Micah is Seven Months

So Micah turned seven months old on the 9th of June. During month six Micah started laughing a lot. He loves his brothers. He's tried some rice cereal, but isn't really a great eater. He still is basically a terrible night sleeper. He wakes up every two to three hours normally. When we're lucky he sleeps four. He still loves bath time, but hates passing gas. Micah also is chewing on everything so I anticipate some teeth coming sometime soon. He'll be so cute with two little teeth. So that is what Mr. Micah is up to. We love having him around, and can't wait to see what happens during month seven!

May: A Quick Summary

May 3 - 5     Our MiniVacation to Puebla. Super fun.


May 9     Micah turned six months old, a half of a year! Crazy!


May 9 - 13     Major Medical Outreach here at the children's home. Over 1,000 patients were tended to. We saw hearts and families restored, children serving their community and those that were blind, see.

May 10    My first official Mother's Day.

May 19 - 31 and beyond     Statewide teacher strikes closing over 14,000 schools preventing our primary students from going to school.


All Month Long    A plague of grasshoppers. There are indeed grasshoppers everywhere, under pillows, in Micah's crib, in shoes, in the sink, all along the sidewalks and everywhere else


So that is what went on in the month of May. June will probably be just as busy, considering it's nearly the second week and I am posting from May. More to come.

Puebla

This last Tuesday our little family headed out on Micah's first road trip. It had been a long time since Ricardo and I took a few days off for true rest. So we thought it was time.

We traveled to Puebla which is a city about four hours or so from Oaxaca. It naturally took us longer to get there with stopping for Micah. But he did great in the car and we to go Puebla in the afternoon and met up with our friends Jill, Janelle and Celina.

We were all in Puebla to take a bit of time to relax from the daily chaos of life in a children's home and to celebrate Celina's third brithday. We stayed at a great hotel that had a nice little pool and luke warm hot tub. It was really fun to watch Celina paddle around and Micah had his first swimming experience.

We spent lots of time just hanging out and watching tv, and drinking coffee from the Starbucks across the street. We also visited Chili's for Celina's birthday lunch. It was such nice break and we are thankful to have been able to go. Here are a few pictures of our time.

Micah on his first road trip.

He was such a good traveler.

Micah discovered the tv.

Celina after swimming.

Jill and Janelle at Chili's!

Our little family.

Celina loves Micah!!

Happy boy.

Now that we are back at home, life is in a state of full speed ahead. We are gearing up for a big medical outreach that is taking place on the grounds next week. There about 25 people visit from LA, Baja California and a couple from Georgia who will be helping us to put on this medical and outreach event. Currently we're building a structure on our basketball court for consultations, a dentist office is being set up in the bottom of the visitor center, and the auditorium is being transformed into an eye operating room.

There is lots to do and everyone is excited to see how God works to heal those who come seeking it next week!

Puebla Bound

So it has really been a while since Ricardo and I have taken any time away from the children's home. It seems that each time we try to go on vacation or have an extended period of rest, situations arise that demand our attention. Our track record of late has really not been that good. A year ago when we went to Haiti, there was an emergency in Ricardo's family and we had to return home to Baja in the middle of our trip. Then also this last year when we went to Washington for Thanksgiving, Micah arrived two weeks early changing our vacation again.

So now we have planned a mini-getaway to Puebla. We plan on going this next week just for two nights. Our friends Jill, Janelle and Celina will be going as well to celebrate Celina's third birthday. We really need these couple days away from the boys and to change the scenery a bit.

It will be Micah's first vacation. We're staying in a great hotel with an indoor, heated pool which keeps my baby out of the sun and there is a Starbucks across the street. Also in our little area of Angelopolis there is a movie theater, Walmart and Chili's. It will feel like going to the States. We're so excited and I'll post pictures as soon as we get back. Seeing as we make it back with no unforseen adventures or hold ups.

Easter

So yesterday was Easter, and I must say that I am yet to celebrate a holiday in Mexico the same way we celebrate in the States. The holidays are so different here and Easter is no exception.

