Oh, Dear...What am I doing??

Today was our first attempt to move Reece into her big girl room with her big girl bed. We have been making a big deal about it for about two weeks now. We have been playing in there, putting things all the wall, and talking it up a lot. So, we all three cuddle in the bed tonight and read a book together. Then, we get Reece all cozy in bed, give her hugs and kisses, and then Daniel turned the light out. Immediately, she starts crying. Oh, yea, I forgot to mention that we left her pacifier in her crib, so it was a lot of change at once. (we tried to take the paci away back in May and it was a huge disaster)

So, we leave her in there, screaming, "mommy, Mommy!" She stayed lying down in her bed, but she just screamed. I felt strong at first, but as each minute passed, I started feeling all these guilty thoughts: Reece is growing up too fast, she's not even two yet, I'm about to totally turn her world upside down with bringing a new baby home, I don't want her to hate her new room, I don't want her to hate the baby, I don't want her to hate ME......


So, I broke down, got the paci out of her crib, and went back into her new room and gave it to her. She was almost asleep immediately, and then I left the room and shut the door, and I hear, "Mommy, Mommy... I want to get in my nigh-night bed!!'' Over and over....

Daniel and I are SOFTIES!! We can't handle it!! Daniel got up and put her back in her old room in the crib with TWO paci's!!! Are we terrible parents? Have we messed everything up now??

Or, maybe I need to lighten up and not worry about the crib or paci or anything right now. Hmmm, I have five weeks until we bring our baby home. It would be really nice to have Reece settled into her new room without the pacifier! Oh that paci... it was so nice when she was a newborn, but now it seems like a curse. Help!! We need advice!!

Anyway, we have been having a lot of fun lately, too. Reece is way into "punkins." She decorated this one and insisted on taking it everywhere for awhile.

Then, we made turkeys with glue, feather, and lots of small body parts. We put them on the window sill to dry, and later I found Reece tearing every little piece off the turkeys. Then she said, "Mommy fix it." So I did... :)

She helped Daddy wash the car and Culby while Mommy finished her walk.
She's almost two, but with all she's doing and saying, you would think she's three!

Mommy at 35 weeks pregnant. Only five more weeks to go! And, only TWELVE more days of work!! I'm going to the midwife every thrusday now. The baby isn't breech anymore!! (we found that out last week). This week we found out that the baby is head down, but facing the wrong way. So, now I have to try doing another position to see if I can make this baby move. (Over a month ago when we found out the baby was breech, they had me lie in this really uncomfortable position every day to try to turn the baby, and it worked!) So, hopefully it will work this time, too.

Lots of Love!!
This was taken right at the part: "POP goes the weasel!"

Enjoying the nice evening weather!

I Survived Ike

We actually did pretty well through Ike. We are really grateful for the blessings of safety and protection during the hurricane. It was all our first hurricane experience.

We went to bed on Friday night at about 11pm right as our electricity went out. Of course, since I'm 7 1/2 months pregnant, I was pretty hot all night, but nothing terrible. As we listened to the howling winds all night, we woke up about every hour to look out the window and check on Reece. She slept soundly all night through the hurricane. I kept expecting to have to move her into our bed, but she never made a peep, so we just let her be. Since we had no electricity, we had no baby monitor, so I woke up to her shouting "Mommy, Mommy!!" I went into her room to get her, and she wanted me to turn the light on. I told her that the storm wouldn't let us turn the lights on right now, and right as I said that, the electricity came on and Reece said, "light on!" Perfect timing! :)

So, we have living a pretty normal life ever since then because we have had electricity and we had no damage to our home. Our neighborhood doesn't have any big trees, so that helped. We talked the Nalley's into coming to stay with us since they lost power and still don't have it. It has been fun making meals with them, playing with baby Abigail (as Reece calls her), and watching Adam and Daniel play Playstation golf and football.

We are praying for those who still don't have power and who have lost more than just power.

Here are some pictures of our hurricane survival:

So this isn't during the hurricane, but I thought it was really cute!

The cabin fever is setting in!!

Probably watching Dora at the beach...the new favorite movie of Reece.

Playing in the park during the beautiful weather!!

Hanging out in the driveway (even though we have electricity, we just were enjoying the weather)

Mommy and Reece! :)

Giving our baby hugs and kisses! So sweet!

LOTS of Pictures from Idaho/MAF

We have officially arrived!

