well it's been a while

Well this has been a long wait, hello to everyone again! A lot has happened since the last time I blogged and quite frankly... I had no idea how to start this one out because it has been so long. So here we go. It’s easier for me to start things out with a quote- so this week... 

That about sums everything up in a nutshell. Have a great weekend! 

Just kidding. So, we are in full gear for graduation. School parties are done, school is out, 8th graders are graduated, next step- high school graduation and done. my year term is up on the 24! Kids are heading home to spend time with their families for summer vacation- if they have family, i.e. aunts, uncles, grandma’s and pa’s, etc. As the kids trickle out, the home gets quieter and quieter, allowing me to sleep more, just kidding. haha. They are very excited to spend time with family and to be on their summer break. However, it is coming to an end- as the kids leave, the home changes, and just makes for a quieter, more calm ambiance. One of the things I love is all the background noise, it wouldn’t be the same if there weren’t kids screaming, fighting, or yelling across the home to get your attention. They are the essence of this place. It’s hard to see them go, because you never know the next time you will see them, but that’s all a part of this gig. You, as the volunteer, come and go. The kids stay, this is where they leave, this is their home. But as things come to an end, new beginnings start. Which brings me back to my quote, ‘I’m not sure what I’ll do, but - well, I want to go places and see people. I want my mind to grow. I want to live where things happen on a big scale.” 

What has happened in these last 2 months? Well, I was fortunate enough to go home for 2 weeks and see my sister graduate from Marquette! So fun to be with the family and be with Clare. I was also able to bring back a lot of dresses and suits for our kids graduating from High School. A big thank you to Libbie Robert’s and her family for their wonderful donations along with Laura McMullen for some beautiful dresses for the girls. The boys are pretty stoked about their sweet new ‘vacano’ suits and there were some girly screams from the girls and their dresses. Can you say fashion show? I will post pictures later this week once we get everything back from the tailor.  

 

Wisilina loving her new dress! 

It is hot hot hot here. Hurricane season has officially started. When it rains, it pours. However, I look forward to it because it is just SO hot and humid! 

Here are some pictures from the last couple of months. Enjoy!

special visitor... kaki 

Happy Baptism! 

no name.

Okay, so sorry for the delay. I know I am not very good at being regular on the blog, but hey, what can I say. I'm doing my best! So, aside from work, these past couple of weeks were the weeks of selfies. I mean, you know those pictures people take of themselves and then they think they are America's next top model? Well move over-- Because this just happened.

Dress code inside the home, jeans taken off outside the home. 

Actual America's Next TOP Models. RAWR 

Last weekend I showed my boys Pitch Perfect and although not everything translated over in Spanish, they still got a kick out of it. We have been singing, doing the dance moves, and have been quoting it since. It was hysterical. 

We had lots of activities of the weekend too- we went running to the batey, played 2 games of basketball, got treats, watched the movie, and then on Sunday it was family day which is always a high emotion day. All hands on deck, volunteers are worked from every end until sun up to sun down to be there for the kids. Great day, but also takes everything out of you. 

This weekend is going to be great. I already know. Lots of catching up on sleep, relaxing, and girl time. I can already feel the stress oozing out of my body. HAHA 

Here are a couple of extra pics. Sending lots of love for a fabulous weekend! 

my favorite toothless child

playing in the rain!

Every day may not be good, but there is something good in every day

Sorry I haven't written in a while- This past week was a tough one. A lot of heavy hearts in the NPH family, from saying goodbye to volunteers, to sickness  to death, it has just been tough, draining actually would be a more appropriate word. And although I believe in 'feeling it to be able to accept it' in order to move forward, I do also believe that there is a positive hidden somewhere when the going gets tough, but we have to be strong enough to see it. We have to use that little ounce of strength come together with friends, family, my two other triplets and the rest of the volunteer community to be able to cry, love, laugh, and get through it together. 

On Saturday, Kristen and I went to the beach to with our kids. Well, only 6 of mine went because the rest were being horrible, so it was really fun to spend time with them. More quality, individual time and fun to be with the boys. I was knocking them off boogey boards while they were floating, tickling their feet while they weren't looking and then they got scared, and then they would chase me- make a fin with their hands, and swim towards me, as a shark would. They kill me. Aside from my raging red skin (applied multiple times Mom) it was really fun, really nice to get things off my mind and to just be. 

