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The night was a little noisy due to an emphysemic rooster next door, but we both got a good night's sleep. We woke up at 7 a.m. Aracely and Eddy stopped into our room before they went to school. We gave them hugs as well as cute little panda ornaments that we bought for them while we were in China. They left for school at 8:15.
The older girls are on a different school schedule, so they do not return to school until later in the month. This means that they are around during the day to help around the house, take care of baby Ian, etc. It is adorable to see how they all interact with him. They are so maternal and he just adores them! And yet, while they are so grown up, they also enjoy cute things in a childlike way. They loved the little panda ornaments, and attached them to their phones as cute accessories. Yasmin brought baby Ian over to say good morning, and Craig held him. Ian was very content and happy. Humberto brought a table into our room for me to use as a desk, and I logged into work. Paulina brought us some coffee in the room. I took a break when it was time for breakfast: huevos rancheros, fried plantains, black beans, tea, and fresh homemade juice courtesy of their newly-acquired Jack LaLanne juicer. We went up to the roof deck and could see two volcanoes surrounding the crater lake in the early morning sunshine. The skies were blue with white puffy clouds, and I did a couple of yoga poses. I went back to work. Paola brought baby Ian in to our room to say hello, and he chattered happily. The family delivered two huge slices of watermelon to us while I was Skyping into a meeting. For lunch, we had spaghetti with meat sauce and fresh homemade lemonade. Craig chatted with Humberto while I worked. Yasmin made decorations for her party on Saturday. We guessed that her dress was light blue based on the color of the decorations. Soon after I finished work for the day, Aracely and Eddy came home from school. They did their homework (I helped Eddy with his math: counting from 1 to 120). He knew the material and only needed a little guidance with numbers greater than 100. The kids' cousins Neli and Fatima came over for a visit (Humberto's relatives all live on the same little alleyway). Fatima remembered us despite being young the last time we saw her, and she gave us each a taste of her candy bar. The kids watched the Pink Panther and Peppa Pig on YouTube on my tablet in our room. It is interesting that both of these shows are also favorites of our godchildren in Ecuador. Pink Panther is rather surprising in its longevity, but perhaps the fact that it contains no dialog makes it popular in non-English-speaking markets, as it doesn't need overdubs. Cousins Andrik and Josue also arrived. We looked at the Richard Scarry word book with Eddy. He pointed at pictures and said the words in English. His confidence is definitely growing, and we are very proud of him! Paulina grilled chicken on their grill (which is made from a wheel rim and welded rebar, and fed by charcoal) and we enjoyed the blackened chicken with homemade guacamole and rice at 9 p.m. We chatted with the family iuntil 10:45, and then went to our room. I wrote in the journal and did a Facebook post, going to sleep shortly before midnight, It is so nice to be back here again. It truly feels like home. |
 Yasmin and Ian  Paola and a smiling Ian  Neli and Fatima  |
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