Goddaughter!

And the cycle of life goes on...

We are honored to have a precious new goddaughter!

Here are scenes from her baptism.

Tragedy in Oakland

Edwin and his cousin Marco Antonio were very close growing up. They explored and played for hours in the forests and ponds of their refugee community in Mexico. One of the brightest students in their grade, Marco was nicknamed Cerebro ("Brain"). Despite his great intellectual promise, poverty prevented his family from sending him on to school. As teenagers, the cousins went their separate ways, as Marcos moved to the U.S. and Edwin returned to Guatemala. Marco settled in Oakland, CA. He worked hard and sent money home to his family to put his younger siblings through school. He had a long-term relationship with a woman from Vietnam; their common language was English. Edwin and Marco had not seen each other for 15 years until this January when we visited California for my brother Adrian's wedding.

the reunion after 15 years' separation:

And then tragedy struck. On March 10, Marco was shot during a mugging and died soon after in the hospital. You can read here the article about it from the San Francisco Chronicle. It is horrible. Completely unthinkable and devastating.

Kayalá-Speak

Some of Kayalá's latest words and phrases:

"Awesome!"

"Thank you, Mama"

"No, please"

"Mo' chichi, please" (when she wants to nurse)

"Mo' beans, please"

"Want-some" (she says it as a single word)

"Toast ready"

"Pretty trees"

"Nice Cresh cat"

"Tehteh turn" (when she wants her sister to have a turn)

And the one that makes us just beam...

"Love you"

!!

More Leap Day Greetings!

Happy Birthday, Uncle Ade!

Bicycle!

Wonderful wedding!

My brother Adrian just got married!

Welcome to the family, Claudia! I'm so happy to have you as a sister (-in-law)!

The wedding was beautiful, intensely moving, and joyful.

The ceremony:

Chely was in a state of awe for much of the event.

She was the flower girl! Here she is practicing her wand magic:

Kayalá had a puff-ball wand of her own to wave:

I was honored to read "i carry your heart with me" by e.e. cummings.
I can't read that poem without absolutely smiling.



Hearty congratulations to the newlyweds!

Dancing!



C and K with the ring bearer (Claudia's nephew):

Gettin' down:


Chely sang a song (Sabías que Eres Especial) in front of the crowd at the reception!

K exploring:

Sister hug!



Here are some fun things that Chely said at the wedding:

(when my brother Will was giving his toast as best man)
"When I get married, maybe Kayalá will give a toast.

If I get married."

(to Will, when he did something she didn't like)
"You aren't the best man anymore."

"Ade was nervous about dancing,

but he did very very very well."

and the best Chely wedding-related quote...

"I am especially happy about the wedding because

now I have a new aunt!"




Here's to Claudia and Adrian!
You are each so special, so amazing;
together you are, in the words of Mario Benedetti,
"mucho más que dos."
I am thrilled that you have found each other.
Together you can!

Here's to you!
Here's to love!