Ellen Rosenberger

I should qualify that: " Nice, clean, and new playgrounds in Nicaragua?" Yes, believe it or not, a new park just opened downtown Managua!  Not only does it have very nice plastic playgrounds for kids, it also has newly done basketball courts, soccer fields, tennis courts, bathrooms, and concession stands. David and I checked it out with our neighbor Lauren and her 1 year old, Noah.  We were impressed by the cleanliness and the trash cans everywhere.  Hopefully the city can maintain this free public park as clean as it is now. The boys had a great time climbing all over the structure and "playing together". Lauren and I concluded that all we need now is a splash park in Managua! :)  Ha ha.

Am I cute or what? I just learned to walk the day before pictures! And boy, do I love it! I still like to crawl sometimes. Mom says I'm a big brother.... ...whatever that means. My mom's friend, Bethany, took these pictures of me.  She did a great job even when I was walking all around! Ms. Bethany took my pictures when I was only three days old!  And when I was one month, three months, six months, and nine months old.  Wow, I'm a big boy now!  Thanks, Ms. Bethany!  You make my mommy and daddy proud and happy with all these beautiful pictures!

*Note: even though my 30th birthday was on July 24th, I decided to still post this blog though it is a bit outdated. This year I turned the big 30!  I found myself thinking and saying the typical things like "I'm going to be so old!"  It wasn't until the day before my birthday that I really knew God was telling me to change my attitude.  Instead of complaining about growing older, I felt prompted to praise Him for the many, many blessings He has poured into my life time and time again over the past 30 years. So, I began making a list of 1 blessing or 1 highlight for every year of my life.  It was such a good time of reflection and praise.  God is so good and we so easily forget it.  I wasn't trying to be ungrateful or complaining.  Where do we get that attitude?  I realized that if I don't fight against it with praise and thankfulness, that attitude of ungratefulness will slowly creep in.  How thankful I am that we have a God who teaches ...

On July 13th, we celebrated our little boy's first birthday!  Doesn't David look thrilled in this picture???  I woke up that morning thinking, "Wow, we're moving into boyhood quickly from here."  It was fun to celebrate, and yet bittersweet at the same time, realizing that my baby is and will continue to grow up. Luke and I were so thankful to be with family for David's birthday.  We had a simple party of pizza and cake (oh, and icecream!)  Of course, we had to do a sports theme.  Thank you, Walmart clearance aisle!  The best part was that David got to be with all of his six cousins, all boys! Happy 1st birthday, David Luke! Cousins, born about a month apart. Thankful that David loves books! Ok, mom, party's over!