December 7, 2007
Addie's Birthday
Adeline's birthday party was a hit. We had about 40 people show up at the park. You can see that she loved her pinata of Bell from Beauty and the Beast. The cake was kind of a disaster in that it was supposed to read "Feliz Cumpleanos Adeline and Kyle." Instead it said, "Feliz Cumpleanos Adeline Kile." You'd think that I DIDN'T write it out for them. Our friend April made Adeline that adorable hat and scarf. I want a set for myself now. She looks so cute in it.
Orphanage Pics
These are some of my great friends here in Guadalajara. These girls were so happy to have their room decorated. For Christmas, the consulate is having a fundraiser to provide them all with sheets and pillows for their beds.
Sullivan was surprisingly happy while we were there with the other kids. He just demanded all-you-can-eat animal crackers.
This little guy in the middle is about the size of a 6-month old, but he's actually 4 years old. He was born with Hydrocephaly, which has slowed his growth and development. He has the most docile disposition and has actually started to cruise around the furniture, so he's making progress. He melts my heart like you can't believe and I seriously want to snatch him up and take him home!
These were the youngest kids. They're all 1 and 2 years old. They were absolutely hilarious while they ate breakfast. Don't you just want to hug and squeeze them all??
Sullivan was surprisingly happy while we were there with the other kids. He just demanded all-you-can-eat animal crackers.
This little guy in the middle is about the size of a 6-month old, but he's actually 4 years old. He was born with Hydrocephaly, which has slowed his growth and development. He has the most docile disposition and has actually started to cruise around the furniture, so he's making progress. He melts my heart like you can't believe and I seriously want to snatch him up and take him home!
These were the youngest kids. They're all 1 and 2 years old. They were absolutely hilarious while they ate breakfast. Don't you just want to hug and squeeze them all??
December 3, 2007
Brain-dump
I feel like I just had a catch-up spree and here I am all behind again. A condensed version of the last few days:
Friday- The kids were home from school for teacher prep day. We spent the morning cleaning and getting ready. Around lunch time I took them to run errands at Costco, after which we enjoyed a hot dog and shared a sundae. Some friends came over around 2 so we could sort through all of our socks and underwear for the orphanage. The pile of donations in my dining room began reasonably enough, but quickly overtook area. Friday evening, Kyle and I got as fancy shmancy as we know how and arrived at the kids' school for our Adults-only Christmas Posada. We were rediculously prompt, arriving at exactly 8 p.m. as directed by the invitation. Of course, we were the only couple there for the first hour or so (other than our American friends, the Hawkes) - and we were rewarded for our punctuality by being the ONLY persons kept waiting for 2 and a half hours until dinner was served. Yep, that's right; we didn't eat until 10:30 p.m. You've got to love this latin, laid-back way of life. I "won" by default our tables raffle for a beautiful pewter tray, candle, and some little colored beads that made it all look very festive. We got home around 12:30 and didn't make it to bed until 2 a.m. Somehow, I drew the short straw and had to get up with the kids in the morning. Which brings us to. . .
Saturday - I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but I think I let Kyle sleep until about 8:45, then he took over the kids so I could meet my friends for a run. It ended up only being 2 of us, so we kicked it up a notch and finished in record time. I was back home by 10 ish to find Kyle asleep on the couch, Sully's diaper stinky, and the kids eating muffins on the carpet that I just cleaned and officially called a "no food zone." I don't blame him though, I was pretty tired myself. Somehow I convinced him that it would be fun to get dressed and run errands. We managed to drag ourselves and the kids to WalMArt so I could buy all the fruit for the orphanage project and pick up a few things for dinner. Shopping on Saturday in Mexico at Christmas time is total mayhem, but nobody went completely crazy and we made it out unscathed. We made some BBQ pork ribs for dinner. I give them a 6 out of 10. . . they were much better the next day as leftovers. ;)
Sunday - Stake conference helped us decide to use Sunday as a "free day." We were completely lazy all morning. I'm pretty sure I took a few naps and I read through Pride and Prejudice for the millionth time. We ate a really late lunch and got the kids to bed a little after 7. As soon as they were in bed, I started tackling the madness that awaited me.
