We are pregnant! My first Dr's appointment for the little person(s) is this Friday morning. We are very excited and pleased. I'll keep everyone posted with due dates, etc. as we get the info!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
More Little Makinsons!
We are pregnant! My first Dr's appointment for the little person(s) is this Friday morning. We are very excited and pleased. I'll keep everyone posted with due dates, etc. as we get the info!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Giraffe Videos
Every animal she saw at the zoo was a "DOG!" But here you can hear her finally say something like "giraffe."
Feeding the giraffe...
A Day at the Zoo!
A friend of mine generously asked if I wanted to come as her guest to the Zoo! I have never been to a zoo before (at least that I remember), and so I was pretty excited! Plus we had a good time catching up : )
We are in front of the apes.
The lions were beautiful!
Donovan sneakily swiped one of Marcail's cookies... I didn't know it until I heard his eager sucks on his treat. By then it had turned into cookie juice dripping down his front. But he was a very happy little boy! (Don't worry, right after this shot, I adjusted him in his "seat")
A very curious giraffe! These are such amazing creatures. I think he thought Marcail was going to give him a treat, because we had just been doing that.
She's a little excited : )
Pointing at the "dog!" a.k.a. giraffe
Cookie juice smileVegas Trip!
Mom watched the children and Andrew & I went to Vegas for a Leadership Conference. The weekend was full of teachings from John Maxwell, and 13 successful business entrepreneur couples. By the way, if you ever get a chance to listen to John Maxwell, DO IT!
Here we are at In & Out, a fun Burger place! It was midnight and we're still spunky : )
Just some really cool pics of the views on the drive. It was probably the most beautiful drive I can remember.
Good Times With Grandma
He's looking pretty focused on that fruit! (Isn't she pretty?)
Marcail and Daddy figuring out the rules of the game for us : )
Bath time! This is one of 'van's first times in the bath tub, and their first time together. They had so much fun! Marcail was never a splasher, but watch out for little brother! He will get you soaked!!!!
He's so fun to hold... so cuddly.
Here's for you Clemson Fans out there (M's "cheerleader" outfit). D is on all fours now, and is starting to crawl! Good thing the house is already baby-proofed!
Back Again
Life has been quite full the past couple of weeks! My mom had come to visit for 2 weeks, and we had such a nice time together. The company was fantastic, and the help with the kids and around the house was relieving. She left 2 days ago and I miss her : (
Last weekend, Andrew and I took off for a weekend trip to Las Vegas, and we had a GREAT time there! We had a weekend full of fabulous teaching from successful Entrepreneurs and John Maxwell; we left feeling full and equipped. The drive itself was so beautiful, I could hardly believe it. I never thought I would find desert landscape so breath-taking. I often found myself pulling over and taking pictures of the deep red canyons.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
The Trip Home...
We left our hosts' home around 3pm on Monday. Already we were exhausted, and decided that it would be best to get a good night's sleep that night, after getting back into the States.
Trying to find a decent place to sleep that had 2 cribs was a little bit of a chore. Finally we found what we were looking for, even though it was a little bit pricier than we cared to pay. But its amazing what you will do for some good sleep : ) The fun part is that it was exactly the amount of cash we had left after paying toll fees, that our friends had given us before we left Colorado. Even more fun is that the man at the front desk surprised us by informing us that he went ahead and gave us the coupon price off of what had been quoted to us. We never had a coupon, and have no idea why he wanted to be so generous to us... except that our God is the King of Heaven : )
We made it home early Wednesday morning and it was nice to get back into a "normal" routine. But I would do the whole trip over again!
Trying to find a decent place to sleep that had 2 cribs was a little bit of a chore. Finally we found what we were looking for, even though it was a little bit pricier than we cared to pay. But its amazing what you will do for some good sleep : ) The fun part is that it was exactly the amount of cash we had left after paying toll fees, that our friends had given us before we left Colorado. Even more fun is that the man at the front desk surprised us by informing us that he went ahead and gave us the coupon price off of what had been quoted to us. We never had a coupon, and have no idea why he wanted to be so generous to us... except that our God is the King of Heaven : )
We made it home early Wednesday morning and it was nice to get back into a "normal" routine. But I would do the whole trip over again!
