the first picnic after baby!

 

 two weeks ago I could have only dreamed of something like this. thankfully, things change, get better, and slowly return to a more normal here. Marianne is still not quite where she should be with weight and nursing, but definitely better. 

I decided it was time for a picnic! After baking a casserole out of the freezer and making sweet iced tea and a few more dishes, we packed up and headed out, which was only about 8 minutes from home!

 It was fun just watching the kids be their young innocent selves, enjoying childhood at its best.

 Climbing trees...

 running around barefoot in that hot sun, getting red cheeks...

Jessica comes back from hunting for rocks.

 Building boats out of foam plates, looking for life in the water...

 relaxing...

It has been a great day. 

Timothy adores his little sister and can't get enough of her.

 And Victoria gets as close as possible whenever she can. 

 

 Grandparents meet grandchild number 25!

Update on baby

 Here is an update. we are very thankful our baby was born healthy and strong, but since the birth she has lost a lot of weight, till we found out she has not been getting enough nourishment. Since then we have been working extra hard to try to get the milk into her that she needs. I see improvements already, so we believe she will soon be back to where she started from.  It has been a very hard and exhausting beginning, not to mention complications with the surgery, but all should be well soon, especially now that my Mom is almost here to take care of us. God is good! We thank friends for praying for us!

Welcoming into the world--

Our sweet and new little babe,

Marianne Joy

Born on Friday the 14th of March

 This little girlie got named after my Mom and myself, Maria and Annie. We think it will be special to her as she grows up.

 Introducing the two babies at the hospital.

 What a Joy to behold! A new life never fails to be a miracle.

We had made these special shoes for baby before she was born, and timothy asked to be the first to put them on. I promised he would, and he enjoyed it. He really loves his little sister, and feels proud to watch over her as I leave the room. 

Sleep peacefully, our little bundle of Joy. we love you, and are happier than we can say that you joined our family...

Maya Ruins trip

 We got the perfect day to go to the Ruins with my sister's family when they visited in Dec. it being rainy before and after, we were happy to have that nice day in between.

After this trip I decided though that kids and ruins don't mix. See the way my boy is hopping down these steep stairs? It cost him a fall forward on these same steps later on and caused this mama to scream out. So many thoughts run through your head when you see your kid tumble which could be a very unpleasant outcome. But, nothing serious happened! He stopped himself short by bracing himself with his hands on the steps.

 

 Its quite humid for December...

 

 Hmm, its probably just as well I did not climb to the top of this structure. Not sure if I could have stomached watching this from on top...the daddies were there, don't worry!

 

In fact, I did not climb any tall ruins this time. Last time I did I went into labor later that night, and I wasn't ready for it this time! I did joke to my husband though that once I am tired of being pregnant, we can go t the May Ruins again! It seems to be a thing to do in this country when you are getting to your due date and want some action.

My Three daughters & Me

Here is a photo of myself with my 3 daughters. Or do you see only two? Look harder!  I  sometimes can hardly believe it myself, but the Lord is blessing us with our fifth child. It looks like it is going to be another daughter, a perfect playmate for my little baby girl. I feel so blessed at times when I hold her in my arms and feel the little one kicking away inside of me. How could I deserve it? Two babies! Although I must say Victoria is no longer such a small baby anymore, especially when I see her in this photo. Still, I call her my baby. We will be welcoming the little dear in March.

This is taken at the maya ruins we visited with my sisters' family as they were visiting from Canada.I will do another post with more photos soon...

A trip to the lake

One day we decided it was time to take our kids to the lagoon, where we so often went for fun when we were younger. The lake now is not visited nearly as much as it used to be, which makes is all the more a hidden quiet retreat in the jungle to get away to on a lazy Sunday. And to be honest, a little spooky.

  Bad thing, it rained. Good thing, we could eat under this shelter and enjoy it until the rain let up. the lake was much higher than I remember it being.

 Then we heard a howler monkey from the jungle, up close! The kids were super excited to go and find it. 

Except little Vicky of course, she did not think this strange noise was anything to be happy about.

 We wanted to see at least one crocodile in one of the lakes but we had no luck. Maybe next time. They will appear in the night if you go rafting out unto the lake on a full moon night. I am talking from experience, and one I would never ever care to repeat. Whew.

 Here they are inside the green hole. This hole resembles the other ones surrounding the lagoon but for some reason this one does not hold any water.???

 

 Little miss and myself did not go down but watched from above. 

 Climbing out of the hole.

 Going home again. It was a fun visit, but it is always good to be out of the jungle again where we can feel a little safer. Its a beautiful country, but you always cast an extra look over your shoulder in places like these.