So Sweet!

Landon has a soft spot for babies.  This little girl is the daughter of a mission staff person who lives at the Seminary.

The Beach

This year we decided in lieu of a lot of gifts we would celebrate Christmas at the beach.  We stayed in a condo just a few feet fro the ocean.  We were in need of some quality family time and the beach is our favorite place to go!

One day we took a long boat ride.  The close-ups are of the kids while on the boat.

We took Mr. Snuggles (our dog) with us and he loved the beach and he tolerated the waves.  He definitely did not like the boat ride.  He hid under Sherri's towel and whined the entire way.  Poor baby!

There are more pictures on the kids' blogs (see links to the right).

New Year's Eve

On New Year's Eve we celebrated with local traditions.  We took a chiva ride.  A chiva is an open two-story bus (sit on the bottom and stand on the top).  (See picture 1.)  There's also a band that plays as we drive through town.  We throw candy from the chiva to people on the street.  Landon threw candy into the empty beds of trucks so that people would find candy the next day.  Mary and her friends played a game where you got different points for hitting (I mean throwing candy to) different types of people.  Hitting a policeman gave you the most points!  (Picture 2 is of Stan and Landon throwing candy from the top of the chiva.)

Afterwards, our mission got together for a meal.  Then we burned the "old man" which is a dummy filled with sawdust.  (See picture 3.)  This act symbolically burns up the regrets of the old year and ushers in the hopes of the new one.  For us, it is just fun.  After the old man finally burned up, we shot off firecrackers. 

Christmas Concerts

Here are pictures of Mary and Landon from their Christmas Concerts.  Landon was in the choir for his school program and Mary was in the band and the choir.  

Knock Out!

Stan and Landon had a boxing match at the Harvest Festival held at the school.  There were a lot of activities but this was their favorite event.

Stan's Surprise Birthday Dinner

Stan's birthday this year fell on the day after Thanksgiving.  Despite that fact, we had already decided that it would be a work day.  Organize our computer area, decorate for Christmas, etc.  We planned a very simple meal without dessert since we were still feeling too full from Thanksgiving the day before.  However, our Ecuadorian friends would NOT hear of it!  To not acknowledge a friend's birthday is almost an insult, so they surprised him with a chicken dinner and an ice cream cake.  Pictured here (from right to left) is Harrison (seminary student), Solomon (seminary staff and one of Stan's best friends), Landon, Stan, Lucy (Solomon's wife and Stan's assistant), Susy (seminary student and one of Sherri's best friends) and Mary.  It was a wonderful evening.  Afterwards we relaxed and watched a movie together.

More Family Adventures

Back in the Fall, we visited Shell and here are some pictures of our family adventures.  The highlight was visiting an animal reserve on a military post.  Our guide for the day was the son of a high military official; that's how we even got clearance to visit the reserve.  

Monkeys, parrots and other animals ran "wild" while our friends the "crocs" where in a fenced-in area.  The monkeys surprised us by jumping on us; they were so curious!  Go to the kids' links to see pictures of the monkeys on their backs.  

Another highlight was climbing an 11-story treehouse.  It was a bit rickety, but we managed to get to the top level.  The view was breathtaking.

Thanks for your prayers!

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for Mary.  She's not had any more stomach pains since taking the medication and eating healthier.  Please continue to pray that her stomach will heal completely so that she can stop taking the medication soon.

Update on Mary

The doctor thinks that Mary has gastritis.  Because of the pain, she nearly stopped eating, so that’s the cause for the fainting/dizzy spells.  All of her tests came back negative except her urine test which shows a low level infection.  He wants to treat her for gastritis for a month.  If her stomach heals, then we’ll just have to watch her diet, stress, etc.  If not, she’ll need an endoscopy procedure for further tests.  Already she’s feeling better as I’ve become educated on what foods are nutritious yet she’s able to handle.  She’s eating better this week.  Our prayer is that God will heal her stomach completely.