Una Familia Loca

It's time =(

2010-07-19T00:27:00.001-06:00

Our last day =(

We had the rental car for our last full day in Samara before driving ourselves to the airport the next day. Luke had made an acquaintance in town who hooked us up with somebody else who led us to a semi-private beach. It was a a beautiful (albeit muddy) hike to get to it, but worth it.

This little parade filled with ox carts came through the center of town in the afternoon. I tried asking the significance, but I'm still not sure why it happens. Apparently it is an annual event though.

One last ice cream at Coco's. Can you imagine a more perfect setting for an ice cream shop? Nothing better than enjoying a scoop under a thatched umbrella and log stools.

We took a drive through through Playa Carillo and beyond. We found the monkeys in the same spot we saw them before, only more of them this time. They were really fun to watch in their natural environment.

The Last Supper.
We had pizza at our friend Daniela's boyfriends restaurant. Super yummy pizza that I wish we had discovered earlier. A cRaZy storm came in while we were there and the water was coming in through the roof like mad (you can see how wet the ground is around us). It was literally pouring in sheets all around where we sat. I was getting splashed a bit, but it was refreshing.

What I will miss

2010-07-16T13:00:00.001-06:00

It's actually been raining here ALL DAY. I'm not gonna miss that.

What I will miss are these little restaurants on the beach. I love grabbing lunch or dinner with my toes in the sand. The kids have the freedom to play while we wait on food, which makes eating out sooo much easier than regular restaurants. And the view can't be beat!

Before and After

2010-07-15T15:21:00.004-06:00

BEFORE

AFTER

After I watched my child dangling in the air by his ankle as my husband held on for dear life to his bucking spooked horse.

I wish I was lying.

I don't have the best track record with horses. Unfortunately I have a growing list of bad experiences on rented horses, but I keep trying (what's that saying about getting back on the horse?) Part of it is not giving into my own fear, and part of it is not putting my fears on my kids.

I have been watching these horses every day for almost 6 weeks. I didn't see one sketchy event in all that time, so when the kids asked if we could ride, I felt pretty good about it.

Right away my fears were back when my horse was acting a little skittish. Still, I was glad I was on the sketchy horse since my 3 kids were on the other horses. Once we got a ways down the beach my horse calmed down and seemed to mellow out.

The guide was going to send us on our own, but decided to walk with us when my horse was acting up. I was glad. Another guide rode with us until my horse calmed down, then he turned to head back to his spot on the beach. I called back and asked him to stay with us. He obliged and I'm glad I did.

We got to the far end of the beach and made the turn around. The guide said this would be a good time for pictures as the horses were relaxed. So we took a couple pictures and headed back. Just a couple minutes later and I hear a commotion behind me. I turn back and see Luke's horse going bizerk, bucking and spinning in circles and going down on one leg. Luke is holding the reins with one hand and holding Zeke (who is flying through the air) with his other hand. Luke is being thrown like a rag doll and Zeke is flung around upside down as Luke holds on to his leg. His grip was slipping and it appeared like he only had him by his swimsuit which he was slipping out of. I was helpless on my horse, and couldn't react fast enough. The guide on the horse rode around to catch Zeke, but he was too low to the ground and he couldn't reach him. One of the reins in Luke's hand breaks, throwing Luke off the horse the opposite side of Zeke, and Zeke who is now close to the ground, is dropped. The guide who was walking the horses runs and rescues Zeke before the horse steps on him or kicks him, and Luke scrambles out of the way before getting hurt (he did feel the horses hoof graze him).

Luke was getting his berrings while the guide was holding Zeke as if it was his own child. He had the bear grip on him and was comforting him. I, of course, was crying and processing what had just happened. G & D were nervous about the horses they were sitting on. The guide was apologizing over and over and kept saying he needed a double scotch. You could tell he felt really bad.

Luke, Zeke and I walked back, while G & D rode their horses which were on a lead. The other guide led our horses back.

I have had a pit in my stomach replaying what happened in my head over and over. So thankful everyone is okay, but also can't help the "what ifs" from entering my head.

I'm so glad Zeke is young enough he will not likely remember this event. I'm also glad that G & D did not totally freak out (like I did). While it was scary to watch, I don't think they realized how dangerous the situation really was.

Of all the things you think that can go wrong traveling with kids in a 3rd world country, being trampled by a horse didn't cross my radar.

And by the way. I think I'm done with horses for a while. Maybe forever.

Daddy rides the waves

2010-07-14T23:33:00.002-06:00

We were trying to figure out the last time Luke surfed. We couldn't remember...that's how long it's been.

But it looks like he's still got it!

A vacation day

2010-07-13T23:43:00.001-06:00

For the most part, while our time in CR has been fun, it hasn't exactly been like a vacation. I have tried to cook a lot of our meals, walk instead of take taxi's, and just be frugal in general. But now that we are in our last week (boo hoo) and Luke is back (yay!), we are "vacationing" a bit.

Today we went to Hotel Leyenda. It is located on the outskirts of Carillo, and is a little bit isolated. Because of this they offer free shuttle transfers for parties of 4 or more. They came and picked us up from our villa and brought us back.

