Newspaper and Bus

He reads the newspaper and then tells me whats going on in the world. It's important to know about world events you know.



I watch clips of Jon and Kate plus 8 on YouTube and tell him all about it. Because that's important too.

(Riiiiiight.)

*Packing update: We sold our truck today. We will be without a vehicle for two weeks, which means we'll be taking buses. Should be many interesting blog posts coming up about that!!

(And one more thing...I love, love, love the way he looks in his black leather jacket.)

Playing in the church nursery (a long time ago)

Untitled from Brian McCobb on Vimeo.

Where did those babies go? And how do I get them back?

Coffee

A new coffee shop opened up in the mall, and since Brian and I are both addicted to coffee we decided to try it out. The fact that it's cute attracted me too.



Think Paris...black and white fabric, curtains, wallpaper, everything.



Certainly fun for taking pictures.

However...

...the coffee?

Tasted. Like. Feet.

Lukewarm feet.

So gross.

At least it looks nice.

Cold Weather

fire, originally uploaded by paraguay4christ.

*It's been chilly around here, and it's great. We're loving every second.

* We have a layover in Lima, Peru on our long trip. I recently discovered there is a dunkin donuts there. This thrilled us so much, we almost shed tears of joy. I'll have a small latte with cream and sugar, and half a dozen assorted donuts. Please. (Uh..wait, make that a large latte. It's going to be a long trip. Gracias.)

* My feet are cold as I type this.

* I want to go to the beach. Ocean. Shore. Whatever.

* Really glad my sister is making the trip with us. Extra help with the kiddos.

* That's all for today.

Peanut Butter Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting.

Peanut Butter and Chocolate.

Chocolate and Peanut Butter.

Is there a better combo in this life?

I don't think so.

(I was going to give you the recipe for the peanut butter cupcakes, but I have packed the cookbook the recipe was in.)

(So sorry.)

People I think you should meet (part 5)

I give you my Uncle Agustin. Originally from Queretaro, Mexico he moved to the US after marrying my Aunt Pam. He's a US citizen and manages a big Olive Garden. He loves soccer, the beach and his family. He doesn't like Democrats, or Olive Garden food, he's sick of it.

His Super Power can be summed up in one word. One beautiful, musical, romantic word.

GUACAMOLE.

His guacamole, rocks.

In the words of Nacho Libre..."It's the beeeest."

Sisterly Love

See? they don't always fight., originally uploaded by paraguay4christ.

I seem to be in a bit of blogging slump. So, I give you a picture that's pretty stinkin' cute. I will be back when I think of something to blog about it.

Flip Flop Season

Flip Flop Season, originally uploaded by paraguay4christ.

We've been busy.

Packing bags, painting toenails, enjoying the rain, eating popcorn, laughing at Daddy, talking about the zoo, dreaming about Old Navy, listening to music, making messes, asking questions, taking pictures, playing with friends, laughing at jokes, watching Bugs Bunny, making cookies, planning trips, reading books, and counting boxes.

What have you been up to lately?

Packing with Sanity (snort)

The packing has begun. I've moved internationally, every two to four years, for my whole life. It's part of who I am. And I still don't like it. But I've accepted it.

I've accepted that my house will be a disaster zone for the next few weeks. Embrace the mess.

I've accepted that my hair will be in a pony tail almost every day. Love the ponytail.

I've accepted that my children will eat an amazing amount of junk food till we leave. Eat the Froot Loops.









I've accepted that no matter how inconvenient, most of my friends will stop by on the day before we leave to say goodbye.

I've accepted the fact that they will cry and be sad. But I will be too spent to cry with them.

I've come to accept the fact that although I think I have enough boxes, I dont.


The most important thing to remember, is that no matter how crazy things get, I MUST NOT SELL OR GIVE AWAY THE CHILDREN.

The grandparents on the other end would never forgive me.

People I think you should meet (part 4)

That's my cousin, Jared. And his wife Meredith. I've never met her, but I'm sure her Super Power is living with him. I'm sure of it. (Just kidding, Jared! You know I love you, man!)

