painting

We made the shortest person do the high parts :)

having fun with the kids

Thomas found the tie to my swimsuit and wanted to know what it was for.  I told him it was to hold up my pirate sword.  So we made him a hat and sword so he could try it out. 

 

 

Hailey and Thomas were trying on all of Keri's shoes.  Thomas was having trouble walking in the heels.  He said, "These shoes are too fally."

 

Super Heroes

I found this really cute idea for making capes from old t-shirts on Pinterest.

I have tons of old camp shirts in a garbage bag that I just can't seem to part with.  So, I pulled two of them out and tried the Pinterest idea.

Unfortunately, it will make the kids too fast for the camera.

So, you will need a Keri type person to help with the picture posing.

And if you are super lucky someone will clean the house in the background first.  

Missionary News - Kelly

Even though this is our third missionary this is the first time we've done "the phone call" as video.  We used skype 5.0.  We were able to SEE Kelly as well as hear her.  Mom and Dad joined us from Payson.  We could see Mom but she could only hear us.  Kelly was at a members home (in Brazil, of course).  We got to meet her companion as well.  And a little boy in the background.  hahaha.  Andrew and Denise joined us from Provo, Utah.  Keri, Heather and I with Jeanette and her kids were in Glendale.  So, it was a really novel experience for us.

 

 

As always the pictures aren't that good but just wanted to share what I had.  Kelly must be really getting a hang of the Brazillian language because she had trouble remembering the English words sometimes. :)

 

 

Here is Andrew and Denise sharing their exciting news.  The are engaged! And will be getting married in October in the Reno, Nevada temple. 

 

Nathan and Troy were unable to join us because they were on the road at the time.  But they were able to call her a couple hours later and talk to her for a few minutes.  For the Christmas call we are going to try the Google version of group chat.  Has anyone else tried group chatting with skype or google?  Which do you like better and why?

Missionary News - Kelly

Firstly...I´m alive
and living in Macapá. I left the CTM last tuesday and didn´t get chance to e-mail. My new area hasn´t had sisters in 3 years. To say the least it´s difficult to find houses because neither of us has ever been here. We started with the map and a list of addresses on a piece of paper, that turned out to be from the last set of sisters 3 years ago. How it survived this long I don´t know. We don´t have an area book or a ward roster. The zone leaders tell us everyday who we are having lunch with and how to get there. So basically we walk around all day looking for an address and hope that someone is home and that the next address on the same street is not to heck and gone. Also most of the streets have sign posts, but not at every intersection. I´m actually on your side of the world again. Macapá is right on the equator and IF i read the map correctly we are north of it. The amazon river is not in our area, but it is only a little distance away. I´m basically living in Arizona again it is hot hot hot. Except in Arizona I didn´t have to walk around all day, and Arizona didn´t rain for 2 days straight.

My trainer is really great and speaks about as much english as you do Portuguese...which is none. At times it is difficult because I don´t know the word in Portuguese and she doesn´t now it in English. You won´t believe the measures I´ve gone through to explain what I´m trying to say. Well, Keri probably could imagine. Her name is Sister C... from São Paulo. She only has 4 months left. She actually might go home earlier for a medical problem. In which case I will get a new trainer, or transfer to the area that my new trainer is in. Sister C... was very nervous to train me because She doesn´t know really any English. I think I´ve heard her say 2 words. However, everyone says that I speak Portuguese way better than is usual for less than a week in the field. Which I´m sure Sister C... is grateful for.

Also there are only 12 sisters in my mission. Next transfer there will be only 1 or 2 sisters that are not training or being trained. Which means that depending on the number of sisters that arrive the transfer after my training is done, I might be a trainer. Sister C... thinks I will be a trainer... please pray for me.

There wasn´t any mail waiting for me at the mission home, which means that unless I´m transfered closer I probably won´t get any mail for 3 months. I need a hymnbook in English. So if you remember, in the next package could you put a small one in there?

Lots of Love

Sister Mendenhall

ok. here are all the FUN pictures

As a mother nothing makes me happier than knowing that my children enjoy each others company.

 

Someday I'll remember to pick up the toys, close the laundry room door and read up on taking good quality pictures.  In the meantime this is what you get...  all my kids gathered together for pictures taken every 10 seconds or so

(with Jeanette's little ones thrown in here and there)

Now if only you could hear the soundtrack playing in my head of the laughter and teasing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A slide show would have been better, but I'm not going back and doing that now!