Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Missouri Comes to Puebla

 This past weekend we had some more visitors from the U.S. of A.!
Pastor and Sis. Cooper, Bro. and Sis. Bufford and several others from their church came to visit us for a few days.

Here is Bro. Bufford preaching, with Elder Wakefield translating.

Friday, February 22nd was Elder Sis. Wakefield's birthday--
Here she is standing up while as everyone sang happy birthday to her!

That night, Bro. Cooper preached.

Altar call went very well. Hardly any pictures were taken because it was so good-- two whole pictures in fact! 

It was so good to see the young girls from the south side church praying, and reaching out to God.

After church, we all went over to the university to eat. The church had made some SERIOUSLY amazing tostadas. They were the BEST I've ever tasted!!!! (And I've consumed a good amount of tostadas in my lifetime lol).

As always...the guys had to start an arm-wrestling competition. And as usual, Isai won. Team Puebla!
Missouri vs. Puebla
 Bro. and Sis. Bufford

We celebrated Sis. Wakefield's birthday and after the tostadas, ice cream was served!

Sis. Alicia giving Sis. Wakefield a fruit basket

An arrangement presented to Sis. Wakefield by the ladies of Los Aposolicos de Puebla

Opening gifts from the saints...



Nicole and Abner!
^^Contrary to popular opinion, sitting next to your friend to eat dinner and then posting a picture of it online does not elevate the relationship from "friends" to "couple". LOL :))^^


Sis. Elvira and Sis. Fani...probably two of the happiest ladies in this church!

Visiting with the girls from Missouri
 
Bro. Bufford and Tio Mario

Elder and Sis. Cooper
Great food, great fellowship....I absolutely adore having visitors! We had a great time with "the Americans" and are so grateful to them for making the time and effort to come and minister to us and our people. 

~Bethany~

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Weekend with the Grandparents!

This morning we went out for breakfast with our grandparents. Beth and I are staying with them for the weekend. We are all so busy with our schools that we never are able to stay with them that much-- this actually is the first time since the start of the school year that we have been able to stay over with them!  We are enjoying our little visit with our sweet grandparents.
 
 This is the same place that I had my birthday at a couple years back! They have amazing cafe de olla and delicious breakfasts!
 
This is a window showing into the kitchen where they make fresh tortillas. Mmm...
 
Grampa eating his breakfast :)
^His breakfast was called "Huevos al albanil"-- Construccion worker's scrambled eggs.... Funny name for eggs! :)))^

 Myyy wonderful meal: Quesadillas Los Almuerzos and cafe de olla!
Amazing amazing... Best breakfast you can find in Puebla!
 
Yesterday was our wonderful, sweet Gramma's birthday! We weren't able to post yesterday because we had visitors down and were without internet the whole day...
 
This lady right here is amazing! She is the perfect example of just what a woman of God should be like... Loving, kind, and so caring... and she can cook like nobody's business!
We love you Gramma, so so much!
 
Los Almuerzos is known for their churros...
 
Beth's breakfast

And here we are blogging right now.... Guess who hated the picture?
(Hey! This can also double as our Valentine's picture...)
:)))
 
 
*Nicole*

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

At Least They Didn't Take the Whole Car

We sat around talking and laughing at Nicole's party for a good while. We soon got drowsy and decided it was time to head home. We hugged, said our goodbyes then got in our car and got comfortable.
We started to pull out and there was a horrible scraping sound. What in the world! 
We tried backing up, but it scraped again. El Pastor then got out to see what the problem was. 

Someone had stolen our back tire!! What?!
 Not funny!


That was super frustrating, especially since we had waited until we were good and tired to head out.
I went inside and curled up on the recliner, waiting for the guys to put on the spare. Nicole went outside to take pictures. :)

They had also stolen the lug nuts. So El Pastor went around and took out one lug nut from each tire (Nicole's idea) and put the spare on.
 Thankfully, they didn't break in or just steal the WHOLE car. Things could've been worse!
We did get home safely without any of the tires falling off. Thank God. 

