~Our MeMoRiAl Day! =)~

We had a very Memorable Memorial day.  I hope y'all's was happy as well!
~We were going to go and see our DEAR Colombian friends Carlos and Gloria and their kids on this day.  Before we ran out the door, we quickly made some choc. cupcakes to take with us.  We frosted them with Coolwhip, and decorated the tops red, white, and blue .  Here Mary is helping me put some sprinkles on a cupcake.~

~Thanks, Laura, for the fun "American sprinkles" you bought for me.  We're enjoying them.~

~Here is little Mary all dressed in her RED, WHITE, and BLUE!  I think she looks so much like her cousin Sophia in this picture.~

~Here's her adorable jean skirt (that our pastor and wife in Medellin made her)...and her cute red and white polka dotted "Old Navy" tennis shoes (that her little friend in Argentina gave her.  =) ~

~My sweetheart and I.~

~When we got to Carlos and Gloria's church/music school, their little Joel was sound asleep.~

~We went to a nearby restaurant to eat lunch.~

~It was a D.E.L.C.I.O.U.S. Colombian lunch for a great price!!!~

~Then we came back to their church and got the cupcakes and went to their house.~

~Their Joel and our Elijah.  2 adorable, VERY ACTIVE, dirty-faced boys, who are VERY LOVED!~

We had no clue that they were moving out of their church that day.  Phillip was able to help them a lot.  I stayed at their apt. and helped watched their children, while they and Phillip finished up at the church.    They said that we always decide to come to visit them during "crisis times" in their lives, and that makes them happy, for they feel peaceful and content when we are around.    =)
I think they sort of look at Phillip as their "pastor."  They and Phillip love to talk about the Bible when we are together.  They always ask Phillip lots of questions, which he does his very best to answer.
~Here we are in their apt. visiting with some of their church people.  We got home at nearly midnight that night, but we had had a very delightful day with our friends.~

I had my friend Marisol over for a "Tea party" yesterday. We had a wonderful time. I showed her our pics from our time in Argentina.  
 Lord willing, I'll post those pics with my Fun Food Friday post some time tomorrow!

~Out with my friend Marisol~

~Happy Memorial Day!~
~Last week my Kimberly, Sarah, and I ran to the mall to meet up with my dear friend Marisol.  It was the first time we had seen each other since before I left for Argentina.  We had a nice time visiting and she enjoyed seeing every one of my pics from my fast surprise trip to my Grandmother's 90th birthday party.  Last year, when Marisol saw a picture of my Grandmother (GG) ...she fell in love with her!   Marisol got tears in her eyes and said, "Heather, I want to still be friends when we are her age!"
Kimberly took this picture of Marisol and I.  I had just told her a funny story about my Grandmother (GG) and so we were both laughing. =)  ~

Please pray for Marisol and her unsaved husband if you think of them!
~We each enjoyed an ice cream and had fun eating, chatting, and catching up from our many months apart.  This was my ice cream.  It was coffee ice cream inside a "chocolate basket" with a cookie and some cream.  Yummy!~

~Sarah's banana split.  Delicious!~

PLEASE PRAY!  The time has come to work on our Colombian residencies.  We have been faithfully working toward this for 5 years.  Once we have our Colombian residencies, we can come and go from Colombia as we need to.  This is a HUGE LONG process and gives me a headache just thinking about it.  They do not save copies that we have already given them of documents such as our birth certificates, marriage certificates, college diplomas, etc., so sometimes we have to have someone in the USA make new OFFICIAL copies of things and pay an arm and a leg to send them to us.  It's a BIG HASSLE!  But, we serve an even BIGGER GOD, so He is able to part this red sea for us!
PLEASE PRAY that God's will will be done in this and that things will go quickly and smoothly.  Thank you!
 

~Fun Food Friday...Whole wheat muffins~

I posted this recipe a year or so ago, but decided to share it again.  I made these muffins this morning for breakfast and they were so hearty and yummy, yet so quick and easy.  I love this recipe, for it calls for things most of us already have on hands, and it doesn't call for any eggs!   With my family of 7...whose appetites are EVER-GROWING... I NEEDED.EVERY.EGG.I.HAD this morning, so was GLAD that the muffins didn't call for any.  =)
I also thought I'd post this recipe again, for this would be a great recipe to make and share with someone who is allergic to eggs! 
I added raisins to mine, and combined brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkled it on top of them before I baked them.   Other ideas would be to make them plain, or add nuts, and serve them with butter, jelly, or a combo of both called: raspberry butter, (see recipe below.) 
Phillip took one bite and said, "Mmmm, this is a good muffin!"