Well to sum up the week, Madelon was doing some exercise to rebajar her cheecha (aka get rid of her fat), and fell. Yup- I fell. Just boom, done, over. Blood coming out of my leg like a waterfall, with my boys, Thank GOD Avriel was there, although her initial reaction was to laugh, she then ran from point A to B to help the cripple get back home. Rockstar. Since then, I have been walking like I should be using a wheelchair, according to my boys, because I may or may not have thrown my back out from the incident. The answer? May have. So, have to take a break from my daily running regime, taking a break when the pain is unbearable, and having good friends to listen to me whine and be pathetic until I am better. 

The picture shows Kristen's pure concern and Avriel laughing while cleaning the wound. Naturally. 

Note: I would have laughed at me too if I saw someone fell the way I did. No- I did laugh at Avriel when gravity sucked her to the ground like it didn't want her to be mobile whatsoever. An image I cannot depict, but one that makes me laugh every time I see it.

Life is tough. It's not meant to be easy. But the challenges we get through, only make us stronger in the end. This is how we grow, this is how we learn, and this is just part of life. Learning more and more that hard things aren't meant to break us, only meant to make us stronger. Especially working with boys. They just kill me. Make everything better, even when they make me SO mad, they can just surprise you and say the smallest things that will literally change everything. 

Prayers for Boston. 

Note2: I have started walking into my house saying, "BOYS" on a more frequent basis and the response is always, "WOMUM!" never gets old. 

Hearing them tell me to constantly "go shower!", as I only do once a day. When? When it's actually time to shower. 

Palming their little almost bald heads will never get old. Especially when you grab them because they aren't doing the dishes and say, "If you don't go and wash the dishes, I am going to take your head, put it in the toilet, and flush" Reaction? they laugh. 

So then how did I get through the week? I think the picture below sums it up. 

Will always put a smile on my face. Kaki is my main man. 

And then we have pictures like this during the work day. 

Hi. And this is how we make it through.

lil guy

Happy Easter!

This week was Spring Break at NPH and was full of activities for the children. The nuns organized outings with churches in towns along with outreach activities in which some of our children went to serve in neighboring communities. It has been a full week, but today is a day of rest, a day of being together, and the boys in Santo Domingo are fairly calm, I mean, as calm as you can be for 20 boys. 

A couple of weeks ago, right after my last post, we celebrated our house birthday! 8 years complete- we are Santo Domingo! The day started early, where I took 4 boys into town to shop for all of the food and materials for the day ahead. Esmerlin, Yomelvin, Kendy, and Antony were all waiting at the door at 745am ready to go, while the bus didn’t leave until 815am. Very excited boys if you ask me. Well, we go to the supermarket to shop for supplies for pizza. Although it wasn’t much, because they only wanted, SALAMI, on their pizza, we still enjoyed our time going up and down the aisles of the market. They picked the supplies, chose wisely and were very ‘price- sensitive’ about the items they chose. Pushing the cart, dressed in their best outfits, I said to them, ‘do we want to put any veggies on our pizza?’ Of course they looked at me in disgust, why would I even think to ask that, and NAME replied, (mind you, in his man changing voice) ‘NO. SALAMI. ONLY SALAMI’ alright, so we had salami packed pizzas. men eat meat. men hungry. NOM. 

 We celebrated our day with 4 homemade pizzas, a cake, and activities in which included; water balloon toss, pin the tail on the dinosaur, and a game in which made them dizzy so we quit early because they didn’t want to puke. awesome. The day ended with chocolate cake and candy, with glow sticks that the Kerrigan family sent for the boys, and prizes for all. It was really fun to be with our house, celebrating Santo Domingo and to be with one another. It was nice to celebrate with just our family. 

We also had a group that came and visited us from a church in California. Two of the visitors ate in our house, and they brought new light to the home. They came in with open arms, ready to learn, and ready to help. But in a way where they came to listen, they came to hear, and support. It was just comfort- nice to be in the company of people who come and give things that aren’t those tangible things, those items. Rather they are going to just love, be here for us, and one thing I thought was really cool was how they acknowledged the tias. Because usually when groups do come down, the reason is for the kids, but they came down acknowledging NPH as a whole, the people who make NPH, well NPH. Rebecca, a visitor, she really touched my heart, said something that really stuck with me, she said about this type of work- it’s hard. It’s not easy- but know that at the end of it all, Jesus is going to be there, hugging you, and telling you what a good job you did. Powerful, no? 

Okay, so obviously St. Patrick’s Day passed, but for those who know me, hi. i’m Irish. I taught Irish Dance in Colorado, and Irish Danced competitively for 10 years. So, OF COURSE on St. Patty’s Day I brought a little Irish loving to the DR. Taught my boys how to jig, as well as some of the other volunteers. 

