The Roser Place

2011-03-02T13:32:00.000-08:00

Dear friends,
we are very sorry that the last months (years) were rather slow on our blog. There was a lot happening, we are hoping to eventually catch up with some summary.

For right now I would like to invite you to an interesting blog, that I have been visiting in the last while.
It is created by a fellow Czech in US. I found some of the posts very funny and fitting.
I hope you will enjoy them too.

http://czechmatediary.com/

For a little reminder of how time flies, here is a recent photo of Tiffany and Brendon.

Aren't they sweet together!

2010-12-26T19:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year 2011

2010-07-25T13:03:00.000-07:00

The end of a school year

We are very proud of our wonderful children who do so well in their school. Last year we tried something new. To continue with their knowledge of Spanish, the children attended "Colegio London Westminster" again, this time only till 11 o'clock in the morning. After that they would come home and continue with studies in their English homeschooling program. Now we would like to share with all of you the ending celebration of their Spanish school.

We started with celebrations of graduates. And we had one as well.
Brendon Anthony graduated from Kinder!

After that started the musical marathon...
Each grade prepared a dance...

Jessica' class and the 70's...

Brendon's class and the 60's...

.

Patrick's class and the 50's...

It was a wonderful afternoon with music from 90's till 20's. All the children did great! Felicidades y disfruta los vacaciones!!!!

Andy and Tiffany

2010-04-06T10:07:00.001-07:00

BALLET PERFORMANCE

This year the ballet school that the girls are attending held another performance in the theater.
Aladdin and the magic lamp was the theme of their show.
We are very happy that Jessica can participate and is becoming a better ballerina each year.
Enjoy the pictures.

Tento rok poradala baletni skola, kterou Jessica navstevuje, dalsi predstaveni v divadle. Tematem vystoupeni byl Alladin a kouzelna lampa.
Mame velkou radost, ze se Jessica mohla zucastnit a kazdym rokem zlepsuje sve baletni umeni.

2010-04-06T09:11:00.000-07:00

Just a Fashion show??

Through our Dr. Payaso program in hospitals we got to know and work with an association "Cada Nino, Una Sonrisa". Last month we had the privilege to join them at an event for the children with cancer. It wasn't just any fashion show, it was to make these children feel special. I believe it did.
Thank you Patrick and Jessica for doing your part!
You can see a clip (which I don't believe can properly discribe the right atmosphere that was there that evening) at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA9qr8S7FSY

Pres nas program Dr. Payaso jsme se seznamili a pracovali s nadaci "Kazde dite, jeden usmev". V minulem mesici jsme meli prilezitost spolupracovat na nove akci organizovane pro deti s rakovinou. Nebyla to jen tak nejaka modni prehlidka, cilem bylo nechat tyto deti, aby se citily hvezdami. Myslim, ze se to podarilo.
Diky Patricku a Jessico za vas prispevek.
Videoklip muzete shlednout (ac neverim, ze spravne vystihl atmosferu vecera) na: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fA9qr8S7FSY

2010-01-28T11:09:00.000-08:00

OUR BABIES - QUIZ FOR YOU
I just love babies, so I couldn't help but make this post.

Brendon (4), Patrick (11), Tiffany (3 months), Jessica (9)

We have been blessed with 4 wonderful, smart and beautiful children. Over the past 9 years we've heard several times that we owe a photocopy machine for babies - they are coming out pretty much the same. So we decided to let you comment on that statement.
Do they look the same, similar or totally different? Can you tell which baby is who?
Feel free to leave a comment or check your guesses at the end of the post.

Byli jsme pozehnani 4mi uzasnymi, chytrymi a krasnymi detmi. Za poslednich 9 let jsme nekolikrat slyseli, ze mame kopirku na mimina. Tak jsme se rozhodli, ze nam poradite, co si o tomhle prohlaseni myslet.
Vypadaji stejne, podobne, nebo uplne jinak?
Dokazete rici, kdo je jake miminko?
Zanechte komentar, a nebo si zkontrolujte vase odhady na konci postu.

1. friend + Roser

4. Roser + friend

10.

11.

12.

So what do you think?

Here are the answers:
1. Nicole W. + Patrick
2. Tiffany
3. Patrick
4. Brendon + Kevin W.
5. Jessica
6. Tiffany
7. Jessica
8. Brendon
9. Tiffany
10. Brendon
11. Patrick
12. Jessica

2009-12-29T11:34:00.000-08:00

2009-12-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jessica!!!!

2009-11-29T16:20:00.000-08:00

TIFFANY ALEXIS' FIRST 3 MONTHS

Tiffany is growing very fast.

In just a few days she will have been with us for a quarter of a year.

She is following family tradition and is growing very well, ha!

On the last doctor visit (at 2 months and a week old) she weighted 6.3kg and was 61cm.

I cannot forget to mention the miracle, when it comes to sleeping at night. She has had many nights when she would sleep through. By now she goes to bed around 9 and wakes up with the school children around 6. When she can she has no problem sleeping till 8 with maximum one nursing during the night. As I say
A MIRACLE!

By now she gives us lots of love, smiles, and enjoys "her talking".

Tiffany roste velice rychle. Za par dni uz s nami bude ctvrt roku. Rozhodne nasleduje rodinnou tradici a velmi dobre roste. Na minule navsteve u doktora (byly ji 2 mesice a tyden) vazila 6.3 kg a merila 61 cm. Take se nesmim zapomenout zminit o zazraku, ktery se tyce spani v noci. Uz mnoho noci prospala bez probuzeni. Chodi spinkat okolo devate a budi se rano v sest, jako ostatni sourozenci, kteri se pripravuji do skoly. Kdyz muze tak si i prispi do osmi a to vse maximalne s jednim probuzenim v noci. Jak rikam, ZAZRAK.
Rozdava nam hodne lasky, usmevu a rada si s nami "povida".

2009-10-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Patrick!!!

We are very proud to have a son like you.

We love you so much.

2009-09-06T16:15:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a little tribute to our latest edition to the Roser clan. My parents informed us that she is their twelfth grandchild...wow! Congratulations Mom and Dad! Anyway she is our new bundle of joy and love in whom we are truly proud!

Soooo, here is to You, Tiffany Alexis!

Thank you for choosing us to be your parents and for counting us worthy of that responsibility, joy, love and happiness.

Love you!!The proud siblings

2009-08-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

SCHOOL YEAR 2008-2009

Here is a small video we put together of the highlights of the kids first year in private school. It was a challenge and a lot of fun. Enjoy!

2009-05-31T16:32:00.000-07:00

We cannot forget
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!!!

Andrew (JD's brother) has been living with us for the last 9 months.
He is a great guy. He definitely likes to live his life with some enthusiasm to it.
He is a great uncle to the kids. He is very funny and easy to be around.
We love you Andy. Have a great year. GBY!!!!

Nesmime zapomenout
VSECHNO NEJLEPSI K NAROZENINAM ANDREW!!!!
Andrew ( JDho bratr) s nami bydli poslednich 9 mesicu. Je super. Rozhodne zije svuj zivot s nadsenim. Detem je skvely strejda. Je velmi vtipny a dobre se s nim vychazi.
Mame te radi Andy. Uzij si pristi rok.

2009-05-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday
Brendon Anthony

Our son Brendon is already 4. The time just flies.

We celebrate it at a water park with our friends.
It was lots of fun, sun, water, cake and wishes.

Nasemu synovi Brendonovi uz jsou 4. Ten cas leti.

Oslavovali jsme na koupalisti s prateli.
Vsichni se bavili a uzivali si slunicka, vody a dortu.

2009-05-06T08:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday JD

The kids (with only a little help from mommy) made a special breakfast for daddy and at the same presented him with a beautiful birthday card.

We celebrated with a lovely barbecue (which JD had to do) and some games later on the weekend. Some of us want forget that party, isn't that right?

2009-05-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

Holiday trip
During the children's Easter holiday we went to "pick up" daddies from their trip.
Mommies and kids made their way up to the border.
And there we reunited with our daddy after something over a month.

