For Whit

He does this crazy-cute-one-eye-squished-thing these days when he smiles! Way cute!

The 7 Wonders

David is teaching World History right now and recently gave out a project to his students. They were to create one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
(I had to look them up, because I wasn't quite sure what they were. Shame on my history teacher!! )

His students worked really, really hard and did a great job!

They are:

The Great Pyramid of Giza



The Hanging Gardens of Babylon



The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus


Statue of Zeus at Olympia



Mausoleum of Halicarnassus



Colossus of Rhodes



Lighthouse at Alexandria


>

The Great Wall isn't an ancient wonder of the world, but David needed an extra one due to his class size!




And there you go. I hope you are now more educated about the 7 ancient wonders of the world.

My To Do List

We are preparing to come home on Thursday - which obviously we are really excited about! But we have so much to do until then. Here's my To Do List:

- Go to NCA and get the note from the lawyer in order to get Beckett's exit visa
- Make mashed potatoes for the NCA Christmas party
- Attempt to get my hair cut
- Get some fun Nica presents for the fam back home
- Make brownies for the cooks at NCA
- Go to Metro Centro to get Beckett's exit visa
- Think about and then pack what should go in the diaper bag for the plane ride home
- Pack for myself and Beckett
- Take a shower
- Make some baby food

When I type this out, it doesn't seem like too much! But since living here, I've learned everything takes longer than what you think! So, I should stop blogging and get started!

El Crucero

Aren't these flowers gorgeous??? They grow in a town called El Crucero. It's a bit higher in altitude than Managua, so these flowers flourish there. When you are in the town, you see them everywhere!

I was telling Chilo (a sweet lady that works for NCA) that we were in El Crucero this past Saturday and that we saw these flowers everywhere. A sea of blue! She's from El Crucero and said she would cut us some!

What a great gift!

Luke and Gracie!

In my craziness, I forgot to post this! So here it is now!

When I found out I was pregnant, most of my friends were not pregnant and didn't have kids. Except for sweet Sara, but she was a seasoned mom with a 2 year old (oh and also Missy)! However, it seemed like right after I found out I was pregnant, several of my good friends also got pregnant(Michelle, Tess, Courtney Jackie, Abby, and on and on)! That was a blessing to me! and I was so thankful in being able to share the experiences of pregnancy and mommyhood with my friends!

The sweetest news to me; however, was when I heard that my best friend (for over 24 years) was pregnant with twins! Julie has been beyond a wonderful friend to me for such a long time. I've always said that Julie knew how to love and care for me the way I needed love and care. She would love me by feeding me, giving me candy, cooking for me, laughing with me, not making me talk if I didn't want to, giving me some help in Senior English class, living with me in college, letting me wear her clothes, etc., etc. Regardless of where we live and how terrible we are at keeping in touch, I will always consider Julie one of my best friends!

Anyways, all that being said, we are so excited that she has her sweet twins now - Luke and Gracie! I love that her babies and Beckett aren't that far apart in age! Hopefully they will be lifelong friends, just like her and I!

So big!

Beckett taking a bath in a kitchen pot in San Juan del Sur!


Beckett is 7 months old today! This month has been a month of so many changes! Here's a list of some of the things he's doing!

- He can army crawl and get himself basically anywhere he wants to go!
- He can go from laying on his tummy to a sitting position!
- He can almost pull himself up into the standing position.
- He's eating a ton these days! His favorites are bananas, applesauce, and sweet potatoes! He recently ate some prunes and loved them! That seems weird to me, but whatever!!
- He is babbling more and more and laughing more too!
- He's become a big flirt and loves attention from anyone and everyone!
- He's also learned how to throw a bit of a fit. He'll arch is back and throw his head back in anger. It's cute now, but I'm sure it won't be soon! We're trying to put a stop to it!
- He's got 2 bottom teeth and I think 2 more are comin'!
-And as always, he is being so so cute!

We go back to the doctor for his 7 month checkup next week. I feel like he's gained 3 pounds in this month, but we'll see!
(Side note: Babies go see the pediatrician every month until they are 1 year old here. Since it's not too terribly expensive, I like going and seeing all his stats!)



Swimming with the parentals!

