Snow

Good morning!

The first thing I heard when I woke up this morning was, "Mommy, there's a lot of snow outside!" When I looked I saw less than a centimetre but the kids were thrilled. My little girl said, "I'm so excited about the snow! My dream has come true!"

There was enough for her to make a snow angel but we're still hoping for more for a snowman. There isn't any more in the forecast right now though so his may have to do for a white Christmas. It's whiter than our last Christmas anyways!

Before we left, we were telling a little Dominican friend that there wasn't any snow yet where we were going. She said, "Just wait. On the 24th it will come." I guess she was right! Our Dominican friends will celebrate Christmas tonight with a big meal, new clothes, and visits to friends and family. We wish them and you a wonderful Christmas and ¡Feliz Navidad!

Merry Christmas!

Marcie Cooper

Cold

Hello from Canada!

It is the first day of winter and we are cold! My little monkey boy thought a sweatshirt would be enough to keep him warm outside even though he had bare feet. He told his sister, "I'm fine with the cold!" but quickly came back in and put on his socks, shoes, coat, and mittens.  After playing for a while he took them all off outside and stood by the door in short sleeves and barefoot again, wanting to come in. We had to teach him to come in first and then take off his warm things. We also had to let him know that we skate on ice, not snow, even though we haven't seen either one yet. We're still hoping!

Have a great day wherever you are, warm or cold!

Marcie Cooper

Packing

Hello!

I haven't had much time to write because we've been busy packing.

Our printer is broken so I didn't get to print off the advent sheets I wanted the kids to colour for "peace" on Sunday. They coloured the candle on their advent cake page but that was all. I can't believe that next Sunday is Christmas! It will be a busy week but I'm sure we'll enjoy it and I hope you will too!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Cookies and Sugarcane

Hello!

Christmas in our house means lots of cookies! 
My silly boy loves to help cut out sugar cookies. 

Sugar is made here although a lot more in other parts of the island. Have you seen sugarcane before? I had never seen it before moving here. This is what it looks like poking through our fence and ready to eat.

People love to bite pieces off and suck out the sugary syrup that is used to make sugar. It is yummy but probably not very good for them or their teeth!

Have a great day! Don't eat too much sugar and don't forget to brush your teeth!

Marcie Cooper

P.S. My Dad is a dentist so I have to say that. I've never had a cavity though!

Exams

Hello!

This week is exam week at school for my little girl. Can you imagine having to write exams in Grade 2?  She has to go for two hours every morning and write a big test. Monday was Spanish, Tuesday was Math, today was Social Studies and Bible, and tomorrow will be Science. Friday is the first day of Christmas holidays. Should I give her an exam in English?

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Joy

Hello!

I love the picture from ministry-to-children.com that my kids are going to colour today for advent.

The illustrator, Mandy Groce, explains that the kids in the back have lots of presents but don't have joy. The little girl in the front doesn't have as much but you can see the joy in her face.

True joy comes from Jesus. As you look forward to Christmas, focus on Him and celebrate His birthday with joy!

EnJOY your day and the rest of the Christmas season!

Marcie Cooper

Monkey Baby

Hello!


I think I have two little monkies instead of one. Just look at this little guy!

 On the chair

On the table

 On the couch

I can hardly keep up. The only way that I can write these messages is if he's asleep!


Have a great day!


Marcie Cooper


P.S. His Daddy thinks that he looks like a prisoner. What do you think? 

Counting the Days

Hello!

My kids can't wait to go and visit their grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins for Christmas. I can't either! They kept asking when we could go so we decided to make a paper chain to keep track.

My little girl cuts off the red chains and my little monkey boy cuts off the green ones. We're getting closer!

Whether you stay home or travel over the holidays, I hope that you enjoy them!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Advent

Hello!

Do you have an advent calendar or candles in your house? We can't buy advent calendars here and I didn't want to make anything fancy because we'll be traveling a lot over the holidays. So I printed these Happy Birthday Jesus pages for the kids to colour:

Each day we are colouring a circle to count down to Christmas.
Each Sunday we are colouring a candle for advent. We are also doing advent colouring pages from ministry-to-children.com.

Today we talked about how God loved us so much that He sent His Son to earth to make a way for us to go to heaven. That's what Christmas is all about!

There are only three more weeks before Christmas. Enjoy them!

Marcie Cooper

Pineapple

Hello!

Do you like pineapple? It is in season for us right now and we are enjoying it. Have you ever seen so many pineapples? They are stacked up to sell at the side of the road.

I didn't know how pineapples grew until I saw some plants. Look at how the pineapple grows up from the plant. It isn't ripe if it is still red like this.

My cousin taught me a trick to tell if a pineapple is sweet. Try to pull out one of the spiky leaves from the top. If it comes out easily, it should be sweet.

Have a great day and enjoy some pineapple!

Marcie Cooper

Puzzle Boy

Hello!

My little monkey boy is also a little puzzle boy. Or maybe I should say big puzzle boy!

