8/24/09-8/31/09

Monday 8/24/09

We hit our 6 month mark today. It is amazing how quickly the time has gone by. It is also disappointing that I haven't gotten more accomplished on my "to do" list. Oh, well. I've still got a little bit of time.

Morgan's friend, Mindy, brought 3 cans of Dr. Pepper today. Her dad is an importer from the states and had some at their house. Chris is going to be happy when he gets home!!

Today brought lots of goodies from home!! Dave "Claus" came to visit and brought a bag of stuff from my wonderful sister-in-law, Jamie!! Thanks Jamie!! We've got new reading material, a t.v. show, church books, candy, games, toys, etc. The kids (me too!) are in heaven!!

Tuesday, 8/25/09

The owner of the school has two boys with autism. Michelle found out about a research study at the University of Utah and has been in contact with them. They had arranged a phone call to discuss the possibilities of being in the study. Michelle asked me if I would sit in on the call to help her out. Little did I realize that I would be conducting the entire phone call!! I felt pretty bad after the call when I had to explain to her that the testing wouldn't be to their benefit at all. The results couldn't be used in the study since it was in a different language. Also, the study is purely research so there wouldn't be any "help" for the boys. Her face was so disappointed when I told her.

After school I did my piano lessons and got to use the new books that Dave brought me. The boys that I teach were pretty excited to get to work on some primary songs.

Choir was yet again an "experience". Guatemala's Independence Day is coming up and the ward has to sing a funky song/dance for a stake event. It was a song that nobody had heard and it was out of control. It was marimba music and everybody was laughing their heads off trying to sing it. At least I don't have to try to play the piano for it. I'm having a hard enough time trying to keep up with all of the "extra" songs that I am needing to do!

Wednesday 8/26/09

Chris and Cole went to Guatemala City today to pick up the papers from Immigration and also from the Embassy. Unlike past trips though, they got in and out with all of the information that they needed and without any problems.

Chris said that he is becoming a pro at Guatemala City. He was able to find all of the places without any problems. We are always wondering where our next stop will be and we are wondering if it might be Guatemala City. There's rumors that they might close the Guatemala Temple for renovations after the Xela temple opens! How about Argentina maybe?? Peru??

His good luck didn't continue on the way home when he started to have problems with the car. It would lose power going up the hills......and there are LOTS of hill!! It took him a while but they made it home safely.

On their way out of town, Chris and Cole dropped the girls off at school. I was able to go to the market by myself. I got there an hour before most of the store opened. There were two particular stores that I was waiting for so I wandered around and looked at all the stuff. It was great. I got lots of strawberries to make strawberry jam. (Dave brought me some pectin also!!) There was also a fabric sale at one of the stores I was going to. They had a couple boxes of fabric for $.50/yard. I couldn't resist even if it wasn't the nicest fabric. They also had prom dress like material that was gorgeous for same price but I did hold back! I am now kind of kicking myself for not getting some to make some dresses for the girls.....or some of the girls in the ward that don't have dresses!!

When I finally got to school, Laina was sick. She had been fine in the morning but something hit her hard and fast!! She slept in my classroom while I taught. I also found out that the teacher's tried to give her medicine! EEK!! Who knows what they were trying to give her. Laina refused to take it though....good job Laina!! I had a little talk with Michelle and asked that nobody gives my kids medicine without my approval! It seems that the culture here is quick fixes.

When we got home, Laina slept all afternoon. She continued to have a fever and started throwing up late in the evening.

Morgan had a fun activity today. She had her first Activities Days/Faith In God meeting with the girls from church. They started to crochet butterflies. She had a lot of fun and is excited to go again. She seems to be adjusting quite well to the culture here.

Thursday 8/27/09

Laina was still pretty sick today and had been up quite frequently throwing up so I stayed home with her for the morning. Chris was able to work from home for a couple of hours in the afternoon while I ran in to teach my class. She seems to be doing a little better.

