The Mercer Family

Sleepy Time.......

2011-01-25T06:26:00.000-08:00

I LOVE sleeping pictures of my kids. They always look so peaceful and cute.

Or do they?

Avery has started potty training and it must be too much for her.

Poor little Peanut couldn't even finish her last few bites of lunch.

Here is a little video of Tink asleep on her potty. The Ostertag family was over for games and Kaitlyn was trying to talk to Avery and then told us, "Avery isn't answering me.... I think she is asleep." She was right! It was hilarious. Poor thing. She is trying so hard with the potty thing.

Messy Face................

2011-01-05T07:46:00.000-08:00

Spaghetti is one of our favorite meals and one of our favorites to see the damage Ashlyn does. She eats more than her brother and sister when this is the meal. She LOVES it and I think you can tell by the pictures. It could be a pain to clean up but how could you just not love this face?

She is so proud of her mess!

This is her "ALL DONE"

We love your little messy face Peanut.

Christmas..... I'm gonna give you my HEART

2010-12-31T10:14:00.000-08:00

This was Cooper's first REAL school performance and we were so proud of him. I thought he was the cutest little present ever! I can't wait to see many more performances from our children. Hope everyone had a great Christmas!

They're Coming Your Way

2010-10-28T07:49:00.000-07:00

We had to start packing some of the tubs because the team was graciously going to take some stuff back for us! Avery was so excited that she started dancing on the table when we would try something on her to see if it fit or not.

We will have to work on the modeling poses later.

This is one of my favorite pics. She looks so sweet and innocent ;)

But hope you are ready Baga and Nana because we are sending them to you. They are in the tubs and ready to go. As Cooper always says, "I wanna go to Tennessee."

They really thought we were going to let this happen. Can you tell how excited they were? They seriously DID NOT want to get out of there.

They might not be coming back with the team but we will see you all in about 7 months!

Girls Can Get Dirty Too

2010-10-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well.......... I don't know if Peanut gets dirty but she can EAT dirt!

After the dirt it was time for a "bath". Bathtubs are not very common here in Mexico so the majority of houses do not have them. Don't worry, we do have showers ;) But Peanut's "bath" is taken in the sink!

She LOVES it. She could sit and splash for at least an hour.

Coo and Tink also enjoy coming over to watch her and ask over and over if they can also get in there. I think Coo might be a little too big though. He is really looking forward to TN so he can get in a big tub.

Peanut is just like her Baga. Notice her sippy cup is close by? Her and Baga can't go long without some nice cold beverage. Baga is one up on her though when she has two cups. One for coffee and one for water!

So Peanut, how did the dirt taste?

I LOVE capturing the sweet moments like this that you can so easily just forget about later in life. We love you little Peanut even when you eat dirt :-)

The New Love........

2010-10-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

.......... for PURSES!

Nana bought Avery a little Hello Kitty purse and a cute little purse with an A on it for "Avery" as she always says.

Every time we leave the house she has to hurry and grab one of her purses and stick as many little toys as she can in it.

Can you tell she loves it so much she is trying to hug her purse?

She is definitely turning in to our girlie girl. Thanks Nana for giving her a NEW love ;)

I am sure Avery will be asking Avery for more purses down the road to fulfill her new love of girlie things!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Day of Play

2010-10-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

One Saturday morning Darin decided to get the jump ropes out for the kids. It seriously is a favorite for all the kids here. At ministry we always try to play games but the kids are always just looking forward to jumping rope. So we wanted to try and show Cooper how to do it. The girls were trying to cheer him on!

Cute little Peanut!

Our sweet little Tinker Binker!

Just one of the many faces of Tink.

As you can tell the jumping rope turned into a tug of war.

You know Darin can't let him win though. :)

After the tug of war Darin decided to just tie the kids up. We enjoyed a nice lunch out while they were tied up. Just kidding!

Is she not the cutest little Peanut?

Sorry, I know these two are a lot alike but I just LOVED both of them. Her eyes are so beautiful.

I wanted some ice cream so me and the kids decided to tie Daddy up so we could go and get some :)

Darin doesn't pass up ice cream though so he broke free and then tied the kids in the chair.

Pretty Tink didn't mind being tied up at all.

Another face of Tinker Binker! She was using swim goggles as her purse, crazy girl!

Finally, Cooper started trying to jumprope. He even DID IT!

Not sure if he got his leg high enough on this one though :) What do you think?

Peanut couldn't handle all the excitement so she decided to go in, read a book and take a little cat nap.

One of my favorite things is having "Family Time"

Thank you LORD for my sweet family you have blessed me with!

Our Life

2010-09-28T07:59:00.000-07:00

Our kids have a favorite night of the week. It is ministry night! They love getting to go and see their friends, help pass out the drinks and snack and listen to the story and color.

Cooper was trying to do the 'I love you' sign.

Even Peanut gets excited. The kids just carry her around like their baby doll.

Daddy trying to get a picture with his princesses.

These two are the best of buds. Cooper is always there to help her when she is tired of the kids carrying her around. Then he likes to try and show her off by him carrying her around everywhere. He always makes sure to share his drink and snack with her as well.

Can you tell they love each other?

Oh how we look forward to our ministry night! Thank you LORD for blessing us with such sweet kids that are always willing to go! We love our kids so much and love our kids at the ministry.

Thank you LORD for such a special night for our family to be a part of!

Last Day of Retreat

2010-09-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

We had an AMAZING retreat. We were able to worship in our native tongue, meet other missionaries that deal with our same struggles, had tons of encouragement all week and may I add....... the kids had a blast.

Before the kids big performance of the night we let them play on the playground to get rid of some nerves!

Tink doing her favorite thing at the park, swing!

Saddle Ridge Ranch was the VBS theme. A team from the states came and watched the kids the entire week doing VBS with them while we attended our meetings.

I was so proud of how well they picked up on the songs and were not scared one bit to perform them in front of EVERYONE! I was so impressed. If you haven't seen the video of them singing of facebook then lucky you........... you get a chance to see it now. RIGHT NOW. Just go to the bottom of this page and it will make your day so much better!

After all the performances and handing out bibles to the graduates we all enjoyed a little bonfire. It was the first time for Tink to ever see a REAL fire.

She was a little cautious.

Coo Coo got right in there and roasted him some marshmallows!

Daddy and his princess!

I took Peanut back to the room because the smoke was too strong and she was getting tired. I had to take a picture though because the team even made her a little onesie that matched all the kids shirts. It was so adorable.

Is she not the cutest Peanut you have ever seen?

Seriously........... try to get a picture of these two?

I mean, REALLY? What was I thinking. Especially them just getting back from a bonfire where they were all hyped up on roasted marshmallows.

Had to get one of Tink in her traditional pose. Which her daddy is the one that taught her this.

Thank you for such an amazing week!

No Way That is at the Hotel?

2010-09-10T08:01:00.000-07:00

That's right. There were peacocks all over the place.

There was even a BEAUTIFUL white one.

Coo couldn't believe it. I think here he was saying, "Is he serious?"

Av LOVED them where Coo was a little NERVOUS about them walking around him. He must take after his Baga who is terrified of birds as well.

You can tell on Coo's face he doesn't like taking a picture where he has to take his eyes off of the peacock :)

They would literally just walk around right beside you.

Tink kept wanting to touch them. Coo....... not so much.

Our camera is, well, BROKEN. It will only take a good picture every other picture. So this one of the kids was one of the bad ones where I tried to fix it so you could see it. It isn't the best picture but I think it is just adorable of them. They are both just amazed of another one of GOD's creations!

After all the excitement with the peacocks and some meetings it was time for a nap. Do you think we got one?

