Half a Year, WHAT?!

Elena is 6 months old!  What a month for our lil' girl.  Passport holder, world traveler, car seat hater, that's our gal.

She has been busy this month saying goodbye to some amazing people and saying hello to other great people.  Elena has met her grandparents, most of her great grandparents, aunts, uncles, and a bunch of new cousins.  She's been in a pool, mastered rolling over from her tummy and her back.  Elena just starting going on her knees and then does some nice face plants.  I think she is inspired by her oh-so mobile cousin Emily and probably will crawl very soon.  But interestingly enough, she's not sturdy enough to sit up for long.   She thinks the exesaucer is the neatest thing next to sliced bread and hates carseats because they prevent her from being cuddled for long extended times.  Just this week her hair on the top of her head was long enough to be tousled by the breeze.  Her favourite chew toy?  Any necklace that you are wearing, pointier and sharper the better.  And Elena is a growler and a hummer.  Happy?  Hums.  Hungry?  Growls.  Playing?  Hums or growls.  Tired?  Definitely growls.

Elena started eating solid foods.  Well, eating and solid are relative terms.  She gums, gags, and spits out most of the watery swill that we serve her, but she's slowly getting the hang of it.  It seems she likes the cereal, but I have a feeling she's too savvy of a gal to be content with that too long.  We're going to be moving on to pureed veggies pretty soon.

Elena also went on her first ride in the bike trailer.  I have to admit, I was more afraid that she would hate it because of getting too much lovin' from her older sister than being strapped down and dragged down the street.  But Asha kept her hands to herself and Elena enjoyed the scenery.  And she loves her bath.  Nothing like a Saturday night splashing in the laundry room sink.

She's also increased her wardrobe exponentially thanks to hand-me-downs from Auntie Jenny and Dawn.  Elena is one fashionable 17 pound gal.

What We've Been Up To

Our social calendar has way outnumbered my blog posts lately, so here are some of the things that we've been doing.  Since buying our van, we've really put on the miles driving all over Manitoba.  Connecting with family and dear friends and meeting some special little nieces and nephews for the first time.  The kids have had some great experiences, mainly with Joel and his chance to shoot arrows and pellet guns off at camp with his uncle and Elena's first time in the pool.

In two weeks we've probably eaten our weight in BBQ, but interestingly enough, every BBQ has been different.  S'mores with Joao and Caroline, Chicken with Derek and Laura, Burgers with Wendell and Shana and Gizo with Hans and Elma.  There is no end to what you can make over a fire!  

 

Today She's Four!

Our sweet Asha has been anticipating her birthday for months now.  In February, she started planning her party (it would be at Grandma's house), what type of cake (most certainly it would be chocolate) and started putting in suggestions for gifts (please buy me a Fashionista).

Well, the big day arrived and she was thrilled to pieces.  Even though she entered this world 5 minutes after midnight, she insisted all day she wasn't four yet until her party.

Off we went to her Grandma's house, where my mom had prepared a feast of a birthday meal and we were able to share the special celebration with my side of the family and Carl's parents too.  From great-grandparents to cuddle with to cousins to horse around with, the day was very special for her.  She was gifted with some very lovely things (THANK YOU!) and even her precious Fashionista, which by the way is just a dolled up Barbie.

Time definitely flies when you are having a blast and turning four.  We love you so much Asha and the world would definitely be a less exciting place without you in it.  It's amazing to see how you connect with people and how they just love you. Thank you for blessing us all with your uniqueness and spunk!

To quote our favourite four year old,

"This is my most favourite thing that I've never done before!"

After Pictures

And here are a few pictures of our first few days in Canada.  Our parents hosted a meet and greet time for family and some friends to come and spend an evening with us.  It was wonderful to see people and we were amazed how people had changed.  Kids grow up and get tall after three years, who knew?

Oh and a highlight for the kids (especially for Asha) was to go to Grandpa's cabin and see the "Snow House".  Apparently that's its name since the most impressive picture of the cabin was taken in the winter.  Don't think Asha looks too disappointed there isn't any snow.

Before Pics

As promised from last week, I have uploaded some pictures from my camera and thought I would share them.  Here's a glimpse of our last few days in Bolivia....

 Kezia and her friend at their Festival of Dance.  She was able to participate due to to our delay.  Kezia had the opportunity to have special words of farewell with her director.  A good way to end her time in the club.

 Elena cuddling with Hannah.  We had a relaxing supper with the Harders two days before we left.

 Reuben and Asha are best friends. 

 Elias and Joel spending a bit more time together.

 Harders and Heppners

 Manicures!  Something special Kezia, Asha and I did on our last day.

      In front of the office.

 And in front of the tienda (corner store) where our kids regularly went to buy milk and bread and eggs.

          A special lunch prepared by Nati and shared with Tyler and Holly the day before we left.

             In front of our house.

 The night before departure with Lucas and Matias.  Another great friendship our kids were blessed with.

 Early on Sunday morning at the airport.

         On the airplane leaving Bolivia...

First Week Back

It's hard to believe that we've been here in Manitoba for a week.  It's gone by in a blur....

The travel went well on Sunday and Monday, which was a blessing.  Nothing to report, no vomiting or lost bags.  Only my almost exploding sinuses on the airplane due to the leftovers of a cold and a rapid decent.  Other than that, it was a wonderfully normal flight back.

We were greeted by friends and family after making it out of the customs in a record of 2 minutes.  That night we had supper with our parents, which was nice and surreal all at the same time.

The last 7 days have been us catching up on sleep, organizing our tiny sweet apartment in our parents' basement, getting a cell phone that actually flips! and reconnecting with lots of family and friends.  It has been so good to be loved on and fed and to be in the presence of people whom we've missed terribly.

