"Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, It's Off to School We Go..."

"I want gel in my hair like the older boys," says Aaron.
"Okay... you can have gel. Just hold on a minute," I reply, slightly stressed.

Translation: Pollito is screaming his head off, I'm in the process of changing Candi's diaper, and Diego (mysteriously enough) has not only managed to misplace his shorts that he just had on, but now is wearing his underwear inside and out backwards.

"Diego, turn your pants around. Candi... just a minute, honey, we're almost done... don't touch the wipes! Pollito, please, please stop screaming or I'm going to stuff a sock in your mouth. Aaron, don't grab the..."

[Crashes, thuds, as the entire top shelf of the diaper stand rains on the floor around Aaron, who stands amazed, clutching the bottle of hair gel in his hand.]

"... hair gel. [Sigh.] Okay... it's alright. Put all these back on there."

Candi, clean and tidy now, gets deposited on the floor, Diego has found the missing shorts and turned his pants around, Pollito has become absorbed in how many times he can hit himself in the head with the hairbrush before it really hurts, and Aaron waits patiently as I try to comb the sticking, ickiness of the new hair gel into some semblance of "coolness."

Finally, fingers still pasted together from the superglue hair gel, I whirl to snatch the glass of water from the side-table that Pollito is about to dump over his head, yell to Diego to put on his sandals for the fifth time in two minutes (he just keeps forgetting, you know), lift Candi into the baby carriage using only my elbows since the other hands are still in bondage to hair gel and water, and slide Aaron's backpack to him using my foot as I run to the bedroom to wash my hands, change, and then scurry out the door.

The clock reads 8:13. Pre-planned time of departure? 8:15. Going to happen? Probably not.

Three minutes later, tossing my purse over my shoulder (and Pollito into the stroller), we hit the door running, Diego and Aaron clinging to the sides of the carriage, trying not to be scraped off against doorjams and fences. We make the comedor at 8:17, I grab the keys for the green truck, and we scurry out the back, Pollito and Candi (now dethroned from the baby stroller) dangling from my palms as we crunch and slide across the rough gravel.

One, two, three, four... "Pollito, sit down!" back to three, okay, finally four in their seats, I rush around the front of the truck, smack into the rearview window with my shoulder, clamber in, slam the door (which gets stuck and hasn't closed all the way), and we're off.

The highway in front of the orphanage is unusually busy and we sit for three or four minutes trying to edge out into traffic, Pollito and Candi squealing with delight and terror as the huge semi trucks flash before their eyes like giant, metallic sharks grinding past their noses, rocking our vehicle with their tail-winds. We manage to pull out, tires spinning in the gravelly incline, and shoot off down the road.

8:22.

We hit the topes (Mexican speed bumps which incite my slightly-open-and-making-that-annoying-rattling-noise door to a fever pitch), to which it is expected that I will yell, "Boom!" for all 25 bumps, only to have to slow down for the huge trailer in front of us navigating each bump like it's a drop-off cliffside mountain trail (maxing himself out at 10 mph), which does put a bit of a damper on the "boom!" game, I must say. More like a drawn out, "booo-oooo-oooo-ooom-uh."

Highly disappointing.

Passing the "booms," we hit both red lights, screech around the corners, pull up at the school (right by a telephone line that I didn't see, and which prevents Aaron from being able to open his door all the way, so I have to wedge myself in and extract him bit by laborious bit), and finally get out. Locking the doors, I hear Candi and Pollito start screaming in unison... beautiful.

8:28. Yesssssssssssssssss [insert Napoleon Dynamite fist-clenched gesture of winning].

I, of course, want to take pictures of his first day wearing his full uniform, and make him stand under the sign to snap a couple photos, in which he strikes an embarrassed pose (who wouldn't? I hated those pictures in front of school where people could actually see me. Does this mean I'm turning into my mother??? Love you, Mom... lol) and then runs to the gate to get inside.

"Aaron! Aaron!" I try to get his attention, so I can take a picture of him in the schoolyard...

No such luck. He runs and hides behind the slide, completely avoiding my gaze, and then bolts into his classroom like a big, scary, picture-taking monster is chasing him. Which, indeed, I was.

Ahhh... school has begun. ;)

The truck-load on the way to school in the mornings. These are two photos out of about 15 that somehow just didn't seem to work in getting all four to look at the camera at the same time.

Aaron in front of his school's sign... notice the embarrassed foot lift??? I didn't really notice the graffiti on the wall until after I took the pictures, but it's really not a hoodlum school... :)

Inside the school's play area... you can't see Aaron because he was... well, hiding.

The Jungle Book (CVE Style...)

"So, we're dressing up."
"As what?"
"Like we're from the jungle."
"Ummm... why, again?"
"Oh, you know... back to school and whatnot..."
"So when?"
"Oh, tonight..."
"Holy cow."

Rush, scramble, frantic and excited thinking about what in the world I could come up with in an hour or two to sufficiently "jungle-out" my little kidlets.

Meanwhile: Rush, scramble, frantic and excited preparation by each and every person on campus to get ready for the "jungle-out" that was starting in less than an hour.

An hour, "jungle music," and a bottle of hairspray later... we were ready to do some damage!! ;)

Last night was great fun as the CVE staff and kids poured lots of creative thinking, and some incredible dress-up skills into an end-of-summer party to be held in the CVE Jungle a.k.a. comedor (dining hall). When the youngest kids and I got to the hall, it was being transformed with logs, bamboo sticks, and vines into a "jungle-y" wilderness, ready for the wild animals and warriors to invade!

Prize #1: The Cutest Kids

Definitely a biased decision, but the "Señores de la Selva" (Lords - meaning conquerors - of the Jungle) and the "Niños de la Selva" (Kids of the Jungle) were just pretty cute in their frayed costumes, explorer hats, colored leopard print towels, and cat ears!

