Join us: A skinnier December for everyone!

Last year D and I decided to lose weight over the holidays. This year we're taking it a step further. Our household is going to lose weight! As a Christmas gift to ourselves, we are going to get rid of (by giving away, throwing away, or selling) 25 apple boxes (or equivalent size) of stuff. I'm looking forward to more open space, room to park a car in the garage, and more organization in my life! Who's in on the fun?

Skeleton Family

I should probably post our Halloween photos before the month after Halloween is over! I love our costumes. They are so comfortable, and we were all nice and warm on that cold night because we each had two shirts and a pair of pants underneath our costumes. I wasn't kidding last year when I said that we're going to get some serious mileage out of these costumes--they'll be back next year too.

 Church party and trunk-or-treat. The backdrop just happened to be a graveyard--perfect for our little family photo!

Trick-or-treating: For the 2nd time in 6 years, D got to go trick-or-treating with us. Maybe you're wondering what's up with his hair. Well, he decided to shave his head, and I didn't like the look, so I've been making him wear a wig. Costly mistake, D!!! Just kidding. It's a bearskin hat.

Living with squirrels

I didn't grow up around squirrels. In Panama we had monkeys, exotic birds, opossums, bats, neques, and iguanas. But I found squirrels to be fascinating when I came to the States for my first year of college (in Missouri). They scampered everywhere, chasing and playing with each other, and I was surprised to notice that they didn't disappear during the winter--I still saw them out playing when there was snow on the ground. My years in Utah and Arizona didn't allow much squirrel-watching because they just didn't live nearby (although my in-laws get robbed of their walnuts every year by the squirrels). When we moved to Michigan, we were in squirrel heaven again, with the plentiful tall trees and seeds available everywhere. The kids love looking for squirrels when we're out in the Baby Jogger. We love watching them play and chase each other and gather and stash their winter cache. One of my favorite things right now is hearing Chiquitita's little voice say, "Hola, ardilla!"

D and I discovered that we have some squirrels living inside our house. They scamper everywhere and are so adorable when they play. They also love to stash things in special places. I find laundry baskets full of random items like one shoe, a doll, a pan, a plate, important mail, a ball, a bag of Cheerios, and a napkin. I also find plastic bags, drawers, purses, cupboards, and cardboard boxes full of the same random assortment of items. Scamper, play, gather, and stash--that is what they do. I told the kids, "Guess what? We have squirrels living inside our house! Sometimes when we can't find things, it's because the squirrels took them and hid them in a secret place." They thought that was pretty fascinating. They say they've never seem them in action though. But I have, oh, yes, I get to watch them every day. They are such cute little things, but, man, these little squirrels are not helping me to be more organized!!

Market Magic

I took the kids to the local farmer's market (for the first time here) the past two weekends and I've been wondering, "Why haven't we come here every weekend?? I love this!" Local vendors selling handmade/homemade treasures like candles, jam, bread, cider (unpasteurized!!), flower arrangements in pumpkins, as well as the abundance of "real" produce that isn't pre-packaged... I'm a sucker for markets. I've loved them since I was little. There's just something about touching something with your bare hands before buying, or having the opportunity to sample a little bit first, or knowing it was made by hand--instead of buying everything all packaged and processed and factory-produced. I grew up eating fruits and vegetables that mostly came from the produce market, and I spent many happy hours bargaining at artisan markets for jewelry or other tropical treasures. Whenever I travel outside the U.S., the market is one of my favorite places to go. Which is maybe my hang-up. The markets inside the U.S. seem so overpriced compared to the markets I've been to. But I should be honest with myself--if I were to sell some of my blackberry jam at the market, would I sell a little jar for $1? NO WAY!! Not when I've spent hours picking, washing, cooking, and canning it. After all that work, you couldn't get me to part with a half-pint for less than $10. Unless I really like you, and then I might give you some as a gift (if I ever start canning again).