MAF Headquarters in Nampa, Idaho

Daniel in a 206, which is what he flew during his testing
We tried to get Reece to sit in the airplane so we could take her picture there, but she screamed when we tried to put her in there and said, "No get in airplane!!"
But, she really enjoyed exploring the golf cart that was sitting in the hangar with the airplanes
Dad and unhappy Reece in front of the plane. She preceded to have a temper tantrum after this picture. This was right after our last meeting with MAF where they told us we passed. We thought we better leave while we were ahead!
These are the brand new MAF apartments right across from the building. They just finished them while we were there, so we were in apartments about 10 minutes away. It will be nice to stay there when we go back in July because we won't have to drive much.

Reece painting in our little apartment. We usually did this outside.

Reece got a bath from Daddy every night since he didn't have to work at night! Here are all the animals getting fun hats with shaving cream. Reece loves her animals and would take them everywhere if I let her.

The first child to play on the airplane on the new MAF playground by the apartments. I had a really hard time getting her to leave.

Another one of MAFs 206's

Reece asleep after a walk in the park. Too much fun!

We bought this stroller when we got to Idaho and she loves it! She would push it around forever in the the parking lot of our apartments.

We went to a park in Bosie that has a "beach." We were one of the first families to get there on a Saturday and by the time we left, it was packed. The water was FREEZING cold, but there were kids actually in their swim suits all the way in the water! I could BARLEY put my feet in!!

VERY COLD!! But that didn't stop her!

The view of the beach from the top of the dam. There was a huge fountain in the middle of the beach.

The view of the lake from the other side of the dam.

Reece making Daddy his birthday cake

Reece in the rose garden of another one of our favorite parks.

Kisses for mommy!!

Mommy and Reece on the plane ride there...the plane ride back was NOT as pleasant!

More animals!

Feeding the ducks at the park. I think this one nipped Reece a little bit because every time we went back, she was afraid of the white one.

This time we brought Daddy (who is taking the picture). We went her a lot during our two weeks. Once, we even got to take another MAF wife from Scotland and her two boys.

Reece and Mommy about 28 weeks along with baby Joseph or ???? (By the way, Rose is our latest favorite girl name.)

As you can see, Reece and I had a blast. Most of the time, Daniel was studying or at MAF being tested. So, he didn't have as much fun as us, but it was all worth it in the end for him!

Praise God for a GREAT trip!!

We're Back with Good News!

We got back from Idaho yesterday and we have a good report! Daniel passed both the flying and maintenance tests and we are invited to come back for what they call candidacy. Which doesn't really mean we're accepted, but they said it was 90% for sure that we would be accepted. They said pretty much the rest of it is on us-when we can come back for the candidacy.

It's kind of a complex journey, so let me explain:

After you pass the TE, you

1. Go to the candidacy class which is offered in January or July, which is a total of 5 weeks. The first two weeks is more interviews with the candidacy committee and more personality-type testing to see where in the world you would best fit. At the end of those two weeks, you are officially accepted and you are told what country you'll be sent to. You also start to receive a salary from MAF full-time. The next week is safety training and then the last two weeks is packed with classes on how to raise support. I've heard that this is a really intense five weeks. Classes are from 8-5 for both husband and wife, so you have to have a babysitter for your kids (MAF provides them and they are still in the building with you in case you're nursing)

2. After your candidacy classes, you spend time raising support. You can't have another job because you are on staff with MAF and you receive a salary from them to live off of.

3. When your support is at about 90%, you go back to Idaho for what they call flight standardization. This is where Daniel will spend 8 weeks in classes and in the airplane learning the MAF way of doing things. (I'll be able to stay with the kids during this one!) There is also 2 weeks of cultural training for both pilot and the wife.

4. When you are at 100% of your support (they say this takes 6 months to a year total), then you go to language school for about a year near or in the location you'll be serving. Then, you go to your final destination to serve!

Whew! That is a lot! :) But, while in Idaho, we got to see how much the staff at MAF cares about the missionaries and how they want you to be FULLY prepared so that you will have the least amount of trauma as possible. I really appreciate this! :)

Daniel's two weeks was pretty stressful, as it was really a two week interview with people watching over his shoulder and quizzing you one everything he knows as a pilot/mechanic. But, Reece and my two weeks was pretty relaxing! I loved being a full-time stay at home mom. Plus, there was pretty much no "to-do" list for me! Except to figure out which park we were going to for that day! We were in the MAF apartments, so there were lots of MAF families around us. They were all in different stages of the process, and one family was just back from their first 3 year overseas. So, I got to know a few of the wives and children and I got to ask them tons of question about MAF and what life was like as a missionary pilot's wife!

We thank God for a great trip and his perfect timing. We were originally planning on going to the January classes, but now for several reasons probably won't make it until July. Daniel is okay with this and knows that it is all in God's timing and control, but I'm still a little disappointed (mostly because it's half me that is the hold up--I thought I only needed 3 more Bible credits which I was going to take this fall, but I found out that I still need 6 more Bible credits.) Oh well, God knew it the whole time and it's no surprise to Him!

