Dear Granddad

Col. Darrel Gail Welch, our Granddad, Ace of World War II, a pure inspiration person, passionate, wise, and full of humor; has passed away this last Tuesday night. He was 96 years old living in San Antonio. He was the one who instigate me to go back to school and I remember his words: I will put my money where my mouth is." And he did, he has given money for my tuition and always wanted to know how I was doing in School. Two years ago over thanksgiving he showed up wearing the Western Oregon University's hat just to support me. A loving person that I will miss greatly. We were able to visit him this last August when he was diagnosted with cancer on the bones... If there is a perfect way to die, he had it. With no pain, with his loving sons, daughter , and wife on the side of his bed, just like if he went sleep. If you ask me about anyone who lived a life at its full, it was him!! He was bitten by a snake twice, at age of 10 he had an accident cutting wood where the other child hit him on the face with a double sided axe. With no money he endured college, and with never hard flown, he signed up for the flight program before WWII. Flying P-38 he shot down 5 German airplanes in aerial combat, and coming back alive to the States, he is defentely a hero of war. He taught in college, he oppened a business, and went back to the military service. Always loving and kind with a great humor, it was great to seat by him and just let him tell his stories of life, and jokes in between. My kids just loved him. Tessa says when we talk about Granddad: "He is so cute!!", and she had a hard time leaving San Antonio after visiting him last August. Next Thursday is going to be his funeral in Texas, and it is not going to be an easy one to let him go... Thank you Granddad for everything!!!

At the same day, I received the great news that I received the award from the Exercise Science faculty at Western Oregon University that I was choosen the Major of the year award for the year 2014/2015. I wish Graddad would have a chance to hear that. He was very proud of me for the two awards received last year, and I believe this one would not be any different.

It has been a long time!!!

As I write this right now, I remember when I started this blog and what I was doing... So much changed from the time when we were going at a "full throttle" with the plans to go to Africa and reach a ureached tribe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. By then, we had no children and we really didnt know what we were doing. We had a dream, we had people and churches supporting us, we had a passion, and with God on our side, who could come against us??!!
I have to say, we still have the passion, the rdeam to be on the field, and be living the life of a missionary... We believe it is just a matter of time!
Today things are little different, we have three children, I am finishing my last two terms of Physical Education undergrad (graduating in June), and Jess is working as a nurse at a pediatric clinic here in Salem. I have been coaching soccer at a local soccer club and I am a head coach for a boys soccer High School program. Kids, school, and work has kept us very busy, but we know that we are on the center of God's will right now. The kids are going to pre-school two days a week adn we are homeschooling two to three days a week (the two oldest ones).

With the other ways of being connected to people, we stopped writing on the blog, also I could not remember our log in, and today as I try it again, I figure it out. So, I will be adding some pictures here and will be writing once in a while to tell what we are up to. Our children are now 5, 3 and 1 1/2 and we are just rejoicing in what the Lord has been doing in our lives. 

More summer fun

D-licious!

More strawberries! As I vowed we would do again, Strawberry picking has become a family favorite... It's kind of addictive- row after row of mouth watering-ly ripe strawberries... Honestly, it's hard to stop. You have a bag or a bucket or bowl and I just want it filled, and then I think, maybe the next row will have an even bigger and more delicious berry! The only problem with this pastime is the outcome. We've purchased over 20lbs of berries since our addiction started. Ummm, not good. That's a lot of strawberries. That's a lot of jam, a lot of tarts, a lot of breads- it's a lot of anything. It's just A LOT! And yet, I'm sure we're going to go back, just one more time... see? Classic textbook case of addiction!

You'll be picked next time, buddy!

Tessa loves 'em!

Mistaking the button on Eddy's hat for a strawberry- honest mistake.

The Soboll's have arrived! It's been wonderful having the in-laws back in the US and we've caught up and are getting into a routine again. Eddy and I have gone out a few times at night- out favorite, Walmart or Target, sans kids... what a treat!!

At a park 2 min from our house

And the park near our house has finally turned on the water!! Although, we've finally figured out that it has to be over 70F for them to turn it one. Hmm.  We've only seen it on 3 times this month. Sad, sad, sad. Come on summer!

He ran back to daddy every time he got sprayed

Eddy's classes start up again tomorrow... he'll be taking anatomy and technical theater. He continues to coach a U14 team and enjoys it immensely. This team has been together for years and has gone through some major changes recently, so it's been challenging at times, but he loves it and they seem to be coming together again.

As for me, I'm still working at a Pediatric clinic and am starting to train for a half marathon... and just joined a Dragon Boat Racing Team. Paddling- cool!! I've only experienced 2 practices, but greatly enjoy being out on the water and working hard...well, within reason!  Our first race is next week- it's only about 3.5 minutes long, but as they say, the longest 3.5 minutes of your life! And it is. It, seriously is. Slow, painful burning. I'll post pics soon!

More interested in tasting the water pooling in the grout area...

Hello Summer!?