Anyway, this market is particularly magical because they have a weekly market basket giveaway--something from all the vendors in a basket given to one lucky winner. We happened to be the winners (WOW!!) of lavender soap, an orange clove candle, unpasteurized cider, pumpkin scones, a pastie, cheese, an oil change, kettle corn, truffles (and D can attest that they're good), spicy curry mustard, Matt's seasoning, peanut butter, yoga class, elderberry syrup, donuts, a movie ticket, wonderful produce... I can't remember all of it. Most of it homemade or home-grown--what a treat!!

I'm thinking that I should start supporting local industry by having a little market budget--feed my market habit by spending $5-10 per week. Sure, I could probably buy stuff cheaper at the store, but it wouldn't have that market charm. Plus, I need to get my kids hooked on markets so that when we move back to Panama when student loans are paid off, they'll be old pros at navigating the market. YESSSSS!

No Costumes, No Candy!

I love Halloween! I love dressing up and going to parties and trick-or-treating. I will confess that I dressed up and went trick-or-treating to age 29 (always had a sibling young enough to take), after which I had my own child(ren) so I haven't had to suffer a break in the glorious trick-or-treating tradition. Last night all of us got dressed up and went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. D and I did NOT have our own bags, but we do buy candy from the kids or have them pay us with their candy for misbehavior. Fun times! We stopped by a house that had an interesting sign, "No Costumes, No Candy!" (I should've taken a photo). I thought it was a good policy, but I wondered why they'd even have to post that sign...

And then a few streets down we saw a van full of kids from another part of town. Nobody was dressed up, there wasn't a kid under 14 in the group, they were all overweight, and they shamelessy went from house to house asking for more candy to add to their huge pillow cases. Oh, and the obese mom had a pillow case and was right there with them. Something's wrong with this picture!!

Ann Arbor Botanical Gardens

I was thrilled to discover these amazing gardens this summer. They have a gorgeous flower garden and herb garden, as well as miles of nature paths. AND a special hands-on children's garden. I love going places where my little people are allowed to touch!! We are in heaven every time we go. Bonus: only 30 minutes away and it's free!

 Checking out a dove with my girls

 Huge hibiscus!!

Squeak riding the piggy statue 

Chiquitita makes music with the bells 

 Huge dirt pit--every little kid's dream!

 Riding the turtle

 Fun, big bird's nest (Chiqui was NOT a fan!)

 Peaking under the grape arbor. There was an edible garden that children are allowed to pick and eat from too!

Come visit me and I will show you this awesome place!

!!!Viva Mexico!!!

We went on vacation to Mexico! It all started with me saying, "I want to go to the beach." No, not a beach at a lake, like we do here in Michigan. I wanted to go to the ocean. To smell the salty air, to feel the warm, tropical breeze kissing my skin and hair, and to watch real ocean waves roll into the shore. No matter how much time I spend inland, I will never be an inland girl. And I wanted my kids to get to know my awesome friend, Ocean.

We thought we'd go to Chile (to see my parents too). Too long of a trip, too expensive, and my padres are really busy right now. We thought we'd go to Panama. Too expensive, too difficult to find a place to stay, and not the right trip for this time. Maybe next year! And then we looked into Mexico and found reasonable airfares, a fun place to stay, and very short travel time--two flights that were two hours each. With our crowd, that was a real plus!!

We packed ultra-light. I fit all my clothes, plus all three kids' clothes in one regular-sized suitcase. Agh, but the gear that comes along with the kids!! Car seats, life jackets, regular diapers and swim diapers, little dog tents, sleeping bags... By the time it was all packed up, we looked like we had everything but the kitchen sink. I can't believe we were able to fit all of it in our rental car--the trunk really was amazing! [I think back of the annual summer vacations I took growing up--my parents with eight kids and all of our junk, flying from Panama to the U.S. and road tripping across the country... They were brave!]

Everything but the kitchen sink

We flew to Cancun, but we wanted to actually go to Mexico, so we drove south to a small fishing village, Puerto Morelos. We stayed in a charming thatched-roof hut with basic amenities--running water and fans. No TV, no A/C, no fancy decor. It was perfect--surrounded by trees and flowers and birds. We were in heaven. Although the heat was a little bit intense for our baby (she got heat rash). But it reminded me so much of my simple days as a missionary, with nothing extra cluttering up my living space and the sound of the fan lulling me to sleep at night. We discovered a fabulous quesadilla place ("THIS is a quesadilla!" D exclaimed as he bit into a scrumptious tortilla envelope that held not only cheese, but sauteed mushrooms, chicken, or beef. Yum!) and went there three times in three days. We hung out at the beach, playing in the sand and the water. We walked around town and ate at the local restaurants and shopped at the fruit market. I loved really experiencing another country.