The kids are doing alright.  Joel is definitely spending more time either by himself or bugging the snot out of one of his sisters, Kezia is more cuddly and less chatty, and Asha is super wild.  Elena is drooling and smiling and growling like usual.  She loves that she can now be on the floor and is getting lots of use out of her cousins' play mat.  They have all enjoyed time with family, swimming in the pool and the pond at the farm, going to parks and BBQ's. They have had a few moments this week where they encounter something new.  Like stuff in the bathroom, seat belts and car seats, the yogurt that they thought they could drink but comes out in one big clump onto your face, and ketchup chips.  And that you can leave stuff out in the yard (like the flower pots) and they won't get stolen even though there isn't a 6 foot fence. This week the older two have enjoyed going to VBS in the evenings, giving them the opportunity to  make some friends and have activities that are completely child-centered. 

And how are Carl and I doing?  Well, pretty decent.  I feel like we're on vacation, sort of.  Carl has been a bit under the weather from a nasty bug he picked up just before he left.  Ah, sweet Bolivia came with us....

The weather is coolish.  I have yet to put on a pair of shorts and we haven't sweated once.  I almost did this afternoon and then the weather turned cool.  Poor Elena was dressed in a romper outfit this morning when we left sunny Steinbach only for it to turn 16 and cloudy in the city.  With no back-up outfit and the risk of freezing, she got herself a new outfit on the fly.

People ask us if there are things we miss or if we are in culture shock and it's hard to answer.  I miss passion fruit ice cream and my church in Spanish.  I miss my dear friends.  I miss my electric shower and the zero risk of ever burning yourself with the hot water gushing from the kitchen tap. I miss choclo and empanadas. But I'm glad that I have only seen one ant this week, and that wasn't even by the plum I left out for two days.  I love having a washing machine that I can use whenever I want, but the Root beer tastes funny.  What is with the low sinks and door handles everywhere?  Seriously, is everyone that short?  I'm having a hard time walking barefooted inside, so unless I'm asked to, I keep my flip flops on, which are of way better quality than the foamy things people have here.  Not everything in third world is third class, you know.  Holy cow things are expensive!!  So much selection in a store is so awesome and so overwhelming at the same time.  White eggs are a bit creepy, like they aren't natural or something; I miss the brown eggs that are super easy to crack.  I miss kissing people, even if you don't know them, in greeting, and then again when you leave.  Wow, there are a lot of people here that smoke, so maybe it's okay that we're not kissing all the time.

I have pictures, but I haven't uploaded them yet.  Gasp! That is totally out of my character.  Pictures NEVER stay on the camera!   Either I'm more relaxed than I was before, or I'm tired, or I'm just shell-shocked and I don't know it yet.  We'll see how this next week goes.  I'll be back before long though, don't worry, maybe even with pictures.

Packing and Leaving Again

          My idea of packing was just shove everything in suitcases and when you hit the weight limit, close it.  Once you hit the bag limit....uh....rummage through the bags taking out stuff to cull and then shove in more stuff until the room is empty.  Well, since we had a delay, Carl said we were now going to pack his way.  Unpack it ALL into piles of each person and then common family stuff.  Look at the piles and even them out, pack carry-ons first with important documents and books with one change of clothes.  Then pack each persons' stuff into each bag.  Go figure, this horribly unorganized mess actually turned into the more effective way of packing.  We were even left with  more room.  Yes, sometimes my husband makes no sense to me, but when it comes to packing, either for a camping trip or moving across the world, he IS the King.

So we're ready to go now.  People have come by all day saying goodbye.  There have been lots of tears, lots of blessings, lots of hugs.  We leave our house in 8 hours, we leave our city in 13, and shortly after that the country where we've lived for 3 years.  It feels a bit surreal right now because we've been "leaving" for a number of days, but once we get to Miami, it'll hit us. We're not in Bolivia anymore.

I'm going to miss this place immensely.  My thoughts are also northward and I'm really excited about seeing our friends and our family.  Gosh, life changes so much in a matter of hours and 11    50 pound bags....

5 Months

Like I said in my previous post with the crazy day, I didn't have a chance to take pictures of Elena on her 5 month birthday.   I hardly even had the chance to hold her.

I didn't take her to the doctor this month, so no official weight.  Just me on the digital scale with her, which puts her about 7.5 kg (16.5lb), but that's a guess since I wasn't about to take her clothes off; it's too cold!  She's longer than she was last month since she's too long for 3 month sleepers now.  Actual height, uh, I don't have that.

This month has been a good month for her.  She definitely has blossomed in her personality. 

Elena is able to grab on to toys and play with a little chew toy. 
Her new sounds include Dadadada and Babababa and of course she's back to her spit bubbles. 
Elena's hair on top is growing, but she's sporting a pretty cool bald spot in back
She's trying to sit up, but is still a bit wobbly, although appreciates being pulled up by the hands
Elena can roll from her back to front with her arms free
This month Elena has had more despedidas than months
And has definitely had her share of over the top, crazy, loud parties
Went for her first photo shoot with her three siblings
She loves to do a fake cough and laughs if you do it too
Elena is definitely a child that loves to cuddle and be held
She loves to suck her bare feet
But will settle for three layers of sleepers

Elena is the proud owner of a Canadian Passport as of today!

The passport is with the travel agent or else I would have posed her with it to wish you all a Happy Canada Day.  Chances are she would have grabbed it and spit all over it, rendering it null and void, so you'll just have to imagine how cute the picture could have been.  Here's ones I took yesterday of her.


Oh, hello Wilbur.
 

 I bought her this sweater in Sucre before she was born.  And it's been cold enough that she's lived in it the last few days.