Once there, we were able to enjoy the large pool....

Have what Luke deemed the best guacamole he's ever had (it had hard boiled egg in it)

Order too much delicious food (at really reasonable prices)

Play fuzball (sp?), ping-pong, and pool.

Zeke enjoyed the playground

And we adopted a little tica. =)

Okay, not really.

Actually this little girl was playing with my kids and just plopped herself right beside me for the family picture.

She's pretty cute though!

Of course the other picture (with the bonus child) was better

We just made a day of it and it was really fun. There were a few tico families vacationing there and our kids all played together. G is doing great with her spanish. She seems really comfortable when talking with other kids.

Dane is still taking in the spanish, but still manages to play fine with the ticos. He slipped and fell on the wet tile today, knocking his 2 top front teeth loose, and chipping the one next to them. Looks like he might be losing them early.

Zeke pooped 6 (or was it 7?) times today. Not once in the toilet. We'll just leave it at that.

The days are ticking away and I don't know how I'm going to say goodbye to this place.

A little of this, and a little of that

2010-07-12T00:21:00.000-06:00

Yesterday.

We started off the morning watching a surf competition.

Zeke has been fascinated with the "caballos" on the beach since we got here. He finally decided he wanted to sit on one. Don't let this picture fool you. He loved sitting on the horse, he did not love having his picture taken.

The kids enjoyed going to a birthday party of one of their friends from school.

They played games like musical chairs, jump rope, hot potato (with a futbol)...

cracked open a piñata

Genevieve & Dane with Dario - the birthday boy.

Right after the party we went home to find that daddy had just arrived! He braved the local busses and saved about $90 getting here. I think Dane's face says it all.

Today was a leisure day of beach, pool, eating, repeat. I was happy to share the parenting duties privileges once again.

Tonight there was so much rain the streets were literally flooded. The gutters had white water rapids. We walked home with water above our ankles in some parts. Ahhhhh the joys of the rainy season.

7-9 hours

2010-07-10T09:35:00.000-06:00

That's how much longer until Luke gets here!!!!! Can I get a woo-hoo and an amen????

Another rainy day in paradise

2010-07-08T00:10:00.003-06:00

It has pretty much been raining for 2 days straight.

Yesterday, I took the kids to the neighboring village of El Torito where CREAR was putting on a day camp this week. The kids did crafts and stuff. One of the volunteers was a mom from Florida, and she is here with her 2 sons about G & D's ages. She is putting on a computer class for the local kids (through CREAR), and invited us to join them that afternoon.

Today we met with them again. The kids swam at the beach in the rain, then swam in the pool in the rain, then had lunch and ice cream at Coco's in a torrential downpour.

At Coco's we were spotted by a friend of a friend from Pleasanton. We had e-mailed one another once we found out each other was here, and had planned to get together but hadn't yet. Keira recognized us from this here blog and came up to say hi. We got to talking and found out her host brother was in Dane's class in school, and was in the computer class with the kids the day before (there were only 2 ticos in the class). This town is so stinkin small!

I finished off the day with getting asked out on a date. I had gotten the kids settled to watch a show before bed and ran to the store with my giant umbrella (just 2 doors down) to pick up a few groceries for the morning. One of the tico surfers I have seen around town stopped me and started talking in a spanish. When I asked him "que?" he reverted to broken english and started describing some pasta dish with a red cream sauce. I had no idea where this was going until he said he would like to make it for me, and would I join him for dinner. Ha! I then had to tell him that I was married, to which he looked surprised. He apologized, said he hoped he didn't offend, but then asked for a hug. I politely declined and put my hand out for a handshake. It was about that time I caught the big whiff of alcohol wafting from him. Nice.

So the crazy thing is, EVERYBODY in this town has seen me traipsing around with 3 kids. How is that not a deterrent? I don't know. But in hindsight I wish I had accepted the offer....and then shown up with 3 kids!

A free dinner is a free dinner, right?

PS - The kids got invited to a birthday party this coming Saturday. They are pretty excited. =)

A little bit of Sámara....

2010-07-04T20:02:00.000-06:00

This is on my walk back from Zeke's preschool. I think it's about a mile (that feels like 5) from door to door. Some days I walk to take him and pick him up. Some days I feel like I am going to pass out from the heat & humidity on this mile walk, especially when pushing the 30 lbs in the stroller.

And this is Zeke's favorite spot to stop and look at the crabs down below. You know, right at the edge of the rusty rebar and broken chain link fence.

This is the long hot stretch of the walk. One day we saw a monkey in the trees on the right.

The Catholic Church. I have yet to see anybody coming or going from it. But I have never been over there on a Sunday.

The town's soccer field. I have not seen anybody on this field. It's pretty wet and muddy. I'm thinking they don't use it during the rainy season. We do see informal games going on at the beach when the tide it out.

The view of the main drag with the beach at the end. It looks like a pretty good hill, but it's not much of an incline at all.

Dr Freddy's medical office. Knock on wood we have not had to go there (yet).

Here is one of the two pharmacies in town. I have been in there plenty. This is the place to go for anything you would pick up at Longs or Walgreens.

