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.