Caterpillar News

As you can tell...I LOVE these kids.  I am so blessed to continue to have a job that fills me with Joy!  Yes working with preschoolers has its daily ups and downs, but kids are so resilient and for the most part flexible.  I learn so much from them.  We had a great time celebrating St. Patrick's Day and Easter in the classroom.  Now that Spring has come to Seattle, we have enjoyed going on nature walks around the neighborhood, and learning about frogs, farms, boats and ladybugs!

Ready for our St. Patrick's Day Concert...gotta love the Leprechaun Hats (and Savanna's wig)!

Frog week: hanging is a sequence project on the life cycle of frogs.

Dying Eggs for Easter

Our beans we planted in class our beginning to sprout!

For farm week we made footprint tractors... how cute are those?!

Beauty of Spring

I love new spring blossoms, they give me HOPE that our long winter is finally over.

Colored Chicks?

One of the fascinating things I saw while I was in Honduras was colored chicks!  It must be a cultural thing for so many families had them running around their homes.  Unfortunately they remain the biggest mystery to me...why and how they do it?  Our only guess was that they must dip them in dye somehow right after they are born?  Cruel perhaps but it doesn't seem to have harmed them.  They sure looked cool and made for some fun photos.

Capturing Beauty

What I love about taking pictures is finding beauty in simple surroundings.  Capturing ordinary objects though a lens, focusing on color, form and composition.  These are some pictures I took in Honduras.

Family Fun in Honduras

On March 17th-25th I had the amazing opportunity to travel to the country of Honduras with 12 family members.  The trip was led by my uncle Bart Brynestad through the nonprofit Agros (go to link if you want to read more).  The majority of our time was spent in the village of La Piedra de Horeb, supporting and encouraging farmers and their families.  Each morning started off with praying together and sharing stories of hope.  In the afternoons we would help with work projects, play with children and visit their homes.  One day I had the opportunity to teach at the rural school and another afternoon we taught crafts to the women. I took over 350 pictures during my trip, but just choose a few of my favorites to give you an idea of the experience.

Visiting the village of Bella Vista in the mountains for a tour and lunch:

 (Going to view the Plantain Crops)

 (Instant friends even though I spoke no Spanish!)

 (Simple homes, generally made out of mud and wood)

(One of our many yummy lunches!)

(So fun to travel with my parents)

(My aunt Jan from Seattle, who was my roommate - loved getting time with her in a new culture)

Visiting the local school:

Our days at La Piedra de Horeb:

 (Arriving to the village, we had a celebration with all the families)

 (Sweet deaf girl helping with the family cows)

 (Washing dishes, a universal chore)

 (Touring the families homes)

 (Games and chats with the many kids)

 (Sweet Louis, he loved following us everywhere)

 (One of the farmers, Antonio, and his family)

 (Sharing my work gloves)

 (Enjoying a rest in the shade, Aunt Jane & Uncle Paul)

(Helping to clear a path to make a road with my cousin Barty's fiancee Ellie)

Craft time with the women and children:

Goodbye Honduras, I will remember you with joy.