And here's the butcher. You'll thank me for no indoor pictures. Actually it's not that bad. I've seen worse. Much worse. In fact, I thought I was going to vomit at the one in Kenya.

And here is the "big" supermarket.

The food is on the bottom level, and the top level has non-food items (bed nets, clothes, and other random things).

It is not unusual to find outdated food, moldy bread, ants crawling on everything, and stray dogs and cats wandering the isles

Last Day of School

2010-07-03T23:57:00.000-06:00

Costa Rica has a 2 week mid-year break, so it was the last day of school yesterday.

Genevieve and Dane's school had lot's of festivities with face-painting, music, dancing, and treats.

Zeke's school had a little performance in the evening

Here he is with his teachers: Miss Hazel, Miss Nicole, Miss Laura, & Miss Katia

bummed

2010-07-02T22:35:00.001-06:00

Took a ton of pictures today, but can't find my card reader to get the pics from my camera to my computer.
Will look for it in the morning when I'm less creeped out by finding creepy crawlies under the furniture.

Today was the kids last day of school. They had lot's of fun (as the pictures would show).

Yay for tomorrow and NOT having to get the kids out the door by 6:55am.

Hoping and praying for a sunny day all day. Give me the beach!

Luke will be back 1 week form tomorrow =)

Only 17 days left in beautiful Sámara =(. It's starting to feel like home.

Please let the kids sleep in tomorrow!

Buenos Noches!

Alarm Clock

2010-07-02T00:21:00.002-06:00

Know what my alarm clock was this morning?

The feeling of something munching on my inner bicep. I brushed my arm and felt something. I opened my eyes to see a giant ant having a flesh breakfast. I swear I felt it's huge fang teeth sink into my skin.

The one thing I won't miss about Costa Rica? Hands down, the bugs. And the geckos. I'm over the ants all over the counters. The ant trails on the bedroom walls and occasionally across the bed. All the unidentifiable bugs that I find inside the villa everyday. I'm obviously over the mosquitos. They are my nemesis.

I love it here. But I am over the bugs.

Playing hookie

2010-06-29T00:49:00.000-06:00

No pictures tonight. Did I mention that my point & shoot camera broke right when we got here? So I have to lug around my big camera, and it's kinda heavy and hard to be discreet. So it doesn't get taken out every day. I'm kinda bummed because I have missed some great shots.

The kids were sleeping like the dead when I got the wake up call this morning (at 5:55am thankyouverymuch), so I decided to just go ahead and let them sleep. Secretly, I wanted a little more sleep too. And if there was ever an excuse to play hookie, I think living across the street from the beach in Costa Rica is a darn good one.

We went back to the surf school, because once you take a lesson you get to use the board for a full week for free. I really didn't think the kids would have any luck catching waves without and instructor, but I decided to humor them. The kids took their boards out, and I went out there to help them. Because they are on hard boards they really need to stay away from each other, so I could only help one. I went to help Dane first when I look over and realize that Genevieve went out and caught the first wave she tried. I continued to help Dane (who was also catching waves with my help) and Genevieve was catching wave after wave. I helped Dane for about 45 minutes until he got popped on the cheekbone with his board and was done. Genevieve stayed out there for a good hour and a half to 2 hours surfing. She is really hooked.

We got a little too much sun today. I forgot to reapply the sunblock. I really haven't had to before this point because the rain usually comes in before we are able to get too much sun.

This afternoon the owner of the villas came and got us because he knew the kids have been wanting to see monkeys and there were some outside his house. It was a short drive away and the kids loved it. Zeke came back imitating them "hoo hoo aah haa".

What else, what else.

Still getting eaten alive by the skeeters. Just me and Dane for the most part. The itching is driving me crazy.

Still loving it here.

Goodnight!

My baby is 3

2010-06-27T23:47:00.000-06:00

Zeke had the little celebration at his preschool on Friday, so we decided to make his real birthday a family party. Honestly, I couldn't handle the stress of trying to get food and people to another party, and I think this was more Zeke's style.

Here he is modeling the shirt I made for him. He's a pretty cute 3 year old if I do say so myself.

This is a Family picture. Luke was video-chatting with us so he could be a part of the "party".

We got him a little bug catcher kit, as we thought he could really find some good ones here in Costa Rica. He loved it.

Thanks you Uncle Brian, Aunt Lisa & Jake for the puzzle book. He already played with it tonight.

It was a mellow but good day. Not one tantrum. Yay for me =)

Happy Birthday to my baby. I love you more than you'll ever know!

Hang 10

2010-06-27T23:28:00.000-06:00

Didier was a great instructor

and the wipe-outs

They both had fun, but Genevieve was hooked! She is anxious to get out there again!

10 minutes

2010-06-27T01:35:00.000-06:00

That's about all we got for beach time today. 10 minutes.

I was so looking forward to a lazy day at the beach this Saturday.

But it rained.

And rained.

And rained some more.

But I managed to snap this picture in those 10 minutes.

