Happy Birthday To You!

Today Elliott turns another year older. He is my best friend, my partner in everything, the greatest daddy ever, and I don't know what I would do without him. Happy Birthday, Husband! I love you!

In other news, we are back in Ontario. We spend today and tomorrow packing the truck, then Wednesday morning we head out. Shaylee will stay here with Grammy and they will fly out to join us on Saturday. It will be so much easier for her to not have to spend 2-3 days in the van cooped up with Micaiah and I. So Ell with drive the U-Haul, and Cai and I will party in the van.

Everyone is doing well: no colds, no teething. All seems good for the move. I can't believe how much stuff we have aquired! We returned to N. America with about 10 suitcases, and suddenly we have a U-Haul full of stuff. Luckily, we've been able to pick up a living room set, dining room table and chairs, tv stand and matching coffee table, toddler bed, and a few other furniture items from family and at auctions. We still need a crib for Shaylee and a bed for us. And the "filler" items like side tables, night stands, and art. But, no worries, we're not in a hurry. All that stuff has a way for coming around.

Untill then, see you in PEI!

Have You Written Me Off?

Well, if you have, it's my fault. Things have been so crazy, and I haven't known what to make of it all, that I stopped being interested in blogging about it. Here's the quick update summary:

-We came back to N. Amer. the end of Sept and stayed with my family in Illinois for two weeks. Ell had an interview with a church in Wisconsin. It was a cool church!
-Then traveled to Ontario to stay with Ell's fam for a month. During this time Ell had an interveiw for a youth pastor position on PEI. Ell was offered the job, and after prayer and consideration, we accepted.
-Nov 17th traveled back to Illinois to celebrate my birthday and Thanksgiving with the fam one last time before the move.
-Nov 30th will return to Ontario to pack the last of our things before moving to PEI on the 3rd. It will take 2-3 days driving to get there (should only be two, but with the kids it may take longer).

I decided to makeover my blog to go with this new season of life. I will work on it in the next few days. Not sure what I'll do, so if you have any ideas or tips I'd love 'em. I do hope to update again before the move, but at the very least I will post when we get there.

Homecoming

Well, by now most of you know that we have returned to North America. At this point I am in Illinois with the kids, staying at my mom's (we arrived last Thurs). Ell is at his parents' in Ontario and will be joining us this weekend (he arrived on Tues). It has all been such a whirlwind that I haven't had much time to update, and when I have had time there is just so much to tell that I can't seem to figure out where to begin.

Our funds began to dip low around Feb., but did not become a real problem until about June. We tried what we could and spent a lot of time in prayer, and in the end it seemed like God would have us back in N. Amer. for a season. So Ell has been applying at churches for a youth pastor job. This Sunday he has an interview at a church in Wisconsin, and the following week he has one in Atlantic Canada. We are praying that God would prepare just the right church for us. One where we will fit well and be able to serve in just the capacity needed there. So far both churches look exciting, although my mom is rooting for Wisc. since we would be just over an hour away. Things are a little weird adjusting to life back here. It may sound like three years is not that long, but you really do forget little things about life here that now make me stick out a little.

There are many things that I will miss/already miss about Peru. I definitely miss our friends, and the ministry there. I miss the glorious food! and the warmth of the culture. It feels strange to go everywhere and only speak English. Today I was at the doc's office and was surrounded by Latin families. Oh, how I wished to join in their conversations, but I would have felt out of place. Everything on the radio is new to me, I couldn't believe just how bad the economy really was until I got here, and I think I have already gained weight on the food. But I am excited for things I have missed: I haven't really driven in three years, and the freedom is exhilerating! When I walk in Wal-Mart I feel like a kid in a candy shop. And, of course, seeing friends and family is the best part.

I think I will wrap it up here. Please feel free to ask me questions; I know I have left out a lot of details, but I'm tired. I will add more later, I'm sure.

Twinkle Toes

Yesterday Shaylee took her first steps!  Once again I was not in the room when it happened!  With Micaiah, I was upstairs doing laundry when Elliott yelled for me to come quick.  This time I was downstairs fixing lunch when Elliott called for me.  We got her to take one more step for me, but I think she was tired by the time I got there.  Well, maybe today I can coax her to perform. My baby's growing up!

Happenings

I'm sorry this blog has turned into a random update channel.  I hope to change that and make it more interesting again.  But for today I will update you with the latest happenings here in the Innes house.

-Andrea, a student from Houghton College, arrived at our house today and will stay with us all weekend.  She will be here in Lima for the next six weeks doing her college internship.

