Christmas 2011

We enjoyed such a wonderful Christmas this year.  After our trip to Manchay, we spent Christmas Eve BBQing with great friends at the Bloomer home.  We opened our annual pajamas, sang carols and read the story of Christ's birth from the scriptures.  Steve and I enjoyed the fireworks show at midnight from our patio.  

On Christmas day, the kids opened their stockings and played with the gifts that Santa had left unwrapped. This was the year of the hexbug.  Steve had to leave for church an hour before us and so we had some time to enjoy the first round of gifts before opening more.  He had to stay afterwards as well and so we had a little photo shoot, played with the toys some more, changed our clothes, made lunch and patiently waited.  It was nearly 11:30 before the kids really opened most of their presents.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve Pajamas

After Church - waiting for Dad to get home from tithing settlement

Just trying to buy more time...

Still waiting for Dad...

The girls found these in their stockings, so they took them with us to church and then played with them throughout the day.  It is so funny how the most random gifts become the instant favorites.  Peyton insisted that I take a few photos of them.  She liked this photo the best.

Dad finally got home from church and the kids thought that he should open his new video camera first so that he could use it while they opened all of their gifts. If you knew Peyton well, you might notice her right hand.  When she gets really excited about something, her hands tense up.  

Sophia loved opening gifts.  She was happy to open it if it was for her and happy if it was for someone else.  She just wanted to see what was inside. 

Santa knows that little girls love trinkets, even if mom finds it impossible to keep them all organized.  Another favorite of the season were the Squinkies.

Christmas Eve Gifts

This year, Steve and I decided that it was time that our children give to those in need instead of focusing on what they would receive.  With a timely trip to the States, empty suitcases and 3 children old enough to understand, we made a plan.

Just 10 km away (a 20 minute ride over the mountain), is an area that is part of our Stake called Manchay.  Manchay is an incredibly humble area where most people live without running water in their homes.  Many, like the photo below live in less than 100 sq feet with many children in homes constructed of leftover materials or partical board.  Recently, the Stake Young Mens President priced out the cost of these prefab homes to see what it would cost to house a member family if we need to and found out they they cost about $120 or an average 2 weeks salary.   

So on Christmas Eve, we tooks the kids out to Manchay with more than a hundred small toys to gift to children playing on the streets.  This made such a strong impression on our children.  They understood that they would not receive as many presents because we had decided as a family to spend part of our Christmas budget on these children.  

I wish that I could have videoed some of the exchanges, or even had taken a few pictures of some of the children, but it did not feel right.  For the sake of our family journal, I would like to record a few small incidents.

When we first arrived into the area, there were a few small children playing in front of their homes on the side of the main highway.  Seeing our American SUV, they ran to the car and the kids handed them each a gift.  As we began to drive off, a few other kids quickly started running after us.  We would stop and make sure that they were rewarded for their hard run. :)

About 10 minutes later as we four-wheeled through the neighborhood, we spotted a family of four sprinting for us. We watched them dodge through other homes in order to cut us off at an intersection.  I was so touched by the spirit when this family accepted our small gifts.  I had wished in that moment that we had so much more to give than what we had. These families struggle for survival each and every day.  Our small gift was appreciated, but I wanted to truly help them - and yet what could we do in that moment?

After driving around for another few minutes without seeing anyone, we spotted four children washing their dog outside of their home. There were 2 older sisters and 2 younger children.  The young girls (maybe 9 and 10) stepped back from us and allowed their younger siblings to accept a gift and when we offered one to them (we had some art supplies) they looked at us as though we didn't have to.  We insisted and they were grateful. As we drove away, all four ran into their house yelling for their mother with shrills of joy.  

As we moved further on to give away a few last toys, we saw people walking down the street with large bags full of traditional Christmas breads called panetones and other dinner supplies, then we stumbled upon this crowd waiting for  their own gifts from this truck. This was most likely the donation of a charitable organization in Lima.

In this area, we have a HUGE branch that is about to be split into two wards.  Incredible.  There are 85+ Young Women on the rolls and they have about 50 in regular attendance.  This is a huge organization for what is still just a branch.  

We are so very grateful for this experience and have been humbled by the Spirit.  As much as we would like to think that this experience was for our children and for those in Manchay, as it is in service, it was probably Steve and I who were the most touched.

Fort Real Felipe in Callao, Peru

Today we headed out to Callao, which could be just be another neighborhood of Lima as far out on the water as you can go, but is actually it's own city. It is about an hour away from where we live on the opposite side of the city.  Callao is the port where all imported goods come in and the home of Fort Felipe, an old Spanish Fort dating back to the late 1700's.  

We just wanted to let the kids run around and explore the fort while we tried out our new cameras, but they insisted that we HAD to have a guide.  Long story short, the guide was so nice, but long-winded, and the kids had had it by the time we came back the area where I had wanted to get great photos of the kids. Unfortunately, things don't always turn out as planned, but we had a great time and these photos will just have to do.  Sophia had no interest in standing still and Abe wanted to make funny faces - surprise, I know.

And after our visit to Fort Felipe, we headed to El Mirador for lunch.  I love eating fresh fish right on the ocean. 

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from Our Family to Yours!  We hope that you feel the Spirit of this incredible season and have a very blessed New Year!

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

Elementary School Activities

Peyton and Abe also participated in end-of-the-semester fun! They both performed in the elementary program, but the seating was so bad that I could hardly find them.

After scanning the kids over and over for 45 minutes looking for Abe, I finally found him when I took photos of each section and zoomed in row by row.  He played the jingle bells behind a 5th grader with a violin.

Peyton led her class in a dance that they performed while everyone else accompanied them in song.  She was adorable and it was so fun to see her confident in front of such a large crowd. It is too bad that the seating was so terrible because so few parents could really see their children.  To get this blurry photo, I had to stand on a bench and ask another mother to move over just a little for a second.  I normally wouldn't be so bold, but when in Rome Peru, do as the Romans Peruvians do.

The kids participate in swimming as well throughout the year in their gym class. Peyton's class invited mom for the last day to get in the pool.  It was a fun morning and Peyton was thrilled that I actually jumped in with her because the rest of the mothers sat on the bench.

We are all ready for our vacation and have a lot of fun activities planned!  

Sophia's End-of-the-Year Performance

Sophia loves the spotlight and we love to watch her perform.  The preschool puts on a 2.5 hour production each year, which is about 2 hours too long in the heat, but it is sure fun to see the kids sing and dance.  The school rents the costumes and we don't get to see them until showtime.  Their teachers even get them all ready.

These cute girls do just about everything together.

She waved when she spotted that I had moved up front.

and no show would be complete without paparazzi parents...

Sophia

I don't know if it is simply that I love 3-year-olds (I thought that I could have one forever when Abe was 3 too) or that she is the only one in this house who doesn't whine when I want to take a photo, but I can't get enough of this girl.  I just wish that I looked as cute as she does in her baby fat. :)