Casa de Amor Christmas - the multiples!!

We were blessed during our "Casa de Amor Christmas" to have 3 sets of multiples visit the Baby Home. The pictures made deserved a blog post of their own!

We were thrilled to see the triplet girls again, in their first visit back since going to their new home on Easter Sunday!

Alison & Nicole trying out the new "jumper" toys

Madrina (godmother) Nataly with her namesake...Nataly!

The twin boys who also lived with us 1 1/2 years before returning to their mother also came for a visit:

Luis and...Luis!

They haven't changed one bit, apart from growing much taller!!

And then Casa de Amor's current twins were also in attendance...

...the very lively, very different, K & A!

It's no easy task to get a picture of both, NOT in motion, looking up at the same time! :)

The triplets with Tia Silvia, the triplet's mother, and me (even harder to get a good picture of the three, now 1 year and 10 months old and bundles of energy!):

All seven of the multiples - together!

...even if not cooperating :)

(of all the pictures made, yep, these really are the best...)

Enjoying the cake snack (the triplet girls with their mom, the twin girls with their "house parents")...

A couple of the trips + the twins

Feliza has become such a good mom to her babies! Hard to believe after such a rough beginning, but she's truly fallen in love with all three.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful US holiday it's always a little hard to accept that nothing changes in Bolivia on this day. Even so, I've faithfully observed it, even on years like this one when a lot was going on in the office and street because, well, it was a normal day in Bolivia.

I was grateful that things slowed enough around midday for me to be able to finish the salad and prepare corn casserole (my aunt's recipe)...which I NEARLY completely burnt-up by getting busy in the office and forgetting about it, gasp!

That evening, Casa de Amor volunteers were treated to this sight at Casa de Amor III...

Thanks to volunteer Katrina's hard work and hospitality!

A few of the little "Indians" (and proudly so, I might add) who welcomed us to their home for Thanksgiving Dinner:

6 year old JK

Little brother J, age 4

Indian Princess C, age 3


And twins K & A, 1 1/2 years old!



Handmade place settings....


Everyone prepared several dishes to share of Thanksgiving favorites...


(substituting turkey for chicken, as turkey is at least twice as expensive here as in the US)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!

Apple cobbler & ice cream for dessert, yum!

Our amazing hostess....Katrina!! Currently substitute mother to five little ones (plus a hyperactive dog), keeping the Mitchell's house running while they are visiting Texas, and the brains behind this year's Bolivia Thanksgiving!

Thank you, Katrina! :)

"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." Colossians 2:6-7

The whole crew!

The whole crew,

even the newest...

...who can spot her?!

Casa de Amor I, II, & III
October, 25, 2011

2011 Group Picture!

On May 23, we finally took our annual "April group picture". :)

First respiratory viruses and then a bad case of scabies caused delays, but....

DRUM ROLL!!!

Ta-da! It finally happened.

Granted, baby G was in the hospital so not present and we also did not bring newborn C from the 4th house, not being entirely sure the skin stuff was entirely dealt with (surprise - it's not!). Anddd the very next day baby F arrived (see former post), so three are now missing from this picture to be the actual "these are our current kids" picture.

But we still love it. Are the babies not the cutest thing in the world?!

J, age 7, proudly doing his part with new baby E

Casa de Amor III!

Then it was time to give little girl B a 4th birthday party! Check out that cake, just what the birthday girl ordered: a kangaroo!

Some of the guests (Hospitals of Hope was visiting this afternoon)



The ever-photogenic B!

Fun times!

What I love...

Living in Bolivia

Holding a sleeping baby

Doing first aid on the street

Adventure

Getting calls from the US

Reconciliation

Reading the news

Seeing God’s hand at work

Twins

Triplets

A car FULL of street kids

Snowy mountain tops

Homemade bread

A good book

Saying “yes” to a new baby

Meeting volunteers & visitors from all over the world

Going under bridges

Learning new things

Playing piano or guitar at Cochabamba International Church

Sleeping in

Visiting street friends in jail

Cold treats in hot weather

Wool blankets in cold weather

The dedication & LOVE of our Casa de Amor staff


And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
I Corinthians 13:13

Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us here at Casa de Amor, the “Homes of Love”!

Joy Multiplied

This is the fourth year in a row we've been blessed to receive multiples!

A little review...

Twins E & E: girl/boy

Arrival: May 26, 2008

Twins G & G: boy/girl
Arrival: October 3, 2008




Twins L & L: boy/boy
Arrival: July 3, 2009




Triplets N, A, N: girl/girl/girl
Arrival: March 11, 2010




Twins K & A: girl/girl
Arrival: February 11, 2011

Twin Birthday Bash!

A post specially for Tia Denise (aka mother to twins E & E) and our northerly neighbors shivering their way through winter...

At the end of November, thanks to generous friends, we had a VERY special 3rd birthday bash for our Twins E & E!

(We had just arrived and they were already flushed and hot - it's been a HOT rainy season this year)

The pavilion all set up...

But first things first, we dove into the pool!!

Tia Savannah giving a little safety and rule pep talk first (well done!) while sister Allison snaps pictures

How 'bout that view?!

Everyone did remarkably well. Even our special needs J LOVED being in the water!

The only ones who cried consistently? The twins, which will surprise no one who knows them!!

The snacks just kept coming, and coming, and coming....


As well as the special attention!

Our new friend this year, father of the godmother to the triplets and also owner of the bus station and several other businesses around town. The mother of the triplets also live with him and his family.

He has taken on concern for all our children, particularly new little J, even setting up an appointment with an excellent eye doctor.

Little Miss E with a birthday gift! (We had just drug her out of the bathroom here. Seeing as she didn't need to go - not sure what she was going to do in there!)

After a lovely play time in the spacious grassy area, it was CAKE TIME!!

Cute kiddos or what?!

and piñata time!

What a beautiful, memorable afternoon all together and outdoors!

Pray that the twins' papers continue progressing in the court system as they've been pre-assigned adoptive parents for several months now!