Save Darfur

If you don't know much about Darfur, 

I highly recommend you read 

"Tears of the Desert" by Halima Bashir.

If you are aware of what's going on, 

please consider sending money to aid by clicking HERE, or writing a letter to 

Mr. President Obama to honor what he said in ending the genocide.  

We would think that after World War II and the Holocaust, 

it would wrench our souls to allow genocide to happen 

anywhere else ever again. Yet, it does.  

It is unspeakable.

For a simple way to help, (and a very fun way), click HERE.

World Water Day

Please consider making a difference TODAY.

Charity: Water       World Vision

Every day, 4,200 children die as a result of drinking unsafe water. Every 21 seconds a child perishes from waterborne diseases such as typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. Six million people are blind as a result of contaminated water and bacteria. Please help bring safe, clean water to thousands across Africa. Your gift can save the lives of children and families throughout entire communities. 

To give water is to give life. Clean water can cut a community’s child mortality rate in half. It means food for families whose crops are failing due to drought. It saves livestock. It gives parents a powerful way to improve the health, hygiene, and well-being of their children, and enable them to reach their God-given potential. Please give to African communities thirsting for help. 

Your generosity will help World Vision dig wells to bring safe, clean water to thousands. It will provide purification equipment to treat water contaminated by bacteria, pesticides, animal waste, and waterborne disease-carriers. It will supply water storage containers to save fresh rainwater for later use. It will transform arid land into fertile fields. And, most importantly, it will improve children’s health with sanitation systems that keep water sources clean. 

Did you know that each of us in American uses about 80 gallons of water daily? That’s enough to sustain 16 African families for a day. While we go into the kitchen for a quick drink, a mother in Zimbabwe travels miles in search of water to save her baby. Americans are blessed with easy access to clean water. Share that blessing with children who are fighting to survive. 

No other gift produces a more dramatic effect on life than clean water and sanitation. It is fundamental to all aspects of development. You can help wash away suffering by providing access to one of life’s most precious resources. Give now — for these children, every minute counts.

Children's Handbells at Church

Our church just started a children's handbell group and it is hilarious to watch.  The director has little color cards and when he holds up that color, the child who has a bell with that color rings it.  :)  It's REALLY cute.  I snapped these pictures of the boys' first practice this past Sunday.  You can tell Danny was having a big time.  Mateo was VERY intent on doing it RIGHT.  It's cute how different they are!  :)

Stepping back through 2 years

The Present:  Mateo 5, Danny 4

February 20, 2008:  Mateo 4, Danny 3

December 28, 2008:  Danny 3, Mateo 4  (Look at those chubby cheeks on Mateo!)

June 15, 2007  Danny 2, Mateo 3

March 2007: Danny 2, Mateo 3

Our Big Day

Today we had all kinds of fun.  Mateo and I went to register for Kindergarten!!  He's all excited about getting to go to the "big school" when he gets bigger.  It's really fun to see all that excitement for school.  I hope he always has that love for learning.

After visiting the new school, we went to Chick-Filet for lunch!  Super-special treat on a great day. The boys had fun running up and down the little park inside the restaurant and they were adorable playing with (I'm guessing) a three-year-old boy that joined them.  They chased each other all over the place and laughed and laughed.  Mateo said to me as we were leaving, "I think that boy was a baby."  It's cute how he's starting to see the difference in ages.  He's been asking his friends at preschool too -- finding out that they won't be starting Kindergarten with him because they're a little younger.  He's sad about it, but seems to understand that he's bigger.  It's cute watching him figure it all out.

After our special trip to lunch, we went to the pet store to see some of the fun little animals they don't have at the zoo.  We saw every pet a person could want -- puppies, kittens, rabbits, turtles, frogs, fish, birds, even hermit crabs.  We had a big time playing with the puppy terriers until we were told we weren't supposed to climb up over the glass to play with them.  Ooops!  Still, it was loads of fun.  :)

Good News!!!

Hey guys,

I know Ray and I have told most of our family and friends about the fact that he has been in charge of his step-mother's estate, and that it's been an exceedingly difficult and time-consuming job.  I wouldn't even know how to give a quick summary of the problems, except that the most frustrating one has been that the will as understood by state law does not match with the intent of the will of both Ray's father, and his step-mother.  But that's just one of many issues.  Anyway, after one full year of this, we found out last night that we can expect to finish the estate by May, AND that both sides of the family have agreed to the terms.  YAY!  

This has been utterly exhausting for Ray, and our study is cluttered with boxes of organized files pertaining to this estate.  It will be such a relief to have this burden removed from my dear husband!

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ALSO, after a health insurance scare in which Anthem denied the boys' hospital claims and was going to leave us with nearly $30,000 in bills, they are going to re-code the claims, process them again, and our claim should be approved!!!  YAY!!!  (All JESUS!)

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Lastly, in general goodwill, my dearest parents are hosting our boys' first sleepover, as a birthday present to me.  The boys have new sleeping bags and a flashlight and are counting down the minutes until they get to go (seriously!)  Meanwhile, Ray and I don't even know what to do with an entire evening to ourselves!  Ray's said he'll take me to Olive Garden, and mostly I'm just excited about having dinner with my hubby.  YAY!

REAL SNOW!!

We got our first real snow today.  I mean it's snowed in the surrounding areas before March 1, but for our particular place in the valley, this is our FIRST real snow (where something stuck to the road and we accumulated any level of inches).  It was celebratory!  Whoooo hooo!!!  The boys had a big time.  They're still learning about it and figuring out what you do with it.  This was the first time we had enough to make snow balls and it was KINDA fun, but I think next year will be the big snowball year.  As for today, they'd throw a ball and it would miss and then they'd run and jump on it to prevent the attacker from picking up the ball and doing it again.  *cuteness*

Look at these great snapshots I got today!