We spent the first two days with Sarah (Joy's sister) - "Thanks for having us! It was great to get to know you."

All 10 children enjoying Sarah's breakfast.

We were also able to have a wonderful picnic in the park.
We took this trip as an opportunity to see some of our friends as well.
"We love you Charity, it was great to see you again. Praying for you."

We also went to visit Mila and Jerry, with whom we spent wonderful two days. "You are great guys.
We love you! You are in our prayers!"This is a picture of Mila and me at the teacher's seminar in Baja California in October 2008. Everybody always thinks that we must be sisters. What do you think?
We took the kids to the park, where they had lots of fun.

From Houston we continued to San Antonio, where we met up with James and Christina.
"You are wonderful, thank you for everything."
Through them the Lord delivered a miracle.
Last year I challenged Patrick to practise his spanish (this was before they started to attend the school). If he to succeed in keeping a decent conversation the shiner prize was to be a trip to Six Flags. With the school practise both of our kids made tremendous progress, which of course cause a little concern as what to do with a promised trip. (the joy of them learning is much greater than the concern)
The Lord took care of it through Christina and James, who invited us for a day in Fiesta Texas.
TYJ!
I was glad the kids learned that the Lord takes care of their hearts desires, when they are faithful and try their best.
Enjoy the pics!

Even the trip was just few days, we were very thankful for all our blessings.
We made it safely home with our new comfy vehicle. PTL.

2009-03-23T11:14:00.001-07:00

SLEEPY BRENDON

I am now in the States trying to buy a vehicle. It's not as easy as one would think or imagine. Now, being a guy, I enjoy cars and the like. I am not by any means a mechanic or know the "ins" and "outs" of said metallic transportation devices. So I brought Andrew along to tell me about a car that I might be interested in, that is, to see beyond the color, size, comfort, seating and general trivialities fo that sort. Thanks Andy! Could not do this without you!

Anyway, we've been here for two weeks and a few days ago Hana sent me this classic, kiddy film starring Brendon. I shant write and let you enjoy.

2009-01-31T18:01:00.000-08:00

Ballerinas

Jessica and her friends Jasmine and Natalie have been attending ballet lessons for the last two years.
For this year play they took part as well.
We hope you will be able to find them in the following short video.

Jessica a jeji kamaradky Jasmine a Natalie, jiz druhym rokem navstevuji baletni skolu.
Tentokrat se i ony zucastnily divadelniho predstaveni.
Doufame, ze se vam podari je najit v nasledujicim kratkem videoklipu.

2009-01-31T13:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Jessica

Before we start sharing events of this new year, we have few obligations from the year past.
Tina, my(Hana's) birthday was wonderfully quiet and peaceful day ending with an amazing dinner prepared by my dear husband in company of our home and some friends. I really enjoyed that.

But this post is really to remember birthday of our big girl Jessica. She turned 8 in the middle of December. Since her birthday is the same day as Natalie's, these photos are from their party.

The birthday girls with some of their brothers

They invited few friends, teachers from school, even their ballet teacher came to wish them on their special day. We had a nice garden party that everyone enjoyed.

by the way the cake was made by JD

We didn't miss some traditions, like "mordida"

and pinata, made by Patrick, Timmy and Richard, from Mexico....

....and other tradition from Germany.... ( I am blank on czech tradition, someone help!)

Happy Birthday!

Vsechno nejlepsi k narozeninam Jessico

Nez zacneme rozepisovat udalosti tohoto roku, mame par zavazku z roku predchoziho.

Tino, me narozeniny byly nadherne poklidny a pohodovy den zakonceny uzasnou veceri, kterou pro nas pripravil muj drahy manzel, v kruhu naseho domu a par pratel.

Nicmene tento clanek je ke vzpomenuti nasi velke holky Jessicy. V polovine prosince ji jiz bylo 8 let. Tim, ze jeji narozeniny jsou ve stejny den jako Natalie, tyto fotky jsou z jejich oslavy.

Pozvaly nekolik pratel, ucitelu ze skoly a dokonce i jejich ucitelka z baletu jim prisla poprat v tento slavnostni den. Meli jsme hezkou zahradni slavnost, kterou si vsichni uzili.

Nevynechali jsme ani tradice, jako " mordida"

a "pinata", kterou vyrobili Patrick, Timmy a Richard, z Mexika.

a dalsi tradice z Nemecka.... (zadna ceska tradice me nenapada, nekdo mi pomozte!)

2008-12-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

10 YEARS IS A LONG TIME...

10 years is a long time. A lot can happen in that period of time. Well this year we remembered a few special occasions. Some of them have been mentioned, others haven’t.…

10^th Birthday of our oldest son (see post before)

JD's 30^th birthday (see post before)

On the 1^st of December it has been 10 years since Hana’s mom went to be with the Lord (a better place). We miss her very much, but we know that where she is there are no tears nor sorrow, and one day we will be together again.

She was a wonderful person. Those who met her, knew her as always kind, cheerful, helpful and loving person. Of course she did win many also through her culinary art (hmmm yummy). So this is to remember someone who is still a big part of our family. My mom.

And then, ten years ago, we we were married... Ten years seems so long ago yet it also seems to have flown. Looking at this picture just makes me laugh. Thank God for new hair styles. (embarrassing.)

We celebrated our 10th anniversary this year on the 8th of August. We went to a quiet little resort town where one of our friends arranged a beautiful hotel/spa for us to stay at for a few days. Thank you Mel. We appreciate it a ton! It was beautiful.

Also, through the tens years that we have been together we have been blessed with three wonderful gifts of love sent from heaven. Our three wonderful children.

The first, born on the 29th of september in '98, is Patrick Allen.

then on the 12th of December 2000, Jessica Alison joined our family

And then, last but by no means least, Brendon Anthony became part of our family on the 15th of May 2005.

2008-11-18T07:49:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAT

Our oldest son is 10. It has been wonderful 10 years with him in our lives.
Patrick is really sweet and kind and we are so blessed to have him.

We planned to make this celebration special. Originally we were to go to the Peak of Orizaba (tallest mountain, volcano in Mexico) to see some snow and have a “freezing party”. But due to the weather, we had to postpone this one for a later date.
We went to a Navy ship instead. It is the one of the last two Mexican Navy ships. This one is docked very near us at a park in Boca Del Rio. It was fun and quite educational to see and visit different parts of the ship. You can visit at www.c07.com.mx. When we got home, we had a party with everything that belongs to a party – cake, presents, mordida, decoration… Just take a look.

We love you Patrick!!!!

Nasemu nejstarsimu synovi je 10. Je to uzasnych 10 let s nim v nasich zivotech.
Patrick je velice mily a hodny a my jsme opravdu pozehnani, ze ho mame.

Planovali jsme specialni oslavu. Puvodne jsme chteli jet na “Peak of Orizaba” (nejvyssi hora a sopka v Mexiku), aby si deti uzily snehu a meli “zmrzlou oslavu”. Bohuzel pocasi nam to nedovolilo a tak jsme tento vylet odlozili na jindy.
Misto toho jsme zamirili na Valecnou lod. Je to jedna s poslednich dvou mexickych lodi. Tato je zakotvena primo v nasem meste. Bylo to moc fajn a take jsme se velice naucili z navstevy ruznych casti lode. Sami muzete tuto lod navstivit na www.c07.com.mx .
Kdyz jsme prijeli domu, meli jsme oslavu se vsim jak se patri – dort, darky, mordida, vyzdoba ….. Jen se podivejte.

Mame te moc radi Patricku!

2008-11-05T08:31:00.000-08:00

SHORT SUMMER HOLIDAY

This is a small video of a trip that Hana and the kids made during August. We were moving on to our new land but the construction was not yet completed, so we sent the moms and children on a smal holiday while the dads finished things up. It was a great trip, from all that My kids have told me. They had a blast!

To all our loved ones out there...We love you!

(Zvlast pro nektere me blizske, kteri maji mensi zasobu slov v anglictine, si dovolim pripojit rychly preklad.)