For example in American churches, Easter tends to be a rather important holiday. Lent might have been mentioned in March, or at least there would have been a message on Palm Sunday about Jesus entering Jerusalem. Lots of churches have a Good Friday service and then there are sunrise services or special Easter services. Here in Mexico, there was none of that. No mention of it being the holy week or Palm Sunday or Good Friday.

I asked one of my boys about why Easter is not a big deal? I said, why don't we celebrate or even mention more of the events around Jesus' death and resurrection. His response surprised me, he said, "Andrea only Catholics make a big deal out of Easter." Interesting I thought. I guess in Mexico, it seems kinda to be one extreme or the other.

Needless to say Micah's first Easter wasn't that great. There was no cute outfit or easter eggs and basket. Basically this means that one year we are definitely going to have to spend Easter in the States.

Five Months Old

I cannot believe that our little guy is now five months old. It's crazy how quickly the time passes by. Some great things have occurred with him in the last month, here are a few:

-- the morning nap has stretched to three hours instead of two
-- he is smiling at people other than just mommy and daddy
-- he loves to be talked to
-- he controls his head pretty well
-- micah does not like super hot weather anything over 90 puts him in a bad mood.

Micah still isn't sleeping through the night, and you can bet there will be a blog rejoicing the morning after that happens, but we are thankful. He is growing like a weed, and so far he seems to be carrying most of his weight on his face. His cheeks just get chubbier each day.

And as for the rest of the gang, they are all doing well and going on Easter break this next week. I'm not super sure what I am going to do with my ten boys for two weeks out of school, but I'm sure we'll think of something.

That's all for now. Hopefully I'll find time to write again soon. Here are a few pictures.

4 Months Old

Today Micah is four months old. I can't believe how quickly time goes by. We have already been back in Oaxaca for two months, which is how much time we spent in Washington for Micah's birth. And can we believe it's already March 2011. I feel like the new year just began. I guess when you're extremely busy, time goes by more quickly.

Micah is doing great and going in for his 4 month check up next week. He is nine and a half pounds as of now and seems long. He's is nursing full time and gaining weight just like he should be. Nursing full time is very much a miracle since he was born so early, had a feeding tube, and took mostly a bottle in the hospital. He holds his head up really well and is getting better at controlling his head movements. He has also nearly grown out of almost all his newborn clothes. Our little man has also started smiling more readily. It's not all the time, but definitely more often. He smiles at the Elmo hanging from his carseat and at Ricardo and I when we change his diaper. He also is making more noise and not just crying. He has started cooing and making little noises. It's so cute. He is also is becoming a great sleeper. He sleeps for a good chunk of time at night and takes two great naps during the day. All this great stuff happening and our little guy should really only be about 6 or 7 weeks old.

I love that we are developing a routine. So our average day looks something like this:

3am          Feeding
6am          Feeding and wake up
7am          Breakfast with the boys
7:30 am    Boys head to school
8 am         Devotions and Houseparents Prayer Time
9 am         Another Feeding and a Bath
10am        Micah takes a nap. I do chores, email or other housework, or I hang out with Jill.
12pmish   Micah wakes up and eats. We then go on a walk to the office to visit Janelle.
1:30pm     My two elementary boys get home and the afternoon madness begins
2:30pm     Lunch in the comedor and all my secondary boys get home.
3pm          Another meal for Micah and nap. Homework begins with the other boys
6pmish     Dinner in the comedor and Micah eats again.
7pm         Prayer Tuesdays or Church Thursdays in the Auditorium
9pm         Micah's bedtime routine begins with a massage, jammies and then he eats and goes to bed.
9:30pm    Boy's house is quiet and they head to bed.
10pm       Ricardo and I talk to each other and pray we get through the next day! Then we go to bed.

So our days are a bit crazy. Add to it the 90 degree weather and all the other children running around, there is definitely never a dull moment. Someone always needs clothes from the clothing room, or deodorant or school supplies. Or they want to practice driving or need to make a mask for school. So our days are full, full of challenges and lots of love.

We are so thankful for Micah and how is growing. We're thankful for each of our 11 boys and the blessings they are to us.

Micah is smiling so much more these days.

