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Sunday, August 28, 2011

It's personal

This man has made such an impact in my life.  This is Phil.  I went to Cambodia with our team from our church and Mr. Phil went too.  He speaks fluently in Khmer and English.  Over the course of the two weeks I learned so much about the culture and the way things are in Cambodia.  I learned how much Mr. Phil has went through and that his faith is steadfast.


One of the first orphanages we visited was an AIDS facility.  The facility is funded to keep families "together."  The ladies sew and make things to send to the states.  Our local hospital in Palm Coast helps fund this facility too.  It was so neat to see them worshiping and being so grateful for so little of what they had.


This is a picture from the Killing Fields.  If you don't know much about the Kymer Rouge.  You need to google it and learn about The Khmer Rouge. Let me give you a little background, and then hang in there until the end of the paragraph where I talk a little bit more about Mr. Phil.  The Khmer Rouge was the name given to these awful people who were led by Pol Pot during 1975-1979.  This Khmer Rouge carried out a radical program that included isolating the country from foreign influence, closing schools, hospitals and factories, banking and anything else.  The purpose of this policy was to turn Cambodians into "old people" through agricultural labor.  This resulted in MASSIVE deaths through executions, work exhaustion, illness and starvation.    STICK around, I am getting closer to my point.  Most of the Cambodian people were separated from their family and it is sort of what happened during the Hitler era.  See they used the "threat of American bombing" to get people to listen to them, because these Khmer Rouge were going to take care of the Cambodians.  What they didn't know is that they were going to kill them off group by group.  Money was abolished, books were burned, teachers, merchants, and almost the entire intellectual elite of the country was murdered, to make the agricultural communism, a reality.  The Khmer Rouge were expected to produce tons of food and were executed in crazy ways.  That brings me to the part of Mr. Phil, pictured above.  His wife and some of his family were able to escape towards the end of the era.  However, Mr. Phil was walking with the group as they were beating him and he huddled around his 2 year old daughter to protect her.  He slowly had to release her as she was dying from starvation and hydration.  This man has been through so much but continues to go back to his country because he says, and quote, he says, if this era wouldn't have happened then it would have made it that much harder to bring over the faith and teach the Cambodian people about God.  I will continue to post a little bit at a time about his family and the impact that he has on my daily thinking.


You might not know much about this picture, as it looks quite weird.  But, this is a restaurant that is opening in Cambodia by Mr. Phil's family.  They opened on New Year's Day and we were able to celebrate this with them.  However, the blocks that are a skewed are from where "budda" use to sit.  The owners (Mr. Phil's nephew) is opening it based on the beliefs that he wants to have in his restaurant, which is to worship God and not Buddha.  Most Cambodian people will not eat in places that Buddha is not present outside the restaurant.  His nephew is stepping out in faith and we pray that he will benefit from the fruitfulness that he is striving for. 

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Friday, August 26, 2011

Happy Birthday WIllow Bean

Happy Birthday Willow Bean.


Joel and Jackie were here from Ohio and celebrated with us.  Willow is talking and babbling.  She loves books, wants to look at them all the time.  She loves to cuddle and follow her sissy around.  She loves to push babies in the strollers or her new birthday grocery carts.  She is a giggler and a snuggler.  She is wearing size 5 diapers and in 2t/3t clothes.  She is over the charts in the height category.  She is almost as tall as Scarlett. 


The girls love the pool and that is where we spent the weekend for Willow's birthday.  


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Monday, August 22, 2011

School

Scarlett's teacher is Mrs. Radcliff.  She is so outgoing and so friendly.  Scarlett doesn't have to wear a uniform but the whole school does (they have thru grade 4).  So Scarlett is rotating a little on the clothes until we build up a collection of some simple uniforms.  She just doesn't want to wear "blue."


She jumped right into the classroom.


Of course, the second day, she threw the uniform out the window and wanted to get all dressed up.  Poor girl, we are gradually moving her into the white shirts and will slowly add the khaki and blue skirts.


