Overdue Video Update!

My Veggie Garden

I finally finished planting the garden. I transplanted all the seedlings and they are growing really well! I planted garlic too and they sprouted within a week, it was very exciting! I have to throw in a few pictures of my flowers, too. It is one of the highlights of my day to see a new flower or a new bud!

 

 Yellow Moss Rose

 

 I love these pink-orange roses!

  

So here it is! All fenced off and everything! I have a row of tomatoes, broccolo, more tomatoes, and an empty row for peppers, then garlic, and carrots (half rows).

  

Here's the garlic!

 

 I can really tell how the broccoli has grown, but because of the heat here it probably won't produce a good crop. I planted it anyway. The tomatoes have adjusted now (some leaves were yellow) and they are growing strong too!

 

Purple Moss Rose

 Marcos bought this flower for me when I came home from the US in 2010. It didn't spread like the other vinca, and it's my favorite! The 2 litters of puppies nearly destroyed it, so I took a chance and planted some cuttings. Lucky for me, the cuttings rooted, seeded, and now I have several new potted flowers, while the original is completely gone thanks to the dogs!

 

Orange Moss Rose

March is here!

I can't believe it's already March. Wow! Time is going by so fast! I have been so busy these past few weeks and haven't had a chance to update. At Predisan we had a surgery brigade, an optometrist brigade, and the Board meeting! I had so much fun with the surgeries; I wish I had had more time to observe, but, I got to observe one. I translated for the Ob/gyn during the consults and he explained the procedures and it was a lot of fun. There was an 18-year-old girl with a teratoma on one of her ovaries. He explained to me that teratomas are cysts that can have hair, teeth, and nails in them! He removed it laparoscopically and it was huge! It had hair in it! It was fun to watch, and I didn't faint! So I was proud of myself :)

I didn't realize how long it had been since I updated, and I have several pictures of Leyla, so here are a few random ones of her over the past few weeks.



This was taken the day that the Guifarro's water park and restaurant opened. We went over to their house afterwards and played on the trampoline!

Valentine's Day; I gave her a strawberry to dip in chocolate and this is how I found her 10 minutes later...

Swinging with Delia's daughter, Marcela, at Carmen's Despedida at As de Oro. They had a lot of fun playing together and I was soooo glad someone else brought their kids!

Being silly!

Leyla "washing"- she loves water and soap. I love this because she's on her tip-toes.

I let Leyla do my make-up, ha! We both ended up with mascara all over and concealer as lipstick...but she looks beautiful!

You Can Never Have Enough Flowers!!

I was so excited this past week because all my roses had buds on them! They bloomed this week and now I know what colors they are! I knew which one was red, and now I know which one is pink! I'm waiting for one more that still hasn't bloomed - it's either pink or white. The hibiscus bloomed too (pink) and we have a banana tree that is finally going to have bananas!!

 

We were so excited - it is the first one to bear fruit. I also was curious because I have only seen bananas on a tree once they are already big - I had never seen how they actually grew from the beginning.

I went to Tegus the other day and on the way back we stopped at the Mennonites and I went to their nursery. They had so many beautiful flowers and some that I have never seen in Catacamas; when I go back I am going to buy some more. This time I was in a rush and just bought more Colchon de Nino which I figured out finally is called Moss Rose!! One is white and one is purplish/pink. They are bigger blooms than the others I have. Now I have orange, yellow, pink, white, and purple! I can't wait until they spread all over the flowerbed!

Happy Child!

 Posing and smiling for the camera!

 ...with her new baby doll!

 Love her cute pigtails :)

My favorite - sweet smile!!

Learning to Cook!

Leyla loves to help Mommy in the kitchen. She always wants to help or sit on the counter and watch - a lot of times she gets in the way, but I can't help but think about the future and how she will grow up with a love of being in the kitchen and cooking!

 

Ropes Course!

We had a lot of fun this morning at the Ropes Course at CEREPA. A youth group from a local congregation went, and we joined up with them. Leyla enjoyed it too! The ropes course is a great tool in learning communication, developing leaders, and working as a team. We had a lot of fumbles and frustrations but we accomplished a lot too!

 

 Everyone had to do each challenge. In this one, the team lifts you up all the way above their heads!

 The "islands" were difficult. You have to figure out how to get across without touching the "infected" area around the islands (the ground).

 

 Leyla was having lots of fun but it was getting hot and her little cheeks were so red!

 Climbing the 12 ft wall!

Marcos was the last one up and he had to figure out how to get up without help!! Of course, he did it though! The men at the top lowered a boy down, and Marcos ran and jumped and grabbed onto the boy's ankles, then climbed up the rest of the way!