Special Father's Day

Our kids certainly do love their Daddy, and this year he was given a really special gift! Luke had the idea that Daddy needed a new "toy" rifle like his real one, so that they could all play guns together. But also part of the deal was that Ben and Luke needed some new guns too! Of course I thought it was a great idea so Luke and I did some special WalMart shopping this year in the toy department. What a fun gift! I think he was thrilled, but I know the kids were glad to get new toys too! Is that being creative or manipulative? Let's just say it was creative for the sake of fun!

Beach Bums!

We started summer a little early, and left for the beach before the last day of school! After the piano recital we drove to Mobile to get a head start on the drive. We had a great little visit with Rebecca and Graham. We loved where we stayed this time, and were close to the beach and could bike ride to Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach. It was so much fun playing in the sand, biking, eating, and swimming. We also had a great time to worship at the church at Rosemary Beach. We had sweet Mea with us, so Marcus and I got to go on a date too! It was hard to come home after such a great trip!

Piano Recital

We were so proud to see Sarah Caroline perform at her first piano recital! She did so well, and all of Mrs. Ginger Howe's students were so talented! Sarah Caroline and her special friend Sally Grace also played a duet together. I was most nervous about this part of the recital, as many of their practices were filled with giggles. But they did great and it was good to learn some teamwork!

TBall Time!

Ben and Luke had so much fun playing tball with their friends this year! They have improved so much from last summer, and it was great watching them play! They think they are ready for coach pitch now!

Happy Birthday, Sam!!

Sam is two!! On May 19 we celebrated his second birthday with our family, with a fun frog theme. He loves all things frog, mostly his frog ("fog" as he calls it) that he sleeps with. Frog has gone most everywhere with him, including swimming lessons and on a kayak. Sam also loves his frog hooded towel, which he asks for after bathtime. So we had a frog cake, a frog outfit, and played pin the fly on the frog! Also, he got a fun radio flyer scooter and a tball set from his grandparents, so that he can be big like his brothers. He rides the scooter and hits the baseball really well for a two year old! He really does think he is so big, but he is a baby to me!!

Congratulations, Ben!

Ben graduated in May from Kindergarten at Calvary Baptist! They had the cutest program reviewing all they had learned this year. He loves Ms Elizabeth and Ms. Fredda so much! He already misses his special friends from school! It is hard to believe that my second child is so big! He and Luke both will be going to "big"school at Church St. this year!

Fishing at Mawmaw's

Sam thinks he is 12, not 2! Mother's Day weekend we spent time fishing at the pond at Mawmaw's house, and Sam insisted that he have his own fishing rod like his brothers and sister! We all had fun catching fish, but thankfully none large enough that we had to have a fish fry! Maybe next time!

Ueltschey Runners

Now, when I say we have Ueltschey runners, I am not talking about myself! I am doing really good to run 1/2 mile with my sister Katie. But the kiddos, on the other hand, have taken after their speedy daddy! Ben and Sarah Caroline did the 1 mile fun run at the Gum Tree Festival, in the yucky rain. They both loved it! Since then, Sarah Caroline has won two 5K's in her age group. She won the TieDye/Healthworks race and a few weeks later won with a 31 minute time at the Elvis Presley race. She doesn't practice running yet, but we (Marcus) should start working with her. At this point she is pretty motivated by competition. It is fun to see what our children enjoy!

Fun Summer!

We have been so busy since May with end of school parties, kindergarten graduation, piano recital, Sam's birthday, tball, tennis lessons, VBS, vacations, and pool time! It has been so much fun, and I am so grateful to have our four fun children to spend time with! We are at a good phase of life right now, with it being a little easier to travel than it used to! Also, the kids aren't so committed to any activity that we can't go somewhere. We have more fun in store July and August before the real world starts again!

Surfing in Peru!!

I know we are here on a mission trip, but we had a little recreation time at the beach today! And I learned how to surf!!!!! I still can't believe I did it, and got up several times!!!! One time was "pretty", but probably not the other times. It was one of the most fun things I have EVER done!! It was great!!!

We have been staying with my new friend, Alleen McLain, who has just moved here from Jackson to be short term missions coordinator. She is so much fun and we have loved spending time with her!

We are currently still in Trujillo, although we were supposed to be in Lima now getting on a flight to Atlanta. We have loved it here and had a fabulous week, but it would be nice to get home! We are attempting to fly to Lima at midnight and then will not get to fly to Atlanta until midnight Saturday. All that aside, it has been great!

An update on our weeks activities: Tuesday night we had dinner at the Eby's beautiful home, and had a great time of fellowship and hanging out with their kids. Josh and Robyn are here with Peru Mission working with college ministry as well as many other things!

Wednesday we worked at the clinic in the morning, and did a clinic in the afternoon in the village of Clemintina. This community was even poorer than the one on Monday, but they were so sweet and appreciative! It is hard to imagine living in such extreme poverty. I saw two ladies washing their clothes in plastic tubs. Really all they could do was rinse them out, and they must be dirty because there is only dirt everywhere. They have a great sense of community, and work together to provide for their families.

Once more we had a great night out at this fabulous Japanese restaurant, Ka. It was amazing and was so beautiful. It didn't feel like we were in Peru...... maybe New York, or maybe even Japan! What great fellowship we had with the Ellisons, Bradfords, Alleen, and some of the interns.

Thursday was back to the clinic, then I met with some physical therapists at a rehab clinic. They were so sweet and kind, and begged us send them supplies. They also requested some therapists to come and teach them some continuing education.

We visited an orphanage that Peru Mission has just become affiliated with, called House of Hope. The doctors did some physicals, and we mostly just played with the precious children! Some of the boys were "playing doctor" and had so much fun diagnosing us all with "rabies", "tumors", and "having no heart"! They were so much fun!

Once more, we went out for dinner with all of the missionaries and had a great time! There is such a great group of people that God has brought together!