Guess.

Can you guess what my favorite color is?

It's all over my house and my girls.

I'll give you some clues:

Poor Husband of Mine.

He came from a male dominated household.

And now lives surrounded by pink.

He is very brave.

Our House

Our house is always full of people.
Teenagers, other missionaries, neighbors, friends, family...lots of commotion.
This is reflected in how the Fripits plays.

Look....

Apparently, she is hosting a party in her Fisher Price house. A party complete with elephants, and whales.

Looks like fun to me.

The Attack - Step by Step

The Mission: Devour the toppings off of the pizza and leave only the crust.

First, you look around and make sure no one is watching.

(Ah! But Mommy has eyes in the back of her head! And a zoom lense! *evil laugh*)


Then, you make your move. Stick one chubby, dimpled finger right into the cheesy goodness.

Eat fast! As fast as you can! Make sure you hands, face, and blankie are covered with tomatoe sauce.
(Do this on a day when the washing machine is broken, it will ensure your mother is not bored that day.)

If you need help ask for a preschooler. They have a lot of practice at eating pizza toppings and only pizza toppings.

When you are done, your mother will be left with one sad, slobbery looking crescent shaped crust.

Mission Accomplished! Go take a nap!

The Lemonade award

* Put the logo on your blog or post.

* Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!

* Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.

* Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.

* Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

Taza and Husband - She makes me want to move to New York City! And buy a Holga camera!

6 Year Med - A medical blog, very positive. She's funny and a great writer.

Nie Nie Dialouges - Mother of four recovering from a almost fatal plane crash. She is being treated for sever burns and remains very upbeat.

Soule Mama - Beautiful pictures and very creative.

* I realize I'm supposed to nominate ten people, but Brenda already nominated my other favorites. I'm afraid I'm going to break this rule (I'm known for that sort of thing.) Thank you Brenda for this award!

Food and Laundry

Some of you asked who cooks and who does laundry if the Mommy is always playing.
Good question! :)
I do all of our laundry on Fridays, and I still cook. We only eat one big meal a day (lunch) and eat very light for breakfast and dinner.
Also, my wonderful Husband has made it a priority to work from home as much as possible. His office is here and while he does have to go out often, he is usually at home with us.
I was raised with my dad being around and for many years his dad worked from home too. We saw the richness this brings and felt it important for us. We realize that it is not possible for most families to have Daddy at home, but we thank God that our Daddy can be.
We respect his time and try to leave him alone so he can study and work, but in a pinch ("Honey, I'm elbow deep in raw hamburger and the Fripits needs to go potty!") he jumps in like Superman and saves the day.


Also, having Daddy around he has seen how difficult it is at times to do those nitty-gritty, deep cleaning or organizing with small children. I'm thankful he doesn't demand a lot of me and usually reminds me that those things are not important for us in this stage of our life.

He's awesome.

I'm blessed.

Attention!

The Mommy of the house is sick with a nasty tummy virus. Negative: the house is falling apart. Positive: No need to go on a cleanse!

Blogging will be on hold until further notice.

Playing Hard

Most of my days are spent playing. We paint, build with blocks, push toy strollers around, watch Barney, sing songs, build forts, make messes.
I've tried routines, schedules, cleaning house with them by my side...and I have a hard time staying happy. I get very frustrated, my priorities fly out of order and I dread getting out of bed in the morning.
So now, we play.
One day they will learn to do dishes. (I hope)
One day they will entertain themselves.
One day I will wake up and see that all the diapers have been changed and the youngest is potty trained. Then, I will dust the top of the fridge.
Until then, I play.
I would rather be the "cool" Mom on the block with the messy house. The one who lets you eat cookies on the couch, and stay up past your bedtime.
Much better than Mean Mommy.
Much better.

Sticky Art

Sorry the picture is tilted. Perfectionist I am not!

Here's a quick, easy indoor activity that my three year old loved. She did this for a very long time. A very long time in preschool would be about 20 minutes or so.

I taped a piece of clear contact paper onto a wooden cabinet, with the sticky side of the paper facing out. Then I gave her foam cut outs to arrange on the contact paper. She loved it. Next time I will give her other objects as well, beads, fabric scraps, pipe cleaners, ribbon, etc.

