It’s Potty Time!!

Well, for the last several months we have been talking about the potty in our house.  Mia is very interested in the potty and flushing it and all that good stuff.  Memommy bought her a potty book while we were in the states this summer, and she loves to sit and read it.  She definitely recognizes when she goes tee-tee and poo-poo and often will tell me AFTER she has gone.  So…we decided it was a good time to start trying the potty.  Here is a pic of our first successful potty sitting!  Mia went tee-tee in the potty before her bath the other night (and every night since!)  YAY for Mia!!!!!!

Always on the Go!

Little Miss Mia is always ready to go bye-bye these days.  The other morning, she spent a long time in her room playing.  When she finally came out, this is how she looked!  :-)

 This one is a little blurry, but I just love the look on her face!  She was totally posing for the camera!

For those of you who don’t know my mom, Mia looks JUST LIKE her in this pic.  We have a couple of pics of my mom as a toddler with this exact same look on her face.

Cheesy grin….she’s got all her stuff, and she’s ready to go!  With her shoes on the wrong feet, of course!  :-)

Working With Teams

Luis & I had the opportunity to translate for a couple of short-term mission teams that came down this summer.  Luis worked with a group from Anaheim, CA, while Mia & I were in the states in July.  The week after I got back, we had a group in from Utica, NY.  They started their time here with a 3-day camp for youth in the barrio.  This was the first ever youth camp, and it was a blast.  Exhausting, of course, yet fun! 

In my opinion, Luis & I make a great translation team!  (that is my opinion, of course) <smile>  It’s always easier to translate into your own language, so when there is a Spanish-speaker on the mic, I translate to English, and when there is an English-speaker on the mic, Luis translates to Spanish. 

I’d also like to interject here that Luis is an AMAZING translator.  I’ve worked with many translators in my years here in the DR, and he is definitely at the top of the list.  I’m not saying this because he is my husband…it is simply the truth.  It takes something special to be a translator because it’s not just translating word for word what the speaker is saying.  It is understanding the nuances of what the speaker is saying, feeling what the speaker is saying and being able to communicate all of that to your listeners.  In essence, the translator becomes the speaker.  And I’m gonna tell you…my hubby is awesome at this!!

The camp included activities such as basketball, soccer, and dance.  The youth also participated in photography, computer, and cooking workshops.  The church will be offering some “life skills” classes in these areas, and the camp gave the youth a chance to “taste” the different areas and see which ones they may be interested in learning more about.  Each evening ended with a message from Josh (the youth pastor in NY) and a challenge to the youth to make a personal commitment to live for Christ.

 Translating for Bau

 Taking a break and enjoying a limoncillo

Reviewing the camp schedule with the NY Team 

Praying together at the end of the first day 

 Game time out on the basketball court

Playing with some of the little kids during break time

Overnighters

A couple of weekends ago we had the children of some friends in the barrio over to spend the night.  Their mother was celebrating a birthday on Saturday, so we took the kids and the parents had a date night.  Rey & Rosani love Mia like a little sister, so they all had TONS of fun!

It was also nice for me to have “baby-sitters” for 24 hours.  I got a few things done around the house while all the kids played together. 

Home-made pizza was a big hit and a special treat.  Rey & Rosani had lots of fun putting the toppings on the pizza…and they took turns holding Mia, so she could see what was going on.  All Mia could say was, “Wooooow!” to everything.  :-)

On Saturday morning, we made pancakes on the griddle.  The griddle was a special gift from my dad (thanks, Dad!) and cuts my pancake cooking time down from about 45 minutes to 10 minutes…can’t beat that!!

After breakfast, we made birthday cards for Rosa (their mom).  Mia made a card, too…..

….but she enjoyed eating the crayons more!  :-)  The rest of the morning was spent making cupcakes (sorry, no pics of that) and playing with the guitar and the exercise bike.

The kids went home after lunch, and their mother told me the next week that they had a great time.  We had a great time too!!  :-)

Skype Baby

Mia has learned that the computer offers her a fun way to stay in touch with her grandparents…via Skype!  Every time she sees the computer or the headphones, she starts saying, “Memommy!  Papa!  Memommy!  Papa!”  Here’s a cute pic of her waiting to talk with them (the sores on her lips are from the fever she had when she was sick a few weeks ago).

