Nathan's birthday week... 4 years old!!!

So in all my pregnant wisdom and clear thinking, I (the crazy mommy) thought that as Nathan's fourth birthday approached, we would try something different this year :) I have a friend from college who loves to celebrate birthday weeks for those she loves (i.e. her hubby and kids). Sounds like fun right? And it really was so so so much fun, and it actually did help to spread out the fun over a week as opposed to having all the craziness in one day. My stamina is not great these days :)

So we started on Monday after Nathan got home from school and celebrated all week long... birthday signs, birthday balloons, a present everyday, cupcakes (for his school party that we didn't have since he was under the weather that day), birthday cakes for church and a team birthday party to wrap up the week.

I love that everyday he got to remember how much he is loved and cherished... how much we have loved watching him grow over the past 4 years... and how much we are trusting God to continue to grow him into the man he is meant to be. Nathan has been such a great first child for Gary and I, teaching us so much about ourselves, how to be parents, and even better how to understand God's love for us as we grow in our love for Nathan. He's a great big brother who really looks out for Grant (when he's not stealing his toys :). He gets more affectionate as time goes on (which this mommy loves) and is really growing into his personality. We pray that God will continue to guide us and show us the best way to raise him so that one day we will not only call him our son, but our brother in Christ... thank you to those who have helped us along in this journey of parenting Nathan and celebrated with us the joy of our firstborn!

Opening our first day's present.

This is what happened when I said... Nathan, hold up your present and smile... not exactly what I was going for :) but in his defense... he is smiling from behind his airplanes!

One of the things I love about Nathan... When he saw that there were four planes he said to me, Look Mommy, one for you, one for Daddy, one for brother and one for me! Sweet boy!

And even though we didn't get to take our cupcakes to school, that didn't keep us from enjoying them at home :)

Even Grant got in on the action!

More birthday present fun from Nena and Papa!

Since his birthday was actually on Sunday we made cakes to take to church... they definitely evolved in the decorating process :) but I think they turned out good and he liked them, so that's all that matters! :)

And to round out birthday week we had our team birthday party Sunday night with (yes you guessed it...) more cake - ok, actually brownies, and alot of energy and fun in our apartment. Nathan's Nena and Do-Do picked out these fancy party decorations and when Nathan woke up from his nap to a table ready for fun... he was in heaven!
And last but not least... having some fun with mommy and our new birthday presents... talk about some cool bead bugs... the fun has just begun! :)

Visitors...

One of the fun things about having stateside visitors is getting the chance to see Cochabamba as if for the first time again :) This past weekend we were blessed to have Derek, Ben and Julie from our supporting congregation of Westside Church of Christ (in Round Rock, TX) come and visit. The trip was fast and furious, but we're so thankful they made the sacrifice to come and see us and the work that we do here. They were great travelers who were up for anything and really interested in doing as much as possible during their time here. They got some great pictures that I thought I'd share with you so that you can catch their glimpse of Cochabamba, and see all you'd get to be a part of if you make the journey to Bolivia to see the Bull family :)

Downtown Cochabamba right across the street from the church office.

Anybody need a shoe shine? :)

I know they came all the way down here just to ride on the famous Bolivian "micros"... needless to say that's not one of the adventures we decided to have :)
I forget sometimes how beautiful the flowers are here in the middle of the city... just wait until we hit spring and summer, man I can't wait!

What... a parade downtown for no reason at all? No, surely not! (insert serious sarcasm :)
Good 'ol Ben... always up for humoring our Nathan and having a great time doing it (at least we hope he had a great time... we know Nathan did!)

When they went by the office to visit and meet our secretary Gabriela... they had the wonderful opportunity to meet her handy assistant :) we're just waiting for him to be put on the payroll... a mom can dream right? :)

We made sure to take them by our favorite ice cream shop... hey, a pregnant woman's gotta use every excuse she can for a good dip of ice cream right?
They were great troopers at the Saturday market, enjoying seeing new fruits and vegetables and watching the entire process of buying what we need for the week ahead.

A type of Bolivian potato that I've never seen in the states... I really gotta give it a try sometime... they say they're really good baked with a roast in the oven... maybe next week :)
And no, I did not make them try what you see above... which yes, is cow tongue and other various parts that we'll leave to the imagination.

They did a great job at church on Sunday despite the language barrier. Even Julie got in on the potluck action by serving in the kitchen... now that's my kind of visitors!

Ben and Julie with Bruno at church on Sunday. Julie on KP duty :)

On Monday before their flight out, they were invited to attend a traditional birthday lunch for Johnny, one of the members from church. They got to try new foods, hear a mariachi band play for the birthday "boy", and watch the tradition of shoving his face into the birthday cake after blowing out the candles... they also managed to take some great pictures of Nathan and all the fun he had at the party too :)

The band.

Johnny, one of our brothers in Christ who recently placed membership with his wife Ligia, and their three children Rosa, Ricky, and Mateo (Nathan's new best friend).Nathan loving his time outside to play!

Nathan and Mateo... truly two peas in a pod!

To Derek, Ben, and Julie, thank you so much for coming to see us, hauling down goodies from our families and friends, having the desire to see what our work here is all about, loving on your Bolivian brothers and sisters, and encouraging us beyond what you will ever know! We loved having you in our home and look forward to the next time we meet again! God bless!

Sunday marked two months...