Prize #2: Best Costume

Michael's crocodile costume was AMAZING... kudos to Jo-el for the great job on creating this monster! The downside??? Michael was only able to wear the costume for about ten minutes before having to take it off... every time Eduardo saw him, he started screaming and having panic attacks which resulted in a death-grip on my neck, claw marks from his toenails on my side, and partial deafness in one ear... ;)

Prize #3: Best-Dressed

Allow me to introduce you to CVE's own Indiana Jones! I think I heard that Seth will be hiring himself out for birthday parties and social gatherings, but you might have to ask him about that. I'm sure the list will grow quickly, though, so call now to make sure he puts in an appearance... ;)

Prize #4: The Biggest Faker

Not a negative connotation at all, since this was a night for "disguises" and Jo-el had some of the kids "believing" that he actually injured his leg. Upon viewing his hobbling entrance, I was amused to see some of the older girls roll their eyes and then keep checking (out of the corners of their eyes, of course) to see if that was really blood on his clothes... lol.

So... those were just a few prizes from our Jungle Night, and I'm pretty sure the kids (and the adults) had a great time. I mean, I've personally never eaten monkey brains before, but they might become my new favorite... ;)

Excuses, excuses, excuses...

... have been running through my mind for a month and two days, preventing me (or perhaps just adding justification) from being an active member of the blogging world. However, my mom thinks I'm dead, my college's pleas for monetary funding have stopped arriving (along with all other mail) which I can only assume is due to DECEASED or MISSING IN ACTION being typed into their spreadsheets/databases, and I have received at least five e-mails asking if I've "fallen off the face of the earth," "ceased to exist," or "Did you die?"

Oops.

So... I am alive. Well. Slightly unhinged at moments, but praising God for the few and too rare moments of lucidity when He allows me to realize I am living His will, and therefore should praise Him every chance I get. How is it we can forget the most important things???

Pues... here are a few events that have happened in the last month that have provided ample blogging material (and conversely ample procrastination material) for those of you still faithfully - and surprisingly - reading this blog. Thanks for your support... ;)

1. Kidnapped by Ninjas

Daniel, Angel, and Poncho pounded on the door one morning, and after calling for them to come in and getting no response, I headed to see what was going on, a cup of strong, strong Ethiopian coffee clutched in my pre-7:30 a.m. hand (muchas gracias Don Pelon... me encantalo!) my eyes squinting in the harsh sunlight. Suddenly, I was attacked with ferocious bear hugs (ninja hugs???) from the t-shirt-clad first Ninja Brigade of CVE. It was very special... and though their karate skills could use some advancement, their level of "cuteness" (I know, I know... a definite "sketch" word) was unparalleled.

2. Rancho Betania

I know this has been blogged about beautifully and fully by both Amy and Katie, but I thought I would share a few pics that I had on my camera. My memories of RB will circle around sunburns, crying babies, and pelting rain... with the added bonus that it was a wonderful, relaxing adventure that I wouldn't trade for anything. ;)

Above: Mateo, Armando, and Aaron enjoy their afternoon snacks.

The group resting after a strenuous day of swimming, swimming, swimming, lunch, swimming, swimming, and... did I forget? Oh... more swimming.

Our fearless leader dons his fisherman cap, and guiltily reaches for a cheese puff (On a sidenote, the cheese curls/puffs in Mexico will - metaphorically - "put hair on your chest", as my Dad always says. They are amazingly and incredibly spicy...). I've come to the conclusion that any time Bill is eating food and gets caught on camera, he's going to look guilty... lol.

At left, Diego grins for the camera after imbibing a cupful of "bubbles" mixture, trying to emulate his cousin, Jose, who was (successfully, I might add) using his mouth instead of a plastic bubble-blower to amuse himself. At right, Limón is attacked during his naptime by Candi and Eduardo who were wielding bright orange caution cones like swords.

3. Past Meets Present

One of my best friends from college, Sarah Littleton, came down to visit for a few days, and her stretching experiences included not only eating lots of new foods (not pre-approved by or for her... lol), but also dealing with children... children who like to make lots and lots of noise... ;) It was fun having her here, and I hope she's not too afraid to come back again... lol.

4. New Methods of Transportation

Along with the newly enforced policies for kitchen attire and conduct posted by our Director (and diligently followed by our new "lunch lady"), we have decided to increase our level of skills and "righteousness" by wheeling the kids around in wheelbarrows. Not only will this create the illusion that we are working harder, but provides an easy solution to any whining - a simple dumping sideways into the nearest bush is quite handy.

Notice: The above statements may contain slight falsehoods, or be subject to criticism based on their sarcastic content.

5. Stairway to Ant Heaven

"Oh... this is so digusting." "Look! There they come again when the lights aren't shining on them!!!" "Sickness."

The above comments were made as Jenna, Amy, and I checked out the literal river of ants pouring forth from the ceiling in the back of the house. The plan of action soon became to eradicate the existence of this nuisance, but the exact where's, how's, and who's were yet to be determined. Somehow (and by whom I refuse to divulge) it was decided a "superhero" was needed for the job, and a girl was quickly dispatched to bring him back. After prompting, and some serious eye-rolling, the "superhero" climbed up the stairs to the attic, checked out the dust-caked area, and quickly discovered that there was nothing that could be done immediately. Bummer. I think our "superhero" just wasn't feeling quite the same "emergency situation" that we had deemed appropriate... or maybe we just needed a bigger fan base at the bottom of the stairs for him to work his "superhero" magic???

So... the end has come for this entirely too long post. And as Diego (pictured above in the correct pose) says, "Oh my... oh myyyy!!!"

No promises, but I will make a concentrated effort to get the next post up before September rolls around... ;)