I know you have all been waiting for more baby photos

Micah smiles when we talk to her.
She's holding her head pretty well. Sometimes she is still our little "bobblehead."

Designer Diapers

Baby Micah is now big enough to wear the small FUZZI BUNZ that were given at her Virginia baby shower. Thanks everyone. Alex has been faithfully washing them by hand.

Trip to Paurito

Last Sunday we loaded the Land Cruiser and headed to Chuck and Cindy's house in Paurito. It's in a neighboring city, although it's about an hour and a half drive since the roads are pretty rough. There were seven adults and two children (the baby carseat takes a lot of space). We all squeezed in. Monday was Dia de Santa Cruz and a holiday. It was hot when we left Santa Cruz. When we arrived in Paurito a south wind began to blow, with gusto, bringing cooler temperatures. None of us had packed for the cooler weather, since it was so hot when we left. We all survived.

We got some pretty odd looks. We're loaded for a safari!
The Paetkau's home.

We ate so much food! Chuck prepared steak. We sat around the charcoal fire to keep warm and to keep the neighborhood cats, dogs, hens, geese, and roosters away from our food!

New meaning to the words steak knife!
A catholic church in the center of town. We met Doris as we were walking through the plaza. She asked if we would like to see the church. In giving the tour (in Spanish) she told of the church's history and said that she holds services there and also runs a small daycare center. She was an interesting lady.

There are Mennonite colonies near this area. We saw several of Mennonite families in town. We also spent a few hours driving around the colony land. It was a cool windy day. It was also very dusty, since this is the dry season.

Tati girl

The Bolivians tell Tati that her eyes are like the fruit she's holding in this photo. We agree! We saw a tree with this fruit last weekend and took this photo. It's unusual because the fruit grows on the trunk of the tree. Such a bug-a-boo with Grandpa's glasses

Mr. Fix-it

Mark has been doing a variety of jobs here on the grounds. Tati thinks he can fix anything. She was so thrilled that he fixed her bike. His welding skills have come in handy. The supplies are often lacking and trips to get materials have been quite an education. This week he's been working on some of the gates (entrances). His welding partner was Bruno who we have sponsored at the home. They communicate pretty well; Mark in English and Bruno in Spanish with a lot of hand motions and sign language.

Hose holders.

Random Fun Photos

Tati wearing Grandma's glasses. Hilarious!

Sunday lunch at an open outdoor restaurant that has a kids play area. I think it's called Picallos. Bethany (from Harrisonburg) a short term volunteer at the day care, joined us.

Nephew Matt and the jeep he and Joshua Kauffman were driving back to the boonies. I wouldn't trust it around the block, let alone on a 300 mile trip. Reminds me of the Beverly Hillbillies!

Being Grandparents

Thoughts on being a Grandparent:

This takes me back to when I was in this stage of life. Where have the years gone? I am not old enough to be called Grandma. I love(d) mothering. This is an extension of that. It is such a joy to hold Micah and to care for her. The same is true for Tatiana. We enjoy reading, talking, painting and playing with playdough. She helps me bake and do the dishes. We are great pals! The same concerns we had for their mother are there for these little girls. Our prayer list has gotten longer, more special people in our life. We pray for their parents and for Tati and Micah. There are many things we can do, yet there are lots of things that we reserve for Julie and Alex, afterall these are their girls and we function more in the background as a supporting team. We trust all of them into the loving hands of our heavenly Father who loves all of us more than we will ever know!

Haircut for Mowgli

Little "Mowgli" (one of the nicknames we have for Tati -from Jungle Book) wanted a haircut. Julie promised her she would cut it on Tuesday. I don't think Tati realized how much brushing was involved in a haircut. She tried to sit still. Julie cut about 2 inches off the back and angled it a bit around her face. It looks nice. For two days she was telling everyone"I got my haircut!" She looks a little less like Mowgli now.

Butterfly Garden

On Wednesday we went to the Butterfly Garden for the afternoon. Before we left Tati was excited to show Grandma how the new swimsuit fit. We loaded backpacks, diaper bag, swim gear, baby seat and camera; everyone carried something.

We were eager to see the garden after seeing entries about it on Alex and Julie's blog. It's a very nice spot in the middle of nowhere, away from the city. A very relaxing destination. Since it was a very hot day we hit the pools right away. Tatina was like a little fish in her yellow tube. After swimming awhile we ordered empanadas, something that we were hungry for and had not eaten this trip (no trip to Bolivia is complete without this yummy treat!).

We took lots of photos, as you can see......................

Bath time

This is Micahlita's second bath in the tub. The first one involved a lot more crying. Today she seemed to really enjoy the warm water and was very content. Take a look at some precious photos from her time in the tub.

Market Day

Tuesday is market day. That means a fresh supply of fruits and veggies arrive. We wash everything thoroughly. Here's a sample of this weeks bounty. So colorful and flavorful.

Granddaughters

It's quite amazing how one tiny little squirt can entertain so may adults. We just watch Micah squirm and make her baby faces and listen to her grunts and coos. We also enjoy our conversations with Tati as her English is really improving. She speaks both English and Spanish to Alex and Julie. Tati is doing very well with the baby and continues to use gentle hands when holding her.