I wish you could have been there. I know you may not have understood the Spanish being spoken, that you would not have known everyone by name, and that you may have been overwhelmed... but what I am sure of is that you still would have understood. You would have understood that a body of believers are still grieving, mourning, supporting each other, praying, crying, and yet rejoicing in the triumphs we have experienced... yet all of it TOGETHER. It was amazing to be there and watch our Bolivian brothers and sisters express the emotions they still have, hold each other, lay hands on each other, pray over each other and sing words of encouragement to each other (even if that meant singing into a cell phone held up in the middle of service to those who could not be with us physically that morning). It was almost more than I could bear emotionally at times to watch parents and teens circle around each other and hold each other as they prayed for their group, their families, their recoveries and their faith...

It touched my heart and soul to watch Leticia present a Bible to a mother from the pueblo Poho and her son who were there at the scene of the accident, carrying our kids up to the road to reach medical help and recovering the personal items that were thrown from the bus during the accident. What you must know is that when there is a bus accident of any magnitude, it is usually very rare for people to come and help in this way... to put their own lives' in danger... to be a peace and a calm amongst such chaos... and to recover personal items that are usually just counted as lost or stolen... well, let's just say it was miraculous to say the least. To watch parents meet this precious woman and her son, hug face to face, greet each other with a kiss (and tear marked cheeks) and thank her for caring for their children in a time when they could not... let's just say I'm crying all over again just reliving it with you now...

It brought such tremendous joy to my heart to meet Kevin for the first time and to have him back amongst us, wheelchair and all :) Kevin is the cousin of two of our youth who had begun to attend just recently this summer with his mom and little sister. He's been homebound and in a wheelchair since the accident and has been unable to attend services... but was there with this precious smile on his face and a spirit of gratitude to be with his friends and family again.

The struggle that the parents continue to deal with who lost daughters in the wreck weighs so heavy on my heart. So to capture this moment of Wendy (far left - mother of Ariana) and Jorge and Sandra (parents of Diana) being prayed over during worship on Sunday is one that I will treasure for years to come. The strength that they have shown has been amazing amidst this time of heart break. As a mother now I can only begin to imagine what they suffer on a daily basis and continue to pray that God will give them the strength, comfort, and guidance that they need to hold to Him and be the parents that their surviving children need.

Yet, in the middle of heartache and struggle, our seats were full... chairs were being brought out through service until the end and we were blessed to have the assurance that God is with us through this all... that He has never left us, will never leave us, and will continue to bless HIS work here in Cochabamba no matter what Satan tries to throw our way!

In a world that is so strongly Catholic and places such strong emphasis on the masses that take place following a death, it was an honor to be able to give a Christian alternative for the families of our youth group... a place where they could come together on the date that marked two months from the accident and pray, worship and continue to remember the God that we serve even amidst the trials of this world. Please continue to pray for our church body, those who continue to recover physically from the accident, and for the families of Ariana, Diana, and Belen as they continue to grieve the loss of their precious girls'.

Worn out...

Well, our stateside visitors have come and gone. Their trip was short and sweet, but so appreciated and welcomed and we're so glad they made the sacrifice to come and see us and the work here in Cochabamba. I'm working on a few new posts of their visit and of this past Sunday (which marked the two month date of the bus accident), but thought I'd sign off for the night with new pictures of the boys :) One thing about visitors is that they give such wonderful attention to our kids. And this group was no exception :) so much so that I think the boys had their fill and then some... especially since this is what I found in various spots of the apartment over the past couple days...

(We're trying to decide since Grant's in the 95% percentile for height and over 100% percentile for weight, and with the gigantor hands that you see above whether he'll end up being our tight end or quarterback :) maybe he'll be our basketball player that can palm a ball at the age of two :)

From the mommy who gets to go to bed early tonight with both boys sacked out... THANK YOU VISITORS for all your hard work in wearing these two out :) it's not an easy job!

Too much mommy...

A friend was reminding me today of what an adventure it is having extra inches added to your physical body's dimensions while you're pregnant... it can lead to many interesting situations :) I don't remember having that many run-ins with Nathan while pregnant with Grant. He was pretty good about not following mommy too closely. Grant on the other hand is constantly invading my personal hoola hoop space and has had quite a few collisions with me and the baby lately. If he's not getting kicked by the baby while sitting in my lap, he's head butting my belly as he runs by me in route to chase after his big brother... but the one that makes me laugh the most has been the backside-to-head collisions that we have now on a daily basis.

I tend to go around the house picking up throughout the day and Grant has yet to learn that if you follow too closely behind mommy it might cause a problem :) Apparently I need one of those signs like trucks have that recommend you to follow within a certain distance, leave space for wide turns, or warn you of frequent stops that this vehicle will be making :) So many times I stop in my tracks and bend over to pick up a toy, food, blankie, you name it and all of a sudden there is a head bump from behind... I turn to find my sweet baby looking at me as if to say, Mom, seriously, I did not need to get that up close and personal with you today :) Let's just hope the poor child can learn his lesson or the next two months could prove dangerous for him :) At least he takes after his mommy and has a hard head... it may be his only saving grace!

The painstaking visa process...

A friend in the states recently asked me about the visa process here in Bolivia... I write often about it on facebook or in our newsletters so.... I wrote up a little :) sense the sarcasm please explanation for you, my faithful few, on what it means to obtain a Bolivian visas as missionaries here in Cochabamba... hold on tight cause here we go :)

Sometimes I forget in the daily living as an overseas missionary that there are so many aspects of our lives' here that you may not know about. I take for granted that you know we have to used bottled water for everything... that I have to disinfect all our produce... that most everything we buy here to eat is fresh b/c there is simply not a frozen section in the grocery store... that utilities can be your best friend (providing you internet to keep in touch with people) or your worst enemy (leaving you without water for days at a time).

It is a challenge living abroad, I'll be the first to admit :) but in the long run, it's so worth all the headache of living in a third world country! The work we get to do here and get to be a part of, the lives we see change and the hearts that come to know Christ, and the difference it makes in our family life is so worth all the inconveniences we may have to put up with along the way.