Koncem srpna jsme se chystali k nastehovani na nas pozemek. Vzhledem k tomu, ze nam zaplavy zpusobily skodu a zpozdeni, nepodarilo se nam vse stihnout v casove lhute. Tudiz se rozhodlo, ze “zeny a deti” musi odjet.

Vyjely jsme aniz bychom vedely, kam mirime. Sefik pro nas ale udelal mnoho zazraku a tento ze zacatku nechteny skolni vylet se promenil v uzasne prazdniny. Behem 14 dni jsme ztravily 10 dni v nadhernem primorskem rezortu. Odtum jsme pokracovaly do mesta Puebla, kde jsme zabrousily do tunelu pod Azteckymi pyramidami a take jsme si byly zabruslit.

Cely tento vylet byl kouzelny a budeme na nej dlouho vzpominat.

Uzijte si fotky.

2008-07-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Flooding!!!
A few of you already know that we encountered flooding on our land. It was very unexpected as we are about 300 meters away from a river, that normally has only about 1 meter of water. During the rainy season in the mountains the amount of water was too much for that river bed to hold in. The depth of the river came to about 6 meters. We were aware of the danger a river would bring, so we had raised the land 1 meter and an extra half a meter for the house before, nevertheless none of this was enough and we still had about 70cm in the house. It was a surprise not only to us, but to all around, as such flooding has not been there before.
But we are glad that it happened at this time, when we can still fill the land more. We can still prepare before our main construction begins. It did slow our move a lot. But again we were thankful that we weren't living there yet at the time of flooding. PTL.
So pls. keep us in your prayers as it is a big fight and a big project to finish.

2008-07-29T16:41:00.000-07:00

The Mango trip

In the beginning of this year's holiday we took a trip to a ranch, that belongs to Andrew's relatives. The main reason was...
the MANGO season!
We got to do our own picking..

The mangoes were delicious !!!

But we also got to enjoy the sugar cane, that was just being harvested as well.

After this experience we all needed good wash up

and so we went up the hills for a swim in a cold spring coming from a mountain.
Together with a delightful barbecue it was a wonderful way to finish our day.

2008-06-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDON

Our "little baby" is officially no longer little! Ha! He turned three! For all those that cant see that big raspberry "3" on the top of that very blue cake. Ha! He did a great job of faking that blow of the candle. the poor boy wasn't able to blow out his candle...there was too much wind and it didnt stay lit, but he obediently posed for the picture and here we have it.
Patrick and Jessica really love doing the "mordida" tradition on everyone except themselves, and Brend was no exception I'm afraid. He did seem to enjoy it though, although I don't think he knew what was coming, but hey there is a first time for everything right?

A few friends came over with their gifts as well and everyone had a great time. It was a Palapa that the former owner of our land has right in front of the river and he let us use it for the occasion. Brendon loves it at the land and always cries when he has to leave in order to go back Home, so it was special for him. TTL!

2008-06-14T20:03:00.000-07:00

THE HOUSE IS COMING ALONG

Sorry that it has taken so long for the next post to get here. I work all week at the sight and there is no internet on location, and when I do get home for our family day I honestly think of a million other things that need to get done due to my absence and updating the blog seems to be one of the things I just simply forget about. Sorry! Especially to all of you who are praying for us and this project, we really appreciate all your prayers, and will continue to try and keep you posted on the latest happenings.

2008-05-11T18:45:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

JD and STEPHANIE

Well it was that time of year again where people felt they had to celebrate my birthday. I personally don't feel like I want the whole shabang, but hey, people have fun and its a great time for friends to get together. Because of the construction it was not possible to have the party on the 16th so we postponed it for the following Saturday. Stephanie had her birthday on the 17th so we thought we would have party for the two of us. It was great fun and we had a great time.
A big thank you to all of my family and friends who helped make this, my 30th birthday, a really great day!
I love you all!

Dear Stephanie, Andrews Sister

2008-04-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Our Building Project!

Part 1

Before I start the pictures of the actual building progress I wanted to add a picture so that you can have a better appreciation of these beautiful trees. If you click on the picture you can see Andrew on the very right. Yes, that little speck of white is his T-shirt. Magnificent! Isn't it?
OK, since this is the most panoramic view of the property I will use it to get you a little oriented with where we are placing the guest house. We are starting off with the smaller building for a variety of reasons, but for now suffice it to say that I am glad we did. You learn so much as you go! By the time that we finish this small one we will indeed be ready to tackle the big one. (and I still have my fingers crossed. HA!)
So for orientation, the palm trees on the very left; the little ones that seem to be under the second fig tree, is where we are placing the small house.

Here we are with day 1.

The workers are ready to start digging the trench for the foundation. The dirt that we used to fill in the land got so compact that it was too hard for them to dig so....

We had to hire a backhoe loader to do the excavation. Here you can see the boys watching!

Here you can see Andrew personally directing the excavation of the trench for the Wall that we are putting around the entire perimeter of the land. The conductor was new or inexperienced, one or the other, possibly both, and did a horrible job. Instead of a nice straight trench it turned out looking like the trail left by some massive snake. we had to have him go over it a few times till we were slightly pleased. the poor guy that is building the wall for us lost two building days because he had to correct the job this guy did.End of day 1.

2008-04-20T12:34:00.000-07:00

We Got Our Land!!!

Once upon a time there were two boys, three girls and their very close friends! They had a dream! A dream that seemed just out of their reach. Then something happened the enemy did not intend: A Lord of great power decided that the time was indeed right for the dream to be fulfilled. So, when these children were at the right spot, at the right time, with the right motives of heart, He granted them their wish and made it come true! "But", said He, "For your wish to be entirely fulfilled you must do your part to ensure that you work hard at your dream, doing what you can do so that the work be completed. What you cannot do, I will do, but, what you can do for yourselves, this you must accomplish to the best of your ability."
And so it was that on the 10th of April, 2008, in Veracruz, Mexico; these folks decided to purchase a plot of land to call their own where they might build, in honor of the Lord and His great commission to them, a home and center.
For those of you that know the story, will know that it was a slight bit more complicated then that, but hey, we wont bore you with details. The Lord did it and we have already started building! Yes, we find it hard to believe ourselves that we have actually started this venture!

Here is a picture of part of our land at its very early stages. Rough, wild, and untamed, but full of possibility!
In order for us to start the building project we would need to start filling in the land as it was a bit lower then the areas around and since it's close to a river we wanted to make sure that we would not, in some future catastrophe, get washed away. So in the next picture you can see how we began to do just that.

Here you can see how we had to fill it in about a meter. One of the reasons we settled on this piece of land were two very beautiful, very old, and very large fig trees. I had never seen this particular kind of fig tree but we fell in love with them and had to have them. Ha! You can see the dump trucks a distance away. The tree is not that big in comparison, but if the trucks were right underneath they would just fit between the floor and the first branches.
And, so it starts, Our Building Project!

2008-03-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

To all our dear friends,
we weren't able to post much in the last few months, but we think of you all often.
This was a card we received for Valentines last month and now we would like to share
it with all of you.
Enjoy! We love you!

2007-12-23T21:50:00.000-08:00

We do want to wish you all the best this coming year. We know that we can't be with all of you yet, we send our love and prayers this yuletide season! We pray that God will be with you all and that you will feel His Love and blessings in some tangible way this next year!

Prejeme i do Cech Vesele Vanoce a Stastny Novy Rok. I kdyz jsme od Vas vzdaleni, nic nam nebrani v tom, abychom na vas casto mysleli i v nasich modlitbach.
Mame Vas moc radi a prejeme Vam hodne stesti, lasky a Boziho pozehnani do Noveho roku 2008.

Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo 2008
a todos nuestros amigos aqui en Mexico.

Fröhliche Weihnachten und ein Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!!

2007-12-13T20:19:00.000-08:00

IT'S ANOTHER BIRTHDAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY
NATALIE AND JESSICA!!!!

