The Quast's Family Blog

Many Happy Returns

2011-12-31T08:30:00.000-06:00

It was Tuesday night and I was finally getting my thoughts in order and figured out that, yes, we would have a birthday party for Jade! The only thing holding me back was what kind of party? Do I give a party that is more American or more traditional like we did growing up or do I go out on a limb and give a party like what I have seen here in Paraguay? We had been to four birthday party's for all different ages and I had a pretty good idea of what I needed to do. However at the risk of totally messing this birthday party up by just going off of what I had seen, we called a friend who came over and walked me through step by step what I should do. Everything from how to invite people, where to get cake and food, what time a party should start and things to do at a party. She came early to help me get set up, showing me how to make the balloons and hang the ribbon on them. Then helped me set the table correctly, I couldn't have done it with her help! So, here is Jades 2nd Birthday party Paraguayan style!

The fished product, drink table (cool-aid and soda), cake, candy's, sopa paraguaya, homemade empanadas (Jon made them) and little ham and cheese sandwiches.

A very excited birthday girl!

The party started when everyone got there, first we ate all the food and the kids played for little bit more.

Then it was time for the pinata, I had filled it with candy, toy rings and little animals. After much talking about which language we would count to three in, we landed on Guarani, then Jon broke the balloon. Here pinatas are not hit with sticks while children are blindfolded (besides how is that a good kids game, blindfold the kid, give them a big stick, spin them around and let them go...)

The kids ate some candy and played a little more. Then it was time to sing Happy Birthday! We all gathered around and sang in English first then in Spanish.

Jade wasn't too keen on blowing out the candles, so the other kids helped.

Then it was cake time!!! Everyone said it was the best cake they had ever had! Cakes are usually made by a family member or a friend. You can buy them in stores but unless you made them for a living you don't make birthday cakes (people often make orange cake but thats not for a birthday). I was kinda sad when I learned this, I always make my kids cakes and I love to do it. However I am so glad I didn't have to make it cause in the heat it would have melted everywhere!! I asked what they do to not make it melt but its a secret. Anyway, I was at a loss as to where to get the cake but my friend told me her Aunt makes cakes and that it would be their gift to us if they could bring the cake and the little sandwiches. I said yes!

Here is Jades Princess cake with all the candy all around. You sing Happy Birthday, then pass out the candy to the kids and then you cut the cake. After eating cake the kids just played until it was time for them to go. As they were leaving I gave the mom the goodie bags with bubbles and lots of candy!! I think the kids had fun, I know Jamen and Jade did. I really enjoyed myself, it wasn't stressful and I learned so much! I couldn't have done it without the help from our sweet loving friends! Thank you Cheli and Graciela!

First Christmas

2011-12-26T08:14:00.001-06:00

Life, since my last post, continues with lots of learning and discovering. My language continues to improve but I still struggle to complete sentences and thoughts with limited vocabulary. The kids are understanding so much more and will respond when spoken to in Spanish. Jade is speaking than Jamen which has actually spurred him on in speaking (yay for peer pressure!). So, with me putting in 40 hours a week in study time and Jon taking over all other duties life as we know it has turned upside down, or so it feels at times. But its working for us and I'm so glad, I long to be able to speak without sounding like I'm two (even the two year old speak better than I do). That being said when the yearly field conference came around I was ready for a break. For 4.5 days I didn't have to struggle to speak, the kids got our undivided attention and we didn't have to cook or clean! It was such a much needed "vacation". Below is the view of the sunset one night. It was a very refreshing time for us and a great way to get to know our fellow missionaries here in Paraguay.

After conference we jumped right back into life. The next day was a wedding for a friend. She had actually been helping me with language for about 5 weeks and we were so thrilled to be invited to her wedding! We all got dressed up (some how we managed to not a picture of the four of us) and had a great time enjoying something new.

That Sunday we found out that Jamen and Jade were to be angels in the Christmas play. They were very cute all dressed up and I was excited to see them in the play. Jade did very well, she called herself an angel princess.

Jade is being held and Jamen is sitting on the steps

We had a busy and hot week leading up to Christmas. It was in the upper 100s for several days and only getting down to the 80s at night. There was no getting away from the heat. Finally in an act of desperation Jon took a look at our "broken" AC. He discovered in ten min that the wires were not connected to the on/off switch. He quickly fixed that problem and the AC works great! We only run it at night as we are unsure of what our electric bill will look like and there is no way it will cool our whole house. Still I am so thankful for a cool nights rest.

Here we are Christmas morning, which came in nice and cool, we couldn't have asked for better day! The night before we were up all night with friends celebrating Christmas with them. The tradition here is to cook all day and evening, eat at 10:30pm, let the kids play with fireworks all night and then at midnight we all toast and then wish each other a Merry Christmas, along with tons of fireworks going off. There were lots of other cultural details involved but that's it in a nut shell. It was so great to experience and see everything first hand! So, we didn't get the kids to bed until 1:30am and we didn't get sleep until after 2am. This actually made for a very nice lazy Christmas morning. We slept until 11am!

The kids got to open one gift before breakfast. Jamen laid all his stocking stuff out and Jade just held her gift, not really opening it. They were so cute!

Jade loved breakfast, cheesy ham and eggs, homemade hot cocoa and cinnamon rolls! I don't think Jamen was very awake in the picture.

I found little M&Ms which was a hit.

Jamen loved his legos and Cars 2.

Jade couldn't have been more excited about her sunglasses.

She didn't hardly take them off the rest of the day. She also got flip flops and Mr. Potato Head.

Jamen also got three new cars which in-case any of you doubt his love for cars or how much he plays with them, I thought this picture below shows how much he plays with them after two years! This is a normal thing, the cars slowly making their way from one room to the next.

We had a great Christmas and are so thankful for how the Lord provided for us during this holiday. I was thinking how the Lord didn't have to give us extra money to buy the kids the few things we knew they would like but he did and I'm so thankful. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed the time with those you love!

Bloopers:

I should note that the heat does crazy things to food. I made fudge but it didn't out, it was more like hot fudge for ice-cream. Then I made peanut brittle, but that didn't get brittle, not sure why. Then to top it off I made play-dough for the kids and even got Jamen involved to make some for his sister. Only to discover that after the dough cools, it looks nice but the second you touch it gets everywhere! It melts in the heat and it was hard to explain to Jamen why we had to throw it out. The last thing that happened was I made meat balls and left them on the counter to cool off, when I came back they were covered with little tiny sugar ants! Don't worry, we ate them, covered them with sauce and cheese and warmed them back up, yum! You'd never know if I hadn't told you:-) Lets just say next year I will do things differently and not make play-dough. I was a little sad that my holiday planning was not turning out, especially since it was so hot in the kitchen but in the end I was fine and we had a great day!

First Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T16:41:00.000-06:00

Today was our first major holiday away from family. It was harder on me than I thought but as the day went on it got better cause we started our own fun family traditions! I am so thankful for how the Lord keeps me going and providing me with the little things I miss and enjoy! I kept thinking today though that if I didn't have a Thanksgiving feast would my day be wrecked. To be honest I think today my day would have been wrecked. Each little step like holidays and other things brings me closer to the Lord and reminds me to be thankful for what we have today and remember the Lord is unchanging!

This year it was time to get creative with family traditions and to start our own. We had an oven roasted chicken because although you can find turkey I wasn't willing to spend $50 on a 4lb turkey. Besides a chicken tastes almost like a turkey:-) I made creamed peas, mashed potatoes and gravy. Our pumpkin pie was made from squash, similar in taste to butternut. It turned out great! I made a small apple crisp and a peanut butter pie for Jon. Jamen helped me washed potatoes.

While making food or while it was cooking, we read about the Thanksgiving story.

Then we took out the few Christmas books and decorated for Christmas. Everyone here is already decorating for Christmas and I was glad to make our own traditions. We didn't have anyone over today, kinda selfish but I really needed this whole day just us and sort through my missing the holidays. Here am I at 17 weeks, 6 days, in front of our Christmas tree!

We all ate lots and took naps.

When we woke up we watched Charlie Browns Christmas and a made a paper chain to help Jamen with when Christmas is coming! Today was a great day!!

6 Months

2011-11-01T19:12:00.000-05:00

First of all I cannot believe come the beginning of November we will have been here for 6 months! The time is flying by and just the other day I was once again reminded of why we are here. I have contact with a lady who is of another religion but my Spanish is not good enough to talk about the weather let alone spiritual matters. And her English isn't very good either so I'm stuck and wanting so badly to be able to speak more. It was just a good reminder of how important is it to have a good understanding of the people and the language. So, we continue on! This week, I (Jen) had my first evaluation. This will see how far I've come and let me know how far I still have to go. But is good because it will be able to direct me more and to my understanding it will also play a part in letting us know how quickly I will be able learn a tribal language. I'm also encouraged by this evaluation because at least I know I've improved, considering I came knowing my colors but even that was said with an incorrect accent.

This past month was filled with many things...

buying pizza hut pizza for example. This is by no means a regular thing but it is something Jon had never done before. He had to call the pizza place, order and give directions to our house. This was good language usage for Jon and just cultural information, like the pizza was delivered on the back of a motorcycle!

As the weather has turned hotter, we've been enjoying yummy snacks and simple foods like, popcorn, potato salad, bean salad, chicken salad, egg salad...you get the idea. I caught Jamen and Brewster eating popcorn together, yes the dog was eating out of the bowl and being hand fed by Jamen.

Recently the latest addition to our family has been three female quail. They are about a month old and should start laying here soon. Our yard isn't big enough for chickens but it is for quail. We don't let out of this cage but they like it just fine when we move the cage from place to place. Jade has taken a liking to them and likes to say hi and pet the "birds".

This is a picture of the back of our house (yes, that's an ac unit but its broken), I wanted to explain our "back yard". Our house is build up against the land ladies house, which is seen below. She is hardly ever there and has told us we can go in the back. We have only just started to explore back there but I've been thrilled with what I've found.

