June

As you may have heard, yes, Jon went to Mexico for a few days end of May and beginning of June. It was a great time for him and good time of relaxing and growth for me....let me share...

Day three of Daddy being gone and I found a kitten, all alone in the street, pretty much half starved. We were already having mice problems so its seemed like a good idea to me. 

It was a great idea! I bathed it several times and since it was starving it didn't have the strength to fight back, it actually purred. It starting eating and every time we got near it it started to purr and just wanted to play with the kids. The kids named it Mitten and it was highlight of every waking moment. I was so glad for a distraction and it was a great way to enjoy the sunny weather! 

Before Jon left, he recorded several books so that the kids could listen to them, that was a fun surprise for the kids.  

About 4 days into our 12 days all three kids got very sick. Here are Jamen and Jade breathing in hot steam with eucalyptus, lavender and peppermint oil. Jonas got the worse of it. I was so worried I finally took him to the doctor. I get all teary eyed when I think about it cause I had to call on the help of my friends. They were there for me in a second, it was great to know I had friends who dropped everything to run me and three sick kids all over the city to the hospital, to the doctor, to the pharmacy. It turns out Jonas just had a really bad cold, the worse part lasted 3 days and in two weeks he was fine.

Jonas has been changing by leaps and bound this month, he learned to use a spoon but really on while eating pea soup. 

He learned if you get on the bike you get pushed...boy does he love that!

We got a birthday package, Jamen and Jonas had birthdays in April

Jade had some busy days that she fell asleep while reading the bed time story. 

Jamen made a life size drawing of himself with his new necklace and all 

Jon brought back Krispy Kreme doughnuts! 

Jade loves to carry the baby Mittens 

Jonas learned to use the rocking chair ...

to smile for the camera... 

to eat chocolate chip cookies and he got his first hair cut! 

This month was busy! 

It also had some very emotional time for me as well. I enjoyed a great 12-15 day break of language study and came to realize just how exhausting it is to do it all...to study, to home school, be a wife, a mom, a house keeper and a good friend all within the framework of a different culture. But in this I have come to realize more and more that it is God who gives strength, it is the body of Christ that works together and that "one of God's most effective means in the process of growth is failure" "Failure where self is concerned in our Christian life and service, is allowed and often engineered by God in order to turn us completely from ourselves to His Source for our life-Christ Jesus, who never fails"  - Miles J. Stanford in his book The Complete Green Letters. So in my moments of feeling down and like I have failed the Lord showed me that "yes, you have been wrong in your thinking and here is how I am growing you". Not a pain free process but a necessary one! I am already enjoying look back on the hard times to see what I have learned and to see the Lord prove himself faithful through it all!