First time in a hair salon, Antlers and School Schedules

Dilma had her first trip to a hair salon on Monday!  She had been asking me to get someone to cut it for a while and I couldn't find anyone.  Finally, it dawned on me to just take her to town and get it cut.  She was very nervous and was looking at everything the whole time.  Also, when the stylist turned on the hair-dryer, Dilma jumped, the noise scared her and about 3 hours later, she finally asked me "What was that machine that made so much noise?"  She didn't know it was drying her hair!

Lizbeth got to wear some reindeer antlers at a missionary house, she loved them, even though she doesn't know what they are.  All three girls loved the Christmas tree, singing caroling dolls and the lights - I guess I need to decorate my house. . .

Finally, so you don't think I JUST entertain live-in guests, here is a photo of the second draft of Aguila Christian Academy's 2012 class schedule.  It looks complicate and it is -- but not as bad as last year . . . so far.

Bottle races and Knitting

The girls love to push my 5 gallon water bottles around the floor.  As soon as they walk in the door, they run andd get them and the race begins!  I got the bright idea to put a towel underneath them, so now as they push, they clean the floor!!  Here they are racing. (Don't let the coats confuse you, it was about 65 degrees when I took this photo. . . )

 
Also, yesterday, I taught Dilma, the mother, how to knit using straight needles.  She love it.  At first, she couldn't get her fingers to bend the right way, but now she has got the hang of it.  She has learned to cast-on and do the knit stich.  She is currently working on a GIANT dish cloth right now, so when she gets it the size she wants, I will teach her to bind-off.  So far, she really enjoys it.

I think we should have a Top Chef Jungle edition!  I would definitly win.  Have the show in the jungle and let the villagers be the judges.  I have made some awesome dishes according to jungle standards.    For example, the other night I made pureed chicken livers with potatos and pasta - they loved it, said it tasted like monkey.  Then, last night, I made fish and rice soup - just fish and rice boiled together.  They loved it too and even ate the left-overs for breakfast this morning!  I really think I would win the Jungle edition!

God Saves!

Great Praise! Juanita, one of the PdV missionaries came and shared with Dilma today, using the cube. Dilma accepted Christ! Juanita had her explain it back to her and Dilma explained it all! She said she had heard of Christ but never knew what He had done. Now, she knows He came to the world to die for our sins. Pray for this new babe in Christ

Hats and comfort food

Dilma has taken the ball (of yarn that is) and ran with it.  On Sunday morning, this was the scene I was greeted with.  All three of  them wearing stocking hats that she had knitted.  She is very proud of them and has them wear them all the time, despite the fact that it gets pretty hot here in the afternoons!

Also, I bought some fish for her to cook, she enjoyed cooking it and the girls enjoyed eating it, they have been missing fish.  Aftterwards, I had to clean my kitchen forever, there was grease and raw fish everywhere!  EVERYWHERE!

Other comfort foods for them are yuca, boiled plantain, mango and corn.  These are the foods they usually eat in the jungle, so these are the foods they miss the most.  The good news is I can get all that in town, so, needless to say, my shopping list has changed a bit!

Great Thanksgiving, despite some setbacks. . .

Our Thanksgiving meal.

Well, Thanksgiving came and went.  I must admit it was a bit of a challenging day for me.  Lizbeth was running a fever and having stomach cramps, thus she was crying constantly.  This does not make for a happy time!  I went ahead and cooked the turkey, first one I have ever cooked.  It turned out good, a little dry, but still good.  We ate around 1:30 and you can see by the picture that Mariana loved the giant legs!  She chowed down! 

However, Liz continued to cry and be unhappy, thus making us unhappy, I admit I cried too at one point.  Finally, after talking with a doctor, he decided we needed a stool analysis.  So, after a diaper had been filled, I made the 1 1/2 hour drive to and from the lab.  Turns out she has a bacterial infection in her stomach.  (Don't ask me where she got it from. . . )  Now, she has been on antibiotics for 24 hours and is a whole new child.  Antibiotics are wonderful!

In the end, we had a great Thanksgiving, but I admit it had many ups and downs in just 24 hours!

In other news, I have taught Dilma to knit using the Kniffty Knitter Loom.  She loves it.  She has already knitted 2 hats in 2 days and continues to make more.  She wants to make a hat for everyone in her family.  She likes the first hat she made so much that she wears it all the tiime and when she is not wearing it, Lizbetha and Mariana are fighting over it. 

After she masters the loom, I am going to teach her to use needles.  So, thank you to all that have helped by donating thread and looms.

Finally, I have finally found something cold that the girls like, they love strawberry smoothies at night.  Here is another picture of Mariana, enjoying smoothie.  (She loves to eat)

God blessed me with a turkey!

The Bible says that God knows the desires of your heart.  I believe that but sometimes forget it.  I had priced turkeys here and decided they were just too expensive this year, we would just have a chicken.  Besides, Dilma and the girls don't even know what Thanksgiving is.  Well, today, I had a knock on my door and a missionary couple had brought me a turkey and a can of cranberry sauce!  God blessed me with a turkey!  He truly does know the desires of our heart!

My name is NOT poop!

So, Lizbeth keeps yelling "Caca" when she sees me.  That is "poop" in Spanish.  I decided yesterday she thinks that is my name!   Everytime she sees me she yells "caca".  So, now, I am trying to teach her that my name is Jessi, NOT "caca".  So far, it is not going too well. . .

Dilma's feet are continuing to heal well, she is currently in the camp kitchen helping prepare the lunch.  I think it will help her if she is with other people besides just me.  She will also learn a lot by helping the kitchen - improve her Spanish, learn to cook for large crowds, see how others interect with each other. . .

I think we have gotten rid of the giardiasis that Marianna had.  She continues to take the antibiotic but her little stomach is not so swollen and she is actually beginning to gain weight!

I am also doing good, I have begun to find a good balance in my new life - where I can care for them and still have a bit of alone time.  Things are getting balanced out.  I still clean all the time though.  I think that comes with having two toddlers in the house.