A few months ago we came across a flyer announcing guitar lessons hosted by the local government.
Awesome.
We signed Josu up right away; we had been looking for an activity for him - something that would keep his Spanish sharp and allow him to get to know other kids in our community.

All in all the experience has been  . . . pretty good . . . I've been able to chat with the other mamas, and Josu has run into a few of the students in our local park;

(It wasn't so cool that time when Josu's teacher came to class wearing a t-shirt with a naked lady on it,  "it's ok, it's ok" I reminded myself .  . . (breathe, breathe!) "we are here to know and love our community;  this will just provide an opportunity to have a good conversation with Josu" . . . right?)

We showed up to class last week only to find out that class had been canceled.  I joined up with a couple of other mamas to track down the director of cultural events for the local government and get some more information.  Apparently the 10x10 building that housed the class had been deemed unfit for children; class was canceled until further notice.  
Oh?
Well, (... I tried not to look too excited) my family would love to participate in helping to make the building fit for children.
In fact, we have a hole group of friends (um... our bible study community!) who value their neighborhood and want to be a part of making it beautiful.
Could we scrub?  Could we paint?  Could we be part of finding the solution?
Please?

I don't think the Director quite knew what to do with me.
She nodded at me with a furrowed brow and took down my information;
then promised to call if there was some way that we could contribute.

I don't think she'll call.

That's ok.

I can go back.  Maybe I'll take in a written proposal, or maybe I'll just pop in and say hi - and then go back a week later and ask her if she could have a coffee (or taco?) with me so I can run some ideas by her.

That day we stopped by the pastry store with the cousins and cheered Landis on as he rode on the cute mechanical horse:

Xochimilco is one of those places in Mexico City that everyone tells us we need to visit - it is best known for its canals  - leftovers from the extensive lake and canal system that were part of pre-hispanic Mexico City.

We finally made it down last month with a group of friends; it's a bit a tourist trap (ok, fine it's pretty much exclusively a tourist trap), but it traps Mexican tourists too, which makes it seem like more of an agreeable trap to me.

My favorite part of the trip?  The fact that there was a mini gondola version of pretty much every mexican street stand imaginable.  The stand that sells corn on the cob on a stick smeared with mayonnaise and chili power?  there in gondola form.  The stand that sells every imaginable mexican candy and loose cigarettes?  there in gondola form.  The taco stand?  there in gondola form.  the wandering flower salesman trying to get boyfriends to buy their lover a rose?  there in gondola form!

My least favorite part?  having to haggle our way back down to a lower price with our boatman after we realized that we had been tricked into paying three times the government -established rate for the gondola.   (live and learn, baby.  live and learn)

We were out for lunch in our neighborhood this week with Jim and Ginny (Joshua's parents);  as we drank our coffees, we watched the city go by - moms holding their children's hands on the way home from school, men on basketed bicycles delivering groceries to mexican housewives, a woman with a box in her arms - selling gum and cigarettes to passers by, a man and his cello pausing in front of the restaurant - exchanging his music for the diner's tips.

This made me think about how much eating is done outdoors in Mexico City.  It makes sense, really -  Mexico City has beautiful weather all year round,  who wouldn't want to eat outside as often as possible?  As if the weather perk wasn't enough,  it's almost guaranteed that if we choose a table on the sidewalk, we'll run into someone we know and get a little chat out of it.  (we live a good life, I tell you; God is good to us!)

My amazing picture taking sisters  (and sisters-in-law) post pictures of their kids - their kids picking strawberries, their kids in the garden, their kids at the lake house, their kids in the snow, their kids at the  24 hour bike race that their father participated in . . .

and then there is me,
and I'm like:
here's another picture of my kids in the city.
(I've got to find myself an apple orchard or something;  does anyone know of an apple orchard in Mexico City?)

hello!  We are busy welcoming the Grandparents:  showing them off to the neighborhood and taking them all over town - - forcing them to eat all of our favorite mexican dishes and to see all of our favorite city sights.

Malachai has been into cutting letters and taping them to the wall to spell out winsome messages (like: "happy birthday Joshua" or "welcome home grandparents");  I think this is nothing short of awesome.  

I'm up early this morning with Josu and Selma.  It's not very early, really;  it just seems early because Malachai is still sleeping, and he is always the first one up.

Could it be that he (like I) tossed and turned all night with nightmares about our dentist appointments today?  I've never liked going to the the dentist, but going to the dentist in Mexico seems especially daunting.

(sigh)