Gum, not guns

This summer, Chely and Kayalá celebrated their first 4th of July in the U.S. This year was also Needham's tercentennial celebration, so the parade was more extravagant than usual. The kids liked the fireworks overall, except that at times Chely felt that they were going to fall on us, and she wanted to know if they harmed the earth or the sky.  They enjoyed all of the elements of the parade - especially the candy, of course - with the notable exception of the loud, explosive musket shooting.

Chely's overall assessment of the parade: "gum, not guns." 

A Globe photographer also took some photos of us; here you can see a picture of "Hayala."

Challenging racism in Needham

Kudos to my dad for speaking up against racism in Needham, Massachusetts.  For many years a white man has dressed up as a Native American for Needham's 4th of July parade, riding on horseback and saying "how."  His activity has stirred up controversy in Needham.  Check out this Boston Globe.com article that quotes my dad.  Here's the relevant section:



Fred Muzi, the retired owner of Muzi Motors, did appear, despite health concerns related to two horse-riding accidents in recent weeks. Muzi has made waves for his 50-year-long tradition of dressing as a Native American and riding his horse bareback in the annual parade.


Covered in red body paint and decked out in a full headdress, Muzi, 80, drew a mix of cheers and murmured disapproval from spectators as he wheeled his horse from side to side and called out “how!” in greeting.

Jerry Durbin was not among those clapping.


“He’s not our favorite character,” said Durbin, a longtime resident of Needham. “Thirty years ago, there wasn’t the same sensitivity, but now….” He shook his head.


Durbin’s daughter and grandchildren were visiting from Guatemala, where they live with their father, an indigenous Mayan. “I’ve been watching him for a long time,” Durbin said. “And it’s not even a good re-enactment, the way he says ‘how’ and everything.”

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/needham/2011/07/a_birthday_bash_for_the_nation.html?comments=all#readerComm

Way to go, Dad! 

Trip North

On our recent trip to the U.S.

we got to see

Bamba

and Gus

and Poppa

and Great Mary

and Uncle Eric

and Uncle Will

and Uncle Ade and Aunt Claudia

and godparents

and friends

and the back yard in Needham

and the ocean.

Graduate!

When Kayalá was months old

and not interacting much with her sister,

Chely asked me,

"When is Kayalá going to graduate,

not being a baby anymore?"

Kayalá is two now, walking and talking and running and playing.

Chely announced to us yesterday that

Kayalá has graduated from being a baby!

(Birthday crown by Bamba,

outfit from Ghana via Uncle Ade.)

First Friends

We were incredibly lucky to visit our good good friends, the de León Lockhart family, in Louisville this summer. 

Even though Chely and Liam had not seen each other in a year (at their age, a full fifth of their lives!), they immediately picked up their friendship as if they'd never been apart.  And so did we, the grownups! 

Prior to our visit, Liam was trying to figure out how to tell people who exactly would be visiting. After thinking it through, he described Chely as his "first friend."  That term resonated with Chely, too. They've known each other since infancy, after all! 

It seemed that their default pose when together was holding hands.

We also got to watch the relationships develop between the younger children, Diego and Kayalá, as well as the relationships between older and younger friends. Kayalá thought Liam was absolutely hilarious and couldn't get enough of watching him.  Diego developed a special bond with Chely and several times looked to her to help him do big-kid activities.

It is becoming a tradition at our family visits that the four children take a collective bath.

Luis plays in a band called Appalatin, which fuses  Latin American and Appalachian sounds. It has been taking off in its popularity; during our visit, Luis and other band members appeared on a TV spot promoting an upcoming music festival.  Though Luis's transition to the U.S. has been tough, music has certainly helped him.



During our visit, we got to explore some cool places and learn about the "Keep Louisville Weird" movement.


A bit hit for the kids were the water parks!

They got tuckered out after so much activity.

Shannon and I kept attempting to have an extended adult conversation each evening to catch up on each other's lives, but children's needs and our own sleep deprivation kept postponing our chance to do so.  On our last night there, though, we stayed up way past our usual parent-bedtime for the heart-to-heart we'd been craving. 

Our visit with them was a complete treasure. 

Seven-hour layover

Our formula for surviving a seven-hour layover in the Dallas airport:

- Four visits to play areas
- Four rides on the skylink train
- Twelve+ rides on escalators
- Two bags of goodies from Bamba and Great Mary
- Three bathroom stops
- Two food stops

...and most importantly...

- Two kids who take traveling adventures in stride!

Durbins