so today started with a stove that didn't want to cook the children's breakfast and a big crazy goose chase for dorothy as she tried to get mickenson, his mom, and their stuff all to the hospital for his surgery...in a car with a busted radiator hose! after a lovely walk to the gas station for cornflakes and bread and two trips to the hospital and a little duct tape to make it home on a busted hose all was well...and the stove managed to fix itself by suppertime by the way...maybe the car will fix itself by morning...kez treated dorothy, kervens and i to a lunch of haitian pate and chadec (sp? its creole for grapefruit basically) from a street vendor and it was amazing...i have been hearing about pate for a while now but have not yet had the pleasure...it is like everything i love about an egg roll and then some! anyway...today i started working with frantzo again...he is a child that was affected by menengitis as an infant that resulted in seizures and a stroke. he was initially paralyzed on the left side but has regained the use of it and so i am going to be working with him on using his left hand specifically to improve control and motor coordination...anyone with ideas or experience feel free to contribute...poutchino is showing tremendous interest in standing and walking and exercising and dancing! so i am excited about doing his physical therapy as well as some motor skill work with him too...today we took gertie, clo clo, richardson, and isna out for our first tap class since i have been back and they did great...they love putting on their shoes - thank you steps of faith - and making all that glorious noise with their feet! (the girls always polish any dust off of them with the hem of their skirt before they will start) for 3 and 4 year olds with very little english they are brilliant dance students...they pick up and remember steps so well because they are so eager and excited to be dancing...of course it is a bit of a circus to watch me try to keep up with them too...like hearding one eyed cats in...well tap shoes! did i mention i love my life....?

on a different note...baby moses who has been in the hospital since he was brought here by a family who found him in a trash can malnourished and critically ill died yesterday...dorothy was running around all day after getting a call that he was in desperate shape trying to find the medication that he needed and take it to the hospital...yes...take it TO the hospital....she was able to get it to him but even with it he passed away that evening. he fought so hard and this family was fighting with him, ready to take him home and raise him as their own if he survived the ordeal...what a beautiful picture of love they were to him, and to us...

we are beginning a composting project as well as our own vegetable garden...kervens and i are so excited...anyone with tips for gardening in rocky soil in a tropical climate...bring em on please! we also start homeschooling...that is i will be homeschooling kevs (and he will probably be schoolin me a little too)...next week so please pray for us both on this new adventure...we are both excited!

show love...much love