Cole has really been struggling with his Spanish homework. He is used to everything being really easy for him and always getting everything perfect. It has been really hard for him to not be as successful at everything. I am able to help him enough that we can figure out the math and generally the science. The language subject is beyond either of our capabilities. I have told him not to worry about it anymore but he thinks everybody is laughing at him. We are going to have to have a little talk with his teacher and figure something else out because this is killing us!! Homework is nonstop from the second that school ends until after bedtime and we're still not finishing it!! Too much frustration!

Due to all of the frustration, as well as Chris working late, I opted for a lazy night. There's nothing better than good old Kraft Mac & Cheese (Thanks again Jamie!) for dinner!! It's amazing to have an entire dinner without a single kid complaining about the food!!

Friday 8/28/09

Laina was doing better today but still not quite well enough to go back to class so she stayed wtih me again. There is a small area (3'x4') that I put a piece of fabric up to cover so that she wouldn't bug the kids in the class. She is the biggest distraction since all of the 4th graders LOVE her!! The "curtain" worked a little bit but the stinker kept popping her head out and teasing everyone by yelling "boo" at the boys. She's going to a fun teenager!!

For a scout project, Morgan and Cole had make and sell something for income. There's not really a lot that we could think of so we decided to do homemade bread and jam. The kids were pretty excited. Unfortunately, the 1st grade was doing a play at the same time and the 4th grade was watching a movie. Everybody else was either watching the play of the movie and didn't even know that Morgan and Cole were selling the bread/jam. Oh, well. They did the work, they got their paper signed, and we had leftovers to eat for a snack after school!!

With the help of Cole's English teacher, I was able to talk with his Spanish teacher. We talked about the difficulties and the effects that it is having on Cole. She said that he does a great job following in class and the student teacher is helping him also. We decided that in class he'll continue with the other students. For homework though, he will work in my Spanish Grammar workbook and the student teacher will go over it with him. I think this will work out much better....plus it'll make me have to do my Spanish work also with him!!

After school, we got to go visit the job site. It has changed so much lately!! I need to get pictures from Chris to put on the blog. (So much for my weekly pictures from the same spot to show the changes!! That lasted....maybe one week??) There are actually rebar walls in places!! The land has completely changed from our first visit!!

On the way home, Chris got some pizza and we had a pizza/movie/game night. Chris had gotten a set of dominoes this week that we got to play as well as some of the many games that Jamie sent!

Saturday 8/29/09

The kids have a science fair coming up. Here, they put 4 kids together to do the project. Cole wanted to work on his own but Morgan wants to work with her group. Her group consists of 3 of the smarter kids in class. They have to meet next week to start the project.

Today Morgan went to her friends, Mindy's house. She was pretty excited to play with their husky! They also had a trampoline which the kids have really missed since we moved! She had a blast but got a little sunburned!! I think Morgan has gotten to experience more of Guatemala than any of us!!

For Cole's science fair project, he is going to make a solar hot dog cooker. Hopefully it'll work!! We went and got some of the supplies today to try to make it!

Sunday 8/30/09

Our of the mouth of babes: This morning when Laina was in tub, she was talking back to Chris and telling him what to do. Chris said, "I'm the boss, not you." Laina's innocent reply was, "Nope, Dave is the boss." She said it with total sincerity! I had to turn around so she would not see me laughing!!

I had the most horrible piano playing day yet!! The first song was one of the ones where the congregation sings whatever they want to sing and refuses to listen to the piano. That just threw me off and everything else went downhill after that!! It didn't help that there was a stake president from Colorado visiting and also a strange person that I thought was from the stake sitting on the stand. (Yes, I get easily intimidated!!) The man from Colorado is a dentist that served his mission here over 40 years ago. He returns quite frequently to do humanitarian dental work. After Sacrament meeting, he came up and sat by me on the piano and thanked me for the music. He said that it is a blessing for the people here to have a piano player. Even though I was very embarrassed about how bad I had played, it was nice to hear him tell me that.

