Grandfatherly Guidance

One thing Grandpa has always done is taken the opportunity to have some time with each of the grand children, well as much as you can with our little monkey boy, to spend time discussing the important things in their life.

I love how Kaydree has that smile. The questions about school and friends.The exchanging of stories and laughs.

And then comes, the Grandfatherly Guidance. (Notice the physical guidance of holding her hand.) What a great example to me as a parent. We heard this summer from the man who introduced Grandpa to the church, some great wisdom on parenting and grand parenting. Ages birth-8 (training your children) 10-14 (teaching your children) doing things along side of them, but having them learn. The ages that hit me the hardest (14-on up) TRUSTING your children.
Kaydree is very much in an impressionable yet wing expanding age, she needs that loving guidance and she is still like a sponge, soaking it up, but by the time they get back from Columbia, she will be a teenager about to start High School. When I think about that and I see this picture (below) from her baptism 3 years ago, I realize just how precious, TIME, really is.
and how priceless these moments are.

Tender Moments

I can't even download these pictures without getting teary eyed. The reality of Grandpa and Grandma leaving for Columbia tomorrow...is heart wrenching. Knowing that all the Villarreals in Washington have and will be saying their goodbyes yesterday and today is, again, heart wrenching. After feeling this, I just keep saying, "What a blessing, what a blessing," but please keep them in your prayers for safe travel tomorrow and for their arrival into Columbia.
When they arrived I asked them, "What types of things would you like to do while you are here?" Minneapolis and Minnesota are gorgeous this time of year and there are so many things to do. Their response was this, "We just want to relax and spend time with all of you," and that is exactly what we did.

and it was fantastic.

A Very Happy Man.

Most days, he comes home and changes and then we eat, not on this occasion. He loosened his tie and was ready to get down to business!

And Grandpa bought him his favorite Root Beer...to top it off!

A Beloved Family Recipe.

I believe that we are all pretty much aware of our short comings, our weakness and our insecurities. Yes, I am very aware of my inability to cook. Which started out as an excuse, something like this.... I grew up on Schwan's food, my mom is a very good cook however, I never learned how because I was always in a sport, year round. When in reality, I haven't ever really liked it. When I did try, I didn't put enough love and effort into it, so things usually didn't turn out. My dear husband will tell you that I don't follow recipes to the tee, even though, I think I am...well, most of the time. I will tell you that there are a couple of things I have mastered, the easy, no more then 3 to 4 step processes, type cooking. Crock pot recipes are the best. Dump it all in, let it cook without having to worrying about the timing of all of it. So when my dear sweet husband knew that Grandma Villarreal (Mom), an unbelievably great cook, was coming, he couldn't contain his ideas of what he would like for her to cook for him. In the hopes of working on these weaknesses, I took these pictures and notes, which I lost, thank goodness for pictures...so here is his beloved Peruvian dish... LOMO SALTADO

Marinate the cut up sirloin steak in a little vinegar (2-3 tbls), soy sauce (0ptional), cumin, paprika, garlic, salt and pepper for 3-4 hours.
Let me tell you, there is more love in this one dish and way more then 3-4 steps, but I aspire to be better! Cut up and fry potatoes and set aside.

Slice, dice and chop.

Mix meat, red onion, cilantro and tomato.
Cook it until it looks like this. 15-20 minutes?
Pour over potatoes.

Serve over rice.

I need to bring myself to do it, to actually try cooking this, solo. Sometimes I think it is our fear of something not turning out that holds us back? But when you see the next post on how loved and happy my dear sweet husband feels while eating this...how could I not try to make this and keep on trying until it turns out!

More Exciting News

Soon after we got the news that Grandpa and Grandma Villarreal would be leaving for Columbia to serve in the temple, they called and told us that they were coming to visit before they left.

This is a picture of where they will be spending the majority of their time for the next 3 years.

They flew in really late so the kiddos couldn't see them until the next morning, but they didn't waste anytime catching up as soon as they got home from school.
They had lots of stories to tell and questions to ask and then they got down to business, helping with the homework!

Not a Coincidence.

At the beginning of Semptember we recieved a call from Grandpa and Grandma Villarreal. They were calling to share some very exciting news with us. They would be leaving by November 1st for Bogota Columbia to serve in the Temple for the next 3 years. Of course our first reaction was of shock, then of sadness and then of incredible joy for the blessings of this calling that was being extended to them. Grandma is from Peru, Grandpa served a mission in Peru, then they had the opportunity to live in Venezuela for a couple of years and then they served as Mission Presidents for 3 years in Buenos Aires, Argentina and now they were getting ready to leave for Columbia. How exciting that once again they would have an opportunity to be able to travel and live in another country serving the Lord and his people.

Already in my life, I have seen this be a blessing to someone else...how?

