Options

I have a habit of giving my kids options.
Do you want syrup all over the pancakes or on the side? Do you want to play in the living room or the garden? Would you like water or milk? Do you want to pick up your toys or get a time-out? You get the idea.
Sam usually takes the two options very seriously. He considers them, mulls them over, really thinks about which of the two options would be best. It's not uncommon that we have to say, "Sam. Answer."
"I'm thiiiinking," he'll reply.
The limited-option-method has worked like a charm since Sam was two years old. Now that Ruth is talking two year old, I find myself doing the same thing with her. Except with Ruth, it usually plays out a bit differently.
"Ruth, do you want syrup all over your pancakes or on the side?"
"Umm, white sugar."
"Ruth, do you want to play in the living room or the garden?"
"The park."
"Do you want water or milk?"
"Juice."
"Do you want to pick up your toys or get a time-out?"
"You pick them up, Mommy."
You get the idea.
You see, I understand Sam. For personalities like ours, two options are more than enough and already present a tough enough decision. And plus, we trust the rules and the limits. For Ruth, there are no limits and there is no box. And although it can frustrate me to no end, deep down I admire that about her personality already. She understands that in this life, there are way more than just two options.

Georgia Kate

I did it. We did it. I had a baby in a foreign country, in a foreign hospital, with foreign doctors, and everything went well. Praise be to God.

Before she came…

Exactly a week before Georgia's birth, I started having frequent, albeit irregular, contractions. My doctor did an exam, said I was already starting to dilate and predicted the baby would be born within the week.

My sweet mom changed her flight and arrived on Wednesday, November 2, all of us anticipating Georgia's arrival any moment. The very next day, I went in for another exam. I was still dilated and this time 100% effaced. The doctor said that if my water and labor didn't start before Saturday, he would help me get going and meet me at the hospital Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m.

She's coming…

Although contractions continued on Thursday and Friday (November 3 and 4), my water never broke. My mom with Samuel and Ruth on Saturday morning, Stephen and I left for the private hospital here in Antigua.



When we arrived the doctor confirmed that I was already nearly 4 cm and that the contractions the past day were doing their job. He broke my bag of waters around 8:20 a.m. and the labor continued to progress.

Stephen and I were by ourselves in a very comfortable, nice labor room. I wasn't hooked up to beeping machines or lots of needles, or confined in any way. This was very different from arriving at the hospital in the US! Between contractions, Stephen and I read, talked, and even played half a game of Scrabble. We joked about what a "calm" morning it was, just the two of us. I walked the halls, I lay down, I sat up, and I labored. After a Guatemalan hospital cafeteria lunch, the doctor checked me again. In those morning hours I had progressed to the magic number of nearly 7 cm and was ready for my beloved epidural.



Still coming…

So remember how calm the morning was? Well, come 2:00 pm., everything changed!! I was walking the halls when a nurse came up to me and asked me to get on a stretcher. She informed me that I was going to be moved to the delivery room and the anesthesiologist was there to start my epidural. I told her I was capable of walking and that the stretcher wasn't really necessary. But she insisted. Let's mark that as "very different and kinda weird thing #1."

As soon as I was wheeled into the delivery room, my husband disappeared. Literally. I had no idea where Stephen was and why he wasn't walking behind me. At first I started to laugh, thinking how funny it was that things were turning strange so fast. When Stephen still didn't show up a few minutes later, the laughter turned to tears. I realized I never had really asked about protocol for the husband in the delivery room and started to worry that he wouldn't be there. I was contracting and crying and laboring and getting more and more nervous. I kept asking about him and when he would be there. After about 20 minutes he finally shows up, dressed in hospital scrubs and a mask. I started to laugh again.

While I was getting set up in the delivery room, Stephen was forced to completely change his clothes and scrub in. Mark this now as "very different and kinda weird thing #2," considering that for both Sam and Ruth, I labored and delivered in the same room with Stephen wearing jeans and tennis shoes. But whatever, he was with me.

Then the epidural came and my body progressed pretty quickly to nearly 9 cm. The doctor said that happens when you give the epidural at the right time and your body relaxes for the home stretch.

But the thing is, even with the epidural, I was very aware of the labor. I knew exactly when each contraction was coming, how long they were, and even was aware of how intense they were. When I was close to 9 cm, I almost started feeling too much for my liking. If you know me, you know that I deal with pain by crying. Bring on 9 cm and the water works. I was bawling, I hurt. Apparently, I also forget how to speak Spanish when I'm nervous and hurting. I had no idea what anyone was saying.

