oldies but goodies

To make up for some serious lack of updates I am putting a bunch of pictures up from our trip to Texas a couple of months ago. These made me miss my family even more!!! 

My mom waited till we got there to fill some of her flower pots so that Cap could help. He of course loved it! I mean, water, dirt, a shovel and his Nonna...he is set!

 How could a 1 year old boy resist putting those little toes in the dirt!!

 this is on back of my dad's trailer on top of a big sand pile

this is leo and no i didn't make him stop breathing to get him asleep

it does appear that way in the pic though

my extremely talented older brother Jeromy made up a cinco de mayo 

crossfit workout of the day for the Speciale family

holy moly! talk about an amazing workout. i can only imagine

what kind of shape you would be in after just a few weeks doing crossfit.

it is an all body workout that hurts so bad you want to do it again the next day.

and the day after that.

and the day after that.

to my san angelo, texas readers out there, you should definitely check out 

san angelo crossfit at http://www.sanangelocrossfit.com/

my brother and his wife own and operate it.

it will be worth your time!!!!

backyard work out stations

this would be my other super talented brother and his beautiful and also talented wife

collin and ashley holding nephews cap and leo

my dad had a great idea of taking cap to go feed the ducks.

this is something we did often growing up. but the thing i found out

about infants and/or toddlers is that they don't care much about your great ideas

they will just do what they do. i think this is how it went for my dad.

cap pretty much just ate the bread instead of giving it to the ducks.

i think the photos my dad took are just great!

help please

trying to figure out how to trade sticks!!!

hope you enjoyed the pics and seriously http://www.sanangelocrossfit.com/

16 months

It happen again. Cap grew up. Seriously. He went to Kenya a 14 month old and came home a 15 month old and tripled the size of his bag of tricks. I remember the change we saw in him from 10 to 11 months. It was huge! This is the same thing. I want to write some of them down even though I know I won't catch them all!!! Oh and now he is just about 16 months old!

- started to say some of the words he signs...potty was the first
- now that we are away from our scary farmhouse stairs he has learned how to go down stairs
- started saying lots of words! mostly just around us. and i am pretty sure he said hamburger twice!
- not so obsessed with trash or brooms but still likes them both
- wants to do whatever we are doing, working on, eating, cooking, washing etc.
- helps bryce wash dishes
- knows where his pj's go in the morning
- rarely has accidents and can hold his pee for a long time, but doesn't let us know when he needs to go potty unless it is going to be poo
- likes the water
- loves to swing!
- has 6 new teeth coming in all at one time. he had 2 teeth a 1 year old, 6 at 13 months, now 12 at 15 months. he is pretty good about it all too.
- learned how to scream (in a bad way) from some kids in kenya...pretty much have worked it out since being home but knows how to throw a fit now
- down to 1 nap though could use 1.5 sometimes, but he has been napping for sometimes 3 1/2 hours!
- has learned how to sleep in past 7am!!!!!! this is huge for me!!!!!!
- is the cutest little dancer and singer when i play my guitar
- has become very brave about things...going down stairs with no hands, pouring a cup of water over his head without crying, running through sprinklers, taking big falls with no tears, etc.
- likes to ride on our backs
- has fallen asleep while eating a snack a few different times now
- really loves animals or any kind of critter
- still very mechanical even if it is as little as figuring out how to take the lid off chapstick and putting it back on
- wants to eat tortilla chips so bad but chokes every time! thinking it will be better when his grinders come all the way in.
- as soon as we came back from kenya we started the weaning process. it went much faster than expected. one morning he woke up and asked for almond milk instead of tata's and that was it. he kind of asked for it days later but got distracted and lost interest. i thought the morning feeding was going to take forever to drop. guess not.
- thinks play dough is awesome
- loves bits of ice and a cup of sonic ice
- he is terrific and we are crazy about him!
- size 5 shoe
- 24 month/2t clothes work best though we are making our 18 months ones stretch!

I know there is probably more, but I think that will do. I plan on cutting his hair after our wedding we have this weekend. Seemed like a good plan to wait just in case I mess it all up, YIKES!!! Enjoy a few pics.

figuring out some watermellon

getting some guidance from dad

we started making popsicles 

he really likes them and i think it helps his poor swollen gums

the boy dancing away

i wish we could get it on video without him knowing 

Kenya...un-pause

Well, all the excitement and movement with the fires paused our Kenya journey and posting in general. I am having a hard time getting back in the routine of posting after not for so long. 

My Canon Rebel is also partially out of service. My smaller lens broke months ago and I have been using it some with the larger lens. But it just doesn't take the close ups like I like. We took just our point and shoot camera to Kenya, which really made me not take any pictures. I think you can get good shots from a point and shoot but both of our are 6 or 7 years old and that is a lot of years for a point and shoot in my opinion.

As soon as I locate my cord to my Canon I will download newer pictures. I still have a few things to share about our trip, but another morning:)

Cap had his feet buried in the mud one day

after a good rain at Mattaw. Bryce was trying to 

find some rain water to wash them off in before heading

home. One of the house moms insisted on 

cleaning his feet and shoes in this bucket of water.

I walk outside to see this. 

It was pretty funny.

We went to an awesome waterfall not to far of a drive from Kitale.

It was a super short hike in and just beautiful. 

Cap and George following the dog at Mattaw.

Cow milking time. I never got a chance to try it. Darn.

Crossed the equator on our way to our Safari.

This was after the longest car ride Cap has ever been on.

5ish hours. The way home the next day he did not look so happy.

I dont think any of us did:)

He would have loved to have hopped on this one and gone 

for a ride!

