I'm so glad Maeve is napping again! What a relief. But, you know those naps kind of cut into exploration time. She naps in the warmest hours of the day (that's good!) and while she naps, Holly and Greta do some school work (also great!), but you know, there's a whole Mexican city out there that isn't going to explore itself. Our schedule right now is school, come home, eat something lunch-like, except for Conor and I who wait because... then we can eat yummier food later. Maeve naps and when she wakes up (any minute now please!) we hit the town! Considering we walk a lot each day (probably about 2 hours a day, minimum) that leaves only so much time to sight see. But it's okay! Spanish school has been so great and I'm learning a lot. Perhaps we will do school again next week. 

Yesterday we went to a city museum. There was an exhibit for children with books and some toys. It was so fun! There was also a beautiful patio space and on the walk down we bought paletas (popsicles). A good chunk of the center is being restored and was therefore out of use. However it sure was a beautiful space! The architecture is inspiring and in the basement of the building, viewable from above are ruins of tombs that are 6,000 years old! I had to double check on the number to ensure I understood! 

I often feel like pinching myself because we are here in Mexico! Yes, absolutely it's a lot of work (and money) to be here and one of the reasons I homeschool my children is so that we can do these kinds of adventures. But honestly, this life I get to live, it's incredible! Never mind the fact we waited to take our laundry to be cleaned until the last moment and may have to reuse our undies tomorrow or that I have not figured out how on earth to cook here! There are so many other things that land in place for us, a fantastic Spanish school, someone trustworthy to care for Maeve while we are at school, and a wonderful welcoming church community, and this is just naming a few lovely things! One of my favorite things about traveling is the experiences I get to have with complete strangers. These experiences are so affirmative of how much good there is in the world! We met a very kind family at church, the wife is a gringa but has spent most of her life living abroad, the majority of it in Spanish-speaking countries. They have one son who is 6 months older than Greta and my girls get along so well with him! The other day, we went to his school to watch his tennis practice and to see what a school in Mexico is like (because you never know!). Then we went to the park to play and then he came to our house for an hour to play. I really, really love that my daughters have been able to mix with kids here! It's so incredible. And the third student in their Spanish group is an 8 year old girl from Alaska. Life is beautiful.

Here in these photos the girls and Santi are eating jicama and mangos dipped in flavored chili powder. The chili powder isn't spicy, but it is flavorful and surprisingly sour. 

Earlier this week we ate lunch at the taco hall in the market, 20 de Noviembre. It was a fun and wild experience! Upon entering the hall, we were given a shallow basket. And then with the basket, we walked down the hallway with the intent of choosing a vendor to cook meat for us. How to choose? I have no idea, I made Conor do it while the girls and I waited at a table! Conor chose a place and while we waited for the meat to cook, we chose toppings and sides. Cucumber, guacamole (x2!) a spicy salsa and radishes. Our meat was brought to our table with tortillas and we assembled our tacos and ate them off of the purple paper shown in the photo. Man, it was a fun experience! The tacos were pretty good too! 

While we ate, many vendors came and tried to sell us things. One passed a toy to Maeve - a cat rattle with bells and Maeve would not let it go! And so we found ourselves paying 35 pesos for the toy! Maeve is not allowed to touch nada in the future!

Church was so good today! I loved it. Church is extremely humbling because I realize just out little I know of the Spanish language! It's tempting to feel like, why even try? But we are trying! And we are doing okay! We will get there one day. 

This afternoon, we tried to get Maeve to take a nap - no luck! And we learned that tortillas taste a million times better on the day they are made. Finally we threw in the towel and decided to get out of the house. I really wish we had a park and a playground nearby (that's something Ecuador did really well!) but we don't. We went to the children's library (free) and we loved the space. It's a short walk from our apartment and I picture us spending more afternoons there. We never saw one library with books in Ecuador so it was a real treat to find a place with lots of books, toys and space. The library also hosts events. We are excited to try to go to some! 

Mexico - So far so good! 

How cute are these kids that are our neighbors and our girls' playmates? Let me tell you, there is a lot of yelling and laughing and a ton of fun! Maeve was very into this little motorcycle and took the approach of hovering so close the poor little guy couldn't even ride it. Her strategy worked because then she got a turn! Having an outdoor space to play in and kids to play with will surely be a high point on this trip! We also met an 8 year old boy at church who lives nearby and who the girls really like. We are going to go see him play tennis tomorrow!