Merry Christmas and God's blessings in the New Year!

Friday night we had an ugly Christmas sweater contest. Tadi was dressed as Santa.

Tadi has graduated out of his highchairs into a booster seat at the table. (We discovered he actually does well at the table and usually makes less of a mess.) Hence, Eric and Ithan got to use them Sunday night which was cute.

Winter weather here is cold at night and warm during the day. Basically, where there's sun there's warmth and were there isn't sun, it is cool.  As soon as you step in the shade, you can tell the difference. I smiled to see Aron barefoot, but in his winter coat.

I babysat Tori last night during Carnisimo's employee Christmas supper. We took her babydoll to visit the pigs and sheep and played outside for awhile. It was fun! She even jumped on the bed a little and Marce and Mani came over for popcorn and to talk.  And then Keni and Tadi joined us. That is the first real hosting I've done in my little apartment!

The cards and pictures have made my corner more homey.  Thanks again!

Gift of the Week: Christ, the baby, who became Christ the man and took our place on the cross.

Therapy and Time with Tori

 Today will end our second week of Tadi's "class" and that's where a lot of my pictures have been taken. I have also been videoing some of his activities, so if I have the chance to show them to an expert they will be able to see what he can do. Usually we just sit on the floor, but I put him on the bench to snap some pictures. It is exciting to see how much better he does in a quiet room without distractions! We also walk in his walker after his class.

Fine motor skill therapy class in the baby room of the church...

 Tadi's snowman cup was a gift from Joe. On the right, he is playing with a ring and a squeaky toy.

We've been practicing throwing his soccer ball with BOTH hands.

Puzzle for learning shapes.

This is one of those cloth books that has a different fastener to open each "page." Ours starts with a buckle, then velcro, zipper, snaps, buttons, and shoelace. A bit of a surprise, Tadi concentrates and seems to rather enjoy doing it.

This week I also started using an instrument we ordered that is called a Z-vibe. It is a vibrating stick with various tips and you use it for stimulating a patient's lips, tongue, month, etc. My hope is that it will help his eating and speaking skills.

Starring Tori and Tadi...



Ever since I played in the bed of a truck a couple times with them, Tadi will ask to play there and often Tori wants to too.

Monday after playing in the truck, we baked Monster cookies that I had mixed up in the morning.



It was rather challenging for them to see all those cookies and keep there hands off, but they did well and enjoyed eating some.

We played a game where Tadi and Tori took turns hiding behind the brick wall while I sang, "O where, o where has my Tadi boy (or Tori girl) gone. O where o where could he be?..." And when I got to the end, they would come running (or wheeling) for a hug.

We also enjoy singing some of the action songs from church, The Wheels on the Bus (when were playing in the truck), and other songs.

Just yesterday I pulled out the dress-up box which was fun. Here Tori is a cowgirl princess and Tadi, a knight in shining armor. :)

Last night we had a Christmas singing and video-taped messages to send to Fede. As far as I know he is still in the hospital with or recovering from infection. It is getting serious as he continues to get infections and fewer antibiotics work. Please pray for him and for his family here! Please pray that his sister, Jaqui, will get permission to go visit him.

Sunday is our Christmas program which I am looking forward to and Lord willing, next Thursday I will be flying home!

Gift of the week: The blessings of this age in history such as traveling from Mexico to Illinois in a day, skyping my family twice a week, writing this blog, Whatsapping my Grandpa from my phone, and everything else that I take for granted. There was a time when if you traveled this far you never expected to see your family again and only received letters occasionally. Wow, what a difference! 



Playing, Learning, Living

Time at the Wulf's

...playing with the pegboard...

 ...and other toys

Putting a peg in the hole is an accomplishment for Tadi.

Marshall uses an Abeka video curriculum and Tadi likes to watch the class with him sometimes.

On Tuesday, Duane and Ann took Marshall and Tori to the states, so I only had Tadi and the three older boys. Garret and I made cookies to take to school the next day for his friend's birthday.

Sidenote: Tadi took a spill in his wheelchair. Hence, the scabs on his nose and lip.

Tamales: A Christmas Tradition

Tuesday morning, ladies from church and from CVE got together to make tamales that will be served after the Christmas program on the 21st.  We joked and laughed together.  It was special to see the ladies here doing something they do well and can teach us about.

