Inauguration and Asuncion Day 2018

What a week it's been since we last wrote. We recently returned from our Chilean vacation and are getting back to normal life again in Asuncion. Scott is back to work, Mackenzie is back to school and Kiersten is working on lots of projects. Before we get too bogged down with all that let's review what occurred in the days before we left for Chile.

Tuesday was a pretty normal day. Mackenzie was still a little sick so she didn't go to school again. Alicia came over so Kiersten left M with her so she could do some socializing with other Embassy women and make a floral arrangement that she gave away because we were leaving on vacation. Scott had a tremendously busy day and came home very late that evening.

An over night blueberry french toast casserole. It was very delicious.

Even Mackenzie liked it!

Wednesday was the main event, Inauguration Day and Asuncion Day. Same as last year, we awoke to the sounds (and smells) of many horses in the little park across the street from our house. Scott took off early for work and before the girls went to the park to play with another Embassy mom and child, Kiersten lead Mackenzie around the park to see the horses up close. She seemed to like them. At the park, they played for over an hour then got in the car to meet some more moms and kids at the mall play area for some more wear-out-the-kids fun. K&M got home around 12 and both went down for well deserved naps. Kiersten eventually did some packing before Mackenzie woke up and when she did wake up they drove to the Embassy to witness the Inauguration parade! It was quite a spectacle and we basically had a VIP view from the hill at the Embassy. Scott was able to get away from work for a quick hour to do his packing and play with Mackenzie then it was back to work for a little while longer. We all went to bed at a reasonable hour in preparation for our flight to Chile.

"Horsies!"

They got new playground equipment at a park we frequent. We are big fans of plastic slides, not wooden!

The beginning of the parade.

Mackenzie seemed to have a good time. She made some friends and ran around.

Paraguayan military uniforms through the years. These were worn during the Triple Alliance War between Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. Guess who won....

Had to take a picture of a marching band!

Now we could talk about our vacation here in this same post but we'll save it for a separate post with all the pictures you can handle. So let's move on to our regular segments.

Projects: 

• Since returning home, Kiersten is more determined than ever to learn Spanish. She made some school style decorations for Mackenzie's play area and they look great. Colors and numbers 1-10 in Spanish! Mackenzie even enjoys playing with them. Win!

  

  Here is the finished product. They've been moved down the wall for easier access for M.

  
  

  

  Up close. Numbers on top, color circles on the bottom.

Quirks of Paraguay:

Here is a purple tree we talked about from a previous post.

The Mackenzie Update:

• During our trip, when she saw a bus she instantly began singing, "The wheels on the bus" song. It sounded more like, "woos on bus go round round round, round round round, round round round, all day town". It was amazing and adorable.
• She started a new game while we were walking down the street. She would chase after the parent in front and grab their leg and give it a big hug. Then she'd push them away in order to do it again.
• She is getting so tall! She looks so big compared to other kids her age but according to her last check-up she is average height. Maybe she's had a growth spurt since June.

  

  She found these glasses while playing at a friend's house.

• Mackenzie became a big fan of juice while in Chile and with good reason. Chile has some amazingly delicious fresh juices, mainly mango juice. You haven't lived until you've had some fresh mango juice. The best. And she agrees.
• We've learned that our toddler can travel around a major city like Santiago without a stroller. She walked and jumped and ran and rode metro like a boss! We are so proud of our little world traveler!

  

  Enjoying an empanada lunch after her first day back to school.

• The sleep regression is real. It was ok on our vacation then the first night we got home she started up crying again but we are holding firm and not giving in to the whining. Every night has gotten a little bit better than the last.
• A new word in the vocabulary, playground! Only she calls them, "pounds". She created her own compound word.

There's the quick run down of our before and slightly after our vacation. Stay tuned for the big load down on our vacation. Teaser: it was terrific!