Christmas in Tacoma, at last!

Hey everyone, as I'm sure y'all have noticed I'm not super timely with photo editing and posting. It has been a joy going through the photos I took over Christmas though, what a fun gathering of the Mackel-clan!

I'm also emailing a far more extensive collection of photos, but here are some highlights for you to enjoy.

Love!

Someone finally figured out how to use the spray bottle...

...and the results are adorable.

I figured it out!!

But now it's not quite working...

Bonus video: Ezra enjoying his new toy courtesy of Aunt Ashley, Uncle Bub, and Ito.

Some assorted videos from the past several weeks

Ghostbusters

I don't know if Nora's obsession with the Ghostbusters and her attempts to memorize different scenes makes me a great parent or a terrible parent.

Monserrate

I am giving up on getting these pictures in the order I want them. All are from a trip to a church on top of the mountain, it is called Monserrate. Everybody gushed over this blond-haired, blue eyed baby boy. It doesn't hurt that he is a flirt, waving and smiling at them.

The "Ito tax" is a willingness to get your face fully explored.

A view of Bogota from the top.

This is on the street outside the hotel. You can see Monserrate up on the top of the mountain.

We walked from the hotel until we got to the tram, which took us up to the top. There is a trail you can walk but we have discovered that Bogota's 8000ft elevation can whip you. Er, no, the reason we took the tram is because it would be easier on Ito:-)

Here is another woman enchanted with Ito. She wanted her picture taken holding him.

Just Ito being cute!

We are at the top. Up on the hill behind us is a Christus. It is lighted at night. It looks like it is floating above the city, very cool.

You can see all of the decorations. This is a church, but it is a very festive atmosphere.

And here we are on the steps leading up to the church.

Inside of the church. It is packed. This was a Sunday and services were going on continuously. The priest was offering communion.

You can see all of the shops up here by the church.

It was a crowded place. Quite a carnival at a church!

A very cute family and an impressive view of the city.

More Ito paparazzi.

Ito just couldn't generate much enthusiasm for this llama.

This llama didn't have much enthusiasm for me.

Ito was almost asleep walking home. Bub gave him a cracker to keep him awake. It worked, he stayed awake, and would not take a nap once we got home.

This is a selection of some of the fruits we purchased here. The big one in the middle is called a guanabana. I ate some of it yesterday morning. It was pretty good. I have had "intestinal issues" ever since. Not sure it was the guanabana's fault, but I lost my appetite for it:-( All of the restaurants serve "jugos" (smoothy style juice drinks). They are wonderful.

Colombia!

We have enjoyed our stay so far. We are staying in the original area the Spanish settled. The first buildings were built in the mid 1500's.

This picture shows the Catedral Primada de Colombia, built in 1540, and the Plaza de Boliva.

We met this Colombian with a UTAH shirt on. She actually attended BYU Idaho, but said she liked the U.

Ito liked all the birds. He walked after them, but could never quit catch up. Vendors have bird seed for sell. We didn't get any. I didn't have any desire to be up close and personal with those birds.

They view from our hotel window. The streets are all paved with bricks in this area.

We are in the "Salt Cathedral". It is a cathedral built in the caves made by mining for salt. it is really quite amazing.

Ito found a passage way between 2 areas, he liked to go back and forth. Of course, he fell down often. Note the dirt on his hands and his shirt. That dirt didn't come out in the wash, either. He sure did have fun!

If there is a door, Ito wants to open and close it.

Ito is trying out a tropical fruit called granadilla. Hey Ezra, it was good, all slimy with seeds that you just swallow. It's especially good if you dive in with both hands.

We are on a narrow street with old buildings. During evening rush hour, these streets are packed with cars. The exhaust is so bad it's hard to breath.

That's it for now. More pictures soon.

Digger

A kid brought a fun toy to the park today. There was a line of little kids wanting to use it. To the kid's credit he took the whole sharing thing with aplomb.

If you listen closely you can hear Scott in the background providing the sound effects.