Casa de Amor Christmas - the multiples!!

We were blessed during our "Casa de Amor Christmas" to have 3 sets of multiples visit the Baby Home. The pictures made deserved a blog post of their own!

We were thrilled to see the triplet girls again, in their first visit back since going to their new home on Easter Sunday!

Alison & Nicole trying out the new "jumper" toys

Madrina (godmother) Nataly with her namesake...Nataly!

The twin boys who also lived with us 1 1/2 years before returning to their mother also came for a visit:

Luis and...Luis!

They haven't changed one bit, apart from growing much taller!!

And then Casa de Amor's current twins were also in attendance...

...the very lively, very different, K & A!

It's no easy task to get a picture of both, NOT in motion, looking up at the same time! :)

The triplets with Tia Silvia, the triplet's mother, and me (even harder to get a good picture of the three, now 1 year and 10 months old and bundles of energy!):

All seven of the multiples - together!

...even if not cooperating :)

(of all the pictures made, yep, these really are the best...)

Enjoying the cake snack (the triplet girls with their mom, the twin girls with their "house parents")...

A couple of the trips + the twins

Feliza has become such a good mom to her babies! Hard to believe after such a rough beginning, but she's truly fallen in love with all three.

Casa de Amor Christmas, Part II

After our big morning, around 11:30pm, another set of gifts arrived...

...this time from our generous friends, the Veizaga family, owners of Cochabamba's bus terminal and various other businesses and construction projects in our city. (Famous around these parts for being the godparents of our triplets and now raising them in their own beautiful home, alongside their mother.)

Don Jaime with daughter Nataly (all 3 trips are visible in this picture...spot them?!)

More gift-giving (and receiving)!

Baby F taking it all in, with our newest volunteer Chelsey, from Canada

Our house was FULL with 34 children + the twin boys + the triplet girls + now-adopted-Esteban!

What a gorgeous Christmas Day for us here in Cochabamba!

Playing hard!

Sleeping hard, too...

Just what our little "gorda" needs - a huge baby bottle!!

And our friend Jaime always brings CAKE! This time, three cakes and lots of juice.

Little C working on her cake.

Cute F, surveying the scene.

LOTS of kids
LOTS of toys

LOTS of joy!

Next post: pictures of all our "multiples"!!

Casa de Amor Christmas, Part I

Some pictures from our lovely Christmas celebration in the Baby Home on December 23. Looking at the pictures again, I'm ready for it to be Christmas again. :)

The prep before the pictures and gifts...

A few of the "santas" present on this day

Preparing the dining room...

Changing clothes!

Hair done!

Bottle time BEFORE pictures and gifts...a lesson learned from years past ;)

Baby A striking a pose

Ah-HA! Caught in the act. Little O loves stealing bottles.

The shuffle before one of the better pictures...

All part of the picture torture fun...!

Baby E went straight for the gifts!

Anxious anticipation... (the twin boys came back to join us for the special day, as well as Esteban, now Tia Maria's son)

With some of us tias

Gift time!! This is the 3rd year that we are so blessed at Casa de Amor by individual, local sponsors of our kids who really go above and beyond to make Christmas special for our kids. (Doctors, lawyers, pastors, friends from church, CDA adoptive parents, etc.) This year there were even lots of sweet notes attached to the wrapped packages.

Ready to go!

Baby G checking out his gifts

J. was very happy (and protective of) his army truck

M. N. on a new riding toy, yay!

Babies checking out all the new toys...

Frog attack?! Baby C's gift was an impressively large FROG...

!!!

Baby G enjoying his first Christmas! (also known as Baby Jesus/Santa Claus)

Little boy J. enjoying a "salta salta" (jumping toy) from a local church!

At this point, houses 2 & 3 descended upon us, as well as yet MORE gifts and special visitors... Another Christmas post soon!

Nativity Scene 2011

Go ahead of the Master to prepare his ways,

Present the offer of salvation,

the forgiveness of sins.


And these words shall be in your heart,

You shall teach them diligently to your children,

and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way,

when you lie down, and when you rise up.


The child you bring to birth will be called Holy, Son of God.

She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger

because there was no room in the hostel.


Unto us a Child is born,

Unto us a Son is given!

The shepherds left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger.

Seeing was believing.

They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child.

The sheepherders let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen.

A band of scholars arrived in Jerusalem from the East…to worship him.

They could hardly contain themselves: They were in the right place!

They had arrived at the right time!

They entered the house and saw the child in the arms of Mary, his mother.

Overcome, they kneeled and worshiped him.

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

For a child has been born—for us!

The gift of a son—for us!

His names will be Amazing Counselor.

Strong God.

Eternal Father.

Prince of Wholeness.




Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear,

deep within herself.

My soul magnifies the Lord,

And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior!

Celebrating our Savior’s holy birth, life, death, and resurrection,

Staff & Children
Casa de Amor Children’s Homes
Cochabamba, Bolivia


Scriptures from the books of Matthew, Luke, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah
(New King James Version and The Message)

Participants in this year’s nativity scene, all part of the Baby Home:

Mary—C. (age 3)
Joseph—B. (age 4 ½)
Baby Jesus—G. (5 months)
Angel—O. (21 months)
Donkey—J. (age 5)
Sheep—J. (age 2)
Shepherds—B. (age 4), J. (age 3 ½), M. N. (15 months)

Many thanks to Cochabamba International Church for loaning us the manger!