Bryce throwing a doll back and forth to Lucy.

She has the best smile!!!

The boys playing, I mean destroying some sort of evangelism cube thing.

La La La

I need help. Please tell me you 5 top worship bands/artist. I am in need of some newer songs that I can play guitar to. It does not have to be "new artist". I just need something besides "Trading my Sorrows" or "Light of the World" ha!!! Makes sense? Hope so. Help me quick!!!!!

Blessing

I briefly mentioned while in Kenya a little 2 year old named Blessing. We were there to be part of rescuing her from a very bad situation in the slums and bringing her to a new beginning with the Mattaw family. There is a LOT to her story, but I wanted to just share what has been stuck in my head.

A couple of hours before going to get her, she was in her doorway, no clothes on, asleep and covered in her own poop. It was not a pretty situation.  When we walked intoj this tiny mud hut there was a social worker holding Blessing. She was listening to worship music while sitting  on the bed with Esnas, Blessing's mom, who was barely living at the time. When Kim asked her how it was going she said this, "We are just worshiping the Lord."

It was simple and true. You could tell she meant it. You could see that is what she was doing...worshiping the Lord. Yes it was a bad situation. HIV, sex for food, generations dying from trying to survive, yet she was worshiping the Lord.

A lot of things go through your mind in bad situations. On Tuesday, I went from having a fun run, hanging out with my family, Skyping my parents, to packing what you can think of very quickly as you saw the fire coming down the mountain, fighting the smoke and ash to head east away from danger along with 32,000 other evacuations, to hearing the news reports of 346 houses burned from the fire and wondering what I should have grabbed and how hundreds of lives will be very different tomorrow.

Thinking everything you own could be burned in flames really lets you know where your heart is. Though at first I wished I would've brought Cap's first footprints, or hospital bracelets, or even his first painting, my heart then went to freedom. Everything we have would fit in one car. We were free to roam. Though no matter what lies in our household, we are free, it just became different. My treasure lies in heaven where dust and moth can't destroy it.

I guess what rested in my mind was 'worship the Lord'. Yes the situation isn't good, but I will worship the Lord for He is most worthy of praise!

Last night our house made the ' you may return to your house' list by one street. Since it was late, we spent one more night at the hotel and came this morning. It felt surreal coming back, looking at the mountain and houses and smoke still arising in some areas. The smell of smoke triggered many pictures in my head of that evening getting out of our place.

We are so thankful to return to a house and bed and lots of rocks for Cap to play with. Our hearts are sad for the 346 families who lost their homes one of those families going to our church with us and others working with my in-laws. We are so sorry for your lost.

Thank you for your prayers. May we worship the Lord through the good and the ugly!

Village Inn

I am in shock. We are sitting in a hotel watching the news as houses and neighborhoods are burning to the ground. We haven't even been home for a week and here we are again, moving.  The fire which began Saturday seemed to be far from us, but with the weather and wind it quickly moved directions towards us. 

Bryce went for an afternoon run and right before he got home I looked outside to see the smoke had gotten significantly worse. He got home and said we need to pack our things and leave, but first come outside and look. It was surreal. There it was. Fire, and not very far from us, making its way down the mountain. It was raining ash. Smoke was thick. Hard to breath.

We are safe and with my in-laws who thankfully were quick to make hotel reservations for the night for us. The news has been giving updates on where the fires are and where they are moving. They just named the main intersection by our house which is about a 3 minute walk from our door. Just hard to believe. 

We packed quickly while sticking Cap in his highchair and giving him his first pop sickle. (which I didn't even get a picture of it!!!!)  Packed a little more than I was thinking but still forgot things like birth certificates and passports and our cash bag! Locked doors and windows and took off east. 

Leaving our house the traffic was bumper to bumper. Raining ash and smoke was thick. Fire trucks flying by, ambulances doing the same, Cap screaming in the back of the car not knowing what is going on, but knowing it was dinner time. Phones not working 95% of the time for the first 40 minutes driving. Millions of thoughts going through my head. Some might say I was freaking out a little bit. Hind sight, I was. 

We are going to try to get rest now. I am sure you can find photos online. Go to Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs. Again, we are all good and will update tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers. Praying for everyone evacuating their homes. 

Home?

While in Kenya, everyone wants to know where you are from. They would ask, we would answer Colorado. Colorado? We moved there 9 days before heading to Kenya. Moved into our basement apartment just days before leaving. Could this be home? When we first got to Kenya, Bryce was answering the where are you from question, but he said,"Well, Colorado, but we have more friends in Kitale, Kenya than back home."

So now here we are sitting in our apartment we have been up what feels like forever. Thank you jet lag.  But we are here. Here in a new time zone, new state, refreshed hearts and minds, a new family. Honestly it has been a very different month than we expected. Still pondering and chewing on what God is showing me. Excited to share and start getting my hands dirty here. It will probably take several weeks to share our trip with everyone. Eager to do so.

Here are a few pictures to start out with. Enjoy.

this was the whole, "what are those." question with 

my answer of "oh, fat rolls"

 good thing they had dirt and sand in kenya!

Cap helping me wash clothes

 and of course he has found a brush/broom

 he fell in love with this bath tub even though he got

may be 4 or 5 baths the entire time we were there!

 this is Violet who helps the Huffman family with their kids

and household chores. she is super and we enjoyed getting to know her

while being there. Cap loved her too!

this picture sums up our trip back to the states. Cap became

the social butterfly and was eating all the attention up.

mr. George, Cap and Lucy playing out at Mattaw

Lucy was loving Bryce this day.

More to come later!