Horses, Soccer and Discovering History

This past week our family went on a horse carriage ride! Our caballero's name was 'Pablo' and our horse was 'Palomo'! The children had a great time and each had a turn using the reigns! We rode through some of the Mexican countryside and enjoyed the scenery.

We also decided to try the national pastime - soccer - as a family! We had great fun! The girl's team beat the boy's team! Yeah!

One adventurous day we all decided to follow an Acqueduct here in Mexico. We started the morning at the site of the original spring and followed it to a convent in the city. The water ran into the city using only gravity and was distributed into cisterns in the convent and there distributed throughout each room of the convent. All the designs used only gravity to direct the water!

We are having fun discovering this unique and historical country!

Mas Mexico!

"I didn't say it in Spanish then, I said it in Texas!" - Our little M explaining the language difference between Mexico and America.

"Mom, I can color in Spanish" - M during Primary with the "crayones" with the spanish names on them.

"Es muy bonita!" (It's very pretty!) - L telling another girl in Primary that her picture was colored well - she did this all by herself!

Our Adventures in Mexico!

Here are some pictures of our time in Mexico! The scenery is beautiful and we are enjoying exploring in this new country. The kids have found secret back staircases and courtyards that are beautiful but seemingly rarely visited. We have had a wonderful time thus far.

Una Semana en Mexico!

We have been here for one week. Our luggage has finally caught up with us and yesterday I got lost in the city for the first time driving! It was quite the unnerving experience - not knowing where I was, not knowing how to ask and knowing that I will not fully understand whatever I am told to remedy the situation and have four children along for the adventure as well! But, obviously as I am writing this entry... we are fine! I am just grateful prayer is international - I was impressed to call the one person we know in the city and have her speak to someone in a parking lot to explain where I was and then she gave me the necessary directions to get to where I was going! I was driving "Crazy Mexican Style" (a term adopted from our cultural specialist) and the children love to say it while we are on the road.

Driver's Ed here is a completely different experience. Some of the rules are: 1) When a vehicle has their hazards on anything is possible - Watch out! (i.e. - cutting across four lanes of traffic to exit, stopping mid lane to let someone off, or driving backwards on the highway - Yes, I have seen it!) 2) Pedestrians do not wait for traffic to slow - try not to hit them. (It is a bit like the game Frogger!) 3) At stop lights expect to be sold anything from windshield wipers, fresh fruit, and popsicles to upholstery needles! Oh and watch out for the silver man juggling fire! 4) Focus, focus, focus! while trying to decipher all the signs in Spanish!

Yesterday we went on a lovely horse and carriage ride around the grounds of the hotel. It was quite a bumpy experience as the roads are paved with cobblestones! Our caballero was named "Pablo" and the horse was named "Palomo". The children each had an enjoyable time holding the reigns!

We have been exploring and have found lot of fun areas that are just beautiful! Our family is enjoying our adventures in Mexico!

Hola de Mexico!

Hola to all of you from the country of Mexico! We have safely arrived... at least our persons arrived - the luggage didn't fare as well. We still are waiting on five bags to make it to the country! But, each of us are here safely, and for that we are grateful.

Our children have commented often on the beauty of Mexico and currently they are greeting everyone they see from our hotel windows with "Hola" and I am hearing "Hola" returned from many people! I wonder if Mexico is ready...

The cartoons were in Spanish this morning and our little ones were amazed that "Arthur" and "Franklin" spoke Spanish! The Spanish language is surrounding us and the children have heard little else thus far - so this morning our M said, "Mommy, can I still call you just Mommy?" So sweet! Our E has commented over and over how beautiful the trees and land around us are - and our L announced that this is better than Texas! (Sorry Nana and Papa...) All in all they are adapting quickly and enjoying it.

Our day involved a lovely breakfast in an authentic Mexican resturant; there were foods that were utterly delicious and others that will take some getting used to. We have changed our little five passenger Jeep (yes, for a six person family - When in Rome...) for a fifteen (yes, 15) passenger van! The extremes were available - not too many options in between. So, here we are... the little American family in the middle of Mexico trying to learn about these wonderful people and not be too noticeable... Here are some of the great quotes of the day:

"Daddy, someone is going to yell TAXI soon!" - L (in reference to our oversized vehicle - the children each got their own bench!)

"They are surrounding me and talking Spanish." - L (at McDonalds with a group of girls following our children around the play place.)

"ADIOS!" - The same group of girls that all ran to the entrance of McDonalds to say goodbye to our family as we walked out!

"Que tu vive?" (Where do you live?) - a little 4 year old trying to figure out what I was saying.

"No!" - the answer we got all day when we asked, "Tu hable ingles?"

"Mom, you'll just have to get used to orange." - E trying to calm me down after seeing our new home.

"Dad, I went SO high out of my seat." - M telling his Dad how he caught air in the back of the van going over the speed bumps.