I washed and soaked all the apples and pears for the orphanage. Kyle noticed that some of the bananas had already turned too slimy, so he picked out the good ones and I added bananas to my shopping list for the morning. I did a few loads of laundry so the kids would have clean uniforms. Why do I always save that for Sunday night?? I remembered that Guthrie is the "Child of the Week" at school this week, so I picked out his favorite toys to take to school on Monday. I poured all the juice bottles into our giant 5 gallon water bottles. At some point, we loaded everything for the orphanage into the car and shortly after, I fell asleep on the couch whiel I waited for laundry to be done.
Monday - This morning was slightly more hectic than last night, because I didn't have Kyle's help. I woke up before everyone and managed to shower and dress first thing. I boiled eggs and made hot cocoa and toast for the kids' breakfast while simultaneously making grilled cheese sandwhiches for their lunch. I had lunches packed, breakfast on the tables, and clothes set out before I woke up the kids; this definitely helped. They ate and dressed with relatively little fuss and somewhere in there I managed to blow-dry my hair and put on a little bit of makeup. We were out the door in record time (8:00 a.m.)
After I dropped them off at school, I ran to the store for plastic cups and a few more bananas and then headed for the orphanage, where I hoped a LOT of people were waiting to help me unload the car.
There were a few people there, and for a while I was disappointed at the turnout of volunteers. As soon as we had the table for breakfast set up, 5 more people walked in; and 10 minutes after, another 5 people showed up. I was pleasantly surprised to have so many of us to help out and it ended up being a LOT of fun. The most fun of all were the "Maternal" age group. They are ages 1-2.99;) The kids were just too quirky and funny about all of it. They all wanted bananas (which turned out to be good because most of the older kids wanted pears and apples.) Some of these kids are just gorgeous and it breaks your heart for all of them to be in this situation. I was encouraged to hear that Mexico has recently changed their laws and has actually made it easier for foreigners to adopt Mexican children, so if any of you have room in your houses and hearts - I'll pass the phone number of the orphanage on; just let me know. There really aren't any "babies", but they have plenty of kids from 1-16 years who are just amazing.
After we served breakfast, and left all the new underwear and socks with the director, we helped Shelley and her friends hang curtains and wall decorations in the boys' and girls' dormitories. Her mom sewed everything herself, and it was so fun to see the girls reaction to their new setup. I really think they were touched and excited about it.
I'll post some pictures later today. It was such an awesome experience. I'll admit that in the middle of preparations, I lost a little of the focus about *why* we were doing it. Now, I can see that any stress was totally worth the outcome.
Adeline and Kyle's birthday party is tomorrow, so this afternoon will be all about preparing for that. I'm actually really excited to see her face. This is her first "official" party, complete with guests, activities, and presents. I can't wait to share this experience with her.
Friday- The kids were home from school for teacher prep day. We spent the morning cleaning and getting ready. Around lunch time I took them to run errands at Costco, after which we enjoyed a hot dog and shared a sundae. Some friends came over around 2 so we could sort through all of our socks and underwear for the orphanage. The pile of donations in my dining room began reasonably enough, but quickly overtook area. Friday evening, Kyle and I got as fancy shmancy as we know how and arrived at the kids' school for our Adults-only Christmas Posada. We were rediculously prompt, arriving at exactly 8 p.m. as directed by the invitation. Of course, we were the only couple there for the first hour or so (other than our American friends, the Hawkes) - and we were rewarded for our punctuality by being the ONLY persons kept waiting for 2 and a half hours until dinner was served. Yep, that's right; we didn't eat until 10:30 p.m. You've got to love this latin, laid-back way of life. I "won" by default our tables raffle for a beautiful pewter tray, candle, and some little colored beads that made it all look very festive. We got home around 12:30 and didn't make it to bed until 2 a.m. Somehow, I drew the short straw and had to get up with the kids in the morning. Which brings us to. . .
