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| Waiting for the 6:30 a.m. flight! |
We have been super blessed to be enjoying a visit from my parents, Burnell and Paula Johnson, otherwise known as Grandpa and Grams! We all got up really early to get to the airport for the early morning flight from Santa Cruz to Coch, but it was worth it! We asked permission to have S. and A. stay overnight so they could go with us to the airport to meet their new "abuelos" for the first time. S. especially enjoyed seeing the airplanes on the ground and taking off. They fly over the baby home all the time, so he is familiar with "aviones"!
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| Everyone watching the airplane land! |
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| Almost here! |
It was great to see my parents safe and sound in Bolivia! They had good flights, but the one from Panama to Bolivia was an all night flight, so they were ready for some real sleep in a real bed!
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| They're Here! |
We quickly loaded into our white van. (Please notice our spiffy new seat covers!) Last time my parents came, two years ago, we had our "happy mobile." It was not nearly as comfortable as our little truffi people hauler!
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| Heading home from the airport. |
We got them home just in time for breakfast! We had fried potatoes, eggs, yummy bread, and fruit salad!
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| First Breakfast with Grandpa and Grams! |
After breakfast they broke open the three suitcases they had brought for us. We had ordered lots of things from Amazon and Ebay and had them sent to them to bring down here for us. They also brought gifts for us all. Once again a "Christmas" in April, just like last time!
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| S. enjoying his gifts from Grandpa and Grams. |
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| Ruth with her Polly Pockets! |
Among the things they brought were a tent for the boys, balls for S., a doll with "chocolate" color skin for A., another doll with "vanilla" skin for Paula, new schoolbooks for the kids, a refill of the amazing soap my brother makes, letters from some of our relatives, material for Clara to sew with, "How to Juggle" for Myles, and MUCH more!
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| A. getting a doll from Grams. |
Their first day was very restful with lots of napping, eating, and just chilling! The next day also was tranquilo, the "big event" of the day being having the volunteers over for dinner. Mama and Daddy shared their love story and told some of the ways that God has blessed their lives. It was a good time!
Thursday morning we went with them to our local market to buy groceries. After naps, Rudi and I took Daddy and Mama by the CDA baby house to see our kiddos, S. and A.! Daddy was able to show one of the volunteers some of the baby exercises he used on us when we were babies!
S. was pretty upset when we left. He didn't want to let go of me and kept saying, "I want to go home with you." It was like the time we had to leave him at the baby house almost a year ago. It is very hard to walk away when he is crying out for us... Please pray for him as he waits for our adoption to be completed. We all are super ready for him to be permanently at home with us, and he is especially ready.
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| Daddy showing Shana some baby exercises on baby B.! |
After leaving the baby home, we went by the Home Center to find a curling iron for Mama. It was fun to stroll around and show them our "U.S." style shopping here in Cochabamba! For dinner we went to La Estancia. It was a good choice! We all enjoyed the salad bar and our choices of meat. I was the only one to have chicken. Rudi had trout and Mama and Daddy had salmon! Yumm! After dinner we went by Yogen Fruz for strawberry frozen yogurts. Double Yumm!
On our way home from dinner Daddy commented that he was enjoying Bolivia much more this time around! I think it is because our house is a lot more comfortable, and since we know the city so much better now we can take him where we know he will enjoy himself! We had only been here six months the last time they came...
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| Dinner at the La Estancia. |
Friday afternoon, Emily went with her friends to help clean the capilla (where the Saturday Horita Feliz is held). She ended up going to dinner with them afterward and then helping grade first grade papers at the English speaking school where our friend, Danyelle, teaches. The rest of us took Daddy and Mama to the Botanical Gardens for a walk! It was a lovely afternoon and evening to be out and about in the city.
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| Enjoying the Botanical Garden. |
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| The kids with Grandparents, sin Emily! |
Just some random trivia for you: My parents are celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary this week, have 8 children (all are married), and they currently have 40 grandchildren--with four more "expected" this year! Pretty amazing! Everyone keeps commenting to me about how young they seem. What can I say? Having lots of children keeps you young!
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| Such lovely couples!! |
After the walk in the park we all had "Aragatza" ice creams!
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| Waiting for ice cream! |
The Botanical Garden closes early, so we took in another park. I can never remember the name of this park, but it is near the Cine Center! They have a train that Grams took with Paula and Ruth. As they were driving away, I wished that I had gotten on with them, Silly me!