It wasn't until Sunday school started that Chris told me that the other person on the stand that spoke was actually another General Authority! We have met more General Authorities in the last 6 months than we have our entire lives in the states!! To make myself feel better, I've joked that that is why I played so horribly.......to keep me from having to play for any event bigger than ward!!

I actually had enough time this week that I started to read 'Fablehaven'. It is a book that my cousin Claudia had gotten for Morgan. She started it but got too scared so it's been sitting on the shelf. I decided to check it out and couldn't put it down. I finished it today. Cole and I spent quite a bit of time this weekend reading books together. He gets scared very easily by what he reads so I know he couldn't handle this one yet. I think it really made him curious though that I would read it for so long!! He kept asking questions about how scary was it. I know he wants to read it but just isn't sure if he can handle it!! Maybe in a couple more years.

Monday 8/31/09

I have a feeling that the next few weeks are going to be pretty busy! Today after school, we had a meeting for Morgan's science fair group. Their topic is the Pluviometro. (Rain Gauge). I was pretty disappointed when the parents all brought information that they had printed out, handed it to the kids, had them pretend to be working, took pictures to prove that they were "involved" then sent them out to play. The moms spent the next 2 1/2 hours discussing the project. I don't know if it is everybody here or just this group but the science fair project has turned into a research project on a rain gauge rather than an experiment on how to use one! I told them to do whatever they wanted and I would go along with it. The other moms were VERY nice and helpful (2 of them spoke English) but I think that cultures are just a little different! By the time we left, I was pretty disappointed. Morgan had hand written an idea for an experiment, did the steps of the scientific method, did some drawings. I am tempted to have her just do her own project like Cole is. She is really wanting to be with her friends though. I just don't see what the kids are going to get out of this if the parents do everything!! O.K. So, I've discovered another one of my soapboxes!!

8/24/09

Monday 8/24/09

We have officially survived 6 full months in Guatemala!!

8/18/09-8/23/09

Tuesday 8/18/09

I am definitely liking having only one class to teach. I am trying to use the mornings to do school work rather than bringing it home. It has been nice to be able to focus more on helping my own kids after school and not feeling like I am being pulled in so many directions!

Choir practice was a little more difficult tonight. We have our ward conference next month and the choir is trying to do some special musical numbers. I have never accompanied a choir where I am playing something different than what they are singing. I don't know if it would be so hard but the chorister is learning how to lead and is never on the downbeat. I am relying on her so that I know where I am at but it isn't working. Wish us luck!

Wednesday 8/19/09

This afternoon there was another baby shower. One of the girls that it was for was one of the first ladies that talked to me at church. She speaks a little bit of English and is the one that asked me to teach the quilting group. I made a patchwork quilt for her. I sure wish I could find some nice flannel here!! Oh, well. Everybody loved the quilt and now they all want to learn how. I am excited to work with everybody but at the same time, it was very depressing for me. I was really struggling to understand people and felt a little isolated. I guess that is to be expected.

Morgan and Cole have also been a struggle. They have been fighting NONSTOP this week!! I don't know what is wrong with them but it has really made it tough on everybody!

Thursday 8/20/09

Today we found out that one of Cole's friend is LDS. His friend, Angel, was pretty excited when he found out that Cole is LDS also.

The school is getting ready for their science fair. They do the projects in groups and Morgan is with three other kids.

Friday 8/21/09

I don't know what it is about Fridays, but I love them. This morning I sent everybody off, did some exercises, cleaned, went to the grocery store (1st time by myself since we got here!!) and to the market.....all before I had to be at the school to teach at 10:30. Class was really short and easy since we spent the majority of the time decorating pinatas. Of course it got a little loud (maybe somebody will complain and they'll finally put a door on my classroom!!) and very messy. But everybody had fun!

After school Morgan went home with one of her friends. I think she was pretty excited to get to do something without the family!

Shortly after the rest of us got home, Chris came home also. It was really nice to go outside of the development for a family walk. Cole loves to leave the development but we are still a little hesitant to go very far! We also got to go to the top of the arches at the guard gate. We've all wondered what was up there since we first moved here. There is a little bathroom and a room to sleep in and an open area to watch over the community.