My munchkins loved playing with these shells and seed pods--what great toys!

These dog tents enabled the kids to each have their own "room," even though we were all sharing a room. A must-have for our little people!

Pip loved being "el capitan" of this boat at the beach

Squeak LOVED the sand, the waves, and the water 

 Chiquitita was happy to play in the sand and on the shore most of the time. We still made her wear her life jacket.

D living the dream--doing doctor stuff in a hammock (sadly, during his vacation!) 

The upstairs part of our hut. Not kid-safe!!

We loved that the hostel dog's name was "Nena"--not quite as cute as our Nena though

Pip also enjoyed the hammock

Squeak loved this swing

We went to Tulum one day to see (and show our kids) the ruins of a people that we read about as a family in the Book of Mormon. Mostly fun for the grown-ups. It was a hot, sweaty day!

 The train ride was definitely the crowd favorite

We decided to end our vacation all fancy. So we got an all-inclusive deal in Cancun for the end of the trip. The A/C sure was nice! We were beach bums every day, and then we'd shower off and go to the pool. We ate when (and what!) we felt like eating at any of four different restaurants, we napped when we wanted to, and we basically sat around vegging. Lazy! As I watched the resort staff scurrying around cleaning up and rearranging and cooking and serving and entertaining their guests, I thought, "This is how rich people vacation!" and it felt uncomfortable to me. So many people there were drinking too much, eating too much, and perpetuating an unhealthy lifestyle. It was interesting to observe and experience at the same time. Our last day there felt perfect. I woke up early, went for a run and saw all the trees and flowers that are familiar to me (and that I miss so much), came back and went to the beach and then the pool with my peeps, took a local bus to the market while the kids napped, found some great deals, came back, and went to the pool again. Lovely!

 We got to try out the sea kayak and paddleboat. FUN!

Fine dining in Mexico. Ole!

I'm thinking this vacation thing is a habit I need to return to. D and I are both talented at vacationing on the cheap, but during med school (and intern year), there just wasn't TIME to do anything besides school. Well, our lives are changing little by little, so I think we can start taking foreign trips again. Next stop, D.R.!?!

Summer 2011

I don't think I'll ever make up all the missing posts, but here's a little recap of our summer (and I'll take the liberty of extending our summer from May all the way to October).

WHAT WE DID:

I bought myself an Ergo (and why did I wait so long???)
Took a trip to Utah for family weddings
Planted a little garden (strawberries, tomato, and basil--I know, we're ambitious around here!)
Took the kids running 5-6 days a week in the triple Baby Jogger
Went to the splash pad at least once a week, sometimes more
Went to "La Banda" many, many times--band concerts at local parks--so fun!
D finished intern year, hallelujah!!
Had the lovely Mike and Shelly clan for a visit TWICE!
Tera's (almost half birthday) Half-Marathon
Family bike rides (think: a bike with a baby bike seat pulling a trailer--FUN!!)
Bike dates (sans kids!)
trips to the Michigan beach
family vacation to Canada and New York
Escuela de Mami for Squeak and Pip
celebrated our 7th Anniversary! (actually still  have to go on our restaurant date)
celebrated Squeak's 5th birthday!
celebrated Chiquitita's 2nd birthday!
celebrated D's birthday!
many trips to the park
lots of time outside while the kids rode their trikes
redid the landscaping in our front yard (thanks to child labor, Tricia, Shelly, and Dona and James)
discovered and visited several times the fabulous Ann Arbor Botanical Gardens
painted the kids' room (from Pepto pink to gorgeous pale aqua--I love it!!)
painted the kids' dresser
went to a pro baseball game as a family
fun visit with Baba Dona and Baba Jim!
lots of yoga for me--delicious!
family vacation to Mexico!
evening walks around the neighborhood
fireworks (and the big boys sure enjoyed!)



