Little Miss Ruth Noel

Little Miss Ruth Noel is often times a little too articulate, and perhaps even too self aware, for her mere two and a half years. Here are a few recent, favorite quotes.

On going to school…
Ruth: "School again?"
Me: "Yes. Ithought you liked school."
Ruth: "Uhh. Not that much."

On being a good girl…
Ruth: "I'm a good girl, but I cry sometimes."
Me: "Why?"
Ruth: "Well,that's just how I am."

On potty training…
"I'll just go in my diaper like a baby does."

On sleeping…
Ruth: "I did sleep."
Me: "No you didn't."
Ruth: "Oh, I was just tricking you."

On demanding Mommy's attention only…
Me: "Ruth, Daddy or Leyda or Bubba or anyone else can help you, too. Why only me?"
Ruth: "Becaaaause. I like you."

I like you, too, Ruth.
Truth is, I really love you.

Don't want to forget...

Georgia,

One day I may forget to tell you, but I would still love for you to know that

- Sam and Ruth really love you and they say your name about 158 times a day. "Ooooh, Georgia, Georgia, Georgia" is one of their favorite expressions. It's a very pretty name on their little tongues.

- Ruth is really rough with you. At first I thought she just didn't know better, but I'm not so sure anymore. She likes to squeeze your hands, your feet, and even one scary time, your nose.

- Sam always asks to hold and/or touch you. He's gotten very good at holding you, but he doesn't have much stamina. Each cuddle session usually lasts about a whopping 20 seconds.

- You are amazingly healthy and I am so grateful for this. You are definitely my strongest baby so far. Too bad you're also my fussiest. I can't figure that part out.

- Don't brag about this too much to bro and sis one day, but your dad and I both think you're absolutely the prettiest baby. You're stunning.

- You were born with a Mohawk and it's awesome.



- We've asked so much of you in your first little eleven weeks of life. You've already gotten a passport, taken an international trip, celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with multiple parties, played outside in the park with Sam and Ruth, been to the grocery store, etc. Thank you for being willing to come along for the ride.

- I'm such a different mother than I was nearly five years ago. I am able to mother you from a much more relaxed place, thank God. I still tend to be way too worrisome, though, and pray frequently for trust and peace.

- Please know that I as you grow, so do I. That is my commitment to you.

Christmas Cheese

Here's a little, cheesy holiday poem to tell about the end of a big year.
The pictures will be our guide as I recount of all our Christmas cheer.

The season began in Guatemala. Sam and Ruth in "summer" school.
Mary and Joseph don't fight the snow here; sandals help keep them cool.

We sang and celebrated and partied and made Guatemalan memories
Before we took our international flight over the Mexican seas.


The American festivities began just a day after landing in San Antone.
Our first stop was "Grandma Cookie's" house, the place Pieniazeks call home.




First a flight, then a Pieniazek party, and then the very next day
Was Christmas Even with the Sligh's, celebrated in our traditional way.

After Christmas Eve of course, comes the excitement of Christmas morn'.
For unto us a Savior... and Tinkerbell, and baby dolls, and bikes are born.


And the day after Christmas? Our celebrations keep on going
With a visit from Mimi and Grandaddy and even more presents flowing!

So our children are convinced that Christmas is more than one simple day;
But when the week is finally over, we're back to real "work" and lots of play.

Now it's time to ring in the New Year with even more fun and games.
We're still in bed by 7, but not before Uncle Erik shows us fireworks and flames.
We didn't head back "home" to Guatemala until Tuesday, January ten,
Which left us plenty of time to hang out with our longest, dearest friends!




So of all the presents, parties, and food - what could the best part be?
Take a look at our last three pictures, and you can easily see...

Dedication

On Sunday, November 27th my little chapina was presented in front of our church, Vida Real. We committed to raising her in God's love and to provide her not just a biological family, but a church family as well.



Our Vida Real family surrounded us, prayed over us, and expressed such a powerful love for Georgia that it will affect her life forever. It was so moving it brought me to tears.



Our church here in Guatemala has meant the world to me. I have literally never met Christians like the ones that belong to our church.

When we first arrived in Guatemala, we visited many, many congregations.
(You may even recall me writing about the experience in my blog entry "La Vid Verdadera" on 10/24/2010). We even regularly attended a very Pentecostal church for the first three months or so we lived here. Although we enjoyed that church very much, after about three months we realized that Sunday mornings were getting to be too hard on our family.

There is a monthly magazine printed in Antigua that carries a classified section. One week I was saw an ad for a church service that would be meeting in a local hotel. The ad said there was a 9:00 a.m. service and an 11:00 a.m. service and that there were activities for children.

"Stephen," I said, "If they have another service just two hours after the first one starts, surely the service finishes within two hours." (Note: This statement gives a little insight as to why the other church started to be very difficult for our young family.)

So, the next Sunday we went and loved it. Come to find out, the church had opened its rented hotel doors just a few weeks before. We started attending regularly and literally became one of the first Antigua families to commit to the congregation.

Here is why I love this church:
1) My kids love it thanks to the amazing people that minister to them.
2) The people pray. And mean it. This is huge.
3) There is a vision and a plan and they are executed.
4) There is kindness so genuine you wonder if it's really genuine. But it is.
5) I am excited to go on Sunday mornings.
6) I am excited to go to my small group.
7) I have made wonderful friends.
8) I invite people without reservation because I am proud of the church.
9) There is a beautiful balance of being served and serving.
10) It feels like what church should be – not free of differences, but free of the pettiness that easily turn differences into problems.

I will miss you, Vida Real.