This is in front of C&C's Surf School, which is right across the road from where we are living. This is the spot on the beach where we usually hang out. If the weather holds out tomorrow, G & D are supposed to take surf lessons. Dane is still unsure about it. He's a little nervous about being out where he can't touch the bottom. We'll see.

We went out to dinner tonight just to get out of the villas. We went to Coco's and had the "typical" dish or "casados" - rice, beans, meat, fried plantains, salad, and an order of fajitas. The food was really good. Genevieve (our pickiest eater) has been trying new foods. She is doing pretty well here because she like rice and meat. The boys are hit & miss. Last night we went to Jardin Marino, a "soda" on the main street. I ordered a cheesburger and casados. The 4 of us can share 2 dishes with food leftover. Our meals were good there too. I think the kids favorite thing was the talking parrot at the restaurant (and counting the geckos - but that's everywhere we go!)

Tomorrow is Zeke's birthday. I will consider it a success if we don't have any tantrums or major meltdowns. Wishful thinking? I baked another batch of toaster oven cupcakes. I think these ones turned out much better. I think I'm getting the hang of this toaster oven baking ;) .

School celebrations

2010-06-26T13:24:00.000-06:00

I took cupcakes to Zeke's preschool (his birthday is on Sunday).

Don't let the picture fool you. He had a total meltdown, didn't blow out his candle or eat a cupcake.
I can't begin to explain why. Such is life with Zeke.

I guess he was hot

2010-06-26T00:45:00.000-06:00

***This was from a few days ago, just haven't had time to post it.

La fiesta de cumpleaños

2010-06-24T20:05:00.000-06:00

I am beat.

Today is Genevieve's birthday. Did you know that 8 year olds have high expectations for their birthdays? I thought we were going to have a simple little celebration. Unfortunately nothing is simple or easy here (at least for this gringa).

The party prep. I purchased and modified some invitations I found in town. The selection was pitiful, but we made it work. We only needed 4 invites, which we handed out just 2 days ago =)

Genevieve invited 2 sets of siblings from school (one Amercian, and one Tico). We also verbally invited a couple families staying at our villas, and Annie, a language student we sat next to on the plane ride here (& whom we see almost everyday). We had the potential to have no one show up, or upwards of 18 people.

Last night I made batches of cupcakes in a toaster oven. I made mini cupcakes to take to G's class, and big cupcakes for her after school party. They turned out so-so, but a toaster oven is not an ideal baking unit.

I spent the morning taking Zeke to school, going to the bank, ordering the (4) pizzas to be delivered, frosting cupcakes, buying ice cream, taking the cupcakes to G's class, cutting up fruit, decorating the big patio, and picking Zeke up from school. I was in a full blown sweat before the party even started.

The party was to start at 11:30.

At 11:25 the heavens opened up and it began raining, and thundering. At the same time we were invaded by a large group of old, speedo-wearing Europeans.

Don't believe me?

By 12:00 the rain was coming down, and we only had 2 kids at the party (the Americans), and no pizza yet.

I'm not gonna lie. It was a pitiful "party". I felt bad for Genevieve. I felt bad for me and all my sweaty effort. And the gigantic bowl of fruit I prepared, and the 4 pizzas that were getting delivered.

By 12:10 I decided to walk to the friends house that didn't show up. When I got there the kids were just goofing off, and the mom explained to me she thought the party was tomorrow. I explained (in my horrible spanish) it was today, and in fact NOW, and brought the kids back with me. By the time we got back the rain had subsided, and the speedo-wearing Europeans were getting out of the pool.

Things were looking up!

(Genevieve & her friend Tiana have matching swimsuits by pure coincidence)

I went to the front desk to ask if they could call the pizza place to find out where our pizzas were. That is when I was informed they don't actually deliver. My pizzas were sitting there waiting to be picked up. Now, I know my spanish is no bueno. But on Tuesday I asked them if they delivered, and they said yes. This morning I confirmed again that they would bring the pizzas to me. I wrote down the name of our complex. She nodded and said "si".

Here I now had a pool of 7 kids, and no way to get the pizzas. Daniella (the receptionist) offered to call a taxi to pick up and bring me the waiting pizzas.

One of the families staying at the villas showed up and joined in. Annie ended up popping by for a quick visit (with a sweet gift of goggles). The rest of the party went well (except for Zeke who was a royal stinker the whole time. Did I mention he peed his pants?....on my lap).

Minus me having to go get the guests, and the pizza delivery fiasco, it was just like a party in the US! (ha ha ha)

We gave out little bundles of sparkly pencils and pixie sticks for party favors, and Genevieve declared it a great birthday.

Mission accomplished.

And a few more pics for good measure.

I am beat.

Adios Papa!

2010-06-22T15:48:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Father's Day early since we would not all be together on the real Father's Day.

Can I just take a second to tell you how great my husband is?

First of all, he entertains my cRaZy ideas =) And he even helps to bring them to fruition!

He is an amazing dad. So much more so than I ever imagined. He never needs a "break" from the kids unlike yours truly. He is always up for an adventure with them.

The kids were already missing him before he left Costa Rica. I kept catching little snippets of conversations between them about how much they wanted daddy to stay.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to my best friend.

I love you and MISS YOU!