Saturday - I'm a little fuzzy on the details, but I think I let Kyle sleep until about 8:45, then he took over the kids so I could meet my friends for a run. It ended up only being 2 of us, so we kicked it up a notch and finished in record time. I was back home by 10 ish to find Kyle asleep on the couch, Sully's diaper stinky, and the kids eating muffins on the carpet that I just cleaned and officially called a "no food zone." I don't blame him though, I was pretty tired myself. Somehow I convinced him that it would be fun to get dressed and run errands. We managed to drag ourselves and the kids to WalMArt so I could buy all the fruit for the orphanage project and pick up a few things for dinner. Shopping on Saturday in Mexico at Christmas time is total mayhem, but nobody went completely crazy and we made it out unscathed. We made some BBQ pork ribs for dinner. I give them a 6 out of 10. . . they were much better the next day as leftovers. ;)
Sunday - Stake conference helped us decide to use Sunday as a "free day." We were completely lazy all morning. I'm pretty sure I took a few naps and I read through Pride and Prejudice for the millionth time. We ate a really late lunch and got the kids to bed a little after 7. As soon as they were in bed, I started tackling the madness that awaited me.
I washed and soaked all the apples and pears for the orphanage. Kyle noticed that some of the bananas had already turned too slimy, so he picked out the good ones and I added bananas to my shopping list for the morning. I did a few loads of laundry so the kids would have clean uniforms. Why do I always save that for Sunday night?? I remembered that Guthrie is the "Child of the Week" at school this week, so I picked out his favorite toys to take to school on Monday. I poured all the juice bottles into our giant 5 gallon water bottles. At some point, we loaded everything for the orphanage into the car and shortly after, I fell asleep on the couch whiel I waited for laundry to be done.
Monday - This morning was slightly more hectic than last night, because I didn't have Kyle's help. I woke up before everyone and managed to shower and dress first thing. I boiled eggs and made hot cocoa and toast for the kids' breakfast while simultaneously making grilled cheese sandwhiches for their lunch. I had lunches packed, breakfast on the tables, and clothes set out before I woke up the kids; this definitely helped. They ate and dressed with relatively little fuss and somewhere in there I managed to blow-dry my hair and put on a little bit of makeup. We were out the door in record time (8:00 a.m.)
After I dropped them off at school, I ran to the store for plastic cups and a few more bananas and then headed for the orphanage, where I hoped a LOT of people were waiting to help me unload the car.
There were a few people there, and for a while I was disappointed at the turnout of volunteers. As soon as we had the table for breakfast set up, 5 more people walked in; and 10 minutes after, another 5 people showed up. I was pleasantly surprised to have so many of us to help out and it ended up being a LOT of fun. The most fun of all were the "Maternal" age group. They are ages 1-2.99;) The kids were just too quirky and funny about all of it. They all wanted bananas (which turned out to be good because most of the older kids wanted pears and apples.) Some of these kids are just gorgeous and it breaks your heart for all of them to be in this situation. I was encouraged to hear that Mexico has recently changed their laws and has actually made it easier for foreigners to adopt Mexican children, so if any of you have room in your houses and hearts - I'll pass the phone number of the orphanage on; just let me know. There really aren't any "babies", but they have plenty of kids from 1-16 years who are just amazing.
After we served breakfast, and left all the new underwear and socks with the director, we helped Shelley and her friends hang curtains and wall decorations in the boys' and girls' dormitories. Her mom sewed everything herself, and it was so fun to see the girls reaction to their new setup. I really think they were touched and excited about it.
I'll post some pictures later today. It was such an awesome experience. I'll admit that in the middle of preparations, I lost a little of the focus about *why* we were doing it. Now, I can see that any stress was totally worth the outcome.
Adeline and Kyle's birthday party is tomorrow, so this afternoon will be all about preparing for that. I'm actually really excited to see her face. This is her first "official" party, complete with guests, activities, and presents. I can't wait to share this experience with her.
November 30, 2007
Waste!
After some quiet reflection, I have come to the sad realization that seemingly insignificant purchases are really draining our finances.
If I could find it in my heart to really, truly, finally, permanently give up my diet Coke. I could save an average of $2/day. So, about $60 a month is paying for my habit. We won't really add up Kyle's day to day Coke, because he doesn't drink much. BUT, I estimate that if we both drank water (vs. lemonade, gatorade, etc.) ALL the time, even when we're out to eat, we could save another $30. Overall savings = $90
I love my PEWTER. I've had a lot of fun collecting different pewter platters, bowls, and chargers since we moved here. Afterall, Mexico is the pewter capital of the world, right? If I could just commit to let the collection lie dormant for a while, we could save another $30/month.
