It's Been a LOOOONNNGGG Time!!!

Okay, so it's been over a YEAR since I have updated this blog! And a LOT has happened in that year! Mia is now potty trained (see last post) with the exception of naptimes & overnight. Luis finally got his visa to come to the US, and we have made the international move from the Dominican Republic to the United States! It has been a crazy busy 6 months since we got here, but we are finally starting to get into a routine and see things settling down. And now that things are calmer, I am hoping (fingers crossed) to keep this blog updated!!

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! :)