Anyway, Jared is pretty cool. An MK like me, grew up in Venezuela, oldest of 6 kids. He's ten months younger than me, to the day. He likes cars, computers, and his wife. (Not in that order. I'm pretty sure she comes first.)

He also screams like a girl when he sees a cockroach.

Like a girl. A littl girl. Get that?

Right now he is working his way through Bible College, which brings me to his Super Power.

His job.

He works for a window washing company. Like up high. On scaffoldings. Hanging off of buildings with a squeegee.

That's definitly a super power in my book.

Raw batter

We are spoon lickers in this house. Raw batter of all sorts has been eaten here. I like letting them lick the spoons and bowls because it keeps them happy while I finish cleaning up, but then I think, "Oh my goodness! Salmonella!!"



So I hand them HUMONGOUS carrots to eat. It eases my guilt.

Suppose

Suppose we have this guest bathroom that is never used by us. Suppose it's only really used by the teenagers that come for Bible studies throughout the week.
And just suppose that toilet has been broken for a while and we just kept forgetting it.
The teenagers never said anything because...well...I don't know why.

Anyway, suppose that after THREE months of a broken toilet we finally remembered to fix it.

(And by "we" I mean Mr. Husband and his two helpers.)



Turns out the teenagers are VERY HAPPY to know that know they can flush without sticking their hand into the tank.



I'm not saying this is a true story. Just suppose.

Attack of the Baby

People you should meet (part 3)

This is our friend, Anna. (Not her real name, but we'll call her that here)

She hangs out with us once a week to practice her english. She is very smart, pretty and fun. I think she is the hero to both of my daughters.

She's cool because she makes funny faces with us.
Not many people are willing to do that and it's something we do often around here.









They also throw all the couch pillows on the floor, arrange couches, chairs, coffe tables and quilts till they have the the coolest fort ever.

You would like her. She's sweet. And isn't her smile great?

Mothers Day

Happy Mommies Day.

(Today is Mothers day in Paraguay.)

We are going to a parade to celebrate. We plan on eating chipa, wearing sweaters, and waving at all the people we know in our tiny little town.

The girls and I are also going to make chocolate cupcakes, with chocolate frosting and heart shaped sprinkles.

I plan on having a very delicious mothers day.

La Feria

The Feria, or Agro Shopping, is farmers market held every Tuesday in the mall's parking lot. They sell freshly ground cornmeal, fresh eggs, and all sorts of fresh meat.




Lots of grains and herbs for you terere as well.





And while it is pricier than most grocery stores, the quality is so much better. It's also great for buying imported products. Salmon and raspberries from Chile, plantains from Brazil, and and mushrooms from France.


My favorite part is bringing the produce home and know I'm feeding my family the good stuff. The vegetables there are so pretty and I enjoy the routine of washing, and storing them.


I also like the fact that you will see so many different cultures there while shopping. Americans, Germans, Chinese, and of course Hispanics. It's busy, bustling and full of people and different languages.

Next time you're in Paraguay, I will take you.

(I'm having a hard time thinking of how to make this post sarcastic or funny. I'm all tapped out. Sorry.)

Ture Story

Overheard this morning at the breakfast table:

Daddy says to the Baby,

"Sweetie, you're not supposed to shove toast up your nose."

Parent's say the weirdest things.

Babies do the weirdes things.

People I think you should meet.

My brother, Josh, and his wife, Naomy.

Naomy has many super powers, but her most impressive one involves Google. The girl can find out anything on Google. It's amazing.

(I won't bring up her other super cool power about finding wicked cute vintage clothing just right for her. Cause I'm not jealous of that at all. Not one bit. Uh uh.)

(Actually, I am.)

Joshua's main super power is memorizing bizarre facts and making everyone around him think he's a genius. (Ha!)

Some people I think you should meet.

This is my sister-in-law MJ. She's young, she's hip, and a busy mom of two.

