Three in the Springs

Slacker...

2010-07-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

Yes I am a slacker and have not updated this thing in FOREVER! I guess that is what happens when you don't have the internet. We are really enjoying Colorado Springs. The last few months we have spent lots of time exploring Colorado, spending time with family, running, hiking, and hanging out with friends. Penny is now 8 months old. She is all over the place and we can hardly keep her in one place. She can crawl, sit herself up on her own, pull herself up on any thing she can get her hands on, sit herself down from standing, go up the stairs, and walk behing her walking toy. It is fun to watch her discover all of the new things she can do. She keeps life interesting for us. Here are some pictures of what we have been doing this summer.

I made Penny and her first doll matching outfits. Very silly but it was lots of fun!

Penny is a super good eater. She likes every thing from spinach to avocado, to mangoes and plain old bananas.
Our little sun bather. This was on our trip to St. George with Steve's family. We had great time and Penny loved being in the pool.
Camping! We have been camping three times so far this summer with a couple of more trips planned. This is Penny and I asleep in the bus (Tobi). Penny decided to join us in our bed about half way through the night and then took up about half of the bed! What you see in the picture is the whole bed just imagine squeezing Steve in there as well....It was a little cramped but fun. Steve cooking? I don't know if heating up some beans counts as cooking but hey as long as I don't have to do it, it works for me.

Penny didn't sleep so well on our last camping trip but she did take a super long nap the next day. This is her sleeping in the back of the bus in her own little napping spot.

Penny and Steve like to hang out in the hammock while camping. Penny seems to be enjoying herself.

Tobi all set up for camping with his top popped.

I think Penny went for a roll in the dirt...

Tent camping! I think some one is trying to escape!

We took a train ride up to the top of Pikes Peak. It was a lot of fun and Penny enjoyed her first train ride!

This is one of the first pictures of Penny and I that I actually like!
Penny getting ready for the ride.

Ahh Penny...

2010-02-16T21:11:00.000-08:00

For Valentine's day Penny gave Steve a frame with these two pictures in it to take to work. He wanted me to share them with everybody...We don't like her or anything:)

Steve and the Deer

2010-02-16T21:07:00.000-08:00

We live in the foothills and therefore we get deer in our yard quite often. So the other day Steve went out and fed them. We have seen rabbits and fox as well.

My New Hobby

2010-02-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

I have started selling hats on Etsy. Penny is my model. Here are some pictures of Penny's "hat hair." You can check out my store at www.jessicaoriginals.etsy.com.

Random Pictures.

2010-02-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

Well not much has been going on here since we moved to Colorado Springs. We are getting settled in and are really enjoying being back in the states. Steve likes his job at the Hampton in here as their Director of Sales. He also loves being able to bike again and has been on several bike rides. Penny and I have been hanging out at home getting moved in. Penny is getting quite large. She is our big little girl. And as most blogs are this is our place to show her off to those who aren't near by. So here are the latest pictures. This one is the family on Penny's blessing day. Penny apparently really likes Home Depot. The goofy smile below is how excited she got just being there.

Steve likes to make Penny stand up and strengthen those legs. She likes it for a while and then she just gets frustrated.

Penny in a bag! She looks a little nervous about this one.

What's wrong Penny?

2010-02-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

Penny fell and hit her head yesterday. She was pretty upset about it. She can tell you all about what happened.

Christmas with the Family

2010-01-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

This is our first family picture. We took it just before Penny and I left for home for the holidays.

Penny looking pretty for church.

Steve and I had a wonderful time at home for the holidays. Here are some pictures of our time with our family and friends.

This is my brother Jed and his beautiful wife Heather. I really liked this picture of the two of them.

Penny and Eliza playing in the moses basket. Eliza likes to stare at Penny trying to figure out how there can be some one smaller than her. She likes to hold Penny's hand.

I still haven't been able to get a good picture of Penny smiling even though she is always smiling lately. She loves to lay in her basket and kick and squeal and smile.

Penny and cousin Ashlynn on Penny's first motorcycle ride at Leo's Pizza. I think Steve and Uncle Dan had more fun than the kids playing in the toys.

