birthdays galore.

This weekend has been the weekend of birthdays. Sam's was on Friday, while Liz's was today. That means we saw everything from Ghiradelli brownies (thanks Mamma and Papa Osterbur!), cookies n' cream ice cream, a night out on the town, silly Nathan attempting to rap, lots and lots of dancing, a lopsided pizza, Liz's delicious Texas sheet cake, and just all-around fun. I sure will miss nights like these with the ones I love <3

kermes: round five.

It's sunny. It's hot. It's summer. Entonces, do you blame us volunteers for putting on a Kermes that involved water games? I didn't think so.

"Juegos del Agua" commenced right before noon on Sunday. There was everything from splish splish splash, to a water balloon toss, to bobbing for apples, to even a makeshift slip n' slide! Needless to say, by the end, the kids were soaked and satisfied.

"tu camisa me llega!"

Remember that one time I donned a Chelsea jersey before heading into the comedor? I do!

I was curious to see the kind of reaction I'd receive, especially as the Championship League heats up AND after Chelsea won 1-0 over Barsa. At first, when nothing happened, I thought maybe no one was gonna say anything. But, little by little, the boys started noticing and calling me over. First they'd ask if I was for Chelsea. "Of course! It's my team." Then they'd do one of two things. They'd respond, "Ah, come on!" if they were Barsa fans. Or they'd say, "Yeah, me too!" if they wanted to see Barsa hurt (as Real Madrid fans). Needless to say, I either was able to laugh in their faces after the win OR receive a fist pound and a huge smile. I loved it.

earth lodge.

This past weekend was our salida to Earth Lodge. It is a high-up-in-the-hills getaway perfect for 20 volunteers to find rest and relaxation. Our weekend was filled with stunning views, casual reading, hikes, delicious vegetarian meals, Bananagrams, and our fair share of girl talk (seeing as there are only three male volunteers hah).

We even lucked out because there was a barbecue and a free outdoor concert on Sunday! It felt very summery to enjoy the sounds of acoustic guitar and the company of friends under the skin-freckling sun :)

las cositas.

It's always the little things. They stick with you the most. And, when you spend all of Semana Santa with your boys, there are bound to be un montón of little moments. Like when they discover that you have way more freckles than they do. And then proceed to count your freckles. All of them. Or when you make a game out of chasing Chris down before dinner because he nabbed your flip flop. Or when they become obsessed with "down by the banks of the hanky panky" when you teach it to them. Even though they have no patience to wait for "Ker-plunk, you're out!" Or when they inform you that you and so-and-so are twins since you share the same popsicle color. Or when you watch Jose sprinkle chocolate chip muffin on his refried beans. It adds flavor, obbbviously. Or when you find three or four boys using you as a recliner as you watch an afternoon movie together. And then cutely fall asleep like that.

It's the little things <3

thursday is the new friday.

Ever since arriving to Guatemala, I've heard two things: Semana Santa is a can't-miss-event, and Antigua is the place to be for it. I thus made it my goal to catch at least some bit of it, despite working an around-the-clock schedule leading up to Easter. Upon some local consulting, I found out that Thursday night was the best time to go. Done.

A group of us headed out after the kids were asleep. It was then that we caught all the action. From seeing the cathedral lit solely by candlelight, to watching the procession of the stations, to observing artists intently at work out on the streets, it was so worth it. These alfombras, or carpets, they work on are incredible. I'm talking street-sized pieces of art made out of anything from colored sand to wood shavings to flowers to even fresh produce!

After spending all night there (literally), we were ready to hit the hay. But we instead said "hey" to our little munchkins as we returned to NPH just in time for our 7am shift.

confession.

Dearest blog,

It may seem as though I haven't updated recently. And while this is true, I haven't exactly been MIA from the blogging world. To tell you the truth, I wrote a post for another blog. I know, I know. It's just that it's this incredibly-impressive-blog-consistently-updated-by-the-darling-and-fashionable-Katie-Nguyen. I was completely flattered a few weeks back when she asked me to guest post. "Of course I'd love to!" I replied. Sooo, that's what I've been doing. I'll even share the link with you so that you don't get too jealous..

http://itsyowyow.com/2012/04/08/guest-post-by-kristina-nicchi/

All my love,

Me

kristina, tía kristina.

How is Holy Week different from every other week? There is no school. The library is closed. The kids are down in the sections. And we get to join them!

Just like Christmas time, Easter is another opportunity for us volunteers to work down in the sections as tíos y tías. Unlike Christmas time, I am now in the boys' house as opposed to the babies' house. I am looking forward to the change of pace and, of course, having plennnty of time to hang out with my little rascals. I'm predicting lots of paper airplanes, soccer games, smelly socks, pirate bedtime stories, gross burping, and other boyish things :)