WHAT WE DIDN'T DO:

get sick!!!--after 50+ illnesses in our family during the winter months, this was a real thrill for me!
potty train--yay!!!!! So happy to put this one off!
Swimming lessons--planning to use the winter months for that instead
paint our bedroom--not sure when it'll happen, but the peach has got to go!
dining table refinishing project--it's still in the garage waiting for those elusive spare moments, but the sanding and stripping are mostly done
wean Chiquitita--I never thought I'd breastfeed till 2, but I haven't felt the need to wean her yet
move--after moving seven times in five years, we decided to stay put (we are loving our little house!)
blog about most of it


And there you go. I feel like I can say, "Summer was a success" because we spent most of our time outside enjoying the beautiful weather, good company, and a good life. I've got the photos to prove most of it, but I'm lacking the motivation to upload them. And our computer is feeling old and feeble. But I will post Mexico photos soon!

Mama Bear or Raging Lioness--take your pick!

Oh, what to do? My little baby is one of the smallest in the church nursery class and a certain class bully has made Chiquitita her target. She takes away toys, pushes her down, smacks her. Not cool. That behavior is never cool, even if it's not my child being targeted. I only heard about it from another mom who happened to be in there one day as a substitute teacher, but apparently it's been going on for awhile. The  thought of another person intentionally hurting my offspring fills me with rage (good thing I haven't witnessed the bullying!). But this cannot go on. I am unable to attend the nursery class because I'm teaching a different class, but D went the last two weeks. What do I do when he can't be in church? What would you do if you were me? If you were the teacher of the class? The mom is a nice person, but we have different ways of parenting--she is much more permissive than I am. Fine for them in their home, but this is not their home, and I think it's unfair for one child to make class an unsafe environment for another.

I happen to teach the 3- and 4-year-olds. It's a large class with ten kids. I love this age--the age of discovery and enthusiasm. I also love that Pip is in my class. Some of the kids in class have had to work on being reverent and respectful and less wiggly, but they are all sweet kids. One boy in class has a touching problem though--he cannot resist the urge to touch people and things around him. Constantly.  Sometimes it's more than poking too. He will kick or hit on occasion. This is what I do. When he pokes other kids, I move his chair right next to mine and tell him that as soon as he can show me that he can keep his hands to himself, he can go back to his place. Sometimes he stays next to me for the whole class. The other week he hit a little girl so hard that she started crying. I immediately put him in the corner and made him stay there for the rest of class (10-15 minutes). Then I told his mother and the girl's mother about it after class. Was I right to do that? Too harsh? What other option is there with me being the only adult in there? How can I provide a safe and comfortable learning environment for all the kids in class?

And also, how do I tame the mama bear or raging lioness when things like this happen? I'm a pretty patient person, but my patience has a threshold...

(Almost) Half-birthday Half Marathon and other excitement

Back in May I was in kind of a fitness rut. So I needed an event. After considering the many, many options available to me, I settled on Tera's (almost) Half-birthday Half Marathon on June 6 (my real half birthday is in July and we already had plans for that date), coincidentally taking place on a vacation day for D. I was miraculously able to fit in enough long runs beforehand to feel somewhat prepared, and my friend Lindsay (who also needed an event) volunteered to run the last half of it with me. The race course was beautiful (kudos to whoever set it up!) and the day couldn't have been more pleasant. I also had the best sag wagon a girl could ask for--four cheerleaders plus ice water, oranges, and gatorade along the race route!! I forgot to make race bibs this time around, but the run felt great and I know how far I went, so who cares?

Here's a great shot of me pulling my shorts down. Just trying to be modest!

Approaching the water stop

Trying not to guzzle... I was quite warm and I have a weakness for ice water.

Approaching the end

 My four cheerleaders and me

 

Other news is that D is officially done with THE INTERN YEAR. It was quite a year, one that he will never have to repeat (even if you switch specialties in one year or ten, you never repeat intern year). After performing hundreds of rectal exams and being thrown up on and bled on and screamed at regularly, D is convinced that being a doctor is not as glamorous as most people think. Shucks! But, hey, he does get to go to work in these pajamas!




