Hi, I'm still here!

As you can imagine, we're very busy these days! It's a good busy. We like busy. Not TOO busy, but properly busy....

• We have a house guest this week. John is in college and hopes to be a missionary pilot someday. He also happens to be a bit of a photographer himself, and offered to get a family portrait. Wow! It was much easier with him behind the camera than trying to get Madison to look at a tripod (which we've tried so many times and yet never come up with a decent family picture)! Madison wasn't exactly cooperative even still, but we got one or two good shots...even if she isn't smiling!

• Time is moving right along, very quickly. We only have three weeks left in Oaxaca. That is hard to believe! The girls are doing well with things so far, if a bit confused! We've already sorted through most of what we just finished getting from Ecuador and even sold some of it already! Brooklyn is very excited to go to the States - I think mostly because I've made lots of promises of new clothes, shoes, and, well......toys!
• We celebrated our 8th anniversary as well as Brooklyn's birthday last week. It was a whirlwind week! Brooklyn had a great birthday and is very proud to be five years old now!!!
• Madison's vocabulary is growing every day. This little girl loves to talk. We're having fun deciphering her words. Our favorite is "kachuck" which is "chicken!" Oh, it's cute when she says that one! But she also says, diaper, color, cow, go, car, clothes, me, cup, more, cookie, duck, yucky, goat, kitty, sit, bear, chair, and just about anything else we prompt her to say. She's quite polite and says "leeeease" (please) a lot - usually she's pulling and yanking on us, trying to get us to follow her to the kitchen so she can get us to give her a cracker or cookie or some other treat she has her eyes on. "Puppy" is by far the most popular word she says and is usually the first thing she says when we come to get her out of bed first thing in the morning!
  
• Madison loves puppies. LOVES. Puppies. Just like Brooklyn always has. Yesterday, for the very first time, Maddie got to pet a real puppy. We saw a cocker spaniel puppy at the park yesterday when we went to do our family portrait and, man, was that thing adorable. Both girls were in puppy heaven and the sweet little puppy let them adore it for a long time. I have to say, we very much look forward to getting a puppy of our own someday!
  

• Brooklyn got to eat cotton candy for the first time last night (well, both girls enjoyed it). We were downtown with our guest for dinner and just couldn't resist the chance to share this little piece of our childhood with our poor, deprived daughter. She picked pink cotton candy, of course, and we all sat down to enjoy it. Both girls were a sticky, hyper mess by the time it was over...but it was so worth it!
• While Brooklyn was experiencing her first cotton candy bliss, Sean decided to try elote from a street vendor. Basically, it is corn on the cob (not sweet or small kernel, like we're used to) on a stick. They slather it in mayonnaise, sprinkle it with some kind of flaky cheese (similar to Parmesan in appearance but not in flavor) and then give a few good shakes of chili powder on top. Ummmm....we all tasted it and....I'm not sure what to say! It wasn't awful, but the mayo really threw me off. If that would have been butter, I might have liked it better. Well, check that off our list of things to try before leaving Oaxaca. Sean also apparently tried a grasshopper (very common food around here) the other day when I wasn't around. He says this is something I have to try for myself. We'll see.
• Church was fun yesterday. We were able to stay longer than usual since Maddie fell asleep (they don't have a nursery). We did end up leaving just a touch early because Sean got a call to do an emergency flight. We've so enjoyed our church here in Oaxaca and will definitely miss worshiping in Spanish. There's just something about it.
  

Thank you for you continued prayers for our family. Transition is never easy, especially transition on top of transition on top of transition! With only three weeks left in Mexico, we're certainly facing some daunting tasks, as well as an exciting emotional roller coaster ride. We're still 100% sure we're doing the right thing in leaving the mission field now, but that doesn't mean it is easy. I'm glad we can honestly say we've loved our missionary career and that it is hard to leave - it means we've got some great memories rather than bitterness or disappointment to take back with us. While we aren't relishing even the thought of the many upcoming changes, transitions, and struggles, we are feeling God's awesome grace giving us the strength to be obedient to Him. It is really true that when we obey God, He provides the strength, grace, and Spiritual umph to follow Him. It is hard to say exactly what God has for us in Colorado, or why now is the time for us to return to the U.S., but we feel very strongly that this is the right choice. We've always said it and we still do - there is no better place to be than right smack-dab in the middle of God's will!