It was a nice CLEAN art project. And I'm all about that.

Marriage Tips

Just a few things that work out well for us. :)





1. Drink coffee together.

2. Watch funny Youtube videos and laugh till you snort.

3. Kiss.

4. Talk to each other about books you are reading.

5. Hug.

6. Cook together.

7. At home date night, once a week.

8. Don't fight.

9. Take pictures of each other making funny faces.

10. Read Winnie The Pooh by A.A Milne and figure out which character your spouse is. (I'm Piglet with a bit of Tigger, he's Rabbit with a bit of Tigger as well.)

Three Cheese Crostini

Sliced French Baguette

Chopped green olives

Chopped basil

Chopped roma tomatoes

Olive oil

Shredded Mozarella

Shredded Cheddar

Shredded Parmesan

Lay bread slices on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil.

Mix olives, tomatoes and basil in a bowl. Spoon on top of bread.

Sprinkle cheese over olive mixture.

Place in preheated 350 degree oven for ten minutes, or until cheese melts.

Two things

Today was historical.

We all know why.

This is not a political blog, my mom is much better at that sort of thing.

Two things, and then I will move on to Mommy blogging again.

1. No, I didn't vote for him.

2. This picture made me smile.

Over and out.

Reading!

I do read. I really do! I just haven't posted about it in a while. I'm currently reading Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie.
It's very exciting and beautifully written. I'm guessing that's why it's a classic.

Here are some of my favorite quotes:

"Wake up," she cried, "Peter Pan has come and he is to teach us to fly." (pg. 32)

"I want their captain, Peter Pan. 'Twas he cut off my arm." He brandished the hook threateningly. "I've waited long to shake his hand with this. Oh, I'll tear him!" (pg. 56)

Then all went on their knees, and holding out their arms cried, "O Wendy lady, be our mother." (pg 68)

"If you believe," he shouted to them, "clap your hands; don't let Tink die." (pg. 118)

That, is good stuff.



I have to go now...my favorite corner of the house is waiting for me.

I'm glad

I'm glad that I take a lot of pictures.

I'm glad I didn't finish college.

I'm glad I got married young.

I'm glad I don't fit into my wedding dress anymore.

I'm glad I Twitter.
I'm glad I finished my girls' baby scrapbooks.

I'm glad I painted my living room walls bright yellow.

I'm glad I take a two hour nap every.single.day.

I'm glad I gave birth to my youngest without drugs.

I'm glad I stay up later than I should reading.

I'm glad I made a healthy whole wheat veggie pizza for lunch.

I'm glad I ate an unhealthy brownie after the pizza.

I'm glad I listen to music with my girls.

I'm glad I left the dishes in the sink last night.

I'm glad I think my Husband is so funny.

I'm glad I'm me.

Some reasons I love her.

Thank you ground*floor for the cool texture used in this photo!


1. She is awesome.

2. She makes funny faces.

3. Her favorite color is pink.

(Psst...Fripits? Remember today when I put your little sister in her crib because she was grumpy? And you went and sat in your bed to keep her company? I loved that.)

I heart...

I love "missed-you-while-you-were-napping" kisses.

{Could anyone explain to me how Husband sometimes takes better pictures on accident than I do on purpose? He is amazing.}

Desk

On my desk right now:

• Duct Tape


• Video camera


• Backyardigans coloring book


• Menu planner


• A stack of recipes copied down from Racheal Ray magazines


• A kitchen spatula


• Journal


• Guarani/English/Spanish Dictionary


• Pack of sewing needles


• Bible


• Point and shoot camera


• Commentary on the book of Phillipians


• Child Training Tips


• A letter the girls made that needs to be mailed to my brother.


• A framed picture of my girls


• Scotch tape


• Measuring tape.

I think I need to clean it off. Whats on your desk?

From Gloom To Sunshine

How I handle "bad" days:

1. Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Syrup

2. Hot chocolate with three (three!!) marshmallows.

3. Air conditioning

4. Childrens DVD (and I do my best to not think about how I'm ruining their attention span by letting them watch four hours of Winnie the Pooh)

5. Wearing pajamas at 3 pm in the afternoon.

Good times.