Also, the very same day as that last post, Pip told D he wanted to start using underwear, and D said, "Great! We'll do it tomorrow!" When he told me the exciting news, I asked, "Did you read what I posted on my blog? I don't really want to potty train right now." Well, it was too late, so we spend the next morning on a peppy potty training adventure. Pip did GREAT--peed in the toilet five times with NO ACCIDENTS!! Then he suddenly decided he didn't want to do it anymore, had a little break down, and I knew it wasn't worth a battle, so I said, "OK, we can try again another day." The exciting news is, we all know he CAN do it. Now he gets to decide if he WANTS TO do it.

Who's up next?

I'm loving summertime and its wonderful greens, heat, humidity, rainstorms, fireflies, flowers, breezes, and sunsets. I want to soak up the beautiful outdoors. This makes me really lazy with domestic duties like cooking and laundry. I really am a jungleprincess and don't have any desire to be a domestic goddess. I do like having a clean house, but I'm hoping my kids will soon take over the domestic chores which will allow me to sit outside all day and make wishes on dandelions. Ahhh!

So I've got this quandary. My boy is three and still wearing diapers. I haven't even tried potty training because until now, circumstances have not been right for successful potty training (I do the one-day method, put them straight in underwear, and it's wonderful but a lot of work--setting them up for success means that you're stuck at home for about a week). He started showing interest a year ago at age two, but we were preparing for a cross-country move and didn't know where we'd live, etc. I held him off and figured we'd try in the early fall after we were settled in our new place. Surprise! We didn't get "settled" for almost eight months. I thought I'd try then, and I gave a half-hearted attempt for a few hours one morning, but he was resistant, and I didn't want a battle. Besides, I was about to take a 2-week trip with the kids. Not a good time for something new! After we returned, D was working nights for a month, so I decided to try after that was over. Then we found out we'd be taking another trip soon. No good! So after we got back from the other trip, I thought the time might be right. Then we decided to take another trip. The Training Event was put off yet again. We are now back from that trip, and I could go ahead and set aside a day to do it, but as mentioned above, I'm feeling lazy. Oh, what to do?

My other issue is, Chiquitita is showing the signs that she's ready now. Squeak potty-trained before age two, so I'm not surprised. Do I let my baby learn first, or my 3-year-old, or do I just say no to being stuck at home when I really just want to get out of the house?

I think this looks much more appealing than sitting inside near the potty!

A lady I won't forget

Two summers ago, money was tight--we were on a student budget. It is hard for most people to understand exactly what that means, even if they've been on a student budget. Unless they've done the D&T student budget plan. Just to give a little bit of perspective, we whittled our spending down to just basic needs--food, shelter, and transportation. After rent and utilities were paid, we had about $200 for our family per month, which we used to buy food and personal/household items, pay for car insurance and gas, and purchase any other needs. We didn't spend money on clothes, shoes, furniture, entertainment, or any other luxuries--and we gratefully accepted hand-me-downs from others. I'm not kidding when I say that I deliberated over every dollar I spent. And I will always be grateful that the Lord blessed us with all of our needs and many of our wants.

I knew that there was no way to further decrease our spending. D agreed. Unless we moved. We could move to a safe place and save a few hundred dollars per month--but we'd have to move out of state. So, for a variety of reasons (only one of which was financial), we moved for D's last year of med school. Moving does cost money, though. So almost two years ago, we were at the end of our funds (we took out a new loan for living expenses every six months). We had just moved, we had just paid $1000 for maternity insurance for me, and we had just purchased tickets (over $2200) so D could do a foreign medical rotation (and we could visit his parents) in Colombia.

We had a need--a stroller. I had a stroller for Squeak, and up to that point, I had been carrying 17-month-old Pip in a backpack, but I was 7 1/2 months pregnant. If you've been there, you know what I mean. I needed something compact but sturdy enough to make the trip and handle the Colombian sidewalks (if you've been there, you know what I mean!)--so a $10 umbrella stroller wouldn't work. I looked on Craigslist and KSL classifieds incessantly, trying to find a suitable option.

