A couple pictures of a bakery we stopped in at. Conor and the girls are really enjoying all the fresh baked goods that are cheap! 

Monte Albán is a huge area of ruins from 500BC - 800AD just a short ways away from Oaxaca city. The ruins are built on the top of a mountain that was leveled in order to build these buildings. The number of buildings and the space that they spanned was awe inspiring! It's difficult to put into words just how incredible this place was. I've heard that all the big ruins in Mexico have been linked to the Book of Mormon in some way or another and I read an article that suggested that Monte Albán is the City of Nephi. Where my family is reading in the scriptures right now takes place in the location of the City of Nephi and so it was pretty cool! We easily spent almost 3 hours looking at all the different buildings and overall, the girls were real troopers! This was such an incredible experience for me and in my opinion it's a must-see for anyone who visits Oaxaca. 

These pictures don't do it justice, but hey, here they are!

On February 7th, my wee little baby turned 8 years old! It's crazy how fast time goes by and I constantly wish I had stronger memories of Holly and Greta as babies. Greta has always been a very loving child and I do recall that from a very young age, I could understand what she needed and wanted even before she communicated it. As a toddler, she was very demanding as she developed emotionally. And now she is an intuitive and complex little girl who asks for hugs frequently and is a Daddy's girl through and through. She's goofy and likes to make us all laugh, but can't stand feeling embarrassed. She's an avid reader and almost constantly has a nose in a book. She can express herself very well and is very in touch with how she feels and what's fair or not fair. Greta is brave and outgoing, but also needs alone time to recharge. She loves fiercely and wants to be loved in the same way. She's a passionate child. She feels life deeply and experiences life to the fullest. I love her dearly. She's so very different from me in many ways and I often wonder how I created such a beautiful child. She's dear to my heart and I love her!

I feel very fortunate to have made some dear friends in Oaxaca. And those friends came to celebrate Greta with us. My friend, Claudia, made a beautiful and decadent chocolate cake with strawberries! We broke a couple piñatas and had a grand time!

We went to a very yummy restaurant for lunch with our friends, Valerie and Clay. It's one of their favorite places and after eating there, it's one of my favorites too! The food was really fresh and well prepared. I had carrot soup, followed by chicken breast with veggies and rice. The restaurant is one of the cutest I've been in. I really want to hang piñatas in every room of my house!

We went a a restaurant recommended by friends called, Casa Oaxaca. It was fancier than I anticipated! The one we went to is the "cafeteria" one and there's another, fancier one downtown. The food was delicious and we loved watching one of the men make salsa for us table side. I keep trying mole with the hopes that I'll love it, but I think it's an acquired taste that I have not acquired. Not sure if I should keep trying! By the end of this day, we were exhausted and so ready to put our feet up and sleep. Poor Maeve has been hauled every where without naps lately! She's a trooper, but we feel it in the mornings when she wakes up ticked off! 

PS: Holly bought the sweater she's wearing about and it suits her so perfectly!