This week has been a huge struggle with the kids....except Alysa. She has been such a good kid this week and unusually happy. I decided to reward her by taking her out to dinner just the two of us. Luckily for me she picked McDonalds which I felt fairly confident in ordering at! Each time I have to order something, it gets a little easier. Alysa was so giggly and had a great time. We even saw another student from the school there. Alysa insisted on getting a sundae afterwards and eating it in the car. Why I let her talk me into letting her eat it in the car is beyond me! She spilled everywhere!

The rest of the evening was spent watching a movie and waiting for Morgan to come home. Morgan's friend, Maria, is in my class and has pretty good English. Her parents however don't speak any English so I was very nervous about calling to see when she was coming home. We called back and forth several times before she finally came home at 9:00!! I don't think Chris is going to deal with the teenage/dating/staying out late years very well!

Saturday 8/22/09

This morning was the Family Day for school. Everybody met at the school and caravanned from the school to a park. It is a special park that is only opened to government people. Michelle's dad just happens to be a congressman here so he was able to get the park for us. It was very nice and had a swimming pool, playground equipment, basketball court, soccer field, etc. We did all of the games/activities and then all the families had a picnic. I met the parents of one of my students who both speak really good English. The husband has a courier/shipping business where he goes to the states every 4 weeks and buys stuff that he imports from the states. He said that he'll get Chris some Dr. Pepper on his next trip!

Sunday 8/23/09

Today has been another trying day for me. I am at my wits ends with Morgan and Cole! (Yes, my perfect children cause me grief sometimes!!) Add to the mix that I got very little sleep last night and then going to church and feeling frustrated about the language didn't help. The only thing that is keeping me going right now is knowing that Chris' boss is on his way here and hopefully will bring something exciting from the states!! That, and hoping that I get a chance to talk to some family tonight.

8/15/09-8/17/09

Saturday 8/15/09

I can’t believe August is half over and people are starting to get ready to go back to school!! I am so ready for school to be done! We have about two more months and then the kids and I get to head back to Vegas. It's going to be pretty strange to be back there. I'm sure we'll have some culture shock! We have done a pretty good job of adapting to life here in Guatemala. Our friend, Alvaro, has another friend that just came here from Switzerland to study Spanish. Alvaro told us that his friend reminds him of us when we first got here.

The morning started early for Chris with a concrete pour at 6:00. The kids and I were able to take it a little easy and get some stuff done this morning. We had ourusual cleaning day...laundry, dishes, mopping, etc. Afterwards though, the kids got to have doughnuts for breakfast. What a great start to the day!!

After Chris got home, we packed a picnic lunch and headed for a park. It was the one that Morgan and Cole had a hike to when they first started school. I didn't drive so I was trying to remember how we had gotten then. Amazingly, we got there on our first try! It was gorgeous. There was a wonderful view of the city and we were up in the trees. It was very peaceful even though there were a ton of people.

There are some giant cement slides there that the kids (and parents) had a blast on. You'd have to sit on a cardboard box or plastic bottle to go and also to prevent wearing holes in the seat of your pants!! If you weren't careful, you'd get going too fast and crash at the end of the slide. This video shows Chris trying to take out a little kid at the bottom of the slide and also the after effects of Cole going too fast.

The stairs coming back up were so long but it didn't slow the kids down one bit!!

While we were there, we met a lady from SLC, Utah whose husband had been deported back to Guatemala. She is working on getting her masters in nursing, and raising 3 kids by herself now. Her husband has to wait for over a year before he can qualify to go back to the states. She just came down to visit him while she had a break from school. It was hilarious to hear her talking and remembering what it was like when we first came. It is such a culture shock! It turns out that her husband is a member of the church and is in Michelle's (owner of the school) ward.