Thank you LORD for reminding us daily of your beautiful creation! Peacocks are such gorgeous creatures and I LOVED our kids getting to be so close to see just how AMAZING they are.

Dress Up Day

2010-09-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

They had a retirement dinner for the people that were retiring and leaving the field. You either had to wear Mexican getup or dress up. So instead of going and paying for some stuff that I know our kids won't really won't want to wear we decided to do the dress up thing.

Peanut enjoyed her supper very much!

Tink didn't want the night to be over and to take her shoes off.

Peanut is getting so big. She is definitely a little Tennessee girl. She does have shoes but would rather not wear them.

Tink........ well....... being Tink!

This is the only pic I got of Coo. He was too cool for his parents this night. He wanted to just run around with his friends that he hadn't seen in over a year.

Tink LOVED her dress. She kept wanting to just twirl.........

........... then it would take her a minute to stop seeing the room spin.

This night was one of my favorites. Being able to celebrate with those on the field was so exciting. One of the men that was retiring reminded me so much of my papa. He was tall and the sweetest man. Him and his wife were on the field for over 20 years. They moved back to the states because of her health and which she soon passed away. He decided to go back on the field as a widow and serve another 4 years! His testimony was AMAZING and I hope to serve the LORD as he did. Giving Him the glory in the good and in the bad. He was 78 years old. Yes that is not a typo, 78 years old. Can you imagine being on the field alone at that age? Completely having faith in the LORD. I will NEVER forget this man. I tried to go up and talk to him but I literally would just start crying and not able to say anything. I believe it was a mix of him reminding me such much of papa but also just seeing that light that you always tell others that christians have. He seriously had a different light about him. You could just see the joy in his smile. Thank you Mr. Jim for all your hard work and dedication to telling others about GOD'S love! I KNOW you will continue to while in the states!

Special Treat at the Retreat

2010-09-04T11:54:00.000-07:00

Another day at the Prayer Retreat!

First thing in the morning is was off to class!

Then after lunch we had a short break where the kids got a "special treat."

SWIMMING! We have only been to one place to "swim" in Mexico and we ALL got sick. So the kids have been looking forward to playing in a pool for a while.

Coo is getting a little more confident in the pool. He loves to just run in the water. We are definitely looking forward to getting him in some swim lessons next summer when we get back.

The water was pretty chilly but the kids had such an awesome time.

Peanut was too sleepy and it was just too cold for her swim.

He was one excited little boy.

Tink loved it when the kids weren't trying to push her around in her float. She really likes to just be alone and enjoy the sun ;)

The best pic I could get of the two of them.

Tink LOVES the water.

She could have stayed in there forever if she wouldn't have got too cold and tired.

After swimming it was back to their class while we had some meetings. When we went back to pick them up it was obvious all that swimming wore little Tink out.

Peanut thought it was fun getting to ride in the stroller with her big sis!

Cooper was still juiced from making his cowboy hat in class.

When he finally laid down in bed though he crashed!

Thank you LORD for the little things like giving us a pretty day so that our kids could enjoy a day at the pool.

Travel Time

2010-08-31T07:38:00.000-07:00

We had a prayer retreat with some of the people from our mission. It was about a 5 and a half hour drive. So our kids were NOT use to being in the van that long.

Tink was ready and packed though with her hat on!

We even tried to make some of Baga's good ole cake mix cookies.

We also attempted some no bake cookies. Quick Oats really do make a difference. Can you tell?

We had to leave our house around 5:30. So here is Coo attempting to NOT look sleepy :)

Tink was in the best mood. I am thinking we might have to start waking her up really early all the time........ nah! We like our sleep too much.

Peanut was up and thinking that since she was up she must be feed. Thankfully she went back to sleep pretty fast when we really got moving.

During our ride I noticed the kids were watching their movies with their swim goggles.

I know this one is a little blurry of Coo but I thought it was so funny!

Tink of course had to copy everything brother did.

Peanut was so happy that we finally made it so she could get out of her seat!

Thank you LORD for letting us get their safely and for the van moving smoothly. Our GOD is so good!

Back to School

2010-08-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

This past Monday was back to school and our Coo was NOT ready...........

He finally woke up and looked so adorable! Still a little sleepy but still adorable!

I think he is ready and excited.

Such a sad day for me. I think when he goes to school in the states it will be harder for me. Not sure why but I think it will.

Still got his Spider Man "pack pack" Nana!

Hanging his bag outside his classroom.

Was excited to see some of his friends from last year.

I was so happy to see some of his friends were in there from last year. His class had about 20 in it last year. They hired more teachers this year and now only has about 8. So I think that will be great for Coo to learn more and get more of that one on one attention.

We are praying that Coo will be a light for the people and that they will see something different in him. Well, except from him being a crazy little gringo! We are so excited to see what the LORD has in store for you this school year Coo!

One BUSY Weekend

2010-08-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

I am going to go ahead and tell you I am so sorry for how long this blog is but it literally was one very BUSY weekend.

Ashlyn was ready to go with her newly painted toenails.

Our first stop was Peter Piper. It is like a Chuckie Cheese in the states. We wanted to have Cooper one last "fun" weekend before school started.

Ashlyn was a fan of the crust of the pizza.

Avery and her favorite meal, pizza!!!!!!!

Don't worry about me taking a pic Coop..... go ahead and dig in!

Even Darin was excited about eating pizza.

Can you tell how much Avery LOVES pizza!

After we ate it was off to play some games. Not sure how but Darin got to play the first game.

This was Avery's favorite thing there. She literally got upset when other kids were getting on it.

Cooper LOVES getting to play games.

Ashlyn finally got to join in on the fun.

Two cutie pies.

Darin won a "jackpot" on a game which won him 250 tickets. The kids were so excited.

Avery was getting really sleepy. I think this ride was rocking her to sleep. She started yawning about 5 times during this so we knew it was time to go.

After naps........... it was time to go watch a movie with "Tia" Tiffany.

We watched Shrek 3 and was in spanish. They still loved it. They might have enjoyed getting to eat the popcorn more though :)

Poor Peanut had to stay home and listen to Daddy on skype doing his fantasy draft. Poor thing.

Saturday........ first stop a birthday party for a little boy from the church.

Cooper was trying to cheat on pin the tail on the donkey. It was his first time playing and they gave the instructions in spanish so he could have been a little confused. Just trying to give him the benefit of the doubt :)

The SpongeBob bounce thing was a HUGE hit for the party. Cooper used to be so scared of these things but now loves them. He is growing up so fast :'(

After being at the party for over 3 hours....... Ashlyn was ready to get down and crawl.

Cooper could have stayed all day.

We were getting ready to leave but the family insisted that we stay for the piñata. Then realized they meant 3 different piñatas.

So here is Cooper hitting the 1st one.

Then there was a big balloon one. You had to break the plastic and then try to hurry and collect the balloons and pop them to see what was inside.

This is the most adorable little girl.

Alex, Coo and Tink found a new friend. Don't worry........ it stayed there!

About 4 hours later we then headed to an engagement party. It was the couples 50th anniversary. We were only about an hour and a half late and the renewing of the vowels were still going on. We also weren't the last ones to show. That is pretty normal here. We didn't get any pictures because our camera is messed up. This is the only one we got is me with my best friend here with her grandson.

So we didn't stay long because we were all tired and starving. So we left around 9:45 and went to eat some tacos. We did make it to church Sunday and then to eat with another american family that visited the church. Didn't have the camera so I am sorry about that. But I am still so worn out from such a BUSY and CRAZY weekend. We had such a wonderful time though. Thank you LORD for all the opportunities we were given this weekend to spend with the nationals and as a family!

