La Vida en la Republica Dominicana

Baby Shower

2012-02-08T16:16:00.000-08:00

By the time #4 comes along you don't expect a shower, but my girlfriends lavished me with a shower this past Monday to celebrate our fourth child. I asked for no gifts since we seriously have everything we need and instead asked to celebrate motherhood. Some had a hard time coming to a shower without bringing a gift, so they brought diapers, which are always needed!

The 3 Lovely Hostesses - Jill, Amanda, & Emma

To celebrate mothers the hostess Jill gave us all neck/back messages. Jill is a professional message therapist.

We were also given manicures!

Jill arranged for everyone to take home a candle with the instructions that when I go into labor you are to light your candle. This spoke directly to my heart! I can't wait to notify the gals and to carry that image of candles burning in the DR for this baby's entrance into the world.

Scott's parents are here with us this week to help me fly home with the kids on Sunday. Scott's mom, Noreen, is getting her nails done in the picture below.

34 weeks and My Baby Outside the Womb

2012-01-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

I had someone try to give me encouraging words about these last few weeks of pregnancy that "I would get to hold my baby soon." But that idea makes me cry because I already have a baby to hold!

And here is my sweet baby at almost 14 months. I know moms all over the world manage having children this close together and I know God's timing is perfect in all things, but that doesn't mean it's going to be easy. My baby does think he is a big boy. He attempted to ride this tricycle yesterday and picked up the broom to sweep today. He is soaring with signing all of his needs to us. We are the ones who can't keep up with him! He is more strong headed than my first two, and that really has taken me by surprise. When Matthias is angry he will grab and throw anything in his reach. Yesterday he picked up a heavy basket of plastic animals to dump all of the animals out in anger! He's so little his tantrums make you laugh, but he is also very, very aware of what he is doing and trying to see how we will react. A few days ago he even threw himself on the floor. We have yet to experience a child like this at such a young age...whew.

And here I am feeling like I'm due tomorrow...belly button popped out and stretched to the max! No pressure, just a constant ache in my upper tummy muscles. This makes it especially hard to carry by baby outside the womb right now. But as soon as the baby inside the womb is out, I will be able to hold my sweet Matthias more...I hope.

While God was totally faithful to my first non-medicated birth with Matthias, we are still quite anxious about the birth in 6weeks. It's just so soon! I remember WAY TOO much to want to do it all over again. But I am trying to rest in God's sovereignty and wisdom and remind myself of all the feelings of pure joy and ecstasy I felt after Matthias' birth.

Animal Books that Give Credit to the Creator

2012-01-23T17:43:00.000-08:00

My kids, hubby, and I highly recommend these great books! My kids love the "ooo-aw" factor and great pictures, but we love them because they didn't forget to leave out the CREATOR!

(As you can see I copied the pictures from Amazon, but the Davis books were handed down to us from my mother-in-law and I bought the Dinosaur book off of a Christian website.)

November 2011 in a Photo Book

2012-01-17T18:48:00.001-08:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Visit Shutterfly.com to create your own personalized photobook.

Parenting in the Pew

2012-01-15T20:57:00.000-08:00

I recently finished reading Parenting in the Pew: Guiding Your Children into the Joy of Worship by Robbie Castleman and would definitely recommend it. We began our family in a church that promotes the entire family worshiping together in Sunday morning service, so the ideas in her book weren't shocking but encouraging and supportive. Castleman had a lot of new points for us to apply with our toddlers as well, and I'd like to highlight some of her ideas and thoughts that might have been new to me or were a reinforcement of our beliefs.

We are teaching our children not to just go to church, but to go to worship. We ourselves need to understand that worship is not for our benefit, but for God's glory. Worship training is important because we want our children to know God and love Him. We need to enforce in our training how God wants our attention, time, and love and therefore worship is important. p25

Most Sundays I just want to listen and take good notes. Having to train my children during this time is a challenge! However, as Castleman points out, there is only one thing that we will do for all of eternity - worship. I can go into Sunday worship with one of two attitudes:

1. Sunday morning sermons are the longest hour of the week

2. I am providing the very best preparation for eternal joy (21).

Sunday mornings should be a time of joy and closeness, not strife and estrangement (43). Castlemen says we should announce on Sundays that the very best day of the week is about to begin and we are going to meet Jesus for him to give us a big hug. Making Sundays joyful means preparing for it on Saturday evening (choosing clothes, diaper bag packed, not staying up late, etc).

Sometimes I would really like for my kids to be able to sit with another family in church to give me a break, but Castleman challenged me with her explanation she would tell her children when they desired to sit with friends.

It is much harder to pay attention to God when you want to pay attention to your friend.

You will have time later to be with your friend; right now Jesus wants all of our attention

because he has something to say to us. (p56)

I actually had to use this explanation this morning with Adeline. I also took the approach of maybe she would not be distracted from worship if she sat with her friend, but her friend could be distracted.

Training children in worship means that you will need to quietly speak to them all throughout the service. Hopefully you have a congregation that supports you in your efforts. Ask questions and/or make a comment as each part of worship takes place. Make personal applications where ever possible to help the children relate.

When listening to a music prelude without words, help your children think about what the song makes them think about. For the younger children, give them themes to think about (God's creation, Noah, Jesus feeding the 5,000, etc.). Castleman suggests training for this part in the home with classical music and to not always focus on a spiritual theme but let the kids use their imaginations to tell you what that music invokes in their minds.

Bringing toddlers to worship isn't all about making them be quite and training an externally well-behaved child. We are training their hearts, and therefore coloring books, crayons, and the such can't be brought to worship because in the end you are only producing a quiet and well-distracted child. While at the younger ages this seems a bit harsh, you might as well start early so you don't have an 8 or 10 year old who has yet learn how to worship. We allow the kids to have a piece of paper and a pencil and once the sermon is introduced I try to draw an idea or write a main word for the kids to trace, draw, or write themselves. Castleman suggests that you don't start training until the age of 4. I can see how that is practical, but I don't think it's necessary to not bring in your younger ones. I LOVE CHURCHES WITH CRYING/TRAINING ROOMS!.

After the service we have started asking questions about a theme/idea/word/illustration used in the service. One of Scott's ideas was to have Adeline make a check mark every time she heard a key word in the message.

This picture had the key words mal (bad), bueno (good), and Cristo (Christ). She did good job for her first try. I honestly think trying to train them in a worship service in Spanish is more difficult than if it was in English. But recently Adeline has been doing a GREAT job singing along with songs we sing often. Darton has been known to pipe in a word or two himself :)

There is SO much more in Castleman's book to share, so I do hope you pick up a copy for yourself.

Some Pictures for Daddy

2012-01-13T17:35:00.000-08:00

We made it to Cabarete and back and I thoroughly enjoyed girlfriend time with Mariah who is heading to Haiti tomorrow for a medical mission trip. They expect to see 300-500 patients in 4 days. Wow!

I have hit 32 weeks and I'm feeling much larger with this one than the others. Let's just say that a swimsuit WITH A SKIRT doesn't even cover the extraness on the backside! I wouldn't have known if my thoughtful daughter hadn't informed me though ;)

Mariah was LOTS of fun to play with!

The kids and I enjoyed virgin Mohitos on the beach :)

Lunch with Mariah

The cutest naked baby ever! He's my chunkiest baby yet, so we call him "gordito" (little fat boy).

Many of you moms with multiple kids under the age of 5 know how super tired and achy your body gets the last trimester. This trip would not have been doable without Ana there!

Stop to stretch our legs on our 3hr drive.

Well at least the girls are looking :)

A Phonics Lesson

2012-01-10T17:00:00.000-08:00

Here is an example of Adeline learning how to read/spell using the phonics program "Phonics Road to Spelling & Reading." My video space ran out before she was able to read the word. Although sometimes I think that we are learning how to read and spell the hard way, it will end up being the easier way in the long run. Plus phonics teaches a discipline of the mind much like math does. It's another discipline to help my children learn how to logically analyze and think.

Thoughtful Husband and Helpful Gardener

2012-01-10T13:43:00.000-08:00

Scott leaves for work on Monday mornings around 5:30a.m., but he managed to get all my coffee stuff ready with a note for me when I waddled into the kitchen at 7:30am. He purposely got out the "best mom" mug and wrote his "y" backwards like he did in his love letters from college. Isn't it a beautiful thing how God puts the perfect two people together?

Darton's most FAVORITE job is to follow Theo around the yard the three days a week Theo works here. It's a boy's dream to have a man figure around to do "manly" things with all day long. Most days Darton wakes up and says "I'm going to work. I need my work jeans."

I took this picture of Matthias because he still has the longest and beautiful eyelashes like the day he was born.

One of the fun activities we do is story telling. I bought books with nursery rhymes and nursery tales and laminated all of the characters. We don't have to stick to the original story of course! Scott has recently started making up stories for the kids at bedtime. They love it! Sometimes the story is a true Biblical story, but it makes it so much more fun if daddy tells it rather than reads it.

The kids and I are heading to Cabarete (3hr drive through mtns) tomorrow morning to meet a girlfriend flying in from Dallas. Scott leaves for TX for his brother's wedding on Thursday night and will return Monday night. The kids and I return Friday late afternoon for a LOOOONG weekend without daddy. Don't worry, I'm taking the nanny with me to Cabarete and will be calling in reinforcements as needed on Saturday and/or Sunday.

This mama's body aches most of the day with little peanut pushing up on my left rib cage, so I have to have lots of help with Matthias. He adores Theo...actually he says Theo's name and NOT mine! Theo has been a huge help recently taking Matthias outside and giving my body a break. Who knew the gardener would be such a big part of my family. "sigh" I wonder what life will be like without him when we leave the DR someday. I wonder what his life will be like....

Playing church

2012-01-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Two young worshipers.

There is a very neat instrument that takes the place of the drum that Darton is imitating playing here in the video. Things to notice in the video: at the beginning D says to stop singing because it's God's turn to talk and then A randomly thinks she can talk on her pretend cell phone during the song!

5.3 Terremoto

2012-01-05T14:14:00.000-08:00

Although Scott was already up and getting dressed for work, I sat straight up in bed this morning at 5:35am because the whole house was shaking. About 2 seconds went by and Scott said, "Get downstairs." We grabbed the keys to the iron door that locks us in upstairs (and intruders out) and as I placed my hand on Matthias' door the earthquake stopped and Adeline and Darton began to cry. We comforted them, Scott left for work, and I went back to bed. There was a small aftershock that took my breath away, but we are all okay.
There really is so little time to think during an earthquake, especially when they happen in the middle of the night. It takes a second to realize what is actually happening. This is the second terremoto in my life I have felt, the first one being in Elko, NV. It also occurred in the early morning hours.
I've been advised that the best place for shelter during an earthquake is near a large and heavy object. When the ceiling falls you want to be near or under an object that will cause the debris to make a triangle around you, giving you a space to survive. This could even be an island in your kitchen, the refrigerator, etc. But honestly a plan needs to be set in place. There really isn't time to think where should you go when everything is shaking around you. I pray that if my family has to experience an earthquake like Haiti, there will be time for me to get my children first.
Thank you God for your protection today.

A Joyful Heart

2012-01-02T20:14:00.000-08:00

What do your blessings do when they get angry? Here's the latest rundown of responses in anger from my household.

When my 5 year old gets mad, she runs away crying.
When my 3 year old gets mad, he pulls his hair, screams, and sits on the floor usually thrashing his legs around. He will also throw anything that is in his hands or bite and pull on his shirt. Oh yes, and let's not forget that he also walks stiff-legged on his toes when he has been asked to move in obedience while being mad.
When my 1 year old gets mad, he bites you or anything he can sink his teeth in to! He's also been known to throw his precious pacifier on the floor in anger as well as yell at you.