On the 12th we celebrated that special day for both these beautiful girls. Natalie (of Andrew and Joy) turned 5, and our Jessica turned 7. Born on the same day these girls made it easy for us, we get to prepare one special day for two of our kids. And even easier, they are both very girly-girls. And yes, so far, only pink will do.
To start of the day the girls got breakfast-in-bed! (no pics sorry) A tradition that was born with one of the kids a few years ago and has now become a favorite must for the happy day! Next, they got to skip school! (another tradition). After quiet-time the girls had a tea party, accompanied by the famous Miss Nesbit (Toy Story lovers beware! HA!) Joy, thank you for assuming that role! You did great!

The Lovely "Miss Nesbit" (Joy) and B-Day girl, Natalie

And all the lovely ladies..Jessica, Natalie, Jasmine and Joy!

Jasmine, thoroughly pleased, she sparkled!

Dear JessicaSweet Natalie

Jessica and I

The social graces just oozed...

ITS B-DAY TIME!!! HIP, HIP, HURRAY!!!

Here we have Natalie and her Cinderelly-cake!

Whats better than one princes on your cake...? Three princesses! All on one cake!!!

Here we have the Escalante family! We love you all!

What will it be? What will it be?Its puppies and a Brat! Sounds terrible, and when I say Brat, I don't mean Natalie, Ha! I literally mean the "Bratz" Barbie doll

She finally gets to enjoy her cake. Yum!The Roser clan! We love you, Mommy! We shall celebrate again on your return! (And Jessica says, "Yesss!")

Someone was a little excited!?Have you ever wondered if you got the right thing for your child? Well, I did. it was the first time that I have had to get something on my own without Hana there to help choose. Well, this face of our daughters put me right at ease! Ha!

Sheer Joy! We got just the thing. (I will say here that she had told us what she wanted. But, a doll house and a doll house are not the same thing, believe it or not! It must be the right doll house! If that leaves any question marks blinking in your mind, well, you'll feel just a little of what I felt on hearing those words!) But the day was a success! GBP!

2007-12-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANA!

I was glad that we were able to celebrate Hana's Birthday before she went to Europe. At one point it looked as though she might have to leave on the 21st, flight availability issues. *

The kids, with the help of our dear friends, prepared two dances for her. It was really sweet and fun. A big thanks to Liz and Christina for organizing it!

Here are the girls doing a dance to a popular song "Para Ti Mama"!

Here are our "cool" Boys doing a dance to "Staying Alive"!

We went to "The Italian Coffee Shop" to celebrate. We greatly enjoy their "Frappes"! They really are delicious!
The ladies trying on a new line of "Box top hats" form the "Le Roser" collection. A little too out-there for my taste...HA!

I love you, my darling! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

* Hana is now in Europe. We found out, not long before her Birthday that her step dad had a heart attack. He was at work and collapsed. By the time he was found some time had elapsed and there was a significant lack of oxygen to the brain. He is now in coma and brain-dead . Please keep her in your prayers that all will work out fine and that she will be an encouragement to the rest of her family in the Czech Republic.

2007-11-19T12:37:00.000-08:00

PARENT DAY

OK, Yes, we agree with you all! At the rates that our posts go up...well.. Delinquency, plain and simple! But... but...! No excuses...Ha!

Here we are on a family day that we had about a week and a half ago. They are redoing a section of Boca del Rio, where we live, to make it more tourist friendly. We aren't sure if we agree with the changes, but hey, we aren't part of the deciding committee so PTL! HA! No, its just that it had a really cute, quaint, little fishing town feel to it before they started "upgrading". Coming here as tourists at first, it was something that we thought was rather authentic and picturesque; tranquil in its own way.
Once they are done we will be posting some before and after pictures for you to see what we mean. Not that we can say they are doing a bad job. It will most likely be nice. Just a very different feeling to it.

Anyway we had a great 3 hour walk. We were all exhausted by the time we made it back home.
On the way out we spotted some bright green iguanas in some trees so we had to stop and take a look. There were about three or four. As children will be, they each had to see all of them for themselves so we were there for a while...

Here we were able to capture one of them on camera.

They added this old, really old, navy ship that they are working on to make a tourist museum attraction. Somehow the ugly greyness of it just doesn't fit in. But, I have to say, that the kids loved it. Especially Patrick!

Here you can see how they are working in the background to make a park. What Hana is standing on used to all be ocean front. They filled it all in in order to make this park-plaza type area.

Here are the Kindern...

Here is Brendon trying to "real in" this little fishing boat. He had to fight it out with the waves which were pulling it out. We were just glad he didn't get rope-burn. He really tried hard.

And yes, like any good boy, each dog had to get fully and closely inspected. We only caught this first "victim" on camera.

He then wanted to get his feet wet so we let him wade in the water. He went in dry,...
And came out drenched...He loved every bit of it...

Here is a photo of the "Squints". The Log was not to be passed up with out a family group picture...even if all you ended up seeing were lines... instead of eyes and mouths!

We had fun. Although, after three hours, I don't think they will want to do that again in the near future.

2007-10-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PATRICK!!!

Here he is. Our big 9 year old September 29th boy! My they grow so fast!

Patrick had wanted to have a dress-up party last minute! I think it turned out well for the fact that we had fifteen minutes. We loved Brendon's "Prince Abubu" outfit! Anyway they had fun and it was a happy time for all of them.

2007-08-27T11:03:00.000-07:00

Sea Nettle

We just wanted to put up a quick note to ask you for your prayers! Our six year old daughter Jessica was stung by jelly fish( from all accounts these particular ones are called Sea Nettles) yesterday while on an outing that we had on the beach. She is doing much better now, Thank God! We had to take her to the Red Cross where they gave her a shot to counteract the poison. It was rather traumatic! Some of the other kids and adults got it as well but, gratefully, not as bad!
We have been here for five years now and this is the first time ever that something like this has happened. There are supposed to be some of the most dangerous spiders and snakes in Mexico, here in the state of Veracruz, but thankfully, with Gods protection, we haven't encountered any of them so far.
We were told that on account of the hurricane, creatures that are not normal habitants of these waters will find themselves here through the strong currants caused by the force of these storms. It was a little silly of us not to have thought about that but, well...we didn't. Thankfully it wasn't any worse.
Here are pic's. of the poor dear.

2007-08-27T10:34:00.000-07:00

HURRICANE DEAN IN VERACRUZ

We were at the receiving end of a great miracle last week. It was the second time in two years that we were spared from being hit by a hurricane.

The first, Hurricane Stan, was coming straight at us and in the last moment turned away and hit a few hours away from us.

This year it looked even more desperate. Hurricane Dean, which had already hit the Yucatan peninsula at the force of a #5, was heading straight for us. A day before it was to make its second landing after having been weakened by its first land fall different meteorologists predicted that there was no way it would change its targeted course. As a matter of fact its strength was estimated to clime severely after touching water on the Golf coast. Everyone expected it to land with unrelenting furry, and straight for our town of Veracruz!

We got together in desperate supplication wondering what we should do. Should we evacuate or wait it out?

Surprisingly most of us received an amazing amount of peace; we would wait it out! A few of our neighbors were not so sure and promptly boarded up their houses and left the city.

Our faith was tested a bit in the face of all the panic all around. We live right in an estuary where two rivers meet and enter the Atlantic ocean. There were rumored to be waves of between 3-8 meters, flooding was a real concern. The back of our garden touches a branch of the river, one of the three flowing through our neighborhood. Veracruz’s geological location makes it privy to strong northern winds reaching a speed of around 120 kph on a regular basis. Dean was predicted to double that power and bring with it an unprecedented amount of water, for which the city was not ready.

As we were preparing for the worst, readying the house as much as we could, “just in case”, Hana decided to walk in the yard and look at the river which was slowly raising in level. The sky was a dark angry gray with low rumbling clouds, to her amazement, she became aware of something else as well. Even though, at that point, there was no rain or rays of sunshine, there was a full rainbow arching across the sky. "I will never flood the world again" were the words that came to mind. We knew we had no need to worry or fret. It would all be ok!