Leading to the back yard...

This is back yard and much to my delight I have discovered, a mango tree, a guava tree, a citrus tree (orange, lemon or grapefruit, I don't know yet) and an avocado tree! And they all have tons of fruit on them!

Here are the growing mango!

This tree is also growing in the back and its called a Amba'y. It has medicinal usages but I don't know how to use it yet. The guava leaves are also used for their healing properties and the plant below is called Koku-cocu is used in the drinking of terere to make you hungry and relax you. I've also been told it helps to "cool the fire inside you". Its good for fevers. As you can see there are many usages for the plants here but since I don't know everything that well I've held off.. Also, don't be fooled by the "fire inside of you", its not heartburn. We are still learning about the culture here and this is one area of herbs and aliments that is huge and will take some time to understand.

I am happy to say we are feeling more at home here. Lots of things are still new and different and sometimes I still stare too long but things are becoming "normal". We love the people here and are so thankful for the friends we have made who help us, encourage us and tolerate my bad Spanish.

Spanish study continues to humble me as I get laughed at for speaking incorrectly, communicated something totally wrong or agree to something I have no idea what was just said yes to (I've only done this once). I'm excited to keep pressing on, yes we still have hard and bad days but so does everyone no matter where you are but our God doesn't change, no matter where you are!

A Pregnant Mothers Heart

2011-10-09T19:09:00.000-05:00

I have been longing to write these last few weeks but I have found myself out of time most days and weeks. So finally I said I'm taking a break. I haven't put in any language time these last two days. We've been doing things with people but I haven't been studying, just enjoying myself, which has been very refreshing. Now that I've confessed my lack of study and feel better, let me tell you what we've been up to.

A few weeks back I celebrated my 26th birthday and we were able to celebrated it with some friends and my morning sickness that day was less so I was able to enjoy myself. They came over for good meat (better than steak), mandioca (yucca), sopa paraguaya (a very typical corn meal, onion and cheese bread), also salad (of sorts). Everyone enjoyed flan for dessert, since I don't know how to make a gluten free cake from scratch and at the time sweets were making me feel ill. We sat around and ate and talked. I did lots of listening, as is normal still but it was nice to be with friends and I should add they brought and cooked all the food for me, except the flan. What a blessing, no cooking, good food and friends...this was a birthday to remember!

Here are some pictures of us...

This was my favorite picture, Jamen loves to be silly with Chico.

My sweet kids continue to grow and learn at great speeds it seems. Jamen drew a cement truck the other day. This was also the day he had a horrible rash, in-case you were wondering about his face. They still don't "speak" Spanish but neither do I, but they are learning more and more. They will randomly say things in Spanish or we will study together and they are picking it up.

Jade likes to give "thumbs-up" which she has learned very well from watching all people here who do it. She such a cutie these days, loves to play with her dolls, is potty trained and loves to quote the guys who come on the bus and talk rapidly selling things (I need to get a video, its hilarious)!

Here I am at 5 weeks and again at 11 weeks. Morning sickness is so much less these days and its a wonderful feeling! I am still tired and naps are pretty much a must most days unless I can go to bed at 8:00. Jamen and Jade are still excited about the baby and look forward to reading about the baby each week. Jade still wants to look in my belly button to see the baby and Jamen doesn't think its a boy or a girl. Having two "old" kids this pregnancy is so much fun.

Up until recently I was pretty freaked out about this pregnancy, I always said "no babies overseas" but the Lord is using this in my life to grow me. Already it has brought us closer to our friends and made me realize I'm not as strong as I think I am. Its been very humbling as I have to let my friends and husband serve me in ways I normally wouldn't allow. Jon took over and still does most all the house stuff, so that I can study or get the extra rest I need. If life wasn't already a little harder before it seems a lot harder now that I'm pregnant. Which like I said is causing me to grow closer to the Lord and realize I need to be faithful with what I have and where I'm at. If that means the dirty dishes sit on the counter for three days and we only wash what need so that we can study and be good parents than so be it. If it means I don't sweep the floor for a week but have time to read to my kids then I have to let that go. I never use to do this, everything had to get done that day or I didn't sleep at night or was all stressed out the next day. I am so thankful for this time of learning, has it been easy no, but its good and is what the Lord would have for me right now.

Please continue to pray for us, as we study and have evaluations coming up in the next 3 weeks. Pray for continued faithfulness in parenting and as we juggle life and family. Pray also this baby and my self as I struggle with lower back problems and its already hurting (need to be faithful to stretch my back and take it easy when I know its hurting.)

How Many Quast Kids?

2011-09-16T19:31:00.000-05:00

How many Quast kids are in this picture?

NOT ONE

NOT TWO

BUT.....

THREE!!!!

Yep, you guested it, we are expecting baby number three April 28th! And don't worry we were as shocked as you! But we are thanking the Lord for this new little life! Please be praying as morning sickness is in full swing for me and its worst then ever. Pray for continual strength for both Jon and I as we deal the morning sickness and continuing on in language learning. Praise the Lord there is good medical care here and we know of a good doctor who speaks English and is very close to our house (the hospital is also very close to us, walking distance when not in labor...lol).

Picnics

2011-08-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

The weeks are flying by here so here is the latest happenings...

We were able to go out and visit a church dedication out in the country. Here are some pictures of what we saw on our trip.

On the way back we stopped to eat and after eating we were told there was a small zoo outback, here is what we saw...and I should mention, these pictures are not zoomed. I could have reached in and touched all of these animals.

A toucan

A monkey

and what looks like a cross between a raccoon and an anteater, its called a South American Coati.

Even though we've been busy I decided one day to drop all I was doing and have a picnic with the kids and they loved it!

I was actually convicted I needed to spend a little more quality time with my kids, it hurts to hear our three year old say to his little sister, "not now Jade, I've got work to do".

These last few weeks have been rather stressful at times. Both kids have had colds, no big deal until Jade started gagging and throwing up. She did this just about every other day (sometimes it was everyday) for the last three weeks. I've found it to be emotionally draining. She is better now and I've learned to clean up throw-up with great speed:-)

We were excited this last week to receive some packages from friends, it really brighten our week! Jamen couldn't get enough of the box...

neither could Brewster!

Spaghetti Letters

2011-08-09T08:47:00.000-05:00

There is always so much I could write about so I never know where to start. So, I thought I share a little more about the kids this week.

Jade has been enjoying Spaghetti night! Noodles are easy to come by and so is tomato sauce. I do have to make my own spaghetti sauce, which I have finally mastered.

Jamen has been learning to spell, he made an "E" all by him self the other day.

Jamen also spelled out his name with playdough

Jade likes playdough time too

I've also tried to have a day were we have pancakes. Right now it doesn't always fall on the same day but at least we have fun breakfast day.

Jamen really looks forward to it!

And last but not least, here is nice picture of our room/office.

Weekly Trivia

2011-08-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

For those of you who were wondering about the trivia from two weeks ago, the "C" and the "F" on the sink faucets stood for caliente (hot) and frío (cold). It took me a good two days to figure that out, I kept thinking it was a mistake and then I remembered where I was:-)

For this weeks trivia I chose the picture below. Can you tell me what they are and what they are used for?

Weekly Trivia

2011-07-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

I thought it might be fun to try a weekly trivia "contest".

So, here are the rules...Every week I will post a new photo with instructions on what I am looking for. You facebook me a message and tell me the answer. The next week I will post the first correct answer with name (unless you wish to remain anonymous) and some funny answers. There are no prizes, just the satisfaction of knowing you got the correct answer!

What do the "C" and "F" stand for?

Look for the answer and new picture next Thursday...happy guessing!

Is It Worth It?

2011-07-12T20:50:00.000-05:00

You would not believe that the day this picture was taken I, rather all of us, were having a rather rough time of it. We all have those days, be it in a place you already know or overseas. I have once again have been on an emotional rollercoster this last week and its not over yet. A week ago tomorrow we moved into our house and its been slow going getting settled. Here is a bit of our journey...

The mess you are looking at is our bedroom and study area, the steps lead into the bathroom. I feel rather ashamed to show you a messy house, but this is how its going to be for a little while. We did get a few things unpacked only to have it rain one night and discover some leaks. We have since moved things so its still messy. We are also experincing some warmer weather which is causing the floors of our house to condensate very badly! So now things are even more messy and have to be kept off the floor as much as possible. We are hoping the condensation is from the ground warming and that all the wettness shall too pass. In the mean time everything is wet, our clothes, the books, the bathroom, the towels. It feels like we are camping...

Jon and the kids were putting books on the shelves. This picture was taken when it was cold, hence Jades hat. This is the kids room, the room extends about another two feet to the left and Jon is sitting at the wall. The room is small but they both love having their books, toys and new bunkbeds.

And of course I can't forget to mention Brewster who is very much Jamens dog...

and Jons...

and Jades...

Of course he likes me too. Brewster is loved by us all and in the middle of crazy times it seems he makes the mood lighter by his happy bark and need for play. Jamen is very excited to have this puppy in his life, its so fun to watch them play together.

I will post more pictures soon of the rest of the house and maybe I can make a video. In the mean time I wanted to say that all we are facing is worth it to carry the Good News to those who have not heard! I have struggled today as we face wetness everywhere, not being able to find things, cranky kids, leanring my way around yet another part of the city, no hot water in the kitchen and my ideal of what I want go by the wayside. And then I was remined that, Jesus had hard times, Paul struggled and said we would stuggle. I knew these hard times where coming and that soon the honeymoon would be over. This is real, I am living in a place that I don't understand why things are done, I don't undstand simple things spoken to me and many things are new and a little harder then what I would consider normal. However when some friends went to a funeral the other day of an unsaved friend who was killed in a car accident and I was struck with the realization this is why we have come, to share with the lost. Yes I want a home that is like what I'm use too, yes, I want to have the best for my kids so that they are not lacking, but do I want more what God would teach me and how he would use me, Jon and the kids to reach others? My answer is yes, a thousand times yes. Am I ready to face more hard times or things that I feel I don't deserve or give up little dreams of having this or that, no, not really but the Lord is teaching and growing me in all of this, yes and I pray He will continue to do so.

