February was a really good month. The renovations on our room and home are finally finished, our friend Scott (Owner of Aspire Coffee Roasters) came down to visit us and to explore the various coffee farms, some generous people gave their time and money to help reorganize our living room, we got another dog as a friend for little Chorizo, and we hiked the Acatenango volcano. It has been busy, but in the best way possible.
Scott Boeckner Came for a Visit
One of our close friends, Scott Boeckner came down to visit for a week! We had a great time touring Antigua, eating local food, and finding locally sourced coffee farms for Scott to partner with for his coffee roasting business, Aspire. It was so much fun to take a little break and enjoy parts of Guatemala that Nick and I don’t usually experience in our day to day. The guys had lots of catching up to do and we are so grateful for all of the time they had. We also didn’t take a bunch of pictures with each other in them…so enjoy the few that we have.
Renovations are Finally Done
In other news, our room is finally done! The roof has dried, the walls are painted, and we are fully moved in. It felt like a long wait, but it was all worth it. We are so happy to have this new space that is safe and beautiful. A huge thanks to everyone who helped us with this project. It gives us so much peace of mind to know that all of the termites and bad boards are gone before our sweet baby is born.
Baby coming soon! Nesting mode: ACTIVATE
That said, the combination of moving back into this room and just entering the third trimester has me (Isabel) in full nesting mode! I’ve been a little preoccupied with gathering baby clothes, diapers, and all the soft blankets! Our room here upstairs is like a little studio apartment, so I’ve focused on putting up pictures and getting a rocking chair instead of setting up a nursery. The three of us will definitely be snug up here, but we are ready to share this space with a little one.
A Huge thanks to Terrie and her small group!
Our downstairs recently got redecorated and reorganized by a missionary who came and gave her time to volunteer with us in the past month. Terrie with the help of her small group bought so many toys and activities for the kiddos and reorganized our downstairs living room area. Organization is a constant challenge with so many little humans running around. She did a wonderful job revamping the whole room and we (kids included) are ecstatic about it! We now often find all the kids sitting around their new craft table drawing and coloring to their hearts’ content.
Welcome Maple to the Gaultney Family!
Even though we have more than a full house here, our dear little Chorizo has been a bit of an “only child” for the past year. He recently made some new dog friends and showed us a level of happiness we did not know existed. This led to us bringing home Maple, a young Shih Tzu to be his buddy. They immediately fell in love and play all day long. Chorizo is our ball of energy and athleticism, while Maple is the other side of the coin. She is a mellow, quiet, cuddler- a great edition to the family!
Hiking The Acatenango Volcano
To end Scott’s trip, the guys (along with Chorizo) hiked Acatenango, one of the three largest volcanoes in Guatemala. They hiked all day Saturday, camped overnight and continued onto the summit for sunrise on Sunday. Acatenango has multiple climates over its 13,000 feet elevation, so the boys went from sweating to freezing wind in just hours. It was a great experience the provided a breathtaking view over to the sister volcano, Fuego, that erupts every day. Needless to say, all three crashed when they got home on Sunday morning, yes, even Chorizo, who proved his worth as a hiking buddy by leading the entire hike and only stopping when Scott and Nick needed a rest!