Playa Carrillo

2010-06-22T14:52:00.000-06:00

The Sunday before Luke left (yes, 9 days ago, I'm a little behind!) we spent a few hours at Playa Carillo which is the next beach over. We took the bus for the 10 minute ride. The beach is secluded with the town up the hill.

And this is what happens when a 2 year old meets a hammock. Actually the cut looked much worse in person, but it's healing fine. I was not looking forward to a visit to Dr Freddy already.

Still alive!

2010-06-15T20:46:00.000-06:00

My mother-in-law checked in with me this morning pointing out that I hadn't posted in a few days. We are in fact alive and well. I've been waiting to post after I uploaded my pictures, and I haven't done that because my photo system is a royal pain. Also, I've been tired in the evenings, and more in the mood for reading than writing.

Luke left for home this morning and it's been an adjustment. We had gotten into a a bit of a groove, a routine, and I felt a little lost today.

This afternoon we had some visitors, which was a nice distraction from my melancholy state of mind. I have been corresponding with a guy I initially "met" on the tripadvisor.com forum for Samara. He and his wife have lived here for 7 years. He has been a HUGE resource for me. Today when I asked him (via e-mail) for advice on what to do about Dane and I getting eaten alive by mosquitoes, he offered me a bed net. He came by with his wife and darling 18 month old daughter to drop the net off, and stayed and chatted for a couple hours while kids swam in the pool. They were totally normal (you never know with so many weirdos online) and really nice! We talked about getting together later in the week. Too bad they are moving in a couple weeks =(.

(this is my view from inside the net using my computer camera)

I am really excited about the bed net! Regardless of how hard I try to keep the mosquitos out of the bedrooms, crank up the A/C, spray us down with repellent, and try to keep the covers on us, Dane and I both wake up with tons of huge welts on our bodies (Dane worse than me). The rest of the family apparently doesn't taste as good, as they only get a few nibbles here and there.

I'll share some pictures of our last few days soon! Zeke has started preschool, so I will fill you in on that too.

Adios!

Swinging through the trees....

2010-06-13T00:31:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: The following event was completely safe. Our kids safety is our first priority. If you know the Taylor's, you know safety is our middle name =). So we don't want any frantic calls from the grandparents!

Now on to the good stuff. We had a GREAT day ziplining with Wingnuts Canopy Tours. And when I say "we", I mean all 5 of us! Luke and I had little faith that Zeke would go for it. In fact, we pictured a huge meltdown, and me staying with him while Luke and the other 2 went on to do the tour. To our complete SHOCK, Zeke did it, and loved it!

As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

and a little taste of what the rainy season is like

No gatito!

2010-06-11T15:47:00.000-06:00

We were lolli-gagging around town with Zeke waiting for G & D to get out of school at 11:20. We go over to the school gate to wait and there's an American tourist holding a newborn kitten. She says there were 3 of them abandoned by their mom. We explain we can't take it because we do not live here permanently. I ask where the other kittens are, and she tells me some of the school kids took them home and she hopes they care for them.

We keep waiting for the kids, but they don't come out. I finally go in and ask a teacher what time school finishes today. She tells me they already finished and the kids left!

As we head out the gates I ask an older student what time school got out on Fridays for 2nd grade and she tells me 10:30! So the kids have been out for an hour and we don't know where they are. We start walking down the street toward our villa and I see some kids in uniform at the end of our street. We keep walking and sure enough it is Genevieve, Dane and another classmate. Genevieve is in another shirt, so they have obviously been home and then come back out. She is also holding... a newborn kitten.

She starts telling us the story of the motherless kittens, and how they volunteered to take one. "We adopted it" she says. Luke and I start explaining how we can't keep the cat, that we aren't allowed to, and that it's a baby that needs someone to give it milk in a bottle, etc. They inform us that they already gave it milk.

Then the tears started.
"But it's ours, we adopted it........."
More tears.
(repeat over and over)

We gave the kitten to the boy they were with.

When we get to the villa there is a large bowl on the porch with milk in it. I asked how the kitten reached the milk, to which they answered, "he got in".

Genevieve has spent the afternoon between tears and trying to convince us to get her a cat for her birthday when we get home.

Jackpot!

2010-06-10T21:00:00.000-06:00

Today we saw these guys on our walk. We have actually seen quite a few of them, but these ones were closer than usual, and we saw 3 or 4 in a row. The first one was huge.

Luke's favorite thing to do after dropping the kids at school is to go have a leisurely breakfast at the panadería.

We went and checked out a preschool for Zeke to attend. We stayed for about 45 minutes and let him play on the playground with the other kids. He seemed to enjoy it. I don't know if he will actually let me leave him though. I almost didn't go because it's a bit of a walk to get there, but then I thought "do I not have the time?" We're going to go again tomorrow and stay for a little while again. Hopefully he will warm up to the idea.

Were you wondering when I was going to get to the "jackpot" of the post? Well here's the jackpot!
When I planned this adventure, I had hoped the kids would make friends. I really didn't know how well they would be received, but I had hoped and dreamed they would make some buddies to play with both in and out of school.