Cookies and Avacado's

2011-07-01T16:44:00.002-05:00

Today I thought I'd share a little more on some new foods we've been trying here in Paraguay. One of our new dishes is homemade refried beans (click on beans to get the recipe) with a simple guacamole to go with it. I also make a fresh tomato, cilantro, onion and garlic salsa to go with it and we eat our beans over rice. I should also note that the refied bean recipes makes a ton! I did half the recipe and we ate it for 5 meals. This a great recipe for freezing or for a large crowd. Also, I don't think this would be considered a tradional food in any way shape or form but its taking advantage of the foods that are available and cheap.

Here is the guacamole recipe...

Simple Guacamole

2 avocados

1 juicy lime

1/4 cup of finely diced fresh cilantro

1-2 garlic cloves, peeled and put through a garlic press

salt

For optional spice: Cayenne powder, crushed red pepper flakes, crushed chipotle flakes, or 1/4 of diced peppers (for a milder pepper use anaheim).

1) Cut the avocados in half and seed. Scoop out the flesh and place in a bowl. Smash with a fork.

2) Add the cilantro and garlic, and sprinkle with salt. Squeeze about 1-2 tablespoons of lime juice into your guacamole and add the optional pepper of choice (start small). Mix.

3) Taste test and adjust with salt, lime juice, or peppers.

Serve right away or sprinkle more lime juice over the top ( to prevent browning) and place in the refrigerator for several hours.

Here are my 2 avacados, its actually just one big one. I didn't know there were different kinds that grew so big! I only need one for this recipe.

Then my fresh cilantro, which is really easy to come by here and my lemon. The recipe calls for a lime but I use a small lemon and it works great. I'm also not sure if they have limes here, the lemons look like limes but taste like a cross between the two.

Here is the avacado mashed (I used a potato masher), with half of the lemon squeezed over it.

Here it is all ready to go, I squeezed the other half of the lemon over it before putting it in the frigde. I made the guacamole this morning, so it should be perfect for dinner tonight. I don't add the salt or anything else, until after its sat for a while. Also, the other spices mentioned in the recipe I can't find here, so all I add is salt if needed.

Had to have a picture of the kids, they were coloring and doing stickers this morning.

Jamen made a silly face

The other recipe I wanted to share with you all is a cookie recipe called Alfojores. Its shortbread like cookie filled with dulce de leche. Dulce de leche is pretty big thing here, they eat it on bread, make ice cream with it and other sweet treats. You can find dulce de leche ice cream in the state, I think Breyers makes it and a few other brands. As for finding dulce de leche, you might find it near the sweetened condensed milk or near the mexican/asia food, depending on the store. I have seen these cookies here and people know what they are. Not sure if you would call it traditional but they are readily available.

So to make Alfojores you will need the following...

3 egg yolks

4 TB soft butter

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup tapioca flour/starch

2 TB rice flour (or regular all-purpose flour)

pinch of baking soda and a pinch of salt

Dulce de leche

Cream together egg yolks, butter and sugar. Then add flours, salt and baking soda. Mix until well combinded. Form into a ball and place in fridge for 15-20 min until well chilled. After chilling, flour counter and roll dough into 1/2" thickness. Cut into 2" circles. Place onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 320 for 5-10 min until hardly brown. Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. When cool fill with dulce de leche.

I think you are supose to roll the edges in coconut but I skip this step, because Jon's not huge fan of coconut.

Well, enjoy the recipes, let me know if you liked them:-)

The Last Two Weeks

2011-06-24T21:28:00.000-05:00

Well, the last two weeks really got away with me but I'm here to say we are doing well! Its been emotional roller coaster looking for houses, we all got colds, I have two days a week 3 hours a day of one-on-one language study and we have been getting to know people more at our church. I would say we are defiantly feeling comfortable here and reality has set in, that this is not a 2 week trip. It hit me the other day walking home with groceries when Jamen asked why a lady was clapping outside someone’s gate. I realized then and there I was living in a culture totally different from how I was raised and having to explain it to my three year old. I have known all along we are in a differnt culture, I see it all the time but there are times when it sinks in more and more. But the Lord is good and he is growing me through these times.

In these last two weeks, I am pleased to say that we have finally found a house! We should be able to get moved in sometime next week (pictures to come). Moving in should be interesting since we don't have a car and we will walking or riding the bus to get things or asking people to help us. Pray for us in this, I'm a little nervous about moving and all the unknown details. So, that’s the latest but here are some highlights from the last two weeks...

It was in the upper 80s the other day and so we ventured out to get some sweet pineapple...it was amazing!

Fathers Day at church...can you find Jon?

Jamen and Jade just chilling before bed

Jamen the other day asked to play games on the iPod and when I looked over at him, he had climbed under the covers...it was cute

My sweet Jade just being cute!

Sopa Paraguaya

2011-06-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

The other day I tried my hand at making a tradional dish called Sopa Paraguaya. I haven't been able to ask anyone how they make it or even watch but I did get the recipe from a fellow missionary. There seems to be different variations of the dish and I even changed my recipe to not include flour, just corn meal. I also made it a little more healthy by soaking the corn meal and using butter and less oil then called for. It came out great though and tasted like all the other kinds we've tried. This dish is one of our favorites already.

Here I have a few of my ingredients, soaked corn meal (this includes the milk), eggs and 2 cups of onions!

Grated cheese

Mix it all together and you have got a great side dish!

Yum!

Also, the other day we made it one of the biggest outdoor markets. I don't even know how big it is but it was information overload for me. There was so much to take in...

the selling fruits and veggies...

fish...

and lots of baskets!

It was neat though to see yet another aspect of life here in Paraguay!

Some Days

2011-06-04T13:29:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Jon and I celibrated out 5th wedding anniverary, I'd post pictures of how young we looked but I can't find them right now:-) I can't believe its been five years and as I reflected back on the last five years I am blown away by all that has taken place, all that the Lord has grown us in and is still growing us in. I'll just name a few of things that have taken place... the Lord blessed us with two beautiful kids, we've moved/visited/lived with people for three of those five years, we have learned to be content in difficult situations, to be joyful in the little things and thankful for EVERYTHING! The Lord continues to grow us in these things but its cool to look back and see how He has done that through different people and circumstances.

So last night we ate cake and icecream (which is AMAZING) and watched The Legend of Zorro

This morning I awoke to the cool air here in Paraguay not completely ready to face the day, I really wanted to keep sleeping. Then as soon as I stepped out of bed it seemed like everything I did went wrong....I washed a towel that completely fell apart and made a huge mess on the clothes...

Then Jade fell off the toilet and smacked her head, which doesn't seem to be bothering her in this picture. In the below picture you will notice she isn't wearing pants, we are trying very hard to get her potty trained. But needless to say there have been a few messes on the floor (glad for no carpet here). But in my efforts to clean up the mess I made a bigger mess by spilling more water on the floor...sigh...

The upside of the day has been the catching and keeping our new pet, "Bobby" the gecko (Jamen named him)

I figure the day isn't over yet and I have been reminded to stop and pray as things seem to go wrong and I get frustrated by my actions/clumsiness...the Lord is gracious and growing me more today!

48 Hours

2011-05-28T15:00:00.005-05:00

The last 48 hours have been a great learning experiance for me. Last night we were invited to an "asado" which I am still learning about but its a tradional dinner with lots of grilled meat and other foods like mandioca and sopa. They do it for special events, in our case, a welcome party. I was looking forward to interacting with our new friends, learning more about what they eat, how they cook, how they talk and how they interact with each other. I wasn't prepared for the migraine headache that took way much of my evening.

As I reflected on last night I was amazed at all I did learn through my unplanned event. I learned they are compassionate, kind, understanding and get headaches just like me! I also learned more about the Lords grace for the moment. As I sat in the bathroom for over an hour (throwing up, shaking so badly I didn't think I was going to get off the floor and pleading with the Lord to just make this headache just go away), I realized that even if my headache didn't go away I was going to need help just making eye contact and not wanting to offend the people we were with by not eating all the food they had made. I made it through the evening, I don't think anyone was offended and I didn't have to eat anything, people understood and my headache did go away (which it never does unless I sleep in a dark and very quite room), THATS MY GOD! I should also note that the kids did great, especially since we didn't get home till 12:30am and Jon was able to talk with people and continue to develope relationships

Well, today I am better and we made our first down town trip alone and here is what we saw....

A parade was taking place when we got there, lots of flags and bands playing. People lined the streets and it looked like there were important people watching but we don't know who

Then it was time for lunch, hot empanada's...yum!

I can't eat them, so I helped Jade instead

I was impressed by this man selling chipa out of the huge basket he carried on his head

There were many street venders selling clothes and table cloths

It was a good family day out and we keep learning more about the culture everytime we venture out.

Two Weeks

2011-05-25T10:05:00.001-05:00

Its been two weeks since arriving here in Paraguay, I can't believe it, the time is flying by! I thought I'd recap the last two weeks and share some new things we've learned and seen in the last few days.

Here we are fresh off the plane and being greeted by by our host family (just the husband in this picture).

The pastor greeting us and another lady from church.

Being greeted by our hostest, they greet you with a kiss, one on each cheek.

Here we are outside the airport in Paraguay!

We got here at an exciting time in Paraguays history. For the last two weeks and even before, they have getting ready and celibrating their 200th year of being a country.

On Saturday we got to see some of the dances, don't know the meaning or significance yet but I was impressed!