His favourite activity lately is to have a "puzzle race" with anyone who will join him. It should be simple--whoever finishes the puzzle first wins--but if my little puzzle boy doesn't finish first he'll say, "You do that puzzle again!" Then if he finishes and you're still working he'll want to do his puzzle again. It takes a long time for the puzzle race to be over.  By then, everyone has won!

If you're bored, try doing a puzzle. Or, better yet, try your own puzzle race!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Spider!

Hi!

I do not like spiders!  My kids have a book with a fuzzy spider on the last page. I pretend to be scared and close the book. Over and over again, they bring me the book with that page open. I say, "No, I don't want to see the spider! Don't show me the spider!"

I can't believe that I took a picture of a spider. Do you want to see it? Did I tell you that I don't like to look at spiders? I'm trying to write enough so that the picture won't show on the computer screen unless you scroll down farther. This spider is the wildest spider that I have ever seen. It has a red head, a black back, and a bright yellow body with black spots. I have no idea what kind of spider it is. I would like to know so that I can find out if it is poisonous or not. Maybe by putting this picture here someone will tell me. Are you ready? Here it is:

I hope that you will have a great day without seeing any more spiders--unless you want to!

Marcie Cooper

American Thanksgiving

Happy American Thanksgiving!

It is not a holiday in the Dominican Republic but we had a group here from the United States that did a special program with the kids in our school.

They did lessons and crafts about being thankful and had a special dinner. Later, they made a turkey dinner for the staff and teachers and their families. It was yummy!

It's late. I hope you've had a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Rice Krispy Treats

Hello!

Today I made rice krispy squares. Some people call them Rice Krispies Treats. They are definitely a treat for us because this is the only time that I have ever found Rice Krispies (although it was a different brand) in the Dominican Republic. Big marshmallows are easy to find but I don't buy them very often because my little monkey gets into them and eats way too many. He thinks that the rice krispy squares are too sticky but the rest of us are enjoying them. We are having a good day. I hope that you are too!

Marcie Cooper

John 3:16

Hello!


My little girl is memorizing John 3:16 in English and in Spanish.  Do you know it? It says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."  


Do you want to try it in Spanish? It says, "Porque de tal manera amó Dios al mundo, que ha dado a su Hijo unigénito, para que todo aquel que en él cree, no se pierda, mas tenga vida eterna."


People have had Bibles in English and Spanish for a long time but in some parts of the world this verse is still being translated into new languages. We want everyone to know that God sent His son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins and that if we believe in Him we can go to heaven someday.

Are you ready for that day? I hope so!

Marcie Cooper

Mice

Hello!

There's a mouse in my house!

No. Wait. There are two mice in my house!

I am glad that they are not real mice. We have caught enough of those in this house (and ants, spiders, mosquitoes and cockroaches) and I do not want to see any more!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Cardboard Boxes

Hello!

Have you ever built something out of a box? A big box? One of my little girl's favourite birthday presents last year was this cardboard box house. She lived in it for months.

A little while ago some friends gave us a big box from a new couch that they bought. Our kids decided to turn it into an airplane. See the controls?

It got turned upside-down by a little monkey boy and was almost a house. Windows on the roof looked like swiss cheese to my little girl so she and her brother decided to be mice and pop up through the holes.

Monkey-mouse boy is even saying "Cheese!" for the camera.

More about mice tomorrow.  Next time you have a big cardboard box, just see what you can create!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Questions about the Cross

Dear kids,

My three-year-old is always asking questions. Tonight his questions were about Jesus on the cross. Did it hurt Jesus on the cross? Why didn't he fall off? Did he stand? Why did he do that?Why did he come alive again? Why did he love us?

I must say that I have never thought about Jesus falling off of the cross. I guess I just remember that he had nails in his hands and feet that would hold him there. Yes, that would hurt! He bled and died to pay the price for our sins, the bad things that we think, say, and do. He loved us that much! He rose from the dead and is in heaven getting a place ready for those who believe in Him.  Do you believe?

It will be a great day when we can be with Him in heaven!

Marcie Cooper

Raking Leaves

Hello!

We just finished raking our leaves outside. My little monkey boy had fun jumping in them.

It is still warm here so the leaves on the trees are still all green. Only a few turn brown and fall down but they do that all year round. More fall down if it is windy or rainy. When we have lots of leaves in our yard my kids think it seems like fall. They are still wearing shorts though!

Have a fun day!

Marcie Cooper

Orphan Sunday

Hello!

Today is Orphan Sunday.  Christians and churches around the world are praying for orphans, children who do not have parents.

James 1:27 tells us to look after orphans. Here are a few pictures of children who live in our orphanage and attend our school.  Will you pray for them?

Thank you!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Time Change

Hello!

Did you remember to change your clocks?  Here in the Dominican Republic our time stays the same all year round.  We do not have to change our clocks.  My little girl is very excited to be learning to tell time.  She made a paper clock last week that looked like a face and even had brown hair like hers.  I should have taken a picture before she took it to school.

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Hallowe'en

Hello!

Here in the Dominican Republic people do not celebrate Hallowe'en. Kids do not dress up.  People do not give out candy. It is a normal day for us.