We are so thankful for technology and how it allows us to be in touch even though we are far away!  If you’ve never seen or heard of skype, you should check it out!  Very neat stuff….

Mia LOVES Shoes!!!

Mia daughter is a shoe-a-holic.  She gets it honestly.  My paternal grandmother and myself are both addicted to shoes.  I’m not sure why.  To be honest, I would go barefoot year-round if I could…..but I just LOVE shoes.  “Shoes” was one of Mia’s first understandable words (in both English and Spanish).  While in the states this past July, we took a trip to a shoe store.  Upon entering the store, Mia’s eyes widened, and she shouted, “Sssooooooozzzzz!”  Total cuteness!  Below are some pics of her clomping around in a pair of my heels.  I just love this kid! :)

Sweet Baby Girl

Mia was sick last week with a double ear infection.  This is her all crashed out on the couch (and in front of a fan) on the evening of her first round of antibiotics.  So sweet…….

Malone Family Beach Trip July 2009

Every summer, our family attempts to get together for a week at Myrtle Beach and spend some quality time together.  There have been a couple of years that I have not been able to make it, but for the most part we have been successful in our endeavor.  It’s always a great time of sitting on the beach during the day, having dinner together in the evenings and then playing board games until late into the night.  This year was no exception!!  We did, however, miss Luis and are praying that he will be able to join us next year!!

   

Mia Goes to the Zoo

During our first week in the states, Mia had the chance to go to the Greenville Zoo.  She is just learning her animals, so she was quite excited to see them live and up close!!  We enjoyed the big orangutan named Mia from Borneo, Indonesia.  And we finished the morning with an awesome meal from Chick-Fil-A.  Thank you, Miss Barb, for an exciting morning!!

It’s Been a LOOOOOONG TIME…..

…..since I’ve posted anything!  Whew!  I keep saying I’m going to do better at this blogging thing, but it always seems to hit the bottom of my priority list.  Anyways, I’m working on some posts from our trip to the states, so stay tuned!

15-month checkup

Mia Grace had her 15-month checkup just a couple of weeks ago.  She is growing like a weed, and the doctor was very happy with her progress.  She only gained 1/2 pound in 3 months, but she grew a whole inch!  I’ve been so excited that she is learning sign language, but it made me cry at this doctor’s visit when she turned and started signing help while screaming at the top of her lungs while the doctor was giving her shot!  Here are a few pictures of her in her cute gown (but none of the shots!).

 

FUTURE DOCTOR?????  :-)

Birthday Beach Trip

This past weekend, the Rodriguez family loaded up and headed to the beach to celebrate my (Jennifer’s) birthday on Sunday.  I told Luis that the only thing I wanted for my birthday was a trip to the beach with some friends, and so that’s what I got.  The friends that went with us are very special to us.  Rosa keeps Mia in the mornings while I head to the office, and Mia absolutely adores her and her family.  Rosa’s husband, Christian, recovers furniture for a living and has made all of our mattresses for us.  Their two kids, Rey & Rosani, are precious and love Mia as if she were their own sister.  Some friends of ours loaned us a gorgeous condo on the beach, and we had a fantastic time.  It was only the 2nd time they had EVER been to the beach in their lives, and their first chance to overnight there.  Rosa told me this morning that an overnight trip to the beach was something they had "only ever dreamed of" and thanked us profusely for helping to "make their dream a reality."  They were enthralled with all of the technology in the apartment...dishwasher, toaster, electric coffee maker, microwave, and a self-igniting stove!  The big hit of the weekend was microwave popcorn....they all stood around the microwave to watch it pop!  Enjoy the pictures!!

The Nuñez Family checking out the gorgeous view from our porch.

Mia Grace enjoying the jacuzzi (it wasn’t hot).  She LOVES water!!

The view from the side of the jacuzzi.

Playing in the ocean

AWWWW…..

Mia Grace & her daddy walking down to the ocean together.

    Mia Grace waiting on the water to wash up on her feet!  Did I mention that she LOVES water????

wwwooooooo!!!!  There’s the water!!!

Worn out after a long day of playing, Mia lies down and says, ”Ni, Ni.”