I remember, the above photo was taken in the midst of a perfectly normal conversation when Jodi suddenly slid down onto the rug, pulled up the corners, and told us she was being "Adalin"... it took us a few seconds to realize she meant, "Aladdin" and then the neighbors probably could have heard the howling laughter. Ay, no!

Last week we had an evacuation from the CVE campus because a gas truck had rolled over going around the curve that's next to the railroad tracks and the CVE property; they were rolling the truck back over and wanted everyone out... especially orphanage children, I imagine!

So... we all loaded up on the school bus (minus our dog, which made the kidlets cry) and headed to town for an hour and a half at Cafe Sed! What a blessing that Katie has her shop and that the space was available... :)

Praise God that everything went smoothly and we were able to head back to campus without any mishaps!

WE {HEART} HUNGARIANS!
(isn't that what Jenna's blog said?!?)

Samuel, his wife Szabina, their friend Szusie, and his brother, David, have been here visiting for the past three weeks... and it has been such a blessing to get to know them a little better and to have them stay at the house!

Above, Samuel & Diego...

... and Candi & David!

She seriously loves this man... especially his beard! ;)

Szusie & Szabina at Cafe Sed... they are a fun duo!

Our whole Hungarian-Mexican-American group... :)

I love the three-language conversations that we have!!!

I think Jenna is actually learning a little bit... important words, like calling someone "lazy!" ;)

We headed out to a little "garden area" in the bamboo Saturday morning to "explore" and have some down time. The Hungarian ladies showed up and if you look in the above picture you can see Szusie way up in the tree! She was seriously awesome as she scaled this tree... I was [and still am] totally impressed. :)

While Jodi was visiting her brother and sister-in-law in Ixtlan, I took care of Estefania... which was a fun element to add to the mix! She's still pretty quiet, but was a crazy Jane on this rope swing! :)

And now... in case some of you missed Jenna's blog, here's the additonal photo:

THE SIDE-BUN

{which far outshines the side-ponytail anyday}

:)

Thanks for your continued prayers for this place and readership of this blog; sometimes when things are busy it seems like blogging is very, very low on my list of priorities! But... I am thankful for those who continue to check faithfully, and even more grateful that God keeps moving in this place! Praise His Name!

The Aunties & Christmas-Time!

It was a full, but fun Christmas-time this year with visits from both my Dad [previous post] and then my sisters and aunt! PLUS... all the Christmas bustle and activities. It was fun... but I was definitely a little tired at the end... ;)

Christmas Eve is our big night here at CVE, so everyone gets together and we have started having a Christmas Eve Program... which is a lot of fun! Pictured above, the kids from La Casa Rota sang, "Happy Birthday Jesus" which they learned in English class with Jodi... they were super-cute!

We also did the skit, "The Good-O-Meter" [check it out on youtube] with all adults.

This is the closest that Jenna and I will ever get to looking medically knowledgeable. :)

And thanks, Duane, for the lab coats... even though you didn't know they had been utilized!!! ;)

After the dinner, the program, and a Christmas devotional, we let the kids open a Christmas gift and play with their toys. Kaleigh Schambach (Keith & Em's oldest daughter, above), Candi, and Gloria (Bere & Juan-tan's little girl, not pictured here) have their own little "girls club!" The three of them are quite a trio when they're playing... and not fighting.

Some strong personalities in that group... :)

Tif and Chel prepared some snacks for the Christmas night... chocolate and caramel-covered pretzels with M&M's... pretty good! They weren't around for very long... :)

It was nice to have AP, and Candi just attached pretty quickly... ;)

She, of course, wanted to help AP wrap gifts as the first order of business!!!

Christmas morning was a lot more relaxed. The kidlets got up, ate candy from the night before, found the stockings, thoroughly enjoyed the stockings, ate candy, listened to the Christmas story, ate candy, opened other gifts, had Christmas brunch with the whole house, and then... ate more candy.

My philosophy is... let them eat all the candy they can in the first few days and get rid of it more quickly... :)

Aaron with his "nothing runs like a deer, nothing smells like a john" carpenter belt from Joan... which has recently been used to crack open as many walnuts as possible! :)

AP and the four kidlets... what a great great-aunt! :)

While I was home in October, my Grandma Mildred showed me a quilt that she had made and that she wanted to give to Candi... it's beautiful! And the yellow color is perfect for this little chica... ;)

Candi was just a little excited about her new blanket and it now resides in a position of importance above her bed!

AP had gifted a balloon kit to the kids, and so Saturday afternoon we all had a go at it...

... and then failed a lot at it, too!

NOT that I'm saying that about this picture, Chel... ;)

Tif was able to give Candi a haircut, although it was a little bit of an ordeal... considering how much she hates having her hair done because of a super-sensitive head. And Tif's a lot gentler than I am! However, all turned out well, and they were friends again shortly afterward... :)

I think you can see the slightly swollen nose and red eyes in this picture, though... lol.

I also turned 27 this year.

And got another face-plant.

They are usually relatively kind, so I can't really complain... :)

My aunt made the cake, which is a pineapple-cake recipe with butter cream frosting and marshmallow flowers... which is what she and my Grandma Eileen used to make every year for my birthday when I lived in the States... yum!

We were able to find peppermint ice cream and serve that with the cake, too... which was also a traditional part of the birthday festivities, and a plus to having your birthday the day after Christmas! ;)

This pic is sort of randomly placed, but the kids definitely enjoyed having their aunts around to play (and lose) games like Twister... is it really fair that Chel's leg is twice the length of Candi's body?!? :)

Someone (I'm assuming one of my sisters) tied Diego's graduation cumberbund around Rito's neck to make him look quite festive! And I realized that I hadn't had a picture of him on here for awhile... so here he is!

