Missing home is inevitable. It is felt even more around holiday time. Today was Independence Day and we definitely missed being with family at the cabin, the food and fireworks that we typically have on the 4th. It felt like any other day in Peru other than seeing everyone’s photos on social media. The big news in Peru is that the national soccer team won their semifinal game 3-0 vs. Chile in the Copa América.

It was also Mason’s birthday. He turned 5. We celebrated with a cake and some balloons. We went to the park (which was his choice and his favorite thing to do.) We have a souviner bat from the Yankees game and a rubber ball from home. Mason played baseball for over an hour.

Then we took an Uber to visit Lima’s magic fountain circuit. It is a park filled with different kinds of fountains, activities for kids, like a giant blow up slide and a small train ride, and food vendors. There are 13 unique fountains in the park. The main fountain had a spectacular water show that lasted about 20 minutes and goes off a few times each night. Overall, Mason had a great birthday even though he did not get many presents. He got a green ball that he picked out from the supermarket and understands that we can’t bring it with us when we leave Peru.