-Shaylee has another tooth breaking through as I type.  This is a never-ending process for her, and this time her nose is so runny she can hardly breathe, poor thing.

-Micaiah has adjusted just fine to being in a big boy bed and now falls asleep like the pro he always has been.

-I have been taking the kids out for a walk most days right before supper.  The other day we walked for an hour and a half, and Micaiah did the whole thing on foot, including a climb up a steep hill about six stories high!  He was pretty tired.

-I have been getting better about being more organized and planning ahead.  Often I prepare all or most of  lunch (the big meal of the day) the night before, so I can spend the morning with the kids and not thinking about what we will eat.  This has been quite refreshing for me.

-Elliott has started leading the Tuesday night prayer meeting at church and is doing a great job of bringing it into the 21st century.

Perhaps that's it for now.  I will think of something more fun for my next post, and won't wait weeks to post it this time.

Are You What You Eat?

How do you eat?

Are you a vegetarian?  A vegan?  Do you eat all organic?  Or only locally grown?  Do you eat high protein or low carb?  Are you lactose free?  Gluten free?  Pork free?  Do you have an insane love for junk food?  Are you a choco-holic?  Crave pizza or soda?  Or do you simply eat what your mom/spouse/the guy at McDonald's serves you?

Why do you eat the way you do?  Do you have personal health issues or allergies?  Do you believe it's healthiest for your body?  Best for the environment?  Are you taking a stance against animal cruelty?  Or satisfying your body's loyalty to Papa John's?  Had you never thought about it before?  Do your eating habits reflect an overall lifestyle or not?  Should they?  Or are they different things all together? Tell me your position.  I'm curious.  And perhaps you might even inspire a change.  

I Need This

Via a friend's blog, I stumbled upon a contest for a free cloth diapering kit.  I use disposable ones now, mainly because that seemed normal to me, but that is also really my only choice here.  I am thinking I'd like to use cloth diapers for future children, though Elliott is not so convinced.  Anyway, if I post the link to the contest here I get an extra entry.  So here it is: http://blog.thenatureschild.com/

I will be posting a real entry hopefully tonight, or in the next couple of days.  Stay tuned.

Lately...

*Shaylee has been developing a more distinct personality (not generally a bad thing, though)

*My sense of smell has been ultra-sensitive, which is part of the migraines.

*Shaylee's favorite toy has been the electrical outlets.

*Micaiah has been speaking more frequently in Spanish.  Current fave phrases (translated): "Hello beautiful"; "I'm crazy"; "I'm gorgeous"; "Alright, thank you"; and he loves to give the taxi drivers directions.

*I have been spending a lot of time in bed.  And I'm getting tired of all this resting!

*Micaiah loves giving kisses-to people, toys, the tv, etc.  He loves to play this game where you ask him to kiss various body parts, and it always ends with him spending about 10 mins trying desperately to kiss his own elbow.  It's hilarious to watch!

*Shaylee has been standing alone for a few seconds at a time.

*Elliott has been the most incredibly attentive, serving, loving husband while I have been sick.

*Shaylee has been putting the telephone or other objects to her ear playing pretend.

*I have been craving chocolate cake every day. 

My Morning in Venice

So this morning I arrived at the hospital for my MRI (after babysitter arrived 37 mins late, with no excuse!).  I change into the robe and get briefed on the whole procedure.  They lay me down on the table, assure me it won't hurt, cover me with a warm blanket, and screw this cage over my face.  The cage is actually quite nice as it has strategically positioned mirrors so I can see out the tube and into the window where the docs are looking at all their computers (I'm totally thinking about Meredith and McDreamy sitting there making plans for a weekend in Sonoma Valley or something).  They give me headphones (playing the Three Tenors greatest hits!!!) to drown out the whirring of the machine and we get started.  I must admit, with two active little ones at home this was shaping up to be the most relaxing half hour of my month.  To make sure I didn't get nervous or antsy, I imagine myself floating down the river streets in Venice, Italy while Lucciano and the boys serenade me.  I was definitely thinking I would recommend this to all stressed moms, as it's much easier to get insurance to cover this than time at the spa.  