We went sledding with Steve's family. It was lots of fun. This is Steve and Kenny being pulled on a tube behind a four wheeler. Below are all three little ones on the tube. Penny is on top with Ty and Brylee on bottom.

Christmas Eve we went to look at the lights in the botanical gardens. Eliza and Penny were snuggled up tight in their daddy's jackets.

Penny getting ready to go look at the lights.

I just liked this one.

Penny getting loves from Daddy.

Penny and cousin Chloe.

Penny and Eliza both looking a little silly sitting on the table.

Cousin Kenny and Penny. I found a pair of shoes the other day and the brand was Penny Loves Kenny and I almost bought them because of the brand name...they were really cute too.

This is Penny (the big one of the left) and Brylee (the skinnier one on the right) in their matching outfits from grandma Cherie. Penny and Brylee are twin cousins. They were born on the same day almost exactly 12 hours apart. Penny weighed 11 lbs at 6 weeks and Brylee weighed 8 lbs 14 ounces (I believe). Penny has some pounds on Brylee. It was great to have them meet.

More of Miss Penny

2009-11-30T13:52:00.000-08:00

Random pictures of Penny! We had some requests for more pictures so here they are.

Penny had her first trip to church yesterday. She was really really good. She didn't make any noise but she was still a distraction. People kept turning around and checking her out during the meetings. It was fun to introduce her to every one. I think she was a hit!

This is Penny in her Bumbo chair. She doesn't really quite fit in it but Steve likes to put her in it any way.

Penny loves bath time. Steve kept spraying her and she would get all excited everytime he did.

Penny is a little wiggler. She likes to arch her back and stick her head back really far. When we take her outside she will do this when she gets in the sun. She just closes her eyes and relaxes in the sun. She loves it! Steve can't get enough of his little girl. He likes to take her to work with him and loves to play with her every chance he gets.

This is an example of Penny's explosive poo. She puts some power behind it. I was changing her diaper the other day and I guess I had her aimed the wrong direction because the next thing I knew I had poo down my stomach, pants, in my shoe and all over the floor.
This is closest we have gotten to catching Penny smiling in a picture. We love her little smile and can't wait until she is actually smiling at us.

A couple here at Sueno saw this bike and decided Penny and I needed it! So now we have a brand new bike to ride around the beach and in town on. People have been so generous and nice. We have received a lot of nice gifts and a lot of love and support from the guests here. When ever we take Penny outside people come running to check her out. There is always a group following her around. She is the most popular girl here and she doesn't even know it.

Penny Laine

2009-11-20T06:12:00.000-08:00

So since Steve made this blog and has not kept it up I am going to take a stab at it. I am not very good at stuff like this so we will see how it goes. As many of you know Penny Laine has arrived! She came on November 8th. She weighed 8 lbs and was 21 inches long. I ended up having to have a c-section after 10 hours of labor. She is healthy and very content. We have been very lucky because she is such an easy going baby. Steve's little sister Suzi had her baby the same day as well, which is going to be very fun! They are twin cousins. Having a baby in Belize was a little bit different. They don't provide any thing. After she was born they asked us for soap, a wash cloth, and towel to clean her. I was not able to sit up for the first 12 hours after she was born so they gave her formula and we didn't bring a bottle so they fed her out of a little cup.

After two days in the hospital we were ready to go home. I got in a taxi and the nurse just set her on my lap and away we went. After the taxi we took a plane to the island and then a boat to Sueno. It was quite an adventure for a two day old baby. She slept through the whole thing!

My Mom and Dad were both here for Penny's arrival. It has been fun having them here to enjoy the new baby and help out.

Penny had a little jaundice so she had to be under the "lights" naked for a day. We couldn't stand just leaving her there all the time so we would sneak her out every once in a while. This is her red naked wrinkely body. I just want to squeeze it!

Check out her cheeks. This picture makes them look huge but they aren't quite that big in real life. She likes to have her hands near her face. Occasionally a finger makes it in her mouth. When she isn't bundled up this is how Penny likes to sleep...arms extended up above her head. We are so excited she is finally here. Thanks for all of the love and support! We appreciate all of the calls and e-mails.

It's a girl!

2009-08-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

Don't step on these!