Miraculously, I found a Chicco umbrella stroller--perfect! And it was only $25!! I called the lady and she said it was practically unused--just occasionally for her granddaughter during visits. I was very excited, but also uneasy about driving 3 hours round-trip from Provo to Ogden to pick it up. The A/C in our car was broken (fixing it was a luxury we couldn't afford at the time), I was pregnant and hot (yesssss!), and it was July. Oh, yeah, and my kids don't do well in the car for more than about half an hour. I asked if she was ever closer to Provo (maybe meet in Salt Lake?) and she said she was planning to visit a relative in Provo that weekend and she'd be happy to bring it down. She even insisted on dropping it off at my house!

We had agreed on a meeting time for Friday morning. I took the kids for a little run that day, arranging to be back before she arrived, but just in case, I left a note on the door saying I'd be right back. When I returned from my run a few minutes early, I discovered that she had also arrived early. She'd left the stroller on my front porch with a note: "Free, with my regards." Her name was Pam. I rushed into the house, called the number I had for her, got her voice mail, left a message and told her thank you, and I'd be happy to mail her the money. I never heard back from her. I tried calling again, but she never returned my calls. When I told my mother-in-law about the miracle of our stroller and how much I'd like to pay Pam for it, she said, "Maybe she doesn't want your money. Maybe she wants to do an anonymous act of service." Two years later, I still cry as I remember her kindness. How did she know that we were so in need? I got my answer when I read this post about Pam on our cousin's blog. She was just one of those angels who goes about doing good. I never got to meet her in person, but I will never forget her.

I look totally awesome in this photo (we woke up at 3:30 a.m. to catch our flight), but here's Pam's stroller (the blue one)

Post-Vacation "Adventures"

It seems that I'm just barely catching my breath (knock on wood). The night we returned from our trip in May, D started a string of nights--6 pm to 8 am or so. Sleep all day, wake up around 4, study, go back to work. Repeat. It's a rough schedule for our family. If we're lucky, D gets about 15 minutes of face time with the kids each day. Ten days of that (fortunately not 6 weeks like last time!!).

Little discovery on the way back from the airport--A/C in the car was out. Bummer--it was just starting to get hot! We arrived home and discovered that our computer was dead. Poo! The next day or so we discovered that the A/C in the Suburban was out. Ugh! Then the Suburban died a few days after that. Grrr! And then our trusty Olds died too. Dang! And then my wonderful Chicco double umbrella stroller broke. $%*@!!! This made me almost completely homebound (with noisy kids and a husband trying to sleep all day) and also unable to do anything about our situation (I WAS able to go running with the kids in the triple jogger, but since it's too wide to fit on sidewalks or through doors, we couldn't go to the store or anywhere else). D was biking to work. We were climbing the walls. We wondered, "What's next?"

We made it through though, and D had a few days off during which he worked on getting the computer and cars fixed. After several rough weeks, we are now up and running again. We have both cars running and A/C working in both cars. And the computer works (currently, but we think its days are numbered). I was also able to find a new (to me) Chicco double umbrella stroller on Craigslist, yippeeee! Did you know that Chicco doesn't make double umbrellas anymore? SAD!!

My life is so full of adventure! I thought my life was full of adventure back in my single days when my weekends involved going backpacking or road-tripping or competing in a triathlon! I thought I was spontaneous back then, but look at me now--always a change of plans, always something unexpected, always a new adventure. FUN!

Vacation!? photos part 1

 Primos!

They had so much fun together, and then the next day the vomiting began. So sad!

 "Mami, tengo frio!" is what they're saying to me.

Look! I'm the proud owner of a new lime-green dress!

I love this attempt at getting all the grandkids (minus the oldest) together for a photo with the bride and groom.

Squeak and Pip at the luncheon

Love this one of my dad on speaker phone at the reception. Classic!

Burbujas!

Me and sis Melis with cute little Chiquitita

One of the few shots I got of Jonny and Celes (this is probably one of the times I ended up sprinting to chase one of the kids)

The Baby Jogger that saved my sanity! We are so glad we got to go running so many times!!!!