Happy Halloween

This year Luka dressed up as a Lion. He was really into character scaring everyone with a big roar. Thank goodness the weather behaved and he was able to wear this "warm" costume. You see, it isn't fall in Maputo. It is actually supposed to be pretty hot these days, but I guess we just got lucky.

This year's Halloween festivities started with a Halloween Cookie Party at our house on Friday, October 30th. Luka's closest friends came over and they all made delicious cookies in the shapes of ghosts, pumpkins, witches and moons. After that fun (it lasted about 20 minutes) they all played and showed off their costumes and ran around the house eating all the candy in sight (except Luka of course, he just had cheetos).

Here you can see Luka the Lion...

Luka helped mommy make each one of his friends a personalized Trick or Treat bag...

On Halloween we went to the American compound for a Trick or Treat extravaganza. This is Luka's 2nd Halloween with us, but it was the first time he actually sort of got into the Trick or Treating. He managed to say the words, but was a little scared by the mob of older kids running from house to house as if they were grabbing the last pieces of candy left on earth. We found a group of toddlers going door to door and Luka enjoyed that a little better.

Luka doesn't eat candy (not that i don't let him, he just doesn't like it), so going Trick or Treating with the Americans was mommy's master plan to score some real candy. You see you can't buy real candy in the store here...well, at least not the ones you are used to back home. My American friends can order Halloween candy in the mail...so I knew there would be some winners. I scored Skittles, Reese's, Starburst, Sweet Tarts, Tootsie Pops, Kit Kat....I think JJ and I will have to visit the dentist next week.

For more Halloween pictures click here. I didn't have my camera this year...thanks to my friends for sharing their photos.

Opening Night

Here is a photo of Kupfula - our photography group. We opened Mocambique Ao Vivo this night. We had a great turn out. For more photos from the night click here.

Photography Exhibition This Week

My photography group Kupfula will have its 4th exhibition this week! If you are in Maputo I hope you can make it....

Luka Visits Orphanage with Grandparents

This month Luka's grandparents came to visit from Holland. While they were in Maputo Luka took them to his orphanage and we made a special delivery. Read all about the delivery here.

The Whole Family Heads to Kruger

We just got back from a three day trip to Kruger National Park with JJ's dad and stepmom. They came to South Africa and Mozambique for a holiday. After spending a week in Cape Town with JJ they headed down our way and the whole family headed for a couple of days of safari adventure.

Truth be told....Luka wasn't allowed to go on the safari. Young kids aren't allowed to ride the open air vehicles. It is kind of dangerous for a two year old to yell, "LOOK MAMA A LION." And since Luka doesn't really know how to contain himself yet it was a good idea for him to stay at the house with Elizabeth.

It is a good thing he stayed home...we saw about 15 lions in one day...and some elephants, wild dogs, crocodiles, zebras, monkeys, a leopard...it was a great viewing day. But don't feel bad for Luka he got to see his own share of animals right outside the house we rented. The house was in an area adjacent to Kruger National Park called Marloth Park and he saw elephants, implala, warthogs, zebras and baboons.

So I think everyone had a great time. You can see all the photos from our trip here.

Here is a sneak peak at some of the snapshots....this lion was right next to our "open" vehicle. I was so freaking scared.

This was the house that we stayed in...

Luka Gone Wild

Yesterday was Luka's first night in a big boy bed. We were so proud of him. It went great. He didn't cry and slept all night...until he woke up and came straight to my bed.

But the FUN happened at nap time. I guess he wasn't that tired. He totally faked falling asleep and everything was VERY quiet in his room. About 1.5 hours into his nap Elizabeth (our empregada) came to see me and said we should go check on him because she thought it was TOO quiet...well this is what we found.

He managed to take every book of his shelf, toys, clothes, shoes and baptize himself with the butt cream you see all over him. You know how greasy that stuff is....not easy to take off. Oh, and he also opened his bathroom and stuffed the toilet with paper.

Seriously, where does he get these ideas! I almost killed him...but it was really hard to keep a straight face.

Things that make you go hmmmmm...

Funny video that really didn't leave me laughing...check it out.

Living in a country like Mozambique has given me a different perspective on things happening back at home. It is totally insane that in the "most powerful" country in the world people go without doctors, medicine or procedures because they can't afford it or they can't fight their own insurance companies that don't want to cover things. We need a system that will help everyone meet their medical needs.

Mozambique is the 14th poorest country in the world and here you can walk into the central hospital and you will receive care. Okay, the care is bleak at best, but in this country you can't expect much. People, it is one of the poorest countries in the world. I am not arguing the quality of care...it sucks. But the fact is that you can get a $1 malaria test or free birth control pills, a chest x-ray if you need it. If you can make it to a health facility you are the right to be seen by a doctor. Again, I wouldn't want to be sick in a hospital here, but what i am trying to say is that even a country that has nothing knows that its citizens have a right to health care.

