Canaries!!

Canaries!!
Loving on my Canaries (Fall 2013)

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Los Patos y Las Ardillas!!

Patos y Ardillas!!! These two groups are the oldest children at the center. The Patos/Ducks are the older boys and the Ardillas/Squirrels are the older girls. These children range from about 3 to 10 years old. There is a school teacher at the center, so during the week the children attend school for a few hours each morning. When teams are at the center we do a lot of crafts and Bible stories with the children as well! The Ducks and Squirrels are so much fun to work with in the center! So, here they are:

Los Patos: 
Aberlardo is 2 years and 10 months old.

Antony is 3 years and 8 months old.

Brandy is 1 year and 10 months old.

Domingo is 4 and a half years old.

Edwin is 3 years and 3 months old.

Elder is 2 years and 11 months old.

Elias is 3 years and 8 months old.
Twins, Gerson and Andres, are 3 years and 11 months old.

Hugo is 6 years and 11 months old.

José Mauricio is 7 years and 4 months old.

Luis Fernando is 4 years and 4 months old.

Manuel is 3 years and 2 months old.

Marvin Alfredo is 3 years old.

Mauricio is 5 years and 2 months old.

Ronaldiño is 2 years and 7 months old.


Samuel is 13 years old.


Walter is 2 years and 11 months old.


Las Ardillas:

Angela is 6 years old.

Angelica just turned 10 years old on October 12th!

Cindy is 3 and a half years old.

Elvira is 6 years old.

Evelyn just turned 2 years old on October 14th!

Kimberly Guadalupe is 4 and a half years old.

Lesvia is 3 years and 9 months old.

Maria Asunción is 5 years old.

Maria Elena is 4 years and 3 months old.

Odilia is 5 years and 10 months old.

Rosario just turned 3 years old on October 6th!


The Ducks love to rough-house and play futbol and just run around and be crazy. The Squirrels love dolls and they really enjoy “playing pretend.” Cierra and I have really enjoyed getting to know each of their personalities and each group has picked their “favorite” intern. Anytime we walk by the Ducks they all yell out “Cierra! Cierra!” and whenever we are around the Squirrels they are screaming “Raquel! Raquel!” So, typically at bedtime Cierra will be rough-housing with the boys while I am in the squirrels getting put to bed and woken up to eat. All of the children, Ducks and Squirrels alike, love to sing songs so we are always singing with them, in Spanish of course! They also all enjoy learning English, so we will teach them various words throughout the day. Their favorite words include “shoes” and “stinky.” They are a really fun group to work with and I love walking into a room and hearing our names called out because they know and love us!


Also, I have some awesome news!! This weekend while Cierra and I were in Antigua meeting our fantastic team from Florida Hospital several children were moved around in the center. Delmi (one of our newer canaries) was moved to the Bunnies! Hilda and Edwin went from the Bunnies to the Chicks! And, Claudia, Adalin, and Ana (aka Anita) all moved from the Chicks to the Squirrels! We are so excited that they have all moved up, especially Anita!! She has been ready to move into the Squirrels for so long and she is finally with them and able to attend school! Please say some extra prayers for these children as they learn their new daily routines.

More news: two new children came to the center yesterday! Please keep these sweet girls in your prayers as they transition into life here at the center.

This is Sara. She is 3 years old and is our newest Squirrel. She has been very upset and missing her Mama, so please say some extra prayers for her!
This is Sophia. She is almost 5 months old and is our newest Canary. Currently she is quarantined in her room because she is sick, so please pray for healing for this sweet baby!

Thank you for all your prayers and support!
Love Always,
~Rachel~

Thursday, October 10, 2013

Los Pollitos!

Los Pollitos, aka the Chicks, are the older toddlers at the center. These children can all walk and feed themselves, so they are working on the next step...potty training!! Doesn't that sound like fun? Ok, so potty training is never the most fun thing to do, but the Chicks are doing great! They all sit on their little potties several times a day and are not allowed to get up for at least 15 minutes or until they go. However, that doesn't stop them from getting around the bathroom...they scoot around on their pots to get to whatever or whoever they are trying to reach. The Chicks are also beginning to talk, so they are constantly trying to tell you something. Combine toddler babbling with Spanish and you get children who are very difficult for us gringas to understand! But, we try our best and we always seem to communicate with each other.
Adalin is 2 years and 8 months old. She is almost always happy and very smart! She loves to read and learn new words and she will repeat everything you say. She is kind of the "mother" of the group. Whenever another child doesn't have a toy she will bring them one or if one is lagging behind when the group is walking to the bathroom or the lunch room she will hold their hand and make sure they keep up. Whenever we are putting name tags on the kids, Adalin is always the one to grab the other children by the hand and bring them to whoever is handing out the stickers.