One part of living abroad is living legally in another country. Gary, Nathan and I are required by the Bolivian government to have current visas in order to live here legally in Cochabamba. Grant is covered since he was born here (thank goodness... one less visa to obtain :).

As a foreigner here in Bolivia there is a process that you go through to obtain a visa. There is much much paperwork... background checks (to make sure you're not Butch Cassidy or the Sundance kid hiding out as fugitives :), proof of economic stability (letters from supporting churches to prove that you have stable income), proof of relationship with the church in Bolivia (letters from the church here saying that you have their support to work here under the name Church of Christ), marriage licenses, birth certificates, blood work, vaccinations, proof of residency here (copies of rental contracts and past electric bills with your name and id on them), and probably so much more that I'm just not remembering right now.

Many of these documents are obtained at offices from one end of town to the other... require many hours of standing in line (yes, with children in tow)... more pictures than you ever care to have taken of yourself (b/c every office seems to require a picture with a different colored background)... translating of your personal documents (marriage license and birth certificates... and be sure to use official copies or transcripts b/c what they don't tell you is that if you use your original in the process you'll never see it again)... and fees everywhere you look.

When you come into the country you have 90 days with a tourist visa to start your one year visa process if you should choose to do so. Once you've obtained your one year visa you move on to a two year visa and from there a permanent visa. We as a family have completed our one- year visas, our two-year visas and were ready to start the visa process again upon returning from furlough. We were under the impression that we could continue with two-year visas to remain legally here in Bolivia until we made the decision to return to the states.

Boy were we wrong. Apparently the visa system is a stairstep process. Once you've obtained your two-year visa, you are forced to move on to the permanent visa. We usually pay for our visas out of our personal salary. For the three of us to get new two year visas we had approximately $500 budgeted. Not a huge hit, but still, $500 is $500. Then to our surprise in returning and starting the process with a recommended lawyer (a must have in this entire circus act :) we found out that no, we could not continue with two-year visas, but had to move on to a permanent visa.

This was "bad" news for two reasons... for financial reasons and because we know permanent visas have the potential to be a huge headache to obtain. Permanent visas for the three of us to remain here working in Cochabamba (which is definitely what we want to do) will end up costing our family approximately $2100 when all is said and done. A little different than $500 huh? That is why in our last family newsletter we asked family and friends to help out financially this time around. We've already been so blessed by supporters coming along side us to help us, but we still lack alot and could use any help anyone would like to give (sorry for the shameless plug).

The second reason that permanent visas can be a pain is that there is the potential for the government officials to request an inspection. This inspection is an even more thorough delving into your life... visits to your home... resubmitted paperwork from your one-year visa process and so much more. When we went to complete our paperwork in immigration yesterday there was definitely the potential for this to happen... we even had a man behind us in line coming to set up an appointment for his home visit because they had required an inspection of him... it is literally up to the mercy of the government officials as to whether your paperwork is passed on through, or whether you're going to have to jump through hoops you didn't know existed. Whether it was Nathan's amazing behavior, the fact that I'm big pregnant, or that the officials were just feeling generous, it looks as though all our paperwork was passed on through to La Paz, without the inspection process.

We're holding our breath, praying hard, and waiting to hear good news in a month or so. From there we will then start the process of getting our new Bolivian ids made. Makes you thankful you live in your home country right? :) I think that's the visa process in a nutshell... if you're still with me as a reader... God bless you for your time and patience, and desire to have just a peek into what we go through to stay on the mission field as overseas missionaries. Like I said, it's a pain at times, always an adventure, but so worth it! God bless!

The Bull Blues Brothers...

So how do you cast your vote? Will baby bull #3 actually survive these two? After last night's karate exhibition between Nathan and Grant (in which there were no injuries thank goodness :) I wasn't so sure. Let's hope he has the strength of his Biblical namesake Joshua to help him along the way :)

A time to grieve and a time to rejoice...

What wisdom came from the author of Ecclesiastes as he penned the fact that there are so many seasons to this life we live!

We have definitely been walking through a time of grieving, mourning, and loss... but God is good and faithful and He has brought us much to rejoice about as well.

Two Sunday's ago we rejoiced as a new sister Elsa put the Lord on in baptism...

This past Sunday a precious member of our youth group and our small group, a single mom named Carmen, put her Savior on in baptism as well...

Agustina's house is in its finishing stages (thanks to such hard work from Miguel - Belen's father who remains in a clinic here with traumatic brain injury - and Gaston)...

Before

After

I started a new girls prayer time for youth group members and it went really well last week... this past Sunday as well a family that has been worshipping with us placed their membership with us and committed to us and us to them - Welcome Johnny and Lijia, we're so excited to have you and your kids as a part of the body here in Cochabamba...

Saturday night we had a small one night course on evangelism/obeying the gospel/being a member of the church and over 20 were in attendance which was a great encouragement to the guys!... we've gotten good news that a move to the 5th floor of our building could be VERY possible (which would give the boys some outdoor space to play, which we're finding is VERY important for little Grant man)... pregnancy continues to go well, trying to pick a name for this third little man is coming, slowly but surely :) ... and while I'm sure there are many more things as well, that's a great start huh?

In transitioning back to life here it's good for me to actively remember God's movement here among us. We've passed through difficult times this past month and it could have been something Satan used against us... but on the contrary, the church continues to grow strong, members have pulled together, visitors continue to come and we're seeing growth among our members. Their faith grows deeper in the Lord and all He has planned for them and for us and that is something to step back, remember, take note of, and PRAISE GOD FOR! So thanks for giving me a public place to acknowledge that God is good, God is faithful, and that He never changes... no matter what happens, He was, He is, and He is to come!