~Whole Wheat Muffins~
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teas. baking powder
1 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
1/2 cup maple syrup (I used honey)
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
1 teas. vanilla
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir until well mixed. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry.    Mix until blended, but don't over mix. Pour into greased or paper-lined muffin pans. (If you want, sprinkle a combo of BROWN sugar and cinnamon on top of each muffin before you bake them.)   Bake at 375 for 18-20 mins.
Note: I got 16 muffins out of this recipe.
~Raspberry Butter~
1/4 cup butter (1/2 of a stick of butter)
1/3 cup seedless Raspberry jam
Soften the butter. Place the butter and jam in a mixing bowl and mix until smooth and creamy. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator. Will last for weeks.
Serve on warm breads, rolls, biscuits or muffins.    
(taken from Jonni McCoy Healthy Meals for Less)

And as Always...ENJOY!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 
~Once upon 2 Itty Bitty Ponytails!  =) 
Kimberly tried to do a very active little Mary's hair in 2 ponytails last night.  I snapped several pics trying to get a good one of her and her 2 ponytails.  Mary would look at me and give me the CUTEST smile, but then our camera would take TOO LONG and her smile would be gone by the time it finally took the picture.  =(~

~We thought she looked so cute walking around with her little ponytails, and her little hands tucked inside her pockets of her pink coat!  =D  ~

~The last of my pics from my FUN trip to TN!~

~Last week I was extremely sick and I asked several people to pray for me.  Thank you to those of you who have been praying for me, the Lord has answered prayer and I'm feeling LOTS better!
~Yesterday...Our Noah finished his school year!   He's SO HAPPY to be done with 2nd grade!  I'm happy and think he did well getting done this early with all of the moves from country to country and all of the sickness we've had!  Our girls are faithfully plodding along and hope to be done soon as well!
~Thanks for all your fun comments on Elijah's birthday post!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~So, on Monday...after our 2.5 mile hike back to Abram's Falls in The GREAT Smoky Mountains...~

~This is what we saw!  Pretty isn't it?!~

~The falls and I.~

~Katie and the falls.~

~Laura let Darla and Bryan get into the water to play.  It was FREEZING cold like mountain water normally is.  They enjoyed it, I think.  ;-)  ~

~Laura and I after we got back to the car from our 5 mile hike.~

~The kids after our hike.~

~Then we finished the loop and enjoyed seeing the neat cabins and scenery.  I REALLY wanted to see more deer and see some bear, but we didn't! =(  ~

~This is called the "Tipton cabin" in the loop.  I just found out that My great uncle Clyde was BORN in this cabin!
How neat is that?!~

Then we headed back to Maryville and went thrift store shopping.  We had an appointment we had to be at by 6:00.  I HATE to be rushed when I'm thrift store shopping, especially since this is A-ONCE-IN-A-2-YEAR-SHOPPING TRIP...for my family of 7!  But, Jesus and my family helped me and I got some fun deals for nearly all my family in just a short amount of time.  One thing that was nice of Jesus (and Laura)...was that I was able to use Laura's receipt and get 10% off of my purchase.
That was a happy thing!
~While I was shopping, this cute lil' man (Bryan) wheeled past me in a wheel chair.  =) ~

~Then on our way home Katie said she wanted to make choc. chip cookies.  So, we stopped and got some choc. chips and she made us some DELICIOUS choc. chip cookies.  Thanks, Katie!~

~On Tuesday morning Brittany (who LOVES thrift store shopping as much as I do =) and I ran out the door and ran to 2 thrift stores before she and her family had to load up the car and head back to Cincinnati.  It's FUN shopping with Brittany...although it's a tad hard...for we wear the SAME SIZE CLOTHES AND SHOES, and we have similar tastes, so we go diving for the same things.  =)
[Then one of us tries it on...while the other one waits outside the dressing room and prays that it won't fit them asks Jesus to give it to the right person.  Hee! Hee! =D]  I love you, Brittany! =)
 I took this fun pic of Brittany in Goodwill.~

~Brittany took this one of me in Goodwill.  (The blouse I'm wearing is an "Anne Taylor Loft"  X-Small!  I plan to take it in more on the sides so it doesn't appear that I'm trying to make a "baby announcement" while wearing it!  =)
Thanks, Brittany, for going shopping with me.  It was so FUN!~

~Dear GG with her favorite planter...a ceramic boot that has holes in it and little bunnies peeking out the holes.  =)~

~GG's 91 year old neighbor took this picture of us right before Laura and the kids left.  I was SO HAPPY that Laura and her kids and Katie could stay over to be with me until Tuesday afternoon!!! ( I had to be at the airport Wednesday morning, so after they left I got finished packing and ready to go back to Colombia.)~

~Back in Dec. 2010 Kimberly made this lap throw for GG and sent it to TN with my Moma to give to GG.  I wanted to take this picture of GG with Kimberly's lap throw, so Kimberly could see it!~

