We made it home

We made it home to Sandpoint Saturday afternoon. We were welcomed by a gorgeous Pacific Northwest day. Lots of sunshine, mild temps, and people who speak English!! The airline travel back and forth this trip really takes it out of me. I tend to lose my patience very quickly as things aren't run they way I think they should be. Thankfully we made all of our flights and everything was on time. The kids were great and that made things a lot easier.

There are a few more pictures from our time there. These are from Russ and Allison as our camera is broken. There are a couple pictures from the lagoon we went to called Ventanilla. We saw crocodiles and many birds.

There are also a couple pictures of Luke and Russ surfing. The guys did really well surfing while we were down there. I never did try it myself, I guess I am just too chicken. There are lots more surf photos and as I have time to pick out the best ones I will post them.

Glad to be back home...

Broken Camera

We went to the beach this weekend (imagine that) and a big wave came up and knocked Mae into the water. Luke was right by her but had the camera in his hands. He picked her up but in the process, got the camera wet. So.....I think we might be out of photos for the rest of the trip. I took our video camera with us on another trip yesterday but I don't know how to get the videos off and onto the blog. Maybe another time.

Anyway, when we were at the beach we found a little hidden passage in some rocks that led you around a corner an to another beach without people on it. Some friends told us it existed but it was fun to try it on our own.

Sunday, we went to another lagoon and this one had wild crocodiles in the water. We went with a guide who spoke English and he pointed out all the birds and spotted the crocodiles for us. It started to pour down rain right when we got in the boat. It rained heavily for about ten minutes and then let up. By that time we were all drenched!! We still had fun.

Only four more days until we pack up the bags. Wow...there are mixed feelings. On one hand it will be great to get back and see all the people we miss but I do like the relaxed living down here.

Hopefully I will be able to put some pictures up soon....Oh, one other update. The kids have Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease. Nothing serious but we did have to take them to the doctor.

Random Stuff

I was doing so good last week on the blogging but now I have run out of fresh material. That doesn't mean I need Mae to go and do something!!

I thought this one of Gavin in the shopping cart was just too cute to leave out. The surf boards on the car is pretty great too. And, mom making a sand castle for...herself it turned out. No one wanted to play with it.

Last weekend we went to a neighboring town of Huatulco. We stayed Saturday night and had a good time. We mostly went to the beach and played. We rented a sit on top device for Soren to go out snorkeling with us. It had a Plexiglas window in the bottom so he could see the fish. He had a great time. Luke saw an octopus.

We took the bus home for an authentic Mexican experience. There are times when I lose all patience with this culture. I just take a deep breath. Well, we'll see what tomorrow brings. Only ten more days until we pack it all up!!!

My Parents are Exhausted

Somtimes I feel like my daughter can't come up with anything new, she has done it all. How could she possibly do anything else? I have come to realize that I will be saying that for the rest of my life.

I saw a shirt a couple months ago that simply said "My parents are exhausted." I know that my daughter needs to wear that shirt. I am exhausted sometimes. Now that she has learned how to crawl out of the crib, there is a whole new world of challenges for her. No longer can you just put her in there when you need a couple moments to relax.

I put her down for her afternoon nap. She got up once so went to check on her after a half hour or so. To my surprise, she had gotten to the 44 pack of diapers (which only had 43 left) and took every last one out in her crib. Argggg....

Needless to say, I am looking forward to coming back home so I can have her play at her friends houses'. Watch out.....I may be calling you!

On the other hand, Soren and I have been having a good time while Mae is napping. The French Open is on TV right now. We sit together on the couch and I try to explain the game to him. Hopefully he will enjoying playing too.

Laguna

There were too many stories on this trip to include a photo of each one. It's so hard to pair it down. We went to Laguna Maltipec last Saturday. We started out in the bug, which is alway a good time. I forgot to mention that when Nick and Kris were here we all went to the beach in the bug. That was nine people. Six in the back and three up front!! I tried to get a picture but as you can imagine, it's hard to keep that many people in the car for just a picture.

Anyway, we found the turn off to the lagoon where we saw an old tractor with about five people on it and a horse trailing behind it on a rope. Interesting. Then we came across this lone burro tired up to a fence. I just love the machete.

We drove until to road dead ended at a stream. There were a couple row boats there so we figured this must be it. We heard someone whistle and soon enough a young lady arrived in her row boat to take us across the stream to the beaches. After we got out of the boat, a very sweet woman welcomed us and invited us to sit down. She mentioned she had refreshments and food. We took her up on a couple of Cokes. We wandered down to the beach and her dog Polvo (Dust in English) followed us. What a crazy dog. He could smell the crabs in the sand and would starting digging when he smelled one. Once he found the little buggers, he would chase them out and bite it just enough to wound it. On to the next one. Soren enjoyed playing with the dead crabs.

Next, it was lunch time. What was on the menu, fish. That was about it. Did I mention there was no running water or electricity at this place? So we had a couple of fish and some quesadillas. The food was actually really good and there was tons of it.