Update: July 9, 2009`

(By Julie Marcum)

Just wanted to keep everyone updated on the latest news and prayer requests....

-Josh is doing great, getting back into the saddle as they would say in OK... He started driving yesterday... says he's fine (of course the wife worries a little bit). He spent yesterday morning at the doc and visiting Kevin. Doc says he's healing nicely, but it'll be about a month till the ribs stop hurting. He's still pretty sore but walking around much better. Keep praying for Kevin - and for several of the kids - who will have up to 2 months bedrest.

-Josh also spent the better part of the afternoon at the forensics office. Each victim has to go in for a physical exam which will help the d.a's office (for lack of a better term) to prosecute the case. It was a frustrating Bolivia experience. He spent an hour getting the paper that he needed the dr. to write on and waited another 2 and a half and didn't even get seen! Then he found out he didn't have everything he needed - that he needed the original xrays and a report from the first hospital. So he had to go pick that up and has to be back at the office at 9:30am for his exam. Pray for patience as all of this can be a very frustrating cultural experience!-I spoke to Butch yesterday who went by to see Miguel. He said Miguel seemed to be wanting to wake up - tossing and turning - which is a good sign, but the dr.'s are concerned about a blood clot and so are inducing further coma until they feel better about that. Pray that the blood clot will dissapate or move so it will no longer be a threat.

-A group from Santa Cruz arrived yesterday to encourage the brethren here... We have felt a great show of support and love from all the churches around the country. They brought a collection of money - such a sacrifice for the people here -and news that one of the brothers is selling his car to be able to contribute funds to the people here. It is so wonderful being part of the family of God at times like this. We are so thankful for all the funds that are pouring in from all over! I am going to order Ariel's cochlear device today on line and have it sent to Josh's sister, Jenny, who will be coming back in a couple weeks. Thank the Lord with us that there is now a specialist here in Coch. that can calibrate it... they used to have to travel to Chile to have it done - and that is out of the question right now with Ariel's medical condition.

-The Bulls arrived safely on Tuesday - praise God!

-And finally, if I could request for our family, pray for Jana who started throwing up and having diareahea yesterday - I felt like I was at the end of my rope when I woke up having to clean up everything... She's still not feeling the greatest, but I have a dr.'s appointment today for her.I am hoping to be able to post some pictures later on of the crash site and some of our jovenes...Thanks again for all your prayers and support!

Update: July 4, 2009

Julie Marcum posted these newest updates earlier today:

Here is the latest news and prayer requests....

-Jonathan Sandoval had his back surgery this morning. I talked to Butch a little bit ago and he said the surgery went well, that the doctor was pleased, and that JD was recovering from the anathesia, but was joking and talking on coming to. He should be in the hospital about another week. Then it will be between 20-30 days recovery/rest time here in Coch. before he can travel. He had a pretty uncomfortable afternoon and is frustrated like all our other injured from being laid up for so long.

-Rachel Sandoval had the stiches removed from her face and is looking much better.

-Alejandra was readmitted to a different clinic yesterday because of a fever - it appears they didn't clean the wound on her arm very well at the first hospital and they had to open it up, clean it out and stitch it back up. She was released this afternoon.

-Now that the initial shock is over, several of the youth involved are struggling emotionally. Please pray for emotional healing...

-Rebecca rallied today and was sitting up, talking, and joking with the visitors that came to see her. She said she's ready to play football! Praise God for her continued recovery.

-Miguel is beginning to move his hands and feet - a good sign!

-There may be some new legal developments involving the responsibility of the bus agency. The families are attempting to file some kind of civil action against the bus company and the police. There is the possibility that the bus company might bribe the police in the little town that has a checkpoint on the way to the camp in order to have a report that says all their paperwork was in order and that it was mechanical failure of the bus that caused the accident. A cousin of the Vargas family, who is a lawyer, is driving out tomorrow to file a claim to hopefully prevent this action. Please pray that justice will be done and that if the bus agency is responsible, that they will be held responsible.

-Please pray too for the recovery of Ariel's cochlear device. He is deaf in one ear and it has not been located with the rest of the stuff. We have heard that there was a box of cell phones and other such items recovered at the site, but it was not delivered with the rest of the baggage yesterday. It is very common here in Bolivia when bus wrecks occur that people loot the luggage in the process of rescuing the victims. Thankfully, this has not seemed to be the case in our situation. Pray that honest people have found this box and will return it and that Ariel's hearing aid (which cannot be purchased here in Bolivia) will be located.

-The Sandoval family suffered another tragedy tonight with the loss of his neice who has been suffering with cancer. Please pray for them as they deal with this loss while in the midst of all the other suffering and while far from family.

-Please pray too for our worship service tomorrow; for the men that are leading; for Josh's physical and emotional well-being as he says a few words.

Newest updates...

Julie Marcum updated her blog with the most recent info...

We got home from the funerals about an hour ago after a long day of hospital visits, memorial services and graveside services. I wanted to update everyone on the new conditions of all our members...

Josh was released about midday. He is moving very slowly and in quite a bit of pain still, but was insistent about being released so he could attend the funeral services. It took a toll on him, emotionally and physically, but he is resting now with his medication and has no plans to go anywhere for a couple days. Riding in the car on bumpy roads is just too painful! He was able to speak at the graveside services and the memorial service, and although it was hard, I know the families greatly appreciated his effort and presence there.

Bruno Vargas had surgery this morning on his broken collar bone and it went well. He might also have to have some minor surgery on some ligaments in his foot.

Alejandra Moscoso was released from the hospital today. Praise God for her recovery!