Also, I haven't mentioned yet "very different and kinda weird thing #3." Once I was in the delivery room, the pediatrician, the anesthesiologist, and my obgyn never left my side. It was me, the three male doctors, my husband, and one female nurse always there. Looking at me. Watching me. Waiting for something to happen. Speaking a lot of Spanish I didn't understand. Stephen told me later that they were joking and talking and that I occasionally laughed a long with them. Really? I did?

Then my doctor said he needed to help me get to the home stretch. My guess is that I was tensing up so much towards the end that mind wasn't allowing my body to finish the job. Then, something went into an IV in my arm and it burrrnnned. Now I'm crying about my arm, begging for more epidural medicine, and not understanding a damned word anyone is saying.

She came!

And then she's on her way. All of a sudden I start to understand, "Now I'm going to count, 1, 2, 3, and then I want you to push." Did I speak Spanish again? Oh, no, that wasn't it. My obgyn was kind enough to start speaking to me in English. Stephen is holding my hand, telling me to breathe, telling me he sees her head, telling me she has hair. And then, she's here.



And she's huge, and she's beautiful, and she's perfect.



The pediatrician takes her right away, introduces her to me, says something about "besos" and then takes her off to check her out.



I tell Stephen to go with the baby, while I pass the placenta and take a breather. I feel so proud, and so happy, and so glad that I did it. We did it. I had a perfect, healthy baby in a foreign country, in a foreign hospital, with foreign doctors, and everything went well.



Praise be to God. Welcome to this world, Georgia Kate.

Just 3 Days

In just three days, we've had lots of new experiences.

On Friday, October 21, Sam started Karate classes.


He did great, but who knew you have to be flexible for Karate?

On Saturday, October 22, Ruth's nanny (and my right-hand woman) had a bridal shower…or bachelorette party…or a combination of the two, I'm not too sure. Ruth and I attended and had a blast. The party was really like nothing I have ever seen. It was this interesting mix of proper bridal shower etiquette mixed with really risqué bachelorette party-style games.


I mean, just check out abuela with the carrot between her legs. And this was only one of about seven games that made you laugh and feel uncomfortable for abuela all at the same time.


Yes, that's the "Banana Game." You can let your mind go there, because these ladies certainly did!


Ruth was a big help. :)

On Sunday, October 23, Sam had his official graduation from Guatemalan pre-kinder class. The two hour (two hour!!) ceremony included the handing out of diplomas and medals, video presentations, special class presentations, and singing.



My favorite part is that the students all sang songs in English. We've been hearing Sam practice his songs for weeks now and he always sings the English songs with a strong Spanish accent. "Meester sun, Meester sun, Meester Golen Sun…pease shine don on meee." Too funny!!

AND, this afternoon, my neighbors and several other women from the neighborhood surprised me with a baby shower! I felt so loved!



It's OK. You can say it (think it). I'm huge.


Ruth wanted to see how many squares of toilet paper her belly measured, too.


Here's some advice next time you're in Guatemala, pregnant, and having a baby shower: when Guatemalans tell you that it's tradition to take a bite out of the cake before they cut it, don't be as gullible as I was. This is just their way of saying, "Get your head really close to the cake so we can shove your face into it." Stephen thought I saw it coming, but I honestly was just that gullible. So much cake went up my nose my sinuses still feel funny.

What a fun weekend! I feel loved and blessed. And huge. And ready to have this baby. :)

I'll close with one of our favorite songs lately. Enjoy. We cut it short, so you can get the idea in less than 40 seconds.

October Happenings...So Far

The Baby

October ushered in my last full month of this pregnancy. I fluctuate between being so anxious for Georgia to be born and wanting to simply enjoy the last weeks before she arrives. The first weekend in October, we had a friend take some family portraits and belly shots to mark my final month of pregnancy – ever.





The Baby Shower

On October 8th I was given a shower hosted by friends at our church. Never would I have expected such generosity for baby #3! I was showered with both prayers and gifts.

Unfortunately, about a week before the event our camera stopped working. Fortunately, my friend snapped a few pictures with her i-phone.





The Atteberrys

From October 11 – 14th, my college roommate, Stephanie, and her family came to visit. I was so excited to see her and have our families hang out together.