After about a half hour they pulled me out and told me something I couldn't hear over the boys' gorgeous bellowing, so I nodded and asked if we were done.  The nurse said yes, but then began sticking a very large needle into me explaining that they needed to visualize something (slight language barrier).  That was fine, because we were done and I did great.  Then she capped off my vein with a long tube and pushed me back in the machine. "Wait!  I thought we were done!?" "Oh yes," she tells me, "but we need to visualize your body." Whatever that means.  I ask how long it takes, and she tells me 15 minutes!  Starting to get uncomfortable, and blind-sided by the extra time, I let loose one little tear.  I returned to Italy and this time had to focus on the music to stay calm and started counted songs until it seemed like 15 minutes should be over.  It was.  They came back, retrieved me, let me change, removed the tube, and ushered me to the waiting room in expectation of the doctor.

A minute later he came out and told me the tests were all clear.  I'm normal!  No stroke, tumor, no brain swelling, nothing!  So the doctor settled on "complicated migraines" as my chosen diagnosis.  He gave me an over-the-counter-ish medication to take in the event of another attack, and we were off.  We need to return tomorrow for the results of my last blood work, but we anticipate everything should be fine.  We have a few questions for him, and hopefully that will be it.  Thanks again to everyone for all your prayers.  We really appreciate it!  Elliott was so scared, and took great comfort in knowing there were thousands of people praying for us.

Another Update

Sorry the previous was so long, this should be much shorter.

This morning I spent another few hours in the hospital, a different one this time for another view point.  I talked at length with a neurologist and had another five vials of blood taken.  I guess last time I had a CT scan, so tomorrow they are doing an MRI because they are more detailed. Currently this doc thinks they are "complicated migraines".  Apparently these are pretty serious, cause all the symptoms I had, and can even cause strokes!  After the tests tomorrow and more time with the neuro we should have a better idea.  If after that, I still have issues and can't get this under control we will proceed with a spinal tap and possibly more tests.

Thanks for all your continued prayers, and I will update again soon. 

Health Update

I know many of you have heard bits and pieces over the last few days, but I thought I'd give you the full-ish story so you can be filled in.

Wednesday morn Ell was out doing missions stuff and I was home with the kids.  About 10:45 I started feeling really strange and called Elliott to ask him to come home.  I was having a great deal of trouble speaking and all I could say was, "home...now...something...wrong...now."  Ell called our friends Sue and Jarvis to rush over to our house immediately, as they were closer to home than he was.  When they arrived in a few minutes and Sue took me to her car to get to the hospital just as Ell arrived home in the cab.  

By the time we got to the nearest clinic all I could say was, "no" and "now".  When asked questions I always came up blank - my birthday, the month, where I lived - all met with blank stares. I was able to understand a lot of what was going on, but only in English.  I couldn't read or write either, in any language.  I was trying to communicate through a few signs, but I was so confused even that was hard to understand.  I could remember my name, but not Elliott's, the kids', or anything else.  I would often know roughly what I wanted to say, but could not get any words to come out.  Sue told me her name several times, but each time I forgot.  Soon the clinic suggested I'd had a stroke or a brain tumor (luckily I was unaware of this).  Elliott made the decision to transfer me to a more upscale hospital since we were apparently talking about something pretty serious.

By the time we made it over 30 min away to the other clinic I was screaming in pain for the exploding headache (way worse than childbirth).  I was also very weak and could hardly walk by myself.  After a few hours in the ER, MRIs, multiple blood tests, and a lot of pain meds they said the tests were clear, meaning no tumor/stroke.  Their next guess was viral encephalitis, a virus that causes swelling on the brain, which leads to all my symptoms.  By this time, about 5 hours later, I was given a room to be comfortable while we did some more tests. This included three more blood tests, three urine tests, and a chest x-ray, all of which were clear (and a not-so-happy nurse trying to bathe me).  The current theory was still encephalitis, since the virus travels throughout the body and may not always show up even though it's present.  

But by the next morning I was doing great.  Still very weak, I could talk and read a little bit, and write, even though my hand was quite shaky.  I was getting so much better so quickly that the dr.s said it couldn't be encephalitis, because that lasts up to a week or two.  I had recently started taking some dr. prescribed herbs to clear up some eczema, and the docs thought that could be a possible culprit. Then finally a neurologist decided I had a bladder infection and discharged me. (yes, I know!) Baffled, we headed home hoping it would never happen again. By now it was about 4 pm on Thursday.

Friday I start the day out resting, but at about 10:30 am I had another "attack", just like the first, only not as severe.  This time I had only a partial loss of language, and slightly less confusion, but the headache was still the same as was the debilitating weakness, and did I mention personality change?  Yea, after a few minutes of pain I turned into this Cruella DeVille type woman. So this hospital trip began with waiting about 45 minutes for the original neurologist to return to her office to help me.  This time she gave a diagnosis of migraines, had a few words with Elliott who then requested we transfer back to ER to get someone else's help. 