17 years

I miss my Dad. 17 years ago he passed away. I can hardly believe it has been 17 years. I've lived more of my life without him, than with him.


My Dad was great and I loved him so. He was kind and quiet, an avid sports fan, a fluffy pillow, a patient teacher and more.


I can remember throwing the baseball around with him. I remember him standing behind the sideline fence during my softball games. I remember lying on the carpet with him while we watched golf. I can remember the feel of his face and his smell. I remember taking walks and bike rides with him. I can see the look on his face when he was mad and happy.


I miss that face, that laugh, his words of wisdom.


I wish that he was here. I wish that he knew Beckett and Beckett knew him. I wish he was at home with my mom watching TV. I wish I could call him and hear his voice.


I know that it's only sad for me and not him. I don't know how Heaven works, but I know he is there. He's not sad, he is whole and complete and healed and better.


What a glorious day it will be when we are reunited!




I know that I usually write just fun little tidbits about Beckett or life in Nicaragua on this blog, but today I just wanted to write about him. Not typical Kristina, huh?

7 Wonders of the World

David is teaching World History right now and recently gave out a project to his students. They were to create one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
(I had to look them up, because I wasn't quite sure what they were. Shame on my history teacher!! )

His students worked really, really hard and did a great job!

They are:

The Great Pyramid of Giza



The Hanging Gardens of Babylon



The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus


Statue of Zeus at Olympia



Mausoleum of Halicarnassus



Colossus of Rhodes



Lighthouse at Alexandria


>

The Great Wall isn't an ancient wonder of the world, but David needed an extra one due to his class size!




And there you go. I hope you are now more educated about the 7 ancient wonders of the world.

Calling all Russells...

We're so excited because soon, all the Russells will be coming to visit! That's right, ALL the Russells - that is Tracy, Orell, Joanna, Barry, Tess, Hudson (!), and Whitney!! We can hardly wait!

We are going to have so much fun! There will be game playing, site seeing, laughing, and yummy eating. (Sami - there might even be some heavenly hash - jealous much?)

Besides all that, we are really excited for them to come and see our world. Pictures are great, but can't really do Nicaragua justice. We look forward to them seeing the Nica culture, eating the food, meeting the fun people, and seeing our ministry here!


Whit. Love her.


Can't wait to meet Hudson!


The New York Russells!


And cool Joanna!

NCA Icon

While I was out of town, NCA held their annual talent show. Every year, the student council puts on a talent show in order to raise money. This year, we were raising money for the fine arts center of NCA. The Fine Arts center will be an excellent addition to our school. Currently there is no real cafeteria or seated area. There is a "chapel" that everyday turns into a cafeteria or becomes a stage or church or the PE area. So raising money for the Fine Arts center is a big focus for our school. There will be a cafeteria, a gym, and some classrooms where music and art can be held.

All that to be said, we had a talent show! And it was a big hit! The theme was like American Idol, with a few twists! David got to be a judge and said it was so much fun!

Enjoy a few clips of the kids!




Clearly, they are the next Backstreet Boys.


And by a few clips, I mean one! It takes forever to post a video on here!

Look at me!

So yeah, I'm starting to crawl!

6 months

We made it to 6 months! :)

I'm a bit late, but on November 2nd, Beckett turned 6 months old. As I type that I think 2 things.

1. I can't believe he's six months old. It was just yesterday that he was all newborninsh, and snuggly, and little bitty.
2. I can't believe that I am a mom of a baby. I know, I know - weird, but I do think that. I'm a mom. A mom. Me. A mom. Soon I'll be a mom of a 2 year old and then a 8 year old and then a teenager. Crazy stuff!

Ok, enough about me!

6 months is a such a fun time! Here's what he's doing:

-sitting up on his own
-he loves to stand up (in a lap, on the floor, in his crib) with help from mom or dad of course!
-eating bananas, applesauce, peaches, but not so much on the veggies yet!
-making these ridiculously cute squealing noises
-splashing at bathtime making a huge mess
-starting to want to crawl (he can kind of army crawl, kind of!)
-smiling like crazy!
-still being so stinkin' cute!

We are so very thankful for him. He has been the biggest blessing in our lives and we feel honored to be the ones to parent him!

