Green pie and other stuff

I'm feeling terribly uninspired lately, which is why you'll note the lack of blogging. So, in order to not expend too much energy trying to summon my writing creativity, I will simply fill you in in list form. Maybe a few pics of Natty will make it better.

1. Can anyone tell me why the sweet potato pie I baked turned green on top the next day. Not just kinda green- GREEN. Thankfully, there was still a third of it that wasn't totally green that I could serve to our neighbors who came over for lunch- they're not so much into Dr. Seuss here.

2. Had the neighbors over for lunch- Edgar, Hortensia, and their 30+ aged kids, Pablo and Sylvia. Good food, loud conversation, family arguments over whether or not technology introduced in Bolivia brought alcoholism. Fun times.

3. Making my own baby food. Natty pretty much puts it all away the same, so I'm not sure what her favorite is. I'm partial to the prune apple oatmeal. She did cry the whole time I fed her carrots today, but she kept opening her mouth for more. She sends some mixed signals during meals. The bottom shelf of the freezer is full of ziplocks with frozen food cubes. It's pretty.

4. Fair amount of hosting going on. I'm starting to wonder if it'll be worth investing in a dish washer down the road. Favorite new salad is chinese cabbage salad- look it up on allrecipes- yum.

5. IBMers seem to be opening up since the retreat. More honesty about what people like, what they dislike, confusions they have, etc. Our small group times tend to be more relaxed with more conversation and more chatting afterward. This is great progress.

6. New family commiting to attend our church. The son says he thinks he's met some real Christians at this church (after attending a handfull of others around town). Awesome.

7. The summer is officially over! This causes even more of an urge to return to the states where people are wearing shorts. It's quite chilly at night and now stays cooler in the house than outside. Natty is getting a chance to wear all those cute jackets and hoodies we've been given (but only in the house- still pleasant in the sun). I really want to keep slippers on her feet to keep them warm, but the only ones I have look like little animals and she constantly pulls them off to taste them.

8. We've got plane tickets home! June 17th-January 8th- woohoo!

IBM Easter camp

So, we were back to the Yungas last weekend for our first camp as a church- for Easter! There was a ton of planning that went into this and a lot of praying that it would be a success. I suppose there are different ways to judge success when thinking of camp. For me, it meant that Natty slept most of the way there and back, that she slept well at camp, that the food cubes I had made to feed her didn't spoil and that she ate well, that she enjoyed the company of 100 different people grabbing, petting, cooing, touching, and holding her off and on throughout the weekend, that the kids program being held in our cabin didn't interrupt the naps, that I had someone to talk to while sitting inside the cabin waiting for her to finish her nap...I'm sure you get the picture. So, for me, it was a great success! The weather was beautiful, I had nice conversations with people who were in and out of the mission's cabin where we were bunked, and Natty was a dream. For other people, especially leadership, we found that there was a lot we would do differently next time. The turnout was amazing and had me continually in awe at how good God was to bring so many people to our church camp. Lots of people invited friends and family, many of whom are not believers. However, there were enough unexpected visitors to warrant smaller portions of food and even one run into town to buy more chickens. We also need to work on delegating more responsibilities, as there were 2 families who did the brunt of the work and really burned themselves out. I'm not taking credit for this, as we were not included in those running themselves into the ground, but for their sake, something needs to change there too. But, overall- the games were tons of fun, people seemed to be getting to know each other better, the messages were great, and I would rate the camp a success. A petty thought came to mind on Easter- outweighed by gratitude for the life I've been given through the death and victory over death by Christ- but it was there nonetheless: Natty celebrated her first Easter without a dress! Or a basket or any of those other things I grew up with. Now, living in Bolivia and potentially participating in camp every Easter in a remote jungly area that is a bit rough, I'm guessing a pretty new dress won't be part of the picture for our daughter. So, that got me thinking about what I would like to see as tradition in our family. I love traditions and I remember looking forward to specific ones when I was little. I want our traditions to first, point the way to Christ, and also be lots of fun. Scotty and I have some thinking to do- what are some of the traditions you guys enjoy at Easter?

