12.5.2009 Rosa Mina Orphanage Christmas Party Part Two

After lunch it was time for the big give! It was quite a process to get the kids in order. Here they are anxiously waiting to see Papa Noel! I love that Joel is grining at me and the camera, can you tell this was a great day for them??

I actually have pictures of every single kid getting a gift as I felt like it was a big moment. But I am only going to post pictures of the six kids we got gifts for. I think that was the best thing by far that we have done for Christmas this year.

Joel was thrilled with Papa Noel and his soccer ball!

 

Fernandia got some girly prettys! She loved her sunglasses, photos to follow.

Michelaine was thrilled with her lip gloss and star necklace.

Roselaire, or Wowo as he is fondly called was so excited about his soccer ball. He is seventeen and it is what he has always wanted for Christmas. He wouldn't even open the package because he said he wanted to be at home and alone before he did.

Mackenson's box was as big as he was and he was beaming for the rest of the day.

Packy was our littlest  angel, he was not exactly thrilled about Papa Noel. I think lots of kids are alittle scared of him at that age. I think he liked his gift though!

Here are a few more shots of the day! I think it is something Rosa Mina will remember for a long time.

Papa Noel with Pastor Roland & her husband.

 

 

Packy SMILING for the camera.

 

Fernandia showing off her jump roping skills.

I love how the gifts all became universal property after the giving. The kids basically shared everything that they had received. I think that's what Christmas truly is. We gave to them, and they gave to each other. 

12.5.2009 Rosa Mina Orphanage Christmas Party Part One

Right after Dom and I returned to Port-au-Prince we had the Christmas party for Rosa Mina. We'd come home with our suitcases full of gifts. I had so much fun wrapping up our 6 christmas angels gifts. We were both surprised about how hard it was to find gifts for kids that met our criteria which included one piece items as small pieces get lost quickly, developmental gifts if possible (soccer balls, jump ropes, etc), no battery operated items, no electric items. You'd think with commercial America, it would be a breeze! I will say we felt very accomplished when we finished our shopping.

We showed up early at Ambassador Merton's house to help set up for the party. Our friend Brittney showed up with all of the toys in the back of her car. Who knew Santa drove an armored vehicle! People from the embassy sponsored every child, so they all received a gift.

As usual in Haiti, the kids were late. We'd all pitched in so they could ride a bus over. But the bus was late so we were all anxiously awaiting their arrival. The best thing for me was that a little girl name Lyesha was there early with her new mom! She was adopted and was to leave with her new mommy the following Wednesday, she was chattering on about going to Argentina and she was all smiles. I thought it was awesome that she got to attend the Christmas party with her orphanage family before she left. Here she is playing with Sonia, one of the regular volunteers.

Finally the kids arrived! And we were all so excited about their arrival! I think they were all alittle overwhelmed by the big ride, and then being at this huge house. But the excitement was in the air!

 

The kids played on the lawn for a little while with some hula hoops, soccer balls, and the big boys played volley ball. Then Papa Noel showed up. They were so excited! They all ran to him, singing Christmas songs. It was one of those overwhelming moments that I don't think any of the volunteers excpected.

 

They all lined up for candy canes and to tell all of their Christmas wishes!

Next on the agenda we had lunch, bbq style. I don't think the kids had ever seen hot dogs so big! They all just stared at them at first, then a brave kid would pick it up and go at it! Dom was the grill master!

 

 

 

 

One of the best ideas was to have activity on the tables for the kids. They loved having crayons, play dough, and whistles. I'm not so sure the orphanage owner was thrilled with the whistles but they were having a grand time!!!!

 

Below is one of my favorite little girls, Fernandia. She is always very focused on whatever craft project is at hand. She is also one of the quieter girls, I have quite a soft spot for her in my heart. Below she was making patterns in her play dough, she was so focused I don't think she ever knew I was watching her.

 

 

12.4.2009 The Grand Canyon

Dominic and I decided to see the Grand Canyon after Thanksgiving prior to going back to Haiti. Due to our time constraints we went to the Southern Rim as it was closer to Prescott Valley, AZ where my family lives.

We got up super early to catch the sun rise which seemed like a great idea at the time. Unfortunately for us we were ill prepared for the arctic temperatures of 7 degrees! Needless to say we did not wait for optimal light, nor did we even consider hiking as we were frozen!

Next trip we will plan a longer, hopefully warmer trip! Too bad we we have both turned into Carribean wimps when it comes to cold weather!

 

 

11.23.2009 Viva Las Vegas Part Two

Time for the highlights section of our trip. One of my favorite things to do in Vegas is to watch The Belagio's fountain show. We got to catch it in the daylight and after dark! They were totally different sensory experience, but both were a blast.

The first show we watched was the daytime show, the music was the pink panther and I had an awesome angle on the fountains and the Eifel Tower, I have to say I loved the daylight shots!

Let the show begin!!! Think Pink Panther...du nah, du nah, dun nah nah nah nahh ha!

 

 

Pretty awesome, right??

We also spent time going through the fall decorations at The Bellagio. Can you say talking trees?! Amazing! I didn't even know that they did fall decorations, I was expecting Christmas, but Thanksgiving gets props in Vegas.

 

 

Here are my two favorite shots of the day. No one could tell me why the fountain in front of Paris was red? Anyone know? Maybe I can learn some random Vegas trivia.

 

That night our friend Mel, who lives in Vegas, picked us up for dinner. She also took us to the famous Las Vegas sign! This is our classic Vegas moment.

 

Before we went to see the Cirque show, Mystere, we took a walk down the strip and saw the amazing night light! The air was brisk (and did NOT smell like burning garbage, unlike Haiti), the walk was beautiful, and the show was amazing! It was a great way to end our trip in Vegas prior to heading off to see my family in Arizona.

 

 

This is the more classic angle on The Belagio, still like the day time shots better but what is not to love about this spectacle?