Mexico

 

This summer Michael, Jordan, Jonathan and I were able to visit Grandpa and Grandma in Mexico City where they were serving as missionaries.  It was an amazing trip.  We came home with great memories, many lessons learned, and hundred's of pictures.
We don't want to forget any of our experiences, but I am slightly overwhelmed with the task of creating a blogging record.  Rachel posted some wonderful day by day descriptions and compilations of photos on her blog here.  When I print my posts for family perusal I will have to include her whole entries about the trip.  Here are a few others I need to include.    

Cousin Spencer hugs mom goodbye.  We left from Amy's house to drive to Las Vegas where we got a good deal on our 2 hour flight.
  

Dinner and a stop at the Belagio Garden to use our time cushion before heading to the airport.

Redeye flight when Spencer came down with the stomach bug <: nbsp="" td="">

We whizzed through the airport security with our ill traveler and found Grandpa and Grandma!  It was great to be able to pick up Rachel and Ely from their flight and head to our MTC homebase.  

Then we began our sightseeing adventures.  We traveled in a big white van with Brother Benjamin or Grandpa driving all around the city. 

A beautiful outdoor market

Catching naptime at the Chapultepec castle.  We survived fairly well the baby abroad challenges.   

We visited the amazing National Museum of Anthropology on day 2.  

I really enjoyed seeing these two boys absorb new experiences and spend time with family doing meaningful things.

On our 3rd day outing to Teotihuacan we realized we needed to take the chance to do souvenir shopping.  There were lots and lots of eager vendors with lots of treasures.  Grandma and Grandpa like to take pictures as a reminder of the craftsmen or the story behind the purchases.  They emphasized that our purchases are sometimes a great benefit to the people.   

Jordan first bought a jaguar whistle from this little old lady, but it's not a great photo showing her face.   

The bargaining part of shopping was not my favorite.  We learned to ask "How much is this?" in Spanish and then we had to talk this man down a few hundred pesos.  He was good at what he did.  But Jordan bought an awesome obsidian dagger with a jade handle.  

This man attracted the attention of music lovers.  His advertisement was a sweet melody that floated around the plaza flooded with other vendors.  Michael bought an 8 hole ocarina from him.   

I couldn't pass up one of these dresses with blue ribbons and stitching for Leisel.  I also bought the girls some flower wreaths from the canal ride on Xochimilco.  

After walking around for hours at the pyramids we went to a wonderful restaurant called "The cave".  We ate cactus salad, crickets with avocado on corn patties and some kind of yummy vegetable cornfield soup.  We also watched the show with modern and traditional styles of Mexican dancers.  

Our Sunday at the MTC in Mexico City was filled with wonderful church meetings.  We were also able to visit the beautiful temple and visitors center.  The boys were so inspired by the friendly and diligent missionaries we saw every day.  It was a great testimony building experience for them to feel the spirit of missionary work and imagine themselves fulfilling their own missions in a few years.

I loved this artwork from the visitors center.  The Mexico City temple uses architecture that highlights the influence of the ancient civilizations from the area.  It was so interesting to learn about possible connections in Mexico with Book of Mormon lands.  

The next day of our trip was the 4th of July!  I seemed to notice or pay attention better that day and noticed at least 5-6 flags from the United States of America and lots of Mexican flags.  We felt grateful for our homeland while we were away.  

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I noticed this man was reading the Bible as we walked by on a busy street during our downtown tour.  We caught glimpses into the goodness of the Mexican people.

The boys were so proud of the Happy Birthday board they decorated for Grandpa while he was taking care of missionaries at the clinic.  It was a bonus that our trip fell on his birthday and we could celebrate a little with him.   

Dad helped me find a hammock at the artisan market to bring home for Jared.  I was happy that the man threw in a nice hat too.

Dad took us to a wonderful art museum and family aquarium on our last day.  There was famous art from artists around the world.  And I also enjoyed the traditional and historical Mexican works.   

This mural in the MTC auditorium shows the LDS pioneers who came to Mexico and established colonies that were the beginning of the Church there.  

We stopped at a park on the way home from our outings one day and let the kids be kids.  Jonathan found a little playmate on the swings.  

This meeting with Benjamin's family was a highlight of the trip!  We enjoyed visiting with him as our driver on many of our outings and then he was able to bring his wife and children to the MTC before we left.  Benjamin and his wife met in Salt Lake and then decided to move back to Mexico City near their families to raise their family.  The oldest boys knew English pretty well and were able to visit with the boys.  They went to the gymnasium and had lots of fun playing basketball and foosball.     

 

Our little casa at the MTC was such a nice accommodation for our family to spend the trip together.  After 6 full days of exploring and visiting, we had to say goodbye and let Grandma and Grandpa get back to their service.  We looked forward to seeing them for the holidays when they returned home.  

Leisel with her cute dolly from Grandma

p.s. Tessa and Leisel were well taken care of by daddy, aunts, and Grandma and Grandpa Clark while we were gone.  They had lots of fun celebrating the 4th of July and being with family.