Freddy Vargas was to have surgery on his arm tonight at 7pm to set the bone.

Jonathan Sandoval is scheduled for surgery on the compressed disk in his back tomorrow at 2pm. Thankfully, due to the location of the disc, this will be a low risk surgery. They will insert a couple plates to expand the disk back to its proper size.

Rebeca Chavez is out of intensive care! The surgery on her femur went very well, and was less invasive than they thought initially. Instead of having a plate and screws put in, she only had to have some pins. It seems that the other surgeries are unnessecary at this time. Praise God for answered prayers.

Miguel Vargas continues in intensive care in a coma, but is still showing positive signs.

There was huge show of support at the memorial and graveside service today. It was a difficult time for the familes and friends of these girls and for those who were on the bus with them (Bruno Pol, Joshua, and Rachel were all in attendance). The Vargas family buried 2 grandaughters/cousins/nieces while Miguel continues in critial condition. Please pray for Miguel's other 2 children, Abril and Diego, who lost their mom a few years ago and now have lost their older sister while their father is in the hospital. Your prayers for all involved would be appreciated.

Tragedy in Cochabamba

I know that many of our friends and family have been made aware of the tragedy that occured with the youth group in Cochabamba. Julie Marcum updated their family blog ( http://jjmarcum22.blogspot.com/ ) with the most recent updates so I would encourage you to go and read the most thorough details I have of yet... Please continue to pray and know also that we've set up a blog to keep people updated and allow people to help as they feel called ( http://cochabambayouthgroup.blogspot.com/ ). Thank you so much for your prayer and support during this time. Please continue to pray for Gary and I as we explore our options of changing tickets to go home early as a family, or send Gary back early by himself.

Re-entry :)

No, this post won't be about our cultural re-entry, although those posts will come soon enough :) this post is my official re-entry into blogland. I think I've been avoiding this place since I'm so so so behind, but I'm not going to let that deter me... I'm not going to attempt to cover the lost ground... but I'm going to pick up from today going forward and see where that leads us :)

Today finds us stateside on furlough, in Perryville, AR visiting Gary's family. As my husband was getting in some good late night fishing with his brother, I was here at his mother's house bathing our stinky boys :) Mind you our boys are finding new aspects of their relationship as brothers daily, but for this moment in time my heart was absolutely overwhelmed as I walked back into the bathroom to find this...


What you have to know is that this sweet moment was initiated by my usually tackling, squashing or sitting on big brother youngest child Grant... these are the moments you savor, the ones you store up in your heart as you dream of these two little men growing up together to be men who will love each other as brothers and lead our family in the way God guides them... I can't wait to see it unfold :)

Wuv, twue wuv...

One of the blessings of being on a team of missionaries is watching our children grow up together. This morning was no exception... as we sat in the car on the way to lunch I heard Nathan say to Jubilee, "Juji, I love you." to which Jubilee replied, "Okay, do you want to marry me?" It was all I could do not to laugh out loud, but their sweet little sentiments were no laughing matter to them :) Thank goodness we've got a few years before we have to think about marrying off either one of them!

(And by the way, speaking of children, we're working on our third :) thus the silence on the blog. I'm always an awful blogger my first trimester... so let the 13 week mark come next week and the blogging resume :) Hope to see so many of you soon as we leave Tuesday to come back home on furlough... Please be praying over our travel, that they boys will be amazing, and that everyone who is seated around us on our flights, our flight attendants, airline employees, and immigration employees will all be kid friendly. This we've learned makes all the difference in the world!)

My new fashion icon...

Nathan's on spring break this week since his new school is on a North American calendar. So we decided to celebrate the start of spring break by going to the movies. Nathan apparently has a future in weather casting as you can see that he decided to wear his boots too the movie theater in case of flash flooding... what a mess this son of mine :)

Sense of humor...

Disclaimer... since comments have been coming in as to the picture below... just know as you read that I as a mother would NEVER post pictures of my child eating poop. Now that I've got you hooked... read on in peace :)

So as you can see below, Gary and I had a wonderful getaway a few weeks ago... but ever since our return I feel like it's been one thing after another... sick kids, change in schedules, more sick kids, moody mommy, apartment building without water, and more sick kids. Now normally this would throw me over the edge, an emotional vomitting session would ensue and it would be downhill from there. While there have been moments of teetering (on the edge of craziness :) I realized in the midst of the nutzoness that I have matured at least a little bit because after the events of this morning I could still laugh (a sign of maturity or insanity I'm not sure... but I'm gonna go with maturity :) Allow me to share...

About 6:30 Grant decided it was time to start his day (which by the way is much earlier than usual, this sick kid stuff is for the birds!). I went in, gave him his milk and snoogled him while he drank. We then moved to the playroom where we started our morning counting numbers with Baby Einstein (thank you thank you producers of this wonderful thing that is Baby Einstein and our friends Thomas and Will who sent us a new one!). I changed his diaper in the playroom (we have stashes of diaper changing supplies all over the house) and left him for 30 seconds TOPS to air out (meaning without diaper). I then went to the kitchen to dispose of said diaper and fill the sink for my morning load of dish washing (after washing my hands of course)... return to the playroom to find (yep, you guessed it) poop. Not just on the floor (thank goodness we have a rug over the carpet), not just on the toy he was playing with (don't tell Nathan it was his magna doodle), but of course... all over him. Because seriously, who doesn't love to smear their own poop all over themselves I ask you? :)

After the poop incident got cleaned up and put in the past, I was working back in the office for a few minutes. I head up to the front of the apartment to check on the boys (boys b/c now Nathan is awake to add to the craziness of the Bull boys) and I find this sweet dirt face... NOT poop face!

