Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Years...

I decided to start out a New Year right.... and acknowledging this blog was definitely at the top of the list of things to do! WOW! I was really trying to update it more often and post more stories and pictures a lot more frequently then I have been doing... So here is an update of the last several weeks of what we have been up to... (this is where I am very thankful for social media such as FB and IG)... at least I've stayed up to date there! :)

November: November was a whirlwind.... the kids were busy with school and Randall was super busy with work and before we knew it, Thanksgiving was here! Of course the kids had school on the actual day of Thanksgiving, so we celebrated with the traditional Turkey Meal with friends on the Friday after. Not much picture taking went on but here's our "Family Thanksgiving Picture".. via iPhone :)

December was even more busy... and it started with Micah loosing 2 teeth within the same week! His smile definitely changed but is still super cute! 

The weather started getting pretty cold here and coats, scarves and mittens became part of our daily wear... but we never shy away from a pic with an amazing view (taken on the roof top of a friend's apartment)... but man alive, it was COLD that day!

 

As Christmas approached, we made our annual sugar cookies and invited some friends from our Crossfit Box (Gym) to join us... For some, this was the first time they had even decorated sugar cookies and it was so fun watching adults really get into it.. maybe more then our kids! We are truly blessed to be a part of such a great community of friends!

And later that same weekend, we had a fun Christmas Party at our box... we did a workout first and then ate together and then played the "Dirty Santa" gift Exchange Game... this was epic as most had Never played the game before!!! Lots of laughs and sweet memories made!

The kids had school up until December 23rd... and are still in school until January 14th... So not much of a break at all (yet). But at least they had a fun "dress up like Candy Day" and did a gift exchange with their classmates.

Christmas Eve... we decided to take the kids out and let them pick out gifts for one another to surprise each other on Christmas Day... It was by far one of the most crowded Mall Experiences we have ever had!!! But of course we had to take a family pic by the Huge Christmas looking tree made of yarn or what appeared to be made of yarn!! :)

Christmas Day... homemade cinnamon rolls were in the oven and we enjoyed a quiet, family Christmas Morning... The kids were blessed beyond this year!

And we spent Christmas afternoon/evening with friends in their home, enjoyed a yummy turkey dinner with all the sides... read The Christmas Story, sang songs and played games. What a great way to end this 2015!!!

Merry Christmas to each of you (reading this) and may The Lord bless you and your families in this upcoming 2016 New Year! 

School and Activities...

The kids are over 6 weeks into their school year and it has honestly been a "rollercoaster" with the International School they are attending. There have been some unexpected changes with schedules and classes, etc... but our two kiddos are real troopers and are pushing through. 

Please pray for Micah as he is adjusting from Kindergarten to First Grade. He is the only American in his class and maybe even in the entire grade. Although he has many friends from Kindergarten, he is one of the only native English speakers, which has made it challenging for him during some of the breaks and free time.

Micah is such a carefree, happy, energetic boy and we just want what's best for him. 

Please pray for Morgan as she has experienced some challenges with the difficulties of her language classes. Morgan is very social and some of her friends from 2nd grade are now in a different class, which means her core group of girl friends have been separated. 

Morgan is such a sweet, hard-working girl. We love her so much.

I (Liz) have started tutoring our neighbor's 10 y/o son everyday in English, Math, Science, Social, Reading.. and whatever else he has. He goes to an English Speaking School, but his parents aren't educated in English as a first language. It has been challenging and rewarding all in one breath as I have sat with him and re-taught many lessons, starting to basic Kindergarten rules. He is a sweet boy deep down and I pray over him all the time as he quietly works out his sentences or math problems.

Please join us in praying for T and his family.

On top of work, school and life... Micah started going to Ju Jitsu classes once a week. This is a great outlet for him to channel his energy into and hopefully he'll start meeting other kids from the community. 

Here's a short video that Randall made to give you a glimpse into Micah's first Ju Jitsu Class:

In addition to Micah's Ju Jitsu Class, both kids have started attending a weekly Art Class. Excited to see the different projects and crafts they do over the next few weeks! 

(More Pics to Come!)...

Making Memories (part 4)

As we wind down our time in The States this summer, I wanted to post a few pics of our last couple of weeks...

These are Randall's parents dogs.. They are Golden Doodles and are so precious! From the left... Sunny, Grace, Paisley & Flower... 

Morgan and Micah were Grammy's Big Helpers this summer and made sure these girls had plenty of treats!! 

We were blessed to spend time with Randall's Grandpa, who is 92 years old. 

Our last week in the Dallas area was spent mostly with my family... Top Golf is something we've always wanted to do, but just hadn't made the time, until this summer! Pa Pa and MiMi took the kiddos to the putt putt side of Top Golf, while Randall, my brother Chris and I played around on the driving range. It was a lot of fun!! And a reminder of how long it had been since I had swung a club!

And we had to take in a Rangers Game while in the DFW area! Go #37!! #wearefans 

We ended our time in Dallas with a family dinner! Thankful to have visited with Uncle Willis & Aunt Emily & the cousins! Congrats on the engagement Davis and Jenn!

We then made a trip to Illinois and Great Paw Paw took us on a Real Train! Micah was on cloud 9!

We then celebrated Paw Paw's retirement from the Ministry! It was a great weekend spent with family and seeing old friends.

60+ years of serving The Lord and telling people about Jesus! We love you Paw Paw and are so thankful to have you in our lives! You have taught us so much about loving others and living by faith!

Morgan is smitten by her sweet cousin, Reese! We have had such a fun time this summer, watching the cousins play and love on each other! 

We board the plane tomorrow (Wednesday August 12) to head back overseas. Please stay in touch with us and stay connected!! 

Making Memories (part 3)

Its hard to believe we will be back in Jordan 2 weeks from today...

We have had a wonderful time in The States, spending time with family, friends and sharing with various fellowships. During the last month, we have been privileged to visit Howard Payne University..the college where Randall and I met, spend time with old college friends, vacation at the beach with Randall's family and everything else in between!

Where it all began... 12 years ago!

Happy Birthday America!!! Fun times watching the fireworks at Sea World!

Terry Family.. Thank you for opening your home to us and serving as a meeting place for us to get together. I love that our kids play so well together! We will wear our Summer Moon shirts proudly in Jordan! Love ya'll!

Burrows Family, thank you for making the trip both to Austin and Brownwood to visit with us! It was so fun catching up and watching our kids play! We love you guys!

 Allison, thank you for making the time to hang out with us and our crazies! I love how our group has grown over the years! Love ya Girl!

Bullion Family.. Thank you for spending the day with us! It meant so much to see you guys and love on ya'll! Until next time... hopefully on our side of the ocean... Love you guys!

We went on vacation to Port Aransas with Randall's Family and had a great time! Morgan and Micah especially loved going on the Pirate Ship!

Love this sweet niece of ours!

Catching up on some Cousin Time!

Selfie with my main squeeze :)

Its a tradition to take Family Pics with The McQueen/McDaniel Family...I say it turned out pretty good! :)

As we cross the ocean in 2 weeks, please pray for sweet goodbyes with our loved ones, safe travel and a quick recovery from jet-lag as jump back into our busy lives! 

Until next time... across the ocean...