Our Team

OK so this was our team going to Morocco. First you have my mom Mary Ann, then Liz, Amy, Kaitlyn, myself, Aaron, and of course little Mackenzie. We all got along so well on this trip, it was amazing really... no fighting... no hair pulling... even the kids got along well! :-) It was sad to leave Liz and Amy in Texes, we miss them. Kaitlyn is still asking me where they are, and I have to keep explaining why we can't just drive to their houses to see tham. Liz lives in Indiana, and Amy in Kentucky so obviously, it's only a 10 or 15min drive like everyone else she knows. Hopefully one day not to far in the furture they will be able to fly out here and we can show them the wonderful things Southern California has to offer them... like Disneyland... and the Pasific Ocean.. and of couse Flipside!

Villages outside Izmourren

This is the same site that Aaron was at last year. This is the "Community Center." Last year there was only one story and no roof yet... very exciting to see the progress!

The FOR on the Building stands for Friends Of the Rif (pronounced reef-i). It is wired for electricity just not hooked up yet, it is also ready to be hooked up to a septic-tank and have running water. This will service as a house upstairs for one of the Long Term workers and a believing Moroccen family, the downstairs will be a "community center" where they will also hold classes on a marid of topics, ranging from hygine to language learning.

This building is a barn that holds sheep, chickens, and rabbits. Aaron helpped lay the foundation for this last year. This allows them to keep and care for a large number of animals.

Kaitlyn standing next to a baby olive tree. They planted 200 olive trees on this property and in 3 years time they will bring in $30,000 USD worth of profit for them! This is amazing.

This is a cistern that will collect rain water and allow them to use it

This is a photo of how the local village people have been living the past 3 years since the earthquake. A lot of people died because the houses were structually unsound, so they have been fearful of rebuilding.

Here is a picture of a house currently being built by the organization. So far they have built, I think, around 70-75 homes in 3 differant villages. They are now starting to work in a 4th village. It is simply amazing the differance in quality of life they are supply for these family's.

We are home! (Too much traveling in too short a time)

Traveling with children is a challege..... hahahahhaha.......

The kids were actually very good, it was just amazingly impossible to lugg all of our luggage and hold kids and car seats while trying to run to catch our next flight.

Our flights to and from Dallas were the only ones where we sat together, we always had to ask people to move so that Kaitlyn didn't sit by herself... on our way there from Dallas to Chicago, we sat on the plane for an hour before we took off, and then were in a holding pattern waiting to land for a half hour....so by the time we landed and got off the plane we had to RUN through the terminal before our flight to Madrid took off without us...we were the last people on the plane, they even started taxiing before we took our seats! Needless to say we are glad we packed clothing in our carry-ons because it took a day before we got our luggage.

It took three days for the kids to adjust from Jet Lag...that was fun.... they did really well in the car rides to Izmourren(2hrs) and Fez(5hrs) and back, praise the LORD!

Flying back was worse then getting there.... Kaitlyn got sick as we landed in Miami (3 times) so we ran out of clothes and had to get her one of those "some who loves me went to Miami and got me this shirt" and I needed a new shirt...you did not want to have to sit next me after Kaitlyn threw-up on me either..... and then...

....on the 19th... Mackenzie took her first steps!!!!!!!...(then later got hurt really bad by a door incedent and was crying so much she threw-up right down my shirt.....gross!!!)

So......note to self so much traveling in too short a time.....not the best for kids. :-)

See below for some great pictures of the kiddos sleeping while traveling!

Mackenzie asleep in the wonderful lifesaver of a backback that the Smarts let us barrow! (Thanks!) This was on the beach in Melilla.

The kiddos asleep on the mattress in our room in Izmourren, Morocco

Kaitlyn fell asleep on a chair in a resturant our first night in Melilla (we stayed there for 2 nights before driving to Izmouren)

Kailyn asleep on the plane from Madrid to Miami... on the floor.

Mackenzie asleep on the Plane from Madrid to Miami in this really cool bassenet... very handy!