On, Wednesday December 18th we traveled to the capital of Managua to start early birthday celebrations for Hannah. Can you believe she will be 10 on the 27th...we sure cant. 😢 We checked in to our hotel for the night and then headed to Parque de la Alegria. It is a small amusement park that is very similar to a small carnival like in the states. Our friends, Diomedes and Andresca, joined us in celebrating Hannah as they have made a wonderful bond since moving to Nicaragua. All three kids rode rides (mainly the big kids though) and they had a fabulous time. While there, the kids enjoyed popcorn and cotton candy, which was bigger than Hannah's head...check out the pictures!
While we were on the Ferris Wheel at the amusement park, we could see an enormous Christmas tree. We asked Diomedes to show us where the tree was and when we got to the road the tree was on, we saw so many pretty lights and nativities. The entire street, for about a mile was nothing but nativity scenes...it was gorgeous. This was an amazing experience and helped us miss Christmas time in the states a little less. We will definitely be making the lights and nativities in the capital a yearly tradition! After the lights, we headed to dinner at one of Hannah's favorite places, El Chante, which serves traditional Nicaraguan food.
Then on Thursday, December 19th, the kids and Ryan enjoyed an early morning swim before we checked out of the hotel. Our next stop was a local mall in the capital which was perfect for pictures with the Christmas train and tree. Our last stop on Hannah's birthday trip was to the Nika Bike Shop for an early Christmas present. Hannah and Josiah both got their own bikes to ride which will hopefully last them for a few years but our luck, they will grow like weeds and outgrow them quickly. They were so very excited for their Christmas gifts. We enjoyed our trip for Hannah's birthday and the memories that we made.