Our Natalie

I have to take a moment to brag on our baby. Everyone probably thinks their baby is the best, but I'm pretty sure our little girl is (or as one friend would say, best "on this side of the world"). She has reached this super fun stage where she chats happily in her crib in the early morning when I'm too tired to go in and get her, she smiles for strangers (which was definitely not the case a few weeks ago), she goes to sleep without any coaxing- naps and nighttime, she rarely cries, she loves to play by herself with toys, she's never afraid of dogs- no matter how big or loud they are and she gets a huge smile on her face when she sees me or her daddy. She really is such a joy to be around and is learning new tricks everyday. For example, I heard her whining in her crib just a few minutes ago, which is a bit unusual for her. I went in to check on her and she was lying on her tummy! This might not seem too exciting, but I've been trying to get her to roll from back to tummy for the longest time! Anyway, I could go on and on about our daughter. So, I will just sum it all up by saying she is a precious gift from the Lord and I am awed that He gave us the great responsibility of making her a disciple of Christ and getting to cuddle with her too!

The happy box

Last night we dropped Natalie off downstairs with explicit instructions on what to do and what not to do with her. As soon as we walked in, our landlord, Edgar, says, "I'll put her to bed." I wasn't into that. The point of waiting until 7 to go out to dinner was so that we do Natty's bedtine routine and hope that this would distract and calm her in new, scary surroundings. Then he told us not to worry, if she wakes up, they'll play. No again, I'm afraid. We explained that from this time on, she sleeps- no playing. He seemed a bit disappointed, but we left feeling like we had done our best to explain what she is used to and how to treat her if she were to wake up. And off we went on our first date since Valentine's Day- Scotty's birthday dinner. He had chosen one of his most favorite restaurants, Mi Tierra. It's Brazilian style, which means an endless supply of meat. And we're not talking chicken (unless you count the hearts), this is beef, pork, lamb. They bring around different cuts on skewers and you can accept or decline (I find declining hard cause they sometimes seem to take it personally). And then there's a large salad bar with veggies and various fried things that go well with red meat, and a dessert bar. You can see where this is going. Overindulging and very full bellies at the end. But, we had such a nice time catching up after a busy week and celebrating the life of a wonderful man. And then, the grand finale- the happy box. Scotty had to run out of the restaurant when we first got there and I informed a waiter it was my husband's birthday tomorrow. He said they play the "Happy Birthday" music and do a "happy box", whatever that is. I said that sounds great and he said they'd be happy to do that tomorrow for my husband. I was a bit confused at first and then explained that the man I was there with was my husband and I was hoping they could do it tonight...he readily agreed. So, as we sat down with our plates of rice pudding and crepes, the wonderful latin version of "Happy Birthday" came over the speakers and out came the waiters with a plate that had a little box made out of flat, square pieces of chocolate, filled with whipped cream and "Felicidades Scotty" nicely written in strawberry gel- a happy box! When we got back home, we found Natty asleep, after having been taken out, walked around and put back to bed in a lit room on a bed, watching soccer....mmmmm, I won't bother typing how I felt about that. But, I was thankful for neighbors we can trust and a good relationship with them.

After a busy morning, Scotty and I headed back into town for a small office party in his honor. One of our favorite traditions here is how everyone takes their turn during a birthday party to share what they love, admire, and appreciate in the birthday person. It was neat to hear Scotty's office co-workers and friends all agree that one thing they see consistently in him is a passion for Christ and the Word. I've thanked God many times for a husband that can explain Biblical ideas to me and to other people as well as a man who has a gift of faith and loves to grow in his love and understanding of the Lord. Scotty is a patient, fun, loving, affectionate, compassionate, generous, intellegent, friendly husband, father and friend- how grateful I am for the privilege of being his wife.