Visit from an Austrian Group

Today we had a fun filled day with a group from Austria that came to visit us!  Both the girls house and the boys house, along with the group members ate lunch at house two today. Then we piled into two vehicles and the Austrian group bought all the kids new school shoes. What a blessing! After that we all went up to the Cristo, which is like a hill that overlooks the city with a statue of Jesus in the middle of it and had ice cream while we were up there!

While we were up on the Cristo, there was a women singing who was blind and she goes up there everyday to sing as a way to earn some money from people passing by. It was so cute because one of our girls J is blind too and She told J that before she became blind she worked at an orphanage, it was so sweet and she also sang a song to J.

Piling in!

Shoe store

 overlooking the city

 J and the blind lady making music!

 nothing outta the usual with us

Ice cream time

more cuties with ice cream

Friends forever! This was so cute, they were just showing each other where stuff was!

Baby A for the weekend!

I took baby A to my house with the girls for a sleepover for a few nights and gave him some one on one loving time! he woke up a few times during the night and was fussy before his naps but other than that he was well behaved ;) The women that work at the baby home were happy to have a break from him for a few days because he cries a lot there so I was glad I could give him the attention he needed. The girls also loved hanging out with him.

This little guy is almost five months, and the story behind him is that he was found on a Trufee (which is like a bus) , and his mother had left a few clothes with him. we got him a few days after he was born. With lots of love and attention he's a sweet little guy.

I took him with me to pick up the little girls from school one day, and I had him in my arms, J in my other arm to guide her because she's blind and three year old O. who I think had a hold of my leg so we were quite the sight. We went to the bathroom and there was literally 10 kids staring at our every move and kept asking if he was my son(which I think I said yes), and how hold he was and why J didn't have any eyes. It was pretty funny, they were just so curious.

I had so much stuff!

 All set to go with our babies :)

 Mama S!

 Naptime!

 so full of smiles!

 Helping me with laundry :)

 Out with Sarin for the day!

Morning snuggles!

Bedtime 

Renewing our mind and thoughts

      I was doing my devotions this morning, and I came upon an article that talked about what kids remember most about their teacher. It wasn't about the best lesson plans, or the fancy craft or how perfect the classroom looked it was about how the kids remembered how real the teacher was to them. She was transparent, available, kind, compassionate and you could really tell she cared.

    This reminded me so much of my time here and how its not about the best activities I do with them, or having the best craft. It's about investing in relationships with them, spending time with them and sharing our lives with them by showing them we care. What they will remember is the times I laughed with them, and listened to them when they needed it even though there was other kids that needed one's attention too.

      For so long I remember thinking I had to show what Im worth by doing special things with the girls, which is good, but It was the only thing I was focused on and I was only focused on the fact that I did an activity with them. Instead of just being who I really was, investing in time with them, building relationships and letting God fill me with peace and joy and love. James 1:27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. 

I was also reading how The Lord wants to renew our mind and transform our thinking with thoughts his thoughts toward us. Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. So many times doubts had taken over my mind and I have to remember what the Lord really thinks of me, and that he just wants me to be real, personal and loving towards the girls because he wants to be shown through me, and show them how much they really matter to him and are worth it.  The girls will benefit so much more when I'm refuelled by the Lord and can give them that love from Jesus.  Excellence is more readily attained by being.

Sunday Adventures

Today we took the four youngest to church! that was something..they're so much fun but it took us forever to get ready and then realized that one of them had left with rubber boots on and no socks.. but we survived! We had ice cream after church.. and guess where most of it ended up?! mostly their dresses! thank goodness we were on our way home, and they still enjoyed it :)

Enjoying the ice cream!

 She sure enjoyed it!

"Pijamada" or girls night sleepover!

       Yesterday night Linnea and I had a sleepover with the girls! This is definitely one of their favourite things to do. They brought their mattress' downstairs into the living room and we had lots of treats, movies, some hair curling and some Zumba! Their idea of a sleepover is that the first person that falls asleep one must draw all over their face! so we had a few coloured faces this morning, luckily it came off this morning in time for church!

 <3

 Can I say Model?!!

 Just decorating some cookies

 I love you

 "Pretend your a princess!".. I guess this is A's version!

Valentines day festivities!

For valentines day, we celebrated a day later and we had some fun decorating cookies and eating pink cupcakes with the older kids! Here in Bolivia, it's not actually a holiday that they celebrate. They do have a day in september called "day of love" but we celebrated anyways! It was a lot of fun, and we tried to recognize it as a day to celebrate God's love too and how much he loves the children! We made them cards and put some verses in them that talked about God's unconditional love.

We also gave the boys headbands and they were a pretty big fan! the girls got little hair bows that they wore to church today.

 This guy is the cutest. nough said.

Edgar is pretty gangster too.

Cupcakes!

Clips for the girlies

  buncha cuties!

A day with J!

Today I spent the day with J, just me and her! I want to be able to spend time alone with each of the girls because I know they each need that one on one time where my full attention is on them. J is getting older now, and it's fun because we can hang out now more like friends do! She's such a sweet girl and so smart and mature and has so much compassion for people and life!

Today we went and had ice cream together and watched a parade, and then we went to the baby washing where they bath kids who live on the street, J got right into it and helped out by doing the girls' hair!

This girl amazes me everyday and the Lord is using her already!

Showing off her face paint!

fancy stuff!

Parade!

and then it turned into soup!

Then we found Michael Jackson

The baby washing tent :)

Bubbles for the kids!