And for all my & Scott's family members reading this you are asking, "And you are surprised?" Yes, two strong-willed, stubborn, hotheaded parents can create the exact same offspring :)

Training is not easy. Training the heart is even harder. A sinful parent doing the training can seem like an unattainable goal. BUT God's mercy is wide & deep EVERY MINUTE. And while God's mercy and grace is what ultimately softens my child's heart, we do have a responsibility to shepherd their heart.

My children know the Fruits of the Spirit by song. I pray the Fruits over them and we are constantly talking about bearing them instead of bad fruit. We will be known by our fruit. If you've yet to hear Paul Tripp's Getting to the Heart of Parenting series, go buy it NOW!

Adeline's Fruit of the Spirit tree.

As we have begun this week we are focusing on:

Proverbs 17:22

A joyful heart is like good medicine.

Beverly Hillbillies meets Ole Susanna

2012-01-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

Adeline gave me quite the laugh when she broke out singing this song. Listen carefully and you'll catch words from the Beverly Hillbillies theme song as well as Ole Susanna. Where Sacramento fits in, I'm not quite sure, but it is in CA!

30 weeks

2011-12-31T14:24:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed an afternoon at the country club with Christian friends. It's always so encouraging to be around moms going through the same stage of life.

only 10 weeks to go!

We celebrated New Year's with a church family and a very nice dominican lunch. Scott taught them Mexican train. They didn't ask to play twice though :)

Adeline playing I Spy with Tia Olga. I definitely recommend adding I Spy Eagle Eye to your game closet.

It was a very enjoyable afternoon with brothers helping us with our children. Whew, what a nice break.!

Adeline convinced Olga to play Candy Land as well.

Dios es Grande

2011-12-26T18:12:00.000-08:00

In nursery at church, the ladies teach the infants basic concepts about God, pray over them, and read scripture to them. I am very thankful!

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T17:38:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas feast on Christmas Eve - also known as Noche Buena here

Kim played a few Christmas hymns for us. Singing about our Lord IN ENGLISH
with fellow brothers was a very sweet moment.

Each of Kim and Doug's children play the piano and took a turn playing for us.
Brandon played a beautiful O Holy Night.

Christmas morning at church 2011 (29wks pregnant)

Our 3 blessings - Adeline 5, Darton 3 1/2, Matthias 1yr

Little mermaid did get one thing she asked for at least ;)

Matthias digging into his stocking.

This kids sang Angels We have Heard on High in the church service.

Feliz Navidad

2011-12-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

I was so very excited when I found out IKEA carried premade gingerbread houses. We enjoyed constructed them last Friday afternoon and then the kids really enjoyed eating on them Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and well you get the picture. The set didn't come with icing, so I followed the recipe on the back and melted 2c of sugar on the stove. To ensure "stickiness" I added a bit of powdered sugar. It worked, but not too kid friendly since the sugar was at the temperature to make candy. I had to return to the stove every 2 minutes to remelt the sugar. Next time I'll go with the powdered sugar icing that doesn't need cooking.
Monday we made my mom's famous Christmas cookies. I grew up eating these and am having a really hard time not devouring the entire container. My mom uses a tea cake recipe for her sugar cookies:

Linda Meador's Tea Cakes - Celina, TX

Cream together

1 c shortening

2 c sugar

3 eggs

Add

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 c milk

Sift together

4 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

Combine all together gradually and then chill in the refrigerator. Roll out in flour, but not too thin. Cut (in shapes or the shape of your pan). Put in pan. Sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 400F until lightly browned (for cookies about 7-8min).

Although Christmas without family isn't the best, we are still in the Christmas spirit despite wearing flip-flops and tanktops. :) I'm had about 20 moms and kids over on Thursday for crafts and pizza and then a missionary family is coming over on Saturday evening for a traditional Christmas meal and a time of singing Christmas hymns and carols. It will be my first time to cook a turkey! The main ingredient missing for a traditional (or at least my family's traditional) Christmas meal here in the DR is yams/sweet potatoes. They have a sweet potato here called a batata, but I haven't gotten the hang of cooking it (the flesh is more like a root than a potato). Plus, I'm just needing a good ole orange yam :)

Our craft time included 3 stations. Here they are making wreaths.

Darton hard at work at the angel station.

We also had a star station, but the picture below is of the older kids and some moms making snowflakes out of paper.

A paper snowflake!

I put each of the kids' names on a plate and as they finished a craft, they put their work on their plate.

Diggin' in to pizza

Matthias and Scarlet are only a week a part in age.

Our Week in Review

2011-12-16T16:38:00.000-08:00

After last Friday night's bribe of a donut for Adeline to sing with me, we went to Krispy Kremes on Saturday as a fam and enjoyed way too much sugar for 9 o'clock in the morning :)Last Saturday was free admission for all Santo Domingo museums, so we went to the Natural History Museum and the History of the Dominican Man Museum. We normally stick around the house on Saturdays, so it was so much fun to get out and about.
sorry the picture is so dark
A sugar cane extractor from way back when. Well maybe it wasn't so far back...not quite sure. Sugar cane was big business here at one point.
Since it's December, we have to enjoy hot chocolate with marshmallows for story time. The weather is beautiful right now. The air is much drier which makes the heat more doable. Time on the terrace in the evenings is very refreshing.
Our Christmas tree. Scott's first words when he saw it were, "Yep, that's a Needum Christmas tree." However my moms is much prettier!
Scott and I enjoyed a progressive dinner with Christian couples last Saturday night. I made this tomatoe-mozzarella-basil-sundried tomatoes appetizer as well as stuffed mushrooms. The mushrooms were yummy, but not so pretty to take a picture of. Scott came up with the genius idea to use the left-over stuffing to make a quiche. It was YUMMY!
The kids washed Abraham this past week. Yes, we now have dogs named Sarah & Abraham ;)

Look at my cute boy....he's one of those babies (my first) who knows to smile when you get the camera out. He is so much joy!
Adeline and Darton sang last morning in church with the other children.
Ms. Ballerina
Thursday morning before the performance. I'm 28wks now and so. very. tired. The same week I started the 3rd trimester was like running into a brick wall and all my energy was gone! We are taking it slowly needless to say and I'm increasing my iron intake.
Thursday morning was not only Adeline's ballet class performance, but also the school performance. Darton is in the picture below on the top row and last on the right.
Adeline was one of the shepherds in her class. She did an excellent job learning the songs in Spanish.

Matthias still loves his morning naps and fell asleep on Scott during the performance.

Santa came and brought a toy for each of the kiddos (bought by the parents). Darton and Santa. Since the DR is a very Catholic culture, Santa was sure to incorporate baby Jesus into his greetings over and over. He even asked the kids if they talk to Him every night. The kids received part of their Brio train set from Santa. They are truly enjoying just these few pieces, so I can't wait to see their faces when they receive all the extras (bridges, etc) on Christmas morning.

However, when Adeline opened up the train set she IMMEDIATELY started crying because it wasn't make-up! So there very well could be lots of tears come Christmas morning.

I asked Adeline if it was fun to see Santa and she just KNEW that he wasn't the real one because he spoke Spanish!! We explained that he speaks all languages, but Scott has also explained that Santa isn't real. Adeline refuses to believe that.

Adeline Ballet 2011

2011-12-16T11:47:00.000-08:00

For the third year now, Adeline has participated in ballet. This isn't the whole performance because I wasn't ready with a blank memory card, but there are 2 more short videos on Youtube under "Geerfamily" if you want to see more.

Adeline & Mom Singing

2011-12-12T18:00:00.000-08:00

I'm not claiming to be Krysten Getty, but we did enjoy our first daughter/mother duet! Adeline had never held a microphone or sang before an audience until that night. She hid behind me until I bribed her with a donut.....and it worked!

Inspiration

2011-12-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Will I ever get to this point? Can I do this with pure motives? Wow. Inspired.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/12/when-christmas-gets-radical-whose-birthday-is-it-really/

Getting a Late Start: Truth in Tinsel

2011-12-07T11:04:00.000-08:00

Through a Christian sister's blog I was introduced to Truth in the Tinsel - the EXACT thing I was looking for to make sure our Christmas focus is on Jesus. It's an ebook and only costs $4.99. It's well worth it! Although we are 7 days into December, we are only 3 days into ornament making.

Day 1: Jesus is Light

Day 2: Jesus is KingFor the last few years a man in the DR creates wood-made Christmas structures and I thought this tree was perfect to hang our ornaments!Day 3: Zacharias (Truth in Tinsel has it's own FB page to follow and you can get great ideas from other mommies who decide to not follow the design exactly. For example, another mom used a band-aid to cover Zacharias' mouth to represent that you couldn't speak.)

Let's not forget the artists! They are coming along with their Christmas trees about Jesus as well. An example of more of the Christmas wood decorations handmade here in the DR.

Inspiration from Christian Sisters

2011-12-03T08:43:00.000-08:00

A girlfriend passed along this blog to me and it is exactly the inspiration we need for this Christmas season.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2011/11/how-the-wait-till-christmas-can-be-weightless/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HolyExperience+%28Holy+Experience%29

For the past week we have begun putting together a Christmas tree on the wall out of smaller Christmas trees that have a note about Jesus on them. I got the idea off of one of the Merry Christmas radio series on Revive Our Hearts that I mentioned in the last blog. The speaker wrote attributes of Jesus on the trees. We are doing it a little different in that I ask the kids if they can tell me something about Jesus. I usually prompt them as in the last tree we decorated, "Where was Jesus born?" For now I'm sticking with what knowledge they know about Jesus to put on the trees and then we will start putting new information on as well.

We began learning Hark! The Herald Angels Sing and then made these angels out of our feet and hands. I'm so glad we have the internet to search for craft ideas! We will use the hymn to help us learn more about Jesus as well and what we can write on our trees.

We started making pomanders today.

Now to look into how we can or if we want to celebrate Advent...although we're getting a late start!

Happy 1st Birthday Matthias Scott!

2011-11-29T17:36:00.000-08:00

It was so much fun to celebrate Matthias' first birthday with family. We celebrated in TX with my family and then in Florida with Scott's family. My family's tradition is to buy a cake for birthdays, while Scott's family makes a cake. We got to do both :) The caterpillar cake was Jenny's great idea!

Oh my sweet Matthias. The number one comment we get about him, is how happy he is. And yes, he is full of joy. I can not wait to see the toddler and child he will grow in to since Adeline and Darton have exactly the temperament/personality now that they had when they were babies.

A day has yet to go by that Matthias has not put a smile on my face. His name means "Gift of God" and it is so very fitting! I tell people he is going to use his personality to spread the Gospel. I pray my sweet boy that you will always carry the Word of God with you.

He is so very excited to ring his bells he got for his birthday!
He is constantly in this position wanting me to hold him. However, he dearly loves his daddy just as much and will beg his as well to pick him up :)
He's not walking solo, but he did take 3 itty bitty steps to me today. Thank you for your prayers on November 12. If you will recall, we had an hour layover between flights in Ft Lauderdale. The Lord gave me a peace only He can give as we:

1. boarded our first plane which was running late

2. waited 30 minutes for our luggage (and we still needed to go through customs, recheck our bags, go through security, and then board the 2nd flight)

3. and literally ran to get on the 2nd flight since they had announced "last call" for our flight while we were in the security line.

I sat in COMPLETE awe when I took my seat on the 2nd flight. I couldn't wait to worship my God in church the next day!

