Planes & A Vanilla Ice Cream Please

This weekend we spent it redecorating the house, moving furniture around and today we took a break from our "project" to spend the morning at the airport. The Maputo International Airport although it may not be the busiest in the world, it does have the unique quality that you can get intimately close to the airplanes as they land and prepare for take-off. On the weekends you always see kids and their parents sitting in the cafe that sits on the balcony just watching the show of planes.

Luka LOVES planes and our friends the Santana family invited us along. It was so much fun. Here you can see Luka covering his ears as the plane starts to roar its engine right before take off.

We must have seen about five planes take off and land. Luka was very intrigued.

He also had ice cream for the 2nd time. The first time was an ice cream cone about two weeks ago at our friend Laura's house. But today he sat down and enjoyed a cup of vanilla ice cream all on his own.

The funniest thing was to watch Luka as he waved at everyone getting off of the planes. You can see everyone walk off the planes on the tarmac. I can't think of any other airport where you can do this?

Weekend Project

We have lived in this house for almost a year and in usual Melissa style I was getting a little bored of the layout and decor of our living room and dining room area. Well, we don't have a Home Depot in town so I had to get creative to see how I was going to redecorate. Without a hammer or paint the house looks completely different.

We do have a new dining room table and chairs coming in September, but I couldn't wait that long to change up the look.

So before when you walked into our home on your left you had the dining room, which faces our open kitchen and to the right you had an open area where we kept Luka's toys, a bookcase and then adjacent to that was our living room. I wanted to have one side of the house be "just for adults" and I wanted the other side to reflect Luka's personality and keep his things, but organized.

So this is our dining before...

And this is what it looks like now...

It is the perfect spot for JJ and I to hang out with Luka, read a magazine or book (if Luka lets us) and just relax. We even made a special corner for Luka so he can showcase his latest projects and works of art.

The dining room is now really modern...but it is a work in progress. I still need to hang up new photographs and wait for our new furniture to arrive. As soon as it does I will post the photos.

Oh, I almost forgot the best part. Now all of Luka's toys are in these red containers and they are labeled with photos so Luka knows where to find his favorite toys like his "Little People." If my sister is reading this she probably just got a little nauseous...but labels make me really happy and I am not ashamed to admit it....ha ha ha. The best part is that Luka knows where everything is now and he can clean up on his own.

"The Train, The Train"

Every time we drive around the city in the car Luka is always saying "The Train, The Train." No he is not confused and trying to imitate Tattoo from Fantasy Island...although that is what he sounds like with his cute accent. He is actually looking for the the new tourist train in town. It is called the Maputo Express. It is a train that drives around the city - very similar to the one in Key West and so many other seaside towns.

The Maputo Express is usually empty, especially now that it is winter. But Luka is fascinated by it. Last week it was his friend's birthday. Peter was turning 3 and we met for lunch in the park and then hopped on the train for a 2-hour train ride. Luka loved it...until the last 20 minutes. What do you expect from a 2 year old? But he must have really liked it even though he wanted to jump off at the end because every time we are in the car he is still calling out "The Train, The Train?"

Here he is trying to convince the conductor to let him drive the train. I literally had to rip him out of there:

For more photos from the party and train ride visit Our Photo Album.

Wish List

If I could buy this bike in Mozambique or South Africa it would totally be on my wish list. Isn't it the coolest bike ever! Oh, wait...I would also need to feel safe enough to ride bike around town. I think the only day I would ride bike around Maputo is on Sundays. But a girl can wish, right?

The bikes are made by Madsen.

Thank You Marta & Connor

Our friends Marta & Connor will be getting married in NYC on August 2nd. Aren't they the cutest freaking couple? Besides showing you how fabulous they are we wanted to send them a BIG thank you. Instead of buying wedding favors for everyone they will be making a donation to the Infant Nutrition Program at Luka's orphanage. I know that all the babies at Primeiro de Maio thank them very much. Here is a photo of the card they will be giving to guests at the wedding:

Jumping for Joy

Finally, I am all caught up with my photos in terms of sorting them and posting them on the web. It seemed like I would never finish after we got back from holiday. Our internet connection has been anything but helpful. But today I finished. Just click here to see all of our recent snapshots and adventures.