Yeah, that's dirt. Apparently Grant thought a great conclusion to his breakfast would be the potted plant up front. So so so gross. And as if I didn't know that, my little three year old commentator came out of the playroom with his own... EEEEWWWWWW, GROOOOOOOSS! Yeah, thanks Nathan, we got it :) But amidst cleaning off my baby for the umpteenth time this morning, I actually laughed and smiled... oh the adventures of little boys! Anybody want mine? :)

Uyuni and the salt flats

One of the perks to being an overseas missionary is the living abroad part. Gary and I haven't been able to travel as much as I think we would like to, since little ones in tow tends to cut down on the fun factor of travel. But last week we were blessed to have Trish offer to watch the kids at night so that we could head out just us... sorry, I was trying to remember the last time that happened :) It was hard since it was my first overnight away from Grant, but the boys did great and it was so worth it in the long run. We took a bus and a train to a little town called Uyuni in the South part of Bolivia and enjoyed a few days away marveling at one of God's most splendid creations. He really is creative that God of ours! Hope you enjoy our pictures... and if you ever have the chance... GO! It's so amazing!

The sun was amazingly bright! We got to see the process of producing the salt.

Llamas and some random animal made of salt.

This museum is made of salt... all the way down to the bricks... look closely.

At the edge of the salt flats because of the rain there was a beautiful reflection on the salt flats. (The mounds are mounds of salt that they scoop up to allow it to dry out before hauling it off for production.)

Our travel buddies the Washingtons! If you have to travel by bus and plane, they're the ones to do it with for sure :)

There is a hotel (out of service) that is on the salt flats and out back there is this sign... I know, crazy huh? Leave it to our husbands to see a photo op in the situation :)
In the middle of the salt flats is an island made of coral and 1000 year old cacti... it's amazing and from there you get a view of the dry part of the salt flats.

When you hike the island and get to the top there is a designated place to leave "sacrifices" to Pachamama (or Mother Earth). It's amazing what we find on a daily basis that shows us how much people here and everywhere need the Lord.

The dry salt flats. There is an amazing pattern of hexagons and pentagons that forms when the salt is dry... our God is such a creative Creator.

And the ever famous optical illusion photos :)

At the end of the tour you head back into town and drive past the train cemetery... allow me honor of translating :)

Roughly translated: "Such is life... This train needs a mechanic with experience... URGENT!"

"Please don't paint."

Hope you enjoyed your tour :) If you get the hankerin' come on day, we'll go back again!

Can you say bedhead?

Tell me, seriously, do you need any explanation? :)

(the face we get when big brother won't share:)

Birthday Boy!

Have I mentioned that I am the proud mother of a one year old? I am :) I now understand what mothers mean when they say the love each of their children equally, just differently. Grant has touched a part of my heart that I think was before uninhabited and by being his mommy it has flourished and bloomed. He is a joy and I cannot wait to watch him grow into the toddler, little boy, teenager, and man he will be one day. Rather than go on and on about all the things he can do I thought I'd leave you with a few pictures of our sweet hair-challenged youngest and his birthday party :)

Each Mommy made two cakes for her birthday boy/girl.

The birthday boy in all his chunky glory :)

Nathan and his favorite part of the party... bottle coke :)

We decided it would be a great memory to have friends write wishes and messages of hope to our babies so that they would always have something special from the place and the people from where they were born. I know we will treasure it always!

Playing pass the present... Josh and Julie did a great job with the games!

Musical chairs... easily translated :)
My sweet friend Angie and her kids came to celebrate with us!

Jeff praying a birthday blessing over our kiddos.

Everyone watching a great slide show video that Gary put together.

Jenny and Sonia (my two right hand women... what blessings they are to me and to my sons!)

Something so sweet...

Yesterday some of my friends and I were blessed to honor Titus. Who's Titus you ask? Well we haven't met him yet, but we're awfully fond of his mommy Beth, and can't wait to meet Titus in just a few short weeks. He's supposed to meet his mommy and daddy face to face in about 5 weeks and I know after months of pregnancy his mommy is so ready :) Grant got to go to the shower with me (which I'm sure he was just "thrilled" about) and while we were there he played with all my friends. There is something so sweet about watching my friends and family love on my son! Thank you girls for showing Grant what it means to be loved on :)

Left to his own this is what happens...

So alot has happened in our lives' since I last posted... Grant turned one (a post all on its own), the stomach flu making its way through our entire team (don't worry, this won't get its own post :), a kind of emotional funk for the mommy which we're working to move past, trip planning for Gary and I to Uyuni (thanks to the Sandoval's who are graciously going to watch our kiddos), and stateside visitors. But since all of those topics require thought and actual composition to post about I thought I'd share with you my laugh for the day :) Nathan got some really fun new band-aids from his Nena and Papa that came down with our visitors the Bowen's and this afternoon after a quiet ten minutes or so (I know, I know, I shoulda known) this is what I found...

I love this last picture... it's almost as if he's saying to me... well Mom, what did you think would happen if you left them out in the floor? :) Gotta love these little boys... they keep it interesting, that's for sure :)

Happy smiling children:)

I ask you... have you ever seen four kids more excited to be a part of a new team picture? :)

Outnumbered :)

This is what happens when my Mommy forgets my cool little boy bib for lunch and I'm surrounded by a team full of little girls :) Just don't tell my Daddy... and please don't tell him about the baby dolls either!

2009

We know we've been MIA for the past month and for that we're sorry... but we wanted to say we're here, we had a wonderful holiday season and we'll be back more regularly... we promise! Until then... Happy 2009 and God bless you and your family!

Big boys...

