Sam Discovers His Feet

Now Sam is all about his feet. Here he is playing with his tiny toes...

Sam en Aguayo

Sam is officially living in Bolivia. Here you can see him in his first Aguayo. This is what they call when they carry the babies with their traditional cloth. He loved it and actually slept for 1.5 hours. Now I just have to learn how to do it. Here you can see Evelyn (our nanny) with Sam...

Sam Loves His New Stroller

Here you can see Sam really enjoying his new stroller chair. For the first 4.5 months he was in his car seat that would attach to his stroller frame, but now that our container has arrived he got to "estrenar" his Quinny stroller seat. He loves the extra room and the sitting position!

In this photo you can also see how he has started to play with his toys. Sam is not the only one that loves the Quinny. I am so happy we got this stroller. The streets are so steep and bumpy in La Paz and this stroller drives like a dream.....

Just in case you are interested. Here is a video on our new favorite stroller:

Drowning in Boxes

I apologize for being out of commission for the last couple of days, but our container arrived last week and we have been drowning in boxes...338 boxes/items to be exact. Who knew we could travel around the world with so many things.

Here is a very bad photo from the chaos that is our living room at the moment. Hopefully in two weeks I will be sending you beautiful photos of our fabulous new home. Well, I hope it will be fabulous.

See you soon!

Happy Birthday Moqui

Hey Sis....Happy Birthday. Wow, I can't believe my little sis is 32 years old today. You are all grown up! When did that happen? I just wanted to tell you that we love you and hope you have a great birthday. I promised to spoil you next time we are in Miami. I hope you take time out to do something fun today...you deserve it

By the way next time we are all together we need to "update" this photo with Evan & Sam.

Birthday Party Extravaganza

This weekend we had our third birthday party in La Paz. It seems that Luka's social calendar is going to be very full for the next couple of years. This party was out of control. As you can see from the photo there were pony rides! There was also a show, face painting, prizes, an ice cream stand, playground, waiters, a zillion cupcakes and the food kept flowing the entire time. The only thing I couldn't get was a glass of water...go figure.

The kids had a blast. Between the enormous slide (the he must have gone down like 50 times), the pony and the show that ended with a Barney number Luka was in HEAVEN!

Thank you Luciana (she is in the other KG3 class at Luka's school) for inviting us to your fabulous party!

Sam also seemed to enjoy himself...

Click here to see more photos from the party.

My New Favorite Shoes

Okay, I never thought I would make a post about a pair of shoes...but I have grown very fond of this pair and I thought they deserved it. I know I am crazy, but aren't these shoes cute. I get really excited when I find a pair of shoes that are cute and comfortable. The reason I get really excited is because I am a size 12...yes, you read right a freaking size 12. I get happy when I find a pair of shoes that don't look orthopedic.

I used to be an 11 and then somewhere between getting married and giving birth my shoe size grew to a 12 or 43/44 for you European folks.

Thank you Payless for making cute shoes in my size...I just wish they would last longer and please if there are any shoe executives reading this post (probably not) please please start making nice shoes in size 12 and please don't hire shoe salespeople that laugh at you when you tell them your size (has happened on more than one occasion).

To all of you that are reading this and have regular size feet...be grateful.

Sunday at the Tennis Club

It seems that anyone who is anyone in La Paz (I am being sarcastic) is a member of one of the "clubs" in town. So far we have visited the Golf Club and heard of the the Horse Riding Club and the German Club. Today we went to the Tennis Club with some friends.

The names are misleading because for example the "Tennis Club" has two pools, an amazing gym with spinning classes, several places to eat, an awesome Little Tykes playground area for the kids and of course dozens of tennis courts....but as you can see it is not just to play tennis.

Basically if we join the Tennis Club we would be doing it to have a nice/safe place for Luka and Sam to play and to have the use of the gym...oh I forgot the best part....they give massages for 80 Bs. ($12 USD for one hour!) Oh yeah and JJ loves to play tennis, but come on a $12 massage. I am so signing up.

Well, here is a photo of Luka and Sam on our first visit to the Tennis Club and it was also Sam's first time on any type of playground swing.

My Latest Photo Book Project

Click here to view this photo book larger

I just finished this photo book and I am sending it to Elizabeth & Clotilde in Mozambique. They were such a big part of our lives, but especially Luka's and I thought it would be a good way to thank them. I also think that this is a great way for Luka to remember his Mozambican family. Enjoy...

