Speaking Spanish for a Week

Quick Update: I’m at Gabriel House for just a week with my mom, and my friend MacKenzie. We’ve been here for only a couple of days but we have managed to pack a lot of play time, taco eating, and crazy Mexico driving in a short time. And since I’m back, I figured the blog should probably make a short reappearance.

I haven’t been gone for THAT long, only 10 months to be exact. And yet, in those 10 months these kids have been changing like crazy. Of course, there are some things that will never change. The boys will still laugh about that one time I ate a candy so spicy I cried, Pili will never understand the concept of personal space, and Uziel will always be cute. I don’t think I’ll ever win a game of checkers, but I AM trying.

But guys…

Luis’ English is so good. In August of last year he didn’t speak English hardly at all. But his Spanglish now is on point.

Lupita is also speaking English to me, which I could never get her to do before. It makes communication a lot easier, because her English is so much better than my sorry attempts at Spanish.

Teddy’s talking about what he wants to study in college. College, guys.

Uziel is still adorable, but a freaking tornado. You can’t look away for one second or he’s climbing into his highchair unassisted or carrying around something he shouldn’t be playing with, or running out the gate. It’s exhausting.

Jaime. I don’t know if the Lord has granted me some supernatural understanding or if Jaime has just learned how to talk since last year. Last I checked, he knew 8 words: si, no, agua, caliente, uno, dos, tres, and Maddie. Now he’s talking about “other colors” and telling me to run faster (as I sprint with his wheelchair through the dirt roads) and every time he calls someone’s name it’s crystal clear. He’s been asking for my phone and telling Emiliano to eat and letting me know when he needs to be changed. I have never been able to communicate so well with him, and it’s so awesome.

I’ll try to write up at least one more update while I’m here. Until then, I’m back with my children and my heart is overflowing.