Since I haven't taken a single picture since we got home from Belize and since I will have a hard time beating these Belize pictures anyway I'll share some of my favorite people in one of my favorite places before moving on to share how we have adjusted to life here back home this past week...:) Some things have changed. Everyone grew! Javon officially got taller then Jenika on this Belize trip! (so many asked if they were twins!)
This week has been rough on us mornings. The cold returned and its so funny to watch as the kids drag blankets all around and wear winter coats indoors! They are always cold!! Justin thinks he just can't ever get warm enough! The Little's hang on the blankets in the mornings until I'm simply frustrated because they get in the way as we try to get shoes and coats on! We missed the bus one morning because we went back for Javon's coat. They are just cold even when its not even cold inside!
The weather has gotten cold again though. The Little's played inside this week. The morning runs were cold. Dave and I are faithful to meet up for our morning run but the last week has been so cold that it had us kind of wishing for a beach run again...:) I think we should have stayed a few more weeks but we are happy to be adjusted here back home again.
Some changes we have adapted to since we are home... Jordan is on a stricter diet. He is disciplined, still running, going hard at school with P.E. and also volleyball practice a few afternoons a week. He feels better already and he is determined to lose every inch of what he gained in Belize! The strict "no sugar" diet will help with his spring allergies to! He loved the time off of his diet over the winter but he will admit that "nothing tastes as good as fit feels!" He is also gearing up for little league baseball practice.
Justin is driving more. He loves to drive Dave's stick shift truck everywhere. He is enjoying work at the shop but he is anticipating the "on the road" jobs again! He likes jobs out on the road better then in the shop and he is already gearing up to buy his very own truck to take out his own crew this summer! His uncle Jonathan seems to have it all figured out already...:} Oh boy!
He is bouncing around from his ball friends and their youth group to the Spring Garden Youth group on weekends. He seems to enjoy both groups of friends. He has friends everywhere we go. This personality is just like that...:)
He is funny and full of life. Pretty much always. We enjoy him so much!
He loves a party away from home but when he's home he makes his own party here with his siblings!
Last night as Dave and I sat in the sun room reading I heard the big boys go at it off in the distance somewhere with the boxing gloves. (there new thing!) I heard the Little's playing volleyball with a beach ball in the basement and they were laughing as they went! I just couldn't help but remember our confined space in our Belize home and despite the cold weather I was thankful to be here where they can burn off energy without driving me out of my mind!...:)
This was taped to Justin's bedroom door the other morning!...
Of course I would still look in his room!! It was a mess!! But he does great at making his mess tidy again so I pretty much stay out...:) He knows I like a tidy house so I still always make my rounds to his room even if I don't do much cleaning up...:) Now and then I give it my touch...:) Or a tip with a note if its tidy...:)
School is an adjustment for these two... I love the stories they bring to me at the end of the school days. (I didn't realize how much I missed this)
Jenika is doing great helping me around the house! I tell her this big house "overwhelms me some days" so I must hand off some of my duties to her now since she is older and I get tired covering so much ground...:)
She gets creative about it... The other day I took a laundry basket full of folded clothes up to the top of the stairs and told her to put it all away in the proper place. She came looking for a rope. I was silently wondering what she needs with a rope but she soon had one end tied around her waist and the other to the laundry basket and this is how she drug her basket from room to room until all the laundry was put away!...:) It don't matter so much to me how it gets done as long as it gets done Missy...:) I just love her stage! She is growing so fast and I see her mold and shape into a beautiful little lady!
Javon was tired of Belize. He wanted to come home worse then any of us. Now that we are here and he is forever cold he wants to go back! He whines in the mornings about getting up so early, even when its still midnight! He whines and says "I never said I wanted to come home from Belize yet!" (you must forget son!) He is enjoying his friends at school though. I think the classroom was an adjustment again for him.
I have a meeting with teachers tomorrow so we will see how they are doing back in the classrooms again. I'm anxious to see how they think it went to pull them for the winter. We hope to do this more since Dave has so much to do at the MBV project and so much less to do here in the winter time but we will need to see how it works out with the school children.