What Could Be Cuter?

Micah Salvador Bolanos

On November 9, 2010 we counted our 11th boy. Micah Salvador Bolanos came into the world 10 weeks ahead of schedule and just two and a half hours after we landed at SeaTac airport. Two months later I finally have a bit of time to write how his arrival came about and what it was like.

The plan was to go to Washington to celebrate Thanksgiving and have some much needed rest. However, the Lord and Micah had another plan. Our travel day had gone really well. We'd left Oaxaca in the early morning and were excited to be going to visit my family and have some time away from all the hubub of our daily life with ten sons. Our travels had gone without a hitch.

The last hour we were in the air, I had felt uncomfortable, but just thought it had been a long day and I would feel better once we got home. That was not going to be the case. We got down to the baggage claim about 5: 45pm, and I started feeling really bad. Looking back, I was starting to have contractions, but didn't really think that at the time.

So we got our bags. My mom and grandparents picked us up and I was still feeling really uncomfortable. We were heading to my grandma's house in Everett for dinner. No one in the car really pin pointed it down as labor pains. Though the "pains" were a minute long and two minutes apart. I could still talk through all the pain and move around. I don't think I could even have said they were contractions because it was just too early. He couldn't  be coming. I mean I had just gotten off an airplane.

We arrived at my grandma's and the "pains" got more intense. I couldn't sit still and was in a lot of pain. My mom called a friends midwife and she said, "Get her to the hospital. They will stop the contractions." My mom thought, "Contractions? She's not having contractions. It's too early."

But we made our way to the car again and my mother drove like a crazy woman to Providence Regional Medical Center off of Pacific Avenue in Everett. These fifteen or so minutes were the longest minutes of my life. The contractions were coming really close together and the pain was really really intense. She passed the Emergency Room entrance and had to turn around using precious time. As she pulled to a stop in front of the emergency room warm water started running down my legs. Scared to death, I told my mom that my water had broke. I got out of the car without my flip flops on and made my way barefoot into the emergency room lobby. It was about 8pm.

I yelled and cried at the receptionist that my water had broken and I was only 29 weeks pregnant. The lady and everyone else in the lobby just kinda stared at me. It took them a minute to snap into action and even then they weren't moving fast enough for Ricardo's liking. Once I was sitting in the wheel chair he just started pushing me quickly down the hall, though he had no idea where we were going, and he'd barely said two words through the whole evening.

So we were moving toward the Women and Children's Pavilion, the building where women have babies. We came to a curtained off little room where they had me put on a gown and wanted to get my vitals. My mom was parking the car. The nurse was taking my blood pressure when a gush of water from my body.  I told her I felt like I should push. She said, "no, you don't need to push." She continued with the blood pressure cuff. I told her again, " I feel like I should push."

"No. You are going to be fine. Don't push." Mind you she didn't check to see how far dilated I was or anything. She wanted to take my blood pressure and hook me up to a fetal monitor. Apparently I couldn't possibly know what I was talking about in wanting to push.

Within my body things were moving extremely fast, however the people around me didn't seem to realize this. Ricardo was there the whole time, though he didn't really say anything. He appeared scared to death and unable to speak.

Finally, (well it could have only been a minute or two) they started moving me toward a birthing room. We didn't even make it to the elevators. We pulled out of the hallway into the "delivery 'em fast room," and it quickly filled with people, though still no doctor. I would come to find out there were three nurses and the neonatal team of a couple nurses, a nurse practitioner, and respiratory guy. The neonatal team was setting up the recessitation cart and finally the doctor appeared.

Upon his arrival the nurse who I'd been trying to work with said, "She says she thinks she should push," like I had no clue what I was talking about. The doctor took a look and replied, "Well your baby is crowning so go ahead and push." I knew it had been time. So in three short pushes of 10 seconds each Micah entered the world at 8:15pm.

Before the last push, the doctor said he would cut the cord quickly and I wouldn't get to touch him or even really see that much of him so they could make sure he was ok. They took him quickly and cut the umbilical cord and laid him on the recessitation cart and went to work. Micah didn't make any noise and was really purple. It took a few minutes for him to get stable, but he was alive. They rushed him upstairs to the NICU, the Newborn Intensive Care Unit where he would spend the first 52 days of his life.

