My domestic happy place

Three adults, six kids, seven bikes and one kid-trailer, and more “peanut buttah’ baws” than you can count all quite comfortably snugged into our friends’ Silver Bullet and we drove down and over to… 

…my United Statesian Happy Place.

They biked, swam and played in the sand, while I walked and walked and got freckled.

In the most exciting news, I finally got baptized (by my son) as an adult and then we two baptized my daughter!

It was such a blessed and cousin-y week!

Minus the sleeping Yeshua

Thank you, God!

Ay.

Pues, pasó otra vez.  -un gran suspiro-

I mean, it IS the first time that I’ve been alone for enough time to post in FOR…E…VER.  G is at camp for the week and the twins are swimming with the dear Ws.  My two older “daughters” are still asleep, having researched, studied and worked until so late.

So, a family vacation happened in my Domestic Happy Place, birthdays passed, the school year ended and my Dear Summer has set in.  Currently, I’m awaiting the arrival of my dear Colombian nieto o nieta!  ¡Qué Dios la ayude y proteja!

I guess I should just start in on the photos, huh?

G was able to go to a car show!  The kid was thrilled.

He’s also been getting interested in photography, turning our everyday items into art.  Seeing the beauty.

However, copying “actual art” is a bit too confining for his taste.  This activity was forced.  :(

And then it was Pumpkin's turn

 

Ty gave her non-spicy, cheese-y chips... which was pure love to her.  :). And we are all so thrilled that she likes carrot cake.  Yum!

Friday Nights

After having to take a break during the lastest COVID surge, we're finally back.  When we began again last week, it was as if we hadn't even stopped.  It was so good to see so many students again.  The following picture is a glimpse into the kitchen, pre-dinner.

¡Ay!

Here we are again... months have gone by and I haven't recorded the memories for my family.  Why?  Well, you know... asylum seekers, hungry students, homeschool, cancer, chores, prayer meetings, pointless meetings, ZOOM, ZOOM, ZOOM!

Where shall I even begin?  OK, in order... the Asylum Seeker.  Ours is great.  We love her.  She was divinely matched to our family.  But it's work... for her and for me.  God is good, though, so we are slogging through this mess together and seeing miracles being done for her.  Following is her first day of classes, happily traipsing through the cold snow, with symbolic balloons and melodic hope.

And then we were able to celebrate her birthday, with scones, samosas and falafel.  How well she fits in, no?  In the evening we had a hilarious skating party for all of her friends.

Yeh... my goal during the party was not to freeze, so Comrade NM hooked me up with this sweet hat.

Hm.

Five months ago, I never would have guessed that today there would be D--i popping around my kitchen amidst the melancholy tunes of the Hindu Kush and the delicious aroma of bulani.  I am blessed.  I am perplexed as to how to move forward, but I am blessed.  Hm.  Maybe I'm not supposed to move forward, but just be.  Now, that's a thought, however anathema to my M.O.

Our houseguest