Its terrible to admit, but fast food is another huge drain. There is a McDonald's right by the kids' school. Due to the odd eating hours of this culture, at 1:30 when I pick the kids up, they're starved. Of course, Sullivan and I are fine because we ate lunch around noon - but the kids' "lunch" break is at 10:30 a.m. so they're ready to eat. A few times a week, I'll grab them a nugget meal to share so they can make it until dinner time. At $5 , a few times a week; that could be as much as $60 a month!
By eliminating these splurges, we could save about $180 a month. It doesn't seem like much, but if we take into account the 8 months remaining this school year, that's an extra $1440. That is the equivalent of almost 3 months tuition for the kids' school. Or 6 months worth of gas for the car. Or plane tickets for our whole family to go home and visit at Spring Break. And the best part is that they should be relatively easy to cut out.
I really don't NEED diet Coke. I just love it. Fast food is total laziness on my part because I don't want to go home and make snacks just to turn around and make dinner again. And the pewter. . .well, the pewter is just pretty and fun and a keepsake of Mexico that I'd like to take with us. But, it would be perfectly reasonable to tell myself to buy 1 or 2 pieces over the next year and call it good.
So, there you go. Its in writing. I *can* be thrifty, even though I've never really tried before. Think how healthy we'll be in this family without soda or fast food!
November 25, 2007
Random
I have so many little stories I've been wanting to record, and of course, most of them are long forgotten.
First of all, Adeline has been using a little bit of Spanish. Most of you know that we have been pretty sad that she hasn't picked up more in the last couple of years. Especially compared to Guthrie and his near-fluent abilities. Well, these last few weeks I've noticed her using the words she knows more often and even throwing in some new ones. We're still using our patience, but I think we might be on our way to that "explosion" that we keep hearing about. *crossing my fingers*
Guthrie's spanish is off the charts. He's started translating things for us. The other day he said, "Quiero comer a Manzana-Abejas!" It took me a while, but we realized he wanted to go eat at APPLEBEES!! AHHHH, it was hilarious! Every now and then I try to trip him up and test his skills, but he always shows me up. Today he was watching an episode of The Wonder Pets on Disney. He turns to me and asks if bunnies are good diggers. My favorite thing is to turn these random questions over to Kyle (just 'cause he loves it). So, I tell him to ask dad. . .in Spanish. The little booger doesn't even skip a bit. "Papa, los conejos son buenos para cavar?" UMMMM, how does he know this crap?
And of course, we have Sullivan. HE has been having a language explosion. Its really been a riot to watch him learning. I don't know why, but it never ceases to feel like a miracle to watch your baby grow up and learn. He says "cheese" for pictures, "want down", "ow", "buckle", "outside", and my favorite is that he seems to be calling me "Hanna." lol. Of course there are many more, but I won't bore ya'all with the details. ;) All you need to know is that we can't get enough of that kid. He is extremely playful and everyday he seems to grow more independent. I just love that point at the end of the day when he's tired and ready for snuggles before bed. I can't believe how big he is and I totally stare when he's sleeping in his crib. Believe it or not I've never had a kid this old still sleeping in a crib. We moved Guthrie out of his crib right before Adeline was born (he started climbing out.) and Adeline got kicked out unceremoniously when we moved to Guadalajara and couldn't fit the crib in the trailer. He seems so big sleeping in there, but we're in no hurry to get him out. I hope he's 3 and still hasn't figured out how to climb over that rail. lol.
Also today, Sully proved his resourcefullness. I guess Kyle wasn't quick enough to get him a drink of milk because the next thing he saw when he walked in the kitchen was Sullivan on the floor with a cup and the 1/2 gallon of milk. He actually poured himself a glass. He seriously opened the fridge, reached the cup and helped himself.