How time flies! I went to the market this morning carrying Grant in the wrap and the ladies that I usually buy from were shocked at how big he has gotten. I haven't been to the Saturday market in months and months. They remember a seriously pregnant gringa with a crazy two year old running circles around her :) And now that crazy two year old is three, staying at home with Daddy while Mommy does the shopping and the little one I carried within I now carry (and can I just say what a lug he is? :) on my hip. I was looking over our recent pictures of the boys and was reminded of just how big they are getting. Nathan got a big boy bike for Christmas and took it out for a spin yesterday with his daddy, and last night the boys took their first bath together. I'm so thankful they're close in age and will grow up together, for better or worse :) I'm trying to remember and better learn the art of appreciating and enjoying every stage of my little ones lives' (something I struggle with daily... remembering that the diapers, bottles and babyness will pass all too fast leaving big boys in its place). So for now I will be thankful for baby snuggles, baby fat rolls :) and baby jibber jabber, knowing that they make up for the yuckies of babyland that I am ready to leave behind.

How cool is this place? The big park in town is divided into two sides... one for playgrounds and one for bikes. The bike side is what you see Nathan riding in, fully equipped with traffic lights (although they don't obey them in the street with cars so why should they obey them on bikes :) and traffic markers. He had SO much fun with his Daddy (and I had so much fun knowing that he's at the age now where he can go and do with his daddy all by himself :).

Christmas Photo Shoot...

Well, before the Christmas craziness began tonight we attempted to capture a few pictures of the boys and here's what we got :) We pray that you and your families have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season. May God bless you with wonderful moments, precious memories, and the blessing of those you love around you. Merry Christmas from the Bulls!

It's officially Christmas...

Christmas can officially begin because there's now enough homemade caramel corn on my kitchen counter to feed a small army :) Today was a baking frenzy... two loaves of pumpkin bread, over 80 no-bakes, three dozen lemon bars, and well, you can see how much popcorn :) I love the holidays, such a wonderful opportunity, oh alright... excuse to bake up a storm! Hope you are having fun enjoying the holidays wherever you are! Merry Christmas!

And because what good is a post without pictures of one of my precious boys :) Now tell me who does this first one remind you of?

Couldn't be his big brother could it? What is it with my boys and closed eyes?

And just because he looks so precious :) This is definitely his happy place... eating :)

Squints...

Here in the Bull house we like to teach 'em young the art of the red eye reduction squint :)

Fun was had by ALL!

Here in Cochabamba one of the things I miss most from our lives' in the states is the opportunity for interesting and fun activities for our kids. There's no children's museum, no children's theater, and though there is a zoo in Santa Cruz it's basically birds and crazy monkeys. So when fun things come to town we try to take advantage. This Monday I ran across two of our good American friends the Holmans. They told that the Backyardigans were coming to the coliseum here in town. This Thursday in fact. I called Gary and asked if he thought it would be a good idea and after a thumbs-up from daddy, it was a go. So today found us here...

and here...Nathan's faces ranged from... shocked...

to guilty (for mooching potato chips from a sweet lady behind us)...

to irritated... seriously stop with the pictures you guys... I'm trying to enjoy the show :)

to absolute glee...

I had more fun just watching the sheer joy on my precious little one's face as he yelled out for Tasha, Tyrone, Pablo, and the rest of his Backyardigan friends! It was worth the mounds of detergent (you had to buy two bags of detergent per ticket) and extra fees to watch him excited beyond words! Thank you Grannie Wallace and Grannie Sterne for the Christmas money that allowed us to all go! Nathan loved it and we really appreciate you both! Thanks Holmans for the heads up, ride to the show, and for bringing Nathan four of the sweetest dates he'll ever have :)

And just because I'm curious... could someone tell me why my child always seems to look so goofy in family photo shoots? We're seriously going to have to work on this :)

They think they're sooooo funny!

Today I told Nathan to go put some underwear on (again, running around in his birthday suit!)… when he came in wearing it on his head I realized I should have been a little more specific about where to put them :) He of course thought it was hysterical and laughed and laughed at himself... it's so much fun when they start learning how to play with humor :) I can only imagine the fun we have in store with two little boys running around the house together... oh the adventure... maybe I should start asking for prayers now :)

Oh and while we're on the topic of underwear... can I tell you how hard it is to discipline a child who's curled up in a ball on the floor, back (and backside) facing you? Through the wails and gnashing of teeth (on the part of the child, not you the parent :) you look down to see Mater smiling at you (screen printed across the backside of your sweet little boys undies). Oh my goodness, I couldn't hold it together. Sometimes you just have to laugh :)

Call it a day...

So I think after a crib (including the bumper pads) covered in pukies, a booster seat (including the seat it was strapped to) covered in poopies, an ATM out of service (which in this cash only culture makes life an adventure), a pair of 2T/3T tightie whities hanging from my new angel tree topper, and a thirty minute power outage that almost resulted in a meltdown from Nathan who couldn't watch his new Winnie the Pooh Christmas movie (a tradition for we have to watch a new movie on nights that Daddy's not home) and I think it's about time to call it a day... whatcha think?

Owwwies...

Yesterday Grant and I went to run errands... it's amazing how walking the streets can distract a 9 month old from the teething process! Nathan stayed home with his daddy to take a nap and when I got home I found band-aid wrappers covering the living room floor. I asked Gary what exactly happened while I was gone :) He then proceeded to tell me that because of the blister he has on his pinky toe, Nathan decided it was time to try out his doctoring skills.