I don't get how in the "best" country in the world health care is not a given. You have to be able to afford it...the US is paying billions and billions of dollars in aid to meet the basic needs of the people in other countries, but back home it is a different story. Please someone explain this to me...

Okay, I am tired and it is time to go to bed, but I came across this video and I couldn't resist to share my thoughts.

Happy Birthday Moqui

Well little sis, you are officially into your thirties now. I can't believe my little sister is 31 today. Here we are with our boys about a year ago. She has a new addition to her family (Evan) not pictured here....so now the total is 3 boys in the family. When are the girls going to start arriving?!?!?

Sometimes I stop and think and I really can't believe that my little sister that was prone to every kind of accident (stitches all the time), had the bangs of all bangs (mom really didn't know how to cut bangs did she?) and had a pretty decent collection of Transformers.... is now an attorney, married and has two gorgeous kids. Where does the time go? Sorry to broadcast about your Transformers fetish, but at least now we know where Maxwell's obsession comes from. Like mother like son.

Moqui, I hope you have a great birthday today and celebrate all the wonderful things in your life. I know it would be even more wonderful if your big sis was in Miami, but for that we will have to wait. I hope to be there soon, but not quite in time to blow out the 31 birthday candles.

Frani's Pink Party

We had a great time at Frani's Pink Party. She turned 5 and although the weather was not ideal (darn wind) the kids had a great time. Luka also wanted to get his face painted for the first time. He asked for Spiderman. I have no idea where he learned about Spiderman. We have never seen it at home, but even at 2.5 kids manage to tell eachother what is cool and hip. Crazy huh!

But doesn't he look cute with Max. They had a good time posing in the pink photo booth. Oh, this photo captures my favorite smile...but I think it is time I cut his hair.

Here is Frani's personlized birthday banner.

And look at the candy bar. The kids were all over it and I think it lasted like 15 minutes and all the candies were gone.

Coloring never seems to disappoint. Kids of all ages were having fun coloring a page for Frani.

Frani and the rest of the Spear Family, thank you for a wonderful party!

You can see more photos from the party here.

Our Buzzzzzzy Bee

I know I am being ridiculous at this point. But we are so proud of our little guy. You should see him when he arrives at home with his works of art. He loves to see them on the fridge, but with this one in particular he loves to grab it and buzz all around the house. By now the bee has lost a wing, but that is the great thing about scanning and "preserving" Luka's art work...it doesn't matter if the original gets damaged.

Also at some point when it gets to be too much paperwork I can toss the pieces and make a book or portfolio from the scanned images. Wow, I just came up with that one right now. But yeah, wouldn't that be great...better than having a box and having it all turn yellow by the time he is older and able to appreciate it.

Luka's Latest Additions to his Portfolio

As you know Luka started school a couple of weeks ago. They have been learning about insects and here are two of the art projects he brought home last Friday. I love the butterfly made out of his hand prints...so cute! He is crazy about bugs these days and loves to repeat the words fly, bee, ladybug and of course BUTTERFLY!

But as far as school goes I think his favorite thing (by far) is hanging out with his teacher. It might be his first official "school boy" crush. Everyday I pick him up and I ask him, "Luka, what did you do at school today?" and his response is always, "Ms. Rosa, Ms. Rosa." And if I ask him who are his friends at school Ms. Rosa is always first on the list followed by Amelia, Mario, DooDoo, Yannick (all names of his classmates).

Interview with Alcides

I am very curious to see this film now. So far I can't find any information about a screening in Maputo. Did he find his brother? Where is he now? What can I do to help? Maybe I will write to BYKids - the organization that help Alcides make this film. I will let you know what happens...

Maputo Through Their Eyes

In August 2007, children orphaned by AIDS living in Maputo, Mozambique spent time with American photographers and filmmakers to produce a body of work that documents the joys and challenges of daily life.

In this web video, experience highlights from the children's photographs. The images are set to a song performed by the kids, their friends, and their neighbors at a local community center on August 7. For more images and stories, visit the project website.

I wish I could say that I was part of this project, but I am just a big fan of This House is Small but the Welcome is Big. Today I came across it again on the internet and I wanted to share it with everyone. When you look at the photos keep in mind that they were taken by children who had never held a camera before in their lives. They were given this tool to communicate with the rest of the world and I believe the photos convey a powerful message.

If you like this video you should also check out this link to see a new documentary from one of the kids in this project. It has been accepted at numerous film festivals and won many prizes. The story is very touching and it gives you a glimpse into the life of an orphan in Mozambique. Oh, look I found the trailer on youtube....brilliant!

