These are a few of our favorite things!

Here's a list of a few of our favorite things to do here in Antigua and a peek into what we do each day (which may put you to sleep!)...

We start most days by video chatting with Dad. Samuel responds to Jimmy well on the video and loves to try to bang on the computer.

At least once a week we do some baby food making. I try to hit nap time, but Samuel's naps are unpredictable, so sometimes he "helps". Check our our freezer full of baby food cubes. It's nice to have the fresh produce (and time!) to do this here... we'll see what happens when we're home :).

Another favorite activity is going on outings with Lee Anne and Erick and our other housemates. The rainy season has given us an appreciation for the indoor play areas like this one at Pollo Campero.

This is from a rare dinner out to Mono Loco for nachos! Mono Loco is a bar/grill that attracts college students/backpackers. Needless to say we stuck out as we hauled our kids and strollers up a staircase, but it was all worth it for the nachos.
Another favorite activity is playing on the upstairs patio. Lately the playtime has been cut short by ominous rainclouds like the ones below. We keep hearing about "canicula" which is a break in the rainy season in July that supposedly lasts about 2 weeks. We are hoping it's coming soon!

Playtime with the housemates is a favorite... now all of the kids are into the banging on the coffee table game... pretty exciting. It doesn't take much to make them happy!

Not sure if this qualifies as a "favorite", but here's a shot of my room. I love the "Guatemalan" feel of the house in general, but my room makes me laugh a lot of days- feels like my college dorm room. I keep saying that being here is like a sorority with babies! I have a new "laundry line" installed because the dampness makes it hard for anything to dry. Samuel recently had a pee incident on the bed (my fault!) so that's my comforter on the line.

Last favorite is a book recommendation... skip this part if you aren't interested :). I've gotten to do some reading down here which is a real treat. I've read several good books (and a couple of lousy ones... our neighbor across the street loaned us a book to read... it ended up being about a couple who adoped and 5 years later the birth mom was fighting to take back her child... nice recommendation for someone going through an adoption, eh?). I'm reading Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne right now and would recommend it (thanks for passing it on, Whitworth's)! It's written by a Christian guy, but regardless of your beliefs, it's a good read that has kept me up at night thinking. The author comes across as a bit of a "radical" at first and I honestly think a lot of Christian people would not like his message as it is pretty direct, challenging and "uncomfortable". The author has spent a lot of time working with people in poverty (including time with Mother Teresa in Calcutta and with families in Iraq) and the book is really challenging me to re-evaluate some of my beliefs and how I spend my time, money, resources and my outlook on society. It has been a timely read as we are confronted daily by so much poverty and so many needs down here.

That's all from here - hope you're having a good week! We are looking forward to Grampa's arrival on Friday :)!

P.S. We just added a new blog/website link to our page- my friend, Erin Duggin, is one talented and creative gal who owns her own business (photography, murals, those cool name signs like we have in the basement and more!) and has a funny blog to go along with it. Thought I'd highlight her so you can check out her stuff: Erin's blog and Erin's business website.