Sunday
The Sunday show consisted of all elements from the 3 previous nights. The stadium was absolutely packed full of people! There were even people sitting behind the stage, because those seats were the only available ones left. When asked how many people this night were first-timers, about 70% of the crowd raised their hands. We were pretty awed by that!
We received word that at least 983 people gave their lives to Jesus that week!
I went home with the children that night, with the plan that Andrew would find a ride home after tearing down the stage. The contract stated that the stage must be cleared out by 1 am, because Avril Lavigne's crew was coming in that morning to set up.
I woke up when Andrew climbed into bed and had to ask him if he'd left on some lights. He chuckled a little and said,"No, its 5:30 in the morning." How I had mistaken sunlight for house lights is a little beyond me : ) Apparently Impact took longer than the contract had stated, so they stayed longer and helped Avril's crew set up their stage.
We received word that at least 983 people gave their lives to Jesus that week!
I went home with the children that night, with the plan that Andrew would find a ride home after tearing down the stage. The contract stated that the stage must be cleared out by 1 am, because Avril Lavigne's crew was coming in that morning to set up.
I woke up when Andrew climbed into bed and had to ask him if he'd left on some lights. He chuckled a little and said,"No, its 5:30 in the morning." How I had mistaken sunlight for house lights is a little beyond me : ) Apparently Impact took longer than the contract had stated, so they stayed longer and helped Avril's crew set up their stage.
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Saturday: GX Dancers & Skaters
Saturday night packed the house more than I'd yet seen it. I, of course, was more interested in the cool hip-hop/modern jazz dancing and the fun outfits, than the skate-boarding : ) But the skate-boarding was still pretty good. There was also a white rapper who gave his testimony, and was actually pretty decent at rapping.
Marcail was breaking a tooth that night, and she was a handful! She clung to me the whole night, but was super whiny and biting herself, and trying to chew all over me. By the time the show ended, I was ready to put this child to bed! However, Andrew informed me that John and Donna wanted us to go to dinner. I was debating whether or not to just go home and sleep (aahhh, sweet sleep!), and ended up deciding to make the most of our trip and just do everything we could do. We could sleep later, and we could always leave early if Marcail ended up being too irritable. It ended up being one of the best decisions of the trip! It turned out that one of the successful businessmen in the area was so touched and impressed by Impact, that he was treating everyone to dinner at one of the nicest steakhouses in the town. I could hardly believe it. But we walked downtown, to this very nice hub of a restaurant, and it was jammed packed with the Team! This was 12:30 at night, by the way. We're pretty sure this man paid the restaurant extra for staying open for us. Donna took Marcail under her wing the whole time (amazing!) and Donovan fell asleep in the stroller, and remained that way the rest of the night. Andrew and I were free to talk and laugh and mingle as we pleased. We thought how perfect it was that we got a nice Anniversary Dinner, after all! The food was amazing! We ended up leaving at 3:00 in the morning, and the funniest thing was that I felt so refreshed by the time we left, as late as it was. The association and atmosphere were just what I needed that night.
Friday: Island Breeze
Friday night's show was pretty fun... it consisted of Island dances from all over the South Pacific. The dancing was just simply amazing to watch. The music... well, there was no way to keep my feet still! --it was live music, too. I got to be there while they were rehearsing earlier in the day, and soon Marcail and I were dancing all over the suite, and she was screaming with laughter and wanting more : ) It was so fun! No, I can't dance like they can : ) But I can try : )
Again, the night of performances and their testimonies were great, and once more there was a huge response from the crowd. It was such a blessing to be a part.
Friday, April 11, 2008
Thursday: Team XTreme
Thursday morning brought Andrew back to K-Rock Centre first thing in the morning, and found me visiting with Julia and her girls. We had breakfast together, and had many interesting and fun conversations... turns out we had a lot in common in our up-bringings, and what God had accomplished in our lives. Andrew came later to pick us up for lunch.