Of course, Willow is just distraught that Scarlett gets dropped off and she doesn't.  She gets dressed up everyday thinking I will change my mind. 

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Sunday, August 21, 2011

On our way

I mean really, we really did take pictures of every step of Scarlett going to Preschool.


Of course, Willow didn't know what was happening.


Scarlett was so excited.


Ready to go in the car for drop-off.

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Saturday, August 20, 2011

Big Girl

Our big girl is just getting so big.


She is officially starting school.  Preschool!


and she is rarin to go.


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Friday, August 19, 2011

Beach Mess

On Fridays, we usually go to the local beach.  It is so fun but look at the work afterwards.  Trying to shower all the kids after the beach is quite the trick.  I wonder if anyone ever watches us moms trying to get control of all the kids and put them under the shower, keep them clean and get in the car without the whole beach with them.


But I will tell you, its the best entertainment for the kids.  Its a huge playground that is cool and relaxing.


This is a picture from weeks before at a party at the beach.  We forget out lucky we are living so close to the beach.

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Thursday, August 18, 2011

Addie Grace

Little Addie Grace is getting adopted from China.  You can check out their blog here.  Chris and April are an amazing and inspirational couple.  I have really got to know April over the past year or so in bible study. 


The food was amazing.


Linda, our bible study teacher held a little shower to celebrate their little addition.  Cole and Caleb are the bigger brothers and are so exited about their little sissy coming into town.


We got them a few little things that were all themed around princess.  It said from one princess to another.  We can't wait to meet her.  If you go to their blog, you will read their amazing story right now, as they have just received her!  It is amazing!

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Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Babysitting Fun

Grayson and Maren came over to play.  I was babysitting them a few days this week since Jill went back to work.  They start their daycare and school next week.  My girls didn't mind a few extra peeps playing with them.  Here they are playing the Limbo.


Swimming with Popsicles.


Playing grocery store.  I found this super cute little grocery store lookin thing at a consignment store and just had to get it for the girls.

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Thursday, August 11, 2011


 Hopefully someday I will find the camera that I used the whole week that Scarlett and I had a girls week.  Willow and Daddy went to Ohio.  You can check out a few things that Willow did while she was in Ohio from my sisters blog.  She had so much fun visiting her cousins. 

Our highlight was going to Disney for the day.  Scarlett and I had a ball!  Literally had so much fun!!  Thank you for everyone in Ohio that babysat Willow so that we could have a girls week.  Now, if only I could find the little camera. 

Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Movies

Scarlett and I had so much fun during our Mommy/Scarlett week.  We went to the movies and of course, she anted to bring Grayson and Maren.


They had so much fun.  We went to watch "Winnie the Pooh."  I think Scarlett has been to the movies, like maybe 3x in her life.  We were off to Disney the next day, but I can't find my other camera so I am hoping to post pictures soon when I find it.  I now know why we don't have too many Scarlett/Mommys weeks.... between Disney and the movies, we spent all of our "fun" money.

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Sunday, August 07, 2011

Fort Lauderdale

So, my dad was preaching down in Fort Lauderdale so Scarlett and I headed down south to visit with them for the weekend.


My kids play hotel and airplane all the time.  I was trying to figure out why they are always playing "airplane, or hotel, or ohio." but i guess its because that is usually what we are doing.


One of the reasons it was just Scarlett and I down south was because Ryan and Willow were up north.  Daddy had a work meeting for about a week, and since Willow was still under 2, she is free to fly.  So Willow went to spend some time with grandparents.  It was a fun and relaxing weekend for mommy.  My mom and dad took Scarlett most of the weekend.  I literally sat and did some work, relaxed and read, went shopping and just enjoyed some me time.

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Monday, August 01, 2011

Happy August

We have been having so much fun that I got behind in the blog.  Welcome to August.


Popsicles, kids, water = Fun

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