The end of the project is slowly drawing closer. Each week it seems that there are new people coming down from the states to do some of the finishing work. This week, Dale, Sarge, and Mike arrived from Utah. Dale and Sarge make sure that the mechanical systems are working properly and Mike is the painter. Since they are in a strange country, we offered to have them come to church with us and then come over for lunch. It is always nice to have visitors come to our house. It is so strange how you can be anywhere in the world and there is an automatic bond between members of the church.
After lunch, I had to go back to the church for a music meeting. I wasn't sure what the meeting was for but it turned out to be a planning meeting for all of the people in charge of music. We planned the hymns for the next three months, music classes, etc. There were only 4 of us there and I was amazed at how much I was understanding and able to participate. I was able to ask questions, answer questions, give ideas, etc. I felt pretty proud of myself!
Monday, January 17, 2011
We are trying to figure out if we'll be able to finish the homeschooling before we move or not. If we keep going strong, we might be able to finish by the end of June. I don't want to push it too hard and have everybody get burned out!
I was very excited that I got to email with my older sister today! She is always so busy and (Yes, I hope you are reading this, Brittany!) hardly ever replies to emails!! She got a new calling and we were able to talk about it. It really made me even more excited to move back to the states.
As a surprise, Chris came home with a 100# bag of wheat! I only had enough wheat left for one batch of bread. He ordered the wheat from Guatemala City and arranged from one of the guys from the general contractor to pick it up and bring it to Xela. The last time we bought wheat, they came in 50# bags. Apparently they come in 100# bags now. We'll definitely have enough wheat to last for the rest of our time here! I am so excited!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Cole is still insisting that he wants a pinata for his birthday. I think he just wants the candy but if we're in Guatemala, we'll do a pinata. Cole went with me to the store to buy the pinata. Of course they only had little kids stuff but he finally settled on a Mario Brothers one. Alysa wanted to buy Cole a present with her own money so Morgan took her into another store while Cole was looking at pinatas. She has got to be the most thoughtful kid!
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
We did Cole's party today since he might not be here tomorrow. Everybody met at our house then walked to the country club to do the pinata and play soccer. There were the 2 Bottema boys, 3 Orellana boys and 1 girl, Cole and our 3 girls, and the neighbor Sebastian. I can't believe how many boys there were that Cole is friends with!
After a couple of hours of playing, we had popcorn balls and opened presents. Cole was very excited to receive candy, soda, money, and a new jacket. He was one happy and exhausted kid. When everybody was leaving, Sebastian said that he had to do some homework and that he'd come back later. After the door was shut, Cole said, "I'm too tired to play anymore."
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Cole's birthday was actually today but we didn't really do anything to celebrate it. Instead, we did homework and made a ton of bread. We made a couple of loaves to give to the guy who picked up and brought us the wheat. We also made a couple of loaves to take into the office to share along with some homemade strawberry jam.
Cole went with me to the job site to drop off the bread. I couldn't believe how many gringos were there.
Dave came down along with a bunch of other guys in addition to the trades that are now here. The presiding bishop for the church was also scheduled to arrive later in the day. It was definitely a busy day for Chris so we just dropped off all the bread and then tried to leave. I say tried because I could not get out of the parking lot! It was so packed with cars that there was nowhere for me to turn around. I tried several times and just kept getting stuck. I was so embarrassed because there were people just watching me! Finally one of the workers came over to help followed by another guy from the office. I can't remember the last time I felt like such an idiot "woman driver"! Probably back in college when my dad and his friend asked me to drop them off at the top of the river, drive to the bottom and park their truck with the boat trailer!
After a very humiliating exit from the job site, Cole and I ventured to the bookstore to sell more books and get some books for Alysa for her birthday in 1 1/2 months. She is really picking up the reading and loves to be a big kid and have her reading time. My favorite is when she reads books to Laina at night. It makes me so happy to listen to them together!
Friday, January 21, 2011
At 6:00 this morning, Chris and Cole took off to Antigua. The lawyer that is supposed to be working on Chris's temporary residence here has her office there. It is about a 3 hour drive there! She had Chris's passport and he had to get it to go to Mexico to renew our visas. Chris had to drive 3 hours, pick up the passport, drive 3 hours back, pick up the girls then drive another 3-4 hours to get to Mexico! What a day!
While the boys were gone, the girls finished up some homework, cleaned the house, and got everything ready for our trip.
We ended up leaving just after 2:00 for Mexico. It was an uneventful drive. We're finally getting the hang of this. The kids did amazing on the drive.
Cole decided to celebrate his birthday in Mexico. So, he picked a chicken wings restaurant for dinner, followed by cupcakes and presents in the hotel room. He got 6 new books which will probably last him a month if we're lucky!
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| A nice hug after receiving a gift that Alysa went and bought him with her own money! |
Saturday, January 22, 2011
We had a very laid back day today. We ventured to Walmart, then ate lunch while watching a movie (Tron....not in English!). Afterwards, the kids went swimming while Chris and I read by the pool.
I don't know why but the kids love to eat dinner in the hotel room rather than in the restaurant! They got their wish again tonight!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Today was even more laid back than yesterday. The entire day consisted of breakfast, swimming, lunch, vegging around the hotel room, dinner, and bed.
We went to a yummy Italian place for dinner. The food on this trip has been much more enjoyable than our last road trip around Guatemala!
We have decided that traveling with kids has gotten so much easier. We've got it down to a science. We know what to pack, what we need for the drive, what we need for the hotels, etc. It sure makes traveling a lot less stressful!
Monday, January 24, 2011
I never thought we'd get so excited about shopping at Walmart! We stopped there on our way out of town to stock up on some chips, sodas, and other misc. food items.
We also had to make a last stop at the Spyrals ice cream stand. It is a little kiosk that serves the best soft serve ice cream. It tastes just like the homemade ice cream that we make at my parents cabin! It was so good that we stopped there 4 times in less than 3 days!
The drive home was great. The kids all got along and some even took naps!
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| Crazy yellow trees in the middle of all green. |
It is always nice to get home and feel somewhat productive. Hopefully the rest of the week will go well!
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