Mendez Family

Here is Ben getting excited about one of his new Christmas presents.









This next photo is all the family together. We all got to spend Christmas together this year and had a few events. This was taken at our house on boxing day after we had gone out for a walk in the woods and then had a big meal.










The final picture is of Ben doing some finger painting (and paint eating too) which is something he loves doing at the moment.

We had a very Christmassy day in mid December when we went in the morning to decorate some pottery to give as Christmas gifts. The lady had a studio in her own home and she helped us to choose some designs. These gifts were from Ben to his grandparents and great-grandmas so we had some plates with his footprints and mugs with his hand prints on. It was a really fun experience.
Then we went to see Santa in his grotto at Trosley Country park. Ben was a bit unsure but luckily Santa had his dog with him so that helped a bit.








In the evening we decorated the tree, the smallest one we have ever had. But we don't have a lot of room and Ben loves charging around and running through the house at full speed so we thought that a table top one would be best. He really enjoyed helping to decorate it.

Here are a few pics of Ben with his friend Jack. The first two were taken when we went to stay with the Higbys in Somerset and the last one is taken in Kent just after Christmas.

Some friends came to stay last week on their way through from Albania to Guatemala. They brought us as a gift a plate from Tirana that had a picture of the Albanian national hero, Skanderbeg. With a name like that I had to find out more about him. One of the stories connected with him really made me think. The story goes that on his death bed he gathered his commanders and Albanian nobles, with a last lesson. He called his son Gjon to bring a bunch of arrows and gave the bunch to his strongest worrior to break. The warrior couldn't break them. So Skanderbeg gave them back to Gjon and told him to break them. The child broke them one at a time. At this time he said to his friends, "the arrows represent you, if you are united you are strong, and if you are alone you are weak."

I thought that there is a good lesson in that for all of us. Of course there are many tales and proverbs along those lines - the verse from Ecclesiastes 4 v 12 springs to mind 'A cord of three strands is not quickly broken'. It is such a simple truth yet easily forgotten. How often I find myself struggling away with something on my own without just asking for some help.

Last summer in about June or July after a lot of deliberating and hesitation I opened a Facebook account. I wasn't very keen on the idea as I found it annoying to keep getting emails inviting me to join and I felt I was happy with emailing and having this blog etc. Anyway it soon became something I enjoyed using to keep in touch with people and reconnect with people.

Omar (who does not have a Facebook account), walking past the computer one day made his prediction that I would soon 'abandon' the blog in favour of Facebook. I strongly denied that this would happen at first but today - realising that I haven't updated since October - I must confess that perhaps I have let updating the blog slip somewhat.

However, in my defence I did start working an extra day each week in November and this co-incides with the lack of blog posting.

Reflecting on the both the blog and facebook I have decided to make more of an effort to keep the blog up. Lots of reasons for this. Firstly it provides something that facebook doesn't in that it is a record, almost a diary of the last couple of years - and particularly spccial memories since Ben was born. It is really nice to be able to click back and see what we were doing last year. Secondly I know that there are people out there who like to keep in touch but don't 'do' facebook and it is nice to know that those people enjoy hearing our news. Finally, although I don't do this much, on a blog you can share your thoughts or opinons much more openly and easily than on facebook. I love reading people's blogs where they put a lot of thoughts and writing. Love photos too but that is going to be another resolution of mine to blog more in writing. Starting today.

So I share these thoughts here on the blog so I can be held accountable lest I slip again into having a dated old blog. Will post again soon with some highlights of the Christmas season photos.

Ben is doing very well by the way. Today he amused me by pointing at a barking dog and saying 'doggie singing' - ahh how cute. He has also taken to telling me that things eg hairdryer, loud truck etc are 'noising'. He is getting very savy at knowing to speak Spanish to Omar and English to me and will sometimes address us in turn saying 'more, mas, more, mas' just in case one of us doesn't understand what he is getting at.

Ahh - lots of fun and games to come in the speaking department I think!

Would be interested to hear if anyone has any thoughts on the blog/facebook thing anyway!!