Halle, Costa and I made sugar cookies this year for their school valentines. As I was doing this I thought to myself? Seriously? Why do I do this to myself? Why don't I just go out and buy a little candy with a tag and call it a day! It was SO much work!!! But, in the end I was happy I did it. They turned out cute and were a huge hit at school! Halle hand wrote her tags .....she did such a good job! And thanks to Grandma and Papa Contreras Costa still had some spiderman tags they sent us in the mail last year! The recipe I used I got from my friend, Hanna.....it's the absolute BEST! YUM! Thanks Hanna:)
We are SO blessed on this adventure, I know I keep saying that....but it's how I feel and AND it's TRUE.......I know it's God's grace:) Valentine's weekend started off saturday morning with Erik and I leaving the kids with our great friend, Leslie while we went and had an hour couples side by side massage. AMAZING:) It was an hour of heaven.....I don't remember the last time I had a massage, which is ridiculous because they are really cheap here in mexico!....I told Erik that and he said I was crazy...but seriously, I cannot remember. I do remember getting one on our honeymoon cruise.....almost 7 years ago. That was a LONG time ago! So, this was well deserved;) Our friend Les that watched the kiddos ALSO gave us this massage in a gift certificate!!! SO....the FREE massages and FREE babysitting! UM, doesn't get much better than that!!!.....pretty blessed:) Thanks LES!!!!!!!! You truly are an angel:)
Saturday afternoon we headed over to the families house for FLAUTAS....yyyyuuummm. Erik and I get pretty excited for their flautas..... It truly is the best thing they make, we think..;) It's always great to go over there and hang out with them, and it just keeps getting easier with the espanol....and even better to practice. The kids ran around like crazy, as usual. They are SO entertained when we go there.....we don't see them for hours, except maybe as they run by for drink or something. And then when it's time to go, they're never quite ready.......
Sunday, Valentine's Day we took the kids to see the Torros(bullfighting).....It's a huge deal here in mexico........Erik had been once before and was pretty amazed by the whole thing. He said everybody gets dressed up and it's a pretty big part of the mexican culture. To be honest, I was a little hesitant about going and taking the kids to something like this.....but then again, we do live in mexico right now and it's all part of a "once in a lifetime"cultural experience.....so I agreed. And the kids were excited to go!!! They even got to take their first taxi ride! They had watched the torros on TV before and Erik explained it to them in a way that they could understand......he told them that "this is how we get the meat for the steaks we eat"......."the bulls are famous and very proud to be in the ring....not every bull gets picked to do this!" Gotta love dad's and their analogies for their kids understanding! Better him than me;)
In the taxi ride on the way to see the torro's
and selling it~kinda makes you feel a little better...;0
And then they cut the horns off and give them away to the matadores as prizes~
This is a little description of what it's all about.....
The Spanish occupation of Mexico led to the rise of bullfighting in the country. Also known as fiesta brava, the sport has been one of the most popular in the country for the last 400 years.
Bullfighting in Mexico is similar to the Spanish style of bullfighting. Matadores perform specific moves, occasionally using a piece of red cloth, to attract a bull in a graceful manner. Typically, a bullfighting show includes rodeos, pig chases and dances, before the bullfight begins. In the end, the bull is killed with a sword.
Thousands of bullfighting events occur annually in Mexico. In certain areas in the country, bullfighting rakes in huge amounts of money yearly, coming from both tourists and fellow Mexicans.
As evidence of the popularity of the sport, the largest bullring in the world can be found in Mexico. The bullring is known as Plaza Mexico, which is located in Ciudad de los Deportes, Mexico City. Plaza Mexico can seat around 40,000 people. It was opened on February 5, 1946. The anniversary of the opening of Plaza Mexico has been celebrated every year thereafter with a special bullfight called the Corrida de Aniversario.
Of course, with popularity comes controversy. Organizations promoting animal rights have rallied against the sport of bullfighting in Mexico. They argued that the sport was not only dangerous for the matador, but more so for the horses and, of course, the bulls. Other actions against bullfighting were also done, such as the establishment of humane education programs and the creation of mascot Pepe the Bull. At one point, individuals under 18 years old were banned from watching the sport. However, fans protested by bringing their families to watch the sport.
Bullfighting remains prominent during the dry season, about November to March. Tickets may be bought at the bullring. Prices for the tickets vary, ranging anywhere from $5 to $55.
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