July 23rd-25th: First Few Days in Mexico

(picture of Andrew in car sleeping)… cousins, Mole….

What a blur the last few days have been! People who’ve traveled to Latin America to visit family told me what it’d be like, but it’s nothing like experiencing it firsthand. People stop by many times a day to visit unannounced. So there’s no “settling in” and unpacking period. People stop to talk and visit and say hi. The second day we went to Francisco’s Tia (aunt) Teodulfa, who was like a mom to Francisco and his siblings. They even call her “Mama Teodulfa.” He lived with his Tia and Tio for 12 years growing up while his mom found work in a nearby town. His mom had to make such sacrifices by going to work each day to provide for her family. It meant sometimes not seeing her children for a month at a time. Anyway, it was so fun at Mama Teodulfa’s. There were several tables put together for dinner, because they have such a big family. Tons of kids and aunts and uncles who all poured the love on Andrew. His family is so warm and sweet! It was especially fun, because Francisco’s cousin Delia, was visiting for 3 weeks from Las Vegas. I really enjoyed her and her family. We ate the traditional meal of Mole (pronounced “Molā”) and it was homemade and delicious! His brother and sister are great! His brother Chano, is an assistant manager at Dominos Pizza and he stops by the house 2-3 times a day just to say hi. He’s very sweet and funny. Lupe is Francisco’s sister and she has a 18 month son, named Juan Pablo. They call him Juanpa or Juan-P. Lupe is so funny and Juanpa is so adorable – he loves playing with Andrew (and in the toilet!). The fun things we have to look forward to in the toddler years! I met Francisco’s dad, Modesto, and he’s very friendly and chatty. His whole family has been very nice so far and so welcoming!