Sam and Steph's daughter, Kaila, are a match made in Heaven. They played so well together the entire week – Sam mostly as Aladdin (despite the fact he didn't really know what that meant) and Kaila as Jasmine. They even got to bunk together in the living room at night on big palates. Kaila only got scared on the first night. After Sam reassured her that there was a night-light and he would take care of her, she did great!



Ruth and Steph's son, Stephen, are still working on their relationship. Stephen is super sweet and affectionate and for some reason Ruth didn't take too well to his hugs and attention. Ruth's most popular line from the week was, "That baby's touching me," said in a whiny voice. Oh, Ruth, one day she'll be sad she didn't get more of those sweet Stephen kisses!



Even though it rained nearly every minute they were here, we still were able to do a few fun, touristy things together – including a coffee tour, a trip to the market, a morning at McDonalds (trust me, this is a tourist attraction here), a traditional dance and tortilla making event with Guatemalan children, a nice dinner out, and lots of nice dinners in.



We were also able to capture these moments on camera because Steph and Kyle brought down our brand new Nikon DSLR we ordered off Amazon.

Thanks again, Steph, Kyle, Kaila, and Stephen for coming. We love you!

The Rain

It not only rained the entire time the Atteberrys visited but it hasn't stopped raining since. Guatemala basically has two seasons – dry and rainy – and each are about six months long. Compared to last year, this rainy season has been remarkably mild. For the past five months, we've been able to enjoy sunny mornings and only stay inside during a light afternoon or evening rain. The rainy season usually ends at the end of October and this year it has decided to go out with a bang. In the past ten days, there have been major flooding, road closures, and over 30 deaths in Guatemala.



Halloween?

While Guatemala celebrates their own version of Day of the Dead (with lots of gigantic kites as you may remember this from last year) - there really is no trick or treating or costume wearing. This year, however, we may have to have our own Dove celebration right here at home because Samuel somehow knows Halloween is in the air. Maybe Jasmine and Aladdin talked about it? ;) Either way, come October 31st Sam desperately wants to be Spiderman.

Celebrate All Month Long!

This September is a big month in Guatemala. September 11 is the presidential election (every four years), September 15 is Independence Day, and September 30th is "Dia de los Ninos."

Even though it's just three days on the calendar, Guatemalans will celebrate all...month...long.

The month-long celebrations spill over into the schools and Samuel's school is no exception.

Already this first week of September, we've had a special event every day. Take a walk with me through this week at Angel Gabriel, Sam's school.

Monday, September 5 - Art Day - Each student was told to bring an original work of art to school to participate in an art show. Sam submitted two original works of art. Can you tell which ones are his? Sometimes I think Stephen and I don't fully understand the private-school-Guatemalan culture and miss a beat or two. :)

Tuesday, September 6 - El Desfile (Parade) - I'm still not sure exactly what we were parading on Tuesday, but most all of the preschools in the city lined up to march the streets.

Unfortunately, Sam only made it through a few pictures and the line-up. We found out later that day that he had tonsilitis! He's a tough guy! Pregnant mommy wasn't too sad about missing the mile long walk with the preschoolers and her two-year old, who most surely would have insisted on being carried.

Wednesday, September 7 - Cake Decorating Contest - We missed this at school due to Sam's illness, but decided to carry on the fun at home...especially since we had already bought all the materials. Sam is quite the cake decorator, don't you think?

Thursday, September 8 - The Talent Show - By today (Thursday) Sam had almost three days of antibiotics, no fever, and was doing so much better that he decided to participate in the school wide Talent Show.

We had drummers....
We had clowns....and yes, those are fake boobs on a four-year old. :)

We had magicians....

And we had jumpers! Sam came up with the idea all by himself. He decided that he wanted to show everyone how well he can jump. Mom assisted by gradually adding blocks to impress the audience with how high he can jump.

Can he do it? Three block? YES!

And four blocks?!?! Oh, yes!! Congrats, Sam on a fantastic job in your first talent show.

Although Sam's act was my personal favorite, I don't think it was Sam's favorite. :) I'll close by telling you about Aranza.

Aranza is four years old. She's cute. She's smart. She's half-Guatemalan-half-Australian. I mean, how cool is that, right?

A few weeks ago, Sam comes home and tells me he really wants to buy Aranza a present.

"Why, Sam? Is it her birthday?"

"No, Mom. I just want to get her something. Like a Barbie or something."

"But why?"

"Mom, just because."