Here was a little market, they were selling everything from food to clothes. What caught our attention was that this market was set up right outside the hospital, good business strategy if you ask me;-)

As we walk we always see horse drawn carts. I have also noticed there aren't many lines on the roads, so roads quickly turn from one lane to two lanes to three three lanes and then go back down to one lane. I have also noticed there are no speed limit signs but there are speed bumps. We've learned its good to cross the street before a speed bump, cause there are also no cross walks and people don't slow down when they see you crossing or about to cross the road. I feel well adjusted in this area, for a while I feared crashing when riding in a car or getting hit by a car when walking but I'm learning and reminding myself this is how it is, not bad, just different!

We were out house hunting the other day with friends from church, the kids are loving the no car seats...but don't worry they don't ride like this:-)

Jon and a friend at a birthday party we were invited to. I didn't get as many pictures at the birthday as I would have liked but it was a great time to experince the culture here. Birthdays are a big deal and it showed, lots of people where there, hamburgers were served, music played loudly and everyone had fun. There was a lot more that took place, I came home and took down two pages of notes so that I wouldn't forget. Their birthday parties are different from ours but the same excitement is still there!

Jamen and Jade are doing very well here. Jamen loves his Sunday school teachers and the songs he is learning in Spanish. I heard him counting in Spanish and the other day he told Jade the water she was drinking is called, "agua". I was so proud:-) In the above picture Jamen and I were practicing our Spanish together.

Jade was practicing too and she said her first Spanish word the other day, "chou, chou" (bye, bye).

My Spanish is coming, I've been practicing my greetings everytime we are out and use as many words as I can when talking with the kids. I also try to have conversations with people at church, there is lots of "sign language" and pointing and laughing as we try to comunicate. But they know I am trying and they all want to help and its been very encouraging! And as a side note, I can count on one hand how many times I have been nervous, the Lord is good, thank you for your prayers!!!! Keep praying!

New Foods

2011-05-17T20:40:00.000-05:00

Today I went with a fellow missionary to the big market in town! This was my first time in a market of this size. It was incredible, all the colors of the fruits and veggies, the spicy smell of fresh basil, parsley and rosemary, unfortunately I forgot my camera. But I took pictures of the foods I got and cooked and am excited to share the new things we got to try or will be trying in the next few days!

Here we have the beef I got from the store yesterday, looks just like you would get it if you went to Walmart. To the left you'll see a white block of fresh cheese without salt, I got that the market today. I don't know how fresh it was but fresh enough not to have aged hardly at all cause it was very soft and mild flavor. Onions and garlic are a staple in our home and can be bought any where. The bottle you see is fresh wild honey from the Chaco with a corn cob as a cork and bugs and dirt floating on top, but I can't wait to try it! Then you will notice the corn chips which are just like any other corn chip only a little thicker and less salty. You will also notice my fruit and veggie wash, I brought the bottle but made my own spray from water, white vinegar, baking soda and grapefruit seed extract. I like to know my fruits and veggies are clean!

Here to the left you see lemons and my little juicer, notice the lemons are not yellow but I still got the same product. Then the tomatoes, oranges and lettuce-with the roots still intact! You will also notice the eggs sitting out. Believe it or not, eggs can sit at room temperature, as long as they have not been refrigerated. So here all the eggs are not refrigerated and if you looked for them in the refrigerated section of the store they wouldn't be there.

Soaking the broccoli in salt water to remove moths, squishy bugs and anything else thats hiding (I found it all). Broccoli is coming into season down here now that its cooler.

Here is my finished masterpiece for the evening!

It was like tacos, without the ground beef, salsa, and sour cream, but it was really good!

Here are Jamen and Jade enjoying their dinner and don't worry they use tables and chairs down here. In fact it would be very culturally inappropriate for us to be eating on the floor, but we were by our selves and I wanted to eat without a child on my lap:-)

Hope you enjoyed my little tour of some of the new things we are privileged to try. I'm finding the food isn't a big adjustment, things are a little dirtier but its just as if you grew it in the back yard and we have water to clean it so its really not a big deal. The kids are doing great with it, they both are loving the broccoli and fresh tomatoes! I'm excited to learn to make some of the everyday more traditional foods that they eat down here, I've had a few and they are so good!

Shopping

2011-05-16T13:46:00.001-05:00

I wanted to share with you our first shopping trip (by ourselves) and a few fun facts or new things I am learning. Sorry the pictures aren't in order, I'll explain as we go

Here we are (I'm taking the picture) ready to walk to the store which is about 6 blocks one way. Jon and I both had backpacks so that we could carry our food home. They don't let you walk around with your backpacks inside the store, we had to turn them in at the gift wrapping counter (you can have items gift wrapped right there in the store, I've seen this twice now) where our bags were put behind the counter and we were given a number so we could get them back later.

Here I was excited to find they have the same spices for cooking , I cooked with cumin last night...yum! However what is different is they don't come in containers, just plastic bags, so I've been on a hunt for containers to put them in or I can just leave them in the bags.

Here milk comes in 1 liter bags or smaller. Also, ziploc bags are hard to come by. I've only seem them being sold in packs of 8 and its like $3.00!

On our way to the store this morning we passed this man who walks around picking though peoples trash looking for plastic bottles that he can sell to make some money.

Here we are outside the grocery store. Its a pretty big store, with lots of variety, only different variety. Like here the dairy section is huge and there was a whole row of just rice. Which means there is less of other things like only 3 brands of coffee and one kind of apple. If you buy flour or noddles, you scoop them out of big tubs and put them into a bag. Fresh herbs are readily available, I was very excited about that! But not everything is cheap, the economy here in Paraguay is good, so for many things we paid the same or more for things as back in the states.

Here is a horse and cart right here in the city! These people go around just the man in the other picture and collect plastic as a living.

I pretty much noticed these lovely plants right away, they are along most of the fences or walls as we walked along.

Here are Jamen and Jade walking back from the store. To the left are the same plants pictured above, they look nice until you get close:-)

Here are a few homes we saw as we walked, they are very nice in this section of town.

In front of one of the homes was this huge plant, so Jamen got a picture with it!

Fruit trees are in most yards, like this orange tree on the left

I was trying to take a picture of the bus. We haven't ridden a bus yet but we will soon. Buses are everywhere and will take us to every part of the city that is too far to walk.

Well, thats all for now. Many more adventures ahead...

Well, that was the extent of our morning. It didn't take very long to walk to the store and find things and it was good to get out and see more of the city!

Paraguay

2011-05-14T19:59:00.000-05:00

We are finally in Paraguay! Over 5 years of training, getting ready, raising support and we made it by the skin of our teeth! We had pros and cons to our final hours state side and thats what makes this story worth telling.

Tuesday morning arrived too early, we all were still tired from the day before of beach walking, fun in the pool and mini golf at the resort where Jon's parents vacation. But there was plenty to do, so we rolled out of bed. Jamen was very excited cause finally we were going to Paraguay! All I could think about was how little time we had and how much I needed to get done and Jon was focused on selling the car. Well, to make a long story short I was needed at the car selling place (whose name shall remain anonymous) to sign the title. So, Jon and his dad had to drive back to hotel (40 min from the car place) and get me, the kids, Jon's mom and the last of our stuff.

We got on the road at 2:00 pm, an hour later than we should have. But traffic was good and we were making good time. Our next stop was another car place on the way to Miami, this time with me there. We get there, we had made good time, kids slept, we had made last minute phone calls, they said it will be 25 min and we'll get you a check! We were excited it was going to work out, however after an hour had gone by we were starting to panic. After another 20 mins we were running to Jon's parents van, check in hand and funny part was they didn't need me to sign papers:-)

We are now 45 min from the airport and hour behind when we are suppose to be at the airport (international flights you need to be there 3-3.5 hours before). But God is good and we don't hit any traffic as we enter Miami and we get to the airport at 6:55 pm. I jump out of the van and run to the ticket counter while Jon gets the bags, Nana watches the kids and Grandpa parks the car. I finally figure what line I am suppose to be in and they rush me to the next open counter. They look at our paperwork and tell us, "we were about to close the flight in 5 min". We just made it!

But there wasn't time to relax yet, while they checked our bags Jon had to run downstairs and to the end of the airport to pay the extra baggage fee while I finished up getting the bags checked and got the kids and carry-ons down to security. We said quick goodbyes, not a perk about being late. However one perk about being late, there are no lines, we walked right through security, no problems (got to keep all my gluten free snacks!). By the time we got to the gate the plane was half full and our seats were not together. But it got resolved, even though I didn't understand cause the airline was Brazilian so they were speaking Portuguese and I think some people got mad but Jamen couldn't sit by himself and I made sure I didn't play the part of the ugly america:-)

We got in our seats and that plane was in the air at 8:05, 10 min early!!!! I didn't get sick, the seabands helped with nausea but I did pass-out about 12:30, I think the sitting and stress of the day caught up with me. But I got some cool water on my head and I was fine after that and so was the rest of the trip. We met another linguist in the airport, the kids did great, they slept on the plane (we didn't), all our bags came through, nothing was broken or stolen!!! All our prayers were answered, what a great God we have! We went through customs no problem, they didn't even open our bags and when we stepped outside the airport we were greeted by our host family and host pastor and his wife along with fellow missionaries! There was much rejoicing and I cried but it was great and something I will never forget!

I haven't been good about taking pictures but here a few and a little about what's taken place since our arrival.

Last night we met again with our host family and host Pastor and his wife, who are very excited have us and teach us, just to talk with them and get to know them better (as much as we can with as little as we speak). They met us at the airport but here they are below. Pastor and his wife to the left and our host family on the right.

Us and our host family (I don't know how to spell their names yet but they will be teaching us Spanish and showing us around the city and helping us find a home and getting settled there)

Here is Jamen with some of our bags. This is outside the door to our guest house home for the next few weeks or so until we find a place to live.

Praise the Lord with us that we got here, our bags got here, we are healthy, the kids are adjusting and we are loving it! We are encouraged by our co-workers and thankful they are here.