And it was. The next morning we checked the intensity of the hurricane and found out, that the strength had diminished and amazingly even its path, in which it was proceeding had changed. It had moved so far north that we were 32 kms outside its 112 km wind reaching radius. We didn’t even feel a full fledged “Norte” wind that we had expected at least!

His Promises came to pass, there was no need to have worried.

Praise God!!

2007-07-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

O.C. CAMP

Here is Patrick with some of his new friends made at the Christian Training camp held near Monterrey this year. He was so happy to be able to go, along with Tim and Richard (of Andrew and Joy). Here are just a few pics. of the things that they did, as well as people they met.

This is Patrick's and Timmy's team "The Egsnatchers"! Captained by U. Victor and A. Rain.

Here is a caricature of their team done by Zeb

Here Is the team that Hana Captained

And here is their caricature!

Here is Pat at a computer class on how to make a "power point".

Here are the judges of a dress-up contest held at the camp.

Here is part of the Egsnatcher team dressed up.

Here is Pat and U. Alf

Pat, Timmy and U. Zeb

Mom and Pat at the swimming pools!

Some pictures of the surrounding countryside. Beautiful!

2007-07-18T10:42:00.000-07:00

MATT AND MEL

I thought it was about time that I added something on our blog about my family. Being as it is that I have a large one this will be no easy task. But I will start off with My brother Matt, in Africa. He is the third in our numerous family. My sister Tina is the second, there will be blog on her soon...just need to find the right pics.
Right now he and his wife Melissa are with my parents in Germany recruiting members to go back with them to Africa. I admire them quite a bit! They have been there for a little more than four years now, pioneering and starting a work in Sierra Leon. Africa, isn't the easiest mission field and not everyone is called to be a part of that work; yet, through many battles with sickness, accidents, power-outages, civil unrest, etc. my brother has proven that where there is a will there is a way! And I am very proud of him for what the Lord has been able to accomplish through him on that needy mission field.
Anyway if anyone out there feels a tug on their heart's strings for Africa, or more specifically, Sierra Leon, you know whom to write! Ha!

Matt and Mel

The entire family

I do believe my parents have a picture like this of my sister, my brother and me when we were little, in the back of our very old Mercedes van. I should ask them for it and have a side-by-side display.

Its an older one but it was a cute picture of them all so i thought I would add it.

2007-07-18T07:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, you would have every right to be frustrated with this blog! I am as well! Ha! Time... time... time...! We were talking about it a few months back and we came to the conclusion that there are simply not enough days in the week nor hours in a day; but, if there were we would still manage to complain about the lack of time... so the conclusion was that we were the ones that simply had to learn to re-schedule!
So I committed to trying to put up a post once every second W&R. I'm trying not to cross my fingers but...Ha! Just kidding. I have to do it for my own sake as well. I CAN DO THIS! At least I think I can!

This is a picture that Hana took near Monterrey while at a summer camp that she, and our son Patrick, went to! (Blog will be coming soon!)

2007-05-31T09:37:00.000-07:00

This is all about Brendon Anthony Roser, our youngest little bit of Heaven. He just turned 2 on the 15th of this month. He is everything that one can think of in a two year old little boy. From the angel to the little.... he captures it all! I will let the pics say the rest...his facial expressions attest to his personality--in every way! We couldn't imagine our life without his little self!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRENDON !!!!

2007-05-19T21:21:00.000-07:00

I wanted to thank everyone for the cards and words they sent on my birthday. I'm back tracking here so that I can get everything up on the blog and try, as hard as I may, to stay up to date. I doubt I will ever be able to... LOL! But we try!

Somehow I wasn't able to get pic's of the party in the evening. These are from the brunch that was prepared for me for the occasion. Thank you, Hana, Rose, Jenny and Andrew! It was delicious! I enjoyed it immensely!

2007-05-19T20:43:00.000-07:00

Jenny & Rose

In April we had the great pleasure of having two dear friends over whom we hadn't seen in years; dear Rose and Jenny, both of them also Czech like Hana. It was great fun having them over for those few weeks. We Love you both dearly.

It was great to be able to talk of times now past and remember some of the friends whom we shared and who we hadn't heard about in a while. Thank you both for coming and sharing those special moments with us! We love you! (Rose is the one in Pink, and Jenny is the one that isn't Hana...HA!).

2007-04-28T14:58:00.000-07:00

FINAL EUROPEAN POST

The Lord made it possible to make this trip after 4 years of not leaving Mexico.
We were very thankful for the opportunity that we had to finally go and see everyone again. In spite of the busy moments, and difficulties that traveling brings, we had a wonderful time.

In the previous posts you could see some of the beautiful places we were able to visit. We enjoyed it immensely. It was interesting how all these “homey” places were so familiar yet so changed and foreign all at the same time.

We would now like to take a moment to appreciate all the amazing people that we met along the way. (We don’t have all of you on picture , Sorry! But we love you and appreciate you jus the same.)

Some of you we’ve known forever, some for a shorter amount of time and a few are new friends, yet we love you all and treasure our friendship a lot.

Thank you all for your happy, generous, inspiring welcome, and help.

We pray that we will have a chance to meet again soon, wherever that will be destined.

We love you all! You have a special place in our hearts!!!

John and Sara (JD's parents)

Julie-Grace and Daniel Patrick (JD's sister and brother)

Honza and Jitka

Hana's brother and sister in law and our families.

Hana's step dad.

Tina (JD's sister)

Kathy and us.

Dave, Kathy and I

Mira, Honza, Jana, Petr

Rafe and Andrew

Jennie

Kaylee and Andrew

Hana and Petra

Roman, Bara with Filipek and Brendon in buggy.

Robert

Zuzka and I

Ralf

Charity

Andrew, Marie and family

Melody and Zack

2007-04-28T14:37:00.000-07:00

Before we left for The Frankfurt airport we stayed with my sister and her daughter Amanda in Ansbach, Germany. It is a beautiful little city with a lot of German history. It was an enjoyable stay and it was nice to see my sister again after four years. Thanks Tina for making our stay a happy one. We love you and Mandy dearly!

2007-04-20T19:23:00.000-07:00

ZLIN

When we had gone to the Czech Republic we had really wanted to visit Hana's brother in Zlin, which is south of Prague near the Slovak border. One of the highlighs we were looking forward to was the cottage her sister in-law's father had. It's a quaint little thing that is protected by law for its historical value. So the bottom floor is not to be changed or remodeled. So it has some of its old character left. The top floor and stables were "touchable" so "touch them up" he did. I wasnt able to take pictures of them but the top floor was the perfect place for Ikea to have taken a foto-shoot, and the stables were turned into a gym-sauna-jacuzzi!

Anyway, definilty a place we did not want to miss on our European excursion!

The kids with their two cousins (to the left).

Hana smelling the fresh cut tree bark that was strewn on top of the flower beds to protect the buds form the frost. The entire place smelled of freshly hewn pine--a smell we missed, living on an ocean front.

The Kitchen.

The old stone oven.

The living room.

And the front entrance.

And las but not least some pictures of the country side. It was beautiful!

2007-04-13T20:59:00.000-07:00

This Blog will be mainly pictures taken of our visit to the national museum in Prague! To enjoy the beauty of the architecture please feel free to click on the image to get a better look. Some of it is really awe inspiring! I think we adults enjoyed the building more then we did the relics within! HA! I do think the kids enjoyed it though! It was rather amusing to see them look at all the different things that one small country can hold. For its population of 10,000,000 +/- the Czech Republic holds some magnificent findings and awesome sights! Definitely a recommended stop for anyone planning a trip around Europe!

2007-03-30T15:32:00.000-07:00

SIGHT-SEEING IN PRAGUE!!

These are all pictures of the Famous St.Vitus Cathedral, that is found in the Prague Castle compound. Its an amazing structure with beautifully intricate architectural detail.

This is the Famous "Charles Bridge" and Andrew walking its cobblestone path. Too Cool!

