Baby Shower with Gimnasio Moderno Moms

The moms from Jay's class decided to throw me a baby shower. It was so nice of them! Jay's school is actually pretty amazing because the kids in his class all start together at age 3 or 4 then they stay together with the same students through high school! One mom explained to me how great this is because it encourages them to build lasting relationships and since Gimmasio Moderno is know for producing leaders (this is a huge goal for them). These men who have grown up together can then help each other grow and develop their careers or businesses once they're out of school. It's not a bad idea actually! There have been several Colombian presidents, political leaders, business owners and other prominent figures who have graduated from Gimnasio Moderno. They don't just prepare the kids for a career, they prepare them to lead Colombia. The great thing for us is that the group of kids and parents from Jay's class are really wonderful. It's already a tight knit group and the moms are super helpful and kind. Anyway, back to the baby shower... One of the mom's is a professional cake decorator and she made these two beautiful and yummy cakes for me!

Here are all the presents I received!

 This is Patti, she is the same one who made the cakes! She also speaks English fluently and lived in New York for several years (even went to nursing school then culinary school there) so she's a great resource for me when I don't know what's going on!

 Here is Andrea. She is Jay's best friend Chucho's mom. PS they are loaded. Like billionaire, have several private jets loaded. Her husband is the founder and owner of the UPS equivalent for Latin America.

 Michelle! She's American-Colombian, another very sweet person and a great help to me when I'm confused.

 Liliana, the class mom. She is incredible! Always doing a million things and helping out at the school. She has a very outgoing personality and is always the life of the party. She also personally cross stitched the giraffes on this bib and burp cloth for me.

 This is Adriana Mendez. She hosted the shower for me, so sweet since I hardly know her!

Rivas. Nice lady, also speaks English fluently!

 Carolina. Super nice and fun.

Chaparro. I don't know her very well, which makes it even nicer of her to come!

We played a few baby games, which I was horrible at since they were in Spanish, but it was still fun. One we had to match baby animal names to their grown up names and the other we had to unscramble words having to do with babies. Yeah, I didn't do too well :) It was so nice of everyone to be so thoughtful and throw this shower for me! I'm so blessed to have so many good people in my life.

Other February Happenings

 Amaya loves stuffed animals! She sleeps with 5 - 10 every night.

 Jay's classroom. There he is in the middle sitting next to his best friend Chuco.

 Amaya at preschool. She LOVES this little car and gets into it every day when I drop her off.

 She still loves Woody and Jessie and loves to dress up like a cowboy too!

 Jay's first time holding our bird! He loves these little guys and has been waiting so long to hold one!

 Amaya and Ariana. They sure love each other!

 Cotton candy time! Mike was out of town for the weekend so we played at the park, ate at McDonald's and had cotton candy. The kids were thrilled!

 I so remember doing this as a kid. They played spinning on the swings for about 20 minutes straight together. So cute!

 Mike helping out on the grill in some unknown part of Colombia :)

 Amaya got to dress up as a princess for Women's Day in Colombia. Plus she got to bring her favorite toy to school! Minnie Mouse :)

Being a pirate at one of Jay's many friend's birthday parties. I couldn't go to this one and she ended up peeing her pants in the bouncy castle. Of course Mike had no extra pants or undies (why do we keep doing that?). Luckily the birthday party was being held at a home for needy children that is sponsored by the family throwing the party so Mike was able to get some much needed extra pants!

This picture just cracks me up!!! Amaya was over at Ariana's house and apparently they got into the markers and drew ALL over themselves and Mikaela's dollhouse. Hahaha! Luckily the markers weren't permanent. Somehow after their escapades both girls fell asleep like this next to each other. Hilarious!

Medellin

Mike had to go to Medellin, Colombia for work so the kids and I decided to tag along and take advantage of the long weekend. It's one of his favorite places in Colombia so I've been excited to see it! We flew in super late and met Mike at a beautiful resort hotel by the airport and stayed there overnight. The next morning we had a yummy breakfast and played on the playground at the hotel for a while. Jay and Mike played soccer (because our little guy is obsessed now) while I helped Amaya hop along the colorful rubber tires half sticking out of the ground. Overall a great morning :) After playing we got in the car and drove about an hour from the city to a lake region called El Peñon de Guadape. The area is surrounded by a huge reservoir created by the Colombian government in the 60s to be used as a hydro-electric dam. When we got there we checked into an all inclusive hotel and went exploring.

In the nearby Guatape we found a strange little playground and a very colorful town!

I didn't really find out a reason for all the color and crests but it's something the city mandates it's residents to maintain in the city area. I'm sure it's somewhat to draw in tourists because it is very beautiful! I loved seeing the old Colombian men in their traditional hats and ponchos. It felt like we were seeing the real Colombia.

Traditional Colombian futbol field :)

One of the things this are is most famous for is for La Piedra del Peñol, the giant rock situated not far from the town.

It was formed over 70 million years ago and has been worshiped by natives for centuries. At it's highest point it is over 7,000 meters above sea level. The part that is above ground reaches over 650 feet. You can actually climb up 740 steps to the top of the rock but I didn't dare it being pregnant and having a 2 year old. Maybe next time! On our way back from town we stopped at a huge resort that is being built by an American business man. He also owns a few other hotels in Colombia and in the States. This place is going to be fantastic! You will be able to stay at their hotel, buy a condo or duplex or rent one of the condos or duplexes when the owners aren't there. The quality of building and the landscaping and other amenities is definitely luxury! It felt like we were back in the States where the rich really know how to do things right.

After a few nights in El Penol we headed back to Medellin to check out the city. Some of Mike's favorite things about Medellin are the weather (always Springlike, the average high every month of the year is 81 or 82), the cleanliness of the city and the organization there! In February Medellin was named the most innovative city of the year! It was a nice break from Bogota, which is about the most chaotic city I've ever been in. It actually rained a little while we were there but the temperatures were still wonderful. The first thing we did is go to a little hill in the middle of the city where you can see the views of Medellin.

 At lunch before the meltdowns.

 Funny face!

After seeing the views we headed to a different area of town where we found the Science and Discovery museum. The kids really needed to do something fun and this place is built for kids! Outside are all sorts of cool things to do too.

On our way over there Amaya fell asleep and she stayed asleep when we got her out of the car. We carried her around until we went into the museum then took turns sitting next to her on a bench while she slept. During one of Mike's turns she peed her pants in her sleep and woke up screaming! Not good. We had no extra pants, socks, underwear... nothing with us. So I improvised! Jay and Mike went off to explore some more while Amaya and I found a hand dryer in the women's bathroom. She hung out in just her shoes and shirt while I blow dried her very pee soaked pants and underwear. After about 15 minutes they weren't clean, but they were dry! Back on her bare bottom they went on we went on our way. I never expected to be drying peed on clothes by hand dryer in a public restroom. Never say never when you're a parent. The rest of the museum time was a lot of fun!

 Not sure why Jay's making this face in pictures now. It's a kind of stunned, questioning look.

Bored already?

The kids really did have a great time at the museum. Afterwards we went to meet a good friend of Mike's. He actually let us use his car the whole time we were in Medellin rather than renting one because they are so expensive in Colombia! He is such a nice man. We met him at a mall that had a HUGE kids amusement park. The kids were thrilled and he instantly became cool for taking them there.

We sadly had to leave the next day but our short trip was a blast! I can't wait to go back :)