Last night when Genevieve asked if she could invite her classmate Amanda over to swim today we said sure, but warned her it might not work out.

After school Genevieve invited Amanda. Amanda said she needed to ask her mom. So Genevieve told her where we "live" and to bring her bathing suit. After school Genevieve didn't go swimming like usual. She sat on the patio waiting for Amanda. After a while I felt kinda bad because I was pretty sure Amanda wasn't coming. I went to run a couple errands while Luke stayed with the kids. When I got back, Amanda was in the pool!

The girls were jibbering away in spanish like the best of friends. Luke kept saying "listen to her" (about Genevieve). It was truly amazing to see her speaking so freely and naturally in spanish.

I sat there just taking in the moment. I had dreamed of this, but didn't know if it was a real possibility.
All of a sudden I knew this trip was worth it.

When Amanda's mom dropped her off she said her brother would come to get her in an hour. I assumed that meant she had an older brother. But no. No, no. Her 6 year old brother came to get her.

So the playdate continued and now Dane had a buddy! By the way Dario is 6 and is in the 1st grade!

I might have some insight to the 1st grade drama. I asked Dario how many kids were in his class and he said 24. Dane's 2nd grade only has 5 and Genevieve's 3rd grade class only has 7. So it appears that 1st grade is over-crowded and probably why Dane was not put in there. I just wish they would say that!

When it was time for the kids to go, Amanda and Dario wanted to have my kids over to play. So she went home to ask her mom and she said yes. I walked the kids to their home and told them I would be back in an hour. When I came back the kids were still not ready for the playdate to end. The parents were very nice, gave me a cup of tea and gave the kids a snack. It was pouring while the kids were there so they had to play inside. When I came they were playing some sort of game system. Their homes may be meager, but they have the necessities, and even a game system. And they have hospitality to boot!

So today was a good day. A very good day!

An evening in Sámara.....

2010-06-09T21:28:00.000-06:00

What you might see if you were a mosquito on the wall...

Frustrating

2010-06-09T13:19:00.000-06:00

Warning: This is just a long ill-flowing rant. Feel free to bypass.

I went to the school this morning to talk with the director about Dane being in 2nd grade. She wasn't there but the Kinder teacher who speaks so-so english tried to help me. I questioned why Dane was in 2nd grade when he was only 6. She explained that the school year starts on February 15th and that a 1st grader needed to be 5 years & 9 months by that date (or so I understood). Perfect I said. His birthday is April 1st, so he is over 5 years and 9 months by then. In fact he is 5 years and 10.5 months to be exact. But no. She said they have to be younger than 5 years and 9 months by that date. We went round and round because I thought I misunderstood her. I asked why there were 8 year olds in the 2nd grade with him. I have no idea what she said. Then she told me he could go in Kinder. Apparently he is too old for 1st grade, but he is not too old for Kinder.

And therein lies my frustration.

If they had just put him in Kinder from the beginning there would be no problem. Dane wouldn't have known anything else. But now, the thought of going from 2nd grade (that he doesn't belong in) to Kinder, is a blow to the little guys ego. In fact, he is telling me he won't go. I think a big part of it is that he doesn't want to go to the unknown. He already got the first day of being the new kid over with, and doesn't want to do it again.

The kicker in this whole ordeal? Kinder has a different uniform. Which would mean another hour long bus ride to Nicoya, and even more money on uniforms.

Honestly, I think he would be bored in Kinder. I think they are covering preschool material. But in his current class, there are 2 8-year-old english speaking kids (maybe from France?), and the little girl is nice enough to "help" Dane with all his work. And all his work comes home in her handwriting. I'm afraid he is not getting the spanish interaction that we came for in that class.

Why oh why can't they just place him in 1st grade?

I went back this afternoon with a big box of donations I brought down. Secretly, I was hoping the gift might win me some favor from the principal to get this grade thing fixed. Sadly, she wasn't there and I handed it over to the teachers. Who knows where it will end up and if she'll even know we brought it.

I think I might force him to try Kinder tomorrow. Being that his 2nd grade teacher has a meeting in Nicoya, and none of the 2nd graders have school, it's a perfect day to try the class. Yes, you read that right. The teacher is busy, so school is cancelled for 2nd graders.

Welcome to Costa Rica. In so many ways it is not 3rd world here. But in some ways, it so is.

The scoop on school

2010-06-08T13:08:00.000-06:00

While the big kids were at school we took the opportunity to explore town with Zeke. We took a long walk, and ended up seeing some wild horses. The tide was high so we couldn't make the loop along the beach that brings you back into town. So we made a U-turn and high-tailed it back to get the kids on time. We had a nice refreshing drizzle. We haven't seen much sun yet, but the warm weather makes up for the lack of sunshine.

We picked up the kids from school and found out 3 interesting things.

1. Dane was put in 2nd grade. He just finished Kindergarten at home. I requested that he be put with kids his own age (6). I asked another girl in his class how old she was and she said 8. Dane can barely write, so this should be interesting. (Genevieve was put in 3rd grade)

2. Genevieve was called Jennifer all day by both the teacher and classmates. She said she tried to correct them at first but they didn't understand, so she let them continue to call her Jennifer.