~Bethany~

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

A Conceited Post by Nicole

 Good morning peeps! Hmm hmm... Well, I will just do a quick little post for you all about my birthday celebration(s). Yep. I had more than one!
Here's how it went:
 
On Sunday morning (my actual birthday) for some reason, I woke up at 6am!
Since I was strangely wide awake, I decided that I would enjoy the sunrise...
Nice quiet time before everyone else woke up....
 
We switched things up this year-- I had another morning birthday!
 
Along with now being 20,  I'm also armed and dangerous! ;P
YES. Among other gifts, I was given a KNIFE by some crazy person (Bro. Dad.)! But obviously it is my favorite present since its the only pic I'm posting of presents.... :D
 
Let's take a moment to let this bit of information sink in....
 
Nicole.
Nicole with a knife.
Nicole in an emergency situation with a knife.
 
I can do this.... I can do this....
*lamaze breathing*
:))))
 
Also, since having taken this picture I have learned some pretty neat superhero moves with my knife, and no longer hold it like a sissy. Just kidding.
...but I am holding it here like its a teacup or something....
Oh, I'm so ashamed. :)))
 
 Sunday night we had a good service and
I got a picture with my little valentine :)
 
Birthday kiss! :*
This little boy lights up my world... I love him so much!
 
Sunday night Beth, Bro. Daddy and I went out to eat...
Then late at night I ate some really nasty cake with some amazing Blue Bell ice cream...
^Nasty cake courtesy of my patron saint, Lady Mermaid Starbucks.^
Stick to making coffee, hon. Please. 
 
Elder and Sis. Wakefield were out of town on my birthday, but when they got back we got together for a little party :)
^Gramma bringing in my real birthday cake! ^
 
See how devious these people are?? Trying to sneakily position themselves next to me for my mordida...
 
Makin' my wish... I take this seriously guys! ;P
So what was I wishing right here?
Take a guess!
 
Nicole was wishing for...
A. another knife, B. a trip to Antarctica, C. for the old Whit to come back, or D. none of the above.
(Find the answer at the end of the post!)
 
This is the first mordida that I have gotten away with with OUT ending up with cake all over my face!! They key is to take the bite BEFORE everyone has time to get into chanting "Mordida! Mordida!" Hahahaa. ....They made me do another mordida, because supposedly doing what I did was cheating! I still got away without cake on my face. :) Score! Hahaa.
I'm not big on posting up totally unflattering pictures of myself on this blog, therefore the blocked out face. LOL. This is just proof for you all that I did do a mordida this year!
 
Then presents were opened, we drank coffee, ate cake, visited, and looked fondly upon Hayde's tummy. Hahahaa :)) --thats our new thing to do at get togethers. LOL.
Then when we were properly exhausted, we made our way out the door...
I guess this post is about me and all, and I'm really cool-- I know! But come on, what happened in the picture taking of this family night?? There are honestly no pictures of other people.... What a way to start out my 20th year... Being all conceited... Hahaa :)
 
I hope you all enjoyed this post of 30 pictures of me.
 
:))
 
Check out the blog tomorrow
to see something that will knock your socks off...
You might laugh. You might get angry.
You might just stare at your screen in silent shock like this:
We did all three when we left my party and walked outside to get in our car and leave...
 
Oh, and the answer to the multiple choice is D. none of the above!
Hahaaaaaa. ;)
 
*Nicole*
 
 

Monday, February 18, 2013

Guess Who's Gonna Be a Mommy....

Yessssss!! Our Tia Hayde!!!!
This lovely, hilarious, and talkative lady is going to be a Mommy for
the second time!! Eeek!!!

On Christmas Eve we got to see the ultrasound! Ahhh... So precious.
Bethany's body language says it all. :))

Yay for ultrasounds! :))

 And here we have a close up of the little munchkin!
We all decided that he/she looks like an alien with a gas mask on....
We are so so SO excited!!
 