After eight full hours in ER with more blood tests, a visit from another neurologist, internal medicine dr. and a physch evaluation, roads seemed to point to the herbs causing some sort of reaction, but still not sure.  Since the herbs are from China they are not testable to see exactly what compounds are in them and if they could be causing these problems.  So this time I was sent home with some fast-acting pills to take in case this should happen again.  And mainly to wait.  To wait and make sure w don't have a repeat.  The doc thinks the herbs should all be out of my system by Sunday night, so if it occurs after that we will know to return to the hospital to look for another answer.

Blessedly, we have had several church people rushing over to take care of the kids and bring us meals.  Not sure what the kids were fed (probably way too much sugar), but they are fine and had a great time playing.  Although Micaiah is noticeably a little nervous and does not want me out of his sight.  Shaylee gave me the biggest smile when I got home and nursed her after my three day sequestering.  I think Ell is the worst off.  He has held up so well, but he is exhausted.  He really thought we'd be on our way back to the States by now seeking specialized help.  He has had a very emotional week and can't seem to catch up on enough sleep. All week we will have people here helping everyday, since it looks like this recovery is going to be a while.  

Thanks for all your prayers and concerns, and I hope I never report something like this again!

WOW

I just started reading the book "The Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs, and WOW am I hooked!  The premise is that the author, technically Jewish but self-proclaimed agnostic, takes a full year and attempts to follow all Biblical laws, suggestions, and guidelines literally.  Everything including "love your neighbor", "be fruitful and multiply", disciplining with the "rod", and not wearing clothes of mixed fibers.  The book is light-hearted yet reflective, hilarious, and completely true (although since it is narrative, is the closest thing to fiction I've read in about five years, save children's stories) and his journey is fascinating.  Above all, he is an absolutely fabulous writer!  He's not a lofty Shakespear-type, but has this way of drawing you in and holding you captive until every last word has been ingested.  The pervious book he wrote was about reading the Encyclopedia Britannica, all of it, from A-Z.  Who can sell a book about that?  Apparently he's that captivating!

I am only one month into his journey, and so far he has not made any great spiritual leaps.  He is still trying to follow all the rules (he counted well over 700).  He has grown in a few areas such as coveting far less and being slower to anger.  Already I am inspired.  In preparation for his journey he spent four weeks reading the Bible, five hours a day.  And I have trouble with my daily devos! Every day his head is filled with thoughts of what the Bible requires and if his words and actions are keeping in line with Biblical principles.  Obviously, without Christ (so far) he is missing the point of it all.  But man, I'm only on page 45 and already I'm put to shame.

¡Ole!

Saturday night as I was just about to go to bed (way too late at 11:45) I heard music start to play outside.  This is quite common, as many people here have parties way into the wee hours of the morning, and there is nothing you can do about it.  But this time I was not hearing the latest reggeton from someone's ginormous sound system, but a live Mariachi band.  Mariachis are originally from Mexico, but are also found here for birthdays or special occasions.  I thought I would head to bed anyway and enjoy the music as I drifted off to sleep, but it sounded like the Mariachis were practically at my front door, so I unlocked the doors and ventured out for a little look.  Sure enough, they were standing *at* my door, serenading the lady in the second floor apartment across the street (complete with trumpets, guitars and all!  At midnight!).  There were about 15-20 people gathered behind the band, adding to the celebration.  I just lingered in my doorway enjoying the music and the flattered look on the lady's face, relishing in the fact that I live in a place where Mariachis can serenade (as they have done for centuries) at midnight, and the whole neigbourhood rejoices.  

This Week in Review

- We had three parties at our house in one week.  Two were "grill outs" for the two youth groups. The other was a surprise b-day party for one of our young adults.

- Shaylee started crawling at 9 months.  But she has been pulling up to a stand and cruising (little bit) for a few weeks now.  She crawls using her hands and feet instead of her knees.  She would really just rather walk.  I thought she just might skip crawling altogether, but she decided it was worth the stop over.

- I finally bought new clothes (well, new to me).  Last Monday as I was walking home my pants fell down around my thighs, right in front to two passers-by. So I decided it was time for properly fitting clothes.  See I've lost 25 pounds in the last two months, and had not yet begun to replace my wardrobe. But I visited the second hand clothing market and began stocking the closet.

- I think perhaps gluten was not the root of my eczema, so as of last Wednesday I am dairy free now.  Here's hoping something works!