Today, Aranza was the opening act of the show. I recorded her act on video and Sam has watched it now approximately 15 times. And now, I share it with you. ;)

Icing on the cake

We work hard for the money. Well, when we work we work hard, but Stephen and I are both blessed beyond belief that our jobs are rewarding, but not all-consuming.

Me...

This past Monday I started my brand new, part-time online teaching position and after just a few days I am already really enjoying it. The class I'm teaching is beautifully designed. Students login, complete course projects/readings, and also complete units through the commercial language program Rosetta Stone. My job is to make sure the students are logging in and staying on task. I also help trouble shoot any issues that arise, grade assignments, and respond to student e-mails and phone calls. All of my students come from two rural school districts – one near Lubbock and one near Dallas – that don't necessarily have access to or funds for a certified in-class Spanish teacher. All of my students actually attend Spanish class as a period throughout the school day by going to a computer lab with a campus facilitator. This past week I've been in super close contact with the campus facilitators at both high schools who have been great resources and great hands-on help to my new students. My job is a unique mix of administrative work and teaching. I like it!

I've also had an unprecendented amount of translation contract jobs this month. I continue to work for the biological/adoptive family reunions and in the third week of August alone, I translated four different cases. I was also contacted recently by a non-profit agency here in Guatemala and did a written translation of a project report for them. The translation opportunities are like Wheaties for my brain and are (most) always interesting.

Stephen...

Yesterday, 15 students from the University of Texas arrived in Antigua to start their Fall semester study abroad program. Starting Monday, these 15 students will be staying in Guatemalan host homes and be taking Spanish classes, archeology classes, and history classes. I'm going to call Stephen the "associate teacher" for the history classes instead of the assistant teacher because Stephen will be leading a good portion of these classes by himself. The real professor of the history classes will come down to Guatemala twice this semester, but is leaving a lot of it up to my husband. It's exciting for him and great practice for what he'll be doing full time next year. As a teacher, it's also been cool to see him go through the lesson planning process and get excited about a new school year.

We attended a welcome dinner with the students last night. Maybe it's just steam still blowing off from my 30th birthday fire, but the students seem so young. I found myself thinking more about Sam studying abroad one day than I did thinking about my own experiences studying abroad 10 years ago. I was also privy to a conversation that went something like this:

Student 1: "Oh, I'll be celebrating a birthday while we're down here, too, in October."
Student 2: "Oh cool. What year were you born?
Student 1: "In '91."
Student 2: "Wow, you'll be 20 this year!"
Student 1: "I know. I'm already having a hard time with that. It feels so old."
Megan's brain: "Whaaaaaaaa? Born in the nineties?? Old? Whaaaaa?"

Stephen and I have great opportunities, have conversations daily with amazing people, get to live in a different country, read great books, and when we work hard, the money is just the icing on the cake.

Honkeys, Honies, and Hun

I don't always feel like I need a seatbelt for life, but this past month Stephen and I decided to strap one on. We both agree it was such a good idea to wear that we're about to tighten it for the upcoming months - just to be safe.

Here's a little description of our July seatbelt required ride:

* On the first Saturday in July, we celebrated Ruth's 2nd birthday. She's pretty darn cute, folks, and I wish a thousand wishes that you could see her and know her. Sometimes the young motherhood stage of life feels long and laborious (most days I think I'll really feel liberated when I'm no longer wiping anyone's butt or bathing anyone but myself), but the reality is these days are short-lived. Ruthie is talking up a storm. She is understandable by most, but likes to start the majority of her words with the "h" sound. Monkeys are "honkeys," she likes to have "hun" (instead of fun) and she's happy to tell you that she's going to be a big "hister." Even when the days feel long, I know that her honies (ponies) and honkeys will probably only live another six months or so. And then I know the time really is fast. Happy Birthday, sweet Ruth.



* On the second Saturday in July, we said goodbye to my dearest friend this past year in Antigua, Christina DeLeon, and her daughter, Elizabeth. Tina had been living in Guatemala for three years trying to legally adopt her daughter. We celebrated that her long adoptive journey was finally over with a lovely dinner party at my house. She's back home in Dallas, now, and it was bitter sweet to see her go.





* During the third week of July, my daddy came for a visit. This is the third trip he's made during this past year and we were so blessed to have him here again. The kids really have a relationship with him and it's special to see. Between the coffee tour, the zip-lining adventure, bike riding, swimming, and more, we kept busy and made some fun memories.