I don't have a picture of a finished tamale, but perhaps some of you have eaten one. To compile one you take a wetted corn shuck, spread it with dough, add some meat, other vegetables, and an olive and fold it up.  The tamales are steamed before serving. My job was putting the tamales in bags after they were folded. 

The "masa" or dough was a mixture of whipped lard, a boughten corn mixture, chicken broth, a tomato base, and salt.

It is hard work to mix the dough.  These ladies did an amazing job.

My family and I usually skype two mornings a week.  Something I look forward to.

Mani with a ball at sunset.

Gift of the Week: God's love and patience. I am continually amazed at God's love and patience. As God teaches me, I realize that I have been wrong. I have judged wrong. I have done wrong. And I have thought wrong. Because I didn't know...yet. And once I realize that I've done so in the past, I realize that there are things right now that I am judging wrong, doing wrong, thinking wrong because I don't know...yet. But inspite of that God keeps patiently teaching me the right way to live and think. It overwhelms me that He does that for me and I am so thankful that He chooses to reveal to me new perspective, insight, and truth.

Please continue to pray that God will lead ME and that He will lead US and that He will give us wisdom to work out His will in our lives.

Also, for those who don't know, I am planning to visit Illinois over Christmas, flying in Christmas day and returning here to CVE on January 9th.  

God bless each one of you!

Christmas Is Coming!

This week has been different as Kendra has taken over more responsabilities with Tadi. For the past three months, my life has revolved around him, so the first couple days were hard. However they have been days of learning: there's a time to hold tightly and there's a time to hold loosely and there's a time to let go. I don't know the future for Tadi and I and that saddens me at times. Sometimes I just get overwhelmed envisioning all the different turns my life could take. Kendra and I actually ended spending a decent amount of time together this week taking care of Tadi, so I think that was good for adjusting. Wednesday we went through Tadi's room, cleaning and organizing and discovering. I enjoyed seeing all his therapy things and finding new (old) things to use with him. 

One of our discoveries was his baseball cap! :)  

Wednesday afternoon we went into town together with Tadi

On Thursday, we went to clinic together and I managed to snap one picture. :) This is the sanctuary of the church where the clinic takes place. The ocupational therapy station was in the center aisle; there were a couple stations up front, and free clothing in an area off to the left of this picture. Pediatricians had tables set up in a passage along the right side of the sanctuary and physical therapy was in the foyer.  Other stations filled other rooms and corners.  It was crowded and a little hectic!

Photos during Softball last Saturday

Ricardo and Diego playing cars in the pea gravel.

Michelle feeding one of the rejected lambs.

Tadi sitting between Sara and Kathy.

...and Today

The softball footware of these two sisters made us smile. :)

Action! The kids practice catching and throwing before the game.

Christmas is Coming

Decorating the tree Sunday evening.

Hanging the lights on the largest tree of all.

Joel and Steph's Christmas tree always cheers me up when I walk by it at night!

A newly discovered and frequently used toy (spool)!  Even Tadi tried it out.

The meats class and cooking class provided us with a lunch of steak tacos (carne asada) with delicious salsas on Friday. The school has some "elective classes' that are taught on Fridays (and maybe other days).  Those include a cooking class, and a meat science class taught by Dr. Wulf.  Left to right in the picture are: Geo (one of the cooking class teachers), Marcos, Manuel, Zach Wulf, Belem, Yerania, and Duane Wulf. 

Gift of the Week: All of you!  In the past couple weeks, I've received a couple emails and a few cards that I didn't expect!  Messages of encouragment from people who don't usually contact me. These have reminded me that you care and that you're praying.  Thank you and thanks to God!  Thank you for praying.

Please pray for direction for me, that I can cast my cares on Jesus, and surrender to His will. Pray that I would patiently wait for God's time of revelation, but that nothing in me would be hindering that!  That my eyes would be open to see and my ears open to hear. 

Also, pray for Tadeo and Kendra and I.

God bless you as you enter the Christmas season. May your hearts be full of joy [the undeterred thanksgiving for every moment], peace [quietness, tranquility in your spirit as you walk in the whirlwind] and hope [glowing in your hearts and shining from your faces].