~Bethany and Nicole*

Monday, February 11, 2013

Another Monday with Austin, a.k.a. "Mr. Smartypants"

 
Well, well, well.
Austin's been at it! He's doing so well here lately!
His appetite for reading is definitely growing, and along with his daily Bible reading, he is reading other books that he checks out at the library! The reading bug has bit him. :)
 
 
For this week's Bibleing he read Matthew chapter 23, verses 23 through 30.
Just before he started reading this passage,
he very smartly told Sis. Mom "I know the routine, Mom!!"
...He got burnt when he started off! Little smart aleck... Hahahaa. :))
Enjoy!
 
>
 
 
You can also find the recording to the right on the sidebar!
 
God Bless!
 
 
*Nicole*

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Happy Birthday, Nicole!!!

Happy birthday, Nicole! I hope you like this picture I made for you.

Today Nicole turned 20! She is no longer a teenager. She has to act like an adult now! Hahaha...no, actually we were discussing this yesterday and decided that she has been mentally out of her teens for a while now. Sometimes she can just be soooooo responsible :D

Anyways.....
         Nicole, we love you SO much! I hope your day is wonderful :)
         We are going to enjoy eating lots of cake this week, since Nicole can eat gluten now! Yay!

~Bethany~

Oooooh, I guess I'll put in a picure of Nicole :)) Ain't she purdy?!!

Thursday, February 7, 2013

News and Storytime with Nicole

 
Well, its Nicole here, ready to give just a little update on what has been going on in our everyday life here in Puebla Mexico!
 
First event to cover:
 
Two words: Root Canal.
I know, a lot of you might think "Ahhhh root canal! Scary!". But actually I'm quite the calm shot-taker these days.... Lordy what with all the needles I've gotten poked with in the past year, I'm a PRO! :)) And the drilling doesn't phase me like it used to when I was 5 and my dad had to hold down my legs so I wouldn't kick the dentist.
....Ahhh, the good days...... Bahaha ;)
 
Next up:
 
Fundraising for the school building!
Yes we are taking advantage of the "holiday season". :)) We'll be selling baked goods, tamales, etc. We gotta get a move-on with the building project!
I was sure that my back was permanently out of commission after I finished piping all these hearts! Augh. But miraculously I woke up able to stand straight up! Hahaha.

Also: 
Bro. Dad and Beth have up and left me all by lonesome until tomorrow afternoon! ;P There's a special service over at the Loa's church today and tomorrow-- Bro. Dad went because, well, he wanted to and has the time, and Beth went because she is Evengelista Abner's personal assistant/secretary, so of course she had to go to make sure he had his preaching notes, tie, etc. Hahahaa.
Tio Mario and Tia Hayde also went with Bro. Dad and Beth for the services.
I am super bummed that I'm not going to be there, but as Bethany told me last night, "You're too responsible for your own good." Just because there's some good preaching to be heard, and some fun visiting to be had with Americano and Mexicano friends, I just couldn't bring myself to cancel school! The show must go on! ...Or in this case, the school must go on!
 
But! Even though I could not be there for the fun road trip, I am going to be there in spirit!
My spirit will manifest itself through my baking! :)))
Whats a long trip without food, anyways??
I love making food for people who appreciate it! And nobody appreciates my baking more than my tio and primo! :D I made everything with them in mind. :)
 
Behold! Red Velvet Cakesters!
^This also was my opportunity to get feedback and some taste-testing done on some of what we'll be selling for Valentine's day!^
 
All packed and ready to go on the trip!
 
 
 
I just couldn't bear the thought of anyone suffering from hunger (or munchies ;P), so I also whipped some of these wonderful little cinnamon donut muffins this morning....
These are amazing.

 And here we have arrived with a little school update.
 