3. They fed the kids lunch at school. The kids said they had rice, salad, and potatoes. And they said they ate it (that might be the bigger surprise).

Genevieve said she made some friends. A girl named Amanda stayed with her the whole time. At recess she even bought Genevieve a snack from one of the street vendors that comes up to the school fence selling stuff. Ay yay yay! I never thought to tell the kids to not eat off the street because I didn't think it was a possibility for them. Lets hope those probiotics are doing their work!

Dane gave us less info, but that is par for the course. Genevieve complained that all they did was write all day long. The good news is, even if they don't especially like school they get done at 11:20, so they have the rest of the time to enjoy the beach, pool, and town.

All in all, I don't think they loved it, but I don't think they hated it either.

Here we are having a first day of school treat of helados!

And now a dip in the pool. I have to admit, I'm feeling pretty spoiled.

Escuela

2010-06-08T07:18:00.000-06:00

Genevieve & Dane just left for school. Praying for a good first day!

and this little guy is

Actually he just woke up as I was uploading this pic.

Let the games begin!

My spanish is no bueno

2010-06-07T22:35:00.001-06:00

First, a few words.

Hot.
Sticky.
Sweaty.

We have had sporadic rain and thunderstorms throughout the day. I hear this is typical of the rainy season.

This is the view from our patio with the sun peaking through.

Today was a good day! We had a leisure morning and then went over to the school to talk about the kids attending. The director didn't speak any english, and Genevieve was too embarrassed to translate. I really thought I could get by with my sucky spanish, but there are not too many people here that speak any english. Talking with the director today (and I use word "talk" loosely as there was an awful lot of miming going on) was motivation for me to really work on my spanish. So yah. If you want an immersion experience for yourself or kids, I think Samara is a good choice!

Luke took the kids to the beach while I took the bus to Nicoya to get the rest of the kids school uniforms. It was a 1 hour bus ride through beautiful lush foliage. I found the tienda and bought the supplies and headed to the super mercado grande for some groceries.

From the bus....

Some pics of Nicoya....

They actually have real grocery stores there. Shopping back in Samara is like shopping in a campground store. Small, over-priced food, and not quite everything you need. The store in Nicoya has most everything, but a lot of it is crazy prices. For example, a block of parmesan cheese was $25! Needless to say, I didn't buy it!

We had a nice dinner of spaghetti, garlic bread, and watermelon on our porch.

The bugs here are huge and plentiful. If I could just get used to the occasional sighting of these guys both outside and inside our villa, I'll be fine (does a dozen in 24 hours qualify as occasional?).

I know there was more excitement today, but it all runs together. I'll try to post more often when it's fresh in my memory.

I'm off to bed since the kids start school at 7:00 am tomorrow. No, that wasn't a typo. Siete!!!! (which is like 6:00 am until our bodies adjust to the time change). Did I mention we don't have an alarm clock?
They are in school from 7:00 to 11:20. The older grades go in the afternoon. Hoping for a good day for the kids tomorrow. Genevieve was a little nervous tonight, and I don't blame her. I hope the little niños are nice to my kids!

Buenos noches!

We really made it!

2010-06-06T22:06:00.000-06:00

Our flight was delayed in Dallas by about an hour and a half but we made it!

Not without a code 4 emergency though.

The kids were playing at the gate while we waited for the plane to be ready. And somehow, some way, "blue blanket" and "puppy" disappeared. We didn't realize it until about 15 minutes into the flight.
We had already planned on, talked up and executed the departure of the binky for this trip (it was beyond time). We have been binky-free for about a day and a half and he's doing great. Now the poor guy doesn't have any of his comforts from home. He's in our bed right now, and all seems well. Praying he will adjust better than we expect.

We would really like to track down blue blanket and puppy, but it's not so easy from here.
If you are so inclined to help with that, Zeke would be indebted to you forevermore!
We think we lost it at gate D20 at the DFW airport on June 6th getting on an AA flight. It was a blue blanket with white trim, and a tiny little tan webkins puppy.

The drive to Samara was beautiful. We stopped in Nicoya at the Maxi Bodega to buy a few groceries, and we hoped to by the remaining pieces of the kids school uniforms. Unfortunately the tiendas that carry the uniforms were closed (Sunday afternoon).

Tomorrow we will go talk to the school about the kids, and hopefully they will start Tuesday.

We had dinner at El Lagarto, a restaurant on the beach. The food was good, but expensive, as is most everything in town. We'll be cooking most of our meals.

We finished off the day with unpacking and a dip in the pool.

I tried to post a video clip but it's not working. Maybe tomorrow.

Buenos Noches!

Getting ready to leave Dallas

2010-06-06T09:40:00.001-06:00

Flight was delayed because they had to repair a "seat".

Here's Zeke showing off his passport.

Hello Dallas

2010-06-05T19:55:00.000-06:00

2010-06-05T15:26:00.001-06:00

Do I look tired and unshowered?

We take up a whole row :)

2010-06-05T15:25:00.000-06:00

2010-06-05T15:09:00.000-06:00

Moving?