Happy Birthday Papi

Happy Birthday Papi....I think you must be around 7 years old in this photo (my dad is the one on the left). I really love this photo. You look really happy and it seems like you are celebrating something, so I thought it would be fitting to share it with you on your birthday.

It is now about 50 years from the time you took this photo (yes, folks my dad is 57 years young) and you still look almost the same....just a little taller and the belly is a little bigger. But more handsome than ever.

You know I was remembering today how crazy and silly you are....

When I was a teenager/young adult my dad always used to introduce himself as my brother. It used to drive me insane and he thought it was very funny because most of the time it worked. I thought, "How in the heck are these people going to believe he is my brother...I mean we are 22 years apart." Okay, dad I must admit that now that I am 34 and Luka is 2 I realized that I will NEVER be able to pass as his sister and I am a little jealous. I didn't realize what a blessing it was to grow up with such "young and cool" parents. I didn't think so at the time, but we did have a lot of fun.

I will leave you with another story of how my father liked to fool people...

When I was in 11th grade I went on a school trip to DC. We had roommates from other schools across the country. My roommate was from California. I noticed that all week she left everything locked up and was acting very paranoid when I was around. I just came to the conclusion that she thought all Cubans from Miami were thieves. Finally on one of the last days of the trip the phone rings and she says, "It is for you. He has been calling all week, but you haven't been here. It is your parole officer." No, I didn't have a record. It was my father trying to perpetuate the stereotype that if you are from Miami you must be a criminal. Now I laugh when I think of the story, but I don't remember laughing at the time.

Happy Birthday Dad and thank you for always being a great brother..I mean father.

Lazy Sunday at Laura's House

My friend Laura lives in Naamacha or close to it...right outside of Maputo. She has a nice and open house where the kids can run around and have a great time, while the adults relax and lounge around. A group of us spent our Sunday there. It was great to catch up with friends and eat...a lot. Lau, thanks for making my favorite guacamole dip. It was delicious.

Thank you Paty for taking this great photo of Luka. I love the antique look that you gave it. If you would like to see more of Paty's beautiful photos click here.

Who says Ikea has to be boring?

I am a big fan of Ikea and mixing and matching with other furniture lines. But I always think....how many other millions of people have this same armoire or bookcase? Well, today I was in one of my internet surfing moods and came across Grippiks. This company sells these great surface accents that you can peel, stick, take off and reposition if you would like...perfect to decorate those Ikea purchases. Genius right. I thought so...take a look here.

I think this would be perfect for a kid's room! Enjoy.

i heart this camera

Okay, so it might not take as good photos as my Nikon D80, but isn't this the most precious camera. I have a weakness/obsession for wooden toys (my sister thinks I deprive Luka). But they are perfect and the best thing about it...no batteries.

Well, just wanted to share this find from one of my favorite blogs.

Luka's First Day of School

Today's was Luka's first day of school and we couldn't be prouder. He woke up at 6:15 am this morning yelling, "School Mami, School, School." I think he was very ready to start today. I was so nervous and it was all for nothing. Luka was practically sending JJ and I home when we arrived at the school this morning. When we said goodbye...he kissed us and kept waving "Bye, Bye," so that we would leave.

If I am being totally honest, I kind of wanted him to miss us a little bit. I didn't want a full on cry...but a little pout would have been nice. I am only joking. He was great!

Here are some photos from Luka's big day. Here is a going out the door, ready with backpack and all.

He was walking ahead of us and couldn't wait to get there.

This is taken inside the classroom. He started exploring some of the stations when we got there. We got there a little too early. We are such nerds...well, I am really.

Of course I was worried so I snuck in early and peaked through the window as they did the last activities of the day and lined up to leave. Luka rushed to the front of the line.

Luka is Growing Up

Tomorrow is Luka's first day of Montessori School. I can't believe how grown-up he is. He amazes us everyday. I think that we are more nervous for Luka's first day of school than Luka is. He keeps running around the house saying, "School, school, school." I think he is really looking forward to it.

Let's see how he does...for now I will leave you with this collage of Luka's latest faces. They were all taken within the last 30 days. Isn't he a character?

A little jealous...

My friends Dan & Danielle recently had a beautiful summer trip in Cuba. Okay, so I have always said that I will go to Cuba when it is free...but I think that I have changed my mind. I don't want to miss out on seeing Cuba how it is now and see the real country and see the current Cuban experience first hand. I think that one day when big changes finally happen in Cuba the country will change overnight.

I will never get to see the Cuba my grandparents and parents talk about, but I think that even to this day Cuba has a special mystic and character that will not be there in the future.

Thank you Dan & Danielle for sharing the photos!

PS This is not an endorsement for Cuban Holidays...but if you do go to Cuba stay with a local family and not a fancy hotel.