I was recently subbing at a High School and as always I write my name on the board, Mrs. Villarreal or Ms. V. I often get those students who ask me if I speak spanish, they usually ask, where are you from? They can't quite place me into a group or a stereotype so sometimes they will want to ask more questions. Well, on this particular day I noticed a hispanic boy in the back corner, eyeing up my name and then just before the end of class he came walking up and I kind of chuckled to myself thinking, "here it comes, Do you speak spanish? where are you from?" So he does, just this...asks the questions and then I lead into, " No I do not, but my husband was born and raised in Washington State, his mom is from Peru, they lived in Venezuela for a couple of years and then Argentina and actually, his parents are getting ready to move to Botota Columbia for the next 3 years." He tells me that he is from Hondorus and that he has only been here for a year. His english was really good, so I was a little confussed too. Then he asks me, "Is this for work? What do they do that they get to travel so much?" and then I think to myself, "uh oh." I haven't had that question before.... how do I answer this without crossing the lines of church and state? Yikes...so I say, "Well no, it's not for work, they are going on a mission." Then very boldly he asks, "What church?' Double yikes.... no one in 5 years has ever asked this.... is it okay for me to answer this? So just then the bell rings and I thought he would leave and move on...without me having to struggle with, am I crossing the line here? But, no...he was persistent and asked again, "So I, admit, I hesitantly say, "The church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." of course I have a lurch in my stomach, thinking, oh man, maybe I shouldn't have said that...but thinking...he asked? Isn't there something, like if they ask, I am okay? I don't know? Then he gets very excited and says, "That is my church, I knew it. I knew it when you said that they had gone to all those places and that now it was for a mission."
He then explains to me that he has been trying to get a hold of someone from our church so that he could attend early morning seminary. He attends a Spanish Ward, downtown, but for traveling purposes, he wanted to attend seminary up here. I just about fell over, so I happened to be using one of Benjy's cards as a book mark that day, which again, wasn't usual, so I hand it to him and say, call him, he will get you to the right place. So that night Benjy's phone rings and his mother is on the other end asking for specifics. Benjy just happened to be teaching that class the next week. Which happens, once every couple of months.
Oh, the tender mercies and not so coincidental things that happen in our lives. Subbing at a High School with a couple thousand students in it, this boy just happened to be in the class I was subbing, he was the only student that asked questions that day, he is one of two students in the whole school that are members, my husband just happened to be subbing in that Seminary class that next week?
The thought that still crosses my mind is, "I am a very bold person, too bold, sometimes, but in this situation I was very timid about answering any questions about my religion in that setting and for good reason...." I taught full-time for 5 years, and in my own classroom, it never came out that I was a Mormon and I am guessing that it might not come out ever again, but on this day, I have a feeling that the Lord had a purpose.

A New Experience

While the kids were out playing the farmer who rents some land from my parents stopped by and asked Benjy and the kids if they wanted to ride in his combine while he harvested some soy beans.These city kiddos were more then willing to jump on the opportunity.
I have to admit I was a little nervous about my little toddler sitting nicely for him but having an older sister redirecting you, always helps. Actually she said he was so good and almost hypnotized up there. What little boy wouldn't be, right?

What a kind man, to take time out of his work day, to make some little kids and my hubby, very happy campers. It was such a neat experience for all of them, but especially for a child who is allergic to dairy products. She just kept examining the beans and asking, "Now how do they turn this into my milk?"

and my answer was....I don't know. Maybe it's time to order a book on it or something?

Wish I had...

I would love to invest in a hot tub, however we live on a very busy road, so there wouldn't be anything quiet about sitting outside and trying to enjoy nature. At my parent's house though, it is so peaceful to go out in the early mornings and I usually take a book, and enjoy the sounds of nature and not the sounds of the city. To the kiddos, the hot tub is just fun. I don't think we enjoy it for the same reasons.

I have to admit, now that our little guy has discovered the hot tub, it is difficult to sneak away and get some quiet time, but then again, it is fun to watch him get so excited for it.

Saying, "Hot tub," is a forbidden thing to say, unless you plan on taking him out there because he incessantly says, "Hot tub." Disclaimer: Please do not call child protective services on us, my parents keep their hot tub much lower then normal due to heart conditions, so we are not putting our almost 2 year old child in a dangerously hot, hot tub.

Enjoying Summer in the Fall

We don't usually get to take the pontoon out this late in the season, nor do we want to because it is usually so cold. This year though we are still enjoying being out on the lake, maybe not in the water but at least in the sun and seeing all the beautiful fall colors in this warm sunny weather instead of the freezing cold wind.

Some of the kids brought buddies along.
Yes, that is our son in the pink and yellow flowered life jacket. Poor little boy and he has a princess fishing pole. I guess that is what you get with two older sisters.and she is wearing a Power Ranger one...pink one is in the front though.
Of course the boys got the front seats so that they could fish.
No, they didn't catch anything but they enjoyed trying.

Our Fearless Boy

Organizing

I have been on an organizing kick lately. My dear friend came over to help me do our dreaded sock sorting. Both of our husbands were out of town on business, so I aired my dirty laundry in front of her, well actually they were clean, but you know you trust someone, not to judge you, when you let them see your piles of un-sorted socks. She laughed, however she did end up counseling me on the amount of socks, one family needs!

Plus the girls had much more motivation, when they could show off their ability to get the job done quickly.

I also had this annoying problem of figuring out what to do do with my bracelets and earrings. I hang my necklaces on my husbands old tie racks, but the earring always tend to be a problem when trying to run out the door, late, and trying to find a matched pair. I decided, enough is enough! I have two jewelry boxes, but everything still seems to get tangled up, so here was my $11.00 fix purchased off of amazon!
It holds 80 pairs of earings!

And when I want to travel, it folds up flat! The only thing I would look for in a future purchase is a zipper on each pocket, that way, when it is folded up, they won't fall out.