Just Swingin'

Here is the little bug, Ethan, in the little red car swing...just lovin' up life.

Gnawing on Rubber

Could it be?  

Could this be the start to a potential love of tractors?  

This Oliver is Ethan's first.....or it could be that he's teething.

That's it!  He saw the tires and had to gnaw on them.

Come on, teeth!

Run on the River

Austin's first time on a tube!  He loved it - wasn't scared at all.  I'm so proud!

Today we met up with my brother, his girlfriend Whitney, and my brother's coworker/friend Ben.  We met up at Bukholt Park and went for a ride on his boat....Kyle, Ben, and Whitney wake boarded (something I'm itching to do!), Michael skied, and Ethan and I just hung out in the boat.  A combination of relatively recent childbirth and Mommy Nature's wrath this month took away all hopes of me getting into a swimsuit today.  Hopefully the next time we're out on the water the timing will be better and I'll be ready to gear up and either slalom ski or try wake boarding.  

My punk-ass little brother and his rockstar moves on the board!

Hangin' with Ethan....the poor vest was practically choking him...need to reinVEST in a new one.  Sorry, couldn't resist that....!

Austin holding tight to Daddy's thumb.  He decided he needed to hang on to something, and since there were no handles, Daddy's thumb would do just the trick!

Finshed Costa Rica update: Saturday to Tuesday

On the way to Manuel Antonio...I think this is Quepas.

Manuel Antonio Beach.....a little slice of heaven on earth.

So-o....

Saturday we woke up to travel to the seaside resort in Puntarenas.  It was a Double Tree Hilton...all-inclusive..which was nice, so whenever we got hungry or thirsty we could just pop on over to a food bar or a drink bar and ask for it.  I, however, did not like the idea of a 'resort' for an educational trip....on a beach that was, well, how do I put it mildly??  Shitty.  Really.  It was down right horrible.  The riptide was strong, so the kids were told to wade only.  The sand was black, which I didn't mind, but it was kind of dirty. Not in the sense of garbage, but just ocean debris that had washed up and no one bothered to go out with a 4-wheeler and rake it away.  So, I was glad that we were only really there for the remainder of the afternoon, and in the morning my group of 8 and another group of 3 were off to Manuel Antonio National Park.  The other 3 groups decided to stay behind and enjoy the resort...what were they thinking?  Why on earth would they fall back on that decision when one of the most beautiful beaches in the world awaits them?  Stupidity.  The beach was simply g.o.r.g.e.o.u.s.....blue sky, blue clear water...shells, coral, rocks.....lizards, crabs, a 'perezosa' a.k.a female sloth that was climbing up the branch of a humongous palm tree to find the branch bending ever so slightly so she could grab ahold of a branch of the neighboring tree....and we watched it all...with another tour guide doing a play-by-play.  Totally cool. We all got fried at the beach, collected shells, tried our hardest not to swallow the salt water, took pictures of lizards and crabs and the bay were in....wow.  I want to take another honeymoon!  Lots of my girls said that..."When I get married this is where I'm coming for our honeymoon."  Fabulous idea.  

"La perezosa"  - Female Sloth

A working ox cart....our bus driver hopped in for a short ride.

El Establo....hotel in Monteverde.  The view from my window.

On Monday, our last day in Costa Rica, we had a jam-packed itinerary for the day.  

First stop:  Elementary School visit.  We visited a school that put on little performances for us. Singing, dancing, and more singing.  Then they walked around with their notebooks and pens and had us sign our names....my hand was suffering from writer's cramp by the end of the visit. They prepared ice cream with jello and fruit...in the same bowl.  It was good. 

All the children...they were so excited to see us!

Second stop:  Ox Cart Crafts.  In Costa Rica part of their history is using ox carts, that can be decorated.  Decorated means painted ornately by hand. We got to practice by painting a wheel...the size of a CD.  I won a prize since mine looked so good.  He asked if I painted.  I laughed.

A painted ox cart.

Third stop:  El Torito at Tiquicia.  The kids got in lines and learned the steps for a dance, El Torito.  It was quite amusing to watch, considering the number of students to the one teacher who was going so fast...but they managed, and after they did their little stint to music without the teacher, it was time to watch the pros perform.  

Just when the kids thought the party was getting started with live music on the outside dance floor, us old, tired, cranky, no-fun-allowed-this-late decided it was best we head back to the hotel.  It was about a 40 minute drive (not so much because of distance, but in Costa Rica it's more about the winding, hilly roads), and we needed to leave the hotel at 4:00 AM for our 6:30 departing flight to Houston.

Luggage on the bus, we left in the wee hours to the airport.  Once there, we had to do a passport check with an official before checking our baggage.  My turn at the check in, my assumption came true.  "Mam, this suitcase is 7 lbs overweight.  Either you'll have to remove some items from it, or pay the $50 penalty."  Crap.  I knew I over packed.  A hairdryer and flat iron I never used since I let my hair be all curly and unruly the whole trip, and a pair of jeans I never unfolded as well as 2 tops and 2 pairs of shorts.  Crap.  I looked to my left and there she was....my victim. Actually, she is one of my students, and I saw that her suitcase weighed considerably less than the limit.  "Hey, can I put a few things in her suitcase? We're traveling together."  "Absolutely!" "Jen, do you have room? Can I unload a few things in your suitcase?"  "Sure, I'll bring it over."   Four items later we were set to go.  Then we turned around and didn't understand the excited look on people's faces and the camera crew resting on the benches 30 feet away.  A few of my group members saw it.  A couple, with red and backpacks, donning baseball caps, signing in on a sheet posted to the wall labeled: "Amazing Race", then dashing off while a woman came and snatched the sheet down, waiting for the next couple.  The Amazing Race.  Love that show!  And, they were in San Jose, Costa Rica the same day as us.  I wonder what little adventure the show is making them go on???????