PS There is a letter on the first page in Portuguese. Here is the English Translation:

Dear Elizabeth & Clotilde -

It is hard to believe that three years pass by so quickly.Thank you for everything you did for me and my family. You took care of me and loved me and I will never forget that. You were my friends and in the end you became part of our family.

You will always be my special family from Mozambique and I promise to come visit you when I am older. I hope you never forget me!

I miss you!

Love,

Luka Dario Tinhiko van Herksen

View of Zona Sur

Excited About Re-Decorating

(I am so ordering this wall decal for Luka's room)

It is Thursday and in about five days or so we will move into our new apartment. After four months of living in hotels, the four of us are so READY to move into our home. But I am particularly excited about redecorating. We have all of our old furniture and we have bought some new pieces, but with a new house I can reinvent every room. This is one of the perks of this life. Stay tuned for photos of our new house....

For now I will leave you with some inspirational photos that I will try to copy in our new house. I just realized that all the photos I posted are for the kid's rooms...oh, well...those are the most fun to decorate anyway.

I am obsessed with the idea of having a tree over Sam's crib? What do you think?

Home Depot Way

We are about to move into our new apartment and there are many things we need to buy for the new place, such as light bulbs, lamps, faucets, etc. Silly me to think there was a "Home Depot" type of store in town. This is our "Home Depot" Way. It is a cluster of streets in the downtown of Zona Sur (where we live). At first I was like...these places are not going to have what we need. Well, trust me...whatever you want they have it. Anything you need to fix your house you can find it on these little streets and in these little stores.

Luka came with me on this afternoon adventure and as you can see from his beautiful expression he was anything but excited. These days he only likes to go to toy stores.

PS Sorry for the blurry photos but they were taken with my phone while trying to hold on to Luka so that he wouldn't jump in a taxi without me. He really wanted to leave.

A Boy & His Toys

Sam is getting really good and playing with his toys. He grabs things and is very intrigued by objects now. It changes from day to day, but for the last two days or so he really loves his "Very Hungry Caterpillar."

One of Luka's New Friends

Luka has been busy making new friends around town. Here is a photo of him and Candela. Thank you to Maria's (Candela's mom) for sending me this beautiful photo. Well, Candela is sort of a new friend. Maria and her family were also in Maputo at the same time we were and we had a close friend in common. Well, here in Bolivia we have reacquainted and it has been a godsend to have someone in town that I know with kids the same age. She also has a baby a couple weeks older than Sam. Thank you Maria! And thank you to Salut and Sergio for introducing us.

First Time on Exersaucer

Sam is finally big enough to sit in his very own Exersaucer...I think that is what you call these activity chairs for babies. He seems a little intrigued but still can't use the chair to its full potential, but we are getting there. It also gives mommy at least 10 minutes of freedom or time to go to the bathroom.

We went with the Fisher Price Take Along Hop and Pop. I searched all around town for one of these contraptions and who knew it would be so hard to find one. The one I really wanted was $200 USD and I couldn't bring myself to spend that type of cash when they sold the same one at Babies-R-Us for $59 USD. Welcome to La Paz! Well I think Sam likes this one just fine and it seems to be working and we only spent around $100 USD. Next time I will bring it from Miami.

Happy Fourth

No, it is not the 4^th of July or Sam’s 4^th birthday. Today we celebrated his FOUR MONTHS! Can you believe that our Sammy is already 4 months?

My mom started this tradition of celebrating every month leading up to the first birthday with Maxwell and it has kept going with Sam. I don’t think we blew out candles on his 2^nd month (but that is my fault) because we were traveling. Today Luka assisted his little brother in blowing out four candles on a delicious apple pie…yummy! The pie is more for us than Sam.

I really like the tradition because it forces you to capture a picture or video at that moment. Then by month 12 you have a well-documented account of your baby’s progress during his first year. Thank you Mom for this great idea!

Okay, back to Sam. Yes, our little man is 4 months and it is amazing to see how much you have grown in the last couple of months. The changes are amazing and everyday is a new adventure. Let’s see what are you up to these days…

You still only like to breastfeed. Everyday we try to give you a bottle and everyday we are reminded that you are a baby that loves mommy’s boobs. Okay, we have to talk about this…Sam, you have to try. It will give mommy a break and you might even like it. I hear it is much easier to drink from a bottle than a boob. But I will tell you a little secret…there are times that I actually like that I am the only one that can feed you and it is our special time together. Nothing beats that look of satisfaction that you give me when you have filled up your tummy. But don’t tell anyone I said that and yes I still want you to learn how to drink from a bottle.