Her son took us on a boat cruise of the lagoon. There were many birds and plants that were so interesting. He pointed out a flock of birds sitting high up in the trees and said they were hospital babies. It took a little while to get the translation meant storks!

This was defintely not a spot mentioned in the guide books. We all enjoyed seeing the place but agreed we wouldn't want to live that way forever.

Dolphins

We had an opportunity to go out on a boat this past weekend and see dolphins. We headed out early in the morning to the beach by our house and our guide picked us up. We loaded up on the boat and started looking for them. Within about 5 minutes there were three dolphins right around our boat. They would come up out of the water a little bit. All the kids were in awe (okay, the parents too) at seeing them.

We kept heading out into the ocean to find more. Our guide stood up on the side of the boat to look for them. He spotted them and off we went. Once we caught up to them there were about 50 or so together. We happily motored our boat in the middle of all the them. We saw some jump all the way out and saw at least one do a back flip!

After a while Luke and Russ tried to get in and see them with the snorkel gear. You really have to be in the right place at the right time and we just weren't. We got a funny picture of them in the water looking totally lost.

We saw a couple turtles and our guide jumped out of the water and caught one so we could get a close up view on it. Russ and I jumped in to get a better look. At this point in the trip I was fairly sea sick. I guess I thought maybe the jump in the water would make me feel better. Well, once I got back in the boat, things got worse. The fish got a little taste Honey Bunches of Oats and coffee!

We cruised the local beaches after that and headed back home. I was ready to be on some stable ground. The kids just loved seeing the dolphins. Their faces were priceless.

Nick and Kris

Our friends Nick and Kris (they weren't friends before they came down but that much time so close to another person really has blossomed into something special) came down to visit us last week. We had a great time with them here. We actually felt like we were on vacation for a couple of days.

Thankfully they had a safe trip down here and back with only a couple issues with an alternator. After they left we all felt like going back home. Then we checked the weather forecast for Sandpoint and decided it wasn't quite time yet!! The sun still feels pretty good down here. See you soon enough.

Beach Club

These are some photos from a beach club we went to on Mother's Day. It had a kids pool and some play equipment. The kids liked the area near the bar at the pool. It only had about 8 inches of water so it was perfect for them to play in.

All the kids are getting really comfortable in the water. Soren will put on the goggles and go to the bottom of the pool with Luke and I. He can hold his breath and "swim" under water a little bit. Mae, the ultimate copycat, will also put on the goggles and put her head under water.

There is also a great photo of Luke up on the board. He is having a good time with that. Every time he gets back though he has a new scrape or battle wound! I still have no desire for that.

Mae keeps us on our toes. Last night she got herself out of bed, closed the door and locked it. You need a key to unlock it. We tried to get her out through the window. The bars on the window were too close together to get her head out. We eventually slid a table knife in the door jamb to get it open. Let's not do that again!!

Group Photo!

A couple weeks ago at the beach we did a group photo. Russ has a nice camera with a remote. We all sat on a lounge chair while he just hit the button. I think there were fifty or so photos in the series!! This was one of the funnier ones we did. I also love this picture of Soren. It will be one of my favorites for a long time.

We are getting a good mix of cameras here. We have the easy point and shoot that we take with us all the time. While Russ and Allison have a nice camera only used for special occasions! That we we get some great on the move stuff with our camera but some really sweet shots with theirs too. Hope you enjoy....

Fishing

The boys (Luke, Russ, Nick, and Kris) went fishing the other day. Luke caught a baracuda! We cooked it up for dinner tonight on the BBQ. It was very good. The kids liked it too.

On the last night Nick and Kris were here we went for dinner out on the beach. It was one of the best sunsets we have had here.

It has been terribly windy here the past couple days. Reminds us of Great Falls!! We are going to try and find some dolphins out in the ocean this weekend with a guide. Sounds like it will be a blast. Check back soon....

Agua Blanca

We went to the beach last weekend and there were some small tide pools. The kids ( and adults) had a good time exploring what was in them. Some little fish were trapped in some of the pools and we were able to catch them and keep them in a bucket for a little while. Mae was left alone with the bucket and three fish. When someone got back to here there were no more fish!! We found two in the sand but could never find the last one. When asked if she ate it she nodded her head "yes".

It finally rained here last night and cooled down a little bit. It feels so good. Our friends Nick and Kris arrived yesterday from Sandpoint. It was great to see them. I'll try and put some pictures of them up soon.

Mini Surfer

The first picture are of the flowers I got for Mother's Day. They were very beautiful and I just loved putting the kids next to them.

Luke put his surf board in the pool the other day and Soren got up on it. He giggled and giggled. He fell off backwards the first time we let go of him. He is getting so much more confident in the water. I guess that happens when you get in the pool two or three times a day!!

We went to an iguana sanctuary a couple days ago. Soren really like the crocodiles there. They had some small rabbit like cages with over a hundred little iguanas in them. They would instantly run to the other side of the cage when anyone approached. A fun outing with the kids.