So that is the crazy story of the evening of Micah's birth. The Lord knew precisely when he was going to come into the world and had it been anytime earlier that day he would not have lived. He's our little miracle and we're so glad to say that today he is thriving, gaining weight every day and getting to know all his big brothers and friends around the mission.

I'll continue to write about our NICU experience and all the ways that the Lord provided for our every need. We are truly blessed.

The first time I got to hold Micah, the day after he was born.

Micah's first Christmas.

It's been a while.

So I know it's been a really long time since I've posted on this blog. And so much has happened in our lives in the last few months. I'm working on the rather long story of our little boys birth. It will be posted soon, but for now, here's a picture of our beloved Micah Salvador Bolanos.

Meatballs

So I know it's been a while since I have posted anything on this blog and a situation presented itself today that just has to be shared because it's the kind of the thing that I feel like happens on a daily basis in having ten teenage sons.

So there has been this issue for a couple months of someone, one of the boys, putting gross old food in another boy's closet. Pio's closet, or his bed or his shoes. We never really knew who was doing it. There were suspicions, Chucho mostly, but it was never proved.

Then today, today Pio came raging into our house with a bowl of old, smelly, rotting meatballs, that apparently had been in the fridge for a couple weeks. Someone had placed the bowl of meatballs and a note on Pio's bed. The note read, "Yum, yum. Eat up."

Ricardo smelled the rancid meal and nearly vomited. So Pio was quite livid, and with good reason. This called for immediate attention.  Ricardo went to the boys and said that meals would be suspended until someone came forward and admitted to putting nasty food in Pio's things. Peer pressure is one of our favorite teachers.

So a minute later, Chucho came to Ricardo and said it had been him. He had no reason for his behavior other than saying that "Pio bothers him."

We like to let our children choose their consequences. So Chucho's two options of consequences were to eat two of the meatballs that he declared "yummy" or do Pio's chores for two weeks. He chose to do the chores for two weeks which we believe is the better consequence. So we hope that Chucho will stop putting nasty food in Pio's stuff and will generally learn from this situation.

This is just a little snippet of our lives on a daily basis.

Eduardo

When I was 17 I spent six weeks at a children's home in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. I served there as an intern. The most profound moments I spent there, was when I watched three children leave the home.

It was a foggy, Saturday morning. It had been colder than normal and these three beautiful children were going back to live with their mom. Everyone was standing outside saying their goodbyes. Everyone was crying, as the kids got into the bed of a pick up truck. Their stuff was next to them in black, plastic garbage bags as they prepared to drive away. Their mom was in the front seat with her new husband. He was a nice, kind man who would treat them well. And with that they drove away into the world. You could see the tops of their heads over the tailgate.

And as I watched this seen unfold, and I held the hands to two little kids who were not going home that day, I looked around and noticed Edna. Edna ran the children's home, and she was standing off to the side, kind of out of the way. And she had tears running down here cheeks. And after the truck was out of sight, she wiped her face and went inside.

And in that moment, I had thought to myself, "how can she just let them drive away like that? She loved them and invested so much into them. And now, they are gone."

Today I have become Edna. The caregiver, the one who loves them so much, watching them drive away. And my heart is breaking. My Eduardo will leave today, after making some huge, very unwise decisions. And I understand the situation. My head works just fine, but my heart is broken. The decision wasn't mine, but I can't help but question, what is best for him? No one else sees much good in him, and I just feel bad.

He had never believed that he would be told to leave this place. And after the decision was made and he was told, he came with me and we went on a short walk. We walked to a bench and sat down. He asked a few questions and then started crying. I cried with him, I'm still crying now. I said, "Eduardo, but you are going back with your mom. You always tell me how much she loves you and you love her. You tell me how nice she is and that you love your grandma too. You had told me you wanted to leave and be with her."

And he said, "Andrea, I never wanted to leave like this. And how is she going to love me after all I have done?"

