highlights

I just realized a few days ago that I haven't written anything new for many, many weeks. I thought maybe tonight I would rectify that simply by giving you some snapshots of what has happened over that period of time.

* Towards the end of September, Don sent me back to the States for what he dubbed "a girlfriend tour." I spent several days each with three of my closest friends, hanging out with them and their kids, talking and catching up with one another, and reveling in the fellowship of friends who've known me and loved me for a long time. Being a stay-at-home mom anywhere can be an isolating experience. Doing that in a foreign country where friendships are even harder to come by compounds the loneliness. I'm thankful for a husband who is empathetic to those struggles and cared enough to do something so selfless and thoughtful for me.

* The kids and I finished our first quarter in school. I'm still finding my way through homeschool materials and learning how to make the most of the lack of resources that I have, but we are all adjusting well and feeling better about this second year.

* Ali lost both of her front teeth. Yes, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth" will be her theme song in the coming holiday season.

* Olivia moved into the room with her big sister. This has been a transition for all three kids as they now sleep in close proximity to each other. It's fun to hear them reading together as part of their nighttime ritual, but the earlier morning wake-ups are not always so heartwarming. In only a few short months, we'll be making the next two big transitions...to the use of the potty and to Livi sleeping in a "big girl" bed! (Pray for us in both of these endeavors.) ;)

* Aidan has begun a new routine of whistling and cartwheeling his way through the day. He does it everywhere...all.the.time.

* We've lived here through another rainy season. These past few weeks have been quite the doozy as we've received inches upon inches of rain. There are mudslides all over the country. People and homes have disappeared as entire hillsides have slipped away. Rivers have crested well beyond their capacity. A few weeks of the rainy season still remain, but with some sun finally appearing today, we are hopeful that things will settle down and allow the rest of the month to be mostly uneventful.

* My parents arrived for a visit last week. Having them here gives us an opportunity to revisit some touristy places that we don't go to all that often. On our latest outing to Antigua, they even babysat the kids for an evening (taking them out to a local restaurant and then getting them back to a hotel again) while Don and I went on a date. We've also been able to get our schooling done in a more concentrated way. It's amazing the difference a set of grandparents makes when it means Olivia gets her very own entertainers while Ali, Aidan, and I work on school. Tomorrow, my parents and I will be visiting a local ministry to see how they are serving children with special needs. It's been a great time of visiting, relaxing, watching my parents and my children interact, and sharing the same space for a brief period of time.

* On Sunday, we all start the trek back to the capital in order for my parents to return home and for our family to make a journey to Florida. This is a once-a-year endeavor that allows us to renew our visas as well as to reconnect with friends/supporters in that part of the country. We also look forward to this time because Don's parents are able to drive down to be with us. That means we will have seen both sets of parents within the same month of time! The kids might not know what to do when our household returns to our little family of five.

Thanks so much for hanging in there with us through prayer and encouragement and financial support. Every single day, we are reminded of God's hand upon our lives and feel blessed to be a small part of equipping and encouraging His servants here in Chichicastenango.

(Heather)