Joshua had the day off yesterday, so we did speed schooling, loaded the kids up on their scooters and made the trip to Chapultepec park (it's maybe - a one hour walk?)

apparently Chapultepec has botanical gardens.
huh.
who knew?
(I think that pretty much no-one, since we were the only ones there)

We've been collecting some prints from the flea market down the way.  I finally got them framed this month.

So. Barry brought his drill to our last team meeting and instructed us in the marvelous, tricky ways of drilling holes in our walls  (thank you Barry!), and my whole collection is hung . . . even the empty frame where I intend to place that crazy cute wedding picture of Jim and Ginny as soon as they send it to me (ha! as if my amazing mother in law didn't have anything better to do than to sift through boxes of pictures to find the exact print that I have my heart set on!)

I think that this is the first time in 8 years that I have hung art on our walls (A classy person I know tells me that taped-up pictures don't really count)

I'm ecstatic . . . and inspired
who knows!?  the next time we have a guest stay in our guest room, I might have the curtains sewn into place instead of pinned!

We went for a walk yesterday afternoon.
Good thing we did.

If we hadn't, we wouldn't have run into the young mama who was there at the park when Josu broke his arm (you know - the one who was there with her curly-haired girly? - who gently approached and asked if she could do anything to help?); we wouldn't have had to opportunity to  introduced ourselves or to hear a slice of her life story, to exchange phone numbers or to make plans with her to meet up at the park.

If we hadn't, we wouldn't have stumbled upon those sculptures of fantastic, gigantic (what seemed to be) Chinese warrior heads.

If we hadn't, we wouldn't have crossed paths with our friend at a local restaurant;  we wouldn't have been able to smooch on her girl or hear about the business venture that she's excited about, and the other one that she's discouraged about.

We went for a walk.
Good thing we did.

Lucky us - - our friends Gloria and Angie invited us to celebrate 3 kings day with them ;  Of course we said yes!  It meant gifts for the kids, a big pot of hot chocolate, and a rosca de reyes - - a giant sweet bread ring.  Hidden inside each rosca are little plastic jesus'.  The way tradition goes, whoever gets served the slices with a plastic jesus, has to bring the tamales for the obligatory February 2nd follow-up get together! We cut the rosca just right - because all three of the kids got a slice with a plastic jesus doll (was it an accident?  I won't tell . . . )

So on February 1st, Selma and I set to wrapping corn masa and shredded pork in corn husks.  I think we make a pretty good team!

p.s. we found out that he was an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail;  

and that he was, in fact, a she.

Also, please notice Selma's warning that if you touch a chrysalis too much, it dies (as depicted by the sad, blue butterfly above).  Malachai's scoldings really made an impact, I guess.

We were at a nearby metro plaza recently where we snatched a little caterpillar out of the jaws of sure death-by-human-shoe; we carried him home (into the jaws of sure death-by-child-adoration?).  He was placed into a beautiful habitat, abundantly admired, and promptly left on a sunny windowsill.  We found him the next day - shriveled and most certainly dead.
ah no . . . not dead; after a good 12 hours we could see a clearly defined chrysalis.
Malachai hovered over that chrysalis;  During weeks I could hear him daily - scolding Selma for touching it, or updating Josu on new developments in its color or shape.
I was sure it was dead.
But it wasn't!
because look!  he came out!
(isn't he lovely?)

We gave him a few hours to dry out his wings, called over the neighbors to have a good look, and then opened a window for him.

Certainly, God's majestic creativity and generous guiding hand is on display every time a caterpillar wraps himself into a chrysalis and emerges as a butterfly;  I do think, though, that this guy may have received an extra dose of divine protection . . .

How it went down: Friday's adventure

1. receive invitation from good friends to see Mexico City atop the turibus - - everyone's favorite city tour bus.

2. cancel school   get the kids excited about our field trip

3. wake up early; pack the sunscreen.

4. run to the metro; stop for some tamales along the way.

5. do that totally newbie thing where we take the metro the wrong way;  get out of the metro and turn around;  convince the kids that anyone could have made the same mistake. no biggie.

6. exit the correct metro stop (finally).  

7. realize that we only have 15 minutes to make it to the turibus instead of the 30 we had planned on

8. convince the kids that it will be super fun to run for a mile

9. tell my whimpering boy that his knee doesn't really hurt as much as he thinks it does; then cheer him on.

10. arrive, panting and sweating at the turibus one minute early.  

11. high fives all around

12. wait fifteen minutes for the bus to leave.

13. see our city; love it a little bit more than we did before.