2009-08-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

I stepped on a sea urchin the other day. The doctor dug 18 quills out of my toes! Not fun!

Girls Camp

2009-05-26T19:16:00.000-07:00

Jessica took the young women to girls camp recently. 9 girls and her. I don't know how she survived it!
The "Island Girls" were the life of the party.

Baby Belly!

2009-05-26T19:09:00.000-07:00

Due date Nov 5.

The San Pedro Branch

2009-05-26T18:53:00.000-07:00

This is our branch in front of our old building.

We outgrew our old building......and moved into a much bigger and nicer one.

Trip to Guatemala

2009-05-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

Jessica and I spent the week in Guatemala. Guatemala City

We stayed in Guatemala City with Sister and Elder Clarke, my Mission President, now serving as Area President of Cental America. We attended the Guatemala City Temple. It was nice to return to the temple after 8 months.

Sister Clarke got a big kick out of this guy sleeping in his wheelbarrow.
We hiked Volcan Pacaya, a live volcano.

Antigua

We spent two nights in Antigua, a great colonial style town with cobblestone streets and brightly colored buildings and Volcan Pacaya soaring over it. We stayed at a cool little hostel. What a view from El Cerro de la Cruz.

Can you tell that Jessica is pregnant in this picture? She just started to get a belly on this trip!

The city is spotted with of beautiful cathedrals and the ruins of countless monestaries that were destroyed in an earthquake years ago.

I'm not sure just how much help this Bombero Municipal (Fire Truck) would be in the case of a fire.

Some of the finest textiles are hand produced in Guatemala, like this babay blanket that we bought for $30. Weaved by this woman and embroidered by her husband.

No where in Belize will you find any American stores or restaurant, so I hate admit that we were pretty excited to see an Antigua style McDonalds.

I liked this guy... risking his life to get the windows clean.Three wheeled Indian "Tuc-tuc's" can take you anywhere in town for less than a buck, but you get the heck jolted out of you on the cobblestone roads.

Lake Atitlan

We stayed two nights at Lake Atitlan, a beautiful lake surrounded by foliage covered mountains, three volcanoes, and a dozen villages.

We stayed at El Casa Del Mundo, The House of the World. Accessible only by boat, it consists of a few dozen cottages that are nestled away in the cliff side rising up above the water. Ranging in price from $30-$70.

The highlight of the trip, for me, was the bike ride around the lake. I rented a mountain bike for $2.50/hour and headed east from the town of Panajachel. I made my way through countless villages that rose up the mountain sides. I finished the 46 km ride at Santiago and took a boat back.

I stopped along side this woman's house to watch her weave and of course I ended up buying some of her textiles.

I rode through some incredible farm land, all of it handed tilled, planted, and harvested, moslty coffee beans, corn, and sugar cane.The things that the Guatemalans can carry on their backs and on their heads amazed me, especially the old ladies! We must have seen some ninety year old women packing firewood around like it was nothing. Everywhere we turned someone was hauling some huge bundle of sticks or rocks.

I rode my bike through a busy street market in San Lucas where they acted like they'd never seen a gringo before.

While I took a water break on the side of the road, this kid came walking right up to me proudly holding his empty five gallon water jug and rambled off a bunch of jibberish as if to tell me what a good helper is was being. It made me excited to be dad.

After the bike ride we soaked in the hot tub with some Dutch firends that we had made along the way. It took halkf a day to clean, fill, and heat the hot tub by firewood. The night time view was spectacular. And it felt great after a long ride.

Atitlan is a dreamland for meditation, yoga, and mental health enthusiasts, so we had to try yoga one morning.

On our last day we visited the last villiage that I had yet to visit. Coinicidentally it was the village's aniversary. They held a great parade and festival in honor of the La Virgen de la Cruz, the Virgin of the Cross, or some variation of that. It was a great way to spend our last few hours in Atitlan.

We had an amazing trip!

Sueno Starfish

2009-03-28T17:59:00.000-07:00

These were taken just off the end of Sueno's dock.

Snorkeling... YEAH!!!!!

2009-03-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Young Womens Thanksgiving Activity

2008-11-22T13:35:00.000-08:00

Today Jessica had all the young women up to Sueno for the day. Seven girls and Jessica's two young women counselors came along.

