el Dia de la Independencia

A better name would be "la Semana de la Independencia" for the celebrations start almost a week early. Fairs, parades, civic activities, bull fights...September 15 is Independence Day in Costa Rica and they know how to celebrate (minus fire works)! Costa Rica celebrates their Independence from Spain which took place in 1821. There was something to go to every day for a week (at least if you have a child in public school here).



Laura memorized in Spanish a song, a poem, and a short history about the Costa Rican flag. She got to recite these at one of the "actos civicos" along with her kindergarten class.
While I was off rafting with friends (sorry, no pictures), Tim and Laura spent hours working on a "Farol"(Lantern) . The theme was some type of house and Laura wanted a "Castillo"(Castle). It got a lot of attention at the parade of Faroles that was held on the evening of September 14.
This parade is to remember the night before independence was declared. It is a parade for children, but really the parents do all the work!

On the morning of September 15 Laura got to perform with some other girls in her class the same "baile typico" dance that they performed on July 25. They were so adorable!


After singing many patriotic songs, hearing the pledge of allegiance, and watching many dancers perform, Tanner was ready to do something else! No worries though because...

following the morning activities the children from the school were in a parade. They WERE the parade! The batteries for our camera ran out before we could get a picture of Laura's class in the parade. They waved pom-pom's of red, white, and blue while they did a marching routine.

This was a different kind of parade than we are used to. Instead of sitting on the sidelines to watch, people walked ahead of the parade, followed the parade, or walked IN the parade with their kids. We did a little of all three.











In the evening we headed to the small town of La Suiza (10 minute drive from Tuis) where we went to a little carnival. The kids got to go on a couple rides and they also got to taste cotton candy for the first time! It was a fun (and busy) week! ~Cindy

Our Church

I have meant to write about our church for some time now. I took pictures over a month ago, but haven't posted them.

Our church is held at Laura's grade school, in the outdoor gym. In November the church will be able to move to a new building that is almost finished. There, the indigenous home and the church will share the same building. That way the church will be used for full time ministry 7 days a week. CISA, the church, and the mission, "Voz Que Clama" (the indigenous home) are all connected by the same leadership. So, we start our day at school with devotions, worship, prayer, and giving thanks with some of the same people we go to church with!

We have been blessed by the people at this church who have welcomed us into their circle. The services and music are in Spanish. Though we often understand most of the message, we have yet to get the jokes. It's kind of embarrassing when everyone is laughing and you have no idea what the punch line was.

The kids go to the same class. It's one class for preschool through 6th grade. That teacher has her hands full, but she does a great job! The kids are very comfortable in the worship service and often sit with other "parents" in the church.

Note: dogs are welcome at the service, too!


~Cindy

August highlights

Here are the highlights from August since we didn't find the time to post August photos:

We spent July 30-August 10 in Atenas house sitting and dog sitting for our friends, the Bastians. Our good friend Wendy spent the first 2 1/2 days with us. We got to know Wendy in Tuis as she worked for CISA and was my walking partner. She has now moved back to the States and we sure miss her!!
















This is what the kids did all week in Atenas! They had a blast on that trampoline! They also had fun playing with a playmobile castle, with Cindy the dog, and with LEGOS. Laura also spent hours drawing and painting. Tim and I played with the kids, read lots of books, and enjoyed sitting on the porch. We all enjoyed watching old classic Disney including all the Herbie the love bug movies. It was a great time to rest and rejuvenate.













Tanner was happy to be home in his own bed. (He really does sleep like this!) This is Henry, my teacher for the month of August. He kept me very busy with homework (which explains why I did not have time to blog). A very good teacher and very funny. Tanner learning to be like daddy.
Tim and I went for a 3 1/2 hour hike together, including a swim and a stop in La Suiza for some gatorade! It was such a nice time together without the kiddos.











Tim is now officially "in his 40's". Doesn't he look good for 41? Muy guapo! We had chocolate cake and burritos for his birthday. Our friends Andres, Carla, and their daughter Catalina came over to help celebrate.









Our first (and maybe last) care package. Tim's parents sent birthday gifts for Tanner and Tim. It took over one month to get here and the shipping was exorbitant. Thank you Oma and Opa! It was such a treat!











Tanner finally has another boy his age to play with!The kids "graduated" from CISA. They now have a nanny who comes to our house every day. It's very handy because she lives next door to us! Her name is Mireya and the kids love her. So do Tim and I. She has been a God send. She even does our laundry and cleans house. We can't stop her, it's the Costa Rican way. The kids love to help her. She also plays with the kids, digging in the dirt or having pretend birthday parties!











We drove 1 1/2 hours to get to a McDonalds. We had sundae's and celebrated Laura graduating to the first grade (at least at home). Congratulations, Laura!

~Cindy