2010-06-05T14:12:00.001-06:00

The agent at the counter asked if we were moving to Costa Rica. Ha!

On our way!

2010-06-05T13:29:00.000-06:00

We made it! Into the car and on the road at least!

I've had almost no sleep, no food, my house is a mess and I didn't get
a shower, but we made it!

(I'm most sad about the shower)

Upcoming weather in Sámara

2010-06-04T14:24:00.001-06:00

Yikes! Looks like it will be hot and wet!

Even though I knew it was the rainy season when I planned the trip, all my little pictures in my head of how it will be are of sunny 75 degree days =). I think I better start daydreaming in the hot and steamy mode.

The final hours.....and doubt!

2010-06-03T16:31:00.000-06:00

I think we're about T minus 40 hours (what does that mean anyway? T
minus....?)

And I am officially overwhelmed, and in the crazy cycle.

What was I thinking?
This is nuts.
I can't be a single parent in a foreign country.
I don't know Spanish.
What if the kids hate it?
What if it's nothing like I pictured?
What if someone gets sick or hurt?
What if I didn't pack enough ranch dressing packets?

Yes, my craziness extends to ranch dressing.

Because....going to Costa Rica means eating a lot of salad. Obviously.

Nope, there's no explaining the crazy cycle. It's just where I'm at.

Sleep (lack of) and stress are the culprits.

And I might have cried today when I picked up Dane from school.

Just maybe.

So if you see me weeping in the next 40 hours, there's probably no explanation.

Except that I am trying to pack up my entire life in suitcases, and tie up all loose ends here (school, business, home, pets, plants, bills, mail, presents, ETCETERA) before we board the plane. In T minus 39 hours.

Packing

2010-05-29T11:37:00.000-06:00

Lucky for us American Airlines hasn't done baggage restrictions for Costa Rica. So technically we are each allowed two 50 pound bags plus a carry-on. That's 500 pound for our whole family. I hope to not be anywhere close to that!

However I am bringing down quite a bit of stuff. I have packed some new inexpensive toys and activities for our kids, things we can leave there when we are done.

I am also bringing donations for the school the kids will be attending (paper, markers, colored pencils, rulers, glue sticks, etc),

and also a bunch of craft stuff for CREAR, which is the day camp they will be attending when the school goes on break.

Lastly, I'm bringing some food supplies. I don't know exactly what will be available to us, but I do know that any "american" products will be very expensive. So I'm bringing down some stuff to at least get us started (don't judge all the processed foods!). I know we will have access to tons of fresh fruit, which the kids will love. But I wanted to bring a few familiar items from home. We will also be celebrating 2 birthdays down there (Genevieve will be 8 on June 24th, and Zeke will be 3 on June 27th), so I want to be prepared with cake making stuff.

My biggest job right now is trying to keep my anxiety in check! I have my To-DO list, and I am actually doing okay on it. But I can't seem to control my anxiety. It's going to be a busy week, and no matter how hard I try the end will be crazy I just know it. I should just plan on an all-nighter the night before we leave. Ugh! I just have to keep reminding myself that this will all be worth it.... Right?

Villas Kalimba

2010-05-26T11:45:00.000-06:00

I think the number one question people ask is where we are staying. I spent weeks (maybe months?) researching this aspect of our trip. It was hard finding something that had all the things I felt were important. I wanted a kitchen (eating out with 3 kids is less than enjoyable, not to mention expensive!), a pool, a/c, wi-fi, it had to be an easy walk to the school, the beach, and town, and I preferred something with a property owner on site since I will be a single mom for a month. Oh, and it had to fit in my budget!

I found that a lot of places will give you a really good rate for such a long stay. Some of them were even a 40-50% discount! After much contemplation I settled on Villas Kalimba. It had everything I wanted. There are 5 detached villas surrounding a pool.

We are renting a little 2 bedroom/2 bathroom villa with a small kitchen.

The only thing I am nervous about is there is no indoor living area. The kitchen table and "living space" is on the porch.

But, who goes to Costa Rica to be inside, right? The villas are in a gated compound which adds another level security.

It is just a block from the school and the beach, and there is a small grocery store a couple doors down. The owner has been more than helpful answering all my questions, and has even gone to the local school more than once on my behalf to enquire about the kids attending.

I'm really excited to call this place home for 6 weeks! I'm just hoping my kids don't drive the other guests cRaZy!

Costa Rica or Bust!

2010-05-21T00:46:00.000-06:00

The countdown is on! We leave for Costa Rica in just over 2 weeks. We'll be living there for 6 weeks, in the small town of Sámara, which is on the Guanacaste coast on the west side of the country. I picked this town because it appears to be quaint, safe, and beautiful. While there will be American & European tourists, it is a popular vacation spot for Ticos. I have spent many months researching and making connections in Sámara. I still feel confident this was the right choice, although only time will tell!

We will be staying in a little 2 bedroom villa with a pool, just a block from the beach. I have gotten the okay to enroll Genevieve and Dane in the local school. I have purchased most of what they will need for their uniforms, and will pick up the rest in Nicoya on the way.

Here is an aerial view of the town.