Team XTreme was prepping to do their performance this night, and it wasn't hard to pick out who they were : ) These are the "muscle men" that break a tower of bricks with their elbows and bend iron bars with their teeth and hands... and for all their hugeness, they have hearts of gold. One of the members, I found out, was always known as the "short chubby kid," and never knew he could build massive muscles, until he and his wife adopted one of their foster children who was physically and mentally handicapped, restrained to a wheelchair. He started lifting weights, trying to strengthen his back so he could lift her. He discovered his hidden talent, and Team XTreme, and it was a perfect fit. His whole family tours with him! Another member became a Believer on the New Zealand Tour that Andrew had done 4 years ago! Apparently this guy was just passing by when he saw the show and stopped by out of curiosity. He ended up giving his life to Jesus, and started touring with them immediately after!
I took the children to the stadium, where we spent the rest of the evening. Judith and her boys, Donna Ross, and my little crew made for good company. I was feeling a little disappointed with not being able to go downstairs and do some "hands on" work. Donna seemed to sense that, and she spoke to me of how she had felt that way. She said she had come to realize that her being everyone's cheerleader was a very important task, and really did mean a lot. She said that there would be times where John would be so tired and working hard, frustrated with something that had popped up, and all he had to do was look up, see her smiling down at him, and he was suddenly re-inspired and refreshed.
When the alter call was given, swarms of people came down from their seats. Seeing people give their lives to Jesus made my heart swell, and I felt so honored to be a part of this. The stats are that about 3,300 people heard the gospel that night, and 347 people filled out information cards for follow-up and discipleship.
The show was incredible, but I wasn't able to capture any of the REALLY cool stuff; I was always a couple seconds too late or too early : ( Sorry!
Team XTreme was prepping to do their performance this night, and it wasn't hard to pick out who they were : ) These are the "muscle men" that break a tower of bricks with their elbows and bend iron bars with their teeth and hands... and for all their hugeness, they have hearts of gold. One of the members, I found out, was always known as the "short chubby kid," and never knew he could build massive muscles, until he and his wife adopted one of their foster children who was physically and mentally handicapped, restrained to a wheelchair. He started lifting weights, trying to strengthen his back so he could lift her. He discovered his hidden talent, and Team XTreme, and it was a perfect fit. His whole family tours with him! Another member became a Believer on the New Zealand Tour that Andrew had done 4 years ago! Apparently this guy was just passing by when he saw the show and stopped by out of curiosity. He ended up giving his life to Jesus, and started touring with them immediately after!
I took the children to the stadium, where we spent the rest of the evening. Judith and her boys, Donna Ross, and my little crew made for good company. I was feeling a little disappointed with not being able to go downstairs and do some "hands on" work. Donna seemed to sense that, and she spoke to me of how she had felt that way. She said she had come to realize that her being everyone's cheerleader was a very important task, and really did mean a lot. She said that there would be times where John would be so tired and working hard, frustrated with something that had popped up, and all he had to do was look up, see her smiling down at him, and he was suddenly re-inspired and refreshed.
Andrew and Marcail at Front of House, just before Show Time!
Marcail looking down from our suite. She has on an adorable little harness. I know some people don't like the idea of a "leash," but I do : ) especially in such a crowd! It worked out SO well!
Here is Donna (holding Marcail) and Judith (holding her son David)
Finally the show started at 7 pm! It was a fun show for sure, and I was even more amazed by the simplicity of the testimonies that were interspersed throughout their "feats of strength." Their message was very simple: "This is where I came from before I knew Jesus, I came to know Him and found purpose and meaning for my life, and He wants you to know Him, too." Some of the men had stories of having a hellish life before knowing Him, and others were brought up in Christian families and loved the Lord all of their lives. It is incredible to see how He has united us all in His Body, regardless of where we have come from!