Pray with us that we would find a place to live soon (its better if we make the adjustment of being on our own sooner then later), for culture shock if and when it does set it (right now we still feel like we are living in south GA, its very similar), pray we would balance ministry and family and continue to be faithful parents to Jamen and Jade!

We love and miss you all and THANK YOU for your PRAYERS and SUPPORT!

Aaahh Freak Out

2011-05-04T13:51:00.001-05:00

I am not really freaking out with only 7 days left but that part of the song is stuck in my head and seems appropriate...even if its not accurate.

Well, this last month has been full of goodbyes, birthdays and wonderful memories. The kids have done well with all the moving and seeing new people. I am still amazed at their little personalities coming out more and more and it fills my heart with joy to see them grow and learn! So, here are the highlights of the last 4 weeks...

Jon, Jade, my sweet sister and I at the playground

Jamen and Jade loved having Grandma and Grandpa there to read, play and to celebrate Jamen's 3rd birthday!

The birthday boy!

The red firetruck cake I made, to go along with our "red" themed party, all Jamen wanted was a "red" birthday. It took me about three hours to make this cake and only about 30 min to eat it, but I had tons of fun doing it and Jamen really liked it!

Dressed up on Easter morning!

The Easter egg hunt that afternoon, Jamen was excited with how many he found...

but Jade was the first to discover there was stuff inside...I didn't realize till after the fact that I could have left them empty since it was their first egg hunt.They wouldn't have know there was suppose to be stuff inside:-) They had fun and I think all of us grown ups had more fun watching them!

Jade being down right cute!

Gigi and Bompa also made a trip down for a few days, it was wonderful to see them and spend precious time with them. Four generations of Quast watching hockey together, priceless!

Nice Days

2011-04-15T11:24:00.000-05:00

This last week has been great; all our paperwork is done and most of the packing is done too. So we've had some time to just be outside and spend time with each other. Jamen and Jade have been cracking me up with how they interact these days, its fun to watch them help each other and to hear them talk to each other. Yes we have our moments when they aren't very nice but even then there are teachable moments. Its been awesome to encourage the sweet things they do for each other and to see them growing up! So, here are some highlights from the last week...

The weather has turned nice here in VA and so we find ourselves out for walks most days.

I recently discovered that Jade fits into the baby doll stroller and that Jamen can push her all over the neighborhood.

On our walk we found dandelions, Jade is just learning about them.

We finally made it down to the pond where a goose came over to us (I wished I had brought bread) but that didn't keep Jamen from making friends with it. Jamen sat down and said, "hi goose, what you doing?"

My sweet kids

Jade and I soaking up the sun!

Jamen and Jade enjoying yummy homemade gluten free crackers fresh out of the oven

Jade getting in on the fun

Jamen loves going outside and playing football with Daddy

Thoughts

2011-03-29T09:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I watched as a thunderstorm rolled in; the sky got dark, the trees leaves shuttered in the wind, thunder clapped overhead and my eyes filled with tears as I thought of how soon we will going to place that was unfamiliar. And yet as I watched the familiar I was reminded it wound't all be unfamiliar in Paraguay, the rain would still fall from the sky, the trees would blow in the wind, the thunder would still remind me of how powerful God is and people, though different are still people!

So while my thoughts and emotions are tender at times I'm glad for these times that the Lord reminds of who he is and how he continues to provide for us! Its also been exciting these last few weeks to see family we've never met and to have the kids meet their cousins. We all got caught up the other day and the kids had a great time!

The cousins playing together

Eating pizza

Pretty Toes But Not For Long

2011-03-02T13:28:00.002-06:00

Last night we did the craziest and most expensive thing ever....we bought plane tickets to Paraguay for May 10th!!!!!!!!

Reality is slowly setting in, with 70 days left before we leave, there is much to do! Excitement and sadness runs strong even as I write this. The thoughts of family left behind, the sweet wonderful friends straying here and yet the encourgament from all of them through prayer, financial support and words of encouragement has been amazing!
Over the last few months as we have prepared for this day, of finally having a departure date, the following verses have been on my mind.
"I am not telling you this because I need anything. I have learned to be satisfied with the things I have and with everything that happens. I know how to live when I am poor and I know how to live when I have plenty. I have learned the secret of being happy at any time in everything that happens, when I have enough to eat and what I go hungry, when I have more than I need and when I do not have enough. I can do all things through Christ because he gives me strength." Phil. 4:11-13

But more than that, Acts 4:12 races around my mind as well, " Jesus is the only one who can save people. His name is the only power in the world that has been given to save people. We must be saved through him." This is why we must go, what a privilege!

Also, yesterday, some sweet friends treated me to my very first pedicure! I was a little unsure at first, not to fond of others touching my feet. For about the first 30 min I was a little freaked out but soon I begain to relax, which was the whole reason for going. Going into those nail shops, always reminds me of what we are going to do, its a whole nother culture in there. It was a little bittersweet, but fun time with friends and now I have pretty toes.

Family Day

2011-02-19T15:45:00.000-06:00

Today was a much needed family day and time to catch our breath. It was 72 today so we decided to take the kids to the park and have a picnic lunch, it was just what we all needed! Ministry is important but so is family and sometimes you need a break.

My beautiful family at the water front park, enjoying our family day

Here is Jade all ready to go with Jamen's hat and sunglasses...she looks up to her big brother more than I know. Teaching Jamen a lot these days about how to show and teach Jade all the things he already knows. He does well with it and he enjoys it. Its really cute to watch them!

Jamen finally going down the slide, it took him some time but once he figured it out, he loved it!

Jade couldn't get enough of the slide!

All set to go

I know she looks a little horrified but at the bottom it was all smiles!

Cute and Fun Times

2011-02-13T19:13:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to share a few fun and cute pictures...

Jade with Jon and "baby"!

She gets cuter and cuter, more silly and more grown up everyday!

I did laundry and put some clean underwear on Jade's head, she loved it, now every time she sees Jamen's underwear she thinks it goes on her head.

Her two top front teeth are finally in, very excited for her to have a set of teeth!

Jamen wanting his picture taken

Cute pigtails!

Where have we been?

2011-02-01T09:22:00.000-06:00

The two weeks have been a blur, its been busy with many decisions to make, thinking, praying and some traveling. On the 22nd we traveled to TN to speak at a church out there and visit with some friends. It was a great time for us, very encouraging and refreshing. Also, in the last week after much praying, talking with the field of Paraguay, we've decided to take a step forward and we are officially leaving in May! I can't tell you how great it is to have a date set and paperwork started. We are still praying and looking to the Lord and to many of you has we still need funds to continue on and keep us overseas.We are reminded daily with the urgency of going to the unreached and the Lord keeps providing so that we can get there, its very exciting to see how He works through all of us!

In the mean time, we will be heading to GA next week, to visit and speak at churches. We will keep you updated as we continue on.

Jamen just being cute

At the playground in the mall

Playing and having fun

Jade loves to read...rather us read to her

Jamen Reading!

2011-01-17T18:29:00.002-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suCIGbNeyCg

Jade Is Walking

2011-01-10T21:53:00.004-06:00

I knew the day would come when my little baby would walk and I'd cry and have to tell everyone, so share in our joy and click here to see her go. She is walking more and more, I'd say its about 50/50 between walking and crawling. Its fun to look up and see her just go walking off. I am so thankful her legs are the same length and have good strength so that she can walk. There was a little concern when she was born that because of the birthmark she could have some problems but she doing just fine!

Christmas Cookies

2011-01-03T16:35:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Jade continued

2010-12-31T08:48:00.003-06:00

Birthday lunch, bananas, mango and cheese...yum!

The four of us

Jade's birthday cake...gluten free cake, with cream cheese honey frosting and blueberry juice as food coloring! I was pretty excited about this cake, I enjoy trying new and different things so this was tons of fun to make!

One year old pictures on the couch!

Cake time...

This is as messy as it got. For a really long time she ate it with one finger, then she picked it up and put it down again. With every lick she did say "yum". I think she had a very Happy First Birthday!

(for more pictures check out facebook)

Happy Birthday Jade

2010-12-30T10:25:00.004-06:00

This was me a year ago...hard to believe ones body can get this big, I measured from my hip to the front of my belly and it stuck out 12 inches!

After 12 hours of labor, no drugs of any kind Jade Noel Quast arrived!

Jamen was and still is a proud big brother!

We were shocked when we saw the birthmark Jade was born with, but so thankful for health baby! Its been a journey of surgery, biopsies, an MRI and many visits to see an dermatologist to help us understand more about this large congenital melanocytic nevi that covers 1/3 of her body. Jade has no neurological problems or physical problems and we praise God for her and all that He has taught us through her birth! It is still a journey, her birthmark needs monitoring to make sure nothing looks suspicious...aka cancerous...but in the mean time we live day to day enjoying her growing up!

Happy Birthday Jade!

(first birthday cake and party pictures to come!)

Christmas

2010-12-26T13:49:00.002-06:00

Well, it wasn't a white Christmas this year, but it's a white day after Christmas! As I type the snow continues to fall, far we've got about 7 inches! Its a nice way to spend the day, all snowed in and playing with new toys. The kids a great day, here are some highlights...

This year was Jade's first Christmas and she loved it! Here she was taking things out of her stocking. Being she's a little young for lots of stocking things I just put in some silly puddy which she loved but then I promptly took it away.

She got a baby doll, which she loves! She even says "baby"

Jamen holding the classic Winnie-the-Pooh stories. We've already started reading it together.

What's Christmas without more cars to play with! And no I didn't make him pose for every picture, just a few:-)

It did take Jade a little while to figure out what was going on but Jamen helped her out.

We had a great Christmas with family! Hope you did too, Merry Christmas!