I tried to assure him that a mother's love doesn't end because you made a mistake and that his mom will always love him no matter what he does. I hope I'm right. So if you read this blog today or tomorrow or in a couple weeks, please pray for me and Eduardo.

I know in my head that God is sovereign and He works all things for good. My heart just hurts.

Haiti

We are off to Haiti. We're leaving tomorrow morning and will be gone until February 10. If you would like to read more about what we will be doing in Haiti you can check out www.camanochapelmissions.org

Thank you for your prayers.

Plan D

Plan A was to go to Oaxaca and serve for three months, then go to Haiti and then return to work in the Mission in Baja. These were our original thoughts and plan. Oh how things have changed.

So we went to Oaxaca and served and in so doing we fell in love with the children’s home. We felt quite at home there and loved the staff. We have made great friends and met incredible people. Ricardo and I have been truly blessed by the time we spent there.

We also became houseparents to the teenage boys and have completely fallen in love with them. Their house is a bit crazy and on occasion somewhat out of control, but it is fun and we can see the Lord working in them and in us.

So that brought us to Plan B which was go home to Baja for a few days, head out on the mission trip to Haiti, then go back home to Baja, pack up some things and return to Oaxaca as soon as possible. Plan B was in question first because of the earthquake that rocked Haiti on January 7^th. We wondered if our trip would be cancelled. So far it has not been so the Haiti plan is a go. Then Plan B was in question again due to flooding in Baja California. They have had an incredible amount of rain in the last week which has demolished bridges and proven parts of the highway impassable. So at this point we cannot even drive to our house.

The missionaries and visitors at the Baja Mission are trapped there since the bridge connecting them north floated away in the bloated river. Tobin our house-sitter hasn’t been to our casa in over a week because he is trapped at the Mission. We are praying that our house is fine and that no water seeped in anywhere. All this water in Baja has turned dirt roads into pits of mud and made it impossible for people to get around.

Also stores supplies are dwindling, as trucks are not able to go down and resupply. The truck that takes weekly supplies to the Mission is stuck in Ensenada. Please pray that the Lord will supply the needs of those not only living at the Mission but the workers in the fields as well. The people are so poor and live in such extreme situations that I cannot imagine how cold and desperate they must feel.

This brings us to Plan C. Plan C was never really a plan, but it was a passing thought that seemed pretty attractive for a while. We formulated plan C with our friends Jill and Janelle in Oaxaca. They believe due to all the natural disasters and crazy weather we should just stay in Oaxaca, cancel our trip to Haiti, and visit Baja when the roads dry up and the bridges are repaired.

So now we are on Plan D which is to head to LA and visit the Irvings before we go to Haiti. Hopefully by the time we get back from Haiti the highway to our house will be fixed and we can go home for a week or so before we go back to Oaxaca.

We left Oaxaca at 5 a.m. Saturday, January 22^nd. The boys woke up to say goodbye to us and it was a pretty sad morning having to leave. Saturday we drove all the way to Guadalajara where we spent the night and are now driving north. We plan to cross the border at Nogales, which borders Tucson, Arizona and then drive from there to LA. It will be a nice little vacation to visit our friends in LA. We haven’t seen them in such a long time and we haven’t been to the States since the beginning of October.

So that is all for now. We are looking forward to going to Haiti. It’s going to be an incredible experience, we are sure. But we cannot wait to go back to Oaxaca. We feel like we help meet a need there with the boys. It’s a privilege getting to parent them, and getting to know them better. We know that God is doing things in their lives and it’s encouraging to know that we get to be a small part of it.

A Blog Worthy Day

So yesterday was a blog worthy day. It started out great and then began to head downhill as Jill and I went to the middle school to pick up the middle school student's grades. It was an interesting experience and the first official business I have done as a house mom. I must say it wasn't that great.

Five of my boys are in middle school and three of them are failing at least one class. One of my boys is failing four classes. One teacher who had a meeting with all the parents, had actually written out a list of all the bad things about each of her students and gave them out to the parents. It was a depressing day. Very depressing.