After the park, we ran over to the market. Nobody wanted to go with me, but Cole was a good sport and offered to help me carry the stuff. We did some speed shopping (and unfortunately didn't get the best produce that we usually do) and got most of our stuff bought before it started to hail on us. We went running for the carrots and then for cover. Cole said, “Just leave the carrots mom”. Luckily, I have a wonderful husband that was circling the market to pick us up so we didn't get too wet.

We drove down to Central Park and waited for the rain to let up a little. We walked around some of the tourist shops and ended up getting a wool blanket, scripture bag for Cole, notebook for Alysa, and a pencil pouch for Laina. (Morgan got her stuff last time!) The funniest thing that we saw was a figurine of a mayan lady nursing her baby. It probably wouldn't be that funny if you didn't realize how common it is here! After we got done shopping, we headed for McDonalds for a bathroom break and some ice cream. The rain had let up and we got to enjoy a concert in the park on the way.

(The giant can of beans!! Cole has discovered that he likes these!!)

At one point, Laina was drawing more attention with her dancing than the band was!! The band members were even pointing at her!

After a very eventful day, we looked forward to doing home, having dinner and relaxing. Well, once again the gas went out on the stove....then the power went out......then the water went out.....then it got dark outside.....then we couldn't find the flashlights because the kids kept playing with them.....then we barbecued hot dogs and ate outside. I definitely need to invest in some candles and some emergency preparedness stuff. Why I haven't already, I'll never know!! It was pretty fun though since it felt like we were camping! Nothing like a spontaneous camping trip!

Oh, and it was also laundry day and the sheets were in the laundry!! Where are the sleeping bags? We finally got all ready for bed and then the power came back on. At least the kids didn't have to try to go to sleep without their nightlights!

Right before going to bed, Alysa told us that her new notebook is going to be for her blog. I thought that was pretty cute!

Sunday 8/16/09

The P.E. teacher from the school, Coach Allen, was at church today. Apparently his sister is an inactive member and his other sister died a couple weeks ago. I didn't see him but the kids were really excited.

The choir sang and Chris recorded it for me since it was so "interesting". He also took pictures of people in the middle of Sunday school. He's having too much fun with his new iphone.

They announced that there are two more baby showers this week. I swear these people multiply like rabbits. I guess I've got some more quilts to make!

Monday 8/17/09

Today was another fun morning by myself. It amazes me how quickly the time goes by though. I need a few more hours! I have so many things that I want and need to do that it is hard to prioritize!

It was so crazy to come home after school and to have Chris there. He wasn't feeling too great so he came home to do some work for a little while. He had to go back to work but came home in time to have dinner with us.

8/10/09-8/14/09

Monday 8/10/09

What an excellent start to the week. I was able to go outside in my pajamas and say goodbye to all the kids and Chris as they left for work and school. I had the next three hours completely to myself. I was able to do some pilates (desperately needed!!), clean, get some school stuff done, etc. I definitely needed some time to myself!

It is also amazing how much better the afternoon went after having a great morning!! The only problem was that Cole had a field trip that they forgot to mention was going to be outside all day and he didn't even get to take his water bottles. He came back afterwards and was pretty sick and extremely sun burnt! We spent the afternoon pumping him full of water and putting aloe vera on his face and neck!

We also found out that today was the last day for Morgan's current Spanish teacher. I still don't know who is going to teach the classes. I feel pretty bad for the kids since they have had so many changes. 5th grade has had Teacher Marilynn, me, and Teacher Marilynn for English. For Spanish, they have had Teacher Jackie, Teacher Nancy, and now a new one!

Tuesday 8/11/09

Today I worked on report cards. I was very glad to see that the grades I gave weren't too far off from what they were getting before. I was pretty nervous that I was going to be way off on the grades!! It was also nice to go to the school and use the internet until I had to teach!! It is much faster to upload pictures. I can't wait until we get decent internet at the house!

Wednesday 8/12/09

It was Morgan's turn to be sick today. She stayed home for the first half of the day and then went with me and laid down for the second half of the day. I think that the physical ailments have been one of our greatest trials here.... other than the language!!

It was so nice to come home from school today and for there to be no dirty dishes! I am really enjoying this 1/2 day stuff!!