- Shaylee and I have both had little colds today and yesterday, at least I think.  She also recently got her top two teeth, which could be behind her runny nose.  And I think I mine could be seasonal allergies to something here.  Time will tell.

- I have really enjoyed reading Kelly Thomas' blog, even the older posts I had not previously read.  She and I have almost identical boy stories.  Sometimes you make my sides hurt, Kelly.

- Last night I gave the talk at young adult youth group.  I was slotted to talk about budgeting, what the Bible says about it, and take them through step-by-step to developing a personal one.  It went really well.

- In anticipation for the next year, I have been wading through homeschool curriculum.  I am slowly narrowing the prospects so when we are in the States next year I will know which ones I want to look at in person and which don't interest me.

- This week I have been reading "The Strong-Willed Child" by Dobson.  I swear some of the stories are about Micaiah.  He is a wonderfully sweet child, but is he ever strong willed!  This book is giving me insight to understanding his behavior, and ideas on how to handle it.

- I tired to Bree Van de Camp it this week by taking up gardening.  Last week we sodded the front yard, so I bought a gardenia bush, hydrangeas, azaleas, impatients, zinnias,  some other flowers and pretty little plants and spent the afternoon playing in the dirt.  I'll post pics soon.

Dinner tonight: rice, black beans, Coca-Cola chicken

On the tube: American Idol (very different schedule for us)

Listening to: Ingrid Michaelson (current fave: Fisherman's Wife)

Evening project: cleaning the kitchen

On Shaky Ground

Where I am from, the climate changes produce thunder storms and a tornado or two.  But here in Peru they produce earthquakes.  Last night around 1:30 am we had one about 4.5 or so.  It was about 40 miles north of us, and I didn't even wake up to notice it.  Ell is at church at a weekend board retreat, and called this morning to make sure I was okay.  Since I had no idea, I was or course fine.  

Then at about 7:45 this morning we had another quake.  This time it was about 5.5 and 15 miles south of us.  The house shook pretty good, but it didn't last long.  The only reason I was nervous, which I usually am not, was because I was downstairs in the kitchen making breakfast and the kids were in the family room upstairs when it happened.  I ran up the rumbling stairs and hopped over the baby gate, hoping nothing had fallen on my babies.  They were fine, and Shaylee seemed totally unaware.  Micaiah looked at me like, "what?".  

We have had no aftershocks from this one, although Ell said we had them all through the night.  I am grateful to the Lord for always protecting us.  Most Peruvians are used to this, and although they take precautions, don't seem to mind.  It takes a little getting used to for us.  But I know that any Peruvian would be scared silly to spend March or April in the midwest and see lightening and downpours.

My Son's a Genius

I know, it's a disease that affects us all shortly after becoming parents.  We are positive our child is smarter, cuter, stronger, taller, or some other "-er" than every other child.   I suppose I was hit with this bug quite a while ago, but I never really told anyone of my condition.  Well, tonight I am letting you all know - my son is a genius.  I will spare you all the subjective parental bragging, and just cut to the facts.

He has been working on counting for a couple weeks now.  Until just a couple days ago he really only counted to two.  But yesterday he made it to six and tonight he went all the way to eight (in English).  Yesterday he also counted to five in Spanish.  He can identify the colors black, red, yellow, green, and blue.  And knows all his body parts including random ones like elbow and forehead.  He can follow commands like "bring me a toy for sister" or "get me a diaper for Micaiah" (and he can distinguish between the two).  And to top all this, he is not only learning several new words in English everyday, but in Spanish as well.  His favorite thing to say in Spanish right now is "soy lindo", which means "I'm gorgeous".  I know there may be those of you out there thinking your child is just as smart, if not smarter.  And to you I say, "great, let's form a club!"

Anyone care to brag about their child's latest accomplishments?

Oh, How I've Missed Crumbs!

Since the age of two or three I have had excema.  Or so we have always thought it to be such.  I used to have it on my elbows and backs of knees.  When I was pregnant with Micaiah I got it on my feet.  After Micaiah it greatly diminished, but came back with avengence during my pregnancy with Shaylee, this time on my hands.  It has not gotten better since then, and might even be worse.  It has gotten so bad that people have occasionally asked me if I burned the backs of my hands. It's kind of embarassing.  

