Home Again, Home Again....

Rig a jig, jig.

Cheesy, I know, but that is what's stuck in my head currently.

We are comin' home! :)

Beckett is so excited, he smeared beans all over his face!

I'm so excited too. However, in all the prep work that it takes to come home, I am seeing something yucky in myself. And by yucky, I guess I mean - sinful. I get so stressed, so worked up about packing and flying and getting the house ready and on and on. I get cranky and am short-tempered and it's not a pretty sight. I'm trying to figure out why I'm like this. I think it has something to do with the unknown and not being in control. Flying from a 3rd world country is not always perfect. There can be road blocks in the road that prevent you from getting to the airport, flights can suddenly be canceled, the man looking at exit-visas might not be so kind. All of this makes me worry about the what-if. And when I worry, I start to plan how I can possibly prevent all this - leave 4 hours early, check and double-check flight status, be super duper kind to the visa man. It ridiculous!
So, I'm praying tonight that I chill out, that I trust the sovereign Lord that is bigger than all of this, and enjoy the fact that I will be in D-town in a day - enjoying A/C, and homemade food, and love from family!

The craziness

I feel like I've said this before, but maybe I haven't.

Life in Nicaragua is full. In the states, life is crazy busy and packed. But life here, right now, is very full for us. It's hard to say exactly why, but it is.

Maybe these are the reasons why:

*We have 2 kids now that demand a lot from us. Don't get me wrong, they are awesome and we are thankful for them. But they do take away a lot of previously-had free time. From 6 (or 5:30) in the morning to about 8:30 at night one of our kids needs us. Again, it's not bad at all! It's just limits any major rest time.

*It's the end of the school year. Which means David has exams to make, exams to give, exams to grade - exams, exams, exams! And David doesn't make easy exams - no just multiple choice. They're pack full of short answer, true/false, and essays. This makes him a good teacher, but also a teacher that is grading late into the night!

*David is basically in charge of graduation this year. To type out what all the involves, overwhelms me - so I won't! Just know, it is a ton and takes up so much of his time.

*We are coming home in little over a week! Again, this is greatness !, but involves a ton. When we were childless, it was rather easy. Throw some stuff in a bag and make sure you have tickets. Now it involves - getting a lawyer to say we can take our kids out of the country, going to get 4 exit visas from immigration, packing up 4 suitcases, getting our house ready to have people in it for the summer, and on and on. Typing this also overwhelms me!

So to sum it up - our life is full now.

We are both greatly looking forward to some rest and relaxation while in the States (also for some awesome grandparents that will let us go on some dates!)

Orange Dress

I have not bought any clothes in over a year. No clothes, not a shirt, not shoes, no jeans - nothing.

Isn't that weird?

When I lived in the states, I probably bought a piece of clothing once a week. It was most likely from Target.

We don't buy any clothes here. For many reasons.

1. There is no Target, so where would I go??
2. I have 2 kids. I don't see how anyone shops with 2 kids. I can just imagine trying on some jeans and Beckett running wildly through the store. Oh, it sounds terrible.
3. Clothes here are just different from clothes in the States. It just not what I'm accustom to.
4. I was never a huge shopper anyways, so it was easy to not go.

We usually buy all our clothes when we go home to the States in the summer and at Christmas time. However, I was pregnant last summer and already had a ton of maternity clothes and we didn't come home for Christmas.

All this to say, I haven't bought any clothes.

Weird.

However, all this changed yesterday.

I bought an orange dress. And it's lovely and fits my post 2 baby body. Praise the Lord.

That is all.

Rain

The rain has finally come. WOOHOO!!
I'm pretty sure it's officially the rainy season.
As I write this, I'm realizing how funny that probably sounds - to be excited over rain?? Life is different here, though. It hasn't rained here since October. And since October, it has steadily gotten more hot, dry, and still. So when the rain comes, it's like the earth is letting out a huge sigh of relief. The dust is not so intense. Plants come back to life. It cools down significantly. Crazy flying ants come into your house. It's greatness, I tell you, greatness!
But rain can mean different things to different people. We live in a concrete house, with a good roof and drainage system. Many people in Nicaragua are not that blessed. The rainy season to them, must bring worry - will my house flood or my things be damaged.
So, as I am rejoicing in the rain, others are not. I wish that didn't have to be. That they could enjoy the change, rather than worry. How would I feel if I constantly feared what would happen at the next big rain?
Life is not fair. It just isn't.
It makes me hope that the people who live such hard lives here know the love of Jesus and will one day be in a place where there is no worry, no fear, but rejoicing and praise. What a day that will be.

Paint!

My mom sent down some super fun finger paint for Beckett's birthday and the other day we broke it out!

I would not say that he is super interested in crafts quite yet, but we did have fun.
Or I should say, he's not interested in sitting for more than 2 minutes.

Enjoy the pics.

Grabbing of the Feet

I absolutely LOVE when babies start to play and grab their feet!

I LOVE it.

I can not emphasis this enough.




Hatley also has a strange ability to make her arms disappear. She's gifted.

NCA boys basketball

We've got basketball fever around our house! (Umm, did you see the Mavs game?)

Here are some pics of the champions of the Movistar Copa in Nicaragua (NCA, of course!)









We're super proud of the NCA eagles and there 17-0 record!