Merry Christmas!

We celebrated Christmas on the night of the 24th.  It started with a short message from Avis, then we had a nice dinner at 8:00, followed by hot chocolate and fruit bread.  After we were all done eating we opened gifts.  It was a really great time, and I am very glad I stayed to be here with the kids this time of year.  

Enjoy the video below of Santa's helper passing out the gifts.

First Chocolatada

One thing the Peruvians really do well is their hot chocolate and fruited bread.  Monday night was the first chocolatada of the season and it was excellent.  The kids were a part of a padrino program that matched them with a sponsor who choose to be in the program.  The kids got to meet their padrinos 2 or 3 times before the christmas party.  The padrinos found out what their kid wanted through these chats and tried their best to find a gift for the child.

It turned out really well.  The padrinos came monday night for a party and gift giving session.  We all drank hot chocolate and played games.  All the kids got what they asked for, which  I think is a first.  Lot's of them even got some pretty expensive gifts, like Gerson who got a 125 sole mp3 player.

 Playing who can put the most clothes pins in someone's hair game.

Ballon dance (war)

This guy was especially awesome.  It appeared that him and a group of friends all did this together.  So they all were there hooping and hollering and bringing a lot of energy to the party.

I put baby's new shirt on him and he loved it.  This is him showing it off to Gina.

This is the tractor that he got.  If he could clearly express what he would want for Christmas this would be exactly what he asked for.

Everyone together.

Quienceañera

This past weekend we celebrated Lourdes 15th birthday.  It's a pretty big deal in Peru like most other Latin countries so we had to do it up big.  Check out the pictures below.

The room all decorated.

The cake that Samantha made just for Lourdes.  The rest of the guests each got a cupcake or two. 

Gerson looking cool waiting outside.

Karol all dressed up.  It was her birthday too, but not her 15th.

Mary, Lourdes sister not enjoying a photo.

Lourdes getting ready

She looked very pretty for her 15th.

Me posing with Lourdes before her party.  She wanted a picture of me wearing her after dinner skirt. 

Pastor Auden giving a short 15th message. 

Yhonson being cool

We played lots of games.  Passing  a cup around a circle with straws in our mouths was one of them.  We beat the girls.

Everyone posed to take pictures with Lourdes and her cake.  I was trying to tell the person how to operate my camera at the same time he was taking the picture.

I haven’t posted in a while because the internet has been really scetchy lately.  But I do have some news.  After the kids started begging me and putting on their sad faces I couldn’t help but reschedule my flight for after Christmas.  So I will be getting back home on the 29^th of December now.  That gives me another two weeks to spend with the kids.

This weekend we are throwing a Quincenera for Lourdes.  Sam is planning it, helping her pick out her dress and baking the cake so I’m sure everything is going to be fantastic.  I will post pictures afterwards.

Paolo swimming outside

We had a multiple school chess tournament 

This is our team who got second receiving their 50 sole prize money.  Yhonson, Gerson, Ricardo, Nelson.

Fun with the mirror

More fun with the mirror.