Spring has Sprung

The children love gardening!  Xavier and Dave have cleared the vegetable garden, readying it for bounty aplenty.  Angela enjoys planting plants and flowers while Lizet supervises.  She gets her hands in there as well, but she really has a gift for being "the little general".  

We are discovering that Xavier excels in all sports.  Now, baseball seems to be a talent.  I just wish he would commit to one so he can perfect something.  

This last weekend in Texas, I had the privilege of teaching my daughter, Angela, how to swim! She is so excited to no longer be afraid of the water and is able to swim alongside me.  

On our way to Texas, we saw an 18-wheeler on the side of the road that had burned to a crisp! Lizet was concerned that it may have held toys or chocolate in its cargo.  But she really flipped out when she thought it could've been makeup!

When we entered Texas, Lizet announced to Xavier:  "Welcome to Las Vegas, Xavier!"  When entering Dallas she said, "Welcome to Hollywood, Xavier!"  Poor Xavier.  Lizet gives him such a hard time when he asks if we're in Texas yet.

I'm thrilled my kids like my cooking.  In fact, when we went to a restaurant, Lizet asked the waiter which salad had little pepperonis.  He said there wasn't one.  She frowned and said, "Well, that's how my mom makes salad."  NOTE:  I realize making a salad doesn't equal cooking, but that's the latest example of them liking something I make.

For a special after-school treat for Angela the other day, I washed and removed stems off strawberries - enormous ones at that!  I set them in the refrigerator, and on the counter I had a bowl of powdered sugar.  She thought I had just handed her a million dollars!  

Lizet thinks it would be great if all her grandparents and the five of us lived in the same house.  She asked Dave if this was possible.  His reaction:  "Well, Lizet... We don't really have room."  Her solution:  "Well, Dad, it's really simple.  Buy a castle."  

Fletcher is eight years old today!  Did we have a party?  Well, Lizet is in our family, so…  We had ice cream and Fletcher got a stuffed whale for a gift.  Lucky little buggy.  

When leaving Texas, Lizet took the time (a lot of time) to say good-bye to things.  "Good-bye little curb.  Good-bye little tree that is green.  Oh, good-bye little sidewalk that takes us to the car."  Lizet, enough!

Remembering Father Ron Robertson

Our dear "Padre" Ron has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He fought this disease with strength, integrity, and most importantly, faith.  His wife, and our friend, Vicki demonstrates her faith daily through helping others and sharing Christ's love to family and friends.  We will always remember Father Ron, lovingly.

A couple days before his passing, we told the children he didn't have much time remaining. Angela and Xavier took it the hardest while Lizet asked questions like,  "Why does everyone we love die?" Some questions were easy to answer, but that was one of the more difficult ones.  Once Father Ron was in Heaven, they felt at peace.  I suggested we go out for ice cream to celebrate his new body and his eternity in God's Kingdom.  They thought this was a good idea and we agreed Fr. Ron would approve.

Our ultimate closure was his memorial service at Christ Church Plano on Monday, April 4th, 2011.  It was a regular church service with beautiful music, a sentimental homily, and a solo - the lyrics written by Fr. Ron.  After the service, we proceeded into the fellowship hall to visit with friends and our church family.  A slide show presented wonderful photos of Fr. Ron, family and friends, most of them covering many years of ministry, including Peru.  

We will always have fond memories of living in the home that was Ron's and Vicki's during their ministry in Arequipa, while going through the adoption process.  And the children will always have loving memories of Fr. Ron and his connection with Casa Hogar.  We love you, Padre Ron.