Wednesday before Thanksgiving, we met Scott in FL to spend the rest of our trip with his family. Both our TX an FL visits were great. It was nice to only be gone for 2 wks as opposed to 3 or 4 weeks. I just about cried when we landed in the DR last night. For some strange reason, I really need to be home right now...as in here in the DR. I can't believe that this is home now, but it is.

The kids with Nonnie in Vero Beach, FL

Kids with Cousin Ella on the playground after we watched a rocket launch for Mars.

God, What do You Want my Family's Christmas to look like?

2011-11-29T17:14:00.000-08:00

While for the past 7 years I have thought I was married to Scrooge, I am beginning to think that maybe it's not all bad that he's not wrapped up in the Christmas spirit. I'm not taking down the Christmas tree, but his criticism of this season (including buying Halmark ornaments) got me to thinking.

I have been blessed by the Nancy Leigh DeMoss radio series on Revive Our Hearts and today's program was perfect for me since we are spending Christmas solo in the DR this year. It's time that my family begins teaching my children that Christmas goes deeper than just acknowledging Christ's birth. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

When the Season Isn’t What You Expected

p.s. I know you're asking "when in the world do I have the time to listen to a radio program???" It's how I get through my 20 minute exercise on the elliptical machine :)

Before We Head to Texas

2011-11-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

I wanted to share a few snapshots of the past week before we leave for Texas on Saturday late afternoon. You can keep us in your prayers as I will be traveling alone with the 3 kids, plus little man in my belly. The stress of the trip is only having an hour layover in Ft Lauderdale (an airport I've yet to use). My faithful God has spoken gently to my anxious soul that He has my best interest in mind, so I am resting in that....or trying to rest in that. A Christian sister prayed at the Bible study that I would have a fun time with my kids on our trip to TX. I needed to be told that and it has become my goal.

On to pictures...

If we do get to extend our contract next September, I think this would be one of the reasons high on Scott's list why we should stay here longer - Theo puts the Christmas tree together, not Scott.
Scotty brought home a cocoa for us to enjoy.
Slimy cocoa seeds are in the center.
We sucked off the slime and put them on a baking sheet to dehydrate. The Dominicans dehydrate the seeds in the sun (we see them laying on the side of the highway) and we assume they wait until the slime is off the seeds before opening the cocoa. The next day Scott ground the dried seeds to make fresh coco.

We enjoyed having brothers and sisters over from church last Saturday afternoon and we introduced one couple to smores.
We took a couple of family pictures at church on Sunday. This isn't good of us all, but you can see my 22wk belly.

I guess I should take a picture of our decorated Christmas tree. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow...

Darton's Art 2010-2011

2011-11-10T03:46:00.001-08:00

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Adeline Art 2010-11

2011-11-10T03:44:00.001-08:00

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Sweetness

2011-11-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Both Adeline and Darton have been playing with baby dolls all week. These are Darton's chosen two babies and he's been sleeping with them each night this week. I just love how he has positioned them. Sweetness.I am hosting a Ladies' Bible Study this Fall. I have participated in the study for the past two years. It's a great committed group of women this Fall. We have a beautiful time of fellowship and being in the Word and prayer every other Thursday. We are doing Faithful, Abundant, True: Going Deeper Still by K. Arthur, P. Shirer, and B. Moore.

Christian Sisterhood is sweetness.

Celebrating Light & Life

2011-10-31T06:25:00.000-07:00

Meeting Scott in 2002 introduced me to a whole new world of theology and way of life. I took on that theology after doing some soul searching, Bible reading, and questioning. My God I serve today is much bigger than the one I served growing up, and I'm still growing in my faith. Praise God for His sanctification process!

On October 31, 1517 Martin Luther posted his 95 thesis to the Wittenburg Church door in Germany to tell the Roman Catholic Church they were misleading the people and doing many practices that God did not require of His people. I've been told that he posted his thesis very purposely on All Saints Day.

Today our western culture celebrates death and darkness on October 31 - Halloween. Over time we have convinced ourselves, the church included, that as long as we don't dress up as demons and such, Halloween is all fun and games. Many churches have decided to provide a "safe" alternative to Halloween by hosting a Fall Festival. I am calling this "fence riding." Let's see how close we can get to a secular celebration of death and darkness (the opposite of what the Gospel preaches) under the masquerade of "safety." I let my kids participate in a Fall Festival last year. I walked away disgusted.

Our family is choosing to celebrate light & darkness on October 31 by remembering the Fathers of our faith. We celebrated Reformation Day with 3 other families on Saturday.

Scott posted the the 95 Thesis to our front door :)
Adeline dressed up as the Christian Princess Adelina. If you go to the link I provided, you can read a short description of her. We enjoyed the book! Matthias is a lion from Noah's Ark.
Scotty presented to the kids why we were celebrating the Reformation. He did an excellent job! He held up a blue beanbag and asked the kids its color. He reasoned out with them that the only reason they believe it's blue is because others in authority over them have told them so. He then related the idea to the Roman Catholic church and how in an illiterate age, they were telling people lies about God and the Bible and the people had no choice but to believe them. Martin Luther, among others, brought these lies to surface and refuted them.
We had a coloring contest of a castle with Martin Luther's hymn written above it - A Mighty Fortress is Our God, which we later sung together.
Fishing for Men
Here is my gang - Luther, Noah & lion, and Princess Adelina
Our game was a bean bag toss. You can break down all the reformers said into 5 Solas (listed on the game) - Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria, Solo Christo, Sola Gratia, Sola Fide - click on the link for a short description of each.

Adeline pinning the 95 Thesis to the Wittenburg door.
Darton fishing
Adeline drawing a church for pictionary (DeNiel gave her clues how to draw it). Man, she is growing up fast!
We ended the night with smores and the kids enjoying hide and seek. It was a wonderful evening of Christian fellowship.

A Few Monkeys

2011-10-24T19:10:00.000-07:00

Scott turned 30 this past weekend and wanted to celebrate in Cabarete on the North Coast. He took off of work on Friday and I was so glad to not have to do the 3hr drive alone (it's the hour in the windy mountains that kills me)!

Here's a picture of our monkey Matthias :)
First stop into Cabarete to enjoy the sand and drinks.
a bit of hammock time

Saturday morning Scott took Adeline & Darton to see real monkeys at the Monkey Jungle.

20 weeks pregnant. Scott felt the baby move this weekend too!

Matthias Pushing Adeline

2011-10-15T17:51:00.000-07:00

La Raza Dominicana

2011-10-13T18:52:00.000-07:00

Many children in schools here this week celebrated "la raza" or the roots of their ancestors. The kids could go dressed up as indians, tainos (the first indians here), campesinos (people from the country), and others. I opted for the kids to go as people from the countryside since I wouldn't have to buy anything. Adeline came home saying there were LOTS of indians and there were two girls in particular who were showing their bellies. She told me she wouldn't like to show lots of her belly, but she did like the indian oufit that showed a little bit. Even my 5 year old likes to ride that fine line....

Can you believe that if you fix this for dinner there aren't any fights about eating and that the rest of the evening is very blissful with brother/sister play time? Sweet Adeline was so excited about dinner that all she wanted was to do it again so that her daddy could be there to eat it too! (note: for those that don't know, Scotty sleeps at the mine site on Monday and Thursday nights)

Matthias Signs "More"

2011-10-11T11:37:00.000-07:00

Shoshanna's Kitchen - Episode 59 - Iron Infusion

2011-10-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

Adeline's Groove

2011-10-05T03:20:00.000-07:00

Adeline squeezed in one more dance before it was time to leave.

Adeline Imitating Dance Moves

2011-10-05T03:18:00.000-07:00

Adeline was invited to a birthday party yesterday afternoon for a 7 year old friend. She had a blast getting her hair done, nails painted, and putting on a dress to dance. After they fixed the girls hair and gave them their dresses, they wanted them to put on a robe and a head band to hold their hair back and then lay down on a mat to get a "spa" treatment. Adeline fel

t too pretty to participate and only wanted to dance the afternoon away!

I was told by a dominican lady later that afternoon how Adeline's personality is strong and confident and that she has the dominican attitude of "yo soy (I am)." I learned this afternoon that my daughter won't follow the crowd if she doesn't want to!

Here she was participating in the fashion show and all the moms got a kick out of her pushing out her hip to pose for the camera.

17 weeks

2011-10-05T03:02:00.001-07:00

Here I am at a pudgy 17 weeks pregnant. I began to finally feel the baby move towards the end of last week. Matthias was a mover from 14 weeks on, so I was a bit nervous at first why I hadn't felt this little peanut move yet. I am trying out a new doctor here in hopes she will be more in line with how I want to take care of my body (i.e. less intervention the better and no unneeded tests). We plan to head back to TX for delivery. We are due March 9, which means we will head to TX the first to mid part of February.

Puppies Adopted

2011-10-03T17:47:00.000-07:00

Almost 5 weeks ago I found these 4 pups, plus one more, in a box on the side of the street (one died 2 weeks after I found him). The vet kept them for 3 weeks in order for them to get back to a healthy state and for the last 2 weeks they have been extra playmates for my kids.

While there is no local SPCA, there is Doggie House here in Santo Domingo. It's a link through Facebook of a group of people here who reach out to maimed dogs and help with adoptions via the internet. We adopted one puppy out via Doggie House and 2 via friends. We will keep one. It's still yet to be decided if we will keep the brown one or a black one. We'll find out this week when Adeline makes her final decision! She has done AN EXCELLENT job taking responsibility and feeding them 3 times a day (which requires measuring the right amount and putting a touch of water with their food).

She started crying tonight during her prayers thinking that she will only have one puppy after this week. Her tender heart amazes me....and challenges me!

Lots of Fun

2011-09-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

One of Matthias most fun things to do is play under the table....especially while we are eating. We enjoyed having a few Christian sisters over with their children today.

Matthias' sweet smile
It's hot enough for even the mamas to get in :)
A very favorite fun time for the kids is making smores on our bbq pit. Scotty indulged them last Saturday night. We altered our smores a bit and spread Nutella on our graham crackers instead of chocolate chunks.

Matthias' New Trick

2011-09-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

Darton Explains His Drawing

2011-09-16T09:26:00.000-07:00

Darton's Creativity

2011-09-16T09:17:00.000-07:00

Darton is the boy who loves to dress up. Most days he wears bluejeans because he is going to "work." He loves to wash his hair so that it smells good and putting gel in his hair always makes him happy. He does a great job using his imagination while either playing outside and pretending to go to "work" or in the playroom constructing airplanes and helicopters.

This is his helicopter - Today was the day he decided to draw people! I'll post a video of him explaining his drawing. Today was also the day he decided to draw a sun!

His airplane -

He is quite proud of all his work and mommy is too!

A Fairy Tale 21 Hours

2011-09-10T17:10:00.000-07:00

Scott and I celebrated our 7th anniversary Thursday night and Friday. We are celebrating a month late since I'm not nursing any more and we could get away for a night.

We stayed in a very nice hotel in the Colonial Zone (established in the 1500s by Colombus and Spanish colonists). The history of the area includes ruins of the first hospital in the New World and the first Roman Catholic church.

Scott had let the hotel know ahead of time we were celebrating our anniversary. When we entered the room there were these amazing gifts -

chocolate cake and fruit plate (mango, kiwi, grapes, banana, chinola (passion fruit) ) [side note: have you ever eaten a kiwi by slicing it in half, like they did below, and then using a very small spoon to eat it out of the peel? It was brillant!]
a box of cigars and a bottle of champagne
It was the kind of hotel that supplied you with slippers and robes. I had to take a picture of this sign on the robe. It's always amusing how something might translate. Really?? Can a bathrobe "seduce" me?

