He just is...

Tim is really the most amazing man I have ever known. He is both patient and kind. He loves Jesus, and loves sharing Jesus with others. He gives me room to be me, with all of my faults and ugliness! He loves me anyway! Im so blessed to be married to Tim! There is no special occasion, but just an overwhelming sense that Im totally in love with this man! He is a GREAT husband and an AMAZING father. I am a blessed woman I really am! This chaotic, crazy life we live would be lonely with out him. Im thankful in this moment for this undeserving gift that God gave to me. I am humbled really.

finally some proof...

...that she really is the happiest baby

 The last 2 days have been warm and we have even seen the sun poke through. Here in Hanoi sun during the winter is a rare thing. Even though Isabella is so happy every day, she has been particularly happy to see some warm weather and sunshine.

                     She is also saying thank you Amers for the adidas onesie that she finally gets to wear.

On more Isabella happenings, she has finally started to get the OH SO CUTE chunky rolls in her legs. They are so cute, you just want to pinch them all day. So hurry up folks come and visit us and see for yourself the happiest baby in all of Vietnam!

gifts and games

Tims family sent 'trouble' the kids game. I am pretty sure we have played it every day multiple times a day since he received it a couple weeks ago.  It has been a great game to teach him good sportsmanship.  When we send one of his little guys 'home' or he does it to us we say, "that's okay it is all part of how you play the game." Also for whoever wins we tell them congratulations. He does a good job at this.

Another thing they sent was a couple of crafting kits that they got off of our amazon wish list. We opened it up over the weekend and he made this lovely Caterpillar.

Thank you so much of thinking of Preston he is loving all the other things you bought as well. My personal favorite in the package is the Bible story coloring book.

Very thoughtful thank you!

I love rock and roll...

I love saying things like, "my kids"
I love giving hugs and kisses to two of the most adorable munchkins on the planet
I love having baby hands and feet to oooh and aaah over

Isabella is such a good baby...I love making her smile. Preston is the best big brother and is such a great helper. I am BLESSED!

a pinteresting valentine

I got this idea from pinterest :) I got a picture of Preston holding his hand out and then poked 2 holes in the picture. one above and one below then stuck a real sucker through his hand so it looks like the sucker is coming out of the card. We then added a little valentine touch. These are what Prestons friends will be getting as well as our Vietnamese teachers. :) A huge thank you to pinterest and all the fabulous ideas you give me

from scratch

When we moved to Asia 7 years ago I remember being at a loss for how to cook in my new surroundings. I had never really made anything before that didn't call for some sort of instant something. Whether it was an instant spice mix like taco seasoning, or biscuits you can cook out of a can. It took me about 2 years to fully embrace my new life in the kitchen. I made a lot of mistakes along the way, but now there are things I would never consider NOT making on my own. Things like homemade bread, tortillas, pitas, and biscuits to buttermilk and sour cream and many things in between.

Another benefit of living near 2 markets is that there is never a shortage of fresh fruits and vegetables in our house. We always have some sort of fruit cut and in a container for snacks as well as an assortment of veggies ready to go. Because we eat so many veggies we also eat a LOT of salads. Since cheese is so expensive we do not put it on a salad, but something I love putting on my salads are croutons.  Of course you can't get a box of these either, but once a month I make a bactch from my left over bread collected throughout the month. I keep a ziplock bag in the freezer and when the bread is about to get old, or we come to the last piece I stick it in the freezer bag. When the bag gets full I take it out and cut all the bread into squares.

I throw all the bread cubs in my frying pan, and drizzle extra virgin olive oil in the pan making sure that all the croutons get a drizzle. Then I sprinkle salt and the best ingredient is the Italian seasoning (which I can now buy at my grocery store). I then keep stirring the bread cubes until they are all lightly browned on both sides. 

I transfer all the croutons into another freezer bag and pull them out to top a salad. It adds great flavor and Preston even likes to eat them for a snack. So there you go. No excuse to throw away old bread or buy prepackaged croutons. 

making memories

When you decide to move overseas at the age of 24, you don't think about what it is like for the family you leave thousands of miles away. Last week my parents came to visit us. It was the first time they had come since we moved overseas 7 years ago. I loved watching Preston make memories with them. 

 We took them to all of our favorite local places. They enjoyed the food and touring around our great big city.

 Mom and dad got to be the first grandparent to meet Isabella.

 I was so proud of them for eating anything we introduced them to. They even said they would eat it again. :)

 I think their favorite fruit was the dragon fruit. I only wished I had introduced them to it on the first day instead of half way through the visit.

It was always interesting to see if dad could fit in the tiny chairs at coffee shops or noodle places. I loved that my mom and dad got to see a little piece of our life in Hanoi. It was so much fun having them. There just isn't anything like your parents telling you how proud they are of the person you have become! I only wish we could see each other more often.  The hardest part about family visiting is having to say good bye.

Mom and Dad thanks for a GREAT visit! We miss you already!