Special Treat

2010-08-18T07:58:00.001-07:00

Ok..... so I am behind on blogging again so try to keep up :)

The kids were so good so we treated them to going out to eat and then some ice cream at McDonald's!

Ashlyn LOVED getting to sit in the highchair and watch her brother and sister playing.

Coo sharing his ice cream with his sister. Such sweetness!

Not sure I would want to share it with him after this big lick ;)

Avery didn't seem to mind though.

Daddy having him a little treat too.

This is what happens when you try to take a picture with a baby next to the ice cream that she just can't have. Poor thing just didn't understand.

Thank you kiddos for being so good. Because when you get a treat so do mommy and daddy. And oh how mommy LOVES to go out to eat!!!!!!!!!

One Sweet Moment

2010-08-16T11:36:00.000-07:00

Don't get me wrong...... they do play together quite a bit. But it usually ends up with someone crying or mad. It never ends like this..........

Cooper was so in to his cartoon that he didn't even notice she had fallen asleep.

It was such a sweet moment for a mommy!

Thank you LORD for a sweet moment!

Our Girlies

2010-08-12T08:04:00.000-07:00

We have been so blessed with our kids clothes. Baga buys them pretty much everything, Nana also tries to find some good deals for the girls and the Buhl's have been more than a blessing with handing down their girls clothes. May I also add they not only have the cutest clothes but the CUTEST girls. You can check out their blog to the left of this one. You have to check out how adorable they are.

Always give Praise in everything you do!

Such a mess!

Thanks Baga for the cute outfit and shoes.

Another Baga special.

Thank you Lord for the many blessings you pour out on us!

Thank you Baga, Nana and Buhl family!

Workin' At The Car Wash

2010-08-09T06:55:00.000-07:00

The kids were so excited when Darin asked if they wanted to help wash the van! I wish I could have caught Cooper's face here because he was smiling SO big at Tink with such excitement.

As you can tell, Tink enjoyed getting most of the water on herself instead of the van.

CHEESE!

I think this picture is so funny......... she is washing the van, but she is soaked and has her diaper hanging out on only one side of her shorts. Poor girl.

Peanut couldn't go out because she wanted to crawl and play in the water. Which usually would be fine except the water here makes you sick :( We miss getting to play in the water with no worries.

Thanks Darin for letting the kids "help" you wash the van!

Jump...... Run....... Flip........

2010-08-05T10:03:00.000-07:00

Cooper is in GYMNASTICS!

During the summer break we looked for something that would be FUN for Cooper and that would also help get some of his energy out!

There was a gymnastics place here that had a summer schedule where the kids could go everyday from 9-1:30! Well, he didn't go everyday because that would be crazy expensive but he very much enjoyed his two days a week.

This was his first "trial" day to see how he would enjoy it.

Peanut was on the sidelines to watch.

So was Tink!

Peanut couldn't resist all the carpeting. We have a little rug but to be able to crawl around on nothing but carpet........ this was her first time!

Cooper did so well and had so much fun so we treated him to some ice cream!

Tink was still a proud sister. They did say if we choose to do any classes during the school year that she could also join in. So we will see about that!

Peanut is 9 Months Old!!!!!!

2010-07-24T14:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast our little peanut is growing up! She is in everything and loves to pull up on anything taller than her! She does cruise down the couch and the coffee table and go from one object to the other. Cooper and Avery were just learning how to crawl at this age.

And the girl LOVES to eat. She will follow her brother and sister around knowing that the chances of them spilling something are pretty good and she is always the first one to help "clean up."

We LOVE our peanut so much and she is always so smiley.

We love you blue eyed girl!

Our Favorite Day..........

2010-07-16T08:03:00.000-07:00

..... is always Sunday!

We start out our morning eating breakfast while watching Pastor Phil at FBC Powell. We miss our home church so much but find it a blessing getting to worship in our native tongue with our home church.

After hearing amazing teaching from Pastor Phil, we then start getting ready for church with the nationals.

Ashlyn was loving her new little sandals.

CHEESE Tink!

She of course had to do her pose!

Then our big boy!

Thanks Cooper for taking a picture of mommy and daddy!

After getting out of church it is time for lunch and then of course a nice Sunday nap. This is our favorite day of the week!

I Wanna See

2010-07-14T16:36:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn loves watching whatever her older siblings are watching. I guess sitting on the floor just wasn't close enough this time.

Avery wanted to pose for a picture as well. I am not sure why but her new thing is every picture she thinks she has to put her hands up to her face. I love that you can see Ashlyn still holding on trying to watch the tv.

I know this isn't much but Baga (my mom) was ready for an update!

Red, White, Blue and Tacos........

2010-07-07T07:28:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Cooper loves trying to take pictures of his mommy and daddy.

Look at those eyes........ Coop you are so beautiful!

Avery is trying to wear her hair like the mexican girls.

The gang! We enjoyed our 4th of July by eating some tacos! Definitely didn't feel like 4th of July that we usually have in the states. Last year we did have burgers at least ;)

Trying to get a family pic....... ignore Ashlyn with her headband around her neck.

The Girlies! Thanks Tiff for the cookies!

After lunch we decided to go across the street and take some pictures in GRASS!

These were the best 2 of the kids out of at least 10!

They really do get along with each other, ok....... sometimes!

The many faces of Tink.........

............. and another............

......... and another! There was dog poo around that the kids could smell.

He is starting to look so much older. Where did that baby face go?

The farmers missing the ranch!

Daddy trying to get Ashlyn use to the grass. We have NO grass at our house so she wasn't liking the fact of trying to stand in it.

Finally, Tink's natural smile.

Mommy with her BIG boy and...................

......... With my BIG girl!

Daddy and his LITTLE girl!

Coop attempting another pic of daddy and mommy.

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!

Nothing Smoother Than............

2010-07-05T08:35:00.000-07:00

CHOCOLATE PUDDING!

We were so excited to see pudding packs at Costco. Avery had NEVER had chocolate pudding. I was so excited for her to try it and knew that she would just love it.

I think she likes it! I promise her teeth aren't rotting out. She is just savoring the pudding!

Thank you Costco for getting special treats that remind us of home. If you could only get some Cracker Barrel that would be great :)

Uh-Oh

2010-06-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

WOW! What a time right before mom gets in.

Cooper was going potty and as you will see in the video the sink is very close to the toilet. As Cooper was sitting on the toilet when he decided to pull the two hoses under the sink. Water went everywhere. We give the Lord all the praise that there wasn't any hot water where it didn't scald him and Avery. Darin tried to turn the water off from under the sink where then that pipe broke. So then we had to try to turn it off from outside. It would not turn off. So trusty ole Uncle David Haynes came over with a wrench to help turn it off. It was so crazy! We had to have a plumber come out the next day to replace the tubing and weld some of the pipe. The total cost was around $40 Praise the Lord! It would probably cost more than that to get a plumber to come out to your house in the states.

The first video is of the water spraying out from the pipe. We could video it coming from the tube because it literally was CRAZINESS!

The second video is of Cooper telling us what happened!

Field Trip!!!!!!!!

2010-06-19T06:48:00.000-07:00

Cooper and his class went to the "forest" out in the woods.

They were all paired up in partners and this was his partner, Marcella.

Getting their directions from the teachers before getting instructions from the instructors.

RUN..... RUN..... RUN!

The kids got to roast marshmallows.

Cooper loved his first roasted marshmallows. Many kids didn't like it but Cooper and his buddies sure did.

Time for some lunch.

After lunch is was back to work. The kids had to do a rope course blindfolded and that it would have been pretty hard for an adult. They were going up and down big hills and it was pretty hard.

After that it was off to the zip line. Cooper was the first one to go!