* On the third Saturday in July, Stephen and I hosted our very first small group through our church here in Antigua. One day I will sit and write a more specific update about our church experiences here because we no longer attend the super evangelical, Pentecostal church we attended the first few months of our time here. Since January, we have been attending a church called "La Vida Real." The church encourages small group attendance (since there is no Sunday morning Bible study for adults) and Stephen and I have felt moved in the past two months to start one at our home. We had anticipated a group of English speakers, but during the past two weeks of meeting, it has already taken a shape far beyond our expectations. Besides being conducted mostly in Spanish, we have been blessed to meet new people and start new relationships just by opening the door to our home.

* And speaking of our home, on the last Saturday in July, we moved! That's right, we packed our bags and moved...to a different block in our same neighborhood. On August 16th we will celebrate our first anniversary of living in Guatemala. Our rental contract expires then and we were interested in finding another rental in which the bedrooms were closer together. Although my Guatemalan friends have a hard time understanding, baby Georgia can't stay in my room too long after she's born and I was itching for a place where I didn't have to climb stairs in the middle of the night. A friend of mine in our neighborhood agreed to rent us her beautiful home for this coming year and we are so happy to be here. I didn't anticipate moving one block would be that difficult, but after the last toy and the last pair of socks were finally put in their place, I was pooped!

* Although we moved out of our "old" house this past week, it is still not unoccupied. Stephen's parents arrived on August 2 for a ten day stay and get have their room, heck their own house, across the block. We are now enjoying our time with them. Although it's been a while since the kids have seen them, Sam and Ruth have warmed right back up, enjoying cuddling, reading, and playing with Mimi and Granddaddy.

And yes, that's just the past five weeks! The metaphoric seatbelt has been nice security during all the activity.

Ahh, and mentioning activity, there's just one more story from this month I've got to share. On the last Monday of the month, Antigua celebrated Saint James, patron saint of the city, with a day off from school, lots of activities, and full fair grounds which included everything from a very precarious Ferris wheel, to bumper cars, to churros. Sam and Ruth decided to ride a helicopter ride that moved up and down as it spun. Before they loaded into the helicopter, we gave Sam a big speech about taking care of Ruth and comforting her if she were to get scared. About 30 seconds after the ride started, Ruth was smiling, raising her hands, and squealing with delight. And my son? Well, he was freaking out. I guess we gave the speech to the wrong person.

We tighten our seatbelt for the next three months as we anticipate my new job, Stephen's new job, Stephen's initial job application process for next year, our adjustment into a new house and the kids sharing a new room, and, you know, a new baby.

What the Hell??

Stephen and I both have lots of ideas. It's not uncommon for us to sit up at night and talk about the business we want to start, the book we want to write, the classes we want to teach, or the house we one day want to build (or buy).

Usually these ideas are left on the pillow next to us when we go to sleep and never wake up the next morning to do anything constructive.

Not this time!

Monday night I mentioned to Stephen that Kindle (the e-book) has a section on Amazon for "Kindle Shorts." Kindle Shorts are short essays or stories of any genre, fiction or non-fiction, and are no longer than 15 printed pages. I light heartedly mentioned that Stephen should write one. We started brainstorming and talking about what he could write (and I could edit, of course) and what our mission or goal would be if we "e-published" an essay.

The next morning, this idea decided to wake up with us and get to work. I'm proud to announce that my husband's first Kindle short will appear on Amazon tomorrow afternoon for 99 cents!!!

Details to come tomorrow afternoon about how link to and buy the article. If you're anxious tomorrow afternoon before we post the link, I'm sure you can just search "Stephen Dove" or "What the Hell is Going on with the Greek Financial Crisis" and you'll find it. What you CAN do right now is go on Facebook and like our new FB page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/What-the-Hell-Books/214435938591490?ref=ts&sk=wall

Wait. Did I just say "What the Hell is Going on with the Greek Financial Crisis?" Why yes I did. So here's the pitch. You're going to love it.

Stephen and I felt like many of us would really like to know more about world events and news. We may see pictures on Yahoo! when we log onto our e-mail or hear interesting tag lines when the TV is on. The thing is, if you're like me, all too often it takes too much energy and too much time to really understand "what the hell" is going on.

I happen to be married to man who knows a lot about what the hell is going on in the world and he does a darn good job of explaining it to me on a regular basis. So he took that gift of his that he shares with me regularly and put it on (electronic) paper.