We had a nice dinner on the hotel patio and then headed to the beach the next morning. This picture was taken before we left the hotel. I received the "dress" as a gift from a girlfriend for my 30th. After I got the "dress" out of the gift bag all the girls wanted to check it out. They ALL commented how they loved the "dress" and how cute it would be as I got bigger with the pregnancy. I then said, "A DRESS??? THAT'S A SKIRT!" They all emphatically disagreed and so I wore it as a dress for our anniversary trip. Yes, Adeline was quite aware that mommy wasn't covering her shoulders when we returned and I had to explain to her that sometimes mommy wears things "just for daddy." (although Scott agrees that it's a skirt ;) ) I'll put a tank or tee under it and have fun with it as a dress though ;)

We had breakfast in the Colonial Zone as well.
We then went to a restaurant on the beach for about 4 hours and enjoyed reading books. Reading a book on the beach doesn't happen when you have toddlers, so this was part of my fairy tale story.

Scott is talking to the kids in the picture.
I told Scott after the trip how much I felt loved and lavished by our 21 hours alone. I also told him our time made me feel pretty, and yes, I'm going to say it, sexy. As a mommy of toddlers and pregnant with our 4th (when I hadn't gotten rid of all my 3rd baby junk in the trunk), these two adjectives don't come into my head very often when I'm describing myself. However getting to get dressed up for the company of my husband only can make a gal feel really special. :)

Thank you Scotty for learning what makes me feel loved!

I AM 30!

2011-09-09T17:41:00.000-07:00

I celebrated my 30th birthday on Thursday with girlfriends at a tea garden. We sat and chatted for 3 hours...couldn't have asked for a better lunch date to celebrate. Most of the ladies there were Christian girlfriends. It was the exactly the company I needed to celebrate with.

They were each very kind and lavished me with gifts. My favorite gift were the earrings in the picture below given by my friend Any.
I took the kids to see how the puppies were doing. All 5 survived! I have found out about 2 adoption agencies here in Sto Dmgo to help me find homes! yeah!
I bought myself a chinola (passion fruit) cheesecake to celebrate with the family. DIVINE!

Book Reviews with a Christian Focus

2011-09-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

I came across this website today and look forward to putting it to use and adding a few of our own reviews. We used it to buy a couple of Ballyntyne Adventure Christian Classics due to the current sale on Vision Forum.

Scott has taken Saturday and Sunday nap times for the past year to read the kids to sleep. Scott started with Princess Adelina and Scott and I had a hard time putting it down! He then read When a Man's a Man by Harold B Wright, a book that we found within the first month of our marriage at a antique store in Branson, MO. Scott thoroughly enjoyed this book although it's language style was a bit rough to read outloud. He researched it's history online and found it was written by a pastor and a best seller in 1916. Too funny.

For Father's Day, I bought a couple of Lamplighter Rare Collector Series books from Light of Faith Resources. Scott read The Lost Ruby, The Lost Child and is currently reading Faithful but not Famous.

I'm usually asleep within the first 10 minutes, so I will have to resource Scott for plot, etc. when the kids get old enough to read these on their own. In all honesty, even if I did listen to the entire book or even read the book myself I would forget the details of the book. Scott on the other hand has a memory like I've never seen! (it can be quite frustrating actually)

Matthias, Hobby Horses, & Piano

2011-09-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Adeline began piano this morning with our sweet sister in Christ, Olga. Tia Olga will be coming to our house every Tuesday morning to teach Adeline music culture (awareness of rhythm, different kinds of music, piano, and more). Olga can speak English, but to help Adeline learn Spanish she will be teaching in Spanish. Adeline responded very well to Olga this morning, although she used VERY few words. But that's our Adeline when she's a bit timid.

It's easy to imagine how God can use a pianist for His glory, and therefore I was excited about Adeline's future with piano (given she sticks with it). However, Olga reminded me this morning that she will be using this time with Adeline to glorify God now. Adeline will learn rhythm with Christian diddles (like the songs you sing at camp) and Olga will be incorporating our Creator in all of her teaching. Thank you God for placing this desire on Olga's heart!Here are a few sweet pictures of our sweet Matthias. 9mths old
The weather is warm enough to enjoy the pool more often. Enjoying Saturday afternoon outside.
Nonnie made Adeline a pink hobby horse for her birthday and they now enjoy "riding" around the yard and house on their own horses.

How to Reinforce Sounds

2011-09-06T11:36:00.000-07:00

It took about a week and a half for Adeline to learn the vowel teams - ay, ai, oy, oi, aw, au, ow, ou. To help reinforce the teams we -

Used letters from the newspaper and made the teams.Put peanut butter on graham crackers and used raisins to make the teams.We wrote the teams in chalk outside and played beanbag toss. Wherever the bag landed, is the sound you had to make.

It is VERY easy to say "You're not old enough yet Darton, go find something to do." But praise be to God, seriously, for Him to stop those words from coming out of my mouth (this time) and draw shapes and numbers for him to play beanbag toss with us.

After beanbag toss I would yell out a sound, shape, or number and then the kids had to jump on that square.

Most of these ideas came from the author of Phonics Road to Spelling and Reading.

Perritos

2011-09-02T08:50:00.000-07:00

Matthias' bug bite has healed, but by day #3 of the augmentin he began to get a rash and have non-stop diarrhea. By Tuesday, day #4, we took him off of the augmentin. Now the question is is he allergic to only augmentin or other antibiotics as well? Unfortunately he is now showing signs of getting the cold his brother and sister are fighting.

I am finally out of "survival mode" (aka out of 1st trimester), and I have the energy to exercise. I am usually accompanied by at least one child on my journeys, but I went out on my own into the neighborhood for a brisk walk this morning. I had two choices on my route to get home. The route I chose had a box of puppies that had been left out to die. I am NOT an animal lover. I don't play with animals, including my own. I know it's quite heartless. However I can't let one of God's creations starve do death either. I took the box and the 5 bug infested puppies to the vet and the vet graciously is only charging me their cost for the meds and food and no cost for them to stay there for 3 weeks. It seems that they are only about 4 weeks old. It is my job to find them a home. We will more than likely keep one since Sarah is a pack dog and would LOVE a playmate. Unfortunately there isn't an SPCA to drop the dogs so although the dogs may be fortunate I came across them, I don't know how fortunate we are.

Sometimes Life is Easier in the DR

2011-08-29T18:20:00.000-07:00

I know, I know..."sometimes." Come on, Ann, you don't have to clean your house or cook lunch 4 days a week! Yes, domestic help is definitely one of those bonuses to living here, but most of the time it takes a lot more effort to get something accomplished in the DR. I think part of that has to do with Santo Domingo's population of 3.5million and the other part is that it's just NOT MY COUNTRY. Maybe someone from the DR who has moved to the States has the mutual feeling about life in the U.S.

We experienced an "easier" moment this weekend when Matthias' bug bite turned purple as well as the surrounding area. I called a doctor friend instead of my pediatrician (although all doctors here give you their cell numbers and expect you to use it!), and she recommended what I expected - to give him an antibiotic. Step #2 is call the pharmacy and order the product. Step #3 wait for the pharmacy to deliver the drug. Yes, you can get an antibiotic without a prescription. Yes, I was able to avoid seeing a doctor. Yes, you can get drugs delivered to your house.

Matthias' fever subsided today, after 2 days of fever, sleeping lots, and refusing food, but thankfully drinking lots of formula.

I had my first doctor's appointment today. My body had been telling me that I was probably farther along than I originally thought, and today's ultrasound confirmed that I am a touch over 12 weeks and due March 9. Wow! Tears rolled as I saw our blessing for the first time on the screen.

I am seeing a new doctor this time and I asked her if she would do a home delivery. She said she would think about it! She wasn't suppose to say that! I will see her at the end of September and a decision will be made then if we will go forward with a homebirth here instead of returning to TX to deliver at the midwife clinic. Everything went perfect for Matthias' birth, including our 3month stay at my parents', but traveling with the 3 by myself plus Scotty not having much vacation time is what makes a homebirth here appealing. Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom concerning this.

Recommendations

2011-08-23T17:17:00.000-07:00

When you find something that you and/or your family enjoys don't you just want to shout to the world how good it is??? This post is dedicated to recent buys or gifts that we think are worth owning.

Our first recommendations are for parents/the family -

Paul Tripp - Getting to the Heart of Parenting. We had a foundation for some of Paul's words since we have read his brother's work, Shepherding a Child's Heart, which also centers around reaching your child's heart. We are watching the video series and we don't want to stop! Here's a taste:

The family is a Learning Community that consists of: Theological, Sociological, and Redemptive Communities.

The 5 Heart Questions:

1. What was going on?

2. What were you thinking and feeling as it happened?

3. What did you do in response?

4. What were you seeking to accomplish?

5. What was the result?

James Dobson - Bringing up Girls. I discovered through Dobson what I probably should have known long before now as a woman and a Christian woman. He helped me understand more how I and my daughter are made as well as how to grow a closer relationship with Adeline.

Children's Books & CDs

Antshillvania - This CD includes narrative and song to encourage your child to always listen to wisdom from above. The main character is an ant who takes off for fame and fortune. The wisdom from above that his father taught him is what he eventually must return to in order to survive. My father-in-law made a cd off of their old record copy a couple of years ago, and although we have been listening to it steadily for a year and half now, it has currently become very applicable and enjoyable for my kid's ages (5 & 3).

SEEDS Family Worship - If you haven't been able to find Bible verses set to music that your kids enjoy then you don't need to look any farther!! SEEDS has made memorizing Scripture so enjoyable and fun for kids. We have the Character and Purpose CDs and while both are great, we enjoy the Character one more. Thank you Miss Mommy!

God's Little Princess: Gigi The Pink Ballerina - Sheila Walsh. Gigi is determined to learn her memory verse and glorify God through it, but unfortunately she isn't the best dancer (Let them praise his name in dance. Ps 149:3a). What makes this story worth mentioning and buying is the message at the end - Gigi is God's little princess because He chose her, not because of anything she does. If you have a princess in your home this book is worth the investment.

Devotion Book

God with Us: Light from the Gospels - Carol Ruvolo. I've had way to many nonChristians tell me who they think Jesus is and in order to stand firm in my apologetics I needed a study that would deepen my knowledge of Him. My favorite part of the study is how Ruvolo summarizes the primary passages of study for each chapter. For example, chapter 4 is entitled New Wine and the Primary Passages of study are Mark1:16-3:19, Luke 4:31-6:16, & Mt 10:2-4. Her summary -

Jesus Christ

disrupted religious traditions,

enraged religious legalists,

and changed common people.

A master revolutionary

bent on destroying God's law?

No, rather a mater restorationist

bent on producing receptacles

fit to receive His

new wine.

Wow! How beautifully did she capture that thought/teaching! Another part I would like to share with you is her description of the Sermon on the Mount. The italicized are the words Jesus used in His sermon (Mt 5).

Heirs of the kingdom are poor in spirit because their eyes have been opened to their sinful inability to save themselves. They mourn over the sin that separates them from God and humble themselves under His absolute power. God's gracious regeneration of their inner beings stimulates a hunger and thirst for righteousness that He alone can satisfy. Satisfaction of that thirst encourages them to share the mercy they have received, strive for purity of life, and bring peace to those around them. The heirs of the kingdom know what it means to rejoice when they are persecuted for righteousness sake.