The question mark is simply because, well, June has been anything but summery! But this week, specifically today, was gorgeous. Granted, it wasn't hot, but it was sunny and warm. So, like every good Oregonian, off we went to pick some strawberries!

It's sad to say, but I forget how good things taste when picked fresh. Eddy and I have been watching documentaries and reading some controversial books about where are food comes from, what's in it and why we eat what we eat... and if we should be eating what it is we're eating! (Documentaries: Forks Over Knives, Food, Inc., Killer At Large; Books: The Omnivore's Dilemma, The China Study--- all offer fabulous insights into this) So, buying local and putting the extra effort into finding organic products has been something we have been working on... We're starting down the road to becoming more "plant strong"; which is impressive, if not crazy, for a usually very carnivorous Brazilian! (We'll keep you posted on our progress... )

Contemplating... Which one next?

Double-fisting it... both have bites out of them...

Walking down the path between the rows of strawberry bushes, nibbling, nay gobbling, up fresh, juicy, seriously sweet strawberries was heaven! Ben and Tessa were also relishing the experience. It took Tessa some encouragement (she held the first strawberry we gave her, without eating it for like 15 minutes), she's more of a salty person, but one small taste and she was hooked. Ben was double-fisting it most of the time; and forget biting into them, he just shoved them in, green leafy tops and all!

Tessa... resting between feedings

Needless to say, we're going back tomorrow; As we were walking back to the car, some other pickers stopped and asked us which types of strawberries we had picked. Um, what do you mean "types"? There are different types?? We felt so foolish, so green, so un-Oregonian! Duh. Of course there are more than one type of strawberry! Hence, we will be going back- we apparently picked a good one, but not the best. Could've fooled me! : )

Post strawberry feast glow

Eddy is finished with classes! Finals are over and he did amazingly well this trimester. I'm so proud of him for jumping into this wholeheartedly and with great persistence. Well done, honey!

I'm enjoying training in as an RN at Childhood Health Assoc. of Salem-- the work environment is great, my coworkers are friendly and the hours are working for us right now- phew!

Eddy's parents are coming back to Salem! They arrive this Sunday and are staying for, well, an unspecified length of time. We're excited to have them here and I know the kids are eager to have their grandparents at beck and call!

Tessa is One!

We can't believe that she is already one- 1 year. It seems to have gone so fast, and yet at times, so slowly. Tessa is an absolute joy- a little fire ball, full of squeals and screams, and a strong will. We are truly blessed to have the kids we have!

Her birthday was actually a few days ago, but we threw her a party when more people could attend- Memorial day festivities are tough to contend with!  It was such a nice night with a seemingly multitude of kids running around. We love having people over and get so much joy out of hosting friends and family in our home.

In other news- Eddy will be done with his first term of school in less than 2 weeks. And Eddy's folks are coming back to the States- arriving in just 2 weeks! We're not sure for how long they will be staying with us, but we're excited to have them back... time to brush up on the Portuguese!

Rainy Days

 dogwood tree bloom

And some days in this place can be, well, rainy. Guess that's just really stating the obvious. It is the Pacific Northwest, it's like a redundancy- Oregon and Rain.  But to give it credit, OR and rain, that is, we did move here during the rainiest season. So, trial by fire...er...rain!

We've definitely had our fun splashing in puddles and playing outside. One of our first purchases was a pair of rubber boots for Ben- "wellies"- as almost all the kids wear them here.  But I've been trying to get more creative with indoor activities, knowing that rain is a feature that doesn't seem to be leaving this place anytime soon. So I busted out the rice for a little sensory fun this past week! Unfortunately, I don't have an oh-so-necessary sensory table to put the neat stuff in.  Set back aside, I went with a "larger" tupperware container and a stern command of "try not to dump the rice on the floor; keep it in the box". Right. Good luck with that. What I should've said was, "Go ahead and just dump all this on the floor and then roll around in it until it's virtually ground into the carpet".  Followed by, "Tessa, just go ahead and start eating this."

the empty tupperware

It stayed in the tupperware for about 5 minutes. Slowly, the boundaries were chipped away at. A jerk of a tonka truck. Two cars crashing, creating a spray of rice. And then handfuls were removed and excitedly rubbed into the carpet. And finally, with one quick, seamless move and a huge grin, Ben flipped the whole thing over.  *sigh*  But, hey, it was only rice.  And thanks to my vacuum cleaner, it was a simple clean-up. Well worth the sensory fun!

Tessa eating rice; she couldn't stop. Moth to a flame.

The toys, the rice... 

Being inside, I've also started to try out some recipes from pinterest. The first was this cool looking bread; crusty bread.   I'd been wanting to try it, but didn't have the necessary and ludicrously priced Le Creuset dutch oven.  But I kept my eye on Walmart, and got this baby for $35! Shipping was $0.45 ... Now that's what I'm talking about it! (Little "eddy-ism" there) And the bread turned out great- just like they said! I added some roasted garlic for a twist and I might add a little more salt next time, but, all in all- tasted just like costco's crusty bread!  : )

Almost like their pic!

