Nicaragua NRT trip

We had 105 students take the course and succeed. It went really good.

We went to see this Volcano on our free day. You can't see it really well, but it was really neat and there were three volcanos conected and one extinct volcano that was covered in green vegetation.

This is where we stayed in the first city we taught in, Matagalpa. We only got to see how beautiful it was in the morning because we always got there when it was dark and raining in the evening. It was really kind of scary in the dark.....no clock, no TV, no telephone. We got to wake up each morning around 4 to the Howler monkeys, well......howling. What an experience!!

Kate painting with the big kids

Tough thing about letting the big kids paint is that Kate thinks she is one of them. She has to paint just like them with her own paper, own plate with paint, and no help. Notice the amount of paint on the paper vs. the amount of paint on the table and chair. Oh, Well!!! Thank goodness for washable and non-toxic paint (yeah....she eats it!)!!

8 Things I love about Summer!

Peonies

Columbine

Potted Flowers

Roses

Gazinias

Peonies ready to pop

Pink Roses

Salvia

My Latest Sewing Projects

My Shabby Apple Knock-off attempt. I made these dresses for the girls for Easter. It was so fun and really sparked a desire to sew. I've had fun making skirts and stuff for the girls!

This skirt was so easy!! With help of my mom we figured out how to copy one that we saw in a sewing store. I want to make these like crazy. You just sew straight lines and use 4-5 different patterns of coordinating fabric and voila!! Cuteness!!

Kate's one year photo

Crazy sleeper

We often find Gabe sleeping in crazy positions when we do our final check at night. I can't believe that he doesn't ever fall off of the bed. In the next 3 photos he is only being held on by one foot. In the later photos, he is basically standing with his body laying on the bed. I just thought that I would post the photos because I think it is pretty amazing and pretty hilarious!!

The horse ride

Molly has a fascination with horses. She has been begging for quite a while to go to the Cheivers and ride their horse and feed it carrots. Gabe joined in to the quest for a horse experience. Jeff took the kids over one Saturday while I was sleeping off a night shift. Gabe had to wear his cowboy boots (aka moon boots), cowboy handkerchief, and a cowboy hat (not seen), his guns and holsters, and his cowboy belt. Funny thing was that he held his nose the whole time he was on the horse. He said the horse needed a bath!!! Molly, my horse lover, wouldn't even pet or feed the horse, but she still came home ready to tell me all about it. Kate just sat on a railroad tie getting her clothes stained with tar. You've got to know it was her dad's doing. I am just proud of Jeff for doing it on his own.