2007-03-22T02:48:00.000-07:00

HERE ARE THE KIDS ENJOYING THEIR SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!

2007-03-22T02:21:00.000-07:00

MORE SNOW!!!

This is what we woke up to yesterday! It was gorgeous! We hadn't had this kind of snow in a long while! Even while we were living here we didn't get this kind of snowfall. We were scheduled to leave that morning and continue on our way but we had to let the kids enjoy their first real mini "winter".
I'll let the pic's speak for themselves!

2007-03-22T01:49:00.000-07:00

SNOW!!!!

We had been in Prague the day before yesterday for a long day of business and the kids...well, they were kids and were just that much too tired to be their angelic selves. Then on the way to their granddad's it started to snow! The kids were ecstatic with joy! We warned them that if it wasn't cold enough during the night that it would all melt and there wouldn't be any more come morning.

So we let the kids play for a while, thankful that they were able to experience at least a little snow. For Jessica it was the first snow she remembered, as we had left Europe before she was two. For Brendon it was his first snow ever, if he remembers it in a few years, I doubt it, but at least we could say that our "European" kids had experienced a winter with snow.

It was actually cool for us as well as we hadn't had snow in over 3 and a half years. It was one of those sweet touches that the Lord gives every once in a while to prove His love.

We weren't sure we wanted more snow to come as we weren't sure that we could make it with our car in snow and we still had to travel a bit and would, I guess, have preferred if it would have all melted and the roads cleared so as not to have to worry about slippery roads etc.
But as you will see in the next post God had something more in mind!

2007-03-20T14:40:00.000-07:00

Holland!!!

We were 20 minutes away and so just had to see it! Actually I should say a big ¨Thank You¨ to Andrew. If it werent for him we wouldnt have gone through the ¨trouble¨ of going there.

So we found ourselves in Venlo on a really clear day and we had a simple walk around town and now we are able to say: ¨We were in Holland!¨

It was an interesting thing, we had to take a picture in front of this awsome building, mainly for the fact that in that little sign at the very top center, were written letters in arabic or some such language. It was an odd thing, that, but we never did find out why or what was written on that sign...maybe some day.

When you see a chocolate shop with nothing but chocolate, you see the chocolate shop and nothing but that chocolate in the chocolate shop.

2007-03-19T08:16:00.000-07:00

Here is a small clip that we made of Geldern, a small town in the north of Germany near where my parents live. The north of Germany is somewhat different from the south. Insomuch as the north, in particular the north west, is a serious industrial zone, and therefore more grey looking. I preffer the look of southern Germany more. I guess it has to do with the fact that the four years that I lived in Germany, where all spent in the south. I wish we could have seen a bit more of that region...perhaps if we visit my sister. If we do I shall try to post! Enjoy!

2007-03-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics of some of my family members. We werent able to persuade every member to take a picture but the ones that did now grace this post with their beatiful faces. Thank you!

Here is my mom and Jessica! Love you Mom! You look fantastic!
My sister Jules!

They are hard to see, but my brothers Nick (to Hana's right) and Brian (To Pats right) decided to give Hana and Andrew and the kids a tour of Reudt. Right I had forgottent o mention that is thename of the town that they live in. Silly me!
And out they went, not knowing wither they were going, except that it was cold! Even Brendon saw the use of holding his gloved hand over his poor little nose to protect it from the cold!
My two sisters and I. From left to right: Claudia and Julie
The happy aunt Claudia with her niece and nephews. Hope I got that right. I get so tangled in the line and progression of aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins...so on and so forth. But I think I got it! If not...do pordon!

2007-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

We made it to Germany! These are a few pics of the town and surrounding area where my parents live.

This is the form in which they produce most of their electricity, or so I am told. These metalic windmills speckle the horizon on every possible meadow.
They live about 20 minutes away from Holland so the country side looks that way, therefore the windmill. Sorry, no lady in a short red skirt, white apron, and wooden shoes. For now Andrew will have to do! HA!
Following some pics of meadows where we found no trace of the electric supply mills...(there were more, free use of exageration here.)

Ahh, the lovely couple...strolling down the frozen lane...Brrrrr! It was cold!

2007-03-19T04:04:00.000-07:00

This last week We had wanted to get these pics posted but there was a problem with the connection where we stayed. Sorry!

Here we are at the Houston International Airport. We could have taken the same sort of pictures at every airport so we opted for somethign that stood out to us from each airport.

This is at Charlotte. The kids loved the Indian at one of the shops there. So here, his wooden self graces our post.

Charlotte was my personnal favorite stop-over. I loved the relaxed atmosphere. We didnt get a good picture of them, but they had these cute white rocking chairs everywhere! People where comfortably rocking away, waiting for their planes.

Here is a pic of this interesting mobile they had of different airplanes. the boys had a great time watching it.

To complete the mood they had this guy play on an awsome grand piano, its music filling the halls. I can honestly not think of a better way to relax a crowd stressed out travelers better then allowing them to rock away on a comfortable chair listening to soothing music!

On our way to our Gate.

Our international flight. A look out through the wings! We didnt get any pics of Philidelphia but we had a one hour stop there as well.

2007-03-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are again after almost three months of silence! Good Lord! Yeah, don't need much to say that we are obviously not bloggers...Ha! There was a lot that happened in that period and I will...with fingers crossed, blog it someday. But, for now, I thought that I should blog about the most recent happenings so as to appear be "up to date" and then back track...making amends for lost blog time.

To make a long story very short we are in Europe! Shocking, I know! We hadn't thought that we would be coming back for a visit till later this year, and even then it was only a thought. But, when the Big Boss says "Go" you fly! And Fly we did. It was a long flight! From Houston to Charlotte, Charlotte to Philadelphia, and from there to Frankfurt. Three Planes and 15 hours later found us tired in Frankfurt happy to be on solid ground!

We were cared that our youngest, Brendon, would be giving us hard time on the trip but, thankfully, he was an "angel". Following are some pics of the trip. The ones added here are of our time in Houston before our flight. We stayed there for about 10 days before our plane left. Thanks Charity and Home for having us! Luv you!

Before we came to Houston we stayed in the Valley for about three days. Thanks to the generosity of a dear friend we stayed at a cute little hotel while we did our business.

And this...is Houston! Thank You Charity and Home!

We missed our Family Birthday Celebration, so Dear Charity invited us to Ci-Ci's Pizza buffet and we had a yummy-full afternoon!

2007-01-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

Here they are the Happy parents with the gifts they received from their kids... Chocolates, Frogs, and other delights. Happy are they!

2007-01-23T10:00:00.000-08:00

Here you can see all the kids at one point or another during the gift unwrapping. Yep, all in their PJ's, scruffy hair and...well, no one really cared, it was CHRISTMAS!

2007-01-22T09:13:00.000-08:00

Here is the first in a Four part "Christmas blog" series. The pic's aren't chronologically ordered but Hey, they are up! Sorry for the delay!

Here is a look at our Christmas day brunch! This came after all the presents were open, and sadly after all the kids had gorged on their stocking goodies. Well, the bright side was that there was more for us grown-ups to eat!
The stockings! All seven of them, stuffed with fluff and all the things that children cant keep their hands away from. How we love to torture kids on Christmas! All the goodies they must not touch until every single last member of the Home is present! Poor things
Here I am reading a story to the kids as we wait till everyone is downstairs for the gift unwrapping. The girls are on the floor on blankets pretending to pay attention...sorry we didn't have a pic of that.
Our Christmas Tree. This one nearly died by the time that Christmas day rolled around. But there it is in all its glory. I think we are considering a nice fake tree for next year! Yes it would be a shame to miss the authentic smell and feeling but there are two sides to the coin and being that kids love to have their tree up long before C-mas day, and that its nice to have a dark green tree on your yearly yule-tide pictures, not to mention the oodles of needles that fall during the month that must be cleaned...yes, a nice, good quality, fake tree will do beautifully!