Marcail looking down from our suite. She has on an adorable little harness. I know some people don't like the idea of a "leash," but I do : ) especially in such a crowd! It worked out SO well!
Here is Donna (holding Marcail) and Judith (holding her son David)When the alter call was given, swarms of people came down from their seats. Seeing people give their lives to Jesus made my heart swell, and I felt so honored to be a part of this. The stats are that about 3,300 people heard the gospel that night, and 347 people filled out information cards for follow-up and discipleship.
The show was incredible, but I wasn't able to capture any of the REALLY cool stuff; I was always a couple seconds too late or too early : ( Sorry!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday's Events
On Wednesday morning, (our 3rd Anniversary, by the way!) we were able to meet our hosts, Steve and Julia, and their 2 little girls, Megan (4, I think) and Isabella (18 months). They were the perfect fit for us in every way, and they were so kind, warm, generous and helpful. We had a quick breakfast, visited, and soon headed out the door for lunch at the church downtown.
I was pretty excited by this point, because I was finally going to meet faces that I've only seen from Andrew's pics when he was doing Impact Tours while we were dating. It was very thrilling to become a part of his life in this way, that I'd only heard about, before. Now I was doing it, too! We met with the Ross family, and Johannes, his wife Judith, and 2 boys, and then Chiago (I hope I spelled that correctly). Other faces that I'd seen in Andrew's pics came to life as well! The "reunion" was very happy!
The church hosted lunch and dinner for that whole week for us. They were so thrilled to be serving Impact, because this Tour had been a work in progress for about 2 years, and were excited to see what God was going to do in their city. I was so amazed by their genuine gratitude and appreciation for all the work, and this attitude came from 20 year olds and 90 year olds, and everywhere in-between.
The Reception Hall where we ate every day
The inside of the church building, from the 1700s
The church building downtown was only a couple of blocks from the venue, "K-Rock Centre", so we walked back and forth all the days we were there. On Wednesday after lunch, we headed to the venue, where Andrew promptly got to work, as that was his only prep day. The venue was a brand new indoor stadium, and we were treated to access to a couple of the VIP suites that, at the top, encircled the stadium. These suites were fully equipped with mini-fridges, sinks, tables and comfy lounge chairs. We were delighted with this! Here the kids were able to play, the babies were able to sleep, all within perfect view of the stage and all the shows that took place!
One of the VIP suites that we were able to use
The stage, still in set-up mode
The Lighting Rig, still in set-up mode
At Dinner time we all walked back to the church, did more visiting and meeting the rest of the Team. The elderly ladies quickly fell head over heels in love with Donovan, and pretty soon I found myself only having to look after Marcail : ) Every time I looked over to check on Donovan, there he was, the little cutie, surrounded by admiring ladies, having the time of their lives cooing at him and having their day made by his huge, beautiful, and genuine baby smiles! I heard over and over that he was the happiest baby they had ever met : ) In fact, for every meal after that, it would only be a couple of seconds after I walked in the door that one would run up to me, "Where's my baby?" they'd ask, laughing!
We got home that night very exhausted, again, but very happy! --- kind of like tonight, which is why I'll quit for now and add more tomorrow--- : )
I was pretty excited by this point, because I was finally going to meet faces that I've only seen from Andrew's pics when he was doing Impact Tours while we were dating. It was very thrilling to become a part of his life in this way, that I'd only heard about, before. Now I was doing it, too! We met with the Ross family, and Johannes, his wife Judith, and 2 boys, and then Chiago (I hope I spelled that correctly). Other faces that I'd seen in Andrew's pics came to life as well! The "reunion" was very happy!
The church hosted lunch and dinner for that whole week for us. They were so thrilled to be serving Impact, because this Tour had been a work in progress for about 2 years, and were excited to see what God was going to do in their city. I was so amazed by their genuine gratitude and appreciation for all the work, and this attitude came from 20 year olds and 90 year olds, and everywhere in-between.