Cooper loved it soooooo much and some of the kids wouldn't even do it. So the instructor let him go twice. So at the end of the blog is a video of him doing it. I couldn't believe how long it was. I was so proud of him being for being so brave.

Then it was more of the rope course........ having to go down a big hill!

Time to test your balance.

WOW! I would NOT want to do this one. They had to climb up this big hill under the netting.

One of Coop's favorite things is JUMPING!

Cooper and one other kid were the only ones that could climb up this. I think his daddy was pretty proud of him.

Cooper was pretty proud as well.

More balancing.

He sure would make a cute little boy scout.

At the end of the day they chose a kid out of each group that did really well. She chose Cooper out of his group. She said, "Cooper tried really hard and even when he got hurt he didn't give up." So he got an "awar," his plant! He was so proud of it though.

These are the kids that won a plant and the instructors from the "forest"

I was so happy Darin volunteered to go with them so we could get all the pictures of Cooper and to see all the hard work he had to do. They were both so worn out when they got home. I hope that next year I will get to go with them.

*Here is the video of Coop on the zip line.

Disney Character Day and More Parties

2010-06-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

Well Friday was Disney character day and the pet parade.

Cooper dressed up as the Incredibles!

Avery was pretty excited to go to "Cooper's school" and see the pet parade.

Mr. Incredible!

Here is one little boy with his hamsters.

We don't have a dog here so David walked over Spencer so Cooper could walk around with him. Cooper and Avery LOVE Spencer.

Cooper is showing all the kids his class Spencer.

Thank you David for walking Spencer over and letting us borrow your pet for the pet parade.

Avery loved seeing all the different kinds of animals.

We loved seeing all the kids in their Disney costumes and we are looking forward to the pet parade next year. Who's pet can we borrow then?

Sports Team Day

2010-06-15T07:17:00.000-07:00

Thursday was Cooper's favorite sports team. So here he is in his Guadalajara soccer uniform. There are two teams here in Guadalajra......... the Chivas and Atlas. Coop is wearing the Chirvas jersey. The shirt does say Bimbo on it which is a brand of bread and is their sponsor. It does not mean the same thing in the states ;)

I told him to look tough and he just started laughing!

We went to pickup Cooper from school and Avery took a little nap while we were waiting on him.

Here is the principal Mrs. Marda leading the pack...........

A few of Coop's classmates.

Cooper: "Mira....... es mi mamá."

I hope Cooper finds interest in soccer because he sure does make a cute little soccer player!

Famous Person Day and Daddy's Birthday

2010-06-14T09:04:00.001-07:00

It was Famous Person Day at Cooper's school.

So Darin dressed him as David Beckham.

For those who don't know who David Beckham is, mom, he is married to a spice girl but better yet is well known for playing soccer! Everyone knows him here because of that!

So here is a pic of him..........

Ashlyn didn't know what to think of Coop in his sunglasses.

I think he is a very COOL David Beckham.

Avery wasn't sure either. She did have some really crazy bed head though.

Becky made Darin a cookie cake for Darin's birthday and brought it by. We gave Becky and Bowden a piece of the cake before they left. Darin had to go to ministry and Cooper was so upset we didn't get to sing Happy Birthday to daddy. So we stayed up and waited for daddy to get home from ministry so we could sing Happy Birthday. That is why the cake has already been cut into. We went ahead and sang, blew out the candles and took some pictures!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Profession Day and Parties

2010-06-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a day.

We started off with Cooper going to school for his "who he wants to be when he is older" day! So we gathered up some camouflage pants and told him he wanted to be a soldier. He really didn't know what he wanted to be so he was fine with this since he got to wear his binoculars. He had a sword but as you can tell in the picture he already wounded himself before we could even leave the house so he had to leave that in the van.

What a handsome soldier! We didn't have any black paint and I don't wear makeup but I did have some dark gray eyeshadow so we used that to make him look "tough". It had glitter in it so he wasn't too tough ;)

Cooper and his other best friend in his class, Gracielle.

Cooper was so excited to see that Santiago was a soldier just like him.

After the school we ate some lunch and then got ready for Hannah's birthday party.

Avery was so excited that she actually let us take a good picture of her.

Gracielle loves Avery and always tries to help her at all the birthday parties.

Once Avery got up there she didn't know if she could really trust daddy to catch her. When she did it we then couldn't get her to stop. She LOVED it!

Hannah's piñata was Mario. Her favorite princess is Peach so the them of her party was Mario Brothers.

When Coop started swinging at him he had already lost his head. He did such a good job. I think he is finally getting use to everyone yelling and screaming as they wack the piñata.

Avery made a little friend while we were there.

Cooper in his buddies. Hannah (the one to the left of Cooper) was the birthday girl. She had her hair curled at the bottom and walked around in her Princess Peach dress. She was so adorable. At the beginning she also had little heels and long white gloves on. I didn't get her picture in time before she got rid of all that stuff that was getting in her way of playing!

The last party started at 4 and then we had to rush to our ministry site that starts at 7. At 9 the adult bible study starts and they wanted to have a party for the people that had birthdays in May. So here is a pic of our adult bible study. It has grown so much since we first got here!

The birthdays included: Darin, Becky and our Pastor, Pastor Antonio. They are suppose to be blowing out the candles. Wake Up Darin! Or is Darin still trying to make a wish?

Needless to say it was a very long day but such a blessing. We didn't get home until around 11 that night and our kids crashed. We have been so blessed with so many people that just love on us here!

Thank you Lord!

Crazy Hair Day

2010-06-10T08:36:00.000-07:00

Cooper's school had a spirit week and Monday was Crazy Hair Day!

So we were going to do a wig on Cooper but they ran around $20. So we went the cheaper route knowing that Cooper would leave the wig on for only about an hour or so.

So here is the green hair dude!

Hannah didn't want to mess her hair up so she had some crazy accessory!

Not all the kids participated in spirit week but Cooper looked forward to all the different things everyday!

Cooper and his good friend Emiliano.

Cooper with his "boys" from his class.

Ashlyn is also 7 months old! It is going by SUPER fast!

We will show more pics from Cooper's spirit week so stay tuned!

Many Milestones..........

2010-06-09T08:10:00.000-07:00

This girl is on the move! It seems like the same day that she started crawling she started pulling up as well. She gets all over the house and into everything!

I caught her playing with the DVD player.

She loves buttons!

Look mom....... ONE HAND!

She even started using her first sippy cup. She thought she was such a big girl.

Slow down "peanut," you are growing WAY TO FAST!

Here are a few videos for you.

The first one is her laughing so loud. That is one of my favorite things is hearing children laughing. Such a sweet sound.

The second one is her pulling up on the stairs.

Then the last one is her crawling and then going up the step.

Baby girl we are so proud of how hard you work and how determined you are to get going and wanting to do the same things your brother and sister do.

WE LOVE YOU PEANUT!

Flag Day/Mother's Day Celebration

2010-06-08T13:41:00.000-07:00

Cooper's school had Flag Day. They have it pretty often but each class takes turn doing other activities during Flag Day. This time was Cooper's class so all the parents from his class got invited to come and watch.

The older students started out with the salute of the flag and them marching.

They also had the younger kids marching with the American flag. For some reason Cooper just thought it was hilarious.

Here is Cooper and the boys in his class singing a song to all the mommies for Mother's Day!

After the song they all ran over to give the mother's the card they had made for them. I was so excited. It was the first card I have gotten. Homemade that is. It meant so much! I will definitely keep this one since it is the first one. Maybe next Mother's Day I will have arms :) Just kidding Cooper..... I LOVE my card!

After that his class then did a traditional dance. It was so adorable.

Cooper did so good. If you watch the video you can even see him spin his girl around and everything. He couldn't stop smiling. I think he was a little nervous.