2006-12-26T07:49:00.000-08:00

Couldnt get one with Patrick, but hey, we try!

Brendon and his uncle playing basketball in the living room.

The two brothers just come down from napping! Tsk Tsk! The sloppiness!

"Travelin' that lonely highway...."

Mig and the squid tenticles

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This is my sister Julie,and my brothers, Mig (big guy)and Brian (little guy).

Here he is again with us here in Veracruz. Mig we are glad that you had a wonderful visit and we hope that you enjoyed it as much as we did! Have a great time in Thailand! And come again!

2006-12-26T07:38:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to get this off for a while but, well times being what they are, everything takes longer than you expect it. These are pictures of my brother's visit to us for about a month. He visited the southern part of Mexico and even then stayed more toward the Atlantic coast, at the city's of Merida, Cancun, Tolum and San Cristobal de las Casas. The pictures are his of some of the scenery he captured along the way.

2006-12-20T17:16:00.000-08:00

Sorry about the pictures everyone! I encountered a problem with my Photoshop and could not get them ready. But guess what! Dear Joy found a solucion and here they are--the promised pics!

2006-12-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

On the 12th of December Jessica Turned 6. On the same day she shares her special day with another sweet girl-Natalie of Andrew and Joy (left pic) who turned 4. its been the third year now that they have shared their special day and they seem to enjoy it quite a bit. Without further ado I will let the pictures speak for themselves!

2006-11-26T12:41:00.000-08:00

The Day After!

The kids enjoyed their Banana Split with a relish that was unparalleled!

Mother and daughter enjoying their snack!

2006-11-26T12:32:00.000-08:00

Tina and Hana

A birds eyeview of half the living room

Hana and I

Andrew, Naomi, and the Birthday girl

These are some of the pics from the "Evening Gala"

2006-11-26T12:29:00.000-08:00

Our Wonderful friends and co-workers!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HANA!!

OK! Yes, I am a little late with this but hey, I try! I really do! Well, Hana’s special day turned out a lot better then I had hoped. As a team we had agreed that the B-day boy or girl get to have an extra day off as a gift from the Home. So we had originally thought that Hana would take that day off on her day except that for one reason or another it didn’t work out. Although we were able to have the afternoon off and I took her to a really cute little restaurant overlooking the ocean, with what could have been a beautiful view had it not been for the blanket of darkness that covered everything at around 7pm.

I wanted to say a big thank you to all those in our Home that worked to put together the evening that followed. Especially to Jesse for getting together the music that made the evening what it was.

As some of you may know, before she joined the Family, Hana was aspiring to be a professional ballroom dancer. Well, it was quite the forsake all and I have tried over and over again to learn to dance that way, but I just don’t seem to get the hang of it. But, Hallelujah, thanks to communal living, there is someone here that has a gift for that sort of dancing (any dancing in fact). Dear Jesse as of late has taken up the torch of practicing and learning with her for quite a few nights.

Anyway, for her special night he organized a ballroom dance activity night. For those that have not been to our Home we have a very large living room! About 120m2 or about 396ft2. We arrived at home form the restaurant to the room all lit with candles and Christmas lights. We had snacks and beer as well as gifts of cream liqueurs and a beautiful butterfly necklace (thanks Tina, Andrew, and Perla).

So what did the rest of the evening entail? Well, Ballroom dancing and Banana Splits! I believe she loved it! Her smiling face, her passionate “Thank You’s” and blissful expression, as she was whisked across the floor, said and proved as much as well as attested to her happiness.

Well, enough talk! Enjoy the pictures! They aren’t the best quality but being as it was dark with candle light only, I believe they do the occasion enough justice.

I wanted to say a BIG BIG thank you to all of you my precious team. I praise our sweet Jesus for giving me lovely people like you to live and work with.I love you so much. (By the way, Jesse is a great dancer)
Thank you dear Kathy for sweet card that brough amazing memories and made me feel very happy and close to you again (eventhough there is thousands of km between us).
Thank you my wonderful JD, you are the best husband and friend I could ever wish for. I am so thankful that Jesus gave me you.
You surely suprised me again (I really liked the cherry, ha).

THANK YOU ALL FOR MAKING THIS MY BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks to all of you who send me a birthday wish through any means of modern multimedia. I love you.
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo Hana

2006-11-09T16:33:00.000-08:00

Here is a small tribute to a dear friend whom we have known for a life time--literally. Hana and Kathy grew up in the same apartment, went to the same schools, joined together and we had the privilege of living together with her and her family for over 8 years living in different countries, crossing oceans and changing continents. Just recently, February of this year actually, we split up to follow different dreams.

It’s amazing how so much a part of you a friend becomes, and regrettably, we only realize this when that person is gone. We know we love them and care for them but sometimes fail to let them know this when they are close. Then for on reason or another, your roads part and you each follow your own path to fulfill the destiny that the Lord put before you. Then you realize just how much they really meant to you.

Well, it happened that way with us. The road together was not always the easiest and hardly perfect, but that is what makes friendships so special. The imperfections draw you closer together. You realize the human, frail side; the embarrassing tears, the lonely heart cry, the little idiosyncrasies; the nagging obvious faults that you have endear you to this amazing person instead of frightening them. It was that way with us. We could say anything and we knew the other would not shun us for it. We didn’t even have to talk and we knew what the other was thinking or feeling. Such a relationship is heaven sent!

We thank God that we were able to share that time of our lives with such a wonderful friend!

Thank you Kathy for being there for us! --And still being there actually, over the chat and the phone, whenever we need you and can catch you…Ha. You have probably changed our lives more then you, or even we, will ever know. Thank you!

Following is a poem that I had dedicated to her many years ago, when our families parted for what turned out to be a short time only, and I found it still holds true and so, at the risk of being redundant, I wanted to post it here for her again, slightly paraphrased for a snugger fit.

Farewell

A love like yours is not too common
Except in a Family like ours
It’s a tie that’s true and can’t be broken
It’s that which makes it so hard.

Like the unequaled beauty of the rose,
A flower liked by all.
Yet many with their unheard sorrows
Are crushed for their sweet perfume!

So as gold must be passed through the fire,
To see if pure gold it is,
So must we separate as God must desire.
To see what fruit we will bare!

So know my good-bye I bring before you,
It is not eloquent
But from my heart I assure you it’s true

To our dear friend… Farewell.

2006-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Here are, from left to right, Tina, Melissa, and Hana at the World Trade Center, here in Veracruz. The stand was sponsored by the organizers of the event. We had a great time meeting managers and owners of various companies, some of which were interested in becoming sponsors of our local work here.
Displayed are our educational and motivational materials for both children and adults alike. We have found events like this to be a great way to promote our activities as well as to find sponsors for our different projects. May there be many more!

2006-11-07T07:51:00.000-08:00

I thought this picture was hilarious, a friend sent it to me and I thought it was worth publishing. Poor man, so hopeful! Somehow I found it innocent, don't ask me why, just gave me that impression. Funny, yet pure in its own way I suppose. And and interesting perspective on art and what to look for should the art you are admiring really catch your eye and, obviously, ignite your imagination, as it clearly did this fine citizen!

2006-11-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

I finally found out how! Now you will be able to see what we did for our holiday to central Mexico. It took me a while to find out how to get this video posted but with the help of dear Gabe (Thank you!) we are successful! Well, enough talk, Enjoy!

PS. You might want to give it a moment to download before you play it just so that you can enjoy it without too many breaks!