Over Christmas a good friend told me of a co-worker with a rash on his hands.  He discovered it was a gluten allergy or intolerance, and was able to completely get rid of it.  So for a little over a month now, I have not eaten any gluten (the protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and oats).  This means no bread products of any sort.  Now, you can buy gluten-free(GF) products in N. America, especially at the ever-popular health food stores.  But most of those products are hard to find here.  But a few weeks ago I discovered a park that has an organic market on Saturday mornings.  There I can not only find organic produce, coffee, milk, cheese, and clothes, but also alternative flours!  Amaranth and quinoa flours are originally from Peru and still used readily in the mountains, but here in the city we are "too advanced" for them.  Until now!  I tried several recipes for pancakes, breads, and rolls, but was still lacking a binding ingredient not available in Peru.  But tonight I found a recipe online that looked promising, since it did not call for that ever-illusive binder.  I made the batch, and behold!  I ate pancakes!  Elliott even tried them and said they were good and he would eat them frequently!  As I resisted the urge to totally gorge myself on pancakes but settled for licking the plate clean, I contemplated how I was not afraid of the crumbs.  That may sound odd, but for over a month now I have been avoiding the wheat crumbs left in my butter dish by my toast-loving husband.  But tonight I made a food with crumbs, and I could eat it!  It has truly been an exciting day for me! 

The Temple

What does it mean to you that "your body is a temple" (1 Cor 6:19-20)?  How are we to "honour God with [our] body"?  Does that mean no sex out of marriage? Don't be drunk?  Don't drink?  Don't smoke?  Don't be a glutton?  Does it mean we should never eat anything unhealthy?  Or always eat organic? Exercise three times a week?  What does it mean, and how are you living up to your own definition?

New Blog

I added another blog that will strictly be pictures of the family (mostly the kids). I know most people don't care to see nearly as many pictures as our family does, so I put them separate from this blog. If you're interested, check it out.

More Undignified Than This?

Y'all know I love being a mommy. Most days I still can't believe I'm that "grown up". The smiles, the hugs, watching them grow and learn - it's all so wonderful.

But today I am talking about the other side of mommy-hood. I'm talking about the aspect called 'loss of dignity'. It is rare I make it through the day without being covered in pee, poop, spit-up, drool, food, or a combination. Forget perfume, it just doesn't cover up my "natural odor". I almost never got a hot meal. By the time I change the diaper that coveintly exploded during lunch, the underwear that got soaked while someone was too busy to remember the potty, heat up, cool down or other wise alter someone else's food, pick up the toy, spank the bum, or refill the sippy cup, my food is room temperature. I am constantly being tugged at, pulled, pushed, or manipulated in some other direction. And let's not even mention how nursing boosts your personal dignity. (Although at least in Lat. Amer. I don't have to hide under a blanket.) I almost always need a costume change or two during the day, and never bother dressing for church or any other outing until I am half way out the door. I usually get a shower, but don't often get to dry or fix my hair, so it remains in a perpetual state of "half-doneness".

But at the end of the day, all the cuddles and kisses make it all worth it. When Micaiah says "I love-a mama" or Shaylee lights up and claps just because I entered the room, I forget all about my frizzy hair, scrubby clothes, and that I smell like sun-dried spit-up.

Clueless

My mom and I got "Little Miss Sunshine" from the library a few nights ago. I was really excited to see it because of all last year's Oscar buzz, and several friends who raved about it. But I must say, I don't get it. Yes, I laughed hard at the "dance" routine at the end. But other than that, I really didn't enjoy it that much. The grandfather's perverseness grated on my nerves...untill he died. I was glad the family learned to put their pettiness aside and bond together, but....Oscar-worthy? It certainly was not the worst movie I've seen, but I was all excited and filled with anticipation, then sorely let down. Am I really missing something? Can someone fill me in?

Still Here

Aftrer having a great three weeks in the States, we were all suppossed to head back to Peru on the 29th of Dec. But....the kids and I are still here in Illinois! Elliott has been spending the month of Jan traveling (currently he is in Colombia), and I just couldn't stay home by myself all month with the kids, no help and no car. So, Ell returned as scheduled, and here we stay with my mom untill the 22nd, which is Tues. Then my cousin will come back with us to visit for a week. It's sad to be over three weeks without my husband, but nice to not be all alone. I have been able to spend more time with friends, and spend a little more time picking up a few things I need.

The kids have been growing in leaps and bounds. Micaiah has started saying sentences, and can climb just about anything now, including over the back of the couch. We did have a small set back with potty usage, but now he is doing great and has even woken up dry from a few naps! Shaylee got her first tooth on the 21th and her second on Christmas night. They both had their first colds (Micaiah had never had one before), which was sad for me. Shaylee has begun sitting up, and scoots around a little, too. Things are busily, crazily fun!