Today, being a Thursday, meant just a lot of correcting papers and studying for their weekly test on Friday! It usually goes smoothly...
 
Usually.
But today seemed to go a bit more roughly! I have no idea why... Its like my kids left their brains in their sock drawer this morning. Hahahahaaha! :)))
 
My little kiddo is working on learning his numbers up to 40 this week, and in an exercise where he had to write 30 through 40, he wrote all of his numbers backwards!! :/
He was supposed to write: 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40.
What he actually wrote: 30, 31, 23, 33, 43, 53, 63, 73, and so on.....
He started out good, but I guess his brain hiccuped or something.... LOL.
(Yes, we do think there is a possibility that he struggles with dyslexia or some other learning difficulty... Patience is key.)
 
Then another kid tried to tell me that Juarez became president for the second time at the age of 10..... Wow, I wonder how old he was the first time he was president!
Musta been an ambitious little kid, that Juarez!
 
And these are all the "behavior sticks" that I've taken this week...... (I also collected a toy today!)
Sometimes I get a whole pile of them on my desk and I wonder, "Am I that mean teacher that every little kid dreads to face in school?" But then, "No, I'm not!! Just turn in your homework on time honey, and quit talking and laughing while you're supposed to be doing school, and I won't get on to you!"
I have horror stories from high school, all about this one teacher who was the very strictest that I have ever had... She was a yes ma'am, no sir kind of lady, that pushed you to always do your best. She could make you feel like an idiot (for lack of a better word HAHA) and if she gave you a compliment on your work, you know you deserved it!
 On the first day of school of my freshman year I was late to class (Not my fault! A teacher stopped me to talk! :)),  and didn't want to cause a disturbance in the middle of her lecture so I just quietly slipped into a desk on the back row. Boy was that ever a mistake!! She stopped right in the middle of her lesson to give me a dressing down. It went something along the lines of, "Where do you think you are young lady?!? Your living room?! You can get up and stand waiting until I assign you your seat!"
Talk about harsh.
But you want to know the funniest thing? When she finally assigned my seating, she put me in the same. exact. seat. that I had sat down in.
Ahhhh! :( Hahaahahahaha!
The legends of this teacher are known throughout all the grades and strike fear into the hearts of all the youngsters that know they will have her in the upcoming years....
But guess what. She earned my respect.
She was always in control of her class, and pushed every one of her students to be the best they could be. There was no slacking allowed, and being prepared for class was top priority--heaven help you if she caught you borrowing a pen from your classmate. She was hands down the very best teacher in the school. And if you showed yourself to be a hard worker and respectful, she showed another side of herself-- a sweet lady with a good sense of humor... If I were asked who my favorite teacher was, out of all of the teachers I've had, I would definitely say this woman was the best.
(Though you wouldn't catch me saying that back when I was first getting used to her! LOL)
 
Now my second period class teacher was a whooole 'nother story... That Ms. let the kids control the class, and was very lax about rules... For example, that was were I drank my morning coffee. HAHA. Hey, if she didn't care, I didn't care! :))) ...And then she tries to go and say that I talk to much...!! Ha! 
My goodness! You think I'm going to be able to shut my mouth when I have 16 oz. of Starbucks House Blend running through my veins?? :))))
 
Whew! All that to say, I'm working on being like my "mean" teacher! ;)
A good teacher is one that expects the best and most out of her students...
*Amen, preach it girl!* :)))
So to all my kiddos-- Watch out! I'm inspired to crack down even MORE! Hahahahaa :))
 
What else has happened?
 
Well.
Our third, and last kitten got run over! :(
^This is also the third kitten to get run over^

And ironically, the next bit of news is......
 
***drumroll***
 
Mama's pregnant again!
Look at that belly...
Maybe she'll teach this batch how to look both ways before crossing the street!

Pues, this has been news and story time with Nicole! ;)
Hope you enjoyed!
 
 
*Nicole*

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