I heard great things about the Martin Percival Dancers- I am so proud of you guys! Great Work!! And a BIG congratulations to all of my dancers who competed in the World Competition especially Mary Teresa! She did an amazing job!! 

Lastly, I have to share this story because it kills me every time- Madelon wakes up around 6am every morning to go for a run. This particular morning, she was very tired. She sleeps with earplugs in, so she doesn't have to hear anything, right so, I start waking up because I thought I heard one of my kids saying, Magdalena.... Magdalena... wrong. groggily, I get up, then I hear it again. I think to myself- wait. wait a minute. Is that my alarm? I get back in bed and set my alarm for a minute later. Alarm goes off, and it is saying- Magdaaalenaaaa, wake uppp. MAAAGDAAALENNNAAA WAKEE UPPP. 6am in the morning, I wake up to this. I thought I was going crazy. One of my boys (Ricardito) took my phone and set me a personalized alarm to get me up in the morning. The kids, they just kill me. That night after prayer before dinner, I call the boys around the table and say, "Alright- WHO TOOK MY PHONE. This morning I woke up and thought I was crazy because one of you took my phone, set my alarm, and I woke up to someone saying my name. Who was it?" Some of them started laughing, others were looking around, Ricardito put his head down, and when he looked up I said, RICARDITO WAS IT YOU? He shakes his head, nervously because he thinks he is in trouble, and then I say, "well played buddy, well played- there is chocolate for you inside" Oh they kill me. How funny is that? And my phone is cerca BC, set in english- who knew that you could do that? So. funny. 

Welp, the rain is coming in- time to watch a movie and make some popcorn with the boys. 

best snuggler in the house, Frank

toothless smile kills me

You're about to be Pitch Slapped.

What a couple of weeks. From friends, to work, to kids, to even family- it has just been all a blessing in disguise. So, last week I met up with a really good friend of mine, Hannah. She was spending spring break here with her friends and invited me to come and visit for the day. It was so great to see her, catch up, meet her friends, and just be with someone from home! She brought lots of little goodies, from hazelnut coffee (a dellicassy) to this delicious new invention I have never heard of, a rice krispie treat roll up (?) with peanut butter and chocolate inside. TO DIE FOR. it was amazing. Best thing ever. So good. 

The day after, I was up bright and early to travel north to visit the Regis crew who were down here on an Immersion trip for their Spring Break. A trip in which I had partaken in twice and is one in which I can say gave me a completely different perspective on life. My life, how we ought to live, and the path to follow. I stopped at the hotel before heading up to the mountains to grab Carol Ann, a wonderful mentor, inspiration, and loving person. She works in the Service Learning Office, where I did my work study. She and I were roommates for the trip and it was honestly a blessing- she was a friend, a mom, and someone who just gave great advice, perspective, and someone to laugh with. When we got up to the campo, I went in to see Pablo (the man, the myth, and the legend) also- my boss the previous years and a true inspiration, and we were welcomed with hugs, coffee, and pure joy. I headed over to see Peyton and then Claire came over where tears of joy started streaming down everyone’s faces and it was just such a warming moment. We were all on the trip last year together, so it was a really special moment to be able to share with one another. A house down, I went and greeted Ellen, the type of person who will never fail to make you laugh, where we caught up, talked, had more coffee, and it was just so great to be with everyone. Jesuit Loving. Although those were the only 3 girls I knew, it was great to get to know the rest on the trip. Everyone had something to offer, something to share, and it was cool to be a part of. To be there to watch them go through their first time and to be able to process with them. 

The week was unforgettable- from quoting Pitch Perfect (shout out Ellen & Grace) to being in the comfort of the Jesuit environment, and just in good company. The rest of the week we worked hard but played harder. From catching up to laughing (credit Ellen) to being a part and invited on a trip, it was just really fun. Kind of put things into perspective. I am not going to lie, when it was our time to work with the kids in the Batey, I avoided them. I work with kids. All the time, so instead I spent time with the friends I had made in previous years, catching up with them. It was really hard to see them go, one friend in particular, Claire. She did a really great job leading the group and providing an amazing experience for the rest of the group. It was just really nice to be with friends from home. From Hannah, to Pablo and Carol Ann it was just a really nice vacation. 

Other than that, boys are good! We have been going to the Batey on the weekends to play basketball, look for sugar cane, and fly kites. This weekend we are celebrating all of the boys birthday's, movie with Avriel's boys and lots of activities. It's going to be a jam packed weekend- but so fun. eeeeee 

Enjoy! xo

The Face

Hannah :) 

Host Family

Home 

yittle baby

Claire! 

Little nugget... 5 months and really sick :( 

walk to the batey! 

Sugar Cane