Again, wow! I have never read or heard a more manageable (for my mind) interpretation of the Beatitudes.

Recipe

Homemade Protein Energy Bar - I have been making these bars since shortly after my pregnancy with Adeline after my sis-in-law recommended it. I buy my spirulina from Bulk Herb Store, but that's mainly because I've never lived somewhere that has a store that carries it. I alter it by using whole oats, regular cocoa powder, tad under 1tsp spirulina, and I don't use all organic products. If you do add more spirulina be prepared for the color of the protein bar to be pretty disgusting....but still oh so yummy!

I hope you and your family enjoy recommendations from the Geer household!

Matthias Laughing

2011-08-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

Am I Really Homeschooling????

2011-08-22T11:44:00.000-07:00

The time that I thought would always be far off in the future has arrived. We are officially a homeschool family. There is a perfect spot in our home on the second floor for our schooling. We are working on Math through the Shiller Math program. LOVE IT! Alongside your basic math programs Shiller introduces simple logic. For example, you are given 3 circles and 1 square. The student is asked which one is different and then asked "why." The program uses manipulatives and music and most importantly Adeline is enjoying it.

Our Phonics program is Phonics Road to Reading and Writing. Again, LOVE IT! What sets this program a part from say Leap Frog is you learn ALL the sounds of the letters. For instance, "a" and "o" both have 3 sounds each instead of just the short and long vowel sounds. "G" has two sounds as in "give" and "giraffe."

As you can see from the picture we are now on our vowel teams. To give you examples of this, the sound "er" has 5 spellings - er, ir, ur, wor, ear. The vowel team "ou" has 4 sounds as well and to help the student remember the sounds you remember that this vowel team sounds like you are in pain - /ow/ round, /o (long)/ four, /oo (long)/ group, /u (short)/ touch. [I can't mark the sounds correctly which is why I indicated in parenthesis the sound.]

The English language, a combo of German, French, and Latin, is crazy! I think that Phonics Road has broken it down to a very easy way to learn our language. This approach will actually teach Adeline how to spell before she reads.

We are also going through the shortest catechism and have currently covered the first 3 questions and answers.

Who made you? God made me. What else did God make? God made all things. Why did God make you and all things? For His glory.

The biggest challenge right now is making sure I am prepared to also include Darton. He can work alongside us when he's willing, but most of the time he is too much of a "busybody" and enjoys connecting different objects with rope.

Spanish School Year has Begun

2011-08-19T08:27:00.000-07:00

Another school year in Spanish began on Wednesday for the kids. This is Darton's first year "full time," which means only 2 days for us - Monday & Wednesday 8a.m.-1p.m.

This could very well be Adeline's last year in Spanish school since this is her last year of pre-school (although in the States she could be sent to Kindergarten this year).
Darton and Professora Elizabeth
Their Montessori classroom includes house objects to learn confidence and independence with things in the home.
Adeline's classroom even includes a real iron and ironing board!
The first week in August I also began homeschooling Adeline. The camera has been giving me a hard time and I have yet to take pictures of Adeline in her classroom at home. The camera is good to go now and I'll post soon about our homeschool time.

Adeline is 5!

2011-08-17T14:19:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Adeline's 5th birthday yesterday! I'm much more emotional about this birthday than any before!

We invited all her princess friends and greeted them with tiaras and scepters. Please note the correct spelling for princess in Spanish is "princesa"! oops

I didn't make one pom-pom...they are left-over from a baby shower at my house!
The girls painted princess masks and made beaded necklaces.
Everyone was asked to wear whatever made them feel like a princess!
We played Pin the Gem on the Crown and Pass the Apple (same concept as musical chairs).
Scott and I put our heads together and came up with the castle cake.

Training you sweet Adeline has stretched me and continues to stretch me! You are a loving big sister. One lady described you as someone with a character that demands respect yet mostly others describe you as timid. HOWEVER we saw you come out of your shell with our Nevada visit! It was then that I realized growing up in a country that doesn't speak your language isn't easy for you either. You do a wonderful job though willingly going to school, ballet, and Sunday school.

You have a very sensitive spirit and can sense a need to serve. You love a good cuddle yet have a hard time being praised. You forgive me lots as I'm learning to me your mommy and you LOVE all things sweet. May the Lord bless you to be a gentle, kind, and patient godly young lady.

God made you specifically for our family and I am so thankful He did!

7 years & Saturday Entertainment in our Home

2011-08-11T18:20:00.000-07:00

Our baby boy is 8 months old and crawling and climbing all the time. We now have to close all potty lids!

Here are Adeline & Darton at 8 months.

Matthias LOVES LOVES the water.
He can climb stairs.
He can teeter on the edge of the jacuzzi!
Most of the rains have subsided, so we were able to enjoy our pool and the outdoors this weekend. Adeline is learning how to observe using a magnifying glass. Here she is looking at orchids.
Scott and the kids discovered a spider's web. This spider makes his web in the shape of a funnel! They threw insects into the web to see the funnel work. Once the prey is caught in the web, the spider shakes the web to make the prey fall into the funnel where he has his dinner.
We celebrated 7 years of marriage on Sunday. We enjoyed a meal at Chili's as a family and we plan to enjoy a date soon!

Simplicity and Leisureness

2011-08-05T08:40:00.001-07:00

God so many times meets me where I need Him, as I'm sure He does for you as well. All this week He has encouraged me or convicted me through the words of Oswald Chambers' Utmost for His Highest.

"A Christian is one who trusts the wits and wisdom of God, and not his own wits. If we have a purpose of our own, it destroys the simplicity and leisureness which ought to characterize the children of God. "

Really??? Simplicity and Leisureness as a mommy?? Being pregnant with number four and then the thought of trying to raise four children does NOT bring thoughts of simplicity and leisureness. However, Chamberss words convicted my spirit that that is exactly how my spirit & mind need to be characterized. I can rest in the God's control and absorb God's grace for me moment by moment.

Be encouraged.

Una Sorpresa

2011-08-03T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ps 127:3-5 "Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.

The fruit of the womb is a REWARD.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior so are the children of one's youth.

HAPPY is the man who has his quiver full of them.

They shall not be ashamed but shall speak with their enemies in the gates"

God has blessed my womb again and our 4th child is due next March. This came as quite a surprise with Matthias only being 8mths old. We are keeping Ps 127 in mind as well as the verses below. The challenge is that we thought 3 was a "quiver full of them". :)

Prov 16:9 A man's heart plans his ways, but the Lord directs his steps.

Is 55:8 My ways are not your ways, nor my thoughts your thoughts, says the Lord.

Ps 128:3 Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house; your children like olive plants all around your table.

6wks in Review - Part Four continued

2011-08-02T14:35:00.000-07:00

Before Andrew and Steph left, we celebrated Adeline's 5th birthday

My parents and our 5 headed for the mountains to the town of Jarabacoa. We stayed in a nice villa on the mountainside that included a cook!We ventured out to find a coffee field and just when we had decided to turn around after an hour into the higher mountainside, behold there was the beginning of a field!I don't know if you can see the green berries (or what is to become coffee) on this coffee plant that will eventually turn red.
Lunch stopThe jacuzzi at our villa.
A horse ride before heading out of town.

6wks in Review - Part Four: DR w/the Needums

2011-08-02T14:14:00.001-07:00

Gdad & Grandmommie with their 4 grandchildren.

Andrew, Stephanie, and Colten stayed with us for 8 days and we enjoyed going to the beach a couple of times. The cousins are finally getting old enough to truly enjoy one another.

6wks in Review - Part Three: Texas

2011-08-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

We spent a week in Celina with my family after Scott returned to the DR. A farmer was growing sunflowers and we got a few cute pictures.

We visited with my dad's mom. On July 14 we heading back to the DR but the bonus was that my parents, brother, sister-in-law, and their son came with us!Matthias taking a snooze on the plane on Adeline's pillowpet. She's been wanted one of theses for over a year now and my parents got her one for her bday. She LOVES it! Baby dolls really aren't her thing, we've learned. She'd much rather give a bottle to a stuffed monkey!

6wks in Review - Part Two: Arkansas

2011-07-28T16:55:00.000-07:00

After our week stay in NV, we went back to TX for two days before going to Arkansas with the Geers for a family wedding.

While in Texas we visited Grandma and Grandpa Aboul-Ela
Jenny and Ella met up with all of us in Arkansas. Here are the 4 Geer Cousins on the hillside before the wedding. It was a joyous occasion witnessing two devoted Christians committing their lives to one another. The part of the ceremony that put tears in all of our eyes was when both sets of parents, the bride, and groom prayed on stage holding hands in a circle while a song finished playing. On the same hillside we enjoyed fireworks on the 3rd of July.Scott caught a frog and Adeline thoroughly enjoyed holding it and showing it off.Great Grandma & Grandpa Geer

6wks in Review - Part One: Nevada

2011-07-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

To my faithful followers in Battle Mountain, NV - please forgive me for taking so long to update!

We had a wonderful last six weeks with friends and family. The trip started off with 3 days in TX (picture above represents those 3 days. Cousin Colten is in the middle) before heading to see friends in Elko & Battle Mountain, NV.

What a refreshing trip with Christian brothers and sisters! This was our first visit back to our home in the States in 3 years.

We stayed in the home of Joanna & Clay Hutnyak with their three blessings while in Elko. What an encouragement it was to stay in the home of a mom with a gentle spirit! We thoroughly

enjoyed our time with all of our friends in Elko, but unfortunately I wasn't good about getting out the camera.

We made it up to the Lamoille Canyon and the Hutnyak family is pictured below.

Our church family is in Battle Mountain, NV at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Again, what an encouraging time! We stayed with Ken & Judy Cox (Judy pictured below) and fellowshipped, fellowshipped, and then fellowshipped some more! We were among brothers and sisters who truly represent "as iron sharpens iron." Matthias was baptized while we were in BM.
Our dear brother Jeff Wheeler and Rev Christ Post.

Art, Snails, Mud, & Pacifiers

2011-06-16T17:38:00.000-07:00

Adeline began working on drawing farm animals this week with a book a friend recommended - Draw, Write, Now. She's having lots of fun with it, but I would recommend purchasing tracing paper. The book encourages writing about your picture as well. There are 6 steps to learn how to draw each figure.
The church youth came over on Saturday night and I talked to the girls about their bodies and making decisions as women and Scott talked to the boys about courtship.
Matthias sucking on his paci.
Matthias eating his paci! This is his new and regular trick.
Adeline with a very small snail. She even lets the big ones crawl on her! This past Monday Adeline woke up in a very pleasant mood and while she and I were sitting at the breakfast table she asked, "Mommy, is God waiting on us to pray." It was a very nice start to our day for her to willingly pray with me. As she left the table I called out, "Hey, will you..." She replied, "Mommy, my name isn't hey. That's what I say to Darton when he's a horse." What a sweet moment!
Darton "working" with his boots after rain water collected in the sandbox.
We went to a children's performance of Disney's Aristocats. It was fun. However my male 3 year old son's one comment about the show...."The white cats didn't have on panties." SERIOUSLY!?! [they really did a good job wearing an appropriate layer under the skintight white costume]

Matthias should be crawling soon, but maybe it will be another 2mths. He's up on his knees way before my other two even thought about it. His second tooth is coming in which is a good two months before my first two even got their first!

We leave for the States on Saturday and will visit Texas, Nevada, & Arkansas over the next month.

Don't have a title for this one...

2011-06-02T18:46:00.001-07:00

Here we are in June and in counting down until our trip to Texas and Nevada! We haven't been back to NV since we moved to the DR, so we are very excited about this trip.