Cooper and his good friend Rachel. Rachel loves Cooper and her mom loves him even more. Her mom wanted a picture of them together and she even got Cooper to put his arm around her. It was so funny! I know how I seem now with Cooper and Lily Bug! That is a little different though. Because Cooper and Lily really are getting married. Me and Nikki have already decided. That is it.

Then their class had prayer time. It was so sweet to see all those adorable little children with heads bowed.

Here is our little cowboy. They were suppose to dress "Mexicanish" but all we had really was the cowboy hat and then since green, red and white are the colors we thought a green shirt would be sufficient. I believe he looks pretty adorable.

Cooper with his sweet friends Hannah and Hanniah. I love the girls traditional wear. Aren't they just adorable little dresses?

Cooper's class.

Here is the short little video of Cooper dancing. I couldn't get all of it because my card was full. So I had to turn it off and delete some pictures. By the time I got some deleted the dance was over. You get to see the good parts though :)

Thanks for letting us come to your school Cooper and watching you sing and dance. I also LOVE the card you made me. You have set your standards pretty high for next year :) I can't wait to see another Flag Day.

"Kids Day"

2010-06-06T15:50:00.000-07:00

We LOVE El Dia de los Niños!

Everybody..... Everywhere....... celebrates CHILDREN!

Saturday we took the kids to Outback! I know sounds very expensive but me and Darin usually share our meals with the kids. The kids also LOVE going into the daycare they have there. They get to color, watch movies and play games all while in the restaurant! At Outback Saturday they got special gifts for kids day. Cooper got a cylinder with like a Styrofoam soccer ball on top and it was filled with candy. Avery got a pink foam castle that was filled with candy! They were so excited!

Then Sunday our church had something special for the children!

We started out eating hotdogs and alfredo pasta.

Avery slept during most of the eating!

Just look at that face...... don't you just want to give her a big squeeze?

Enrique and his kids. His family host the bible study held every Tuesday night. His wife is also the one that pierced Ashlyn's ears. They are the sweetest family and the most well behaved children.

Another family that comes to the study on Tuesday night! Her husband just recently started coming. Can you tell they love Ashlyn?

After we ate they had all the families sit together and the parents had to say how they felt about their child and what they wanted for them in life. It was AWESOME! Every child felt so loved as they should everyday. I never realized how kids do LOVE to hear how special they are to you. We have definitely been working on telling our kids more.

Then we played family games! This is our Pastor and his family attempting one of the family games.

After the games and music they had the kids go upstairs and they had power point for the adults to show them what a Godly love looks like and how to love your children!

Then they gave each kid a ball and some candy!

Finally back at home!

Ashlyn was so happy to just lay down.

Trying to get the girls picture with their matching dresses.

You would think after being at church for almost 5 hours that she would be worn out. I guess that little nap at church gave her enough sleep.

Ahhhhhhh........

Peek-A-Boo!

We loved celebrating kids day and we are looking forward to next years kids day! Remember to celebrate your children everyday and tell them what they mean to you!

We love you Cooper, Avery and Ashlyn!

A Little Play

2010-06-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

We love getting to take the kids to park! It seems like we have been so busy that we haven't had many chances lately. We are so blessed to have one right in our subdivision!

Avery doesn't enjoy playing soccer.

Our "big" boy :(

Trying to get a group shot.

This is how they usually turn out. Cooper being silly, Avery worried about her shoes and Ashlyn more interested with something around her :)

Sisterly Love! Avery really didn't care to much for Ashlyn but now that Ashlyn can sit up and is mobile she notices her more. She will bring her toys and try to play with her. I can't wait for them to be close friends!

Little Ashlyn is getting so big!

What a blessing our beautiful little baby!

I think she has been watching what her mama looks like when she runs!

TWO cute they are.

Oh my goodness he is starting to look so grown up!

Daddy and his Princess #2. That is what he always says.

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 6:6,7 (NIV)

Haynes Wearing Them Out

2010-06-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

Our kids love to go to the Haynes house and every time we leave there they pass out in the van!

They seem to fall asleep in any positions.

Even with their nose smashed in the soccer ball...........

.............. or halfway hanging off the seat!

I didn't want Avery hanging off so when I tried to move her this is how they ended up!

I know, it doesn't look too comfy but they slept the entire way home.

(Which is only like 15 minutes!)

Our Little Junior Olympian

2010-06-01T07:17:00.000-07:00

We were so excited when we got to go to Coop's school to watch their Junior Olympics. It reminded me so much of Field Day!

Here are the older kids marching with the flag!

Cooper has learned how they salute the flag here! Just a little different!

Ashlyn watching her brother...........

.......... Avery cheering her brother on too!

Cooper was so excited that he was one of the five chosen to run with the "torch" and he did such a good job! I know the picture is bad but I didn't know he was doing that so I had to hurry and grab the camera and just shoot!

Avery didn't have much interest in watching the other kids do the activities. So when it wasn't Cooper's turn she decided to go and play herself.

Cooper was so proud of his medal!

Cooper's class! All 18 of them! Their poor teacher!

We love you Cooper and are so proud of you!

First Video:

Cooper was awesome in this race. He didn't knock any of the things down!

Second Video:

Cooper was really fast! He did fall and I thought for sure he would get mad and quit but he got up and kept on running. We were so proud of him!

Third Video:

It is hard to see Coop because I can't zoom in when taping with my camera but it was really neat the obstacle course they put together for the kids!

The funniest part was after each class would do a race they would have a few parents from that class come out and do the same thing! Darin turned shy all the sudden and wouldn't do it. Maybe next year he will get out there :)

Play, Eat and Haircut...... What A Day!

2010-05-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

Well we decided to take Landri and Bowden out to eat for their birthday! We first wasted some time and took the kids to this new play place.

Avery went straight to the kitchen!

While Cooper went straight to the climbing!

Little Ashlyn just watched everything going on.

I think Cooper was trying to help? :)

I love watching them play together and can't wait to see Ashlyn jumping in their with them as well. Actually, I can wait. She is growing way too fast already!

I don't think Avery is ready to jump with anyone yet? Needless to say she was over jumping after this.

She went for something a little more calm..........

After playing we took these silly kids to go and eat.

Happy Birthday Bowden and Landri.

Since we were at the mall eating we decided to go ahead and get Coop's haircut while we were there. It was his first haircut here (in Mexico) from someone besides me. He did so well! The lady even put a sticker on the middle of his forehead.

While we were walking to get his haircut Cooper saw the kids doing this................

so here is Coop in line waiting to get in the big "air ball". He looks so small next to the rest of the kids.

Hold your ears Coop! The blew it up with something that looked like a leaf blower and it was really loud. He did great though.

He enjoyed it for about 5 seconds but when the guy pushed him out farther and he couldn't see us he just lost it. So out he came! We were still so proud of how long he did last. We really didn't think he would make it in the "bubble" once it was his turn. He is slowly growing up and getting a little more brave.

Here is just a little video of what was Coop's favorite thing at the play place!

New Favorite Things

2010-05-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

The kids love to color. When we first got here Cooper's favorite thing was Diego and Marvel Heroes. Avery's favorite thing was Dora. Now Cooper loves Ben 10 (along with every little boy that lives in Latin America) and Avery loves Princesses and especially Tinker Bell.

The kids had been really good lately and you don't find many coloring books here in the stores. So we were so excited to find some at the local market and of their favorite people.

Cooper loves his new Ben 10 coloring book.

Avery with her new Tinker Bell coloring book.

One of my favorite things is coloring with my kids and receiving their sweet pictures!

Consuming Carrots

2010-05-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn's 1st veggie was carrots!

