Baptisms at the Beach

We went to the beach with Casa Gabriel and Jordan and Jefferson were baptized in the ocean.



Jordan, we are so proud of you that you want the world to know that you love Jesus with all of your heart. For your baptism, you shared with all of us your favorite verse - Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

Getting ready for their baptisms

Out to the Pacific Ocean

Jefferson's turn

Rejoicing after the baptisms!!

A time of prayer for Jefferson and Jordan on the beach

We praise God for the privilege to be a part of Casa Gabriel. This was a special time to love and encourage one another, to laugh and have fun together, and to celebrate the baptisms of Jefferson and Jordan.

Good Golly Miss Molly is 4!

Our precious Molly Margaret, you are wonderfully made by God and words cannot express how much joy you bring to our lives. Happy 4th Birthday!


You are the toughest "girly-girl"! You love princesses, tu-tu's, and wearing bows, but you also love light sabers, riding your brother's scooter, and not afraid of dirt. You fall all of the time and get bruises and cuts and rarely do you even stop because you do not want to miss out on any play time. I think for you at the end of the day during bath time - the more dirt in the tub, the better the day!


Hooray - a Dora Big Wheel

To celebrate your birthday, we went to the new movie theater and watched G Force. It was the only kid movie that was playing in English, but we all liked it.

Birthday Lunch - Crepes & Waffles, great choice Molly!

One of my favorite things about you Molly is that you love others deeply.

I love that you call all of the Casa Gabriel boys your brothers. They are so protective of you and care about you. I guess you do have to be tough to have 2 older brothers plus a house full of teenage brothers, too.

You three are buddies, and I pray that you will always be close.

Daddy's little girl. I love to watch your face light up when Daddy comes home.

You are named after my great-grandmother, Margaret Hutchison. She was very special in my life and the sweet thing is, you remind me of her. She was loving, spunky, beautiful, funny, generous, and always had on high heels and a matching purse. I love you Molly Margaret. You are a treasure in my life. Feliz Cumpleanos!

Fun Day at the Zoo

Living in a city of 2 million people is very different for our family and can be exhausting, so sometimes you just need a break from all of the traffic, horn honking, car alarms going off, living in a small apartment without a yard... After living here for 10 months, we are quickly realizing the importance of taking a break from Quito - so we decided to visit the zoo about 45 minutes outside of Quito for the day.


Our favorite animals were the huge turtles and bears!

We also got to feed carrots to llamas and donkeys!

Just a day to be silly, laugh together, and enjoy living in Ecuador

I just completed an intensive Spanish course - 3 weeks of all day Spanish. It was difficult but so good for my language learning. While I was in classes, Luke, Jordan, & Molly had the opportunity to go back to the zoo with a local preschool. This preschool is located in the city dump where a community of people live. A group from the States came down to serve this community and Casa Gabriel served alongside this team. It was a special day for our kids and the Casa Gabriel boys to watch the excitement and joy on all of the preschool kids enjoying a fun day at the zoo. How quickly I can have my life put into perspective - I started this blog with how hard it can be to live in Quito and now end it with how thankful I am to not live in a city dump but rather the beautiful city of Quito. Thank you, Lord.

Celebrating the USA in Ecuador

We celebrated the 4th of July with a few families at Alliance Academy. Texas has always been our home so this was our first July 4th celebration wearing jackets and sweaters.


Fun with sparklers!

Thanks to Jordan's first grade teacher, Mrs. Evans who organized this celebration for all of us missing our country.

Busy Tooth Fairy

We are so excited that Jordan's front tooth finally came out! Jordan was so excited that he had an entire page full of questions for the tooth fairy to answer.


And the tooth fairy had a response for everyone!


We are not so excited about Molly losing one of her teeth. She was running at her preschool and fell mouth first onto the slide. One tooth was completely knocked out (root and all) and her front tooth was shoved up into her gums. She had a huge cut on her lip and was swollen for quite a few days. The good news for Molly was that the Tooth Fairy came to visit her. The good news for us was that her front tooth that is pushed up into her gums is not affecting her permanent teeth. Molly was such a trooper and is one tough little girl!

And yes, Luke also lost a tooth the same week Molly did. Do you like Luke's new look (the braid) from his trip to the jungle?

Have to Have a Guard!

Last week Luke and Jordan were playing in their room with their castle. Luke recommended that Molly bring her dollhouse so they can be neighbors (in other words, stay away from our castle). When they were playing, I heard Molly say, "If you have a house, you have to have a guard!". Luke replies, "I know Molly, that is why we have a dog on the roof". My first thought was - Where are we living?! Then, it just made me laugh!


Thankfully our apartment building has a guard because here is our "guard dog" in a pink tutu!

Field Day

Hooray for field day! Jordan's favorite part of field day - the obstacle course.


Each kid competed in four events chosen by the PE teacher. Jordan has a huge power kick.


I don't think Stephy was as passionate about the relay race as Luke was - she forgot to pass off the baton to Luke. Her face is "Oh Luke" and Luke's face is "Stephy, what are you doing?".


Spending a morning with friends is the best part of field day.


Jordan's sweet first grade class

The day ended with an award ceremony and ice cream! Luke and Jordan had a wonderful year at Alliance Academy but now it is time for summer vacation.

Molly the Duck

Molly performed with her preschool at Alliance Academy (Luke & Jordan's school) for their chapel. All of the kids were dressed as different animals and sang "Animal Action". They also sang a beautiful praise song in Spanish. During the teaching time, Molly had the opportunity to be in a skit. The Ecuadorian children spoke English and Molly spoke Spanish. Our little duck enjoyed her time on the stage!


Alliance Kids is an amazing new preschool where Molly is learning Spanish. She gets to go three mornings a week. All of her friends except for one speak Spanish, and Molly likes to talk - so at school she is speaking Spanish/English/and Spanglish!



Molly and Luciana (the lion)- the only 2 girls in the preschool!


Molly and her best buddy, Pedro Jose (the horse)



Molly is all smiles next to Jordan after her performance at chapel.


When leaving the school, Molly found Luke at recess. I am not sure who was the most excited when they saw each other.


She even let Jesus wear her duck costume - all of the Casa G boys taught Molly the peace sign. The funny part is that Molly just hit her chest twice and then held up the peace sign.