Kid's Day 2020

On October 1 we celebrated Kid's Day.  It is a big day in Guatemala.  It is similar to Mother's Day and Father's Day but all about the kids.  

We began the morning with a Dunkin' Donuts breakfast.   I added eggs and black beans to go with it because the boys love them so much.

We then did a full morning of school. 

For many years now I have made this same cake for Kid's Day.  The boys look forward to it.  We enjoyed it on our morning break. 

We finished around noon and then loaded up for a fun afternoon outing.  Our first stop was for lunch at Pollo Campero in Antigua.  This is another Kid's Day tradition of ours.  

Ice cream for dessert before we left.

Walking through Antigua's Central Park.

Next stop was Finca Florencia in Santa Lucia.  It is just a short drive up the mountain from Antigua.  We did a Saturday day trip there several weeks ago with some friends and had a wonderful time.  We have been wanting to return ever since but with it being rainy season it is risky to go in the afternoons.  We decided to try it and had beautiful weather.

The park has trails for hiking and bike riding.  There are open fields for playing and plenty of covered pavilions for grilling.  There are swings and playgrounds spread out everywhere.  It is a perfect place to go for an outdoor, fresh air adventure.  We took a soccer ball and a Frisbee to help pass the time.  The boys played hard!

We spent over an hour hiking through the woods. 

The boys enjoying the mirador (lookout).

There were several families from a local Baptist church there that we got to visit with.  The kids enjoyed getting to play together.  

We stayed until it closed and had a blast.  We cannot wait to go back again soon.

We then drove on to San Lucas to get the boys a haircut.  They both love going to the barber shop!

We ended the day with supper at San Martin. 

Ben being silly while waiting for our food.

 

It was a great day.  We squeezed in as much as we could.  We all finished the day tired but happy.  We are thankful for these two and the joy they bring to us as parents.  

Friends, Fun, Fellowship, and Food

Last Monday (October 1) was Kid's Day in Guatemala.  It is a big celebration day here similar to Mother's Day and Father's Day.  To kick off our celebration I baked a cake the Friday night before to enjoy for our movie night.  I have been making this same cake for Kid's Day for several years now.  The boys look forward to it.

starting our Kid's Day celebration

Lemon cake with lemon icing and M&M's for the face

After Bible study in the village that Sunday morning we drove into Guatemala City for the night.  We had a meeting to attend the first of the week with our indigenous team.  It took place near Retalhuleu, Guatemala which is another 3.5 hours from Guatemala City.  It was a long trip for us.

On the drive there on Monday morning we had made plans to visit the Dino Park which is located close to where we were staying.  It was a Kid's Day surprise outing for the boys.  They squealed with excitement when we arrived.  They love dinosaurs!  We met another missionary family there who was also attending our meeting.  Having the other kids made it an extra special outing.

looking over the map at the park entrance

They loved exploring this old plane.

There was an excavation site where they got to dig and play in the sand.  This was a favorite part of the day.

Ben and the Frye boys took a turn in this giant inflatable ball.  They rolled it around in a large grassy area.

While the other three were in the ball Cruz tried out the rock wall. 

He did great!

our family at the Dino Park

the Frye's

We ended our visit with a 3-D dinosaur movie inside the air conditioned theater.  

Overall, we loved the park and were glad we got to visit it.  It was a fun place for the boys to explore.  If we ever get back down that way we will most likely want to visit it again. 

We spent the next few days praying and playing with this fun group.  It was great to not only share our hearts and be prayed for but to get to pray for the needs of these fellow servants as well.  We had a wonderful, encouraging time together.  I did not take many photos of the group but took a few of the boys playing.

ready for a round of putt putt golf 

Cruz and Gary

sweet friends

fun in the sun

How I spent my time at the pool.

We ended our time together singing an early "happy birthday" to Gary.

fun times!

We closed out the week doing school and laundry.  I also did a little baking.  For our Friday night movie night I baked these Chewy Peanut Butter Brownies.  I added in some chocolate chips and topped them with this easy Milk Chocolate Frosting.  My guys loved them!  On Saturday I baked a few loaves of Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread.  I love to bake and especially during the fall season.  What a great week filled with friends, fun, fellowship, and food.