This evening I went to the Relief Society district meeting for quilting. This time I showed them how to tie a quilt. They had 6 blankets layered and bound and were working on the tying. Chris wasn't going to be home until late so I left the three older kids at the house for a little while but took Laina with me. She had a great time playing with another little girl even though she only spoke Spanish. They didn't seem to even notice!!

Thursday 8/13/09

Tomorrow is the parent - teacher conferences. I told the principal that I couldn't be there since we were going to be in Guatemala City. Instead, I got all of the reports cards, papers, and tests together and then also wrote a comment for each kid. The teacher that I was filling in for was going to do the conference for me. (I am so happy because it honestly was a complete waste of my time when I did the conferences last time!! I spent most of the time just trying to get my kids under control and the rest of the time I sat listening to people talk in Spanish!)

Friday 8/14/09

We were up and out pretty early this morning since we had a pretty long day ahead of us. We were on the road by 6:30 and ate breakfast in the car. Laina got grape juice which we now know never to do again. We didn't get too far before it came back up. I do have to say that I did an excellent job of catching it!! We have this down to an art now! I was able to get a bag, jump from the front seat all the way to the back of the van and catch the throw up without it getting on anything. Let me also remind you that the roads are curving back and forth the entire time and I was being thrown back and forth!! Later in the trip we were also able to do the Guatemalan peeing on the side of the road. Laina is a pro!! The other girls.....not so much!!

So, after a fun 3.5 hour drive, we got to the embassy and it was closed!! Why are we not surprised?!?! At least we were just trying to pick up some papers for our temporary residency and it wasn't an emergency type situation!! Next, we headed for the immigration office to see if we could get a one time pass on our visas so that we wouldn't have to leave the country again. We are in the process of getting out temporary residency but it has been such a hassle between lawyers, reports from the states, forms here, etc.!! After driving around and getting a little lost, we finally found the building. Chris ran inside while I waited in line for a parking spot. He found out that we needed our birth certificates which the lawyer we're working with never mentioned to us!! Chris somehow managed to sweet talk the lady into letting us email the birth certificates when we got back to Xela. We filled out all the other paperwork and were on our way.

Since it was lunchtime and the kids have begged us every time we go to Guatemala City, we gave in and took them to Chuck E. Cheeses. It turned out to be the most expensive meal we've had since we moved to Guatemala!! And, as expected, the food wasn't worth it!! The kids had fun though! It was really strange to be there and have EVERYTHING in English!! The signs were in English, the music, the announcements, the videos, etc. The only thing that wasn't in English was the workers!

Before we headed back to Xela, we had to make a little pit stop at PriceSmart (Costco/Sam's Club). Chris was very disappointed that they didn't have any Dr. Pepper but we managed to get enough other junk to make up for it!

The drive home was extremely LONG since the traffic was horrible! We finally ended up stopping for dinner just to let the kids out of the car and to go to the bathroom. The place was a definite tourist stop and they had some cool things for sale. My favorite was the toy wooden chicken bus!!

Although it was a long, stressful day, it is always nice to look around and see how beautiful the country it. I am having a hard time remembering what it looked like in the dry season. During the rainy season (now) it is supposed to rain every day. There hasn't been a ton of rain lately and some of the crops are drying up. The dry weather has helped the work on the temple go a little faster!!

8/3/09-8/9/09

Monday 8/3/09

I was so excited to have the old teacher coming back today. I was pretty disappointed though because the second she walked into the classroom, all the kids reverted back to speaking Spanish. The kids wouldn't even try to say stuff in English. It was such a distraction to have her in the classroom. I will be happy to turn everything over to her after this week though! (Michelle wanted her to "observe" my teacher to see how I manage the kids and keep them somewhat under control.)

I am also looking forward to getting all of the exams corrected and report cards done!! I'm getting closer.

