So, to sum it up into one run-on sentence, here is the update on us: Jason is getting into his semester, which is pretty busy, but he is getting a feel for it and getting everything necessary finished in the allotted time and that leaves Ezri and me here at home to have lots of fun adventures, which two days ago, involved her toppling head-long off the jungle gym and getting her first (and hopefully only) black eye which was not so much fun, but has left her with extra attention from everyone asking–or gesturing to ask- what happened, which she enjoys. Whew! It is difficult to write so grammatically incorrect! I’ll stick to regular, coherent sentences from here on out!
What else? We are currently on the search for a sitter for Ezri, as mommy and daddy could use a date-night now and again, and the search is turning up some good possibilities, so praise God with us on that one. And, please continue to pray for wisdom, discernment and patience on our part in this search.
On Javi: we were recently updated that our case is nearly ready to be presented to PGN, which is apparently the last stage in our adoption process. However, we had to send one corrected document in last week, which, coming from Hong Kong….getting authenticated in the states, and then getting to Guatemala, could take some time. So, once that happens and all the papers are together in the right hands, then our case will be presented and it should be around 2-month’s-time until we can pick up little Javi! So, all in all, it should be sometime in late May when we go to get him. Please pray that all of the papers get to their appointed places in timely fashion, and that all goes smoothly with presentation of our case to the PGN (general procurator in Guatemala). Continue to pray for Javi’s development–physical, mental, emotional, spiritual–i.e. all!–and that God will continue preparing all 4 of us to be each others family!
And, on a lighter, tastier note: moms out there looking for a really tasty and easy dinner, try this soup recipe that I found in Parent’s magazine:
Taco Soup:
Ingredients:
1 lb. lean ground beef (or, I substituted sausage);
1 pkg. (32 oz.) beef broth (I subbed chicken broth)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning
1 can whole-kernel corn
Tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream (all optional as toppers or served on the side)
So, brown your beef or sausage and drain the fat…stir in the broth, beans, tomatoes, and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat and let simmer, uncoverd, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn. Serve with tortilla chips (in place of crackers in soup) and top with a bit of sour cream and cheese, if desired. Enjoy! —This is so easy, you can pop it all together while the kiddos are watching Baby Einstein or Little Einsteins, and you’ll be finished before the show is!!
So, enjoy the recipe and know that the Case family is doing pretty well. We love that you guys are journeying with us in this path God has set out for us! Please let us know how you and your families are doing, and send us some interesting snapshots of your lives and the fun that you are having….
As many of you might know, Melanie & I had the opportunity to be a part of the best church in the world during our time in the states (totally serious). There are some free mp3s Sojourn has posted of live music at www.cultivatebeauty.com that we highly recommend. The church website is www.sojournchurch.com and sermons are posted regularly (check them out). There are also a music venue and art center related to the church www.the930.org . Please visit Sojourn and tell them Jason and Melanie sent you!!!
So, it’s been quite some time since I updated you guys out there on the life of me…. Thought I’d give you some pics. to let you see some of the fun stuff that goes on around here.
First of all, some of these photos show me getting a little snack after lunch. Somehow green peas just seem more appealing when they are on the floor, right?! (Am I the only one who feels this way?) There is just something about discovering them on the floor….like small treasures, you know?….I mean, don’t get me wrong…I enjoy food when it’s on the table too–don’t think I’m completely barbaric or something! So, mom caught me snatching up these green peas after a meal one day, and thought it would be appropriate to then label me the ‘green-handed bandit’; she did in fact catch me with pea in hand!
On to other things: other pics show me with daddy….enjoying the new bows that my Auntie Brittany made me for my birthday. I sure do like playing with these things. But mom and dad keep trying to clip them in my hair; what is up with that?….Did I ask for anything in my hair? I mean, I know I’m a girl and all, but lets keep a low profile! Anyway, I like them to play with, and perhaps one day I will appreciate adorning my hair with them–to my parents’ delight!
Let’s see…..some other pics here show mommy and me playing dress-up. I was really more into dressing mommy up than putting clothes on myself, but there are a few shots of me in some interesting gear.
The tent: ah, yes…the tent! One morning when I was feeling a bit bored, daddy made me the coolest tent in our living room. It actually spanned the entire perimeter of the room! He made it with a quilt, the help of the sofa and some office clips–what genius! Anyway, we had my piano, xylophone, other toys and daddy…and, of course, me all under there! It was pretty fun to say the least.
Well, that gives you an idea of the life of this one-year-old girl—actually, I am now 14 months and growing every day! Hope you enjoy, and I will try to keep you updated on my little life’s adventures!
So, we gave you a glimpse of all of the ‘ratty’ decorations up around the city, but wait until you check out these clips! The footage is of a lion dance that took place on the tennis court of our apartment complex this afternoon. After a nice Malaysian-Thai lunch out with new friends, we all came over and caught the dance performance. Lion dances are pretty amazing, as each lion costume has behind it a two-person ensemble; they work together in and array of choreography to perform this ‘dance’ and performance…very neat and a must-see during Chinese New Year. It must be a real work out for the guys doing it! Check it out and enjoy.
