Marcitos Turns 7

This past Sunday I had the pleasure of not waking up till about 10 AM or so. After showering and such I headed outside in search of my family. I found them sitting in the shade passing around a bombilla, taking terere (the typical Paraguayan drink that consists of Yerba Mate (a plant) and water) preparing for the afternoon to come. Not long after, a few ladies and their kids showed up to help out. At 3PM my little cousin Marcos was having his 7th Birthday party and I believe 20 kids were on the guest list. I was told we would be inflating balloons and mentally prepared myself for some severe light-headedness (because I know how much the Paraguayans like to use balloons)...however, I was surprised to discover my Aunt Mauchi ingeniously using the vacuum cleaner on reverse to inflate all 150 or so balloons. Several hours and many "Hot Wheels" themed table clothes later the kids started flowing in. For the most part, it wasn't nearly as hectic as I would have imagined. The kids stayed outside, downing boxed juices, hot dogs and empanadas (A ground beef and egg filled pastry like snack). We all belted out a round of "Feliz Cumpleanos" and dug into the double layer dulce de leche cake topped with a couple strawberries. (Dulce de leche translates to "sweet of/from milk" and is a delicious frosting like substance that Paraguayans put on everything). There were two pinatas, one for the girls and one for the boys, which were actually enormous balloons filled with small plastic whistles and such. As darkness ensued I scooted inside to relax a bit and to escape all the small children....