The Reception Hall where we ate every day
The inside of the church building, from the 1700s
The church building downtown was only a couple of blocks from the venue, "K-Rock Centre", so we walked back and forth all the days we were there. On Wednesday after lunch, we headed to the venue, where Andrew promptly got to work, as that was his only prep day. The venue was a brand new indoor stadium, and we were treated to access to a couple of the VIP suites that, at the top, encircled the stadium. These suites were fully equipped with mini-fridges, sinks, tables and comfy lounge chairs. We were delighted with this! Here the kids were able to play, the babies were able to sleep, all within perfect view of the stage and all the shows that took place!
One of the VIP suites that we were able to use
The stage, still in set-up mode
The Lighting Rig, still in set-up mode
The Tech Team, huddled around in prayer
Raising the speakers
The finished stage, now prepped for Thursday's performance (Team XTreme)
Andrew at Front of House
At Dinner time we all walked back to the church, did more visiting and meeting the rest of the Team. The elderly ladies quickly fell head over heels in love with Donovan, and pretty soon I found myself only having to look after Marcail : ) Every time I looked over to check on Donovan, there he was, the little cutie, surrounded by admiring ladies, having the time of their lives cooing at him and having their day made by his huge, beautiful, and genuine baby smiles! I heard over and over that he was the happiest baby they had ever met : ) In fact, for every meal after that, it would only be a couple of seconds after I walked in the door that one would run up to me, "Where's my baby?" they'd ask, laughing!
We got home that night very exhausted, again, but very happy! --- kind of like tonight, which is why I'll quit for now and add more tomorrow--- : )
Happy Travelers
I had to twist my arm around my seat and hope I was aiming the camera correctly, so that's why it's a little off-centered.
The Trip There...
We left Monday night at 9 pm in a rental car (which was very nice by the way, especially since our cars are 14-15 years old) and drove straight through to Kingston, Canada. We stopped only for bathroom breaks, refueling, digging items out of the cooler, and to switch drivers. Being loaded with 2 ipods really helped it go faster!
The children were really great. Sometimes they had to cry themselves to sleep : ( but that didn't happen too often. Mostly they laughed and talked together, and seemed to want to eat constantly : ) We stopped often enough at Rest Areas to get the squirmies out... mostly : )
The weather was perfect for traveling, and so we made it there quite smoothly. We arrived Wednesday morning at 4:30ish. When we were heading out, we had no clue where we were to stay when arriving in Kingston, but knew that it would all be provided in good time, and it was so. John Ross got it all arranged, and soon we were tiredly dragging ourselves into a beautiful little home, with a cute little downstairs suite. Two little cribs, fully equipped with half a dozen cozy blankets awaited our two sleepy children. We had our own little bedroom, bathroom, and living room. There were buckets of toys and a little kitchenette set, which lit up Marcail's eyes. We could not wait to crawl into bed, and soon we did, and woke up about 7 hours later.... a much needed rest!
The children were really great. Sometimes they had to cry themselves to sleep : ( but that didn't happen too often. Mostly they laughed and talked together, and seemed to want to eat constantly : ) We stopped often enough at Rest Areas to get the squirmies out... mostly : )
The weather was perfect for traveling, and so we made it there quite smoothly. We arrived Wednesday morning at 4:30ish. When we were heading out, we had no clue where we were to stay when arriving in Kingston, but knew that it would all be provided in good time, and it was so. John Ross got it all arranged, and soon we were tiredly dragging ourselves into a beautiful little home, with a cute little downstairs suite. Two little cribs, fully equipped with half a dozen cozy blankets awaited our two sleepy children. We had our own little bedroom, bathroom, and living room. There were buckets of toys and a little kitchenette set, which lit up Marcail's eyes. We could not wait to crawl into bed, and soon we did, and woke up about 7 hours later.... a much needed rest!
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Home Again
We got home this morning at 5:30 am. We have just gotten up from a nap. It was an absolutely wonderful trip! Later today and tomorrow I will post some of the videos and pictures, but for now we are going to be getting things ready for the arrival of my mother! She is arriving in Denver this afternoon, so back up to Denver we go!
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