My little helper

The other night as I was working in the kitchen Maryuri wandered in asking if she could be with me. Happy for her cheerful company I gave my permission. Before too long she had pushed the stool over to the sink, climbed up on it, and began washing the dishes. I hadn't asked her to do so....hadn't even asked her to help in the kitchen at all. I was simply content to have the company. Granted seeing as how she is only 3 I did indeed go behind her and wash all of the dishes a second time...but it is the thought that counts. :) 

Gus Gus

Gus Gus the Mouse, a Santa Ana Honduras resident died at approximately 9 p.m. May 11th at the young age of 1 human year. Cause of death - 3 quick waps of a broom.

Exact date of birth unknown. Gus Gus was a member of the Casa de Esperanza kitchen terrorizing club and the scare Ashley out of her socks club. He was preceded in death by his parents Gus Sr. and Gusetta as well as half of his 5,000 siblings. He was not yet married but enjoyed fraternizing with the many female rats that lived in and around Santa Ana. 

There will be no formal funeral but all are free to visit him at his resting place out by the front wall. 

As most of you know I've killed plenty of animals with my car... but NEVER have I even considered willingly killing an animal. However, last night that all changed. After chasing poor little Gus Gus around the kitchen for a few minutes his short life came to an end. I truly wish you all could have been flies on the wall to witness the scene as it played out. Jacob (who DID play a part in this) saw Gus Gus first and went after him. However, he intended to simply "shove" this live mouse out the door to freedom. After missing him the first time we thought all hope was lost. However....our ever so intelligent mouse friend hid for a matter of seconds before running back out into the open. I was ready for him that time and blocked him so that Jacob could get to him. After hitting him once with the end of a mop handle the stinkin mouse headed straight for my feet and it looked like he was not only going to get away but use me as his escape route. Before I could even think about what I was doing I began hopping around, squealing, and flinging the end of my broom at him. I was in the middle of the room and with nothing to jump up on I had few other options (or so I thought...simply getting out of his way never entered my mind) than to start swinging my broom!:)  I missed the first time but the second swing brought contact.....after that it was all but over.....no more Gus Gus. Afterwards Jacob decided to get sappy and made me feel guilty about killing that poor little rodent. So now I'm forced to show some remorse and provide an obituary so that all may mourn his death. :) Either way the stinkin thing is out of the house and will stop running out between my legs when I go to use the restroom in the middle of the night! 

Trampoline fun!

Even months after the trampoline got here they kids STILL love it. They always want to be jumping and ALWAYS want you to be jumping with them. I have to admit it is lots of fun....yet I seem to get tired far quicker than they do! :) 

Honduran travel

People talk all the time about how crazy drivers are in Honduras.  They make jokes after joke about the way people pass on blind turns, the way people drive with one (or less) headlights, they way people honk for EVERYTHING, the way people go 4 cars wide at certain places in the road, and so on. However, it isn't the cars or crazy drivers that get me. It is the fact that you can be driving down the ANY road and come across live stock that have taken up residence somewhere in the middle. More than once a week you'll see a guy herding his cattle down the road.  (highways included) OR you'll have days like the above pictures where guys will be leading their horses down roads that are too skinny to pass on...meaning you have to follow behind at HIS pace forever. Then there are the random cows that like to sleep in the middle of your lane because it is just SOOO much more comfortable than anywhere else....and then they refuse to move when you come by. Heck! AND people wonder why I don't drive here! :) 

I had the privilege of spending this past week with my lil sis (of sorts) Emily and Grandma AJ this past week. They spent the week loving on my kiddos and nurturing this heart in ways I didn't even know I was needing it. On top of that they got to meet and fall in love with my Izzy which is ALWAYS special for me. However, I would have to say one of my favorite moments with them was during one of their first days here. We went down the road to one of our neighbors homes and made corn tortillas. We got to walk through the entire process start to finish. We rolled the dough, flattened them out, placed them on the "stove" and took them off and placed them in the basket. As you can see from the second picture we weren't so great at regulating the size of our tortillas. None the less it was great fun. AND they weren't just any tortillas ....they are the tortillas that we buy for Casa each day! :) It was a fun experience for sure and one I loved sharing with Em and AJ! 

First Blankets

As you all know May 1st kicked off the blanket ministry. Well it just so happens that on that very same day my friend Emily and her grandma AJ flew in...bringing with them the first 24 blankets towards our 500. (which by the way I think we can reach in 6 months!) They were super excited to be able to contribute to the cause but never before have I had someone be so excited to show me blankets as these two were. After seeing the blankets and hearing the story behind them I understand why. As they flipped open the bag I saw that the blankets (so soft and double layered for warmth) had Jesus loves you AND Jesus me ama written on them. However, it gets even better. As they handed me the first blanket they went on to explain that the blankets were from a Presbyterian church in Zanesville. One of their youth leaders had ordered the material knowing they were going to make blankets out of them but unsure what the blankets were supposed to go for. They knew nothing about this blanket ministry (heck the blog hadn't even been thought of when they ordered the material!) or about AJ's trip here. They didn't know then that the spanish writing on them would be a ministry in and of itself.  It wasn't until they heard about AJ's trip here that they knew that God had a plan for those blankets all along. Not only will the recipients of these blankets be warmed by the material they will also be warmed by the (very real) message of Jesus' love that is written all over the blanket. I'm yet again blown away by the way God works. :) 

Crocs

Grandma Teresa and Grandpa RC (also known as my amazing parents) bought each of the kids a pair of crocs and sent them down with people this past week. Boy do the kids LOVE them. Some of them haven't taken them off since they got them...literally. They wear them during the day, they wear them at night with their pjs, they wear them inside, they wear them outside, heck some of them even wear them to bed. The crocs were clearly a hit!