First of all, Adeline has been using a little bit of Spanish. Most of you know that we have been pretty sad that she hasn't picked up more in the last couple of years. Especially compared to Guthrie and his near-fluent abilities. Well, these last few weeks I've noticed her using the words she knows more often and even throwing in some new ones. We're still using our patience, but I think we might be on our way to that "explosion" that we keep hearing about. *crossing my fingers*
Guthrie's spanish is off the charts. He's started translating things for us. The other day he said, "Quiero comer a Manzana-Abejas!" It took me a while, but we realized he wanted to go eat at APPLEBEES!! AHHHH, it was hilarious! Every now and then I try to trip him up and test his skills, but he always shows me up. Today he was watching an episode of The Wonder Pets on Disney. He turns to me and asks if bunnies are good diggers. My favorite thing is to turn these random questions over to Kyle (just 'cause he loves it). So, I tell him to ask dad. . .in Spanish. The little booger doesn't even skip a bit. "Papa, los conejos son buenos para cavar?" UMMMM, how does he know this crap?
And of course, we have Sullivan. HE has been having a language explosion. Its really been a riot to watch him learning. I don't know why, but it never ceases to feel like a miracle to watch your baby grow up and learn. He says "cheese" for pictures, "want down", "ow", "buckle", "outside", and my favorite is that he seems to be calling me "Hanna." lol. Of course there are many more, but I won't bore ya'all with the details. ;) All you need to know is that we can't get enough of that kid. He is extremely playful and everyday he seems to grow more independent. I just love that point at the end of the day when he's tired and ready for snuggles before bed. I can't believe how big he is and I totally stare when he's sleeping in his crib. Believe it or not I've never had a kid this old still sleeping in a crib. We moved Guthrie out of his crib right before Adeline was born (he started climbing out.) and Adeline got kicked out unceremoniously when we moved to Guadalajara and couldn't fit the crib in the trailer. He seems so big sleeping in there, but we're in no hurry to get him out. I hope he's 3 and still hasn't figured out how to climb over that rail. lol.
Also today, Sully proved his resourcefullness. I guess Kyle wasn't quick enough to get him a drink of milk because the next thing he saw when he walked in the kitchen was Sullivan on the floor with a cup and the 1/2 gallon of milk. He actually poured himself a glass. He seriously opened the fridge, reached the cup and helped himself.
Thanksgiving with our substitute fam.
Adeline and Lauren enjoying their drinks before dinner. Yup, Addie's hair always looks like that.
Can you believe those are the only pictures I got??? I guess I was too busy eating or something. Next year we'll have to assign an official picture-taker.
Can you believe those are the only pictures I got??? I guess I was too busy eating or something. Next year we'll have to assign an official picture-taker.
Visiting the ruins!
We went with the Hawkes to see some ruins outside of town. We also brought the Elders with us because it was their P-day.
Guthrie and Adeline both wanted a chance to hang from this tree. I'm not sure why, but apparently this was GREAT fun!
We hiked up a small hill and had this awesome view of the ruins from the top! How cool is that?
I can't remember why she was crying, but she suddenly got very sad. :( This picture was right after we distracted her with "all the pretty flowers". lol. It works every time.
This is Andrew, Adeline's best buddy. She seriously loves him and the poor kid can't even walk by her without her forcing him to hold hands or hug. She definitely wears the pants in their relationship, but he's a good sport about it.
He spent a lot of time on Kyle's back while we were there. Usually he loves the camera and will smile and say "cheese" for us. I think at this point, he was showing his annoyance,
Our family. . .plus Andrew. lol.
Guthrie and Adeline both wanted a chance to hang from this tree. I'm not sure why, but apparently this was GREAT fun!
We hiked up a small hill and had this awesome view of the ruins from the top! How cool is that?
I can't remember why she was crying, but she suddenly got very sad. :( This picture was right after we distracted her with "all the pretty flowers". lol. It works every time.
This is Andrew, Adeline's best buddy. She seriously loves him and the poor kid can't even walk by her without her forcing him to hold hands or hug. She definitely wears the pants in their relationship, but he's a good sport about it.
He spent a lot of time on Kyle's back while we were there. Usually he loves the camera and will smile and say "cheese" for us. I think at this point, he was showing his annoyance,
Our family. . .plus Andrew. lol.
~Arizona Fun~
We had the chance to meet my new cousin (my aunt Jill's new baby) Kassie. Guthrie and Adeline absolutely melted at the sight of such a sweet, teeny baby. As a matter of fact, I've never seen Adeline interested in holding a baby until Kassie.