Whether you are celebrating Hallowe'en or not, I hope you have a good day!

Marcie Cooper

A Missionary?

Hi kids,

I met two new girls today.  They came to talk to me from the house next door to our team house.  The house is just around the corner from us and is a place where groups stay when they come to help our organization, Kids Alive International, for a week or two. The girls drew me a picture. Afterwards, my little girl asked, "Did you tell them about Jesus?" When I said no she said, "What?  Aren't you a missionary?"  I guess I have some work to do.

Do you know about Jesus?  Do you tell others about him?  He is the Saviour of the world!

Have a good day!

Marcie Cooper

My Baby

Hi Kids,

This is my baby. Isn't he cute?

He is almost not a baby anymore! He has three teeth and knows how to walk. He is playing with water bottles that we use because our water is not safe to drink here.

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Monkey Boy

Hi Kids,


I have a little boy that is a monkey. He climbs everything.  See?

He loves cookies and Cheerios. Can you guess his favourite number?

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

My Little Girl

Hi Kids,

My little girl is a girly girl. She loves to wear dresses and have tea parties.

She was in a wedding as the "noviacita" or little bride. She goes to school in Spanish and is in "Segundo" (Grade 2, Second Grade).  She also does homeschool in English. She likes art and writing and has a great imagination. Her hair is not really curly :)

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Power Out

Hi Kids,

Our power was out for most of the day yesterday. I was glad that it came back on before it got dark. We have a gas stove so we can cook without electricity. When we told a Dominican friend that most people in Canada have electric stoves she asked, "How do you cook when the power goes out?" We answered, "It usually doesn't!"  Here it happens a lot. One time I went to get my hair cut when there was no power. The hairdresser had to use a generator to run the hair dryer. I had to pay extra because of the gas that it used!

Have a great day and enjoy having power in your house!

Marcie Cooper

P.S.  Where I come from in Ontario, Canada we call power "hydro" because of hydroelectric power that we get from Niagara Falls.

Spanish Church

Hi Kids,

It is Sunday and our family will go to church today.  Our church is in Spanish because people in the Dominican Republic speak Spanish.  It is almost the same as in English.  We pray, sing, and listen to a sermon.  One thing that is different for us is that babies do not go to the nursery until the pastor preaches.  Sometimes they get wiggly but they will learn to sit still as they grow older.

Do you ever have trouble sitting still in church?  You can pray and ask God to help you.

Have a great day and enjoy going to church!

Marcie Cooper

Fall and Swimming

Hi Kids,

It is fall where we come from in Canada. I miss seeing the leaves change colours. I do not really like the cold weather though. Here in the Dominican Republic it is still very warm. My kids are going to go swimming outside this afternoon.

Do you like to swim?  Would you like to live in a place where it is warm all of the time?  Why or why not?

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Where is the Dominican Republic?

Hi Kids,


The Dominican Republic and Haiti share an island called Hispanola in the Caribbean Sea.  


Can you find Florida on a map?  It is at the bottom of the United States. If you go down (south) from Florida, you will see Cuba. If you go right (east) from Cuba you will see an island with Haiti on the left (west) and the Dominican Republic on the right (east). That's where we are!


Do you know that north is up at the top of a map?  I learned my directions by remembering "Never Eat Sour Watermelon" but my cousin told me to "Never Eat Soggy Worms!"


Have a great day!


Marcie Cooper

Canadian Thanksgiving

Hi Kids,


Today is Thanksgiving Day in Canada.  We will miss eating turkey with our families but will have a chicken dinner instead.  We have one Canadian friend here who will come over with her husband.  I made pumpkin pie too because it is my favourite.


I am thankful for my family, friends, and good food to eat.


Can you list three things that you are thankful for?

Happy Thanksgiving if you are from Canada!

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Give Thanks

Hi Kids,

Psalm 118 tells us, "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures (lasts) forever."

Thank God for His goodness today.

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Training Budgies

Hi Kids!


We are trying to train our budgies.  We have a book to help us know what to teach them.  This picture is of the girl budgie, Lucy.  She comes out of her cage, flies around, and sits on fingers. 

We are trying to teach the boy, Freddy, to talk.  He chirps a lot but doesn't say any real words yet.  I will let you know if he does.


Have a great day!


Marcie Cooper

Budgies

Hi Kids!

My kids got two birds from their little friend.  Her birds laid eggs and they hatched.  We got the baby birds.  They are budgies.  My kids like them a lot but they still wish they could have a puppy.

How about you?  Do you have a pet?

Have a great day!

Marcie Cooper

Calf

Hi Kids,


What do you see if you go for a walk where you live?  
Today I saw a man walking a calf on a leash in the middle of town. 
I wonder where they were going!

Have a great day!


Marcie Cooper

Be Glad

Hi Kids!


This is the day that the Lord has made.  
Let us rejoice and be glad in it!


Are you glad today?
Why or why not?

I am

Hi Kids!

I am Marcie Cooper

I am a wife.

I am a mom.

I am a teacher.

I am an author.

I am from Canada but I live in the Dominican Republic.

I am glad that you are reading Marcie's Messages!