Tim Conway...U R the best!

To the Carol Burnette Show,
Thank you for making me laugh very hard.
You guys are the best.
Love,
Me

The Fripits

"How did she get the nickname Fripits?" I've been asked that so many times since starting this blog, and it's good question.

You have to know her Grandpa and her Dad to understand. They have this habit of making up names for people. Other drivers on the road, waiters, people they meet...anyone. If your name is Rebecca, they will call you Mildred. If your name is Mark, they will call you Horace. I don't know why they do it, but they do.

Our oldest daughter has had many, many, many nicknames given to her by her Daddy. He just comes up with them, and when she was about 1 year old The Fripits finally stuck. It just seemed to fit her best. Here's the long list of nicknames he tried out before he finally found THE FRIPITS.

• Lay -Lay
• Frank
• Frippy Tippy
• Frankenstein
• Steve
• Henry
• Frips
• Googenstork (I promise you, I am not making this stuff up)
• Goof Noof
• Happy Face

There are more, many more, but those were the most creative.

{The picture above is of The Fripits wearing my wedding veil. It TOTALLY freaked her Daddy out.}

The fruit in my yard

In my yard we have a lot of fruit.

Sour cherries...

Guayabas, bananas, mangos, avocado, pineapple, grapefruit and oranges.

The Fripits likes to "cook" with our fruit, it makes a great afternoon snack.

Slicing bananas with a butter knife is about as much fun as a three year old can possible have, in her opinion.

Anytime you're in the neighboorhood, feel free to drop by her "bistro." The food is delicous.

Bedtime Rules

The Fripits likes things to be a certain way. Her way. And lately has been coming up with creative "rules" that have to be done before she can go asleep. Until everything is just so, she looks nervous.

Rule Number One: All her stuffed animals have to be in bed with her. They are not allowed to touch her, and they have to be in a semi-circle formation around her feet.
Rule Number Two: The trundle bed under her bed has to be pulled out.
Rule Number Three: Each and every closet door must be opened.
Rule Number Four: The rocking chair cushion must be on the floor.

Once all has been done, she is very happy and ready to sleep. She does all these steps by herself, and cleans it all up in the morning.

Three year olds are just too funny.

Why I hate frogs

Most of you seemed surprised that I was scared of frogs. This fear is quite rational, I assure you. I have some history with frogs, and it's not good.

I think the fear for started when I was six and my older sister (a Yekwana Indian foster child) stuck a dead frog in my shoe. This frog had been dead for days and was nah-stee. She told me to put my shoes on and when I discovered the rotting frog I was scarred for life. There was much screaming, wailing and gnashing of teeth. I never forgave her. Hmph.

Then, a few months later we went on our first, of many, survey trips to different Yekwana Indian villages. We went to the village of Toky, which is where my Indian brother and sister were from. One day my parents decided to go up river to another village a few hours away. They took my younger brother and sister with them, and I stayed behind with my Indian siblings and their biological family. They (my parents) were supposed to return that night, but had to stay due to a huge thunderstorm. So there I was, six years old, with an Indian family I could barely understand and wondering if I would ever see my parents again. That night I had a close encounter with a cow (another story for another day) and my older brother tried to feed me a frog. I came this close to eating it, but everytime I would reach for it to take a bite, he would toss it in my direction and RIBBIT. It was very convincing. I never ate it.

That night in my journal, which my mother still has, I wrote: "I am the only American in the whole jungle." I remember feeling very brave and heroic. Like I was David Livingstone or something. And also very creeped out by the whole frog episode.

And so, I hate frogs.

Can you blame me? :)

Frog Cure

This morning there was a huge frog behind my washing machine. I stifled a scream (the girls were still asleep) because I'm deathly afraid of frogs. I have this fear that one will jump at me and land on my neck. Gross.

Anyway, two guys, my husband and our gardner, were able to whisk it away while I hid in the office. The gardner, who is Paraguayan, explained to us that big frogs like that can cure hurt knees or legs. You wrap the frog around your leg for three days (shudder), take it off, and then throw it towards the sun.

I would rather limp for the rest of my life than have a frog touch me. And one can't help but wonder how the sun plays into the equation.