Avery helped us feed her! She is the coolest little feeder I have ever seen.

Notice how even Avery opens her mouth to feed her. It is really hard to not do this when you are feeding someone.Or maybe not? Nevermind!

Anyway, Ashlyn watches every move Avery makes with that spoon!

She was one messy girl.............

................... but one HAPPY girl!

Here is a little video of her first bites!

Sleeping Sound and........... Silly?

2010-05-26T09:48:00.000-07:00

I love seeing sleeping babies but I think these are funny!

Ashlyn is so spread out and relaxed. I think because it is so HOT here that this way feels the best!

After we took the picture we did realize that her shirt is a little small :) Guess mom needs to bring the 3-6 months clothes with her!

Cooper fell asleep with his fake teeth in. Oh this boy cracks me up. We could almost take a picture of him every single night. Last night we went to a birthday party and they gave the boys Power Ranger plates. Cooper was so excited that he had to sleep with it. When I went up their to make sure he was sleeping he had the plate on his head :) I was to exhausted to go back downstairs to get the camera but it really was funny!

I had to pry them out of his mouth hoping he wouldn't bite me!

Little moments like these you cherish!

Jesus Loves Me This I Know

2010-05-25T07:12:00.000-07:00

Our kids love David so much! I can see why......... who wouldn't want to sing Jesus Loves Me into a fan?

I think this picture is so sweet! They are all hugging each other, laughing and singing!

Just another view of them singing into the fan.

NOW....... to hear them singing!

Our kids (and us of course) are going to miss Uncle David so much. We know the Lord uses the Haynes here so much and that the Lord is going to use them in the states as well. We are going to miss them so much but can't wait to hear what the Lord has in store for them!

Good Treat

2010-05-24T07:20:00.000-07:00

We were having a family day and decided to treat ourselves with some Chili's. It is just like it is in the states. The kids like going there and eating chips and salsa and playing! That is the only difference from the one here and the one in the states........ they have a play place in the restaurant! It is incredible. Our table was right next to it so we could eat and watch them play at the same time. I think it is very intelligent to have places like that in restaurants.

Here is Cooper watching a soccer game!

CHEESEEEEEEEEE AVERY!

Here is Ashlyn sitting in her first highchair! (Other than ours at home) I can't believe how big she is getting and so fast.

Here is the neat play place!

Cooper still cheering on some teams he doesn't know. He is so funny. He sees all the guys here watching soccer and cheering so he is doing the same. He kept yelling, "go guys go, hurry" and then looking at us and smiling.

Sisterly love?

They put Mr. Potato head's glasses on Ashlyn. Poor girl! She is so tough. Guess she has to be huh?

We had such a blast. Me and D getting to talk and just watch our little blessings running around playing having a wonderful time. Thank you Lord for blessing me with an incredible family!

Avery's Favorite Word- AGUA!

2010-05-21T14:23:00.000-07:00

The kids were out for spring break so Becky had this great idea to go to this nearby water park! It really was so much fun but then we all got sick from it. But we had a blast while we were there. The kids could have stayed there all day long!

Well.......... not at first! They had slides and Cooper was so scared. This picture Susie started going and Cooper held on for dear life. She ended up even pulling his shorts down some and her going down the slide alone while Cooper took the stairs! Crazy Kid!

The 2nd attempt! We knew if he just did it he would love it! So we told Susie just MAKE him. Well as you can see he is already screaming. He does not like new things. I think we may have scared him with all the changes at such a young age.

But like always as soon as he was going he absolutely LOVED it!

Look at that grin :)

Here is lil' peanut sporting the mohawk that Bowden gave her.

Time for lunch!

Avery with her favorite person ever, Aunt Becky! If Aunt Becky is around anywhere than don't expect any attention from lil' miss Avery!

Landri is the hardest person to get a picture of. She will not be happy that I got one of her on here. Ssssh! Don't tell her!

Bowden and his friend Ivan Isaac.

Look at those adorable little gringos!

Here is Bowden getting ready to let Cooper go down the slide all by himself??????????

YEAH! He is doing it!

He was so proud of himself. We were so proud of him as well!

Peanut decided to get in her swimsuit too!

This girl tans as well as the nationals! I couldn't believe how dark she got from this one day!

She loves the water and is looking forward to the pool GiGi is getting her for when she comes back to TN! Haha! :)

Avery's turn to go down the slide! She didn't cry one bit!

Peanut playing in the water with daddy.

Avery would climb in the water and then hurry and climb out to try and catch the water. She seriously did this for about 30 minutes. In and out, in and out.

Darin trying to get Cooper and Avery to come on so we could leave. They tried to hideout in the hippo!

We had such a wonderful time! It is always fun and great memories with quality time with the family!

Hippoty Hoppity Easter Has Come and Gone

2010-05-19T16:01:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I am a little behind still on blogging. My goal is to be caught up before mom gets here. I really don't have to blog about all the stuff I do but I want to so the grandmas can see their kiddos and so the pictures will always be on here. After loosing 10 months worth of pictures I like to have back ups everywhere now.

But anyways........ Here is the kids easter bucket!

It looks like tons but believe me that thing is not full. There are phones books and stuff under a blanket to give a full affect.

Cooper didn't know what to think! He was so excited when he saw the stuff.

Here is what our little artist did while she was upstairs waiting on me to finish the basket!

Don't worry Baga, it all some out in the wash!

Cooper didn't even have time to look up for one picture he was so excited.

Avery loved the little light that Nana sent her. She used it as a microphone. Notice that she also got into the chocolate already? Just like her daddy!

Ashlyn got the concept of her teether toy just not where she was suppose to chew on the toy.

Now on to dying the easter eggs!

Avery was so serious during all of it.

Darin had to show Cooper how to do two colors. He might have enjoyed it more than the kids :)

Such a cute little egg dyer.

The part Avery did NOT like was the part where she had to wait for the egg to be colored.

She meant business though. She even put on Cooper's wristbands!!!!!!!!

Such a pretty girl!

YES! I caught you! Let the kids do them now :)

Our beautiful eggs!

Thank you Nana for sending the light up eggs and the stuff to color the eggs. Also thank you Baga for sending the great candy! We are so blessed with some wonderful grandmas. Love you both!

Just Hanging Around

2010-05-18T16:09:00.001-07:00

On Saturdays Darin and Landri would play soccer at a local park with the nationals. Lately it has been too hot so there hasn't been enough people to play. These pictures are from the first day they went out to play. David doesn't play soccer but he brought Landri out and said that if Cooper wanted to come he would watch him so me and the girls could run some errands!

What a Blessing!

We did show up a little bit later to take some pics and let Avery play some as well.

Lil Landri

Darin trying to make a move on the smallest kid out there :) Just kidding Darin!

The white people are really TIRED and really HOT!

I believe this is where Cooper and Avery were yelling, "Go Daddy, Go Daddy"

Here is my little monkeys hanging in the tree!

Avery had to try it as well.

Darin loves to play soccer or any sport to that matter but that is his calling and a way he reaches out to the nationals. So thank you Darin and Landri for opening the door for all of us!

Got Yogurt?

2010-05-13T14:51:00.001-07:00

Ashlyn loves to sit in her bumbo seat and watch us prepare food. Don't worry, we don't leave her side while she is in it! But Cooper decided to put his yogurt right beside Ashlyn while he went to the bathroom. Well she saw it right off and found it to be the perfect opportunity.

She grabbed it so fast. I think I got it before she could get in any her mouth.

Back Yard Fun!

2010-05-11T09:11:00.000-07:00

Well Sorta.........

Our yard is concrete. That is very common. Darin misses a yard but enjoys not having to mow! But here are the kids enjoying the beautiful sunshine day!

