Holiday Team 2013/2014

I returned to Romania on December 27th along 24 team members and 2 staff that had also been on furlough!  Oh boy!!

We cooked a lot a food…sadly, there isn't a picture to document it all!!!

We made pipe cleaner glasses...

We made crafts...

We gave lots of hugs and took over 3000 pictures...

 We danced the night away on New Year's and watched the fireworks at midnight….

We sorted donations...

We handed out Christmas presents….

 We became a human Christmas trees...

 We reconnected with friends….

The BTH boys were up for a little vacation and were a huge help...

 We read books...

 We had lessons….

 We played Twister...

….and much, much more!!  Thanks Holiday Team for a job well done and for helping us love on our kids!!!

Christmas 2013

I was at home with my family for Christmas this year!  What a blessed time it was!!!  It is always fun to watch Christmas through the eyes of kids and this year we had two 5-year olds, a 3-year old, a 2 1/2 year old and a newborn (she pretty much slept through everything)!  We started the weekend out with a tamale dinner!  Then we all watched the video clip of the family dancing in their Christmas PJs.  So, of course, everyone then received new Christmas PJs!!  

We read a few books, watched the Polar Express and then it was off to bed for the little ones!!  The next morning, the kids were of course awake early since they knew that we would be opening stockings and lots of other presents!  We opened the stockings and then finally had breakfast. We told the kids they had to wait for what was under the tree until all the grown ups had showered and gotten ready.  We finally got around to opening the rest of the presents around 1 PM.  What a let down it is for the little ones once all the presents are opened!!

Lunch was a beautiful crown roast put together by my dad and a fabulous table with all the fixings by my mom!!

I made this delicious peppermint cheesecake cake!  So good!!

Kinley is the only one that will sit nicely for a picture!!  :)  Next year, it will be a different story, I'm sure!

Jill's family with me!

Mom and Dad with me!

Jay's family with me!

One last picture….we usually have a reenactment of the Christmas story!  This year we did not, however, the kids played dress-up with the costumes!  Micah wasn't really into it this year, but it looks like a had a very serene Mary and two perfect little angels!!

Visit to the U.S.

On the 23rd of November, I flew from Romania to LAX, via London.

I don't usually take pictures of the airplanes I fly in, but this time I did.  It was a nice, new airplane with touch screens and lots of movies!

The next day, my parent's and I were back in the car so that I could spend Thanksgiving week with my sister and her family!!  We did lots of fun things and I really enjoy spending time with them!!

We went to the zoo…also, Pump it Up and SkyWalk!

We celebrated Thanksgiving!

We went to the Christmas tree lot and picked out two trees!  Micah was certain he also needed one for his room!

We decorated "said" tree!  Lucy put the star on this year…or was it an angel… 

My sister and I!  We had fun shopping, hanging out and doing fun things with the kids!!

The next week, I was off to my brother's house to spend time up at Hume Lake with their family!!  I always have a great time at their house as well.  This year, I was able to go to Tanner's kindergarten class and share about Romania and give them Christmas candies from Romania!  It was so good to spend time with my sister-in-law helping her with baby Kinley, doing a little Christmas baking and decorating for Christmas!

What a precious little present!!

My sister-in-law, Jen, with Kinley!

Christmas Tree # 2….decorated!!

From Hume, Tanner, Jett and I took the train to Bakersfield for the weekend!

The last two weeks and a half weeks of my time, I spent in Bakersfield with a weekend trip to Ventura with the girls!

Time in the U.S. always seems to fly and before you know, you are back on the airplane and saying good-bye!!!  Those were the highlights, besides Christmas, but that gets its own post!  See you next January, California and the United States of America!!