2006-11-03T09:30:00.001-08:00

This month is my love’s Birthday. She’ll be turning…on the 24th. Discretion please! HA! It’s always a dilemma for me to try and figure out what it is I can do to make this years special day something different and out-of-the-ordinary. Last year it was 30 scarlet-red roses! Yes, that did the trick quite nicely I have to say! This year is coming around and I don’t seem to be able to think of anything…well there are the few gift ideas, but still none the seem to say, “Yes! That will do perfectly!”
Women will always tell you that it really doesn’t matter and that as long as it comes from the heart its fine…well, without meaning to be rude…I’d have to say, “rubbish and scrambled eggs”. It might be true, but, it just seems insufficient. I mean, come on! It’s the women I love, for Heaven’s sake!
Whenever I have done that, like a card with a poem I wrote, I got that sweet benign smile that was heart felt but just showed that much disappointment that told me not to do that again, if I could possibly help it-- And thankfully I have been able to help it! Ha!
I don’t mean this in any way to demean the card and poem, by no means; it is actually an enhancer to whatever else it might be that I have gotten for the occasion.
Oh well, I pray that when the time comes I will have thought of the perfect gift, or at least as close enough as I can get to perfect. I’ll keep my fingers are crossed and my eyes open!

2006-10-09T16:05:00.000-07:00

We had tried and tried to get some of our friends over to teach the kids Spanish but to no lasting avail. We have been here for four years and our kids can't hold a simple conversation in the tongue of the land where we profess to be missionaries...shameful, but sadly true.
We got desperate and the Lord led us to enlist him and his friends Richard and Timmy in soccer classes. He is not an active sports boy at all, but, to our surprise he did not dislike the idea. Its been a month now and it seems he is enjoying it greatly. We just had a big inauguration party for their soccer team, where all the teams got together and received prizes for last years achievements, at the sports stadium. It was a good thing for the beginners to see as it made them look forward to next year when, if they did a good job, they would get medals as well. Quite the incentive! The mayor was there for a while and shook hands with all the kids and teens that got rewards and trophies.
Well, there you see him in his new outfit and with his team. GO BOYS, GO!!!

2006-10-01T17:17:00.000-07:00

I came across this on a computer clean up that I was doing and found a hiden file folder somewhere...something long lost and forgotten and now recovered, I'll see what the response is and maybe there will be more, I dont know.

Is it Worthy ?
Can it really be true or is it only a fake
This life I’m living and dieing for
Do I understand its cause & intentional make
Or am I here for my conscience, no more?

Does it cost me my life, & daily surrender?
Do I enjoy each passing moment
Or live I only for its rewarding grandeur?
Which would be a shame to Christ’s atonement.

Must I give my all or only a part,
To this life I chose to live?
For did I not vow my " all" in the start?
So my "all" is all I must give!

It takes renewed dedication daily,
To make this life worth living
Did I make this decision plainly
Or did I doubt from the very beginning?

May God forgive a soul as mine
And gentle it once again
In the path that will make me wholly Thine,
Though bruises I may sustain.

Help me, lead me, guide me,
For I cannot go on my own
My strength lies only in thee,
For I want never to walk alone!

I’ve tried the path without a guide
I met with trouble, sorrow and pain
And I will never leave thy side,
To have to walk it alone again.

I must needs lean on thee,
My strength will leave in a matter of time
But the strength in you is like a sea,
And a hundred times outweighs mine.

Oh, my redeemer, my Lord and King
To think that you died for me
To make me a prince in thy coming!
Of such love I am not worthy

My God do not forsake thy child
But do what in thine eyes be right
According to thy tender mercies mild,
May my prayer be pleasing in thy sight.

Yes, this cause of my all is worthy
He is mine and I am His
let nothing else in life besmirch me
I don’t want to die for that which is!

I seek life, life eternal
And for this my all is nothing.
It`s for beyond anything carnal
For which I would give anything!

Yes, it is Worthy!

2006-10-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Here are two pics of Pats Birthday! In our livining room and in Pizza Hut. I could have another pizza right now. I'm starving! Gotta get some food!

2006-09-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

Our Big Birthday Boy!

Patrick Allen turned 8 yesterday! He is getting to be such a big boy! Again the days pass so quickly. 8 years is quite a long time on the other hand. It sounds contradictory I know, but thinking back on when he was born, the place, what we looked like (good Lord…Ha), what we had gone through at the time…thankfully it is all in the past.
It was a good time, to be sure, but I was never one to be too nostalgic over the past and brood to long over times gone by. I don’t think there was ever an instant when I wanted to go back into time and change some things, even to change wrong doings. I figured if they happened, they were meant to happen, and my part was to learn form the experience, and move on.
Anyway, He seemed to have really enjoyed his day. We went to a wax museum saw some pretty true to life wax figures and others that looked just like…well, wax. (Sorry weren’t permitted to take pics..)There was also an interesting mirror maze that we had to go through in order to see the rest of the gallery. It was an interesting illusion. The mirrors were tilted at just the right angle in order to not reflect our images. At the suggestion from a guide we were advised to walk through with our hands and arms outstretched. It was sound advice, at a few intervals Patrick, a little over confidant, bashed himself against a few mirrors, he had assumed the role of our guide down the maze and so went ahead of us. It was a good thing as he had been quite reluctant to go in, in the first place. He is a very cautious child and leery of doing anything just for the thrill of the thing. In some ways a mature train of thought, but at others a serious handicap. It prevents him form experiencing some fun things in young life, and has a tendency to lean toward the cowardly.
After the museum we went and had lunch at Pizza Hut. We enjoyed two pizzas immensely, quite the treat! Well, it was either Burger King, or Pizza Hut, both had great deals. In our small family we prefer Burgers over much else, but Patrick was content to try something else for a change…not that I know of too many people who will put down the offer of a pizza—except children. For the simple fact that Pizza Hut does not afford the simple commodity of a jungle gym! Children will be children!
Then it was back to the house to a home made cold fruit pie, as per Pat’s request, and jello! Then we watched “The Wild” and uncle Andrew made the kids de-cafe Frappe’s with Oreo’s and cream—the long awaited “adult treat”, that we had promised them we would make a “child” version of, therefore the de-café.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAT!!!

2006-09-26T18:04:00.000-07:00

IT has been quite a while since we have posted something. An apology is in order…Sorry. Our modem got fried about a week and a half ago during an intense tropical thunder storm. For all those out there living within the equatorial reach, will know what that is like. Beautiful in its own way, with magnificent lightning bolts clapping, each trying to outdo the other in an awesome display of power, light and electric energy. None the less the aftermath is not exactly what we, mere mortals, desire in any way-- charred modems just a small example of our inconvenience.
Anyway, we hope that the problem has righted itself after spending more then a week trying to get the new modem installed and “talking” with the wireless router…IT HAS BEEN ACCOMPLISHED! (hopefully it will last)
We hope to be able to be posting more in the near future! (one never knows…Ha!)

Attached is picture of lightning over an ocean, not one taken from here in Veracruz but close enough to what one would experience if one would take the time to look outside the safe confinements of the four walls of your house.. Ha!

2006-09-11T07:26:00.000-07:00

Good morning to all of you out there! Here are pictures of our dearest treasures on earth-- Patrick, Jessica and Brendon (in the arms of his Mother). I don’t know if it’s the same for all those of you out there that have children, but since ours were born the years seem to have flown by and not given us a moment to catch-up! HA! Some times I am not sure whether to be grateful or not.
It’s true that I would not trade the years, and the experiences gleaned from them for anything. It’s just that I wish there had been a few more of those restful and quiet moments…Hana is always telling me that I should appreciate this time when they are little, especially the fact that I can still boss them around, HA! She is right!
I do have to say, though, that I enjoy the children a lot more now that they are getting a little older, I feel there is more for “Dad” to do with them, then there was when they were young and depended so much on Moms “milk-station”.
Our oldest is 7, soon to be eight, on the 29th , and he is such a fun little person to be around. All of our children were extra attached to their mother. It seems just a short while ago that they, our oldest son and daughter, got used to the idea that Mom was not the only person in the universe that was any fun or that understood them. Yes, Dad was here too! Ha! Our youngest still has not gotten weaned so he is still there, with “Boob-station” on demand.

2006-09-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hi there, this is us! Well, this is our second try at a blog. hope this one works.

We wanted to creat a blog for our family and friends, especialy those that we left behind in Europe, so that they can stay informed of our lives, our dreams, and our joys.

We lov eyou all so much and hope that this will have the desired effect--A smile to your face and a boost to your soul. We love you!