His first essay is about the current financial crisis in Greece. It is entertaining, hilarious, and informative. I'm biased, I know, but I think you will agree. Please purchase it for 99 cents, Kindle friends, and you can see for yourself. Remember it's a "short," so it should take you no longer than 15 – 30 minutes to read.

Our prayer and hope is that this first article will catch some interest and encourage us to keep the essays coming. We had lots of fun collaborating with this one and we lots of more ideas to add. We just need support.

Yes, support!! So PLEASE, pretty please, purchase the essay. Even more, it would be wonderful if you would write a review on Amazon and tell us what you think. Our personal goal for this first article is to get 20 people to review the essay.

Our hope is that people will really take an interest in learning about current events this way. Our true prayer and hope is that through an essay like the one that will appear on Amazon tomorrow, people will come to understand more that we are all connected. This world is a small place and our actions ripple out to affect others. Other's actions ripple out to affect us. If we make our decisions well and our actions with love, we don't only change our own lives…but the world!

Hell

I have had the opportunity twice now to translate for adoptive/biological family reunions. You may remember my first experience in which I translated for the biological mother, Maria (see Maria, Maria – A Story of Poverty in my April blogs). After that meeting, I strongly believed that the daughter Maria gave up for adoption would have died, if not for the American adoptive parents. I walked away from the experience so encouraged and excited about the way adoption can change and save lives.

On May 23, I translated for another reunion. This experience was so drastically different from the first. I walked away confused, saddened, and mystified. During this particular meeting I had to translate to the American adoptive parents that their son was essentially kidnapped. The biological mother never wanted to give her son up for adoption and shared the heart-wrenching story about how she was extorted, threatened with her life, and literally robbed of her three-year-old son. She also shared that she felt so depressed after her son left that she often thought of committing suicide. What a terrible, hellish thing for this mom to have experienced.

American adoption from Guatemala has officially and legally been closed for three years because of cases too much like this. Lots of rumors have circulated in this country about “buscadores” (people who essentially went and “searched out” families and convinced them to give their children up) and about people who sold children for profit. Unfortunately, these particular rumors were all too true. In this second case I translated for, the child wasn’t saved, he was stolen.

The sad reality is that stories similar to this second case exist worldwide. American adoptive parents who cross international boundaries are also crossing languages, cultures, and world-views. These are big things to cross. In many cases, the trip across this divide is so wonderful and so worth it. In other cases, the trip is too dangerous and too hurtful to those on the other side. It’s sticky and complicated and confusing, isn’t it?

One of my favorite things as a teenager at Baptist Temple was being a part of the Genesis group. It was a cool 90s-style ministry pretty similar to the Happy Hands group on the movie Napoleon Dynamite. An image that forever sticks in my mind from one of our performances: At the start of the song, my friend Linzi was “captured” by the black-clothed demons that then enacted dragging her into hell. Linzi went out kicking and screaming – loudly. It was a powerful scene for me as a 16 year old and it always choked me up.

As an adult, I’ve come to realize that there are billions of people kicking and screaming – loudly, to get out of their hellish life right here on earth and it’s this hell on earth that people really need salvation from. It’s easy to be confused by the layers of problems and corruption we humans have created here on earth. But it’s my job – it’s our job and our calling – to help rescue the screaming victims from hell.

New Job

For the past year, I have been working with Wayland Baptist University translating academic, pastoral textbooks from English to Spanish. WBU has started a new pastoral certification program that is now offered in many sites accross Texas in both Spanish and English. I've been on a team that is helping to crank out the textbooks for the Spanish-only classes.

I have learned a TON. Not only have I improved my written Spanish dramatically in this past year, I also have techincally been through three seminary style classes. I also have worked with the nicest people at Wayland and have felt proud to be part of this ministry.

In February, I was contacted by a former principal of mine, who is now a Superintendent in west Texas, asking me about my interest in working as an online Spanish teacher. This past month I was officially hired and will now be transitioning to work for the Texas Virtual School Network in partnership with this particular west Texas school district.

Monday I started my official training course and in August I will make my debut as a part-time online teacher. I'm on a learning curve, but I have to say that I'm pretty excited about the job! It's crazy for me to think that I will be teaching students in west Texas even though I will (probably) never live in west Texas, and at least for another year, will be teaching them all the way from a different country. Technology is cool, huh? Now let's just hope my Guatemalan Internet connection consistently cooperates! :)

Baby Chapin

This entry is dedicated to Baby Dove #3. Since finding out about my pregnancy, I’ve blogged about field trips, hair cuts, Holy Week, translation jobs, and travel, but not much mention about our little Chapin. For all of the adventure in the past 3 ½ months, I assure you Baby #3 has been along for the ride

It’s not something I say just to be dramatic, although I do have a tendency for the dramatic at times, but this will truly be the last of our children to come from my body. I don’t deny the possibility of having more children, but I will not birth them, I promise.