~GG and I right before I went out the door to the airport to fly back to my WONDERFUL husband and PRECIOUS children!  I was SO GLAD that the Lord worked it out for me to go to TN and be with GG and all of my family there.  I have TONS of HAPPY Memories from my 6 days in TN.  The only way it could have been happier was if my Phillip, Kimberly, Sarah, Noah, Elijah, and Mary could have been with me!!~

~I sat in this rocking chair by the Knoxville airport window, read a book, ate my lunch, and waited until my airplane came to fly me back home to my SWEET FAMILY!~

~Since our kids were sick with the flu, I didn't think Phillip would be able to pick me up at the Colombian airport, so was planning on finding a taxi alone.  I nearly CRIED with JOY when I looked outside the airport (Here...NO ONE is allowed to come INTO the airport to pick up anyone, they all have to wait OUTSIDE) and saw my wonderful man standing "head and shoulders" above the Colombians and smiling at me!  How WONDERFUL to be back together as a family!~

I already KNEW that I had done the RIGHT THING in going to GG's 90th birthday party and seeing GG...but it was even more confirmed when my airplane seat partner told me that the reason she flew back to the USA was to attend the funeral of her brother-in-law, who died of cancer at 49!
 

~Finally...a post about our Elijah BIRTHDAY BOY!~

As you recall we all had the flu and didn't have any energy to celebrate on Elijah's birthday.  So, he truly has had a "birthday week."  =)
~On Friday I ran Elijah to a park and snapped some fun pics of him. ~

 ~Our Little Elijah~

~His scooter was his main birthday gift...and it was a HIT!  He rides it all.the.time.~

 ~This was the actual day of his birthday.  Phillip got him a little gift and Bro. Jimmy and Sis. Farly came by and gave him the neat Lightening McQueen car that has shampoo in it.~

~We were all still dragging with the flu.  The next day, found Elijah flopping down on our bed and taking a LONG nap...all by himself.  That is NOT normal for our Elijah. =)~

~A couple days after his birthday, though we were still DRAGGING...Phillip and I HAD to go out, for we had to go to the US Embassy and renew our passports.  We had an early morning appointment.  While we were out I asked Phillip if we could go and get Elijah's gifts and his plates, balloons, and napkins, for when we did get a chance to celebrate little Elijah's birthday.  I came home and SLEPT for 6 hours straight!!  (Due to a little Mary, I had only slept 3 hours the night before, besides having the flu too!)
When I got up in the evening, I got motivated!  The kids and I jumped into a taxi and ran across town to a bakery.  They made a Lightening McQueen car cake for Elijah while we waited.  Then we came home to FINALLY have a birthday party for Elijah! (In light blue it says, "Feliz cumpleaños Elias",
or "Happy Birthday, Elijah.")~

~The cake was yummy!  It was "Tres Leches" (3 milk cake) with fruit inside and the icing was coolwhip!~

~We blew up balloons, had a snack, and enjoyed Elijah's cake, and he opened his gifts!  You can tell he's still sick, for he just CALMLY sat and watched us get his party ready.  =) ~

~Enjoying being together!~

~Elijah with his cake and candle, before it was lit!~

~As you can tell by his face...He enjoyed his candle!~

 ~Watching his candle burn.~

~Noah, Elijah, and Sarah.~

 ~When we gave Elijah his big gift in a bag...as he tore off the plastic, I asked him, "What is it, Elijah?"  He yelled, "A Scooter!"  =)~

~One HAPPY birthday boy!~

~Kimberly giving little Mary a turn.~

 ~Elijah...Mr. Fix-it man... with his new little tool set and hat!~

~During mid-week prayer meeting, Bro. Jimmy called Elijah to come forward to pray for him and sing Happy Birthday to him.  Since Phillip was holding Mary, and I was playing the piano, Kimberly came up to stand with him.   I think this picture of him is so CUTE!  He's bowing his head and closing his eyes while Jimmy is praying for him.~

~Now we are singing Happy Birthday to him.~

On Friday we took our kids to Crepes and Waffles to celebrate being back together, and NEARLY over the flu! (Phillip normally brings home treats when he's away on his trips, but this time he decided we'd just go out together as a family when he got back to Bogota. =)
~Sarah and Noah coloring in Crepes and Waffles.~

~Elijah and Phillip.~

~Kimberly, Mary, and I.~

~Little Blue-eyed Elijah and Mary!~

~As we were leaving the mall, Elijah and Noah wanted to look at a new "double decker bus" ride that you put money in and ride. (The kind where you just put in 50 cents and it starts.)  While they were standing there watching a little girl ride it, her Daddy told them to get inside, so they got to ride for free. =)
It took us awhile to celebrate Elijah's birthday, but he was happy with his Birthday WEEK.  =) ~