Visit My New Blog

Finally...I have been meaning to do this since we started the Infant Nutrition Program back in December 2008. Well here it is. Just click here to see the blog on the program. You can also read a previous post about the program by clicking here.

If you are interested in making a donation please send me an email to mvigues@msn.com.

The Budding Artist

Today Luka attended his first painting class with Frani. He loved it. He couldn't get enough of the color blue. Actually in the end there were more colors on the canvas and it turned out quite nice (see photo below).

He was the youngest in the class and I had to stay with him the whole time, but you should haveseen him...he was super focused on the task at hand for the first 30 minutes. That is a lifetime for a two year old. You can see his concentration in some of the photos above. He was so cute. He demanded that he sit next to Frani so that he could show her that he could paint too. Frani is 2.5 years older than Luka, but I don't think he minds or notices the age difference. He likes to follow her around and make her laugh and Frani is so nice to him.

FYI, Frani is my good friend Laura's daughter. Laura is from Argentina and is one of my partner's in crime here in Maputo.

Here is the final outcome of Luka's 1st painting class...He calls it The Kite.

To see more photos from this day click on Our Photo Album.

Like Mother Like Son

 
This was a rare moment caught on camera. I was taking some photos of Luka as he was playing peek-a-boo and slammed right into the poll....ahhhh my poor baby. My camera is so fast that by the time I put my camera on the floor to grab him I had already taken two photos. I wasn't trying to catch this photo people...I am not that mean of a mommy.

But I think Luka has inherited my clumsiness. This marks the second time he has cut his lip in one week. Sorry Luka...like mother like son.

I am happy to report that he was fine 2 minutes later and back to his usual happy self.

I'm in love...

I am in love with our new dining room chairs. Six of these beauties will arrive in September and we can't wait. JJ and I fell in love with them and I have wanted an Charles Eames chair for as long as I can remember....I just had to share my joy with the rest of the world.

Scenes from Our 4th of July

We spent our 4th of July at a BBQ hosted by the American Embassy. It was great to hang out with everyone wearing red, white and blue (which coincidentally happen to be Holland's colors and well) and share a real American BBQ with all kinds of delicious salads, hamburgers, chicken and lets not forget the large sampling of deserts...my favorite were the cupcakes! I was soooo off my diet!

Here you see Luka modeling his 4th of July ensemble...come on...he has to be the best dressed Mozambican in town!

What is this game called again? All I know is that it isn't football, which is the game I thought they would be playing.

Luka, never misses a chance to show us his artistic abilities!

Matching patriotic ribbons....I really need to have a daughter. I don't think Luka would like if I put ribbons on his hair. He had a hard enough time letting me put on the red sweater vest.

Luka really wanted to play volleyball and kept running into the game. I think he was a little disappointed when they kept picking him up and placing him on the sideline.

Home Sweet Home

We are back home and life is back to normal. Luka is loving being at home and mommy and daddy do to. We really hit the ground running when we arrived in Maputo. JJ was busy with work with six weeks of paperwork on his desk and I had to catch up on photo projects and some freelance jobs I am working on. I still haven't had time to upload all our photos from the trip.

Pretty soon I will have a site for the Infant Nutrition Program at Luka's orphanage. I promise more fun things on this blog next week....

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. van Herksen

Ronald (JJ's uncle) married Tineke today and it was a beautiful day. It was the perfect celebration with family and friends. Above you can see the happy couple. I have never seen a bride and groom so happy, calm, comfortable and in love on their wedding day and the love they have for each other and their families (they both have children from previous marriages) is obvious.

 

Luka was at the reception and he had a blast. I am not so sure he new it was a wedding, I think he thought it was a party with a really cool slide. 

Here you can see Luka, Benthe and Marc playing with the fishes at the 2nd wedding reception - the BBQ and Ronald and Tineke's house. They have a beautiful garden with a pond. At one point Luka almost went inside. Thank goodness I had a wardrobe change for him.

The live music was great. The duo are friends with Roseanne (Ronald's daughter). She sings and he plays the guitar. It was awesome. Everyone was sitting around them and singing....so laid back and so great at the same time. I wish I would have done something like that at our wedding....maybe at our five year anniversary party. By the way Luka was loving it...check him out in this photo.

We loved this park!