At four months your facial expressions have also changed. You don’t like taking naps during the day and when you do you fall asleep, on the rare occasion, it is with a big frown and you almost look mad because you are missing out on something. Your smile and laugh are contagious at this point. You have started to laugh out loud at your silly parents and your smile is bigger and more beautiful than ever. You also have a new cautious face that I see every time your big brother jumps on the bed to lay down next to you and play. It looks like you are telling me, “Mommy, please don’t let him hurt me.” Luka loves you so much but doesn’t realize that you are still just a little baby.

As far as playing you are now grabbing your toys and like to stick some things in your mouth, but your hands are still your favorite. You tolerate about 10 minutes in the Baby Gym and just this week you started to sit in your Exersaucer/Activity Chair. You seem to like it, but I am guessing that in a month when you are a little bigger you will enjoy it even more, as I suspect you will be bouncing up and down at that point.

One thing that has not changed since we brought you home is your love of bath time. We have our nighttime routine that starts off with a warm bath and as soon as I lay you on the bed and start to take off your clothes to get you ready you start to laugh and get this look of anticipation on your face. Daddy and I still give you a bath together every night and we love it! We are still using the portable bath we bought in South Africa and to tell you the truth you are a little big for it now. You seem to kick all the water out of the tub by the end of the bath, but just wait…when we move into our new house next week you will have a big bath and I suspect you will have more room to splash around.

Sammy, it has been a crazy four months with all the moving, hotels, visiting families, etc. You know you have been in seven countries (South Africa, Mozambique, Portugal (airport only), Holland, United Kingdom (airport only), United States & Bolivia) since you were born. How many four month olds can say that? I really thought you were going to have a tougher time, but you have been a trooper. You have adapted so well to each place (even La Paz at 3,800 meters) and slept through the night in every country. Sleeping through most of the night makes up for your aversion to naps during the day.

We love you Sammy and can’t wait to see how much you change in the next 30 days!

To see photos of Sam during his 4^th month click here.

Here we are blowing out the candles of your cake. Please don't mind your mommy's hair...it was a long day:

Our First School Picnic

Today was the ACS (American Cooperative School) Family Picnic. It was our first official school event with Luka and he had a blast. He bowled, fished, tossed rings, bounced in a castle, played on the monkey bars and even got a fake tattoo. I think he took advantage of all the activities/games being offered.

It was also great to meet new families from the school and from around town. We still don't know a lot of people so JJ and I were extra friendly and got to meet some new folks. Do we really have to make new friends every four years? This making friends thing is hard work. It is like starting a new school every time...oh, yeah that is what Luka & Sam will have to go through...poor babies.

You can see all the photos by clicking here.

Liking the New Couch

I think Sam is more excited than us with the new couches. Here he is in the new apartment just after they arrived. I am not sure if he likes the couches or the plastic on the couches. In any case the van Herksen family hopes to be in their new home this Friday....whooo hooo!!!!

Just in case you were curious...here is a photo of what our new couches really look like! The picture doesn't do the couch justice. We got two couches and a chair. I will post photos once the living room is done.

Catching Up on His Favorite Book

I caught Sam holding his first book and concentrating as he was reading a novel. I just had to take a photo.

I bought this little plastic book in Holland. It is meant for the bath but Sam likes to play with it all day. It is actually one of the few toys that catch his interest at his ripe young age of almost four months. It is a Nijntje book (in English he is called Miffy, but in our house it is Nijntje). It is a Dutch creation and I think one of my favorite characters around. I love the simplicity of the drawings and the bold colors! We have shirts, books, toys and videos. Click on this link and enjoy!

Happy Birthday Grandpa & Papi

Dear Grandpa -

I wanted to wish you a Happy Birthday. I am sorry that I woke you up so early, but I wanted to be the first one to sing to you on your special day. I asked mommy like 100 times to go to Miami for your birthday. I really want to go to your birthday party and blow out all those candles with you. Mommy told me they were a whole lot of candles, but she said I have to wait a little while before we fly to Miami again.

I hope you have a great day and tell everyone I said hello.

Love,

Luka

PS Sam, Mami and Papi also send you a big hug

Like Mother, Like Son

Recently my parents emailed me some photos of when I was a baby. These photos are great and my dad says there are more coming. They bought some sort of machine to digitize all their film and slides....I can't wait to see more!