I'm so sneaky

Sorry for the pause in blogging. Both Beckett and I have had a cold (or el gripe - the name for a cold in Nicaragua. For some reason, I really like that word, it describes how I feel currently). Being sick does not make me want to blog, or do much of anything really!

Anyways, I wanted to share of our adventures! Last week, Beckett and I flew into Dallas and surprised my mom (for a rather important birthday of hers!) and David's mom! It was awesome! You would think I would have some pictures, but I don't! I left the camera here!

We found some cheap tickets and thought it would be a fun surprise to let them see Beckett. He is at such a fun stage right now, and I was a bit sad for them not to see him.

I had Randy pick me up from the airport. Which, by the way, he did an awesome job of keeping a secret from her. I was a bit leary, but he did it! Randy pulled into my mom's garage and had her open up the garage door. I was hiding just off to the left, out of her line of vision. As she was walking towards Randy, I stepped in front of her. Her expression was priceless! She kept saying, Oh my gosh!

Then on Monday, we surprised Orell too! She had been in New York seeing Hudson (the other Russell grandbaby). I put Beckett in his car seat on her front porch, then I rang the doorbell and ran away. I could hear her say, "That's Beckett, that's Beckett!"

It was so special to surprise them! And I was beyond thrilled that they could see him! :) They showered him with love, attention and toys! Everything a little boy needs!

Got some pictures



Beckett got to experience fall, cooler weather, and pumpkins!



Seeing his Uncle Jamie! Some people say Beckett looks like Jamie. What do you think?



Playing with Grandad's watch




Headed back to Nicaland!


It was also fun for me to see family and friends! I wish that I could have had the time to see everyone! But it was a great visit!

November 5th

In almost a week, we will be having some new housemates! On November 5th, Chase and Julie (David's brother and his wife) will be moving to Nicaragua! They came to visit in January of this year. They both had the desire to serve overseas and lucky for us, the Lord called them here! We could not be more excited!

Many of you are thinking, wait, she said housemates??? Yep, that's right! They will be living with us. As in the same house. Under the same roof. Sharing the same food. When we tell people this, they get a concerned look on their face and ask - "Do you get along well with them?" :) And our answer is YES!

David and I have said for a while how we thought it would be cool to share life with another couple. To have community right inside your house. We now have the perfect opportunity.

However, we know that living with someone always has conflict and issues and annoyances. We are not naive in thinking that this will be perfect. We know that we will get on each other's nerves, there will be miscommunication, and we will have to sacrifice.

But we are also excited for the fellowship. We're excited for the many laughs to be had. We look forward to growing with each other. We can't wait to school them in some games! We hope that the Lord will use this to mature us in our love, our giving, and sacrifice.

So yeah, the Norman Russells are about to become the Nicaragua Russells. Oh wait, that's us. Maybe they'll be the Nicaragua Russells Squared? Or the Younger Nicaragua Russells? Or the Nicaragua Russells that came in 2009? Whatever, they're coming!







If anyone else from back home would like to move here, feel free! :)

The New Gerber Baby

They make that baby on the side of the Gerber baby food jar look so happy and peaceful. It's like they couldn't think of anything better than to eat some mashed up green stuff.

This is what a baby looks like in real life, when he eats green beans for the first time.






(Click on this picture and it should get bigger. This was his face almost the entire time!)




I don't think he thinks green beans are the best thing in the world. Still adorable though!

That's Right

This is what I used to do....





Just laying on my stomach. No big.


And, this is what I can do now!





That's right, sitting up! Not even 6 months! I'm so advanced!

It finally happened....

Getting a ticket that is! :(

So about 3 weeks ago, I was driving back from my volleyball game in downtown Managua. I was minding my own business, when all of a sudden I got pulled over by a police officer. There is always a little bit of fear when you get pulled over here, especially when you can't always understand everything they say!

A lot of times, when you get pulled over they are looking for a bribe. This police officer; however, was not. He said that when I turned, I did not turn into the immediate lane and that is against the law here. Who knew?? So basically I got a ticket!

Getting a ticket here is different than in the states. They write you up a ticket on this little yellow piece of paper and then take your license! Your first thought is, "How am I going to drive without my license?" But have no fear, the ticket you received is now your temporary license. Seems weird to me, but it makes you pay the ticket, if you want your license back. So, I guess it's a good system.

