Christmas Family pictures

different park pictures

These are just a mix of recent park pictures.

Salma and Trinity


Amina
Trinity's favorite thing to do at the park.

Thanksgiving/Christmas Party with friends

The gang from left to rigth: Isaac (Elisa's man), me, Levi, Ana,my hunk of burnin' love, David, Elisa, César (Ana's boyfriend), Cristina, Alvaro, Nacho (Cristina's man), Ana (Cris's niece), César (Elisa and Isaac's son), Luis, Trini, and Joaquin (Cris's brother/Ana's dad). Marta left early and did not make the picture...she WAS there!
The spread: Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole -the favorite dish of the night, tortilla española with zucchini and bell pepper-yummy, salad, and for dessert: brownies, ice cream, sugar cookies, walnut bread, and cabello de ángel.
David dressed up 3 different times during the day. The party lasted from 14:00-24:00! David was Iron Man, a police officer, and a fireman. He also learned some magic tricks from Elisa. César brought a sticker book for Levi for all of his InviZimals and so he spent 2 hours putting them all in.
A tired mama cutting the turkey- It was perfect. This time I cooked it breast down and did NOT stuff it. I rubbed parsley, rosemary, and thyme under the skin the night before and tied it tight. I cooked the 4.5 kilo turkey at 450 F 30 minutes and then lowered the temo to 350 F for 2 hours the 250 for 1 hour. I broiled it at the end to crisp it. Cooking a turkey without a turkey pan can be done but I think I will invest in one next time.
The kids liked the crocodile game
enjoying the yummy goodness of everyone' s contribution. That is Marta...the missing girl in the group photo. The sweetest thing that touched our hearts was heairng the words of David blessing the food. We all gathered around to give thanks and he said, "I want to pray!!" He prayed in Spanish and our mouths just dropped. He thanked God for each person...he knew...and said thank you for them. It touched our friend's hearts and ours as his parents. It was so perfect. I wish I had it on video.
Trinity loves Cristina and Alvaro-her son. They have come over several times this Fall and it has been fun sharing life with our kids.

Luis and Nacho- two hilarious dudes!
Elisa's Fraggle Rock was a hit too!


The kids did a little show for us that included singing, jamming on the guitar, and magic tricks.
The crowd loved it.
Elisa is behind Levi acting as the voice for the Fraggle.
Trinity helped Cristina with Alvaro in every capacity -from bringing her diapers to putting in the pacifier to putting the lid back on his jar of food. She was so attentive. She is going to be such a wonderful and helpful big sister!

We played settlers of Catan and Elisa won. We joked about Tim and I only having one brain cell left to function on at 23:00 at night. It was a long day but so much fun.

We thank God for giving us the house we live now. It has been such a blessing!!

Surprise Visit

I had a surprise visit from 2 great friends who were in town this last week. It really was wonderful being with them. It just filled my love tank and provided so much encouragement. Thank you, Katy and Connie!!! I love you!

They kindly took our picture. It is funny how there are never "mom and dad" pictures! I need to teach Levi how to do it so we can have more.