In other news- Eddy is still doing well at WOU; things have gotten a bit more stressful as the term is coming to an end (only 2.5 more weeks!).  But he's plugging along, staying focused and studying hard.

I got hired by a local pediatric clinic here in Salem, Childhood Health Associates.  I've only trained in a few days, but it's been going well and is very similar to my last job in MN. My coworkers seem very nice and look forward to getting to know everyone. I'll be working there about 3 days/week... And so far, Eddy and I have been able to make it work without much childcare- woot-woot! : )

And finally- My mom is coming!!! Tessa is turning 1 on the 25th, so Nana is going to stay and help celebrate! Yay!

Outside!

We love having a backyard.  Seriously. I knew we were missing something in our townhome place in MN, but I didn't realize just how much we were missing- WOW.  We're out there at least 3x/day... running, swinging, working in the garden, playing... It's just beyond wonderful!

And while MN for sure has more playgrounds- phenomenally more- the sheer beauty of OR and it's natural environment is hard to beat. We've enjoyed spending time at parks and running around the YWAM base with the kiddos...

Here's a glimpse into our outside fun times... : )

Hanging at the park...

Playing with potato bugs...

An up-close look at the carpet of little flowers in our backyard

Daddy and Ben throwing pinecones in the creek

Mother's Day... and other things

Yesterday, Saturday, was a day that started well, gained momentum, slammed into a brick wall and then ended... nicely.  Ben had a level 5 meltdown before his nap- the full on kicking, screaming, hitting, attempting-to-strangle-me kind. Super fun. Needless to say, the 45 minute charade put a major damper on my spirit. Eddy came home from a coaching interview with a local Soccer Club to a not-so-happy-momma. And we all know, if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. (which is actually very true...) And with that, we decided to call on a friend to watch the kiddos after night-night, and go out. Yes. Leave the house. Without kids. Glorious. And our dear friends, Rhoda and Sue, sacrificed their Saturday night for us! Bless you ladies!

Fun with a Tillamook Cheese Factory Lollipop...

Eddy and I ended up going to a local pub and enjoyed listening to some live music- Johnny Cash style band. Sipping on a microbrew and nibbling on cajun tater tots seemed to lull away all my angst from the nap time fun. Nice!

This morning we had some guys over for the Premier League Final of Soccer; We had double screens, bagels and cinnamon rolls.  It seemed to be a good game, although I spent most of my time tending to the kiddos, making food and cleaning. Which, I recently realized, makes me happy. I like taking care of my family; I like having people over and feeding and tending to them; And, I really like a clean house.  I can't relax if the place is messy, or if there are dishes in the sink, or, the absolute worst, there's junk on the floor that I step on, like sticky rice. Petty; yes. But irritating as all get.

The yummy outcome...mmmmmm...

And I also realized, that I learned this from my mom. Well, not the being irritated with rice on the floor, per se, but with loving her family through service and sacrifice; Through hosting people with kindness; And through her desire to be with us, spend time with us, love us and enjoy us. So, as I spent my morning making cinnamon rolls, washing dishes and hanging out with Ben- playing with his toy trains, arranging his Thomas puzzle for the ump-teenth time and watching countless episodes of Kipper with him- I thought of my absolutely amazing, fabulously adventurous, hysterically funny, incredibly humble mother. And how I hope and pray that I am just like her. I love you, Mom!

My lovely mother- at Iguacu Falls, Brazil/Argentina

Out and About

I've been bugging Eddy for several weeks to take a family field trip to the Tulip fields nearby;  Looking around the neighborhood most of the tulips were on their way out, so time was of the essence! After some seriously rainy, windy days, today was... well, just windy- which is substantially better! So we took a chance and went. It was great fun, and gorgeous. I tried taking some "good" pictures, but having a low battery, a full CF card and a couple heavy toddlers didn't help... as Eddy said, "What a great photographer!"... 

Some highlights: Tessa drank the water and licked the ducks at the Rubber Ducky Race; I almost lost a limb riding the Cow Train (a fancy name for steel drums, halved, painted like cows, with wheels, seats are thrown in and then they're hooked up train car-style behind a tractor... truly painful); Ben picked one tulip, for sure, and attempted to pick several others, and when warned not to, threw a fit; And Eddy had to carry Tessa the entire time, having decided to leave the backpack in the car, after I said, "why would we need that?"- *note to self: do not leave backpack in the car, you have cute, but nevertheless, substantial offspring.  But, on the whole, we loved it and are looking forward to visiting again!

It's been almost 2 months since we moved to OR- wow, time is going by fast! Eddy will be starting his 5th week of classes and is doing famously well, and more importantly, is enjoying it immensely. Eddy's parents were with us for about a month, but then had to leave prematurely to take care of some housing issues back in Brazil. We enjoyed having them with us- the kids especially- and are hoping they come and visit us again soon... Having someone to watch the kids to give Eddy and me time for dates and running errands was truly priceless!

I just started looking for a job and have been offered one with a local clinic in town. I'm waiting to hear back from another one before accepting this one, but am very relieved to have a prospect!   

Here are some pics from our day at the tulip fields....

Pics of Oregon