Very interesting.

iHeartFaces - Kids

And the entry for the Kids competion...doesn't he look like Elvis? I just love the hair!

For more info please check out iHeartFaces blog.

iHeartFaces - Adults

Betty has encouraged me to enter this photo contest...looks like fun! And I ihope to learn a lot by participating.

Check out the iHeartFaces blog for more information.

Lazy Taxpayers Bipartisan Burger

You have to try these.

You really, seriously, honestly do.

The Lazy Taxpayers Bipartisan Burger (Paraguay Version)

Your favorite hamburger patty recipe

Jarred jalapenos, seeds scooped out

Fresh slices of pineapple

Sliced yellow cheese, preferably cheddar (or cheda as they call it here)

Grill the patties, pineapples, and jalapenos. Stack on top of toasted buns, place cheese on top. NO condiments needed. Trust me.

Eat.

Eat.

Eat.

This is soooo good, the flavors are amazing and unique.

Inspired by the Noble Pig.

My Flickr!

(I would like to thank my friend, who shall remain un-named, for always being more than willing to pose. Most of my pictures of him come out blurry due to the fact that I'm laughing so hard while he "models.")

I like uploading my pictures on Flickr, it seems to upload much faster than Facebook, and certainly quicker than blogger. So if you want to see what I've been "shooting" click here. There is a permanent link on the top of my right hand column here on this blog. Keep checking because I will be doing an "in love" shoot with an engaged couple and a newborn shoot with twin girls! Fun!

Moo.

My neighbor sent over cow stomach in soup form for me to eat.



I learned that I don't like the way Cow Stomach Soup smells.

I also learned that it's nearly impossible to make Cow Stomach Soup look appetizing.



What have you learned recently, in regards to food?

Date night...a la Mejicana!

After a super long (super-dee-duper long) day last week, Incredible Husband came to the rescue. He arranged for babysitting and whisked me off to dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Asuncion. It's a Mexican place (the only one in town) with awesome food. The decorations are beautiful and very colorful, just like I would imagine Mexico to be.


My favorite thing about this restaurant is the dishes. The little blue bird? It makes me swoon.

Brian had his favorite, a mixture of beef, chicken and sausage cooked in a dish made to look like volcanic rock. Very cool.

(I had black bean soup which was delicious, but not very fun to photograph.)

Again, I just love the colors of the place!

(And no worries about that funky looking cup...it's lemonade!)

Thank You

Dear God,
Thank you for asking us to serve You in a country where children are loved, cared for, protected and enjoyed. It makes this Mommy happy.
Amen.


P.S. Also, thank you for taking care of the Abster when, shortly after these pictures were taken, she had an allergic reaction to bug bites and began to swell. Thank you that she recieved good care in the small clinic, and thank you so very much that she is all better. The Mommy is very relieved. Amen.

Summer Fun (And winter too!)

It's been a while since I posted a fun project for the Littles. Here's one we did a few weeks ago when it was especially hot outside. I froze small plastic toys in some cups with water. Then we took them outside to melt them with the water hose. You could also put them in the bathtub with the kiddos. (That's if they are at all willing to tolerate cold water which the Abster is NOT!)
This only took about two seconds with our heat. Oh, I'm exagerating. One second and a half.

For those who are not in summer months right now, I direct you to this post about cool things do with ice in the snow. Have fun!

Meme!

I was tagged by my Aunt Pam for this fun meme. Open your document or picture folders. Choose your 6th folder, then choose your 6th picture. Post the photo with a description about it.
It brought back a lot of memories!



Here we are leaving Tampa, Florida for Paraguay! We loaded up all the suitcases and our baby into a rented van and drove to Miami. We spent the night in Miami and left for Paraguay the next day. I remember feeling very nervous. Very, very, very nervous. I didn't know who was going to pick us up at the airport (long story) or how long it would take us to find a house...But we made it! And we have a house! And another member of the family! It always works out doesn't it?

Happy 2009!

We bring out the camera and this is the face she makes. I'm assuming its her attempt at a smile. (Or maybe she is wishing Mommy wouldn't take so many picutres??) :-)

Happy New Years!