Reason #2...

Reason #2 for my recent absence from blog world can be attributed to our new little one on the way! Yesterday we reached the 11 week mark and are really ready for the next two weeks to be over so that we can put the first trimester behind us! I am being reminded daily that I am not one of the blessed women of the world who carry children easily. This baby has actually brought more yuckies than I ever remember having with Nathan... so that's why the communication coming from the Bull house has been short and sweet over the past few months. We're so looking forward to coming home later this year (all four of us :) to enjoy furlough and all the yummy holiday goodies like never before :) I've found a doctor here that so far I've really enjoyed and everything seems to look good and right on track. Please keep our family in your prayers... that we'll have a healthy second child... that all three of us (Gary, Nathan, and I) can survive this pregnancy, and that all will go well for us to continue with our travels later this year as planned. Thank you for always covering us in prayer... it brings such comfort from across the miles! God bless!

Nummm Nummm

So as I think I've previously stated... my little man apparently has a new found addiction to Starburst (which makes his Papa proud :) But I found the depth to which the addiction had manifested itself today. Nathan had been approaching the wall of sleepiness before nap time and I was getting ready to put him down after getting lunch started when from in the office I heard... Nummmm Nummmm Nummmm Nummmm... and because it wasn't a "word" I was familiar with it took a little while to register in my mommy ears that Nathan apparently was trying to communicate something to me. Well as the Nummmms got louder and louder I made my way into the kitchen to find Nathan standing under the cabinet (which I had absent mindedly left open) staring longingly up at the Starburst bag signing "please" like a mad man and repeating Nummmm Nummmm Nummmm over and over and over. Well after I regained composure I decided one wouldn't do irreversible damage to my toddler and we partook in a pre-nap treat. But oh the desire... the longing... I believe this kid is definitely his mommy's son :)

Where's Laura?

So are you picturing me in a red and white striped shirt (like Waldo)... hiding among the masses in a crazy oversized book? :) Because after the last month I have sure felt like "hiding out" for a little while. It's been an action packed last month or so and I hope that explains my silence in blog land.

We had four Harding interns (for 6 weeks or so)... a group of Aggies for Christ (for a few very action packed days)... each survived a serious cold (since we are in the middle of our dry winter season here)... experienced our first "gospel meeting" for the church in Cochabamba... had another fun filled 4th of July at the Marcum's house... a visit from Roland Bowen (one of our brothers and dear friends from our sending congregation)... and are learning how to transition from a team of 5 families to a team of 4 families (as the Custer family has decided to return to the states - www.custers.blogspot.com).

So you count the "extras" along with keeping up with shopping, communication with family (which I have completely slacked on this past month), dealing with the sickies, and emotions that come with transitions facing us and it's been kind of an exhausting month. The visitors we have had brought us such encouragement (and great goodies from home too!). Two of our Harding interns are a married couple named the Eades. They are expert travelers as far as light packers go and so had alot of extra baggage weight up for grabs. My mom and mother-in-law made sure it all got put to good use :) Gary got birthday goodies, Nathan got new clothes, my sister restocked our supply of Starbuck's coffee for like the next year :) and I was able to order some things online for our family! Stephanie (another HU intern) brought chocolate chips from home (she scored big!) and Roland just recently brought staple items like cough syrup, candy corn, and starburst :) thanks to his wonderful wife Carol! So our cup has been overflowing with goodies from home! Nathan is definitely a fan of starburst I've found, so the partaking has had to be limited to after his bedtime... for his own good, right? :)

I have been keeping up with all our friends online though and it's always such a blessing to stay "connected" with family and friends regardless of the miles. Thank you so much for all your emails, prayers and encouragement even though there's been so little coming from this end! I promise it won't happen again :) as much for me as our friends at home. I never knew what a huge blessing this outlet would be for me... a great way to process our experience here in Bolivia and it has proven to be such an encouragement thanks to you my dear friends!