Time

It passes too quickly. We have had so many adventures over the past several months and I haven't stopped to share them with you. I'm sorry! Here are a few updates...

In June, a short-term team from our home church, Intown Community Church, came to serve alongside us for one week. We were so thankful to have them come. They really moved along our ministry with these kids here and it was so encouraging to have some friends from our home church come down.

In July we went home to the States for a wonderful, 6 week visit. We arrived in Atlanta and were there for 4 days before we headed out to South Dakota for my family's reunion on our farm. Lil'J had a blast riding on tractors and seeing all the amazing farm equipment. After the reunion, we went straight to visit Jason's sister and family who just moved up to St. Joseph, Michigan. They have a beautiful home with a peaceful backyard and the kids (and adults) thoroughly enjoyed playing in it. We picked cherries and Jason made the best cherry pie we have ever eaten.

When we returned to Atlanta, Jason spent 2 of our last 4 weeks in the States in seminary classes. It was a good chance for him to get some of his classes out of the way. We had our best visit home ever this summer. I think part of it was that it was summertime and everyone was in laid back mode. We didn't get to see a lot of friends, but we did have a relaxing, enjoyable time. Next time we'll hopefully get to see all of you that we missed this trip!

Lil'J and cousin W

With Gramma and Granddad at the Zoo in South Dakota

Investigating a worm with Daddy

Pillows!

swingin' naked on Nana's back porch

more pictures to come....

My Little Sea Captain

Jason's mom just came for a visit and we had a wonderful time together.  I was so good to spend uninterrupted time with her.  We took a short trip to Ilha Grande (the Big Island).  There are no cars or roads on the island, so to get anywhere you hike or go by boat.  Here are a few pictures...

Thanks for the visit, Robin (a.k.a Nana).  We miss you already, but look forward to seeing you this summer in Atlanta!

The Good Shepherd

At the rustle of keys or the packing of a bag, Jacob gets wind of the fact that we are going out and his first reaction is to gather as many balls as possible by the front door. Not one can be left behind.
My son has several passions which include birds, dogs, tractors and trucks, but none quite compare to his love for balls. His favorite word is "baa". He screams it at the sight of every round object, ball or not. Our teammate, Jeremy, has a plethora of balls, so at his house Jacob spends his time searching out and herding balls. For this reason, I call him the Shepherd of Balls (interestingly enough the Portuguese word for shepherd is pastor, so I actually have a tendency to call him the Pastor of Balls because the words pastor and shepherd have become synonymous to me). Like any good shepherd he does not worry about the ones that are accounted for; his true concern is for those that are astray.

Shadows

Our little one is almost 17 months old and today he discovered one of life's little joys...his shadow.  He spent some time watching his shadow clap and trying to step on it.  Oh, I wish I had my camera with me!

My how the time passes!

I'm so sorry that I've been a horrible blogger.  I would have way too much to write about, so I'll try to just hit the highlights of these past 3 months since I last posted...October 22nd we flew to Atlanta!  Yeah!  We had a great reunion with family (the grandparents) at the airport.  

On October 26th, we celebrated lil'j's very first birthday.  We had a great time, great weather and great food.  Thanks to all who came.  Unfortunately we pooped lil'j out before cake time and he wanted no part in the eating of it.  

The rest of our trip was a time of relaxing, eating, shopping, spending time with friends and family and enjoying the US (grass, cars, space, etc)!  Here are some photos...

More to come...I promise!

Penguins in Rio

That's right...apparently penguins get sick of the Antarctic and come to Rio to lounge on the tropical beaches. Here's a link to an article about it http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27004165/from/ET/

I personally haven't seen them...bummer. We don't get to the beach all that much, especially since it's been winter here (75F). We've been wearing our mittens, toboggans and heavy winter coats instead. :)

We are looking forward to more beach time as it warms up a little more and the water is not so cold. Lil' j hasn't had the opportunity to get in water except for his bath in a tiny tub. We are looking forward to some time in a pool and the ocean this summer (summer down here...winter in the States).

Anyone want to come play on the tropical beaches of Rio with the penguins? Come on down! We'd love to have you.

A Visit from Gramma

In September, my mom came to visit for 2 weeks. The last time she came was when lil'j was born, so we weren't able to get out and do a lot of stuff in Rio. This visit we got to do much more and, of course, spent a lot of time playing with lil'j. We had a great time with her and really miss her. We are thrilled to be going to the States for a visit the end of October, so we will be seeing all the grandparents, etc soon. Here are some pictures from Gramma's visit...


happy tears at the airport

playing with lil'j's many girlfriends

lots of reading time

seeing the beauty of Rio

We'll see you again soon, Gramma!