Speaking Tomorrow

2010-12-18T15:00:00.002-06:00

Christmas preparations are well underway, the tree is up and decorated, the house is clean, Jade doesn't need dentures for Christmas (cut her first tooth the other day!). The cookies are baked and awaiting frosting, Jamen is looking forward to that part! Just need to wrap a few books for Jamen and we are ready! But before that happens we will travel 3 hours south tomorrow to speak at a church to share with them the work that is going on in Paraguay. Please be praying for our visit with them, for encouragement to their hearts and what God would have them do...pray for us, support us or just be aware of the lost people of Paraguay! We'll let you know how it goes!

Here is Jamen helping to decorate the Christmas tree!

Weddings...

2010-12-09T13:00:00.006-06:00

The has flown by since our last post and much has happened. First off, we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family, it was great to be with my two brothers and sister one last time for a while.

My handsome brothers and beautiful sister!

It was also hard to say goodbye, many tears were shed as we left NH. But we rejoiced in the fact that we were able to stop in and see both of my grandmas.

Great grandmas with the great grandkids

This was the first time either of them had meet Jamen and Jade, they were very excited to see the great grand kids. After a quick stop to see great grandparents, we continued our way south.

When we arrived in VA we immediately started to help out with Jon's youngest sisters wedding.

Weddings bring family together for a time of laughter, tears, a little stress but ultimately a good time and a new family gained.

However it was very busy here at the Quast house, with dress's to be altered, centerpieces to be made and food to be cooked for the reception.

The tables at the reception. I did all 20 centerpieces by myself, I'm just a little proud of them. It was fun getting all dressed up for the wedding.

Aren't they cute!

Despite the busyness we really had a good time at the wedding and Jamen really liked his sunglasses!

Jamen was the ring bearer and his cousin Elizabeth was a flower-girl, they were so cute all dressed up.

Jade got to have her first father daughter dance and I enjoyed seeing the family all together and taking tons of pictures.

Fall Memories

2010-11-17T13:48:00.004-06:00

This week was full of new memories made. Jamen showed Uncle Ben all his cars and together they played.

Jamen iced Grandpa's head to help his headache

Jamen painted for the first time and Jade watched very intently

Jade and Grandma played with toys I played with as a kid

Jamen and Grandpa played blocks together

We took walks with the dog and Aunt Allana enjoying the warmer fall weather

I showed Jamen and Jade the soft silky milkweed seeds and how much fun they are to play with

We took a trip to Maine and enjoyed the ocean view!

While in Maine we visited Grain Surf Boards, which was very exciting for Jon!

Throughout this week the Lord has continued to encourage me. He has encouraged me through people giving us fresh eggs and milk to enjoy and by the little things that I enjoy doing, baking and making homemade remedies to ease colds for my sick kids. I've been encouraged by showing Jamen all the fun places I use to play, trees climbed and little rivers to throw rocks in. Our time here in NH is not over yet but already I've been able to come to a peace about saying goodbye to the things I've held dear to my heart. I don't know when we'll be back here but I am glad for new memories and old ones that I will always treasure!

Life on the Road

2010-11-10T07:32:00.007-06:00

I've decide its high time to write a little more about our life each time I post pictures. So today I wanted to share that we are now completely done with missionary training! Jon turned in his final paper yesterday and we are now officially en-route to Paraguay! We are planning to be in Paraguay in April but to do that we must say goodbyes to family and friends and continue raise support. The first of many stops was to visit Great Grandma and Grandpa in NY.

Jade and Gigi

Jamen and Jade playing in the NY leaves!

Jamen helping Bompa with all the leaves

Currently we are in NH visiting with my family. Its been two years since we've been back to NH and 10 months since Grandma and Grandpa have seen the grandkids. Its been good for me to be back here as well to really say goodbye to all the places I have grown up with.

But its not goodbye yet, Jamen is loving the time he has with Aunt Allana...he miss her when she goes to school and asks to go with her.

Allana reading a bedtime story to Jamen

Done in OK

2010-10-10T19:33:00.003-05:00

After a 5.5 hour car ride from OK to MO we are once again settled for a short time. Our time in OK went fast but it was a great growing experience for both Jon and I. The Lord really taught us a lot about being content with where he has us, loving others and loving each other. We will be MO for a few weeks while Jon does his write up of the Cherokee language. We will also be taking care of some last minute things before packing up and leaving MO for the last time! Below are a few things that took place over the last month since our last post.

Jamen has discovered he is now able to climb and bike without help. He is also talking in FULL sentences and today he only stopped when I told him he couldn't talk with food in his mouth. I really am loving having a 2.5 year old...it hasn't been terrible!

Our time in OK had a lot of firsts for Jade...

We had mother daughter time and painted our toes,

she wore her first frilly dress,

and had enough hair for a first pony tail!

Cherokee Festival

2010-09-10T12:56:00.002-05:00

This past weekend was the Cherokee Holiday, there were lots of events going on around town. Everything from quilt contests to traditional Indian dancing. With so much going on we had to pick what events to attend. On Friday we chose to go to the pow-wow, it was fun to go as a family and see what it was all about.

It was fun to see everyone all dressed up and excited about the dancing. It was kinda sad to cause so much of there culture has been lost and so much is just for show now. The second day we went to see some of the games, below is marbles being played.

There was also a parade that morning which Jamen loved! The yellow cars, fire trucks, police cars and candy were all that Jamen needed!

Jade had fun too, she enjoyed holding Heaths hand in the stroller. It was a good weekend for all of us!

In Oklahoma

2010-08-27T13:22:00.003-05:00

We are in OK and enjoying everything so far. Jamen has made new friends and is once again enjoying having new toys to play with. At this age as long as there is food, a place to sleep and toys Jamen is a happy boy!

Jamen playing playdough with his new friends. There is another couple with two boys, the boys are 4.5 and 3, Jamen enjoys having older kids to play with.

Jade trying sweet potatoes for the first time...well, solids in general...can't say she is very thrilled about the idea.

She gaged and threw up the first two days, now she just won't open her mouth...poor thing...we'll just take it slow

Jade was practicing her kissing on Ezra, another baby with us who is 5 months old. Below is a video our "new house" as Jamen likes to call it.

Ten Days Later

2010-08-20T18:43:00.004-05:00

Here is Jade ten days after surgery! We went to the doctor on Thursday where he took of the steri strips, thats what all the redness is from. She has such sensitive skin when it comes to band-aids and such. The redness should go down in a few more days. Meanwhile its been really nice to let her sleep how she wants, give her a real bath and let her play without worrying as much. They did a great job with removing her birthmarks and as long as we do our part in taking good care of her scars, they are hardly going to be noticeable! Below are a few more highlights from the week.

Apparently the rocks were more interesting then usual

Jades first time on a swing! She loved it!

Jamen and his friend Andrew feeding chickens

These two have so much fun together, they were so cute sitting in the back seat of the van

I'm pretty sure they would play together all day long if we let them. Its such a joy to see them play, I love that Jamen has a friend, even if its only for a time...and who knows maybe they will be friends again one day

How Big is Jade?

2010-08-14T21:01:00.007-05:00

Jade may have had surgery on Wednesday but you'd never know it. Below is a video we took of her today, she just wanted to be tickled!

Jade is recovering very well, we have had no infections or problems with her playing with her face. She hasn't even been fussy do to pain, all her fussiness is cause we won't let her be normal...for example, she can't rub her eyes and face when she gets sleepy, she can't sleep without her arm restraints so she fusses cause she can't sleep how she likes. I keep telling her only 12 more days and things should be better. Thank you all for your support and prayers during this time, we have needed it all! Before I forget, the MRI results came in and her brain is normal! We are praising God for our healthy, happy baby girl!

Sweet Baby Jade

2010-08-12T11:44:00.004-05:00

Here is Jade two hours before leaving for the hospital. Jon was trying to get her to drink some more liquids before the cut off time. We arrive to the hospital on time and got checked in. We ended up having to wait for 2 hours until they finally took Jade. We were a bundle of nerves, we spent our time in prayer and were so thankful to have Herb and Janet there for most of the time to talk with and keep our minds busy. The two hours and 15 min that we waited seemed very long but soon Jade was in recovery and we could see her! I wasn't prepared for all the medical hook ups that she still had on, like the IV in her neck, heart monitors, blood pressure cuff and pulse monitor. She was discharged in under an hour and we drove the 2 hours home. She slept for most of the ride home and when she woke up she smiled at me! Up to that point she recognized us but it was her smile that melted my heart! God is good and answered our prayers for safe surgery and a smiling and healthy functioning baby!

Jade did great her first night home, she woke to eat several times and then went right back to sleep. She hasn't been in any pain or so it seems, she's only gotten fussy when its time to sleep. The arm restraints have been great for sleeping and as long as we are right by her side when she is awake we take them off. Thank you for all your prayers! We should get the MRI results in a few days, we'll keep you all posted.

I had to post these picture as well, Jamen being silly and his new hair cut!

Trip to MO

2010-08-10T17:37:00.003-05:00

One of our happy moments on our trip, the only one we caught on camera. We stopped and got fresh peaches, watermelon and fresh boiled peanuts...yum!

Our journey begins with leaving GA to head back to MO on a Monday. With our car packed tightly we said our goodbyes and set off. The first part of the morning went well. At lunch however we stopped in the middle of nowhere GA at a gas station that had some tables with shade and thinking it would be a good spot to eat, go potty and stretch our legs.

When we stepped out of the car we were hit with hot 98 degrees, I got Jamen out of the car and practically ran for the bathroom (we both had to go really bad). I get inside and ask the man where the bathrooms are, to which he replied "we don't have any!" Needless to say I took Jamen outside and let him pee in the grass (I had to hold it, all part of being a grownup I guess). I also had to change his clothes cause he had gotten them wet during the car ride from spilled water. I let the clothes hang in the sun while we ate.

