We planned to cram too many things into this morning, so we had to do a little adjusting of the schedule, cutting the Costco list down to only the essentials and skipping Petco and the Farmer's Market. I love the downtown Des Moines Farmer's Market, and I think Michel would really enjoy it (she loves the downtown scene, and there is so much more to see and do than just buy fruits and vegetables). However, it's hard to squeeze it in when we have advocacy events every Saturday. Maybe Michel will be adopted by a family in Des Moines and will be able to check it out next year or the following.
We arrived at Climb Iowa this afternoon, and Michel got fitted for a harness. As always, she was excited to greet her friends: not only the kids with whom she traveled, but also friends of ours who have met her during her stay and came to watch the kids rock climb today.
Michel did not seem nervous at all to try rock climbing, and she jumped right in. She was one of the first kids to start scaling the wall and was halfway up before we knew it! She followed all of the safety rules and was patient to wait for her turn to climb. A few of the kids were more hesitant to climb, but by the end of the session, all eight Summer Miracles participants had climbed like old pros. Thank you, Climb Iowa, for a great day of climbing!
After rock climbing, we came home to meet Mike's sister Amy, her husband Jack, and their two boys. Three-year-old Nathan and almost-three-month-old Luke were a huge hit with Michel. She can't resist holding and playing with the little ones! We enjoyed some down time at home before heading to the mall food court for dinner. Michel has definitely latched on to Tex-Mex fast food as her restaurant of choice, eating her favorite lettuce-free tacos for dinner.
After dinner, the kids enjoyed some time in the hot tub on an absolutely beautiful night. Amy and Jack brought along gifts for Michel to open after swimming. I know she will love using the gel pens in the notebook, since she found an old gel pen of mine that she uses whenever she can! The pencil case will be perfect to hold the gel pens and carry them home to Colombia. We will enjoy filling the photo album with pictures from her stay. Thanks, Amy & Jack, for your thoughtfulness!
We capped off the night with S'Mores, which we have been describing to Michel and promising since she first arrived. They were definitely a hit...although roasting jumbo-size marshmallows over a gas grill is much slower than roasting regular marshmallows over a fire! Hopefully Michel's future includes lots of family traditions, such as bonfires and S'Mores and summer camp.
Michel started picking nicknames for all of us this evening. She said, "Mateo, alias El Mono" (Matthew, alias The Monkey). She pegged him perfectly - he not only scaled the wall today at Climb Iowa like a monkey, but that's the name we gave him as a toddler, when he was constantly climbing like a little monkey. She has gotten to know our family well!
When I tucked Michel into bed tonight, she asked to review the schedule for the next week. She remembered each day's planned activities remarkably well. When we got to the end of the week, she said, "Friday. The worst day." We fully anticipate that it will be our "worst day" as well, filled with tears as we say good-bye to a sweet little girl. We pray that this is not just the end of a summer vacation, but the beginning of her journey to a family that will love her and care for her forever.
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