What an excellent start to the week. I was able to go outside in my pajamas and say goodbye to all the kids and Chris as they left for work and school. I had the next three hours completely to myself. I was able to do some pilates (desperately needed!!), clean, get some school stuff done, etc. I definitely needed some time to myself!
It is also amazing how much better the afternoon went after having a great morning!! The only problem was that Cole had a field trip that they forgot to mention was going to be outside all day and he didn't even get to take his water bottles. He came back afterwards and was pretty sick and extremely sun burnt! We spent the afternoon pumping him full of water and putting aloe vera on his face and neck!
We also found out that today was the last day for Morgan's current Spanish teacher. I still don't know who is going to teach the classes. I feel pretty bad for the kids since they have had so many changes. 5th grade has had Teacher Marilynn, me, and Teacher Marilynn for English. For Spanish, they have had Teacher Jackie, Teacher Nancy, and now a new one!
Tuesday 8/11/09
Today I worked on report cards. I was very glad to see that the grades I gave weren't too far off from what they were getting before. I was pretty nervous that I was going to be way off on the grades!! It was also nice to go to the school and use the internet until I had to teach!! It is much faster to upload pictures. I can't wait until we get decent internet at the house!
Wednesday 8/12/09
It was Morgan's turn to be sick today. She stayed home for the first half of the day and then went with me and laid down for the second half of the day. I think that the physical ailments have been one of our greatest trials here.... other than the language!!
It was so nice to come home from school today and for there to be no dirty dishes! I am really enjoying this 1/2 day stuff!!
This evening I went to the Relief Society district meeting for quilting. This time I showed them how to tie a quilt. They had 6 blankets layered and bound and were working on the tying. Chris wasn't going to be home until late so I left the three older kids at the house for a little while but took Laina with me. She had a great time playing with another little girl even though she only spoke Spanish. They didn't seem to even notice!!
Thursday 8/13/09
Tomorrow is the parent - teacher conferences. I told the principal that I couldn't be there since we were going to be in Guatemala City. Instead, I got all of the reports cards, papers, and tests together and then also wrote a comment for each kid. The teacher that I was filling in for was going to do the conference for me. (I am so happy because it honestly was a complete waste of my time when I did the conferences last time!! I spent most of the time just trying to get my kids under control and the rest of the time I sat listening to people talk in Spanish!)
Friday 8/14/09
We were up and out pretty early this morning since we had a pretty long day ahead of us. We were on the road by 6:30 and ate breakfast in the car. Laina got grape juice which we now know never to do again. We didn't get too far before it came back up. I do have to say that I did an excellent job of catching it!! We have this down to an art now! I was able to get a bag, jump from the front seat all the way to the back of the van and catch the throw up without it getting on anything. Let me also remind you that the roads are curving back and forth the entire time and I was being thrown back and forth!! Later in the trip we were also able to do the Guatemalan peeing on the side of the road. Laina is a pro!! The other girls.....not so much!!
So, after a fun 3.5 hour drive, we got to the embassy and it was closed!! Why are we not surprised?!?! At least we were just trying to pick up some papers for our temporary residency and it wasn't an emergency type situation!! Next, we headed for the immigration office to see if we could get a one time pass on our visas so that we wouldn't have to leave the country again. We are in the process of getting out temporary residency but it has been such a hassle between lawyers, reports from the states, forms here, etc.!! After driving around and getting a little lost, we finally found the building. Chris ran inside while I waited in line for a parking spot. He found out that we needed our birth certificates which the lawyer we're working with never mentioned to us!! Chris somehow managed to sweet talk the lady into letting us email the birth certificates when we got back to Xela. We filled out all the other paperwork and were on our way.
Since it was lunchtime and the kids have begged us every time we go to Guatemala City, we gave in and took them to Chuck E. Cheeses. It turned out to be the most expensive meal we've had since we moved to Guatemala!! And, as expected, the food wasn't worth it!! The kids had fun though! It was really strange to be there and have EVERYTHING in English!! The signs were in English, the music, the announcements, the videos, etc. The only thing that wasn't in English was the workers!
Before we headed back to Xela, we had to make a little pit stop at PriceSmart (Costco/Sam's Club). Chris was very disappointed that they didn't have any Dr. Pepper but we managed to get enough other junk to make up for it!
The drive home was extremely LONG since the traffic was horrible! We finally ended up stopping for dinner just to let the kids out of the car and to go to the bathroom. The place was a definite tourist stop and they had some cool things for sale. My favorite was the toy wooden chicken bus!!
Although it was a long, stressful day, it is always nice to look around and see how beautiful the country it. I am having a hard time remembering what it looked like in the dry season. During the rainy season (now) it is supposed to rain every day. There hasn't been a ton of rain lately and some of the crops are drying up. The dry weather has helped the work on the temple go a little faster!!
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