So then because of these bad grades, there were quite a few confrontations in the house last night. The boys are frustrated because their privileges have been restricted and I am sad because it seems the boys don't really understand the importance of school. They are all so smart and capable, though laziness abounds. So it was rough evening.

* * *

On another topic, Ricardo and I are getting ready to go back to Baja for a time. I can't believe we are going to be leaving in like a week or so. I think we are heading out of here on the 23rd, and the thought of leaving breaks my heart. We will hopefully be coming back here after our trip to Haiti and doing a few things at our house. I'm praying we are back at the beginning of March.

Being here in Oaxaca has been so fulfilling and wonderful. We have worked with incredible people and fallen in love with the most amazing children (even if they do get bad grades). We have felt so accepted and loved here by the other missionaries and we cannot wait to return. It's only a matter of time.

The Week Of Christmas!

Christmas Day was yesterday, and it is just now that I am able to sit down and rethink the week. The week leading up to this special day has been a long one. Christmastime here at the children’s home is full of activity and emotion. The big activities started last Saturday when Jill and I took 13 children shopping for their Christmas presents.

Every year the home is able to spend an allotted amount of money on each child, and the older kids pick out their presents so they are sure to get something they want. Saturday we headed to Oaxaca City for shopping. We went to the zocolo and the kids took off in search of their present. We took seven girls and six boys. The girls took a ton of time shopping around which left me in the zocolo with my boys who were not very patient, hungry and a bit obnoxious. After a couple hours of waiting they were beginning to drive me a little nuts. I told them, I would give 50 pesos to whoever brought me a pigeon, pretty much thinking none of them would be able to catch one. So they were off. Pio gave up first after a half an hour. Then Zuri was back with no pigeon. Eduardo was gone for a long time, and after more than an hour returned to me with my pigeon. He was so extremely proud of himself that I had to pay him. I was stunned that he had the patience to catch one of those dirty animals, and have since learned not to challenge Eduardo because he will basically do whatever I ask him to. Saturday was a good long day. After nearly eight hours of shopping all the kid had their presents and were definitely excited for Christmas.

Sunday Ricardo and three of our boys went to the mountains to help lead a youth event. So I was left with six. And I am amazed at how easy six children are compared to nine. Both Ricardo and I had a wonderful time with the kids we spent our time with. It has been so fun to get to know them and learn more about their families.

Monday was a crazy day as all the kids had their last day of school before Christmas break and that evening was the primary school Christmas pageant. The Christmas pageant was a hilarious experience. There were a ton of us from the mission who attended including a group of college students from Chicago. We were quite the spectacle and it was so fun to watch the kids perform. It was somewhat traditional in that there was a chorus and the whole Nativity scene. The only weird part was when three Satans came and tempted the shepherds who then got drunk in the play. I didn’t really understand what the point was or what it had to do with Jesus’s birth, but the kids were cute and did an excellent job.

The second part of the program was all dancing and singing. Each of the different grades presented a dance or song. My favorite number was the 5th grade boys dancing to Michael Jackons’s Billie Jean. Completely random and so funny.

Tuesday was your usual chaos. It was the first day of vacation and the kids were all bouncing off the walls. Ricardo, David, Pedro and Fidencio all got back from visiting the Mijes in the mountains. It was so nice to have them back.

Wednesday was CRAZY! Ricardo took the final three kids to buy their Christmas presents, while I helped all my other boys get ready to go spend a few days with their families. We did laundry, cleaned the house, did house chores and prepared for the big Christmas party. Every year here at the children’s home all the kid’s families are invited to a party hosted by the us at the home. It’s an interesting evening as the children’s biological family comes together our children’s home family. It’s an emotional considering each child has a different relationship with their parents, grandparents or extended family. Some of the children don’t have any family at all, and other kids wish their families did not attend the party. All the kids act differently when their real mothers/family are around.

We had pizza and tamales for dinner. There was a program with skits and songs. All of the Americans were introduced as the “international entertainment” and we sang We Wish You a Merry Christmas. After dinner everyone heads outside to break piñatas and set off fireworks. It’s a bit crazy, well really crazy, but fun in an awkward way to see the kids with their families. For the most part, the children love that their parents come to this special party. It’s amazing to watch them sit with their mom and hold her hand and smiling. This one night is a taste of what God had intended for their family. All of them together celebrating the birth of His Son.