This cracked me up. In this first picture you can see Guthrie running away. He just went outside through the dog's door. Sullivan insisted on following him. You can see Charlie looking at him like, "Did I give you permission to use my door??"
Mallory gave me a break and took the kids outside to play. Warm weather + a long hose + a trampoline = hours of fun. Thanks to Mallory for taking pictures for me :)
Mallory and Ben went to homecoming while I was there. Isn't she a beautiful girl?? She had the cutest dress and adorable shoes!! (Thanks for the shoes, Mal!) lol!
This cracked me up. In this first picture you can see Guthrie running away. He just went outside through the dog's door. Sullivan insisted on following him. You can see Charlie looking at him like, "Did I give you permission to use my door??"
Mallory gave me a break and took the kids outside to play. Warm weather + a long hose + a trampoline = hours of fun. Thanks to Mallory for taking pictures for me :)
Mallory and Ben went to homecoming while I was there. Isn't she a beautiful girl?? She had the cutest dress and adorable shoes!! (Thanks for the shoes, Mal!) lol!
FINALLY :)
I've been wanting to sit down and update our blog forEVER. I'm sure you all know how it goes though. After a while I have so many things I wanted to add that the amount of time needed to make it all complete just keeps increasing until I'm overwhelmed and unmotivated. Well, tonight the kids are in bed early, the laundry can wait, and I just feel like getting these pictures up here for my mom and family to enjoy. Hallelujah!
So, back to the beginning:
A few days before we left on our trip, I was eating breakfast one morning and looked over to find my boys sitting quietly staring at me. lol!
We got to the airport so early that we had plenty of time to eat lunch with Kyle. Guthrie ran to the counter and asked for some "coronas" for himself and his little sister.
I was pretty disappointed that Sully fell asleep while we were waiting for the airplane. I was really hoping he would sleep on the plane. I have to admit, though, that it made for a really peaceful waiting experience.
I'm queen of Guadalajara International Airport. Now give me some peanuts :)
I thought my little bros would like this. I used to swear that I would NEVER buy my kids video games. Now I'm eating crow because these little gadgets can be lifesavers to a solo-flying mother of 3.
So, back to the beginning:
A few days before we left on our trip, I was eating breakfast one morning and looked over to find my boys sitting quietly staring at me. lol!
We got to the airport so early that we had plenty of time to eat lunch with Kyle. Guthrie ran to the counter and asked for some "coronas" for himself and his little sister.
I was pretty disappointed that Sully fell asleep while we were waiting for the airplane. I was really hoping he would sleep on the plane. I have to admit, though, that it made for a really peaceful waiting experience.
I'm queen of Guadalajara International Airport. Now give me some peanuts :)
I thought my little bros would like this. I used to swear that I would NEVER buy my kids video games. Now I'm eating crow because these little gadgets can be lifesavers to a solo-flying mother of 3.
November 4, 2007
SHWEET home!
We made it!
I'm not gonna lie - the flight wasn't exactly a party. Nevertheless, compared to previous flights, it was pleasant enough. I've become pretty accustomed to tragedy and drama on flights, so just having to deal with tantrums wasn't that bad.
I just freakin' love being here. Everything is so clean, and organized, and geometric :p Church this morning wasn't so great. I only made it through Sacrament Meeting before Sullivan was having a cow. Unfortunately, the primary was practicing for their program, so Addie and G didn't want to stay. I ended up driving around with them for the rest of church.
We've been making cookies, dealing with more tantrums, and just relaxing. Its been a pretty good Sunday by any standards!
I'm not gonna lie - the flight wasn't exactly a party. Nevertheless, compared to previous flights, it was pleasant enough. I've become pretty accustomed to tragedy and drama on flights, so just having to deal with tantrums wasn't that bad.
I just freakin' love being here. Everything is so clean, and organized, and geometric :p Church this morning wasn't so great. I only made it through Sacrament Meeting before Sullivan was having a cow. Unfortunately, the primary was practicing for their program, so Addie and G didn't want to stay. I ended up driving around with them for the rest of church.
We've been making cookies, dealing with more tantrums, and just relaxing. Its been a pretty good Sunday by any standards!
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