They home made pizza was a big hit.

They had a lot of fun with our camera. I mean a loooot of fun!

They are focusing on Thanksgiving this month. To give them a little perspective about how blessed they are Jessica took them 2 miles up the beach to see the boat that the Cuban refugees made their 3 week, 500 mile journey to Belize in.

(For more info on the boat see my other blog http://www.suenodelmarbelize.blogspot.com/).

Then they came back to the villa to make thank you cards to give to their friends and family.

My buddy

2008-11-22T13:24:00.000-08:00

This is my buddy Josel. His mom brings him to church every once in a while. This day we saw him at the park in town.

Underwater video

2008-11-06T17:52:00.000-08:00

I used this underwater camera only once before it broke. At the end of the video you can see it filling up with water from the top down.

Homes, Sweet Homes

2008-11-06T16:36:00.000-08:00

We live in a villa at the resort where I work. It's quite the place.

We decided to get an apartment in town. We spend a couple nights a week in town on my days off and for church. For not much more than what we spend on dingy hotel rooms we got this place. We live on the ground floor and the missionaries live upstairs.

The roof is open and has a pretty cool view: San Pedro on one side and the lagoon on the other.

It is nicely landscaped with a garbage-filled swamp on two sides.

Haircut

2008-11-06T15:11:00.000-08:00

This is B-andre, our favorite little guy from the branch. He had some pretty cool hair until it got cut off this week. We have an awsome video of him telling us how "de cote it." I can't get it to post though, my internet connection must be too slow.

Ode to Linus

2008-10-21T18:31:00.000-07:00

Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of a dear friend and loving bus. Linus will truly be missed. If you have any parting thoughts, please list them in the comments section.

Sea Kayaking

2008-10-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

I like to go sea kayaking at sunrise once or twice a week. Some mornings the water is as smooth as glass. I love the view of the island from the water looking in.

Jessica's volunteer work

2008-10-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Jessica has been volunteering at one of the schools in town, Holy Cross Anglican Primary School. They need a lot of help.

She's been working with two kids in particular, Aldair and Javier, who were going to get kicked out of school for behavioral problems unless they had a guardian in class with them.

Today Jessica taught the kids how to correctly say "tree" and "three." It's a tough distinction. The end result: tree and trrrrrree.

Sayuri and Jessica. BFF's!

Tropical Storms & Severed Digits

2008-10-16T08:57:00.000-07:00

We lucked out yesterday. The tropical storm missed us, although it caught the south end of mainland Belize. We had some pretty intense rainfall and some high waters, but nothing serious.

A member of my maintenance staff cut his finger off in a golf cart engine yesterday. We rushed him to the doctor in San Pedro after I went and found his finger. Nasty stuff.

San Pedro Branch

2008-10-13T18:23:00.000-07:00

The church is growing on the island. When I went to church the first time in January there were about 10 people there. Yesterday we had 72 people in sacrament meeting! We filled the chapel twice, once in the morning English meeting and once in the evening Spanish meeting. Jessica and I will be working hard the branch. I am serving as the Elder's quorum president, the executive secretary, and the branch clerk. Jessica will be recieving a calling next week. I've been going out with the missionaries about twice a week. We've been promised that if we can average 50 people at church for six months the area president will build us a chapel. Since the area president happens to be Elder Clarke, who was my mission president, I know him quite well. I send him pictures several times a week of the various church functions, so he can see how badly we need a chapel. In other words, I'm going to pester him until he builds us a church! These are the pictures I sent this week.

English Sacrament Meeting.

Spanish Sacrament Meeting.

Elder's Quorum

Primary taught by one of the Elders

Institute class

Jessica on our way to church to watch conference. We had a little rain that day.

Not a real great turn out for conference.

Meeting with the mission president and priesthood leaders. This is where we meet for church. The road gets a little nasty during the rainey season.

Ambergris caye, My island

2008-09-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sunrise

2008-09-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

After seeing Steph's blog I thought I'd give this a try. Seems like it would be a great way to stay in touch with everybody back home. I've got some cool stuff going on in my life that seems like it might be worth sharing. Here are some cool sunrise pics from the other day.