A little history on the lion dance:
Lion Dance
The Lion Dance is a pugilistic performance dating back to more than 1,500 years. Its performance during auspicious occasions such as the launch of new buildings, offices and shops is believed to bring good fortune and wealth. The Lion Dance is also performed during the Chinese New Year because of its association with the legendary stories of a bestial creature, the Nien, being frightened off by villagers banging on loud drums on the eve of Chinese New Year.
Legends & Myths Nien
The lion is regarded by Chinese communities outside China as a creature representing good omen. However, the legend of Nien began with the lion as a monstrous creature. According to legend, every Chinese New Year’s eve, an unknown animal came to destroy the fields, crops and animals belonging to the farmers of the village. They could not identify the beast and named it nien which came to mean “year” in Chinese. To put a stop to the ravaging, the villagers made a fearful model of the animal out of bamboo and paper, with two men manipulating it, accompanied by the loud beating of instruments. They waited for the animal on New Year’s eve and succeeded in driving away the Nien. Henceforth, the Nien dance was performed annually on Chinese New Year’s eve with drums, cymbals and gongs. Over time, the image of the animal came to look more like a lion and the dance was later regarded as auspicious for all significant occasions.(the above info. is taken from the following site: http://infopedia.nlb.gov.sg/articles/SIP_57_2004-12-27.html You can visit the site to read more on the lion dance and tradtion therein.)
The latest we’ve been told is that, “the attorney is just waiting for the PGN to start accepting cases again, to present your case is in as one of the first ones to go in after this shut down.” The PGN clearance is supposedly the last step, but we don’t know much about the shutdown or when they will start accepting cases again. You can pray for us that PGN starts accepting cases again soon! All news other than that is very good. The doctor says, “Cristian Javier is doing very well. He is healthy and gaining weight. He is very tranquil and doesn’t put up much of a fuss. He is eating well. Cristian is very content and happy.” He is reportedly 10lbs 11oz and 22.5 inches. As you can see he is very handsome and looks like his father. I taught him the Casanova pose with rose on chest, Melanie loves it! New Ezri Excerpt Coming Soon…….
We got out yesterday to snap a few pics of the New Year’s decorations. Melanie has been sick the past few days (stomach virus), but she went to the doctor today and hopefully will be back to her old self here in a few days. I’ve been on full-time baby duty and it’s wearing me out, not to mention I’m not getting any school work done. About the photos, there are orange bushes everywhere that have some special meaning (which I don’t know exactly). There are red packets in which you give money to others (usually kids) as a blessing for the New Year. Flowers are being sold galore, not sure the exact meaning. Ancestor worship is still pretty big here although it’s hard to tell exactly where it applies and what’s going on publicly. Hopefully by next year, we’ll have someone who is able to explain some of the traditions, superstitions and meanings of all the flowers, oranges, candy, red packets, fish symbols etc. Anyway, Lion dances are pretty huge events and we’re scheduled to have one at our complex on Saturday so we’re going to try to take a clip and post that. There are also many festivals/carnivals which look vaguely similar to Catholic church picnics in the States. If Melanie is up to it, hopefully we’ll have an opportunity to attend some festivities.
Other than that it’s still pretty cold here. We have no central heat and our walls are concrete so living with no insulation pretty much keeps the inside temp close to the outside temp. Thankfully we have a small space heater, but we primarily use it for Ezri at night. This week has been the first time in the 5 months we’ve been here that it’s actually warmer in Louisville than it is here. Of course the warmer temps are causing severe weather in Louisville (storms, tornadoes and such) and it is only cold (or cool) here, but it’s still seems very unusual to see a higher temp in February in the Midwest U.S. than here in the tropical environments of Asia. A friend mentioned that it might be cool to have a snow here to usher in the Chinese New Year, but we’d like to respond that that would not be cool, in fact that would be miserable, lol. You see, in our short time here we’ve become quite “climatized” and accustomed to the amazing weather and aren’t in a big rush to go back.
But anyway, I got to watch my 2nd UofL Cards basketball game on the internet when they played Marquette in part to www.channelsurfing.net . You’d be amazed how excited I get to wake up early in the morning, get online and watch a game on a 3 x 3 (as in 3 inches by 3 inches) stream that is so tiny you can barely read the scores. I was comforted hearing American accents, around here it’s either British, Australian or New Zealander. Well, thanks for checking in. Until next time.
Hello, all. Just trying to keep the blog up-to-date. Don’t feel we have a lot to say…But have a fabulous idea for a blog entry with lots of pics…so, hopefully we’ll get on that right away and give you a feel for what the biggest Chinese holiday–lunar new year–is like.
Today is Sunday, so we headed downtown for church this morning. It is quite chilly here at around 45 F—I realize that in Northern China and the states, it has been extremely cold, so I am definitely not complaining…..just that it is similarly cold inside places here as there are no indoor heating units in residences, etc.–although the trains and such are heated, so that is nice. Anyway, locals are all bundeled up, and I honestly can’t say as I blame them, as I find myself freezing if I don’t dress appropriately.
This week will be Jason’s first full week of classes, so that will be interesting trying to see what our schedule will look like over the next few months. Please keep Jason, his studies, his coursework and relationships with those around him in your prayers. Pray that he will be able to manage his time wisely and stay focused…and not get too overwhelmed and stressed out.