Uh Oh!!

The newest thing for us is that Mae can now climb out of the port-a-crib! I guess we knew that day was coming. Hopefully we can convey that it's not a good idea and keep her in there at least a couple more weeks.

We are halfway through our stay here and looking forward to a few more "to do's" on our list. Luke's partner Nick and our friend Kris are coming down for a visit. They are flying in Nick's two seater from Sandpoint and it should take two days. It will be fun to see some friends down here.

I am having a hard time getting motivated to do much tonight. Like always, it is still hot and there is a sink full of dishes. That is one thing I miss so much is the dishwasher!!! Man, I took that for granted back home.

Anyway, these were some photos I just haven't added yet. We have some good ones from last weekend I just haven't gotten them downloaded. Take care...

Snacks

I just snapped a couple quick photos of the kids having snack the other day. Soren has really been turned onto Popsicles since we have been here! He wants one all the time now. There hasn't been any relief from the heat so we are finding ways to stay cool.

Today we went to a beach club and played at the pool there for a couple hours. We all had a good time. Our tans are coming along quite nicely!!

Happy Mother's Day

This seems like an unlikely title for the pictures you see here but let me explain. We were getting Soren to bed tonight and we have been laying him down on our bed to have some separation between the kids. As Luke was getting ready to read to Soren he noticed something crawling on the floor. It was a LARGE scorpion (in my opinion at least).

It crawled under the door and into the bathroom where Luke assaulted it with his shoe. Whew!! That was a close one. Luke thankfully was thinking and decided to look around the room to see if there were any more. Sure enough there was another one against the dresser. I quick snapped a before photo of the (expletive) thing. Luke again took the shoe for the great after photo.

Then my two courageous boys, cleaned up that disgusting thing for their sweet mama. I was sure glad to have them around tonight!

In Mexico they celebrate Mother's Day on Saturday. We are planning a morning trip to some tide pools and then an evening concert at a local school. We'll report later....

Beach Walk

The other night we tried out a new beach. It was a little bit of a walk along another beach and over some rocks. It was so neat to explore in the rocks and little pools for shells and creepy crawly things. We saw lots of crabs and little fish.

Russ and I went snorkeling and saw a bunch of stingrays. They were just little ones though! Allison snapped a cute family pic!

Just trying to pay some bills while I write this. I guess there are some things you just can't escape from!!!

Fun in the Bug

Here is a photo of all four of us in the back of the bug!!! It's a little cozy when we all travel together. I think the kids are getting used to not being in car seats. Honestly, I like it a lot better too sometimes. No buckling and putting arms though straps. Just put 'em on your lap and hold on!!

This was also a cute picture of Mae at the beach. She can't help but get filthy. Won't stop her from eating a cracker!!

Luke is going to try a surf lesson in the morning. Russ and Allison are taking a side trip to a waterfall tomorrow. They will give us the full report when they get back.

Russ and Allison made a web album that you can check out for more photos. I may try and do one this weekend for other photos that just don't make the blog.

http://picasaweb.google.com/russevertz/LeavingWinterForSomethingWarmer/photo#s5197453037782923058

Love hearing from those of you out there. Keep us up on what is going on in Sandpoint!! Love you all....Oh, there is a cheap house in our community for $25 a night if anyone is interested in coming for a visit!!

My Birthday

Last Saturday was my birthday and I had a great day. We started the day off at the beach a short walk from the house (there are over 100 steps to get there!). We did some snorkeling and playing there. I always get a little freaked out the first time. It's the mind over matter stuff for me. Once I focused on using the snorkel to breathe I was on my way. We saw a couple schools of fish and two sting rays!!

We had a nice brunch after that and put the kids down for a nap. That meant a little hand sewing time for me. Later that night Luke took me to a great restaurant for dinner. Great view and good food. The dessert was coconut ice cream with pineapple and rum.

The next day we went to the First Baptist church a couple blocks from our house. Needless to say, not many tourists there! We were approached by the only other white people there. They are surf missionaries from Australia. They have two kids the same ages as ours. Hopefully we will get to know them better. The service was all in Spanish so we didn't get too much out of it. The singing was good. Started out with a couple of hymns I didn't know but then into more contemporary music that we could sing along with. I took the kids to the children's program. It seemed like the biggest thing was "snack." More like a lunch. A large sandwich, jello pudding of some sorts, rice mild, and cake. It was more food then my kids could eat. Some of the kids did a good job at it. Don't know if that is one way of attracting people, hungry kids.

Anyway, today was Cinco de Mayo. I have learned that this really is an American holiday. There was nothing going on here. Just like any other day...odd.

Trying to make my grocery list tonight. My goal is to limit the cooking to once a week. This works for two reasons: the obvious that I don't have to cook a lot but also I only heat up the place one day a week. Yikes it gets hot. Dinner by the pool I guess.....