This is Ana, better known as Anita. She is 3 years and 4 months old and just one of the sweetest little girls ever! She is very quiet and shy, but once she knows you she'll bring you toys to play with and books to read. She is pretty timid with the other kids and always shares her toys with them. Anita has the sweetest smile and such a tiny little laugh, but when she laughs you can't help but join her.

Andy is 2 years and 6 months old. He is so adorable and always wearing a hoodie...and he loves to keep his hood up! He is always helping Santos get into mischief and Andy will often set up some toys and proceed to yell "Santos, Santos!!" until Santos comes and knocks them all down. Then Andy just laughs and laughs and does it all again.

Brayan is 1 year and 10 months old. He is almost always smiling and has such adorable chubby cheeks! He loves to play with balls and is usually found throwing them around the room.

Claudia is 2 years and 5 months old. She is very smiley and loves to play with the other kids! She gets along with everyone and will always join in on whatever fun is being had.

Esdras is 2 years and 4 months old. He is always happy and loves to share! He is constantly bringing us toys to play with and loves to throw the ball back and forth.

Gabi will be 2 years old this Saturday (10/12)!! She is pretty timid, but is very active and loves to run around the play area laughing!

Ingrid 2 years and 1 month old and is the other "mother" of the group. If anyone is crying she will go to them to see what is the matter. She will even check the other kids' diapers to make sure they don't need to be changed!

Javier is 1 year and 10 months old. He is such a sweetheart and loves to rock in the rocking chairs. Javier also enjoys taking off his shoes and bringing them to someone to put them back on his feet all day long!

Jose Miguel is 2 years and 1 month old and is rarely called by his name. It seems that everyone who meets him has a different nickname for him! He can be pretty quiet sometimes, but when he is comfortable with you he will bring you lots of toys to play with. He is very ticklish and has a contagious laugh!

Mayra is 2 years and 2 months old. She is very affectionate. She always gives lots of hugs and kisses and loves to be held and rocked. Mayra enjoys being tickled and loves to laugh! She always brings a lot of toys for you to play with and particularly enjoys putting legos together and taking them apart.

Noemi is 1 year and 9 months old. She is very quiet and a bit shy, but when she gets to know you she will cling to you constantly. She always wants to be holding someone's hand or sitting in their lap and gets very jealous if you give attention to any other child.

This is Ovidio. He is 2 years and 3 months old and is such a ham! He loves to have his picture taken and will always pose for the camera. He is kind of the "class clown" and is always making everyone laugh. He repeats everything you say and is probably the most talkative of the group. Ovi loves to inform us of everything that is going on and will always be the first to announce the rain by pointing out the window and yelling "Agua! Agua!" He has a nickname for each of the other children including "Titi" for Ingrid, "Mimi" for Noemi, and "Tato" for Santos and he is always telling us what everyone is doing or where they are.

Roxana is 2 years and 1 month old. She is very sweet and enjoys watching everything that is going on around her. She loves to ride around on the little "cars" and often removes her shoes and hides them inside the compartment under the seat. When you ask her where her shoes are she giggles and pulls them out of the car so that you can put them back on her feet.

Santos is 2 years and 4 months old. He is very sweet, but can be quite the troublemaker. He loves to make lots of noise and particularly enjoys lining things up on the hand rail in front of the mirror and knock them off. The other kids all know that he loves to do this and are always helping set things up for him to knock down, especially his buddy, Andy.

Working with the Chicks can be exhausting, but it is always so much fun!! They definitely know how to make a mess, but they are all fantastic at cleaning up and love to gather all the toys and put them in the basket. I particularly love the Chicks because most of them were in the Canaries with me last year and I love seeing how much they've grown and how smart they are all becoming!

As always, please keep all the children and nannies in your prayers. Thanks so much!! Love you guys!