Here are the first ones I got. First of all doesn't my mom look great and man...she was so young. And did you see the awesome blue car! And third of all (although my husband does not agree) doesn't Sam look just like me! Sam is just the blond version...don't you think?

Scenes from Our Sunday

Today was a great day. What a beautiful Sunday in La Paz. We started off this afternoon with a trip to the city's Golf Club. We were invited by Stephan's (Luka's classmate) parents.

As the taxi driver kept driving up the mountain I kept wondering...where the heck is this golf course...there is no way there could be a golf course here! I mean we were in the freaking rocks and the road to the club seemed as it if was carved out of the mountains for the sole purpose of arriving to the Golf Club. But low and behold and we drove up to the main gate you saw the green fields. It was amazing! It is the highest golf course in the world. So, let's see....I live in the highest capital of the world. We flew into the highest airport in the world and today we had lunch at the highest golf course in the world! Wow, that seems like a lot for two weeks. ha ha ha.

Here is a photo of the golf course:

After lunch it was off to see the Lion King...or should I say El Rey Leon. Boy, was I impressed! The show was great and Luka kept on singing and dancing when we got home. I think now I have to download the soundtrack for him. He loves the music!

Here we are as we just arrived to the theatre...which happens to be at his school...they rent it out to the local production company.

Sam's Stats

This week Sam and I went to the doctor for his three month check up and he passed with flying colors. This boy is in the 95% for height!!! He weighs 6.7 kgs (14.8 lbs) and is 67 cm (26.4 in.) long...and isn't he so cute to top it all off. Here is a photo of him hanging out in the hotel.

Spending the Day with Luka's Class

Today was Student Appreciation Day at Luka's school and they had a day full of fun activities for the kids (magicians, BBQ, games, etc). I thought it would be a good day to hang out and spend some time with my son at school. I asked the teacher and she said it would be fine. Well, it was a BAD idea. Who knew that your child turned into someone else when you were in the class? I was feeling really bad and a little embarrassed, but then his teacher came to me and told me that it was completely normal for your child to act up if you in the classroom. Sorry, Luka mommy won't be spending the day in your class anytime soon!

It wasn't all bad. It was fun to see Luka and his classmates interact and I did get some fun pictures.

To see the photos from Student Appreciation Day click here.

Maputo on the Front Page of CNN.com

(photo taken from here)

It is a pity that Mozambique has made the front online page of CNN.com for these reasons. Mozambique is hardly ever on the international news scene and now it is a negative story. You can see the story entitled Gunplay in Mozambique Streets by clicking here. I hope all my friends in Mozambique are doing okay. In 2008 we also had riots for the same reasons - rising food, fuel and transportation prices - but they seem to be worse this time.

Click here for yet another article.

My thoughts and prayers are with my friends in Maputo.

What have the boys been up to?

Life in La Paz has been pretty filled with activities. We have made some friends through school and here you can see Luka having fun at his first birthday party. We were invited by Candela and her mom Maria that we know from Maputo. Luka had a great time, but I also had some fun talking to adults. I have been pretty much hanging out in the hotel with Luka and Sam and this party allowed me to socialize with adults...FINALLY.

Sam has also changed so much since we got here. He continues to grow like a weed. He is already wearing things that are for 12 months. That boy is LONG! Tomorrow is our 3 month check-up and I will be able to tell you how big he really is. Now he is turning all over the place and as you can see from this picture he prefers his hands to the pacifier. He also tries to talk to us and he likes to try and stand up. We hold his hands and he uses his leg power to stand up. Is that normal for a 3 month old? I try to give him as much tummy time as possible but he just likes to be held standing up.

Oh, I almost forgot...yesterday Luka took his first ballet class. It was quite an experience. Of course he was the only boy. Was it naive of me to think that other mommies would bring their boys to Baby Ballet to help strengthen their balance and coordination!?!?! Luka seemed to keep up well in the class, but he did have outbursts now and then when he would yell, "Mommy, I want a pink dress too. I want you to buy it NOW." I explained that boys wear pants for ballet, but that answer didn't seem to satisfy him. Here is a photo of his debut class. Next week we will try gymnastics and if he likes that better we will stick with that. It is up to him.