Jamen in his clean clothes proceeded to get PB&J everywhere cause the gnats were so bad and kept flying in his eyes and face! He kept crying and saying "no bee!" We couldn't wait to get out of there! Without running water we managed to get Jamen cleaned up and back in the car. Jade had a hard time too cause it was so hot she didn't want to eat and the gnats were in her eyes as well. Once back in the car we rolled the windows down cause the air conditioner in the car only works when its cool (long story). We drove for a little while with the hot air cooling us down when Jon asked if I grabbed Jamens clothes, which I didn't. So now, day one we were short underwear and shorts!

So to make matters worse, we get to our campsite hot and tired only to find the park is empty! We couldn't find a single person! We couldn't just set up camp, we were stuck. We also didn't have any cell phone reception or GPS service. It was dinner time, it was still hot and the kids were getting cranky.

We finally found a place a few miles down the road and made camp the first night. The kids didn't want to go sleep, it was hot and didn't get dark until 9:30. We all had taken cool showers to help with the heat but it was a rough night. We had all gotten a little dehydrated and the fact that it was still hot all night didn't help. The above picture was the next morning cooking breakfast.

Day two we didn't get any pictures. We drove 5 hours to our next stop, all our stops went much smoother. No clothes were left behind, there were bathroom and we made sure we were all staying hydrated. We could tell it was hot but didn't find out till we got to our campsite that it was 102 but felt like 118! We got the tent up in time for a big thunderstorm to roll in, it didn't last long and it didn't help the heat.

The whole day I had been praying for a cool breeze, I knew it was going to be horrible sleeping again and I wasn't ready. God answered my prayer in a way I didn't expect. The couple in the campsite next to us gave us a fan to use for the night, it was AMAZING! We all slept soundly, it was still hot but it was much better than being without a fan. I've never been in that kind of heat all day, it was rough on everyone (remember we had no AC past 10:00am, so we were out in the heat all day)!

By day three we were feeling a little worn out but still ready to move on. We got to our new campsite at 11:00am thinking we could enjoy the area and relax a little. However once there we found out it was already 101! With Jamen crying and Jade wet with sweat, we decided it was too much. Its one thing as an adult to stay cool and know when you need to drink and it another thing for a 2 year old and a 7 month old. We went and found a hotel for the night. Above is Jade with her windblown hair and the biggest smile cause it was cool and she was out of the car! We found out later the area we were going to camp had reached 104 that day. We all got cool baths that night, the kids heat rashes went away and we all got re-hydrated! Once cooled off we all realized how tired we were, Jamen could barely finish his PB&J.

It was a cute town that we staid in that night, we walked downtown to the candy shop to get a "special snack" later that evening. Jamen was so cute, he'd never been in a candy store before (wal-mart doesn't count). Jamen picked out some gummy bears:-)

The next morning we took our time packing, enjoying the cool before going out into the heat again. We only had 3 hours to go on the fourth day and when we arrived in MO it was so cool! I had forgotten what it was like! Overall it was a good trip, it had its hard times but we made it. God provided every step of the way and that was cool to see, from the lady with the fan, to the refund on our nonrefundable campsite, money for food and a hotel!

Sitting up and Boat Rides

2010-07-30T08:07:00.003-05:00

Jade is sitting up all by herself these days. She is also having fun chewing on the sippy cup.

We went on a boat ride up river a few days ago and Jade was having a blast on the sand bar! She wanted nothing to do with the blanket we had her on, she made her way over to the sand and had a blast. I think she only ate it twice and the rest of the time was content to play in it.

Jamen really enjoyed our stop at the sand bar. He had no fear of the water and ran up and down with the dump truck.

Jamen on the boat, it was windy and bright!

Jade in her life vest and hat, ready for her first boat ride.

Life as a Kid

2010-07-21T14:58:00.004-05:00

Life for Jade is all about smiles!

It's also about where that next toy is

Life for Jamen is all about his new friend, Fin

Fin is very loved by Jamen

Life for Jamen is more than just dogs, its also about falling and getting skinned knees and about pretending to be a monkey....

Summer Play

2010-07-13T08:17:00.005-05:00

Jamen playing

Jade is almost sitting up all on her own these days

We are staying with a sweet family and they have lots of new toys, Jamen has been having so much fun!

They also have a pool, which has been great on these hot summer days

Jamen playing cars on the slide

I put on some kids music and he laid down to listen to it. There was nothing on the screen to watch, it was so cute!

Jade was enjoying her time in the high chair playing with toys!

Summer Time

2010-07-06T18:42:00.003-05:00

We are enjoying the summer weather here in GA! Its been amazing, tons cooler than last year. We are keeping busy with catching up with friends and meeting some new ones. God continues to provide for us and we are excited as he continues to grow and teach us every day. Here are a few pictures, enjoy!

Jon reading Jamen a bedtime story, Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book

Jade lovin' on Daddy!

Jade is 6 months old and getting more and more cute everyday!

I gave Jamen a hair cut today, such a handsome boy!

Down South

2010-07-02T10:49:00.004-05:00

We have made our way down south to GA, we spent the first days in a hotel and inside cause it wouldn't stop raining. Needless to say Jamen had a ton of energy.

The extra energy however didn't seem to affect the kids sleep.

We are staying with a family now and gearing up for the 4th of July events

Brother Sister Time

2010-06-25T10:57:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd share a few pictures of Jamen and Jade having some cute brother sister time...

Jamen picked up Jade's foot and his and put them together; Jade looked a little concerned with what was going on.

I told Jamen to give Jade a kiss, Jade really got into it

Finally got them both to smile at the same time

Off on a stroller ride!

Joining the Circus

2010-06-16T12:28:00.004-05:00

So we'd thought we'd join the circus to help pass the time...okay, not really but Jon and the kids can do this cool balancing act.

Even Jade can balance at 5 months and don't worry, neither of the kids have ever fallen

Here we all are!

I love this picture of great Grandma and Grandpa. Jamen and Grandpa are making the same face, love it!

Jamen got introduced to the Quast family tradition of Buffalo wings from Buffalo, NY

Lastly, here we are about to go to a movie for our fourth wedding anniversary.

Moving on

2010-05-31T09:57:00.005-05:00

A week ago we packed up and moved once again. We will continue to be all over the country for the next year. While we were packing we came across these swimming goggles, they were a good look for Jamen.

We got ALL our belongings into our Ford Explorer and drove to our first camp site. Jon and Jamen were just hanging out, enjoying not being in our car.

The best part of camping is roasting marshmallows. Jamen enjoyed his first roasted marshmallow!

While we set up the tent, Jamen was busy building.

Jade was very sleepy and slept great all night!

We made it safely to VA and we are enjoying being with family for the next few weeks.

New Jags Fan!

2010-05-15T08:16:00.002-05:00

Here is our new Jags fan!

Jamen lovin' on Jade

Just a cute picture

This next picture goes back a while, don't get distracted by Jon's weird beard thing, I wanted to compare Jamen and Jade wearing the same outfit. They are so cute!

Happy Mothers Day

2010-05-09T21:21:00.004-05:00

My little boy, getting so big!

My little girl, getting even bigger!

There are no word for the joy that fills my heart to see my kids smiling back at me!

I am very proud and privileged to be a mom!

Happy Birthday

2010-05-09T20:23:00.005-05:00

Jon's birthday was on Tuesday and we celebrated by having cheese cake

Jamen was very excited to participate in the blowing out of the candles

And even more excited to have cake

First time eating cheese cake, I think he liked it!

This week....

2010-04-24T15:52:00.002-05:00

Jamen going for a ride on Jon's shoulders in the Wal-Mart parking lot

Jon and Jade

My little man!

Jade getting cuter everyday!

Jamen playing with his best friend Andrew...its so cute to watch them play

Happy Birthday

2010-04-10T12:30:00.012-05:00

This year Jamens birthday was more fun for all of us. He wasn't cranky like last year and he had a bit more understanding about what was going on. He was so cute opening his gifts and was thrilled when everyone clapped after he blew out his candles. We had big party for Jamen and two other classmates of Jon's cause it was their birthday as well. We had a BBQ potluck, bonfire, and a really good time. Enjoy the pictures!

We started the day out by opening gifts from family, he kept making this face as he opened his birthday presents.

Happy face, he loved all his gifts, thank you!

Birthday dinner and Mater birthday hat

Winnie the Pooh cake that Mommy made

I think he liked it

Playing with friends

He was pretty sleepy by the end of the evening, but he had a great birthday!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T12:44:00.006-05:00

The morning started off very well until it came time to take pictures, Jamen cried which only made Jade cry. So unfortunately I didn't get any cute pictures of them together. I did get some cute ones of Jade before she spit-up on her dress and I had to put her in the yellow one, which didn't last that long either. Organized picture taking always goes unorganized. I think I'll stick to spontaneous picture taking. Well, enjoy the pictures!

Broken Camera

2010-03-23T14:05:00.002-05:00

So our camera is broken, which makes updating our blog a little tricky. It might be a while before we get new pictures up. In the the meantime, enjoy the ones that are there!

Celestial Seasonings Giveaway

2010-03-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

Hurry and you might win! Check out this link for Celestial Seasonings giveaway...http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2010/03/celestial-seasonings-wellness-kit-giveaway.html

Looks like me

2010-03-15T16:48:00.003-05:00

Jen as a baby

Jade as a baby

Jamen says she looks like me. I showed him the above picture and he said "Jade"

Together

2010-03-13T21:25:00.003-06:00

Jamen and Jade doing things together

Playing together

Laughing together

Being silly together

Riding togther

Desk for Jamen

2010-03-06T10:48:00.005-06:00

Jon finished Jamen's desk this last week

He really likes it!

This is how he use to color

Jon, Jamen and Jade watching something about wolves (wolves are Jamens new favorite animal)

We finally put Jamen in his booster seat, he does well eating at the table with us

Whats really going on

2010-02-20T13:25:00.005-06:00

Okay so I thought this time I'd actually write a little bit about what is going on in our lives right now. Jon is taking the linguistics program this semester. He spend time doing homework but also gets in some fun times of wood working and hanging out with the three of us. He playing cars with Jamen and makes Jade smile. I am home with the kids while Jon is in class, I do different fun actives with Jamen, like play dough and his cars sticker book. I also continue to teach him his ABC's and colors. He is also learning to put away laundry! Right now I am also helping with a baby shower for two of my good friends.

