Dia Del Nino

The first day of October is National Kids Day in Guatemala, and the month celebrates children. There are parties and treats and toys and sweets.

We were traveling on October 1st so the girls missed out on the festivities at their school. Fortunately, our church had a celebration the following Sunday so we were able to experience a bit of the partying.

My girls waiting for church to start.

During the service Michael found himself playing with the kids in the back of the sanctuary to keep them quiet. 

The kids were excused from the service and went to a special story time that the youth had planned.

Super Proud Mama Moment: The storyteller was asking the kids to think of things of each color that God has made.  During "white" the kids shared things like clouds and snow, all in Spanish, of course. Suddenly, Ellie raised her hand and proudly contributed: "leche!" (milk!) Everyone started clapping, I think partly because the little gringa girl obviously understood enough of the conversation to participate. It amazes me how she is understanding more Spanish every day.

They drew on walls.

They practiced singing and playing instruments and performed in front of the congregation at the end of the service.

After the service, the real party started.
No fiesta would be complete without a pinata. 

Better yet, two pinatas. 

The spoils of pinata #2.

Of course, there had to be life-size Pinocchio and Friends, which my girls were NOT exited about.

Dessert.

Pizza for the kids and chocolate fondue.

The girls each received a bag of little toys and a big bouncy ball.

Feliz Dia Del Nino!