Now the extent of Nathan's medical experiences here at the house is for scratches and owwwies (Okay, okay, there was the time we super glued his chin... but there was just the one time!). The "making it better" usually involves alcohol/hydrogen peroxide, neosporin, and a band-aid. It seems that Nathan decided to spare his daddy the pain of alcohol and went straight to the neosporin. Only (as we learned yesterday) in his 3 year old brain any tube of cream is neosporin. So as he approached daddy's foot with Lanacane Gary got a really good laugh :) Then Nathan showed off his fine motor skills by unwrapping and applying the band-aid to daddy's toe (only apparently Gary hadn't been behaving well because he got a boring band-aid... no Dora, Diego, or Curious George for Daddy).

Fast forward to this morning... I'm coming out of Grant's room from putting him down for a nap when Nathan comes running at me with Quincy (his little Einstein). And this is what I see...

It appears that Quincy had quite the accident and so again, Dr. Nathan to the rescue :) (can you see the Lanacane on Quincy's forehead?... Maybe in honor of Ralphie he had an adventure with his own Red Rider BB Gun... he could've shot his eye out!)

My three year old tree decorator...

So here's what happens when you leave your three-year-old in charge of the beads on the Christmas tree :) He definitely gets this from his daddy (Sorry the picture's a little fuzzy, but you get the idea, right?)
Here he is modeling his work of art... and his big boy underwear... that's right, Nathan's day-time potty-trained! Yea for no more diapers except at night! He did it all on his own, when he got good and ready, and I'm so thankful that I waited on him... it made all the difference in the world!

And because Grant's been getting alot of face time... here's another shot of my first born practicing his scissor skills. He's having so much fun and really getting good at cutting different shapes. We've made it an after brother goes to bed activity for just he and I and that's made it a special time that he really loves... and it keeps the vacuuming up teeny tiny pieces of paper to a minimum :)

Christmas here I come :)

Yesterday found me pulling down all my boxes of Christmas decorations... I know, I know, it's not Thanksgiving yet. But you see here in Cochabamba I don't have the benefit (and yes I do mean benefit) of the holiday advertising, Christmas music on the radio or in stores, and the cooling temperatures to help me get into the holiday spirit. So yes, I'll confess I pulled out the Christmas CD's over a month ago. I know to some people it's an unforgiveable offense, but you know, you do what 'ya gotta do to make it when you're far from home over the holidays.

In listening to my beloved Christmas music I was reminded of a long ago miscommunication between myself and Karen Carpenter. I grew up on the Carpenter's Christmas album and am a better person for it :) But as a little girl I remember being very confused with the lyrics, "And so I'm offering this Christmas wish, to kiss from 1 to 92." Did that mean that you were supposed to kiss someone 92 times... Did it mean you should kiss for a count of 1 to 92... this perplexed me for years, until one day the comic strip "ah-ha" light bulb went off above my head as I realized it was "to kids from 1 to 92". Oh the fun there is to be had in the confusion of communication :) Tomorrow I'd love to share some thoughts with you on our holidays this year... tonight my brain's so tired you just get the kissing story... until tomorrow when my lucid thoughts return... here's to kissing from 1 to 92 :)

Gotta love these boys :)

Don't you love those moments where your kids say something and for lack of perfectly mastering the English language at three years old :) it just makes you laugh? In our apartment, wooden floors and a hallway the length of the apartment make sliding in sock feet super-duper fun. So the other day I heard a serious bust from the kitchen... I walked into the hallway to watch Nathan stand up, brush himself off, and say... "Nathan's so slippery". Not... the floor's so slippery. Not... my socks are so slippery. No... Nathan's so slippery :) I love the way his little brain works. And although he's pushing his limits to the max right now, he's become more affectionate and sweet than ever and for that I'm so thankful! The hugs, kisses, and I love you's keep me going through the whining and time-outs.

Grant is growing and changing so fast. It seems to be going so much faster with him than it did with Nathan. Granted, we were up to our ears in culture shock with Nathan and so every day seemed like a year, but with Grant it seems to be flying by. He's crawling around and getting into everything which makes me realize even better the differences between a three year old and an almost nine month old. The other day while in his walker he decided it would be a great idea to pull the banana basket into the walker with him and see what the peel of a banana tastes like... not sure he's a fan :) And for your viewing enjoyment... some still shots of him crawling toward me in the kitchen... So that's our Nathan/Grant update for the week... thanks for tuning and I promise to write something of more substance the next time I'm here :)

I'm thinking the stuff inside the peeling has to taste better than this :)
And just in case you were worried that Grant wasn't getting enough to eat :)

Look at that sweet face :)
Here he comes!

You like that tongue action?

Just so you know... this is not as easy as it looks :)

Seriously Mom... too close with the flash!

I'm wondering... since I made it all the way over here...

why exactly are you not picking me up and holding me yet?

Mother letter...

I recently stumbled across www.motherletter.blogspot.com (I'm not cool enough to know how to link it better than that :) and was intrigued with the commitment this family has to returning to what Christmas is really all about... I wrote a letter for this husband and invite any Mommies out there reading to do the same... It's a wonderful experience being able to write to a fellow mommy, and reminds you in so many ways the gift that we've been given to mother our little treasures... Here's a taste of the close of my letter...

There is a Godly reason that I was given these two particular boys to raise and love. They have made me a mommy, and in that, a different person in many ways. They have taught me the joys of the little things, the excitement in life itself, the gift of laughter so deep that it makes your tummy hurt, tickle wars so fierce you wonder when you’ll catch your breath, playing chase from one end of the house to the other, the fun in discovering toe jam and belly buttons, and dancing together until we're so dizzy we can't stand up. They have taught me that I am capable of things I never imagined. They have shown me in new ways my strengths and weaknesses as a woman, mommy, wife, and daughter of the King. I will forever be grateful for all that they've taught me about myself and about this life. And as my father always told us, I will love them more than my next breath