Chiquimula

Stephen left on Monday for his first out of town research trip. The kids and I did a great job holding down the fort for the three days he was gone. Well...I should say that Leyda and I did a great job holding down the fort while he was gone. I don't talk about it much because it sounds so spoildy-bratty, but I have help with child care and cleaning five days a week for about 6 to 7 hours a day.
Stephen was in a town called Chiquimula (fun word, huh?) primarily to interview a prominent evangelical named Edgar who runs a Christian radio station and who also is a bit of an ammateur historian. While in Chiquimula (how fast can you say it?), he stayed with a family from Edgar's church. The family was very hospitable and even served Stephen every meal while he was there. My favorite story from his trip:

One evening at the dinner table, Daniel, the three year old, was asked to pray.
"No," Daniel says, "I don't want to pray" (but in Spanish, of course, so picture it with me...).
"What?" his family asked. "Why not?
"Because," Daniel responds, "I want to pray to a saint."
That right there will make about any Guatemalan evangelical's heart stop.
Gasp! "Que?!" "Daniel!"
Little three year old Daniel was about to get an important theological lesson until...
"No, mom and dad," he says, "I don't want to pray to God. I want to pray to a 'santa'....Santa Claus!"

Our Little Angel

Sam's starred in his school's nativity last Thursday as the Angel Gabriel. I had a fun time creating the costume and, as I did, I realized why he was cast as the Angel. Do you?
We're so proud of Sam and all that he accomplished at his new school this past month. LOVE him!

Ruth Noel

Why Ruthie is the most amazing baby/daughter/little girl/joy of my life.

Ruth Noel has grown and changed so much during our three and a half months here in Guatemala. She is pure joy and I thought it would be nice to share some things about Ruth that I think are great.

• Ruth can dance. She was born to move and it’s always so fun to watch. I play music everyday just so I can see how she reacts. She doesn’t just bounce up and down to the music, but she moves her feet – back and forth and left and right – and almost always to the beat.
• Ruth is so polite! I’m not kidding. Ruth is doing an amazing job with her communication (baby signs and new words everyday) and she is especially kind when playing with others. I rarely see her grab a toy from her brother; instead she points to what she would like and says, “Please, please, please.” It’s so darn cute she could point to the moon and say, “Please, please, please” and I would try my darndest to go get it. She’s also really great at saying “Thank you.” I have witnessed several times Ruthie trying to get Sam to say thank you after she’s given him a toy. Brothers! Will they learn?

• Ruth’s appetite is amazing. Ruth has this great, big, jolly belly that’s she’s rightfully earned by her fantastic eating. Just a few mornings ago she alone at an entire orange, a cup of yogurt and two pancakes. She loves food and I love watching her eat. At only 17 months old, she handles her fork like a pro and self-feeds beautifully.

• Ruth is creative. I know it has a lot to do with having an older brother to mimic, but Ruth loves to pretend. At first I thought she was way too young to really understand her imaginative play and was merely copying whatever Sam was doing. I’m not so convinced anymore. Just yesterday Sam was playing restaurant and Ruth decided to pretend like she was carrying a try of food, served the food, and walked back to “cook” more. She also likes to pretend to feed and rock her baby doll. Most recently, she acquired a set of fairy wings and a wand and likes to go around the house, touch her wand to things, and say, “Bing.” (OK, that last one was prompted a bit, but she continued it all on her own. J )
• Ruth has unbelievable comprehension. Daily I am surprised by what she overhears and understands – in both languages. She responds to directives (e.g. put your shoes away, go give Daddy a kiss, tell brother night-night, etc.), but she will also occasionally respond appropriately when she overhears a conversation. Last night we asked Sam if he would like a candy or chocolate for his dessert (not even thinking Ruth was paying attention as she sat and ate in her high chair) and all of a sudden Ruth shouts, “Cocat!”

• Ruth is happy. Really, joyfully happy. She teaches me everyday

For these reasons and so many more Ruth is the most amazing baby/daughter/little girl/joy of my life. As her Daddy said recently, “Life is good when you’re Ruth Dove.”