Boo at the Zoo

At our local zoo they hold a candy/fall festival each year. Local vendors pass out candy and the kids get to see all of the animals. It was our first time (and probably our last). There were over 6,000 people there...needless to say it was crazy. The kids had fun but after about 45 minutes of waiting in candy lines we were ready to hit the road! Lauren was an angel (Amanda B. do you recognize the wings and halo? I beleive you had the matching set!!), Hailey was a butterfly and Kevin had plans to be a pirate but it was too hot. Kevin did come but he was in the stroller eating candy...

Pumpkin Carving

Obviously I'm still playing catch up! A few weeks ago we got a large pumpkin. The kids were looking forward to getting out the seeds and Matt and I were looking forward to eating them. The girls had so fun fun. However, Kevin didn't like the slime and kept proclaiming "it dirty"! Here are some pics from the day...

Random acts of craziness AKA the Coelho kids

There are always a bunch of random pics that don't "fit" with my other posts. Enjoy!

My kids will say they are NOT tickelish...But thses pics prove otherwise

The little ones get to enjoy 1 movie per day...here they are "in the zone"!! Lauren loves to swim. She is on the city wide swim team and recently had her first swim meet. It was awesome (I'll post it later). Here is her competition suit.

Cutie Pie!!

Awww, LaFawnDuh (we call her LaLa) is actually a boy. However we didn't find this out until we got her fixed. The kids had already named her and gotten used to calling him a her. So we still call him a her...very confusing, I know. She is a beautiful siamese cat and loves our family. We are still trying to find a way to take her with us...if not Bonnie will "watch" her while we are gone.

Kevin and Hailey started school (just 1 day a week). I am able to clean houses during that time. Kevin has started talking more and loves hanging out in a classroom full of boys!

Relaxing on the patio

He would not participate in carving pumpkins...he didn't like the slime!!

Here I am drinking from the girls princess cup....

...and here is LC "drinking" from a large princess cup!!

Hailey has a quiet and mysterious personality. It has been so fun spending more time with her (while LC is at school).

Stay tune for Part 2!!

Jackson Skate Night

Lauren could not be happier with school. She loves her teacher (and her teacher loves the Lord) and has so many new friends. This year she is not the youngest and she is enjoying the perks of following rules and it's rewards. There was recently a skate party for her school and the whole family was invited. Amazingly we ALL were able to skate (even Kevin)!! This was the first time one of us did not have to "sit out" and watch the baby...amazing. Although some were more successful, we all had a great time. Here are some pics of us at the skating place and Lauren and her Teacher.

Well Fed!!

While visiting my sister's home in California I came upon this picture. It was posted on the fridge (I'm sure at some point her daughter will be the one to take it down). I laughed at the sight of it. I had seen this picture many times before but I guess after being gone for over a year I saw it in a different light. My neice is now 8 (you can see her in my previous post) and I am happy to say she is a beautiful young lady...

...this picture has not been doctored in any way.

From what I can tell she was only 4-5 months in this pic!!! I must say, I am so proud of my sister. She has grown so much in the last 8 years as a mom. It has changed her in every way and her children are blessed by her love and hard work. Love you Kristen!!... okay now get back to work!!!

Trip back to my home land (er ...town)

As some of you know my Pop (grandfather) passed away about a month ago. I was blessed to go back to California to attend his grave side service and spend some time with family. Here are a few pictures from my trip ...

This was the first night. I had so much fun reading books and enjoyed lots of cuddle time with my neice(8) and nephew(5) (my twin sisters children).

Isn't she gorgeous?!!

Right after I landed in SLO My sister and the kids went shopping downtown. It was almost time for Farmer's and we ran into a guy and his snake. I asked to touch it, then he let me hold it...it was amazing! I think Mitchell looks a lot like Kevin....

Here is a pic of me and my siblings.

From left Rebecca, Mia, Billy and Kristen

It's that time of year

As I think back, going to the pumpkin patch was so much fun. Warm cider, a haunted house, corn mazes, wooden cut outs painted so when you stuck your head in you appeared to be a monster and best of all finding the "perfect" pumpkin. Sadly, these days upon arriving at the pumpkin patch you realize it's not really a "patch" at all. Instead it's a parking lot or front lawn covered in pumkin's that came from who know's where. I don't mean to be a downer, but I definatlty miss the experiance of going to an actual farm (surprisingly in California they still have thse, just not here in Texas).

However the kids don't know any better and we all had a great time!! There was a tractor they could climb on, a hay ride and we were able to support a good cause...

A Blustery Day ( I think)

It felt as though I was in a Winnie the pooh story. Picturesque skies and autumn leaves falling from full trees. Now that Lauren is in school all day she comes home and her sister tells her about our day. Normally Lauren is unmoved by our events while she is away. However last week she was sad she had not gone to the zoo with us. So the following day we picked her up from school and headed back to the zoo (thankfully we have a family membership). We stopped at Sonic and picked up drinks on the way. It was so nice outside, although it was very windy. Here are some pics of our day...

Quick update...

It's been a while since I posted anything. I'm just going to update everyone on what is going on with us...

On the IMB front things are still going smoothly. Athough it turns out that the e-mail that said our whole family had received medical clearance was a mistake. Matt and Hailey have. However, myself, Lauren and Kevin are still waiting. Lauren has to get blood work done, again. She is not a fan at all and she is so strong it's hard to get done. Also please pray for Matt and I as we continue to complete all things related to mission work. We know that God is calling us to do this but it's easy to get discouraged when you are still unsure of medical clearances and other complications. We are eagerly waiting on God's perfect timing!

I also went ahead and starting preparing to start cleaning houses. It's been going great. I already have one client (which is great considering I only placed 1 flyer in 1 place and it only stayed there for a few hours before it was taken down). I cleaned my first home on Thursday and I was amzed by how relaxing it was. I was able to work quickly while listening to praise music. It took about 2 hours and I had the rest of the afternoon to get my own house work finished before picking up the kids at school. Now that I have 1 home under my belt I feel ready to go for it!! So, this week I am going to really start promoting and telling people about my new venture... Here are some recent pics. We were just relaxing outside waiting for Matt to get home. I am so blessed with cute kids (and yes I know, I'm totally biased)!!

Lord, I pray that as our family continues through the process of applying with the IMB that You would continue to direct our steps. I pray that we would trust you in everything and that we would not be fooled by the enemies attacks. I pray that you would continue to confirm your call on our lives. I pray for our children as they go through their days that they would see Christ in us and they would place their trust in Him. Thank you for all that you have sacrificed for us and all that you have blessed us with. May we continue to give it ALL to you. In Christ's Holy name, Amen.