I got that annoying tooth surgically removed yesterday. It hurt like mad. It feels nice to have it out since it caused so much problem but the process of an implant is not a small matter either! I met Dave for a run this morning only to find it hurt my mouth so bad to run! Plus the cold air hitting my mouth had me only walking in misery while he ran on. It will heal up in no time but until then I'm on the couch pretty much.
We made some changes since we are home... We do supper together everyday at four thirty. We realized in Belize what we were missing out on so we made it a goal to make family meal time a priority. I had an adjustment to have the food ready so early but I love it now. We set the table fancy and keep it set. The dishes get washed (in the dishwasher! How I missed this thing!) and then they go right back on the table so they are there for the next dinner. It's part of the decor...:) We now have plenty of dishes again!...:)
Everyone seems to love this new routine. I spend so much less effort on the daily school lunches. We only do a small low key lunch and then everyone is hungry for supper. It's early enough that we can still do something active to work some of it off before bed time...:)
My cast iron is something I have not taken for granted once since we are back! It feels great to cook and bake on cast iron since I'm home!! I love getting creative with meal time! We have had lots of Belize style foods with "Coconut Shrimp Curry" being the favorite so far! Jordan is not all Gluten and Dairy free since we are home but he is strict about sugar and his portion sizes. I love to always do a fancy dish of some type for dessert at meal time to. Its just a fun finish to a great time around the table...:) We didn't realize what we were missing...:) Jordan skips dessert right now but its his choice and I'm proud of him!
We hosted our first party last weekend already...:) We enjoyed Jonathan's and Nelson's for a Belize style meal and a game of Aquire. It felt good to host once again.
The house is getting a slight makeover. I ordered some new flooring this week for the toy room. I plan to move the nook furniture out there and make the nook more of a cozy lounging corner. I'm really the only one that used that room and I think it will change when we give it this new makeover!
I ordered some new kitchen stuff that needed replaced.
Dad painted and now I'm adding a new feel with some new decor. It's not my thing at all but after nine years here it has pretty much either been broken or went missing. I'm not real picky with my "stuff" so its gotten beat up in this house. It's getting better now that the kids are older so I think its safe to give it another shot...:) I really decluttered before we went away for the winter so I was geared for this upon return. Now that its here I'm being intentional about making it happen.
I'm doing most of the shopping online so its been showing up at my door all week! It's the handiest thing ever!! I find little things like UPS don't even get taken for granted here anymore!
We are truly so BLESSED!!
The day is sunny and the weather man is giving us positive outlook for warmer days ahead so we are excited to spend a warmer week outdoors! The Easter season is here this weekend and we are looking forward to spending it here at the house and maybe even getting some outdoor spring work done! I'm making a coconut cake and a few other goodies for a fun Easter meal.
The school kiddos are happy to have no more school lunches this week! The next two days are half days and then its Easter vacation!! It's this kind of time off that will help us make it to the end of our school year!! I'm looking forward to it more then ever! I really do miss having the kids around!
Another Change for us... We are visiting new and different churches. It feels strange. We left for Belize knowing we will be making a transition upon our return but now that its here it feels different. It is a blessing to get out and see how other congregations worship on Sunday mornings. The church in Belize taught us something. We are all striving to enter Heaven's gates and as we visit different settings it gives a taste of what Heaven will be like. We love the people at Spring Garden and after twenty years there this was a hard and not an overnight decision. It has been stretching us in many ways!
I didn't realize it has been a week since I posted already! I guess time back home catching up has gotten away from me and over all I'm feeling so BLESSED with my surroundings!! Once the sun brings its spring warmth we will be saying ..."We are thrilled to be back home!" That tropical weather had us spoiled! Javon has layers of skin coming off the bottom of his feet!! He went nine weeks barefoot on sandy turf to shoes and socks everyday! His feet are probably in shock!.
This adorable couple is getting baptized next week! I'm loving the LOVE I see these two have for each other... I'm proud to call him my brother. I'm proud to call her my future sister!... I love this ADORABLE couple so much!!
Have a BLESSED day...
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