Super power: Finding adorable matching outfits for her two girls (9 years old and 7 months.) Seriously, how does one do that?

This is my brother-in-law, Scott. He's married to MJ and he's not shy at all. Don't let the picture fool you.

Super power: Finding sunglasses that look good on me. Last two times I bought sunglasses without his opinion it was a disaster. I will never buy sunglasses without his approval again.


More people I think you should meet coming up later this week.

Erma Bombeck said...

Youngsters of the age of two and three are endowed with extraordinary strength. They can lift a dog twice their own weight and dump him into the bathtub.

Who in their infinite wisdom decreed that Little League uniforms be white? Certainly not a mother.

When a child is locked in the bathroom with water running and he says he's doing nothing but the dog is barking, call 911.

Somewhere it is written that parents who are critical of other people's children and publicly admit they can do better are asking for it.

Most women put off entertaining until the kids are grown.

My kids always perceived the bathroom as a place where you wait it out until all the groceries are unloaded from the car.

My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint.

My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?

Never have more children than you have car windows.

Onion rings in the car cushions do not improve with time.


Happy Mother's Day!

Blurry day

Yesterday I:

Watched a trillion cartoons with my girls.
Made pancakes for lunch.
Wore pj's all day.
Took a three hour nap.
Went out for dinner.
Watched the rain fall.
Sang songs.
Surfed the net.
Made plans.


Happy Weekend.

A thank you

I would like to thank Warner Brothers for creating Bugs Bunny.

Because of Bugs Bunny carrots are now the favorite snack in the house.

Carrots, the longer the better, are being eaten for breakfast, lunch, dinner and anytime in between.

It's the cool thing to do right now.

Especially if you say, "What's up, doc?" while eating it.

If it weren't for carrots I don't know if my girl would get enough beta-carota....who am I kidding? I don't what it's called.

My other child, however, would rather eat Barbie toothpaste.

And for now, that's fine with me.

Things I like to do

1. give my baby a bath in the kitchen sink

2. eat chocolate chip banana walnut muffins for breakfast

3. paint my toenails with red fingernail polish

4. take long naps with smooshy pillows

5. scream really loud on kiddie roller coasters

6. wear socks to bed in the wintertime

7. go to bed early

8. eat milk and cookies for a midnight snack

9. watch movies with Audrey Hepburn in them

10. drink hot chocolate mix with marshmallow fluff

I Heart

1. Letting my Hubs do all the driving.

2. Handing the camera over to my three year old (gulp)

3. Self portraits with my girls.

4. Turning my pictures into Poladroids.

Day Trip

We've been taking small day trips recently, snapping pictures that we hadn't gotten around to during three years here. One of the trips was to see the big church in Ca'acupe.

Right across the street from the church are a bunch of little shops selling all sorts of necessary items: dolls of the virgin Mary, candles, DVD's, and of course, plastic toy cel phones.

It was nice to have some family time, and nice to get out of our little town and see something new. People, as always, were friendly, there was chipa to eat, and the weather was beautiful.

A perfect outing.

Okay, so, not perfect, due to the child screaming in the backseat on the way home. (Car seats? She's not a fan.)

An almost perfect outing.

Cucurucho

I love a good burger. And I think I just found the best hamburger in all of Paraguay.

(Except for the ones Brian makes, of course.)

We recently took a short day trip to Ca'acupe, more on that later, but on the way back stopped at a little restaurant called Cucurucho.

And I'm so glad we did, because sinking my teeth into that burger made me so terribly happy.

Yum.

What extra yummy thing have you eaten recently? tell me...I want to know.

Just a few things...

:: I made Walnut Apple Bundt Cake, and it was delish. Perfect with coffee ::




:: The weather has been amazing, and we are enjoying our local park ::

(This photo by Husband Brian who ocassionaly steals my camera.)



:: I really need to eat more spinach and paint my nails pink again ::




:: I want to be in my bed right now. With a book. And a cup of tea ::


That's all.

Hope your weekend is great.