So Long Ordinary

What a whirlwind week this has been! It has been a good week - we're busy planning the move back to the States, selling our household goods (again), welcoming team members back to Mexico, and still sorting out that shipment (or at least washing jungle mold out of the linens and clothes)! It is hard to believe we only have 4.5 weeks left in Oaxaca. There is so much to do! But that doesn't mean we can't take a little "break" from it all. On August 5, Sean and I will celebrate a whole 8 - count 'em, EIGHT - years of marriage. This past Monday, Sean took the day off from work, we found a babysitter, and we celebrated just a touch early. We went to the Guelaguetza , which was an extravagant festival featuring cultural dances from the seven different regions in the state of Oaxaca. What a great time! We feel like we got a good feel for the many cultures represented in this small state of Mexico. So many different languages, customs, clothing, and traditions....

Our shipment made it here today!!! We are reveling in tubs and tubs of toys,books, clothes, and many other things we were beginning to wonder if we would ever see again. Four months and 2 days after arriving in Mexico it is all here. Uck. Too long. Anyway, it all looks good. Nothing was missing or broken. We're quite happy...and busy. Woo-hoo!

At this moment, a man from an international moving company is here measuring our furniture in order to give us a quote on moving our stuff from Oaxaca, Mexico to Alamosa, Colorado. You read that right. How's that for dropping a bomb on ya?! Alright. So here is what is happening. A few weeks ago, after months of praying and discussing, Sean and I finally came to the decision that the time for us to leave the mission field is now. We feel it is best for our family and it is what we want to do - but most importantly, we are 100% convinced that this is a step God wants us to take. Our "term" is drawing to a close and as we contemplated the future, we didn't see staying in Oaxaca as the best choice for us. It really is as simple as feeling strongly that God has plans for us elsewhere. You may or may not know that a lot of missionaries leave the field because of something bad that happened or bad health or mental/spiritual/emotional breakdown or some other really bad...

A few days ago, Brooklyn and I were discussing the coming baby brother or sister. Brooklyn is convinced she's got a baby brother on the way - mostly because I asked her what she wanted us to have and she thought a brother would be fun....therefore, it must be a boy! Anyway, the conversation went something like this: Brooklyn: "Mommy, after my birthday we are going to the States and then it will be Christmas and then my baby brother will be born and we will name him....uh.....Shhhhhhurnk? Me: "You want to name your baby brother Shurnk ?" Brooklyn: "Uh, yeah, uh-huh. I like it." Me: "Did you think of that name all by yourself? Just now?" Brooklyn: "Yep." Me: "Interesting. How about something like Jackson?" Brooklyn: sigh. "Yeah, okay, that works too." ( And by the way, I am by no means making any announcement as to either the sex or the name of our future child. It was a cute conversation of two musing indi...

This is a strange morning. I took the girls to the store to get some groceries and, most importantly, diapers. (We have a great store here that is basically just like a Super Wal-Mart.) The fact that I went shopping isn't so strange, although I do try to avoid going by myself with the girls. What happened while we were out was weird, though. As I was picking out my produce, Brooklyn started complaining about a stomachache. She's been a little ill since yesterday - nothing serious, just an upset tummy. I told Brooklyn all she had to do was say the word and we'd go home. She said she wanted to keep shopping but about a minute later said, "Maybe we should go home." In no mood to deal with a sick child in the middle of a large store, I quickly agreed that we needed to leave. My plan was to buy what I had in my cart, which included diapers since Madison was wearing the last one . I wasn't even close to done shopping, but I could tell Brooklyn just wasn...

Again, apologies for not blogging very often. Life has been a teensy, weensy bit crazy these days - more on that later - and, well, I've still been suffering without the computer during the day some too, which is just awful. AWFUL. I just have to say that. Being "computer-less" on Friday, I cleaned like a complete madwoman. Not that you could tell I'd done a thing by the next morning, but it did feel good. This house seems dirty all the time to me. And it is a lot bigger than I'm used to. And I have children. And children make an amazing amount of crumbs. Did you know that? Of course you did. Why did it take me 5 years of motherhood to figure out why I couldn't seem to keep the floor from getting all gritty? Sheesh. Our computer is supposed to come back to us sometime this week. Heard that one before. Our shipment is also supposed to come this week. Heard that one before as well. Madison is talking like crazy! It is so dern cute to hear her say,...

Last Thursday, we had another doc appointment. I'm just now getting around to posting the ultrasound picture. It has taken me a while to want to brave the use of our scanner. It's a pain. Anyhoo. At 15 weeks, the baby is doing fabulous. It is still just a touch early to tell if we're having a boy or girl. And I highly doubt this doctor would venture even an educated guess at the next appointment. She's very conservative. Can you figure out which way the baby is facing? This picture is a little more obvious than the last time. Baby is about 4.5 inches long already! I mentioned it earlier, but my belly is really starting to grow. Our shipment is supposed to get through customs by the end of the week (though I'm not holding my breath). Can't wait for that! Just one more appointment with the doctor here in Mexico. After that, we'll be seeing our doctor in the States! I'm looking forward to that too. Sean so graciously informed me after our last ...

I know I haven't been very good at blogging lately. We only have one computer right now, which means that sometimes Sean gets to take it to work and I'm left completely computer-less for a whole day at a time. I said, COMPUTER-LESS . I'm telling you, this has been a real trial. But, on a positive note, the house is clean for once, the laundry is all caught up, and the girls have actually seen more of me than the back of my head. So, I guess it isn't all bad :-) I love bullet points. They have yet to fail me in my endeavor to update friends and family with the latest bits of news. So without further ado...... Our shipment arrived in Mexico City on Saturday. We discovered this on Wednesday. So now we're scrambling, talking to our customs agent in Mexico City, trying to find exactly where the shipment is, and waiting to see how long it will take things to go through customs. We've heard everything from one to four days. That probably means something like on...

Rather than bore you with a detailed account of our weekend at the beach, I figured I'd just get right down to the nitty-gritty - the real reason most of you read this blog...pictures of the girls. Brooklyn did great in the pool with her Tweety floaties! Maddie preferred the shallow water of the kiddie pool. Turns out sand is good for eatin' too. Oh, if only we could all look so darling in shorts and swimsuit. I love this picture of Brooklyn being chased by her Daddy at the beach. You can tell by Brooklyn's face that she isn't so sure of Mommy and Daddy's great idea to bury her in the sand. First time ever walking in the sand barefoot. Proving to Mommy that she didn't pack nearly enough clothes.

Had a great time. Played hard. Still recovering. Lots of laundry. Will post more later.