September through December

Wow, this year is almost gone! We have been so busy between work, outreach and soccer that there hasn't been much time for anything else. The boys have been doing very well in school as well. Josh has joined Fellowship of Christian Athletes. They both made A/B honor roll, and I am continuously receiving positive comments about them from their teachers. Liliana has come out of her shell a little more and is looking forward to Kindergarten next year. Hard to believe how quickly the time goes by. Here are the highlights from the end of the year-it's been a great year, and I am so thankful for my wonderful family (both near and far) to share it with!

Lily grew to love soccer (after the first game where she told us she hated it and wanted to quit), and she actually did pretty well for her first season ever! She's ready for next season already!

Opening presents-she's 5!

Lily turned 5 this year, and we celebrated with Chuck E. Cheese. (Who has an enormous head!). Lily loved Chuck E....from a distance. Close up, she didn't care for him too much. She must take after her Mom! :)

Her birthday consisted of all things "Frozen". She is crazy about that movie, and Elsa is her favorite character. She is still trying to convince me to let her dye her hair white like Elsa. Not happening!

Josh had a crazy soccer season this fall. He joined a team that played on Saturdays in Greenville against CESA (Carolina Elite Soccer Academy) and it was a U19 club team, which basically means that everyone playing was a lot older than Josh. It was a huge challenge for him, and at times he was very intimidated, but he learned so much this season. 

His lost most of his baby face....growing up so fast! He turns 13 next month!

This is a crazy picture because not once did Luis ever sit in this game during any soccer game. Mainly, he paces while the game is being play, praying for a victory for his kids. What a great soccer Dad! This must have been between games while he was taking a break! He loves to watch his kids play!

Intense during his game. Soccer runs deep in this family's blood!

Jonathan cheering on his big brother at the state tournament. Looking forward to playing on this team next year!

Josh getting ready to head the ball. 

I found a Mer-Man at the beach-and brought him home with me!

Stopped at Coligny Beach in Hilton Head after the tournament with some teammates. It was freezing!

 Aunt Mary Beth surprised him by coming.... 

...and so did the Montejos! It was a great weekend!

Outreach at Hinter's Park Apartments

At the end, he was asked by his coach to play on a U12 team (his age) in a tournament where they ended up being the runners up in the South Carolina State Recreation and Parks Association tournament in Hilton Head. They played 4 games on one Saturday, and he did fantastic! It was nice to see how far he has come in his skills.

One thing that I LOVE about where we live is that we get almost (almost) as pretty fall foliage as in New York. 

This game was played at 8AM and 30 degrees....yes, we are officially crazy soccer fanatics!

The Apple Festival in Hendersonville, NC. Kids had fun. Luis and I have now "been there, done that"...

Jonathan, Eli and Carson...Midnight Madness' Dream Team. They were so fun to watch because they pass extremely well and really use teamwork. They were the top scorers this season!

Josh and his buddy Josue. At the end of this season, Josue's family moved away. We were so sad to see him go, but amazed at the transformation we saw in him from the beginning of the season to the end. The love of Jesus touched these kids in our Outreach and Resources ministry at Redemption. 

Lily's first real hair cut. She looked so cute and grown up, but I missed her beautiful long hair. Good thing it will grow!

Luis and some of our Outreach kids. We had a blast sowing into these kids this season!

Our cat, Misty. Part cat, part spider, part monkey. She climbs the Christmas tree also, She's a mess, but we love her just the same!

Jonathan with Tina, our newest member of our Outreach team. She fell in love with this ministry the first time she came! We love her!

Lily with a couple of the kids that work in Outreach with us

Jonathan was recognized along with some other students at the District Office Monthly Meeting for achieving a perfect score on his Math portion of his PASS test (Standardized testing)

Does this surprise you that Jonathan picked ZANY for his word for Vocabulary Day? No, not us either. He came in first place in his grade! Such a comedian!