(Alysa showing off her new haircut)

Tuesday 8/4/09

On the front page of todays newspaper was a big picture of all the Miss Quetzaltenango contestants. Among them was Morgan and Coles old Spanish teacher, Teacher Nancy. Apparently this contest is HUGE in Quetzaltenango. Everybody was looking at the paper the whole day. So....there were even more distractions in class today!

After school, we took the Orellanas home and Cole stayed there to play. We took their son, Sebastian (8) home with us to play with Alysa. (Yes, he is Coles age but is smaller than Alysa and would rather play with her!! It's kind of funny!) The kids all had fun playing and then we finally met up again when I picked them up for choir practice. Instead of regular choir tonight, there was a music person from the stake that came and was teaching a little class. If I had of known that, I would have stayed home and taken care of my sick kid, Laina! Instead, we didn't get home until 8:45 (remember bedtime is 7:30!!) The kids were so overtired and cranky!! They were fighting the entire time at choir. Oh, and Chris was gone hometeacher also until after 9:00 after a day of nonstop meetings!! Tuesdays are sooooo busy for us!

Wednesday 8/5/09

Laina officially has whatever it is that Alysa had last week. I took her with me to school and made a little bed for her to sleep on. Unfortunately, she wouldn't lay down for very long and kept wandering into my classrooms. All the kids LOVE Laina and freak out whenever she is around. (You'd think the novelty would have worn off by now!!) Anyway, add another distraction to the class. I should be used to them by now!

Today I had two quilting groups. The first was at school. The kids started working on their applique bee blocks today. I sure wish I had more pairs of sewing scissors!! The little kid scissors just don't work on fabric too well!! I am still shocked at how much the kids enjoy tying the big quilt. Hopefully they'll be able to finish it by the time school ends! If not, Morgan is really good at it! I only have 4 big yarn needles so the kids take turns working on their blocks with me helping them or tying the big quilt. I might have to get to work and make another top so that they have another project in case they finish early!!

I had another teacher tell me today that she wants to be in my quilting club. That makes at least 5 teachers that want to do it. I might have to start a group after school.

My 2nd group was for an enrichment activity for Relief Society. (Since everybody has to walk here, they split the R.S. into districts by where they live. The districts have meetings at someone's house. I am not in this particular district but they asked me to come and teach them how to make the baby blankets) It was really fun to get to know some different people. I had seen some of them before but never really interacted with them. It was also nice because I took Morgan with me and she had a chance to see how other people live and to have some alone time with mom. There was a lady, Sylvia, that speaks a little English that was helping me out but I was getting pretty creative with my Spanish! I'd say half of a sentence in Spanish and then make the motion of what they needed to do. I also learned a couple of new words that I had to write down. Whenever I couldn't find my paper, I was in trouble! The ladies really seemed to be enjoying themselves and we got one whole patchwork, rag baby quilt completed. I think the thing that I was most excited about is that they were wanting to make more to donate to a local hospital. For those of you who don't know me very well, humanitarian projects are one of my passions. I have been trying to figure out what I could do here and now I have a project!! YEAH!!

After a while, Sully came and she was able to help me out even more. I really enjoy her company. She's got such a great, happy personality! She lives a block away from the house we were at so she took Morgan and I to see her house. I am shocked at how much cooking she is able to do in such a small space!! She also showed us her garden.

When we went back, the ladies were still snipping the quilt and having a great time. They want to meet again next Friday to work on some more. Next time we'll probably just tie some baby quilts.

When I got home, Chris was pretty worn out. The temple plans keep getting changed since the plans aren't complete yet. Everyone if frustrated because the work keeps having to change. To make his night a little better, he did get a good laugh out of Laina. She was pretty tired and she said to Chris, "Can I be wild and crazy tonight and not brush my teeth?".

Thursday 8/6/09

The owners of the Beehive School have two young boys with autism. They just found out that they have been accepted to an autism research program at the University of Utah. They don't know when or for how long but they will be living in SLC for a while. They are pretty nervous about the expenses with housing, car rental, etc. At least they speak English!

