Wet and Rainy, yet Still Smiling!

Jonathan proving that he'll eat anything these days.

Some of the great friends we've met on our journey: on the left is a couple from Germany traveling back on a Heritage trip with their son, Fabian. In the middle of the picture is Frank, Max, Fabian, Josh, Marina, Juan and David.

Josh testing out one of the activites at Pies Descalzos. Our clumsy boy managed to NOT fall off of any of these... hooray!

The Pueblito Paisa

Monica giving Jonathan some "love".

Josh and David playing Nintendo... in Spanish! :)

Our dear friends the Serranos: Juan, David and Monica

Yesterday we relaxed in the hotel... it was very nice. We took a short trip to Exito to buy a few needed groceries and came back to the hotel. The afternoon was spent with our friends, Frank and Marina (from Germany) and their kids Max and Juan by the pool. Josh had another swimming lesson, since it had been awhile, and we truly enjoyed the day. Even Jonathan was able to get two naps in... a rare thing these days.

This morning we went to breakfast as usual but had a nice surprise! The Uribes family has moved to our hotel so we were able to see them at breakfast. Their boys, Hayden, Carter and now Isaac are adorable and Josh loves them. The cutest thing was when Isaac and Jonathan reached hands to kind of "kid shake". I imagine their conversation went something like this:

Isaac: Hey, how's it goin' man?

Jon: Not bad... how about for you? I haven't seen you in awhile.

Isaac: Yeah... I'm getting used to this great family. They keep wanting me to eat more.

Jon: Eat, huh? Well, you'd better do what they say... the food keeps getting better and better. Just look at me.... I'm already downing all my baby food and bottles. Don't I look "fuller" to you?

Isaac: Yeah, ok... let's see who can put down the most food.

Jon: You're on!

You know... I have a wild imagination. But hey... I'm sure they do remember each other from Casa de Maria... they were like roomies from what we've been told. I'm going to have to get a pic of them. I think they even look alike... :)

So, after yet another great breakfast we went to El Parque de los Pies Descalzos (the Barefoot Park) with our good friends, Juan, Monica and David. The day was a bit rainy, and the bummer was that parts of the park were closed. The water area where you can dip your feet was not working because they're having a concert tomorrow night and they wanted the park to be "dry". I thought that was funny considering it was raining... hee. But we did get the full tour from one of the guides and Monica and Juan insisted on participating to the fullest... which made for great entertainment. I'm posting some pics of our adventures there. We also met the Uribes there as well. The boys had a great time together. Natalie even told me that Isaac ate more today than any other day... (so you see, Jonathan and Isaac's breakfast conversation HAD to be about food)

From there the Serranos (Juan, Monica and David) and us went to El Pueblesito Paisa (the little village of Medellin). It's an old replica of what Medellin's first town's were like. So cute! We sat to chat awhile (until it stopped raining) and then walked around the village. It's so gorgeous! They had a replica of a schoolhouse, a telephone operator, and a sweet chapel in the center. You look at the town (and even the early towns in the US) and you kind of miss the simplicity of it all. Small towns where everyone knew each other... Sundays were for family and life was good for them. Of course... work was hard. No microwaves, hairdryers or my favorite: dishwashers. Hmm... ok, so, maybe simplicity with a few modern conveniences. :)

Our last stop of the day was a yummy Italian restaurant for lunch with our friends. They were so sweet to take us to this place and we truly enjoyed our day with them. Both Monica and Juan are AMAZING with kids... Monica adores Jonathan (and Jonathan likes the attention!). It was such a fun filled day... we came back pooped but so filled. I am so very thankful the Lord has brought such wonderful families to us on this journey. We hope to stay in touch with them! The Serranos said we must visit Spain (they live in Barcelona)... and of course, our German friends keep trying to teach us words and phrases in German. They are very impressed with my "Sound of Music" dialect.... so I am now referred to as "Aidelvise" girl. I'm going to add some pics of them too.

Know we send our love to all of our family and friends back home. Praying the Lord will fill you all with His love and peace. xo