Love Always,
~Rachel~

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Los Conejitos! and Three New Children

Meet the Bunnies:

Los Conejitos, aka the Bunnies, are the younger group of toddlers. The children in this room are about 1 1/2 to 3 years old. Most of the children can walk, but a few of them are still learning. These kids are just learning to feed themselves, so it can get pretty messy at meal times! The Bunnies are a very lively group of kids and there are definitely a few trouble makers, but that just makes working with them more fun!

Hilda just turned 2 years old and shares a birthday with her fellow Bunny, Genaro (10/9)! She is one of the oldest in the group and definitely rules the roost. Hilda can be a very sweet girl, but she can also be quite the trouble maker. She loves to rock back and forth in her crib to knock it against the wall and make a lot of noise! Her sweet side is very evident when she sees a kid without a toy and brings one to them so they have something to play with.

Ezequías is 1 year and 7 months old.  He likes to play peek-a-boo and is extremely ticklish! He loves to sleep and will literally fall asleep anywhere no matter what is going on around him.

Kimberly Paola is 1 year and 9 months old. She is such a cutie and always a happy girl, but she definitely enjoys being mischievous. Paola is very active and loves to ride on the little cars...she even falls asleep on them sometimes!

Elmer is 1 and a half years old. He loves to play with shoes, usually those of the children near him...and sometimes he thinks they would make a good snack!

Abner is 1 year and 6 months old. He loves to cuddle and is very happy just hugging on someone all day long.

Edgar s 1 year and 9 months old. He is always happy, even when other kids steal his toys. It is a very rare occasion to see him upset about anything. Edgar loves to laugh and show off his adorable chubby cheeks!

Jose Carlos is 1 year and 11 months old. He is one of our smallest Bunnies and cannot yet walk or sit himself up, but if you put him into a sitting position he can stay there, so we are working on that with him. He is a very sweet and snugly boy.

Alison is one and a half years old. She is usually a happy girl, but she very possessive over her toys, so if someone tries to take them, she will get very upset, particularly over a little plastic tree that she loves to play with. Alison loves to run and will run back and forth in her crib just laughing the cutest little laugh you ever heard!

Anibal is 2 years old and is always very content. He doesn't play much, but he loves to be snuggled and rocked and just watch the other kids running around.

Sandy is 1 year and 6 months old and has the cutest curly hair! She loves to sit in her crib with her feet hanging out of the bars and, like most little kids, loves attention.

Edwin is 1 year and 11 months old. He loves to run around and absolutely must be the center of attention! He likes to make people laugh and says "Hola" to anyone who passes by.

Kimberly Alicia is 1 year and 8 months old and has the sweetest little smile! She loves to give high-fives and whenever she sees someone look at her she will hold her hand out until you give her one. It is rare for someone to actually call her anything other than her nickname, China (pronounced Cheena), because she looks a bit Chinese.

Manuel is 1 year and 8 months old. He is a very happy little boy and, like his friend China, loves to give high-fives! He is currently learning how to stand up on his own! Manuel is very sweet and any time another child is crying he immediately crawls over to them to see what is the matter and tries to comfort them...but he thinks that the best way to do that is to hit them until they stop crying. His intentions are good, but his execution is not, so we usually end up having to console the child that he "comforted."

Genaro, who shares a birthday with Hilda, just turned 2 years old! He is extremely shy...he doesn't talk much and whenever you talk to him he kind of looks down with a sheepish grin and giggles. Genaro is super ticklish and a very sweet little boy.

Melany is 2 years and 3 months old. She's usually quiet and kind of shy, but she is extremely ticklish! She is always curious about whatever is going on and loves to watch everything around her.

On Tuesday (10/8) two little girls came to the center and on Wednesday (10/9) a little boy came. It is always a blessing when new children come because they are now in a place where they can regain their health. However, the children are often very sad when they arrive and it is heartbreaking to see them so upset. Many of them are too young to understand why they are here, but they are old enough to realize that they have been separated from their parents and are in an unfamiliar place. They are surrounded by people they don't yet know and are not sure what is going on. Thankfully they do settle into life at the center and end up very happy kids! The other kids will often try to comfort the new ones and help them adjust, which is always very sweet to see. But for a little while, the new ones will be sad. Please say some extra prayers for these sweet babies as they get used to their new, temporary home here at the center.
Jessica is 1 year and 6 months old and is our newest Bunny.

Maria Herlinda is 1 year old and has joined the Canaries.
Wilder is 11 months old and is our newest Canary.

Thank you all so much for your love and prayers!
Love Always,
~Rachel~