When did it happen?

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November
December
January
Febuary

Seriously? When did it all happen? She's a year old. The baby that came as a big surprise, that taught me I could have unmedicated posterior labor, the one who loves me and clings to me more than any other baby I've ever had.

When did she get so...so...big?

Today we celebrate her first birthday. She is one year old and we love the girl to pieces. I'm thankful for her health and her life with us...here's to many more years with our Alexandra Joy!

Simplifying the toy situation

Princess Cinderella in her shoe box house, sitting on her duct tape couch. The serving fork? That's Prince Charming!

We have three sets of toys here:

1. Fisher Price Little People figurines and houses

2. Baby dolls and clothes (this includes their American Girl dolls as well)

3. Dress up clothes and shoes

With a few odds and ends here and there (such as two princess dolls, and maybe some puzzles...) that's pretty much it.

I have found that the less my girls have to play with, the more they play with what they do have. Such as boxes, duct and tape, and forks. :)

I have a few specifications for the toys I buy our girls as well. All flexible of course, but over all it would seem that the toys that adhere to these following points are the ones that stick around and get played with the most.

1. No batteries required.

2.No flashing lights, annoying songs, or repetitive sounds. (This rule founded by Daddy and strictly enforced by him as well. He doesn't like annoying sounds! Ha ha!)

3. No small pieces. (Huge piles of Polly Pocket shoes, dresses and accessories are sure to make me break out in hives.)

How do you handle toys in your home?

Our Routines

God has given us the wonderful opportunity of living in a country where flexibility is key. There are not many rigid schedules here, everything is "tranquilo", and I really do like this. The culture I grew up in is very similar, it is not an unfamiliar concept.

Small children however, do need some sort of structure. At least mine do! We have found that routines work way better than schedules in our household. Schedules require hour by hour commitments... for example, at 3 p.m we will have reading time! But what if at 3 pm the fruit vendor knocks on the door? Or your neighbor wants to know if you can drink terere with him?

We find that routines work best for us, they allow us to be more flexible and fit others into our lifestyle. So we don't know when exactly reading will happen...but we know it will be after naps.

Our bedtime routine really works for us. I have three great sleepers, and they have been since they were 6 months. Training babies to sleep through the night definitely works for me (I. Need. Sleep. Period.)

We send them to the potty.

They get a drink of water.

Jammies get put on.

A Bible story is read.

We ask them to tell us one thing they are thankful for.

We pray.

Nightlight is turned on along with some soft classical music.

They are tucked in, each with her own special blankie....

and that's that.

Bedtime usually happens around 7 p.m...but on really long days it could even be as early as 6. Weekends are much later.

So, no matter what time the clock says, the routine is the same, and this really works for us. We are not tied to the hands on the clock, in keeping the with our flexible routines we are more open and available to adapt to the needs of others.

His gifts are good!

Oh my, but I am a baby in February. A whiny, ungrateful baby. I can handle the heat of Paraguay in December (Christmas distracts me!), I gather up strength for January and make it through okay...but February? The shortest month of the year? I use it as an excuse to avoid all sorts of things. Laundry, cooking, and playing outside with the girls...those things I know are okay to cut back on. But grace? Kind words? Loving my neighbor? Is high heat and high humidity (day after day after day) a reasonable excuse to put those aside?

No.

And so every day for the past week I have been preaching short sermons to myself about praising God, giving thanks, and showing patience to my girls. Since I am a sinner I fail miserably...but I try again and again. To put aside love of self and replace it with love for others. To put aside complaints and replace with praise and gratitude.

I will be thankful because I am blessed.

Yes, there is culture shock and yes it's hot and yes I'm tired.

I have culture shock because God has graciously allowed me to live my life in many countries. It's hot because it's summer. The season of popsicles, pools, and cook-outs. All gifts from God.

I'm tired because I am the mother of three small girls who are healthy and energetic and constantly learning.

So today I am thankful because God has filled my life with His blessings.

It's messy, it's hectic ,and yes, hot, but it's beautiful and God will be glorified through it.

Watercolor heart doilies

I realize it has come and gone...Valentines Day was nice around here. Our wedding anniversary, (7 years, wow!), I made a few heart things with the girls to hang around the house.

Crayon Hearts

Watercolor doilies

How was your Valentine's Day?

Grandma Bodin's Coffeecake

I don't know who Grandma Bodin is, but I've been using her coffeecake recipe for years.

Quick, easy, lots of cinnamon, streusel topping. Perfect for a brunch with friends, or quick grab and go breakfast on a weekday.

2 C. flour

1 1/2 C. sugar

2 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 C. butter

2 eggs

3/4 C. milk

1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a cake pan with butter.

In large bowl mix together flour, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon. Reserve 1 cup of this mixture for topping.

Add eggs and milk to remaining mixture. Mix well.

Pour in pan and sprinkle with reserved topping and bake.

This recipe is from the New Tribes Missionary Ladies of Venezuela. It's one of my favorite cookbooks because it has recipes for mapuey, and lapa meat. The cookbook has been around the world, Venezuela, Costa Rica, the United States, and now Paraguay. The recipes seem to work everywhere, and why wouldn't they? They were created or tweaked by ladies who were used to traveling all over the world. There are no recipes in here calling for "a box" of this or a "package" of that. They all use ingredients that can be found (or flown into) the deepest jungle or bustling city. Perfect for my life.

What is your favorite, have to have it, cookbook?

Baby is on the go