The Maurer Update: 07/01/2006

Quick update on us....

It has been a while sice I have written...here are a few blurbs on us!

Life is very good here. We are staying busy with all sorts of things!

Jon is taking taking the summer off from classes, but just went on a trip to Mexico (leading a team of youth). He leaves for Venezuela on the 22 for ten days (another trip he is leading). A week after returning from that we take the youth to camp for a week. Needless to say, between all the travel and many hours at church he is keeping very busy. On top of that, he is selling books and spending time with us!

I am having a lot of fun with my two over energetic boys (Judah is 3 now and Creed is 16 months). I also babysit 2 other little girls ages 3 and 1.5 two times a week. On THursdays I clean a house to make some extra money as well. We also have become community coordinators in on school campus which means 10 hours a week assimilating people into our comunity life (we are in charge of two floors in our apartment complex). We plan activities and welcome new residents and do a lot of administrational things for school...this gives us a small rent credit. It is a lot of fun!

We also moved recently to the new complex that went up here on campus. It is so wonderful compared to where we were. We now have a dishwasher and laundry right in our apartment--this makes it more like a home. Very convenient with 2 small kids. Not to mention that the kids room is large enough to be a playroom too! Wonderful!

Judah is 3 and very busy. He talks a lot and loves Bob the Builder and the movie Cars that just came out. He is very tall for his age (everyone thinks that he is a least 4). He is a good listener and loves one on one time--he does much better in a smaller crowd--not because he is shy, but he needs the extra attention to focus. :>) (What three year old doesent?) He has a very tender heart and he loves being with his brother.

Creed is a ham. He is constantly doing funny things and attempting to follow Judah in whatever he is doing. He is blond with blue eyes. He is cutting a lot of teeth and has had a fever for about a week now. (Poor guy). He is very determined and if he does not get his way or the attention he needs he does not hesitate to throw a tantrum or scream REALLY loud. We are working on containing that. :>) He is mischeiveious and I am always finding him on top of the kitchen table or stuck somewhere he doesn't belong. Overall a very happy baby!

Life is great, but we are in a hard season of constant going. It is hard to stop to call people or even email as often as I would like because our daily lives are so overwhelmed trying to get through school and enjoy it along the way! Jon will graduate in the spring of 2007. Hopefully life will slow a bit, but I am not counting on it! :>)

That is us in a nutshell. Peace out.

Farewell to Sara and Mayumi

This is a hard week for the Maurer's. My little friend and big helper is moving back to Japan on Thursday. Judah does not quite understand that she will not be around to play and Creed won't remember unless he see's pictures. Sara has been a big part of our experience in Pasadena. Her mother, Mayumi, is a good friend to me and a WONDERFUL blessing! She and Sara OFTEN babysat for Jon and I so that we could get a date in!

We have told Sara to come back and study in the US. He mother says that she is American up to her neck and only Japanese to the top of her head. She came to the U.S. at a critical age and yet she will do great adjusting back to her homeland. As for us, it will be lonly without them and they will be thought of everyother (if not every)day considering that is how much time we spent together.

The following photos are our last day with Sara and Uncle Paul took her and Judah to Kidspace Museum to celebrate our friendship. Enjoy.

Thank you Mayumi and Sara! Your relationship with us is priceless!