The pregnancy has been very hard physically and emotionally. Physically, I have been extremely exhausted and have had near daily bouts of vomiting. The night before I left San Antonio to return “home,” I had a night of vomiting, following by a day of travel and lots of airplane vomiting, followed by another full day of vomiting when I thought surely it couldn’t go on. It did and yeah, that was hard.

Emotionally, I’ve (only kind of) joked that I’ve suffered from a bit of pre-partum depression instead of the more common, well-known post-partum depression. I really, really, want to be excited about this baby’s arrival, but most days I feel so overwhelmed by my physical condition and the demands of my oldest two children, that I can’t muster the joy I know is there.

But then, you see, we go for a sonogram. And we see his (or her) tiny little hands and cute little feet all curled up under his cute little butt. And I feel it – a hint of the excitement, a splash of the peace that all will be wonderful, a needed dose of that joy.



And then, the doc gives me some medicine for my vomiting and I’ve had two nights vomit free, hallelujah. And tonight Sam kept calling the chop-sticks at the restaurant pork-chops and Ruth kept copying whatever the waiter would say (“¿Algo más?” “Ago ma?”). And I remembered again that Stephen and I make darn cute kids. I’m excited we get to have the blessing of another.

Doves: May 9 - 15

The Girls…

In January my mom went in for a routine mammogram. In February, she had a biopsy and was diagnosed with ductile breast cancer. In March and April, we prayed and prepared as a family for what the journey might entail. On May 3rd, she had a full mastectomy and breast reconstruction. On May 12, all pathology reports came back clear and she was declared cancer free. Amen and amen.

Ruth and I were blessed to be in San Antonio the week my mom returned home from the hospital. Although I read about breast cancer, looked at pictures of what the reconstruction process was like, talked to my aunt, my mom, and my dad extensively about what would happen, I still was unsure about what to expect to see when we arrived in SA. The first moment I laid my eyes on my mom I truthfully told her, “Wow. You look beautifully normal.” I’m hoping she received it as the good compliment I meant, but I was so impressed that just six days post-major surgery, her face was bright, her skin was glowing, and she looked, well, beautifully normal.

It was nice to feel like I could serve and help her that week, since all my life she has been helping and serving me. She deserves the best care and my prayer was to provide even the smallest dose of TLC. She’s strong, courageous, and humble. I kept thinking all week that she should be complaining – hey, the woman has earned some complaining rights – but she never did.

Ruth was a trooper with the travel and the changes, but proved to be unfortunately fussy and super clingy to Mommy most of the week. I told my parents that she was acting like that all week so that they wouldn’t miss us too much when we left.

The Boys…

When we arrived back “home” (whenever I refer to Guatemala as “home,” I’ll always put that in quotes, since it’s hard to ever really consider a foreign land home), Stephen greeted me with a kiss and then said, “I’ll trade you a whiner for a why-er.” Apparently Samuel maximized his time with his dad by asking as many questions as possible in a one week time span. Hey, his dad is pretty darn smart, why not take advantage?

Stephen and Sam had the ultimate “boy week” while we were gone. Just minutes after we left on our departing flight out of Guatemala, Stephen and Sam lived it up at Chuck-E-Cheese and rode the indoor roller coaster not once, but twice. I’m glad they were able to have such a diversion so quickly after we left because Sam lost it at the airport when we had to say our good-byes.

“What? I really can’t go?” he cries.

“Sam, we’ve talked about this. We’re having a boy week and a girl week. Ruth and Mommy are going to help Nana. You’ll stay with Daddy.”

“Noooo,” he bawls, “I thought you were just joking. I really want to go!” Needless to say, while on the plane I started brainstorming ways to get that kid back to San Antonio before he turns five!

The next day, Stephen woke Samuel up with a big surprise – they were headed to the beach, just the two of them! Let’s just say, since we’ve been back “home”, now Sam is asking when Ruth and I will leave again so that he and Daddy can just have their boy time. Stephen is an awesome daddy and I’m so glad he used the week to make memories with his son.

Sam at the beach in Monterrico.

To get home, our car even road on the boat.

Last Day!!