Finally when the party is slowing down everyone goes to bed. All the parents and family members spend the night. The men slept in our auditorium and the women and kids on the first floor of the visitor center.

Thursday Christmas Eve Day the kids and their families woke up and had breakfast of tamales in the kitchen. After breakfast the kids packed up some of their things and then headed out with their families to their houses for a few days of vacation. Each child who has family is given a certain amount of days to go and visit with them. Most of them go for about a week and others of them just four days depending on what the home situation is like. I was so happy that four of my five boys leaving for vacation came and said goodbye to Ricardo and I. They hugged us and we reassured them we would be here when they got back and we hoped they had fun at their homes. And with those little goodbyes, they were off.

Four of our boys stayed behind. Two of them have no family at all, no parents, siblings or extended family. They would be completely alone in the world, if they were not a part our family. Our third boy ended up going with his family on Christmas day which was really good, and our fourth who stayed behind cannot go home because it is too dangerous where his parents live. His father is a pastor up in the mountains where Christians are persecuted and people are killed all the time.

So for Christmas Eve day, Ricardo took our four remaining boys to the movie Avatar which is always a treat for them. Then a big group of us went down to the zocolo or the town square for the Christmas Eve party. There was a parade, balloons, and fireworks. It was kinda wild and the fireworks were basically shot into the crowd which was interesting. Janelle’s pants were actually set on fire, but she wasn’t injured. They also have huge sparklers you can buy and balloons and lots of yummy food. It was a great evening and all the kids had fun.

Christmas morning we celebrated with a delicious brunch and the kids opening gifts. For a few of our children this is the first Christmas they have ever celebrated. It was a fun morning as we watched them open their presents and were able to spend time with them. There are about 30 of us here at the mission who spent Christmas together. It was a wonderful day of celebrating Jesus’ birth and the connection we have with each other through him.

The week was long, crazy and so fulfilling. Ricardo and I feel so honored to get to care for these children and to learn more of their lives. Please pray for us as we don’t really know what we are doing most of the time and need lots of wisdom and compassion especially during this time of festivities that are influenced a lot by family.

We are looking forward to New Year’s Eve as all the kids will be back from their vacation and we will open more presents and bring in the new year together!

Our First Week as House Parents: A Summary

All in all, I would say that our first week as house parents was definitely a success. Up to this point the boys have adjusted well to having Ricardo and I as their parents. There has been no open rebellion or major issues which I am so thankful for.

This last week we worked on wrapping up school before Christmas as well as creating a house routine. Wednesday was the longest day of the week as two of my boys didn't turn in important homework assignments resulting in my first "very disappointed in you" conversations as well as "get the assignment done before I see you again." Both David and Eduardo did their autobiographical assignments and did a good job. All my middle schools boys probably should have studied more for their finals, but there is only so much a new mom can do in her first week.

My three elementary students are wonderful, do all their homework and bring home 10s! I love it. They are also getting ready for the school Christmas pageant on Monday night. We have been putting together costumes and watching them practice their dance moves as it appears to be a musical. It should be absolutely great and I will for sure post pictures. Two of my boys are shepherds, and one is Satan. I can't wait to see how it all works out, and then they are all dancing a hip hop so it should be entertaining.

This weekend, six of the boys and I are going shopping for their Christmas presents. The kids get to buy their own presents so they can have just what they want and choose. It should be a crazy day to take six of them shopping. We are going with some of the muchachas from the teenage girls house. I'm not really looking forward to this outing as it sounds stressful, but hopefully it turns out to be fun. The other three boys will go shopping for their gifts next week.

On Sunday three of the boys, David, Fidencio and Pedro are going with Ricardo and the worship team to minister to the Mijeh people up in the mountains. It sounds to be very primitive camping and the people are very poor there. So we are praying that they will be blessed by our young people, and that our youth will find special places in their hearts to serve the poor.