Hug Somebody Today

Thank you to my friend Ana for sharing this video with me on Facebook. I thought it was great. Have you ever really stopped to think how much a good hug can accomplish? Don't you just love a genuine hug. Go hug someone you love today!

See more about the Free Hugs Campaign here:

Sam Loves to Read

Okay, well maybe he is not actually reading yet but he does know how to hold a book and these books I found are great. I am in love with Indestructibles. On our recent trip to Miami I made a trip to Books and Books with Luka for Storytime. I found these books on the table and was intrigued with the title and the fact that they were "chew proof." I had to take a closer look. Well I did and I fell in love with the illustrations. You will fall in love with them too. Just take a look on their website.

I have Jungle Rumble and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Sam is in awe of the photos and likes to stare at the pages and try to rip them apart, but he can't. Isn't that awesome. Oh and Luka loves them too because he can "read" a book to his little brother. He sits with him and uses his imagination to invent text to go with the photos. The books don't have any words, just beautiful pictures.

Well, I just wanted to share my little find with you and I can't wait to collect them all.

Bloglivia

Well, there it is...a new title for the blog. I miss the other one! I will update it with my own photo as soon as I take one. What do you think of the name? Thank you Edgar and Charles for suggesting it via facebook.

Bienvenida Vicky

Vicky started working with us two days ago. She started warming up to Sam today. Luka really likes her, but that is because he thinks she is his playmate. She seems really nice and has a good aura. She reminds me a lot of Elizabeth, who worked with us in Mozambique. Man, I miss her and Clotilde (her daughter). Just today Luka was asking about them. He wanted to know if they could come over and play. These things are so hard to explain to a three year old....what do you say? I just hope that I am not lying to him when I say that we will see them again when he is older.

For now let's hope that Vicky likes us and she blends into our family and it all works out.

Greetings from La Paz

Wow, we are finally here...in La Paz! It has been a while since I have been able to write on the blog. From the moment we arrived in Miami I was alone with the two kids (JJ was in Spanish classes all day) and I just couldn't find the time. My two little boys are very high maintenance these days...ha ha ha. I have so many thoughts and photos to share on our Miami visit. I will try and post later this week.

Right now it has been less than three days since we arrived in La Paz and it is the first time I have sat down with the laptop. Luka and Sam are asleep and I am still awake. Usually I would be collapsed in bed right about now...but today I kept looking forward to bedtime so that i could cozy up to my Mac and tap away checking email, uploading photos, etc. I really enjoy my "me" time with the computer.

Let's see...what can I tell you about La Paz. First thing is first...the city is freaking high. Luckily the four of us have adapted pretty well, but we have had headaches and get winded just walking up the steep streets. But I have to admit that we feel much better than what I was expecting. I was really nervous about the altitude...but so far so good.

Luka started classes at the American School and he loves it. Above you can see the photo of him pointing to his name on the door. He was really proud! To see photos from his first day click here. We also love the school. We were very impressed with everything! Here is a photo of the whole family when we dropped him off at school on Monday.

We have also been house hunting...so far we haven't found anything that we love...but we are hopeful that something will pop up soon. The four of us can't wait to finally have a "home" again. We have been "homeless" since the beginning of June. Here is a photo of Sam...he has visited every house with me. I don't think he is too picky....he hasn't shown any preference so far.

About the city....the mountains are everywhere. You can't escape them. Everywhere you look you see the landscape. It is a constant reminder of close you are to the clouds here. Here is a photo of our hotel and the street right outside.

The weather is insane...or I should say the SUN is crazy. I thought it was going to be cold...and it is a little chilly in the morning, but by the afternoon the sun has baked the city and it is quite warm. Then later in the even it gets cold again. You have to dress in layers to make sure that you are dressed for any weather you may encounter...especially if you are gone more than a couple of hours. The temperature really drops at night. This is another reason that house hunting is tricky. 90% of the houses don't have heating so you need to find a house that has sunlight for most of the day.

The people are super polite. Everyone is really nice and I love that I can speak Spanish (That is one thing I don't miss about Mozambique - the Portuguese). I haven't had the time to explore the city and really talk to the locals...I hope to post some interesting photos very soon and give you more insight into La Paz.

Okay, I have to sign off for now and read a magazine or watch some TV before I fall asleep. I am not sure when is the next time I will have this "me" time.

Sammy is on a roll...

Today Sam rolled over for the first time. He is growing up so fast! I don't know who was more excited...me or him. Can you see the pride in his face?