Last Saturday I am proud to say that my husband, who knew less Spanish than me when we moved here, gave a complete presentation to the church youth group in Spanish! Bravo! I'll be giving my testimony and words of encouragment to the girls next Saturday and we'll see how much I will use the translator. Needless to say, I'm getting by, but not near as fluent as I should be. But, sigh, I'd rather be with my children than in Spanish class.

Adeline loves giving tea parties and I've been trying to break out an English accent for her. She and Darton just crack up laughing at me. Last week there really was a true tea in my home for an English girlfriend expecting her first child this summer. The hostesses of the party created the fun hat Adeline had on her head. All the guests has one to wear. We also made tuts at the tea and Adeline is wearing the one I made for her. I need to go buy more material to make it fuller.
Notice all her stuffed animals at her tea party. She loves serving us cookies. Matthias is 6months. He is sitting up and is getting his first tooth. He started eating aguacate (avacado) tonight and this is his second night in his own room. He's still trying to wake up 2 or 3 times a night, so hopefully being in his own room will fix that problem. In two weeks however, he'll be back in my room as wel stay with family and friends for 4 weeks. Maybe he'll get the hang of sleeping through the night in the next two weeks and won't regress once we are on vacation.

Dominicans think I am crazy for feeding him avacado at six months instead of habichuelas (beans). I was told last week at church that at 2 months babies are fed cereal through a bottle and then by 5 months they are eating everything (including meat) after it's put in the blender. Seriously?! I've learned how to say politely, "What you do in your country is not what we do in ours."

Adeline finishes up another year in all-Spanish school next week. Darton will join her for the same two days next year and the other 2 or 3 we will be more dedicated to a true schooling schedule in the home (namely with phonics and math). She started asking this week how to write specific words to put on her paper. I call out the sound(s) of the letter (as opposed to the name of the letter) and then she writes it. She also started drawing flowers in the last two week. Here we are coloring the Red River that Moses and the Israelites crossed. After they painted, we tore off the masking tape to have a "path" through the river. (taken from Little Hands to Heaven)

Darton and I sat down 3 days last week with a shapes workbook. He LOVED it and insisted that he get to drink a cup of coffee while doing his work!

On Monday Darton took a chunk out of Adeline's back when he bit her in anger. All you moms out there can imagine how furious I was. I'm praying for wisdom to know what to say in those moments instead of reacting in rage. Scott came home that night for dinner and with wisdom from above (seriously) he was able to talk to Darton about his actions. He reminded the kids of a National Geographic show they had watched recently with animals eating other animals (yes, they wanted to watch it while I had to close my eyes!). Scott told the kids that God made us and the animals, but God made us in His image which makes us different from the animals. Therefore, we don't eat each other like the animlas do. My mouth dropped open. I can easily spit out "Be kind to one another" Eph 4:32 when training the kids on how to treat each other, but Scott took the training to the next level which I think penatrated to their hearts. Praise God for a godly husband!

Much Needed Update

2011-05-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed my cousin Morgan here for a week and are greatly missing having family in the house. I'm pretty sure she got a good dose of "I'm quite happy not having kids just yet" medicine ;). She's only been married 4 months. I don't have any good pictures of her visit on my camera, but here is one of her and Adeline from her wedding. Our gordito having fun in the tub. He desparately wants out of his seat and into the water!Adeline's Mother's Day celebration at her school. Not the best of pictures...and yes, they are swimming in their underware!

Circle of Blessing

2011-05-10T11:07:00.000-07:00

Children, obey your parents in the Lord for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with promise. That it may be well with you and that you may live long on the earth. Ephesians 6:1-4

I enjoy using the advice out of Tedd Tripp's Shepherding a Child's Heart. We recently saw a fruit of our labors when Adeline drew a self-initiated drawing of the Circle of Blessings. This is the idea:

In Ephesians 6:1-3, God has drawn a circle of great blessings. Children are to live within the circle of submission to parental authority. Submission to parents means honoring and obeying. Within that circle things will go well and they will enjoy long lives (p131).

Although Scott and I poked fun about trying to use it in our training/shepherding (i.e. "you want to be in the circle don't you"), it has proven to be a great image for the kids' minds when we are conveying why they need to obey mommy and daddy.

Local Beach

2011-05-09T18:40:00.000-07:00

Since our friends moved up to the North Coast a year ago, we hadn't been back to a beach only 30 minutes out of the city. The North Coast beach isn't little kid friendly with the wind and waves, so although Adeline has been swimming by herself for 9 months, this was her first swim in the ocean by herself. It was also Matthias's first dip in the Caribbean.

My cousin Morgan arrives on Wednesday to bring me to relief! I now understand why it's important to live near family when you have a "quiver full of them."

Beating a Cold, Witnessing a C-Section, & Administering a Test

2011-05-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

Scott passed a head cold onto me on Monday. I am on the up and up today after 2 1/2 days of feeling yucky and I believe that my number one ingredient in my cocktail below is the Sinusin product. I was also downing Immune Booster Tea and Yogi's Echinacea Tea since we were out of the vitamins. I believe Sinusin was key because only 12 hours after taking my first dose I was clearing up. A couple of weeks ago I transformed our living room!

BEFORE

AFTERWhat do you think?

Here's our 16 pounder! Adeline snapped this sweet moment when Darton fell asleep while I was reading The Lightlings.We celebrated Labor Day here on Monday and enjoyed a Church family day. Tuesday morning I began administering a standardized test for my son's friend which puts me out of the house for 3 hours every morning this week. It's been a nice break from my everyday routine, but it also reaffirms that I enjoy and desire to be a full-time stay at home mom. Adeline has gone to school each day, willingly, and Darton and Matthias stay at home with Ana.

Now onto the highlight of my week! My friend asked me to be a part of her labor and delivery. I nervously said "yes" and decided this was my chance to know if I really wanted to pursue being a doula. Unfortunately by the time I got to her she had decided to get an epidural at 5cm dialated, which stopped her progression, and two hours later (12 hours after her first contraction) the doctor told her it was time for a c-section. This was her second c-section and she was trying for a vaginal. I was the picture gal for the surgery and so yes, I got to see my friend's abdomen cut open and a baby being pulled-out. I "hid" behind the camera and chose not to watch with eagle eyes just in case I might lose it. No matter how Santiago entered the world, it was still a beautiful moment when he let out his first cry. I will spare all the details of opinions and whatnot, but I do want to pursue doula training. Believe it or not, the first doula training for the DR is being held in June, but it begins the day we leave for the States so this isn't God's timing for me right now. I led 2 birth art classes that Paula participated in this Spring. The first picture below was her depiction of her first delivery and the second of what she hoped her second delivery would be like. I believe she accomplished her goal. She went into this birth much more informed (Thank you Ina May) and her knowledge empowered her to experience a more controlled labor and delivery.

Bienvenidos Santiago!

Although everyone's first language in the surgery room was Spanish, they surprised me by talking in English for me. It was crazy! I don't go anywhere expecting people to speak my first language, but they did. I was very impressed and wonder why they did that??

Easter Egg Hunt...WHAT'S THAT!?

2011-04-25T14:27:00.000-07:00

Scotty started off our Resurrection Sunday on the right foot by having us sing two hymns about the resurrection (this was especially nice since we attend church in Spanish). I even played along on the piano.

Yes, hunting for eggs is a foreign concept here. Most have heard of the idea but didn't know how it all worked. They had heard rumors of even hunting for colored hard-boiled eggs..."Really," they asked, "you do that?" We enjoyed having church friends over and introducing grown-ups to their first egg hunt. I included Resurrection Eggs in the loot to find and we all circled around after the hunt to see who had found which resurrection egg. The kids opened the resurrection eggs in the correct order and an adult told the history of its place in the resurrection story.

Adeline had a tumble, but kept on going. Darton is always quite clueless to what's right in front of him, but he did pretty good with the hunt ;)Abby found the egg with the cup representing the last supper Christ had with His disciples. Adeline was a champ and didn't whine once that she didn't find any resurrection eggs. She just listened and watched. She also did a great job pointing out candy to the small kids instead of taking it for herself.

Camping in the Dominican

2011-04-25T13:26:00.000-07:00

We survived our first camping trip with 3 kids! I had my hesitations, namely being security, but the trip was great! Scotty found an official camping ground (rare and even unheard of in the DR) near the mine. Scotty grew up camping and I am so very thankful to Papa Geer for all the camping trips he provided for his family. Going camping with Scott isn't much work at all. He puts up the tent and cooks the food.

The kids loved playing around the fire. Hotdogs for dinner.

I LOVE watching my kids get dirty when they are having fun at it! I guess that's why camping doesn't bother me so much.

Smores for desert!

The kids COULDN'T WAIT to go "Fish n Caught." Adeline's coined phrase for going fishing to catch fish. She does this a lot actually and flips her words around. The one that comes to mind is "jacket lite" for life jacket.

Sarah's first vacation since we moved into the house almost a year and a half ago. She did great!

Our happy boy

Scotty trying to make the worms come out of the ground.

Adeline & Daddy going hunting for bugs

They found lots of termites! Our 10 man tentDarton chasing butterflies among the baby pine trees. Daddy and his girl. He told her last night that one day boys are going to like her but not to worry because he will help her pick out the best one. I love my husband!

Matthias has been my chubbiest and he's really not all that chubby. The result of on-demand feeding! Didn't know it existed with the first two.

Bobbin'

2011-04-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Daddy & the kids made boats for the pool.

I proudly cooked a dominican lunch the other day. The menu: Rice cooked with salt and a bit of oil (they say they have a headache if they don't have rice for lunch), vegetables cooked in oil & vinegar, and fried salami. I don't know if dominicans eat salami for lunch, but it is a staple in the dominican grocery basket.

This is an example of what I mean by Darton being "all boy." He hits his horses on the ground so hard while he is pretending with them that the back legs break off...of 2 horses!

Last week after about 2 weeks of feeling "off" I finally sank and was willing to label my thorn in my side as depression. Praise God for talking to the perfect person at the right time and after meditating on Psalm 91 and John 2-4 my faithful God answered my prayer to drench me with His everlasting water and to protect me under his wings.

How can a mom living a dream life in the Carribbean get depressed you ask? As mentioned, depression is my thorn in my side (or at least one of them). Day-in, day-out, same-o, same-o gets to me after a while; especially with an infant who's not letting you get full nights of sleep. Back in January I was pumped to get back to life here with my three blessings. Now I just want me time! Or at least I did for the last three weeks. I've come to realize that most expat moms need to get off the island every 3 months or so. But really? Is that all I needed? No, it wasn't. Ultimately I needed sleep and God. Once I received that dose of medicine and a good 4 day holiday weekend with the hubby at home, I am bobbin' now and not sinking!

I'm getting back on track with more "purposeful play" (aka Little Hands to Heaven curriculum) and activities with the kids (painting, reading, puppets, ect).

Adeline's Play-Do creations of Mommy & Adeline. However, she doesn't call me "mommy," instead she calls me the dominican "mama" with an accent on the last "a." It drives me nuts since she says it with a whine. But it's been about a year since she first started using it, so I suppose it has stuck!

Black & White

2011-04-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

We recieved an invitation to a work related party last week that said Black & White Attire (optional). What??!! Which is it - black & white or not? I knew that it would have been safer to dress in cocktail attire, but we took the dive and opted for the chance to wear what you never get to wear.