Cookie Time!

Show me what you are eating Coo..........

............ and what are you eating Ave's?

We have to put the gate up because they try to run in the house and with their wet feet they forget how slippery the tile is.

Ashlyn thought it was a little cold and also didn't enjoy her sister splashing her in the face.

I love Cooper's face!

Still not happy........

.................. now she is all wrapped up in daddy's arms!

CHEESE!

Such beautiful kiddos!

Thanks Baga for the swimsuits. They are very cute in them.

Movie Night

2010-05-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

Around the end of March a team from the states came for a mission trip. We saturated an area that there was currently a small house church started from our church. By saturation I mean we handed out the book of John and invited them to activities that we had every night. The last night we showed a kids movie and an adult movie (that kids could also watch, it just wasn't a cartoon type of movie).

Before we left for the ministry site Ashlyn showed up that she could sit up! I couldn't believe it. She was almost 5 months old but Cooper and Avery DID NOT do it that early!

Here is Ashlyn with her FAVORITE person Susie! The first time Ashlyn reached for someone.... it was for Susie!

Avery is "helping" David set up for the movie.

Before the sun went down to watch the movie we had a few other activities. Of course if you know Darin there has to be something sports involved! So here he is playing volleyball with some of the teens and helpers.

A few of the young boys that we are still praying for their hearts to open.

The kids did a craft.

I love that my kids just get right in there with them. They are truly growing everyday!

Movie Time! We could not believe the incredible response we had. I couldn't even get everyone in the picture.

They watched one of the veggie tale movies. They all loved it.

It was such an incredible night!

Thank you Lord for the opportunity! We just pray that the seed was planted!

The Next Ninja OR Mr. Clean?

2010-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a few pics of Cooper being SpiderMan..........

................. but then here are some videos of him being a "ninja" with a dustpan! The 1st video he knows I am taping him but the 2nd one he did not know that I was watching him nor taping him. . I love the 2nd video. He does his thing and then you can hear him telling Avery to go and say "Hay Ya" but she just picks up the broom walks over, says it and then walks back to gently place her broom back down. Then Cooper does his thing again and at the end of it he does a "pose" that is hilarious! He only holds it for a second so you have to really watch for it! God made girls and boys so different and I LOVE IT! Avery does start picking her nose though. So that they do have in common ;)

(Sorry for the clicking noise, I was recording with my camera so it was trying to focus.)

I love my family so much and thank the Lord for them!

I love getting to capture little funny random memories like these!

Mexican Bath

2010-05-04T14:59:00.000-07:00

Oh how we miss having a bath tub. But we make do with what the Lord has blessed us with! Avery still seems to enjoy it! We all take showers but Avery had a horrible diaper rash from being sick for so long and on 4 different antibiotics that it just felt good to sit in some warm water! So here she is in our "mexican bath" the sink!

Cooper was a little upset that he couldn't get in there too so he had to get some attention by putting on Avery's hat and getting in Ashlyn's walker. He is so goofy!

Avery might have had more fun watching Cooper than getting to play in the water!

Here is our girls! I mean, Avery and then Cooper with a girl hat on ;)

First Cereal

2010-05-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

We were so excited for Ashlyn to start cereal. Cooper and Avery we started them right at 4 months but I wanted to wait a little longer with Ashlyn. So we started her a little after she turned 5 months. She started noticing our food and watching every bite that we would put in her mouth. So I believe she was just as excited as we were.

Here she is anticipating what is to come...........

First thing is first......... have to put the bib on. (Notice what is says ;0) )

It looks like she is not liking it and crying but she really was enjoying it. Her brother was just upsetting her by being right in her face.

Ashlyn you are growing so fast! We love you our little Peanut!

Sleeping Soldier........

2010-04-29T13:49:00.000-07:00

Our little soldier is getting so big. He literally plays so hard until he just crashes. He will fall asleep anywhere and with anything. This day he was fighting and running around so much that he finally just gave it up in the living room floor still holding his sword!

He is getting so BIG it is hard to get his entire body in the picture ;)

We love you our little soldier boy!

Thanks Baga

2010-04-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

While we were in the states Baga (my mom) took the kids to Build A Bear for the first time. They loved it so much! I think mom really enjoyed it as well. She even recorded her voice with a little message saying she loved them so they could hear her all the time. So Baga here are a few pictures to show you the kids still love hearing your voice.

Avery giving her monkey some hugs!

Such a handsome grandson you have Baga!

Now time for some breakfast outside. Ignore their animals just thrown to the side ;) I thought you would like that! They really do love them though. They takes lots of rides with us in the van too! Always good to hear your voice.

We miss you Baga and can't wait to get home and do it again with Ashlyn!

Finally A Crib.........

2010-04-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn is getting so big. Don't forget this is about a month behind on the post. Ashlyn was in a bassinet until we finally found a crib for a descent price. She seemed to really enjoy it. There is even a little video of her at the bottom where I think she was trying to say thank you to Cliff and Nikki for the bedding they got her! It is so precious!

She liked it so much that she fell right to sleep while just trying out the new bed!

I couldn't believe she fell asleep though because these boys were wrestling in the bed right next to her!

Thank you Cliff and Nikki for the adorable bedding! We love and miss you all so much!

Ashlyn Trying To Go

2010-04-22T15:31:00.000-07:00

A little video of Ashlyn trying to get started on crawling. Try to ignore the beeping sound of Darin on the microwave. When we heard it we were just cracking up because it sounded like a beeper for her backing up. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She is trying so hard to get those hips off the ground and start following Coo Coo and Av around!

Another Day at the Mercer House

2010-04-22T08:25:00.001-07:00

There is never a dull moment in the Mercer house!

Here is Avery cheesing for the camera!

Now a little model pose!

Showing a little love to her sister!

Showing Ashlyn her shoes.

Then accidentally hit Ashlyn in the head with that same shoe! Can you tell Avery is innocent?

Then they decided to take Ashlyn on a little walk. Not before some love from her brother!

Come on baby Ashlyn!

Ashlyn really does like it, you just can't tell by the face!

We love never having a dull moment with our sweetest little blessings!

Park Time!

2010-04-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

This is about a month past due but I will get caught up sometime.

The kids were out on day from school so we went to a park we had never been to before along with our pastor and his family.

The kids were so excited!

Cooper looks so tiny next to Josue. He is about 3 years older than Coop though. They play so good together. Josue is patient with Cooper when he is trying to talk to him.

Sophie is such a doll!

Of course Coop had to take a break from Josue to do one of his favorite things, swing.

Avery was so happy that Coop was swinging next to her. You can tell she plays with him so much that she almost doesn't know what to do when he is playing with someone else. She just lights up when he comes back to her.

Ok, now back to Josue. Cooper and Josue ran off to climb this. It was hilarious when pastor Antonio saw them climbing this and he went sprinting. I mean, seriously, he was sprinting to get to them. He didn't know if Cooper could climb. He had no idea we had a little monkey on our hands!

Sophie playing with Avery. I always feel bad that she doesn't have someone closer to her age to play with but they say that she loves to be around Avery.

Everyone plays soccer here. Even pastor does!

We sure are blessed with the prettiest little boy!

We are also blessed with our beautiful little girl!

Taking a little break for some snacks and drinks. We had the same kind of crackers but the kids were determined to eat theirs. So their kids ate ours and our kids ate their crackers.

Even moms can have some fun ;) Cooper, I am not really sure how you got that flat tire on your bike?

One of the neatest trees to climb on.

Pastor Antonio's family. The blur above Sophie's head is because right when I was taking the picture some kid popped up. I tried to take him out but now it is a big blur. Sorry!