We've talked with Samuel many times about my mom's breast cancer. He's been very sweet about praying for her and often asks, "Is Nana'a cancer out, yet?"

Today on the way to church, I told Sam that tomorrow was Nana's big surgery and that we should really pray for her today and tomorrow.

"Well," he says, "Then today is Nana's last day with cancer!"

And yes it is. Congratulations, Momma. Today is your last day with cancer! Thanks to our little four year old, who reminds us that tomorrow is something to celebrate. You can do this, Mom!! Fight like a girl! Fight like a Momma! Fight like a Nana! We love you!!!

Easter Week

Last week was the largest celebration of Holy Week our family has ever seen. Rightly so, as Antigua, Guatemala hosts the largest Holy Week in the world!

We celebrated Easter with a lovely combination of American traditions mixed with new-to-us Guatemalan traditions. Take a peek at our fun week!

Thursday, April 21

We decided to host an American-style Easter party here at our house.

There is no such thing as buying Easter baskets (or plastic eggs) in Antigua. As a matter of fact, when I asked for "huevos plasticos" at a few different stores, I got very weird looks. So what do you do when you can't buy it? You make it! We kicked off the party with a basket-making craft.

Ruth really designed her own basket. Also, when you don't have Easter grass, you make that, too. For part of the craft, the kids ripped up pieces of tissue paper as grass to line their baskets.


Almost ready for the egg hunt! Left to right is Ruth, Eva and her mom, Sam, Josh, and Elizabeth. Not pictured are two other friends that came, Daniel and Jonah.






A party for our family is not complete without Rice Krispy treats. Too bad you can't buy Rice Krispies in Guatemala, either. Sometimes it feels like the only cereal they sell here is Corn Flakes. So what do you do? You make Corn Flake treats and dye them all different colors and then make them look like Easter eggs! I wasn't too crazy about them, but the kids didn't seem to notice the difference.

Friday, April 22

Good Friday is the day with the most processionals and carpets in Antigua, Guatemala. (If you checked out one of my recent, previous blog, you know a little bit about this.) We were able to participate and make a carpet of our own. See for yourself!

Working hard! The week before, the kids did a carpet of their own. This week, the adults got to design the "alfombra" and participate, too.

Can you tell what we designed?? Lots of people couldn't, but it created some interesting conversations.


Walking by our carpet. The only people that walk over the carpet are the ones carrying the Jesus float. If you look in the left hand side of this pictures, you can see another blob of a carpet. The kids decided to create another one of their own! The adults didn't mind, because after a while, sticking to the design was tough with little helping hands.


Here they go!

The best seat in the house! Stephen's office was literally right above our carpet. We got to watch the whole parade from the window of his office instead of on the crowded, incense-strong streets.

There they go! Crazy, huh?

And what's left after they march by? Not much! But we still thought it looked kind of cool.


I had to include this picture, too. Behind the Jesus float always comes a Mary float and the women are in charge of carrying it. Just look at the expressions on their face!

Saturday, April 23
We spent the morning at a birthday party celebrating the 3rd birthday of our new friend at church. The afternoon was spent dying Easter egg's at our good friend Tina's home.

Ruth makes a party hat look good! Our friend (whose son turned 3) sent us some pictures that she took and doctored with Photoshop. She's such an artist!

I'm glad my new friend, Hannah, passed these photos along because my camera was stolen the day before during all the maddness of the Good Friday processionals. She was also kind enough to lend me a camera until we get a new one of our own, so I didn't miss a thing on Easter Sunday!


That afternoon, we dyed Easter eggs at Tina's house. I think Ruth looks so grown up in this pic!

Sam takes his egg dying seriously.

Sunday, April 24 - Happy Easter!


We had such a lovely Easter Sunday. That morning we had brunch at the top of a famous lookout here in Antigua and then attended Easter service. That afternoon, we Americans celebrated an English-style Easter in Guatemala. How's that for international! My friend Tina's husband is from England. We spent the afternoon with her family and Tina cooked an English Easter feast complete with rack of lamb and roasted potatoes. YUM! And of course, the kids got to hunt for Easter eggs.


We had brunch at Cerro del Santo Domingo with several friends. This is my good friend, Maritza. We also dined with our new friends Hannah and Jordan and their children Solomon and Grace.

It's hard not to feel close to God with views like this! Praise God. He is risen, indeed!

And when you don't really have an Easter basket, a bucket will do just fine! What a wonderful Easter, 2011!