So that is what is going on with us. Christmas is coming up so quickly and we have much to do. If you think of it please pray for these boys. At Christmas time, nearly all of them get to go with their families for a few days to spend their holiday. However, three of my boys have no one to go with, and it turns into a challenging time for them. Even in this first week, I see that they are changing and getting sad. Pray that Ricardo and make this Christmas fun and special for them, and that they would know, they are family to us.

A Big Family

Last Thursday Ricardo and I became house parents here at the Children's Home. We now have nine sons ranging in ages from 12 to 17. They are incredible young me who have experienced so much in their lives and they have accepted Ricardo and I as their new parents without so much as a groan.

So on Saturday, we took our new family out on our first adventure. We went to Oaxaca City. The day was fun. We ate lunch at McDonalds (always a treat for the boys) and then spent the afternoon in the Zocolo or the city center's courtyard. The boys ran around and checked in with me every half hour or so as I stayed at a cafe with my friend Samantha and read.

The funniest part of our day was when Sam and I were sitting at the cafe table outside chatting and Ricardo and the boys came and circled us to say hi. The poor waiter at the restaurant thought they were attacking the two gringas and tried to get them to leave. I then explained Ricardo was my husband and all was well. It was a moment of confusion and embarrassment for the waiter, who apologized profusely after the boys had left again.

By the end of the day, I feel like we have really connected with most of the boys. Their house has had three different authority figures in the last year, and they still behave really well despite all the changes they experience. Each boy is a blessing and talented and fun to be around. All of them are super social and eager to please. And they love having a mom since most of the people who have cared for them were single men. And thus far, I love being their mom.

Ricardo and I are honored, scared and blessed to be their parents. We hope we are able to learn from them as well as teach them in the next couple months we are here. And please pray for God's guidance as we have fallen in love with them and don't look forward to leaving.

Back Row: Florencio, Pio, Zuriel and David

Front Row: Pedro, Chucho, Ricardo and Andrea,

Eduardo, Fidencio and Alfredo

Catching Caterpillars

On Friday the kindergarten kids didn't have to go to school. So instead we played outside. During our time, we found that there were caterpillars devouring some of the plants so the kids started catching them. It turned into a little science lesson on caterpillar habitats and the kids created them in plastic bottles. The kids had a blast and the pictures turned out really cute.

My little group hunting for caterpillars.

Carlos with his caterpillars.

Luis trying to drink out of the bottle. Gross.

They are so adorable: Carlos, Debbie and Tavo.

Santa Maria del Tule

"El Tule is a gargantuan Mexican cypress, probably the massive tree in Latin America. Its gnarled, house-size trunk divides into a forest of elphantine limbs that rise to bushy branches reaching 15 stories overhead" (Bruce Whipperman, "Oaxaca").

"In 2005, its trunk had a circumference of 119 feet, a slight increase from a measurement of 37.5 ft in 1982. However, the trunk is heavily buttressed, giving a higher diameter reading than the true cross-sectional of the trunk represents; when this is taken into account, the diameter of the 'smoothed out' trunk is 30.8 feet. This is still slightly larger than the next most stout tree known, aGiant Sequoia 29.5 ft diameter.

The height is difficult to measure due to the very broad crown; the 2005 measurement was 116 feet. According to the signboard by the tree it has a total weight of 636.107 tons; these figures are however not independently verified.

The age is unknown, with estimates ranging between 1,200 and 3,000 years, and even one claim of 6,000 years; the best scientific estimate based on growth rates is 1,433-1,600 years.Local Zapotec legend holds that it was planted about 1,400 years ago by Pechocha, a priest ofEhecatl, the Aztec storm god, in broad agreement with the scientific estimate; its location on a sacred site (later taken over by the Roman Catholic Church) would also support this" (Wikipedia).

Ricardo and I had a great time going and seeing El Tule. We walked through the gardens, saw the tree and did a bit of shopping. Oaxaca is such a fun place to be because there is so much to do, and everything is pretty close. We've seen El Tule. We have visited some ruins, and hope to visit the ruins at Monte Alban sometime soon.

The tree El Tule

It's huge.