Our wild and crazy family! I am so blessed!

We love getting to hang out with our kids and with the pastor and his family. The Lord has us here for a reason and we live each day to go out and to give him ALL the glory!

TuTu For Now........

2010-04-10T15:41:00.001-07:00

Avery has been getting into Princesas and Tinkerbell. She is really getting into more girly things. She was so excited to see a tutu that Baga got her. She wanted me to put it on her and then she got on the table to twirl and dance!

My big girl!

That night we went to eat tacos with our team and to say goodbye to the Ostertag family. Only for 6 months though!

Alright... now smile pretty!

Ok........ now you can act silly!

Ashlyn with her favorite person, Susie.

The girls!

The boys... I mean MEN!

When we got home we realized that Ashlyn was 4 months old. I know this post is only a month past due. Sorry!

We miss you Ostertag's.

God IS Love

2010-04-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

Cooper loves singing songs that he hears in school. The songs are in english but have a spanish accent. It is so cute we just love to hear him singing.

Cheetah Girls

2010-04-01T08:21:00.001-07:00

Well we looked up cheetahs, leopards and jaguars. We decided they all looked the same so we just went with "cheetah girls". Baga bought them these adorable little matching dresses so we just had to show her some pictures. It is almost impossible to get good pics of all of them. Avery can't stand having her picture taking!

I know Coop's outfit doesn't go at all but I didn't want him to feel left out of the picture taking process. Plus, he is our best picture taker!

Here is the best one of Avery! We love finally getting to put her hair in little pig tails!

Thank you Baga for the adorable dresses! The girls looked so cute in them!

Avery's Big Day!

2010-03-29T13:56:00.000-07:00

We started Avery's birthday off with her opening our gift to her! It is so funny because Darin had a meeting with the pastor the night before and I actually had to take Avery with me to get her present. She fell asleep on the way home so I hid it and she forgot all about it. So she was a little surprised to see what she forgot she had already got!

Please don't look at the garbage bag wrapping.

Another thing to start our day off is to notice that Cooper fell asleep with gum in his mouth. That ended up in his hair and making two pillows stick together!

Our Big 2 Year Old!

Then we got dressed to go to the park. It was suppose to be the Pastor's sons birthday party but they didn't have enough money to have the party. So we took the opportunity to take some photos.

Happy Birthday Avery!

Cooper loves taking pictures! I think he should get into some kind of modeling ;) Just kidding Darin!

CHEESE!!!!!!!!!!

Ashlyn at almost 5 months old.

One kiss from brother............

.............. then one kiss from sister! I think you are loved Ashlyn!

Sisters!

This was the best one we could get of all 3 of them together. I say it gets harder with each child. Unless you are the Buhl family. All of their pictures are picture perfect!

Me and my BABY girl!

And me and my BIG boy!

There was a team that came in from Arkansas so the family sent a box to them so they could bring it for Avery's birthday. It was so exciting them arriving on her birthday so she could open it up.

Baga sent lots of CANDY!!!!!!!!

Then there was something from Nana and all of her aunts and uncles! It was a surprise to all of us. It was so sweet!

She loved every gift!

She even got to unwrap stuff! It wasn't even in a trash bag!

She started reading immediately.

Some presents she even kissed.

She is such a good girl. After she opened her presents she picked up all the paper and threw it away!

Here is a little video of her telling Nana thank you for her presents.

Thank you Baga, Nana, Uncle Phil, Aunt Jill, cousins Graham and Grayson, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Gina, cousins Jeffrey, Jay and Mei Ling, Uncle Derick, Aunt Heidi, cousins Jackson and Alexis, Uncle Matt, Aunt Angie and cousins Cameron and Caden. Avery loved all of her stuff. It was so sweet for you all to send her something. We are so blessed with such a great family. Not just for the presents but just the love that we feel being so far away from them. We know that we are always in their prayers as they are ours. We love you all so much!

Happy Birthday Avery!

It is so hard to believe you are 2! What a big girl!

TWOmendous Avery!

2010-03-24T08:10:00.000-07:00

As you can tell.......... the party got a little wild ;-)

Bowden, Coop and Landri making their silly faces.

We were so excited to see they have the Great American Cookie Company here. So of course we used Avery's birthday as an excuse to get a great big cookie cake.

Poor Avery didn't feel to good at her party. She had a fever before we left and as we were singing Happy Birthday the medicine just hadn't kicked in yet. It looks like Darin is enjoying it though!

She didn't want to blow them out...........

.......... so daddy blew them out for her. I think it was so he could start cutting it and get him a nice piece of cookie cake.

Avery started feeling a little better when she saw the Haynes give her a present.

I have never seen her so excited to open a present. She was squealing with excitement.

This is what we call....... the Mercer tongue thing. Darin and most of his family do this thing with their tongues. So proud so see that she is "officially" a Mercer!

Avery had such a good time. It was a small but sweet party. It was us, the Haynes, Julio and all of our favorite servers at one of our favorite restaurants. The servers love Avery. They are always walking by the table yelling her name and bringing her M&M's. She really is treated like a princess there.

Little Ashlyn enjoyed the party as well.

I know these pics are kinda hard to see but Bowden loved taking some pictures. I think they are still very sweet pictures.

Cooper is always cheesing very well for the camera but I love when you can catch his smile in action. He is seriously the cutest little boy ;-)

Landri loving on Avery!

One of the workers had a motorcycle so he allowed the kids to sit and play on it.

The kids were so worn out. They all fell asleep after all the excitement from the party!

Happy 2nd Birthday Avery!

We love you so much. It is so hard to believe that you are growing up so fast. We are so excited to see how the Lord is going to use you. He already does by making you a beautiful little girl where people stop to talk to you! You open the door for us so much that you don't even realize. You are God's little princess!

Holy Moley

2010-03-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

Our Little Girl is Turning TWO!

How can that be? It is so sad how fast it goes by. I just wanted to post a few random pics of our little spunky princess!

Here is her with a mole. Cooper thought it was hilarious that he just had to get in the picture with her. She really didn't care since she was eating her favorite meal..... spaghetti.

We love our little princess and are looking forward to celebrate another year of life with her March 20. She is so beautiful and we love her spunky little attitude.

Lambert's Last Day!

2010-03-10T07:48:00.000-08:00

The kids had tons of energy and it was such a beautiful day!

Here are the kids running out in front of the house with their cups in their shirts. It was pretty funny watching them trying to drink out of them while the cup was in their shirt! I wonder who started this one? If I was doing a bubble questionnaire I would fill in the 0M!

Little baby Ashlyn. It is so sad how fast she is growing.

Seriously, can you get more adorable than this?

Ryan and his baby girl! Too sweet.

Now this is adorable!

I wasn't sure if Avery or Sam were enjoying it more!

I think this picture is hilarious. It reminds me of the one of Cooper that I decided not to post. It just looked like he was in to much pain.

It looked a little like this one ;0)

Ummmmmm...........Darin............I think it was cuter when Sam was on there with him!

Our little monkey girl!

QUESO!

Don't worry LilyBug, it is just a picture! You are still his one and only!

The "kids" running around the fountain.

I sure do miss you Sam. Kinda wish I would have dressed up more for ya ;)

The BOYS!

Coop's favorite picture! I think Cooper thought Ryan was only there for him. He constantly asked him to fight with him or to watch SpiderMan with him. Ryan didn't seem to let Cooper down either. He would even watch SpiderMan after Cooper would find something else to do. What a sacrifice........ considering he loved it!!!!

We had such an awesome time with you all and can't wait to see you guys again!

Thank you so much for giving up a week to come here with your little girl and seeing our work here. Not many people would do that so we really appreciate you all for being obedient to the call. Thank again!