Thanksgiving

Most of the thanksgiving team arrived on Saturday, but visitors continued to trickle in all the way until Wednesday. We had visitors from Denver, Morris North, Portland, Altadena, San Diego, Phoenix, Leo, Princeville, Gridley, and Minneapolis. The week went well and the team just left this afternoon. I always find it amazing how workteams arrive as a mass of people, nameless and sometimes overwhelming, but they leave as individuals, families, and new friends. The week was very different just having so many visitors around and having our meals with them. Tadi got lots of attention! :)

 Gabriella, Tadi's friend, babysat for me a couple times this week which I really enjoyed.

 During kinder recess one day, Tadi enjoyed scooting around with one of the visitors hats on.

This week, we also went with the kinder class to visit the sheep and the pigs.

Making cement. 

 In addition to a roof on the new school and some other accomplishments, some of the women spent the week preparing a huge meal. Then Thursday evening, CVE and many invited from the community had thanksgiving supper in the church diningroom.

 

Tori and Tadi in their strollers Tuesday afternoon.

Jumping on Joel and Steph's trampoline Thanksgiving morning.

Gift of the Week: I am very thankful for thanksgiving, not just as a holiday, but everyday. A plaque on my wall says, "...for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 and I know that it is true. Joy and thanksgiving in the Lord give us strength! Particularly this week, I have been thankful for hymns and praises to God as they've come to my mind and as we've sung them. On Wednesday this week I kept thinking of this verse which I love, "To our bountiful Father above, we will offer our tribute of praise, for the glorious gift of his love, and the blessings that hallow our days. In the sweet by and by..." It thrills my heart with joy!

Please pray for Tadi, Kendra, and I as she returns this coming week from a trip and will be taking over some of Tadi's care.  I'm not sure exactly what all will change, but it is bittersweet to me as I have really enjoyed being his caregiver. Part of the sweetness is I hope to take more of a teacher's roll with him and I am excited for that.

Fall Festival

Already practicing!

Saturday evening, Tadi and I enjoyed a "cookout" with Jodi, Osi, Jorge, Geo, Kendra, Nicole, and Kendra's parents.  It was a lot of fun. Before we ate, Jorge was showing me how to throw a football.  Here he is holding a kickball.

Sunday afternoon during soccer, Perla, Leo (Tadi's siblings), and Jorge were practicing making a seat with their hands. Jodi put Tadi on for a ride.

Celebration of Keyla's Life

Table where we could sign colored circles with memories of Keyla

The tables. Decorated with pink (favorite color), butterflies (Keyla spent a lot of time catching butterflies at a certain age), and pictures.  We ate hotdogs and cheetoes, two of Keyla's favorite foods.

Riding out to say hi to Madison.

Playdough fun with Tori.

Ann has been taking the boys to the church diningroom for homework until 3:30, so I just have Tori and Tadi from two until then. Ann said I could have snack ready for her and the boys when they get home, so Tuesday I was brave and made muffins with Tadi and Tori.  An educational experience! We had fun and thankfully no hands in the dough or dough on the head!

Tori and Tadi peeking at their muffins.

Cute picture of Tadi in front of the girls' house. Mani was pulling him around in the wagon.

Thursday noon, the Secundaria had a history contest.  I got to participate in a team comprised of adults that sat at the middle table. We won (thanks to the other team mates) and got snickers as a prize!  

Tori still loves Tadi's chair AND her new boots!

Lunchtime

Fall Festival at Wulf's

Bienvenidos vaqueros y vaqueras!

(Welcome cowboys and cowgirls!)

Bobbing for apples

Pretend horsy ride.

Real horse ride!

It actually started sprinkling while we were singing around the campfire so we moved in side. Tori was making a dress out of Kendra's scarf.

This morning on our way to breakfast.

Gift of the week: The one thing that comes to mind from my thanks giving this week is that I can move my tongue.  I have never seen Tadi stick his tongue out! I don't think he can. How often do we thank God that we can move our tongues in all the intricate ways necessary to talk or that we can lick our lips. Tadi is teaching me so much!

Please pray for the team that is coming today and for our thanksgiving supper this coming Thursday.  If I understand right, we invite some other people from town for that.