Friday 8/7/09

To finish up our unit of clothing, all the kids had to do a presentation today. They had to bring as many articles of clothing and name them in English as they put them on. The more pieces, the higher the grade. They all seemed to have a really good time! Since they are having Spanish exams this week, Morgan came and joined the 5th grade class for the activity.

(5th grade)

(4th grade)

(4th grade - the crazy boys!!)

Today was another late day at the school. The kids beg to use the computers on Fridays since there isn't a computer class after school that day. I had a bunch of stuff to get done so we ended up staying until almost 4:00. I also had a bunch of kids in detention so I stayed with them and tried to make life as miserable as possible so that they wouldn't want to come back again!! A couple of the boys even ended up having to clean the bathrooms (DISGUSTING!!) since they were throwing food and leaving it in another classroom!

It has been really great having Cole's teacher (Deanna) at the school to help me along. I can really relate to her and her teaching methods. It's hilarious to see her get frustrated with the chaos at the school. After we left the school we took her with us to the grocery store where she was meeting a friend. She asked if it's hard to shop with 4 kids. Yes, it is hard but you do what you have to do!! (Especially when one falls asleep in the car and you have to carry her!)

Instead of our usual pizza/movie night, we did soup and a movie for the kids and Chris and I walked to the new restaurant by our house again. It wasn't as good this time and I got a little sick. It was nice to have a break from the kids though!

Saturday 8/8/09

I was asked to play the piano for a baptism this morning. It was supposed to start at 10:00 so I started playing prelude at 9:45. Over an hour later of playing prelude, they started the baptism at 10:52!! My back may never recover from sitting at that bench for so long!

I also learned that baptisms are a little different here. After the baptism they had a full on party with pinatas (at least 4 that I saw before I left) and lunch and goody bags. Everybody kept asking where my kids were. I tried in my best Spanish to say that I left them at home with their dad. I felt pretty bad when the mom gave me goody bags for all the kids to take home. Next time, we'll know!

After the baptism, the kids had to clean before I would let them have their goody bags. I am such a mean mom!! (: They have been slacking quite a bit in their helping out around the house though.

Morgan and I went to the fabric store to buy some more fleece and batting for the quilting groups. I didn't now the word for batting and they had moved it!! I had such a hard time trying to explain it to them. We figured it out and I was able to get some as well as a couple colors of fleece.

The family had a great dinner at a little restaurant called Guiseppies. It is a pizza/pasta place. They have a pizza there called the Mexicana. It has onions, jalapenos and a different sauce. It is really good and I had been craving it. Cole has also been obsessed with hot foods and jalapenos so he and I were pretty happy.....at least until Cole's mouth got too hot!! Laina and Alysa of course had to go to the bathroom ten million times and Laina had to fall off her chair at least once.

When we got up to leave, the waiter walked behind me and Cole said that he only came up to my waist. He was pretty short but I think he was a little taller than my waist.

Sunday 8/9/09

During Relief Society, I took a picture from our quilting group. I was shocked at how excited everybody was. They kept passing it around. At the end of R.S., the ladies that hosted the activity got up and showed everybody the quilt. They were so proud of it. I had a few other people ask if I could show their groups also. The ladies from the original group kept asking if I would be there on Friday. I had to try to tell them that I didn't know since we might have to go to Guatemala City or to Mexico because of our Visas. (We can only be here for 3 months at a time still!) As I was pulling out of the church, the whole group came over and asked if I could do it Wednesday instead.

I was also asked if I could play the piano on Friday for the primary and teach piano lessons (same lady again!! I'm not quite ready to teach kids piano when I am not comfortable enough with the language!) It took me forever to get out of the building!!

Morgan had an amazing day as well. She was able to answer some of the questions in class (yes, in Spanish) that the other kids couldn't!! She was floating on clouds when she got in the car....and of course couldn't stop talking the entire way home!

The rest of the day was spent relaxing for the most part.

If you listen carefully, you can get a good laugh out of my attempts to explain how to snip a quilt! I keep reverting back to English and looking for my paper with the words written on it!!

This is a typical lightning storm here. This is from our bedroom window.