So today, I had to go to the bank to pay the ticket. Again weird to me that you pay your ticket at the bank, but that's just how it is. Then I had to drive to Transito to get back my license. I was a little worried about whether or not I would actually get my license back. So I prayed about it and just did it.

It was actually very easy and they had a really good system set up! I went to Transito and there was my license (under the Extranjera window). So easy!

So yeah, no more fear about getting a ticket here! And to top it off the ticket was only 400 cords or $20! Not bad!

Oktoberfest!

Randomly there is a large German population here in Managua. To me, it seems weird that there are so many German people here. However, they probably think the same thing - "Why are there so many North Americans here??" Regardless there are a lot of German people here. So much so, that there is a German school in Managua.

On Saturday, the German school hosted Oktoberfest. I'm trying to find some fun, cultural things to do here in Managua, so I thought let's go to Oktoberfest! I had never gone to Oktoberfest in the states, but in my head I pictured it kind of like the fair. You know, booths set up with games, booths with yummy food, German people walking around! :) I assumed since it was at a school that there wouldn't be any alcohol. Silly me! Nothing is never what I think it's going to be here!

Overall though, it was a lot of fun! We ate Brawtwurst (I have no clue how to spell that, but you know what I mean, right?), sawerkrawt (again, what's with these German words being impossible to spell)and had many Cokes! :) Beckett came with us and was a champ! He just sat and even fell asleep in David's arms - a rarity. And we got to see the German school! It is huge and unbelievably nice! Like really, really nice. Like better than anything I've seen here!

So yeah, Oktoberfest in Nicaragua. Who could imagine that!

Writer's Block

I've been having writer's block recently and can't think of much to write about. It's not like I write these super in depth novels! Still, I can't think of much.

I could tell you how we have at least 6 different varieties of ants living in our house. But that sounds like I'm complaining, which I'm not! I would never! :)





I'm sure you can't tell but this one type of evil ant is up in the corner of our ceiling. Those black things are ants. They come out of the ceiling (random) and then just crawl around up there. I secretly wish the geckos (that also live in our house, but are our friends) would eat them all. Ok, enough, not complaining about the ants!

I can show you how Beckett has been sleeping lately! That's more fun! But I do wonder if I blog too much about him and not enough about life in Nicaragua.



Yep, hiney in the air! So cute! I was wrong, how can you really get too much of Beckett? Not possible.

Hopefully, the writer's block will be gone soon. And I'll be back to my normal super creative self - that you all know and love! :)

Chloe Faith!

Our sweet friends, the Hortons, are taking home their new baby girl today! They had Chloe about a week ago, but due to some complications are just now bring her home!

We are way excited for them!

It's neat for me to have friends having babies now! I'm excited for them to experience the joy (and hardships) of a new baby. (I sound like I'm this really experienced mom!) I'm also really excited to meet Chloe! :)

We joke about Chloe and Beckett getting married one day. That way we can always be connected to the Hortons. No pressure or anything.

How did I become one of "those" moms?

I'm 5....!

..... months that is!

I'm a little late on this, but our internet was down for a bit!

Beckett is 5 months and 5 days old today!

We went to the doctor on Friday and the doctor said he is doing great! He weighs 15 lbs and 1 oz! He gained almost 2 pounds in a month, which I say is awesome (and so does his doctor). He's 65 cm long. Which I don't know how long in inches that is (darn metric system!). And his head circumference is in the 50th percentile.

Some fun things he's been doing this month are:

-constantly turning from his back to his stomach. constantly.
-eating rice cereal more consistently and beginning to sort of, kind of like it.
-playing in his exersauser (that a sweet friend loaned us)
-grabbing anything in site, including my hair, my nose, spoons, toys, computer cords
-beginning to want to sit up
-sleeping on his tummy
-laughing a bit more
-taking long walks with mom in the morning
-being so stinkin cute!

It's incredible to me how much he has grown and changed! (Every mom says this, huh?) He really is such a blessing to us. At least once a day, David and I will say to each other how much we love that little boy. We thank the Lord for him!





Taking a much, much needed nap today!! :)

Cute Pictures!

Daddy and Beckett playing!




Sweet baby sleeping.




Just chillin on my tummy.




I'm sure all moms says this. But he really is the cutest!