Life According to Jamin and Jesse: July 2008

Yes, we are alittle crazy! We went out and bought the boys an electric guitar :) Jesse is really enjoying it! Jamin, oh....not so much! But once school starts up and we can get Robert to stay at home long enough, then we will set them up with guitar lessons via good ol' Dad. We even bought them a portable amp that fits on their hip. I love the fact that they love music! I just have to deal with all the loud noises and bad notes, that for some reason really get on my nerves, haha.

We also added to our game collection. One weekend, when we were 'suppose to be on vacation, but Mom messed up the reservations', we decided to play games all weekend long. It was fun, but quite honestly, very tiring to play card/board games for hours on end. Here is another version of Uno, but Jenga style.

You know how it is with boys and boxes! Jamin couldn't fathom us throwing away this perfectly good box, so as you can see, he made use of it! That is until I found it laying on the floor for a couple of days, then Mom threw it away! But he was so cute being Mr. Box Head;)

We have also pulled out the play-do again. Jamin made this race car, while Mom made the dinner plate of food. What can I say? It's a subject close to my heart, haha! I think Jess' had destroyed whatever he made before I was able to take a picture of it. I was too enthralled in my t-bone steak, mashed potatoes, and veggies....

Did you guys know we had a boat? Long story short, we are using the boat meant for the Sorsogon area, because it is too big for the ministry there. This is the picture of the before pic. We are going to outfit it like the boats that we normally go snorkeling on....with deck, benches, and then possible a bathroom. It will take some time to get it all ship-shape, and sea worthy, or at least snorkeling/diving worthy, but we are very excited to have it. We have already started the process of rebuilding it, and hope to send pics of those in the future.

The purpose of the boat is two-fold. We will use it for inner island ministry; hopefully start new bible studies on the small islands nearby. And then also rent it out for snorkeling/diving for the tourist that come through. We already have a diving contact that is going to work with us on that. Any money we make will go for the upkeep of the boat, and the boat ministry. We are hoping it makes enough money to pay for itself, you know? Plus, it will just be nice to go out on the boat whenever we feel like it....or whenever we have time....which usually is a rare thing in our house. The thought is nice though:)

Here is a pic of Jamin on the beach at Tambuli. Jesse was making a really goofy face like always, so I photoshopped him out, haha. He didn't like that I did that.

For some reason, this pic turned out blurry, so I kept it and messed with the colors. I like to do that from time to time.

I know we have taken several starfish pictures with the boys over the years, but I just can't help myself. The colors are so vibrant, and they aren't always so easy to find. It just happened that we found both of those in the same day. And yes, these are alive starfish....or at least they were before the boys got ahold of them.

Ah yes....the infamous Ruthie and her newly titled fiance'. This is Sebastian. He proposed to her this last week, and they are setting the wedding for Dec. 26th. Then in January, Miss Ruthie will be leaving our family/ministry. We are very happy for her, but also kinda sad. Congratulations guys!!!

One evening, we went along with Robert to a meeting with Ruthie and 3 other pastors/workers who are helping us with a Lifeword project. While they were meeting, the boys and I, along with Sebastian, played with our cameras, making goofy pics.

Sebastian has a really nice camera with a great optical zoom. They were taking pictures of each others noses and ears, then zooming in to see detail. Yep, I know...pretty gross. It's a guy thing, I guess. The boys were having alot of fun with Sebastian and his camera.

Jamin wants to show off his new hair-do. He's had a cut like this before, but it's been awhile. He says that Bro. Tracy McMillen inspired this cut. When Bro. Tracy came to Cebu last May, he was scalped. I'm glad that Robert didn't allow scalping on J's head, but it wasn't too far. I think the blade was a #1? I'm no expert on blades, though I'm sure some of you know what that is.

Isn't he a cutie??

Between Facebook, YouTube and our website, the VSM team that came to visit us has been well publicized! But seeing that this blog is mostly pics of the boys, and since they got to hang with the team alot, I shall post the pics again...haha. Sorry for the redundancy. The boys had a great time with the team, and bonded well....or I might say alittle too well. Tears were shed by all the girls at the airport.

Any team that we pick up from the airport is shuffled through our McDonald's. We know how airplane food can be. Some people may like the u.f.o. (unidentifiable food object) that is placed before them in the tiny space provided on your lap in these planes, but for those with weak stomachs, McDonald's seems to help the problem. I would put their taste up with the stateside McDonald's any day!

This was an accidental picture. Someone had my camera taking pictures in the wrong setting. This little girl was all faded/white when I got the cam. So instead of deleting the pic, I doctored it. Kinda looks like a chalked drawing now, don't you think? Ok, maybe not, but I thought she still looked dramatic.

Very rare moments: but here are the boys playing fuseball in our house during some down time....also the girls were playing cards with Jamin.

This pic was meant to be at the bottom with the scenery pics, but it isn't budging. I guess it will have to do right here :) The Philippines has some beautiful tropical flowers!!

The team got to visit the beach resort in Dumaguete that we have gone to over the years. The boys always run to their favorite tree. It was a favorite hanging out spot for the group.

Jamin with his Ate Ruthie....

Jamin and Holly (pic was blurry, so I messed with it also)

I was taking a picture behind me, without watching. Jamin proceeded to get into both pictures. The girls that came was so good to the boys....as if they were their big sisters. I'm ok with big sisters, however I know there will come a time when he doesn't look at girls as 'sister' material. Ah man....I'm not ready for that, haha!

I was so proud of our boys. This was the first real trip that they have been on where they worked hard, instead of running around getting in trouble. They weren't even asked to help. They just jumped on top the scaffold and went to work. It made me nervous to have them up there, natually....but we all survived. Here are the boys helping to wipe down the concrete walls of the church....and then they also got to paint as well.

The boys and I didn't go on two of the trips (Leyte/Bohol), but when we went with them to Dumaguete and the outreaches in Cebu, the boys stepped up to the plate and got involved. Jamin even gave his testimony (first time). He was so nervous, and ended up getting stage fright in the middle of it, so he didn't want me to post the pic or video of him doing so. I was still proud of him! We will have to work on his communication skills in time, concerning giving his testimony. But we all thought he did great!!!!