Finding a new house

We all went last week to find a new apartment in our "permanent" city (for the next 2 years, for sure). We stayed in a hotel down there that had a neat little patio and outside area.

Here's the life-size chess set. Lilian liked the "horsies."

There was even a little playground for the kids.

Here's Lilian with Tio Ryan. He is a Journeyman with the board and will be working with our team for the next year and a half. The kids love playing with him and we love having a break every now and again!

And, after everything, we did find a nice little apartment for us. It looks like we'll be moving sometime next week. We'll keep you posted on when we get there.

He's gone too far!

Tuesday night, Thomas decided to crawl over to the closet and pull himself to a standing position. He's done something like this in the past, but it's been more like climbing over something or pulling himself up on his knees. But, this was a genuine "pull-up"!

I thought, surely this is a fluke. He just happened to get his weight balanced well enough to get to his feet. It can't happen again. A 5-month-old doesn't just stand up. Well, today, he proved me wrong. A 5-month-old can just stand up. And, this time with one hand. (I promise no one did anything to help him!)

This growing-up thing is going way too fast. Thomas needs to take a break for a bit, I think!

Thomas is Crawling!

Thomas started crawling this weekend. Seem to soon to you? It is! He's only 5 months. I definitely wasn't ready for this! We were able to get a little on video. 

Baby food already?

That's right! We started Thomas on baby cereal this weekend. And, actually this picture is a little misleading. He ate all of it, sucked on the spoon when I put it in his mouth, and seemed to cry because he wanted more! 

Lilian was also so excited that Thomas was eating cereal, she wanted to celebrate with a "coffee" party. So, everyone was served their fair share of coffee with plenty of milk and sugar!

What we've been up to...

Thomas is getting...well, I guess still is...big. He's scooting around everywhere right now. He pulls his knees underneath him and pushes all over his blankets and crib. He also is still smiling at everyone.

He's getting better at sitting, but isn't quite strong enough to hold himself up.

He's a pretty wild sleeper, too. I found him like this one morning. Somehow during the middle of the night he worked one arm out of the top of his sleeper, got the other one stuck inside, flipped the whole thing around, and wrapped a blanket around his head... I'm still trying to figure this one out...

And, of course, he loves to play with his sister! Here she is stickering him.

I was able to catch a little laughing on video while Lilian was outside with her daddy one day.

And, of course, Lilian is as cute as ever! Here she is during a "tour" of downtown Asuncion.

For those of you who saw my facebook status, these are the shorts. One day after tutoring, I came home to find our babysitter had put a pair of Thomas's shorts (that were too small for him) on Lilian. Look how perfect they fit her!

Thanks to her cousin Laney, we also have some ballet clothes to play in. She enjoys doing barre exercises.

...If I can keep her still enough, that is...

Here is a video of Lilian singing (something) and dancing with two little princesses made from playdoh. She is pretty dramatic at times. She would sing a few lines and then want to see herself--to make improvements in her performance, I'm sure! (Sorry for the no clothes--In Lilian's new phrase: "It's hot out there!")

Prayer Retreat

Mommy and daddy went to a prayer retreat this week at a retreat center here in Asuncion. While we were there, we had a lot of fun playing!

There was a fun playground where Lilian loved to play.

There were huge trees to climb.

There was also a swimming pool to enjoy. Even Thomas got to play in it!

Here are some pictures of the kids.

How did you spend your Christmas.  We spent ours eating watermelon, jumping on the tram paling with a water hose, and just trying to stay cool. 

Paraguay

We leave for Paraguay today.  Please pray for Thomas and Lilian as they make the transition.

Some Pics

Lilian loves here little brother so much.  It's hard to keep her off of him. 

Lilian being cute.

He smiles so much.

He is a chunk.  

Thomas Talks

Thomas has learned that he has to work really hard to get attention when his sister is around. Here he is practicing his sweet baby noises!

Happy Birthday Lilian!

We had Lilian's 2nd birthday in our house and decorated the place with bees, flowers, and butterflies.  Here is a picture of the decorations.  We told Lilian to keep the door shut or they would fly away. 

The party was hoppin as you can see by the picture.  

Lilian's cake was great thanks to our neighbors decorating skills.

Lilian with one of her friends.

Allison bought Lilian a typical dress so that she can do the traditional dances like her mom.  She loves it and keeps asking to put it on and play doot doot.  Doot Doot is the sound one of the songs makes.  

By the way the fireworks for Christmas have started up.    

Random Picks

Here are some funny pictures of Lilian and one of Thomas on his first game day.  

Hannah!!!!

Today the Glovers left for Peru.  We may get to see them in December on our way to Paraguay, but it will be a long time before we see them again.  Hannah and Lilian were really close.  When they were getting in the van to drive off Lilian said, "Hannah" in kind of a whimper and started crying.  Please pray for the Glovers as they transition to Peru.  

Presenting...my baby

Lilian would like to present to her blog followers her little brother, Thomas Nathanael, more commonly known by Lilian as "baby." She was a little curious in the hospital when she saw him for the first time, but was a little afraid to get too close.

Once at home, however, Lilian couldn't get enough of her little brother. She would climb up on the couch and get her arms ready to hold him (which meant she folded her arms across her chest). When we set him in her lap, she would quickly wrap her arms around him and then start "beeping" his nose, playing with his feet, and putting her cheek to his face for "kisses."

She helped Thomas through his first sponge bath at home and even whined a little when he cried. Here she is telling him he did a great job.

Now, she keeps tabs on him 24-7. She wants to know where he is, what he doing, if he needs to go "nite-nite," if he needs a diaper change...She's gonna be our big helper!!

Thomas has even been "sleeved." This is what Lilian does to us when she is tired or wants to snuggle. Now, she has one more set of sleeves in the family that she can snuggle up to!

Independence Day

September 15th was Independence Day here is Costa Rica. To celebrate, Daddy and Lilian went to a lantern parade the night before. Lilian had a ball carrying around her little lantern and watching all of the people. 

Here's Lilian with our friend, Rebeca.

Lilian was also able to walk in her own parade at her school. As you can tell, she was really excited to be marching.

But, we couldn't pass an Independence Day without celebrating it our gringo way as well!