Today with spent the day in Nienoord - a mega playground for kids. It wasn't quite a theme park but this super playground was amazing for kids of all ages. Thank you Opa for taking us. We (the adults) probably had just as much fun as Luka. The park was so clean and almost every activity was operated manually (except the tractors) so it made it very child friendly and interactive. Take a look at some of the highlights from our day...

Luka loved the tractor ride so much we rode it twice. Grandpa got to ride both times!

The petting zoo was great. First we went into the barn, then we went to the open area as seen in the next photo. Luka was scared at first but after a couple of minutes he started to pet the goats.

Okay, here I am having way too much fun on the see saw!

Now I am just being ridiculous on the trampoline. I think I pulled a muscle in this photo. What was I thinking...34 four years old and trying to do a hurky!!! ha ha

Here JJ is peddling in the helicopter with Luka. We almost had to surgically remove him from this ride. I think he was a little bit taller than the average user.

Luka was really looking forward to the train ride! He sat there and waited until the conductor came.

"All aboard everyone!"

"I am such a big boy now!"

Father's Day in Bedum

What a perfect Father's Day in Bedum! The only thing missing was my father, but besides that it was perfect. We spent the day at JJ's father's house and all of the siblings came to visit. We had high tea, mimosas, scones, biscuits, sandwiches, then dinner and fruit....what a menu...oh and we even had some pizza. The weather was gorgeous and Luka and Benthe were able to play in the garden.

Here is Luka in garden...doesn't it look like if he is standing somewhere really exotic. Opa and Oma work really hard to make their garden look this beautiful.

Luka looks a little devious in this photo. I wonder what he was convincing Benthe to do?

Luka loves to play with his Aunt Marlotte!

Happy Father's Day Honey!

Luka learned how to blow bubbles all on his own...just a couple of days ago he couldn't do it...they learn things so fast at his age.

Happy Father's Day Papi

As I was waking up to the sound of Luka saying "Mama, Mama" this morning at 4:30 am (Yes, he really woke up at this time and wanted to play!) I thought of my parents and then my dad since it was the early hours of Father's Day.

I can't remember one time in my life when my father hasn't been there for me. Whether is was waking up at the crack of dawn (I don't remember doing this, but I am sure I did), helping with a homework assignment, a ride to the movies, helping me with a student council campaign or planning a wedding my dad was always up to the challenge. One thing about my dad is that he is always "in the moment" and always makes my sister and I feel like whatever he is doing with us is the most important task at hand.

Papi, how did you do it....Where did you find the energy? You must have been drinking some serious "Red Bull." Now that I get to run around with Luka all day and at 4:30 in the morning I realize all that you and mom did for us growing up.

You continue to be a great dad and grandfather even if we have some miles between us. Who else will get up and put on the Skype camera at 7 am just because Luka wants to see abuelo on the computer?

I see how you are with Moqui, Maxwell and Wole and I turn a little green when I think how lucky they are to have you close by.

I want to wish you a very Happy Father's Day and remember that even though we live halfway across the globe you are ALWAYS in our thoughts and I know that you continue to be there for me in so many ways. JJ, Luka and I send you a big hug and we will hopefully get to see you on the webcam later today.

Cuba Week in Groningen

Who would have guessed that it would be Cuba Week in Groningen (city in the north of Holland) the same week we would be visiting? JJ's father had told us about Cuba! Art & History from 1868 to Today an exhibition at the Groningen Museum and I was really looking forward to it. The painting above is titled Portrait of Maria and is on all of the promotional materials. For more information on the show you can click here.

The show was amazing. There was so much artwork. Much of it was Pro-Castro and Pro-Revolution, but that was expected due to the fact that many of the pieces were taken from the National Museum in Havana. But I don't think I would have ever had the opportunity to see so much art from Cuban artists in one place and so well organized and displayed. I loved some of the paintings that depicted regular life in Cuba, but the photos were amazing. You could see so much of the history through the pictures and you could really feel the country coming to life through the series of photographs.

For more photos from Cuba Week click here and look for photos in the Dutch Holiday album.

Luka & Benthe's Photo Session

On this day we had a little photo session with Luka & Benthe. We wanted to take some nice photos to give to Opa (Grandpa) on Father's Day. What do you think? To see more photos from our trip click here.