Jamen spends his days playing with his cars, coloring and talking non stop. He has started putting words together and retelling us things he has seen or done (ex. he went to a high school basketball with Jon and as soon as he hears the word basketball he'll start "talking" about it). Jade spends her days eating, sleeping and lately smiling and cooing more.

Tummy time for Jade

6 weeks, 22 months and 1 coffee table

2010-02-12T20:17:00.007-06:00

Jamen is 22 months this month, hard to believe he'll be two in April!

Jon finished our coffee table this week (it took him less than a week to make it). It looks amazing and it work great! Jamen likes to drive his cars all around it and will park them on the slats below.

Here is Jade! We went to the doctor this week and she weighs 11 lb 10 oz and is 21 inches long. Thats pretty good for being 6 weeks old!

Jamen was admiring his little sister. He is so good to her and she like him too!

Smiles, Coos and Finds Thumb

2010-02-01T20:59:00.011-06:00

I turned my back for five seconds and look what she found...

Now that she knows her thumb is there she tries to find it as much as possible...

sometimes I help her, she doesn't take a pacifier and the thumb comes in handy

Jade is already smiling and talking to us

Out with the Old and In with the New

2010-01-30T15:47:00.004-06:00

Jade is one month old today, this is the best picture I could get of her holding up her head

We got about 6 inches of snow yesterday and today Jamen and I made another snowman

So I finally gave in and cut my hair, it was the longest I've had it in a really long time, however I needed that new mommy hair cut....

Before and after....

Much better!

First bath

2010-01-25T18:54:00.003-06:00

Jade got her first bath this evening!

I think she liked it

All dressed up...

2010-01-24T19:28:00.001-06:00

All dressed up for church

First week...

2010-01-22T14:20:00.002-06:00

This was the first week back to class for Jon and my first week home with two kids. We are all a little tired but we made it, I think we can do it again next week!

They are so peaceful when they are sleeping

Jamen and I

Watching Winnie the Pooh after a long day

Snow!

2010-01-16T17:31:00.002-06:00

Jamen walking around in the snow...he liked it

It got warm enough for Jon and Jamen to make a snowman...

but by the afternoon it had melted, Jamen was very sad when he saw the snowman was gone

And here is Jade sleeping peacefully

This past week

2010-01-09T10:00:00.003-06:00

Jamen talking on the phone about his cookie

Our little Jade sleeping, she has already gained a pound since leaving the hospital, she's up to 9lbs 2oz!

Jamen and Jade reading Green Eggs and Ham with Jon before bed

Daddy's little girl!

New Baby

2010-01-02T15:17:00.003-06:00

Jade Noel Quast born Dec. 30th 2009 at 10:26am 8lbs 5oz and 20 inches long

Jamen is a proud big brother!

Giving her a kiss

We are very excited to finally be holding our baby girl!

Christmas

2009-12-28T16:23:00.004-06:00

We had a great Christmas! Here is Jamen making his very first Christmas cookie!

While Jon was making chicken wings for dinner he watched Jamen and I decorate cookies

Here is Jamen opening up his Christmas gifts

Jon and I on Christmas day

Just hanging out

2009-12-20T17:15:00.002-06:00

Jamen smiling for the camera only we took it too soon.

Jamen loves his "blocks", below is what he built all by himself!

Jamen with a hat!

2009-12-05T10:51:00.003-06:00

Here are just some really cute pictures of Jamen with Jon's hat on

Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T10:14:00.002-06:00

Here is Jamen on Thanksgiving day with Santa at Bass Pro

He was more interested in the "snack" he was going to get...aka the candy cane

Here are the four of us...Jade is getting bigger as you can see

Jamen's first taste of pumpkin pie

Bread Head

2009-11-24T21:59:00.003-06:00

So the story goes like this...Jon and I had finished eating lunch. I was doing dishes with my back to Jamen, Jon was at computer, also with his back to Jamen. When we hear Jamen talking about his head, I figured he was done eating and ready to get down. However when I turned around I see Jamen with his bread stuck to his forehead. I couldn't hold back my laugh which got Jon's attention. He grabbed the camera and got this video.

Under normal circumstances we don't condone bread on the head but sometimes things are just too funny pass up on:-)

Smiles

2009-11-17T19:46:00.003-06:00

In the last week or so Jamen has started to copy Jon and I. It's made us laugh a lot these last few days. Tonight at dinner, Jamen saw me resting my head in hands and did the same thing.

Here he is again

Jamen has also learned to smile for the camera, which is what he is doing here

Baby Shower

2009-11-09T17:43:00.004-06:00

This past Sunday was the baby shower! Some of the ladies from church put it together, it was a lot of fun. Here we are eating lunch, it was AMAZING!

Next it was time to open gifts and marvel over the cute girl clothes.

More soft cute clothes to pass around

Then it was cake time. As you can see it's a boy and a girl cake and that because it was a double shower. My friend Lauren is also having a baby, a boy, and she is due any day now.

Halloween and much more

2009-10-31T20:20:00.003-05:00

Here is our little Pooh bear on his second Halloween

Don't be fooled by his cute smile, we practically had to stand on our heads to get him to smile. He didn't like the "hat"

He is so cute!

Earlier this week Jamen learned about horsey rides

In this picture I promise NOTHING is holding the broom up, something about the equinox makes the broom stand up. It stayed that way for a while too, it wasn't a quick thing. Again, the broom is not resting on Jon's hand or foot, it really stood there, it was very cool!

Here is Jon making homemade bread for our scratch cooking class

Here was the final product...he did a great job!

18 Months Old

2009-10-10T20:10:00.003-05:00

Jamen turned 18 months today, its hard to believe he is that old already. Here are some highlights from the last few weeks.

Jamen reading a book to himself

Jamen's peanut butter smile

Jamen and Jon playing

Me at 7 months

The latest news

2009-09-20T15:15:00.003-05:00

Jon's been doing a lot of fishing these past few weeks and here was one of his more note worth catches. This catfish was 20lbs and 33 inches long. Jamen was not thrilled about this big guy. He didn't mind the little ones but he freaked out when we got close to this one.

Jamen is like any other kid, they fall down, they get hurt but they get better pretty fast. This was our latest heart stopping moment when Jamen fell down some concrete steps, backwards and cut his head open. I don't think these pictures do it justice, it looked so bad. We had an EMT friend who checked Jamen's for neck and back for injuries, also for a concussion. He was fine, praise the Lord!

Two days later his head looked like this...

He is back to his old self...although, it never left:-)

Talking

2009-08-29T19:37:00.005-05:00

I wanted to high-light the last two weeks events. The first being that school is going well and Jamen is liking childcare. He doesn't want to leave when come to pick him up. Secondly, we are having a baby girl due to arrive Dec. 20th!!! Thirdly, Jamen is starting to talk more and more, below is a video of him talking. See if you can figure out what he is saying.

Jamen playing in his classroom.

Jamen talking...

First he says "all gone", second he says "banana" (he says it 2x) and lastly he says "thank you"!

Busy Bees!

2009-08-12T22:52:00.000-05:00

Well its been while since I've written about what's been going on in our lives. Needless to say we've been very busy, but now that we are back in MO things are settling down...a little

We spent about 3 weeks with the grandparents and great grandparents this last half of the summer and it was great to see everyone! Below is the four generations of Quasts!

Here is a video of Jamen giving the kitty a bump...

A bump is when Jamen makes a fist and you make a fist and you bump them together. Oh and don't worry the cat doesn't have front claws!

Little Side Trip

2009-07-03T18:55:00.003-05:00

The beginning part of this week was kinda busy but really fun! On Monday we headed south to check out a place called ECHO. I would write more about it but Jon wrote a great article about, so check out www.ntm.org/jon_quast to find out more. That was first big stop, we had met two other families for lunch and dinner earlier on Monday. On Tuesday we toured ECHO and finally celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary by eating the best steak I've ever had in Key West, FL! Yep, we drove all the way down to Key West. On Wednesday morning we got up and went to the beach. It was Jamens first time at the beach!

Jon and Jamen were ready for some fun in the sun

Here I am at 15.5 weeks at the beach

There were coconuts all over the place and I finally found a man selling them on the beach. Jamen and I enjoyed the fresh sweet coconut milk.

Jamen was fearless heading into the water, he went in all the way up to his chest (holding our hands the whole way) and then he found out he could lift his feet and float.

He found a small coconut to play with, it was better than a ball

Here is the beach at Key West, the color of the water was amazing!

Our last stop was at Pizza Fusion. They are a smaller pizza place located in 11 states but the really cool thing is they make gluten free pizza! I couldn't have more excited!! Jamen also enjoyed his first taste of gluten free pizza.

That was our trip in a nut shell. We covered a lot of ground but saw some great places and had lot of fun!

Mini golf

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Jamen is getting so big but still as cute as ever!

Jamen and Harrison Ford

We went mini golfing with some friends on Saturday, Jamen was ready to play!

Dispite the heat, we all had fun!

Swimming in the River

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Jon and Jamen went swimming in the river the other day. Jamen didn't really like it but they got cooled off. Here are some pictures I took.

Here are Jon and Jamen before going outside

Jon jumping into the water

Feet splashing in the water

Resting in the sun

Bath time and Sunsets

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Okay, check out the size of this bathtub and that is only part of it in the picture. I don't think Jamen knew what to do with all the space.

This is Jamen's new thing at bath time, putting the wet washcloth on his head. He'll leave it there for a little while, then take it off, get it wet again, open it up and put it back on his head.

Here are some really pretty pictures of the sunsetting over the salty GA marsh