Rosetta Stone

It's your very own beginner's Marco manual. Learn to speak Marco quickly and easily. Start learning with this selection today!

Beginner.
Nose. Eyes. You're about to get poked in the face.
Up. Down. Commands. As in, pick me up, put me down.
Car. Bus. House. Marco's driving narrative.
Mama. Dada. Alba. Up? Words to let you know he's awake. As in, 'come get me out of this jail.'
Button. Referring to pushables... car horn, remote, phone, his belly button or cleavage. Eh.

Intermediate.
Brian asked what percentage of Marco's words are food related. No comment. Let's just say they're not all here.
Bowl. Broccoli. Banana. Pas-TA! Doc was impressed when Marco identified a picture of broccoli by name!
KA-KA. CRACK-KAA. Cookie and cracker, respectively. Not referring to poop, although daycare did ask.
Dora. Dora refers to TV.
Elmo. Elmo refers to Sesame Street step stool.
Doorbell. Freeze wide-eyed and stare at each other. To be used like "who is that?"

Advanced.
Ow. No actual pain, comes after hitting oneself in the head. More like "doh!"
Night-night. A game to throw oneself on top of pillows, no actual sleep involved.
Ready. Two. Go! A hybrid of 1-2-3 and Ready, Set, Go. If he's standing on something, he's jumping at you. If he's holding hands, he's about to go limp in the legs expecting a lift. Other interpretations include "Uno, dos, go!"
Marta. Mine. My ____. To indicate possession. Please note: Marta = Marco. Example: Marta's Ball. My Ball. Mine! Is this selfishness supposed to start so soon?

I ready! In response to the question, "Are you ready?"

With this guide and a discerning ear, you can now travel through Marco communicating with ease! Good luck and safe travels.

What the heck, build a deck.

I mean, really, everyone should. Here are some recent deck shots. (Alright, the first one is the baby artichoke frittata I made for my Mom and Grandma. Awesome right?)

Punk.

Marco had a slight accident at the playground which left this shirt covered in spit and blood. (His chest and left shoulder near Jeff.) He looked so tough. He don't take nothing from nobody, right Roc?

And my other cousin the Bat Girl.

Famous cousins everywhere! Here's Courtney's Bat Girl YouTube video!

That blond cousin.

As you may know my cousin Amelia has made several stays in Uganda over the past couple years. She has lived primarily in a small village where she works and tries to help the women and children displaced by civil unrest.

It's incredibly selfless and dangerous (I mean, it's like we're not even related) and for that reason we want her to stay here! BUT, she's headed back to Uganda again for three months at a minimum. She has as many horrible tales as she has inspirational ones and her story doesn't end here.

I know what you're thinking, where is the picture and what's the pitch? It's like my blog is an afterschool special! So, here's the picture:And here's the pitch: She and her friends are working with a group of Ugandan women to make these beautiful earrings. The company is called Nu Intentions. Visit their website for more information about the project, the women and of course, to shop! Update... Amelia's blog.

Before I botch this story anymore, here are Amelia's words:

These eight women range from ages 14-24 and have been through more difficult times than we as Americans can imagine. Because of the jobs we have provided for them making earrings, these women are able to take care of their families, finish their educations and can now look forward to a better future.

I will also be overlooking the Nu Intentions project and teaching English in the local secondary school and continuing my youth ministry with the war-torn teenagers. I have already been working for the past 1 ½ in Uganda, mostly in this IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp called Kapelebyong. Therefore, it will be very easy to adjust to their way of life and I already have very close friends awaiting me.

What Amelia and I do have in common, besides a similar nose, is that we are both sweet! And by that, I mean mosquitos love us. Okay in California, less okay in Africa. Cross your fingers for no malaria! Kisses Amelia!