And you guessed it. Scott was the only man in a tux of about 200 people and I was the only one in a long formal. There were a good number with jeans and tennis shoes! It was quite disappointing, but that didn't keep us for busting a move solo on the dance floor ;)

RSA Animate - Changing Education Paradigms

2011-04-12T17:36:00.000-07:00

I think this is worth 11 minutes of your time to ponder....

Mi Hijo Tiene 3 Anos!

2011-04-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Darton turned 3 yesterday. My boy has a sweet nature, but man is he bull-headed! He's full-on boy and I'm looking forward to putting him into karate. I think it will be perfect for him! He wants me to sing Jesus Loves Me and Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho to him every night. This time last year he loved to sit and watch Chitty-chitty Bang Bang, but it's really hard for him to sit through a movie now. We gave him Old Yeller for his birthday and he's quite sure he wants a gun that goes "bang" now. His favorite bday present was a set of mishaped keys Scotty got from a key maker. The dominican key maker was quite concerned a child was receiving the keys because he could cut himself. Maybe he can.... Darton is also enjoying the gear set we got him (in the pic below) and the Woody outfit Nonnie and Papa bought him. He refuses to look at the camera these days!

For the past two weeks he has been asking for a pink cake. The night before his birthday we asked him one more time - chocolate, yellow, or pink. He said blue! He NEVER asks for anything blue! We had two friends over and they enjoyed playing with water guns. This picture is so cute!

Modesty

2011-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

We have officially entered the world of "little girl" and all that goes with it, most recently a possessiveness of her items. Scott has been on the lookout for a couple of years now with Adeline's clothes, toys, movies, etc. He never saw Ariel as a mermaid with a beautiful voice. No, he saw Ariel as a scandously dressed princess. I had to finally agree. The same goes for Jasmine. She wasn't as hard for me to say "good-bye." Scott threw out The Little Mermaid and Aladdin while we were away in Texas. Adeline hasn't asked for them once. However, over the weekend Scott noticed the princesses had snuck back into our house on game cards. I'm called to raise my daughter in the admonition of the Lord pointing her to Christ and how to glorify Him. Modesty glorifies God and in the end will protect my daughter. Today I sat down with her to discuss the differences in the following six princesses' clothing. Adeline immediately noticed Jasmine and Ariel were showing their belly buttons. She then pointed out that Jasmine's shoulders are showing. It took her a bit to decide how she wanted to describe what Ariel was wearing (or the lack thereof). These two fine princesses are choosing to be modest even though Cinderella's dress is lowcut. In 1950 Disney chose to be modest by not sketching in cleavage. Adeline surprised me with her comment on these two princesses, whom I thought were being modest.

"Mom, I wish I could go inside the movie to show these princesses how to cover their shoulders."

My 4 1/2 year old challenged my modesty scale today! By the time Belle came along in 1991 Disney decided cleavage was okay. Adeline whined a bit when she realized that the Ariel and Jasmine cards needed to be thrown away. She was over it in 5 minutes. Thank you Lord God for getting me through that conversation. Daddy's next challenge - trying to get rid of the suductive looking princess PJs! It's going to be a long road, but choosing Christ isn't always the easy way, now is it? IT'S THE MOST REWARDING!

Adeline spanish prayer

2011-04-06T18:20:00.000-07:00

Adeline goes to a Spanish speaking school two days a week. She rarely wants to talk to me in Spanish, but she came home this week spitting out the prayer the students say each day. Whoohoo! Tio Denny y Tia Cintia - Pueden traducir? :)

Breaking All the Rules

2011-04-04T06:39:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I decided to have a "veg-out" day with the kids. IT WAS WONDERFUL! I needed a break from the humdrum of the daily routine and this is how our day went - Before 8a.m. I had started a movie and shortly after I brought up popcorn and juice for breakfast. After watching the Prince of Egypt I had them play outside for a bit before starting movie number 2 at 10:30a! Recording breaking I'm telling you. Shortly after the second movie we had lunch in the tv room and then we headed outside to play. Adeline and Darton have rediscovered their Fisher Price farm set and have enjoyed multiple days of taking it outside to play "farm" and race their horses. Later that afternoon we played our new game The Grouchy Ladybug and then headed upstairs for movie #3 while we drank homemade caffienated frappocinos! Breaking the rules also meant no shower for me. I know for some moms that is really hard to do... not the case for me. By Thursday evening I was ready to be productive and did a few dishes at the sink and we then cleaned up all the odds and ends around the house before eating dinner in the tv room :). Darton took a late nap on Thursday and therefore couldn't fall asleep until 10p that night. He did a great job playing by himself with a LEGO helicopter after his sister went to bed. This picture captures the good time he is having plus Matthias' favorite position - feet in the air! He is either holding them or has them together like if you were playing pat-a-cake with his feet. He's my little monkey. When Friday mornig rolled around I was pumped to get back in the groove of our normal routine. Most Fridays we have a play date at our house. This past Friday a good friend's son turned 13 and we enjoyed 5 hours of pool and terrace time. On Saturday we had more friends over and the kids enjoyed another 4 hours in the pool. With two straight days of no naps Darton just couldn't stay awake during the church service.Last night Adeline wanted to sleep in her tent she made.

Children's Bible

2011-03-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

If you are in the market for a children's Bible, Scott & I would recommend the Jesus Storybook Bible: Every story whispers his name - Sally Lloyd-Jones

Lloyd-Jones connects all the stories to Jesus. It's covenant theology in storybook form for our children...and I learned a thing or two as well!

Thank you Nonnie & Papa!

Lots of Stuff

2011-03-31T11:15:00.000-07:00

We went to an air show this weekend down by the ocean. We had a good time and although there aren't any airplanes in the picture below we wanted you to see how important it is to find shade in the DR. Have you ever seen people stand in a line of the shade from a palm tree??? or even a powerline post??? It's quite humorous when you first see it, but you quickly learn to line up in the shade yourself! :) Matthias turned 4 months this week and enjoys his exersaucer. Stephanie and Andrew gave this to us when we had Adeline. Matthias, however, is our first child to get to experience it with batteries in it!

Well he doesn't enjoy it all of the time...

Since figuring out that my kids truly enjoy time with mommy without their siblings, I've been making it a priority to have "dates" with them. Darton and I went to a nearby pasteleria (bakery) for our date. He only looks at the camera these days when HE WANTS TO!

I got to have a date all by myself on Tuesday night. Two months ago I was fired up to be a mommy of 3. Now I JUST WANT TIME BY MYSELF! :)

The International Women's Club held a night activity where we went to listen to two ladies who own a school here. I even put on my boots ;). (pic courtesy of Darton)

Blessings Tea for Matthias

2011-03-28T17:27:00.000-07:00

This morning some of my Christian sisters (most missionaries) gave Matthias a tea to honor his birth and I asked them to individually pray over him and pronounce a blessing over his life. My blessing for Matthias for these past four months has been that he be a bearer of God's Word. Some of the women said a similar blessing as well as that he would rest in the plans God has for his life, that he would be a man known for his obedience to God, and others. It was a beautiful time, as you could imagine!Miss Betty saying her prayer

Please feel free to add a blessing for our sweet Matthias.

Grandmommie & Gdad

2011-03-24T16:35:00.000-07:00

My parents came to visit us last week and we thoroughly enjoyed their stay. Friends have commented on how short my parents' stay was and I've learned that an American vacation is very short compared to other parts of the world.

Visit to the North Coast

Natural fruit juices are a very popular drink in the DR. Most restaurants carry fresh orange juice (jugo de naranja) and fresh limade (limonada). When the season is right, you can also almost always order fresh passion fruit (jugo de chinola). The word chinola is a much better word for a passion fruit. I expect a sweet drink when I hear "passion fruit," but jugo de chinola is the exact opposite. In fact chinola is undrinkable without added sugar. For some reason we have a beer picture of Adeline and Darton, so I figured we might as well keep 'em going ;). If I haven't told you, Matthias smiles all the time! Bad days are impossible since I have a son who smiles at me every time I talk to him!

Adeline's Ballet Recital Part2

2011-03-21T06:46:00.000-07:00

Two things to watch for in this video.
1. Adeline push her way through to make sure she gets her spot.
2. When the princessa exits the stage.

Adeline's Ballet Recital

2011-03-20T18:35:00.000-07:00

Adeline had her ballet performance last weekend and thankfully my parents were here for it. Matthias and I went to practice every day with Adeline. Darton stayed with Ana. I hired her all week so that D woudn't have to endure hours and hours of waiting on his sister. I learned something new about my dominicanas this week.
Time in the latin community is....well I don't have the word for it. You are expected to show up on time for things such as school, work, and church, but to all other events you start getting ready at the time the invite states that the party begins. It is safe to say that you will still be one of the first ones at the event if you show up an hour late. Therefore, the director of the ballet studio EMPHASIZED that we much show up on time. Adeline's practice for 3 out of the 5 days was from 2:30-7p. A good 2/3 of the moms we present by 3p the first day. The director walked in at 3:30p. The second day of practice there were a few less moms who arrived promptly and again, the director arrived at 3:30p. By the third day we had all learned our lesson. Don't show up before 3:30! I was impressed that so many of the moms strived to be there on time because it was asked of them. It was quite rude of the director to ask promptness of us with her not arriving until 3:30 and practice to not even begin until 4p. I learned that dominicanas can arrive on time if it's expected of them. But if the jefe doesn't abide by the rules, then don't expect others too.

Adeline loved posing. Adeline is 2nd in line.

Agua de Coco

2011-03-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

Last Monday Sarah was barking up a storm and I went outside to find a man in the lot behind us cutting coconuts off the tree. It was a great show for my parents who have been in town this week. The man LOVED getting his photo taken and in this first picture he is cutting down a limb so that I can get a better view of him to take a photo! (I didn't ask him to cut the limb.) More than likely he has never seen himself in a picture. I'll get copies made for him. Nice pose!

Making his way down the tree.He let a few coconuts fall in our yard to enjoy agua de coco (coconut water). I learned after taking this video that there are 3 stages to the ripening of a coconut. These coconuts only had the liquid to enjoy. As they ripen they will have the water and a slimy inner coating to eat. The last stage is the dry coconut that I posted videos of last week.

Theo Opening Coconut Part3

2011-03-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

Finally it's time to eat! Gracias Theo!

Theo Opening Coconut Part2

2011-03-08T05:54:00.000-08:00

Theo is removing the outer shell of the fruit of the coconut. The white part is the edible fruit.

Theo Opening Coconut Part1

2011-03-08T05:53:00.000-08:00

We have coconut trees in the yard behind us and we regularly receive coconuts in our yard that have dropped from the trees. Here Theo is opening a dry coconut. There isn't any coco water in a dry one, but only a hard "flesh" to eat. This is the first of 3 videos.

Adeline teaching a song

2011-02-28T17:33:00.000-08:00

The key person to watch in this video is Adeline. While taking the video I was concentrating on D not participating, but after I watched it Adeline cracked me up! Her top three songs to sing right now are "Oh Na Na," "Tonight's going to be a good night," and "I like to move it, move it (from Madagascar)." She was keeping it all in perspective though by adding "Jesus Loves Me" to her repertoire in this video ;)

Matthias talking 3mths

2011-02-28T17:16:00.000-08:00

Matthias will 98% of the time respond to you with a smile or a coo when you talk to him. He is such a joy! He doesn't like being alone and when he's tired he doesn't like it if you try to hold him and do another task. He wants your undivided attention on putting him to sleep. He crunches his tummy muscles to sit up and he can rotate 45 degrees when you lay him on his tummy. He loves to suck on his fist and he's my first baby with chunky thighs and baby boobies! I'm quite the proud nursing mama for that one.
When I nursed my first two I restricted myself too much by the clock (i.e. could only feed every 3 hours). I've taken more of the on-demand feeding approach with Matthias and my milk supply has increased. I've yet to give him a bottle, and my first two had breastmilk bottles by the time they were six weeks. I've also been more conscientious of increasing my liquid intake as well as drink one cup a day of Mama's Milk Tea. I've been told that it is rare in the DR for a baby boy's nourishment to only come from nursing. In fact, whenever he cries or sucks his fist any Dominican nearby (including my gardner) tells me he's hungry! There will be a post later about having a newborn in the DR.