We also were able to work in a trip to Cafe Sed, where all the kids got to choose a book for Christmas!

The Monday before the aunts headed out, we were able to go to Hermosillo (the capital of Sonora) to the Ecological Center... not the zoo, as you might expect it to be called! :)

It was a lot of fun, and I think kids (as well as adults) really enjoyed walking around and observing God's creation... although I still have this issue with animals behind bars. I know, I know... we wouldn't necessarily get to see them without zoos, but I have to admit that it makes me sad to see a lion or leopard caged. It will be amazing to see animals in their natural habitats on the New Earth! And not be afraid that they'll attack!

On the other hand, all the snakes can just stay caged in there OR get shot in the head...

... you only think I'm joking.

Chel & Candi enjoying the sights... definitely the highest up Candi's been on a Bahr girl's shoulders!

Tif & Diego... I love how they're going in opposite directions in this photo!

We also saw some strange sites... other than other humans, that is.

For instance, this four-horned ram... who was in the petting zoo area.

"The Lord God made them all!"

We three sisters and the next generation!

[Slightly tired at the end of the zoo walk... :)]

And...

I love this photo of Tif's laugh!

I don't remember exactly what happened, but it looks like I was laughing pretty loudly, too. I say "loudly" because I don't know of a time when one of us has laughed "softly." They're usually more comparable to fog-horn blasts... turns out.

Please pray for the kids' obedience in school as it seems like we might have some attitude-adjustments needed now that we're not on vacation anymore! And please pray for wisdom as God opens or closes doors for each of our futures [kids and staff] here at CVE.

Painful Chinese Underwear

Let me explain the title...

In Mexican spanish, calzon chino ("chinese underwear") is the translation for a wedgie.

Go ahead... figure that one out in your mind's eye! ;)

So... it was a relatively normal night at CVE.

Kids playing games.

Adults drinking coffee and keeping an eye on the kids playing games.

Watching child after child attempt to light the fire in the chimney.

Watching child after child get scolded for not having permission to light the fire in the chimney.

Etc.

And then... WEDGIE MAN struck!

(see above photo for first painful "rotating wedgie" demonstration)

Then Wedgie Man was attacked by five children who were (of course) encouraged by their caretakers to defend themselves.

[As you can see above, Wedgie Man might have been winning... :)]

And then...

Wedgie Man found a new venue for his cruel talents...

THE DREADED COAT HOOKS

(which nicely hook into the back of small boys' shorts, pants, undies, etc.)

(Did I mention little girls were also terrorized by this Wedgie Meanie?)

As you can tell from the agonized expression on Diego's face, this...

WAS ABSOLUTELY NO FUN

(However Wedgie Man was kind enough to provide one of the victims with a chair so I could get a photo before he fell down. A slight, but potentially redeeming quality. ;)

And Joan... now you (like Paul Harvey) know the rest of the story concerning the strangely bent coat hooks.

It's all Wedgie Man's fault.

Personally, I think he should be made to pay for his rampage.

A major calzon chino should take care of it. :)

On a more serious note, please continue to pray for the work teams that are coming and currently in Magdalena; it's always a different place with more people, but we are blessed to enjoy and fellowship with these brothers and sisters and so thankful for their assistance with various projects!

Papa Comes to Magdalena...

... and makes the kidlets happy!
Okay, okay... I was pretty content as well... :)

It was a nice week [after the strange, but obviously providential delay in him actually getting here!] and just tonight Candi told me, "Steph... I'm crying because Papa isn't here." Besides the fact that she was justifying her whiny attitude, I think it rings true across the board... they really enjoy having a big, overall-wearin', whisker-toutin', bear-hug-givin', man around the house! :)

It's nice having a different schedule than a few years ago, and we enjoyed being able to eat lots of our meals in the house with Grandpa...

Did I say eat? Or play around...? :)

Like I said... "play around!"

We also had fun before devotions at night, playing in the living room.
Pictured above... Candi getting her nose and face smashed!

I also taught the kidlets how we used to give Dad foot-rubs after he got home from working in the fields... and warned them of the exceedingly ticklish places on his feet that were best to be avoided; seriously. Thankfully they listened and we have no mortally wounded children... :)

Demonstrating the proper technique... ;)

Those are some big boots to fill...

... and some stinky socks, too! :)

Dad also enjoyed badgering the Wulf boys and trying to get them to understand that it was infinitely more exciting and important to be a pirate instead of a jedhi (sp?) or a Roman centurion. Go figure.

The kids picked out Christmas gifts for Grandpa, Grandma and the aunts... so they were really, really excited to watch Dad open his Japanese peanuts!!!

While Dad was here, we also had out first-ever chili bake-off!

It was a lot of fun, and pictured above are the two winners: 1st place was Emily with a chili-cheese-cream-cheese-bean dip, and 2nd went to Duane with his tweaking of an "Our Favorite Recipe"... good times. :)

Thanks, Dad, for coming... the kids and I enjoyed having you; and there's nothing quite like looking out the window and watching four kidlets grasping the hand of and trailing behind Grandpa. Very precious memories for me... and for them, too!

Thanks for the prayers through the Christmas season and all the well-wishes. Monday we start back to school and back to a set routine... and I think we're ready! [At least THIS mother is!] Please pray for the hearts and the salvation of these children... that they can truly recognize what the most important things in life revolve around... HIM!