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| Grams with Ruth and Paula on the train. |
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| Happy Girls! |
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| "Hanging Out with My Parents" |
At this park there is a whole section that has work out equipment. Some of the pieces use your own body weight for the workout. We spent quite a lot of time "working out." It was lots of fun for everyone!
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| Grams and Clancy |
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| Grampa, with Paula in the picture behind. |
Saturday we, of course, had Horita Feliz. It was fun to have Daddy and Mama there with us. Clara translated my message for Mama, but I think Daddy was pretty bored not being able to understand much of anything being shared. We will get Clancy to translate for him next week so that he can get something out of it!
Sunday we went to our church at Km. 0. A team was visiting from upstate New York. Some of the folks in the team had grown up in Argentina. I got a real kick out of hearing their Argentinian accent that makes all their "y" sounds have a "sh" sound instead! So they were from Nueva Shork. The message was about hearing the truth, speaking the truth, and living the truth. It was a timely message for all of us. Rudi translated for Daddy, and I translated for Mama. We got it into our hearts double! It has been great to have a better command of the language this time and to be able to host Daddy and Mama better because of this.
After church we went out to Tia Techy's for Chicharron. My mother had requested that we eat this sometime when she was here. Tia Techy makes the best Chicharron, so of course we had to go! My parents are really sporty, because it is not fancy where Tia lives. You also eat the whole Chicharron meal with your greasy fingers. Not the most elegant of circumstances!
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| Chicharron in Tia's front yard! |
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| Tia Techy serving Chicharron |
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What everyone wants to eat the MOST! Seriously!
Would someone tell that pig it has something in its nose!! |
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| My parents with our Tia Techy! |
We were so close to Pairumani at Tia's that we decided to drive up to the park and show my parents the house we lived in up there. The dog that came with the house, "Maget," was SUPER happy to see us. I fed her very well while we lived there. It was good to see her and the place. No regrets about moving though!
My parents enjoyed the park and the short hike we took.
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| The lovely couples, once again! This time at the Pairumani Park! |
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| My sweet family... only missing my three "chocolate" kiddos:( |
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| Paula hiking down to the car! |
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| My parents enjoying the great outdoors! |
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| Snitching Figs! |
For dinner, Clara and Ruth fixed us leftovers, and they did such a pretty job that I took a picture of them and the table they had prepared!
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| My budding chefs, Ruth and Clara. |
Yesterday, we went to the orphanage where the sibling of S. and A. lives. We are, Lord willing, adopting this little guy as well. For various reasons they have not moved him to live with his older siblings at Casa de Amor. This is the first time that our whole family has gotten to see/meet him! Rudi and Emily had met him once before. We wanted my parents to meet him, also. The people at this orphanage do not know that we are adopting this little boy. It was so good to see our little "Peter." I am as madly in love with him as I am with his older siblings. It makes it very hard to wait when you have a face with the name! Even though he had a cold and looked quite sick, Peter seemed more in personality like his sister A., easy going and peaceful! He looks a lot like his brother S.!
We had a good time loving on the kids here at this orphanage and sharing some music with them. Hannah went with us. It was great having her along! I know we'll be going back soon to this orphanage...
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| Our family in front of the orphanage's sign! Thanks, Hannah! |
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| Clara with Peter before his bath. |
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| Emily letting one of the little boys play her ukelele. |
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Enjoying holding my little boy, Peter! He eventually fell asleep in
my arms!! |
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| The girls and Grams enjoying Peter! |
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| Playing music for the kids! |
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| Ruth and Peter |
After leaving the orphanage we went by our favorite Bible bookstore. Next, we dropped Hannah off to catch a truffi back to Casa 1, while we went on to lunch at the home of one of the elders of our church. Mario and Helen are good friends of ours, and we wanted our parents to get to know them while they were here this time! Helen is from Scotland and Mario is Bolivian, but speaks English with a wee Scottish accent! My parents really enjoyed their time with this lovely couple. Not only was the food delicious, but the company was wonderful as well!
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| Lunch with Mario and Helen! |
That sums up the highlights of the first week of my parents' visit! Of course, there have been lots of games played and laundry done and all of that everyday stuff, too! I will try to give you a weekly update of their time here... At least I have gotten around to doing the first week!