My Darton

2011-02-28T16:28:00.000-08:00

There are many things I love about my son Darton. It's getting easier to block out the screaming side of him and remember the sweet side.
He usually goes to "work" every day decked out in his hat, jeans, and boots. His scribbling is always small and has a purpose. He is usually drawing an alphabet letter or a hambergy or chicken (depending on your request). He currently can't wait for Sundays to come because that means he gets to wear his dress pants and tie. This past week he began changing clothes multiple times a day. I've heard other parents complain about this...guess it's my turn to have a "normal" child. He continually asks if Sunday is his birthday, confusing the phrase "someday it will be your birthday." If he comes to get in bed with us in the middle of the night or early morning he asks "there is pace for me?" He's quite tender hearted and is a great helper with Matthias. Right before he turned two he always wanted you to sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" to him before bedtime. For the past six months or so we sing "Jesus Loves Me" and "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho" before bedtime. Shortly after he turned two he decided he could put on his own clothes. This meant he would scream at and/or coax his clothes for about 10 minutes without letting you help him. He usually had on every peice of clothing backwards. We have now graduated to no screaming, putting on everything the right way, and successfully putting on his scoks and shoes. There are many times his shoes are on the wrong feet, but that will correct itself with time too. I love you Dman.

Zoo & Date

2011-02-28T13:25:00.000-08:00

We went to the zoo with our good friends Anastasia, Hartleigh, and Avonlea. Aren't those just beautiful names?
I gave french braiding a try and definately had beginner's luck...I've yet to have one look this good since!Adeline and I went on a date together. It was MUCH needed. Some good ole lovin' has really but the brakes on her pee accidents. We're not 100% accident free, but at least it's not every day. I'm really cherishing having a growing daughter. This year I'm finally getting better about praying for my children - Adeline to be a godly woman, Darton to bear much fruit, and Matthias to be a studier of the Word.

Exercise & Donuts

2011-02-14T18:54:00.000-08:00

We are getting back into an exercise routine. The boys and I have gone the last two Mondays to the Botanical Gardens. My goal for now is a 20minute fast paced walk and 3 sets each of squats and pushups for triceps and biceps. Twleve hours after this morning's workout my arms are feeling the burn. We went to the zoo this past Saturday. Notice our strollors taking up the back row. I push Matthias in the single jogger while Scott takes the older two in the double.

My sweet Matthias 2 1/2mths

Adeline made Valentines for all of her classmates. She wrote her name on each one, cut out the hearts, and decorated with "sparkles" and stamps. We put John 4:19 "We love God because He first loved us" on her cards. I can't say if I would have had the nerve to put the verse on the cards if we were in the States. There isn't any threat to talking about God here, yet they have a HUGE problem with saying Oh Dios Mio (Oh My God). It's their way of saying "wow." The Christians I've challenged about it had no idea they were taking God's name in vain (3rd Commandment). My kids are having a very very hard time going to the potty. They honestly don't care if they are wet or not. So my new incitive is 5 days without peeing in your pants and you get a donut. Darton was the first to get a donut...it took 12 days! Adeline has 2 more days to go. Ironically we get to Krispy Kremes and it's the first day for an oferta (offer) - buy a dozen glazed donuts and get a dozen free. Do you know what that means???? We could stand in line for over an hour and the line hadn't even started outside the building yet. Ater not moving in line for 5 minutes I went to the front and gave a lady money to buy me one donut with sprinkles (although D's preference was a purple frosted donut!).

Our days are full with visiting friends right now. Trying to catch up with people we haven't seen in a while. Friend time is great, but it's also exhasting getting the 3 out of the house or having others over. I'm looking forward to getting back in a routine with our preschool material soon.

Darton praying

2011-02-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

For the last six months Darton has done a great job praying. He mostly tells God what he did that day, but he also lets us guide him through his prayer to help him stay on track. Before this prayer Scott told him to ask God for self-control. Listen carefully for the word "control."

Giddy

2011-02-03T19:01:00.000-08:00

Darton at 2mths

Matthias at 2mths!

Two weekends ago we stopped at a furniture store on our way to the beach. I've been wanting to stop and take a look for about a year. We made it a point to put into our schedule this trip. The style was exactly what we like and my hubby spoiled me with a bed set, coffee table, and kitchen table and chairs. They didn't have a round table on display, but made us one in 7 days. For the past year I've wanted a round table for this area, but all I knew was that I didn't want a glass one (which tends to be the most popular type of round tables). When they showed up with this table at my door I could not believe they had made a table that was EXACTLY what I wanted without even knowing I wanted it (I know this sounds crazy!). For the past 6 years I've wanted a substantial coffee table. This table was also custom made. The piano wasn't bought on the furniture trip, but we did buy it last November from a missionary family that was moving out of country. Totally in love with it! The bedset was Scotty's splurge for himself ;)

It takes 2 men to lift every one of these pieces of furniture. They are solid, handmade pieces that literally cost us only 1/2 if not a 1/3 of it's equal in the States.

Have you ever been so giddy that your heart is doing a little dance, but you don't want to show too much over enjoyment because it's just "stuff" that you can't take to heaven anyways? Can furniture really make me feel joy? Can furniture really move my spirit? Can anyone relate?!?

Don't worry I'm not too out of balance....but I am just SO VERY GIDDY!

An update on my 2 oldest blessings:

Adeline told me today that she is a horsiegirl; NOT a cowgirl. Priceless!

Darton is so expressive when he talks. I would love to know what he'd be like if he didn't have his sister influencing him!

p.s. I highlighted "want" throughout this post because I recognize I didn't need any of it!

Matthias Smiles

2011-02-01T17:43:00.000-08:00

It's About Time

2011-01-31T17:57:00.000-08:00

2 months after giving birth to my third child, I'm finally sitting back down to blog. When I get out of the groove, it's hard to get back into it.

We are adjusting well to haivng 3 blessings. I can honestly say I feel more blessed than overwhelmed and I truly expected to feel the opposite. Praise God for His mercies!

We've made it to the beach and are enjoying catching up with friends. We are at 2 1/2 years here in the DR now and we have had to say goodbye to 3 friends and a fourth will leave soon. It's the life of the expat....meeting new people and then saying good-bye sooner than later. It's not fun, but you are thankful for the experiences you've had and look forward to the new ones to come (although I must admit making friends takes lots of work!). Saying goodbyes is a reminder that we don't have forever to tell people about Christ's love.

Matthias Scott Geer

2010-12-02T16:39:00.000-08:00

Matthias came Monday night at 8:56p after only 3 hours of labor. He weighed 8lb 10.5oz and is 20in long. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect labor and delivery. I didn't post much about my journey these last 9months with deciding on having Matthias at a birthing center, but I can definately say I'd do it again that way in a heartbeat....well maybe not that soon ;).

This is Matthias's arrival story...

Sunday, November 28 (a week past my due date) I began having early labor contractions. They stopped after 6hrs. On Monday morning I had a sonogram to make sure the baby and placenta were still healthy, and they were. Both the baby and the placenta indicacted that Matthias might not arrive for another couple of days. All day Monday I had very irregular contractions but by the time we sat down for dinner at 6p I started having contractions every 5 minutes that I could not longer just sit through. I swayed my hips at the kitchen counter or in a doorway through the next 30 minutes of contractions. We hopped in the car at 7:30p and for the 30 minute ride to the birthing center I labored on my hands and knees singing praise music in the backseat of the Explorer. We came to one stop light just as a contraction was ending and I told Scotty that you never know what's going on in the car next to you. ;)

We pulled up to the birthing center at 8p and my contractions were every 4minutes. I sang and swayed my way up to the front door. I spent about 30minutes in the shower working through contractions and then moved to a clawfoot tub to work my way through the next bit of labor. By this point singing through contractions was out the door and we were now groaning through them. Scott gets 5 stars for his performance as he counterpressured every contraction on my lower back with his hands and moaned his way through the contractions with me. Every word that came out of his mouth was what I needed to hear, especially when it came time to push. The midwife never had to tell me to "push," my body was telling us when to push. Scott reminded me over and over that my body was created by God to do exactly what I was doing and I could have sworn he was moaning a low "ooooppppeeennnn" as I was pushing, but he says he wasn't. I'm chalking that one up to a God intervention.

Lots more details of course but I'll leave that up to personal conversations for those of you who care to know ;). This labor and birth was much less chaotic than the first two. My midwife described me as joyous and I cherish that thought. Would I do it again? Definately.

41wks pregnant

2010-11-27T07:12:00.000-08:00

Still waiting...

God is REAL

2010-10-20T07:11:00.000-07:00

Does God ever just pop up and prove His realness to you? He has done that for us this week as we prepare to leave for the States.
First some pics of the kids. Adeline can write her name now.Darton LOVES to draw tiny tiny scribbles. He pretends to draw letters and more often chicken. He'll ask if you want hamburger or chicken and then draw it for you. D has an ear infection right now, but as long has I keep IBProfen in his system he acts normal. Scott's bday is tomorrow and we've been celebrating for the past 5 days since we are leaving him on his bday.

So how have we experienced the realness of God this past week? Our church gave us a shower Sunday night and prayed for us from the pulpit as well as during the shower. Many of the older women came up to me to give me their blessing, which consisted of "having a happy birth" (un parto feliz). My girlfriends Heydi and Ana Maria organized the shower. It was exactly what we needed as a family. The shower was also proof that the church really does consider us a part of their family. When you are trying to become part of a family that doesn't speak your same language, it has it's challenges. Our residency cards were lost but God intervened and they showed up in a country where lost items NEVER show up...ESPECIALLY government documents. Reminds me of last Novermber when my wallet was found. Wow, God you do want to take care of your children.

I found out this morning a good friend will be on our same flight to Miami! So if we can't get help from AA for the long walk to immigration and getting our luggage, then we will have them. Thank you God.

Needless to say all of these events have brought a tremendous peace.

Christmas & Pregnancy in the DR

2010-10-11T12:13:00.000-07:00

I'm thinking I must have been 33wks in the pic. No one told me my shirt was pulling like that! Horse riding in the fair grounds.

As soon as October hits, the stores break out the Christmas supplies and this fellow living here thought it was time to display his Christmas lights! Guess when you don't celebrate Halloween or Thanksgiving, might as well throw up the Christmas decor 2 months in advance.

There is ample pregnancy parking and family parking in the DR. Crazy, huh? When you are pregnant here you don't have to wait in line either! Even Krispy Kremes was going to let me jump ahead in line. I love it and hate it. Most people waiting in a line here don't have a pleasant look on their face, so I hate to jump in line ahead of them.

The kids love stacking boxes and making houses out of them.

10 days til TX! Did I tell you Scott called AA and asked all the right questions to get us upgraded to business & first class for a whopping $17/person/flight? Of course $17 wasn't the AA employee's first answer. You just have to make sure to ask the right questions.

We've also found out that about a 1/2c of white vinegar to our dishwasher load keeps the hard water spots off of the dishes and our machine white as snow.