I have some good pictures of our Idaho adventures, so check back later this week for those. THANK YOU for everyone who prayed for us and for all your encouraging words. You have know idea what a blessing it is to know that people are excited for us and support us.

Update from Idaho

Hi everyone!
We forgot our computer, so I am borrowing a computer up at MAF, so I'm not sure how much I'll be able to type.
First of all, thanks for the comments, phone calls and emails. All were very encouraging! It is so nice knowing that people are remembering us and praying for us. I feel like we already have a great support base of friends and family!
We had a meeting with the psychiatrist and with the candidate committee and those both went pretty well. Daniel has been flying the past 3 days, and today was his last day to fly. He will find out tomorrow how he did in another meeting.
Reece and I have been up to MAF only a few times to eat lunch and visit. But, we have had fun visiting parks and playing together in our apartment. A couple of you mentioned that you are praying for Reece's sleep. Although we have been provided with a pack and play and her very own room that she can sleep in, she hasn't been sleeping as well as she normally does. We are all fine and getting rest, though, so it's not as bad as it could be!
Reece and I feel much better now. I finally decided to give her the antibiotics yesterday that she was prescribed on Saturaday. I hated to give her medicine for what seemed like just a cold, but she's doing better since her first dose.
Please continue to pray for us. All is well so far, but we'll know a lot more tomorrow.
Thanks again!
becky :)

Off to Idaho

At 6:29AM tomorrow morning we will be on a plane headed to Idaho. We are going for our two week technical evaluation with Mission Aviation Fellowship. This is where Daniel will fly with them and work on planes with them to see if they want us to be a part of their organization. We will also have several interviews and even spend all day one day with their psychiatrist! We are staying in one of their apartments and they even have a babysitter lined up for Reece for our interviews. I will mainly just be taking care of Reece and trying as much as I can to get to know the people in the office.
PLEASE pray for us!

-safe travel and a good flight with Reece. (She and I both just came down with colds!)
-wisdom and knowledge for Daniel as he is tested on basically everything he knows as a pilot/mechanic
-lots of opportunity for us to see if we fit in and click with the people of MAF
-that Daniel and I would support and encourage one another as we decide, with God's leading, if this is what we are supposed to do.

We are excited but very nervous! We can't wait to tell you all about it when we get home! :) If you have any questions about what we are doing or what MAF is about, please email me or leave a comment and I'll do my best to answer it.

Love,
Daniel, Becky, Reece and Baby Perez :)

A couple new firsts

Today, Reece and I decided to break out the finger paints. She was very into it and excited about it, but you know a toddler's attention span isn't that long, so the fun only lasted about 15 minutes and then she said, "Aw dun paint" (Translation= I'm all done painting)

We got to attend our first Astro's game last weekend. Reece loved it and was such a good girl the whole time. She was so clingy with her daddy. She wouldn't leave his side the whole time. And, yes, I was there, but the only picture of Reece and I was at the very end of the game when she was pretty cranky and ready for a nap!

Excuse Reece's finger up the nose!!

Snackin' on some animal crackers and trying to figure out what all the little people are doing down there.
Ice cream kisses for Daddy

Silly ice cream face!

Just lookin' at Daddy. It's so fun to see how the two of them love each other!! Reece has started saying "No bye-bye, daddy" when he has to leave for work. I know it breaks his heart. And, when I tell her we're going somewhere, she'll say "Daddy, too??"

Reece thought the seats needed some decoration in the form of Dora stickers

Too much excitement!!

Reece has really become a toddler in the last couple weeks. She says "No do dat" and points the the blender (she doesn't like the noise). She also is in love with her friend "Bebe Ah-gail" (Abigail Nalley) and says her name over and over again throughout the day. If I ask her, "What would you like to pray about, Reece?" She'll say "Bebe Ah-gail" and when we're finished, she'll say "Pray more bebe Ah-gail" She also loves to repeat the phrase "no bap-uhme" which means "no vacuum" (She hates it when I vacuum) She knows several colors (green being her favorite) and she can count to ten, although she is just saying the words, she doesn't really know that she's counting. I've painted her toe-nails a few times recently, and if someone comments on it, she'll say, "mommy do dat" (mommy did that). It's amazing how many words, phrases and short sentences that she knows, but it's also amazing that sometimes I have no idea what she's trying to say. I love that I get to be a part of her learning how to communicate.

Anyway, that's all for now. Have a great rest of the holiday weekend!