LIFE IS A DARING ADVENTURE OR NOTHING AT ALL: 2010

Shower X2?

October 1, 2010

What do you get for a mom that already has a baby? Ok not a baby but a toddler. She’s pretty well set-up right? I’m all for baby showers. Having babies is EXPENSIVE. I love to buy baby things too. Although it does melt my heart and make me dream of having more but, that aside, I feel all happy inside picking out baby stuff. Tomorrow a friend is having a baby shower but this is her second baby and the first is only around 18 months old. So the question… what do you get for the mom who already got that stuff a year or so ago? I thought it would be a no brainer since she had a boy the first time and this time it’s a girl but NO… her family already bought her a boutique full of girly clothes. Seems to me this is why we have showers for first babies, maybe second or third babies if it’s been a long while, but not this close together. Anyway I decided to get creative and this is what I came up with…

Diaper cake

ooops out of order - back view

side view

from the top

aaaaan from the front

Pretty cute? I made one once before but for a boy... I like the pink I must say. And it's functional. What mom doesn't need diapers, lotion, teething gel, pacifiers, bibs, receiving blankets, nail clippers, teething rings, wipes (hidden in the middle) etc... May have to do this for the next shower too. One down tomorrow TWO more to go in the next month!

Multiparque - 6th birthday party for Max

September 26, 2010

Today we went to a birthday party. Max said he didn't want to go before we left... that should have been my first clue. I mean my kids NEVER turn down a social opportunity much less a BIRTHDAY PARTY! However, by the time he finished making a birthday card for Liam he said he would go so off we went. Well let's just say I should have listened to him and not encouraged him to go. When his balloon popped TOTAL MELTDOWN, when someone else was playing the game HE wanted TOTAL MELTDOWN, when Liam accidentally drank his juice (and Max was brought a brand new cupful) TOTAL MELTDOWN. It was at this point Max and I left. He didn't even want to watch the magic show OR wait for a cupcake. Huh? Whose kid is this? Thankfully our neighbors, as in the floor above us, were at the party and said they would bring Maggie home later. Max was a mess. He cried and cried and didn't cheer up 'til we were home and watching James and the Giant Peach. I took his temp and it was 99. Clearly that tiny rise is an indicator of worse things to come given his reaction. But on the way out the door Maggie looked so cute so I grabbed the camera and she hammed it up. Unfortunately it is a tiny bit blurry.

In other news, I am finally posting party pix from a few weeks ago.

Max wanted a superhero party AND he wanted it at Multiparque. Well the park didn't have a date open until the second week of Sept. so we were a little late with the party but it was superfun. I love this place! This is a shot of about a third of the park.

Only in Colombia. This "slide" was a bit high and clearly has no safety features should one fall over the edge!

The birthday Batboy!

And his pinkaliscious side kick "Batgirl".

Giddy up boys!

This little ride had some sort of shocks that moved the platform up and down, and a bit side to side when pulled. Mr. Jeff said it was a bit tricky to pull but Jacob and Jonah thought it was awesome!

Fun wheel/seesaw.

Another shot of the "slide". I was much more comfortable with them climbing up than sliding down!

Lunch with a Power Ranger, Batman, Spidermen, and Mr. Incredible.

Superhero cake. I'm so sad this shot is blurry. The "must control everything" side of me sucked it up and had faith in her hubby when he said he had indeed gotten cake photos. Could happen to anyone but it does not bode well for future birthdays etc... NEED to control Michelle won't be able to have faith next time. Sorry honey!

Note the cake came out well but I was disappointed that the red layer has no spiderweb. Do you know how hard it is to pipe a spider web? For me, impossible! I tried and tried and finally pulled the sucker off. Grrrr.

Singing... unfortunately most of the kids had removed their costumes by this point. Wish I had gotten a shot of all the superheroes before they changed!

Blogger doesn't like me today!

September 23, 2010

GRRRR! I've been trying, unsuccessfully, to load some photos for AN HOUR. Not sure what the problem is so here is the one I was able to load. You're welcome mother. I know some of you have already seen this one on facebook but my mom is not on facebook and she wanted to see her granddaughters beautiful new haircut. Maggie, oh so practical, decided she wanted her hair short because she always gets food in it and then it hurts to brush. Not to mention all the tangles since she runs around like a wild child at school. No one can say my Maggie doesn't live life to the fullest. That girl is always having fun and therefore always a mess. A beautiful mess though :o)

Perhaps I will try again tomorrow for a longer post but for now I am fed-up with blogger.

Life...

September 12, 2010

Well so much for my intention to keep the blog updated. Life here is so CRAZY all the time! I can't decide if I will actually miss it next year or be relieved to have MY life back. Probably a little of both.

Today was fun. We invited some Colombian families, and 1 Brit, over to watch American football. Mike wanted traditional football food, otherwise known as health food - HA! So I made a big batch of chili, some guac and chips and buffalo chicken wings.

I sent the maid to buy the chicken wings. I mean how hard is that "alas de pollo". Pretty straight forward. She knew what I meant and off she went. Although I should have clued in when I told her I wanted about 4 pounds and she responded with "How many wings? 10?" I just figured the pound versus kilo thing was screwing up the translation. So I told her about 30 wings and off she went. When she returns Mike looks at the wings and says they are too big. I asked why and he was incredulous. Really? I mean I've been a vegetarian for 20 years now why should that be surprising. I guess he thinks I should have seen people eating them and therefore known what to ask for. Ah well. I now have a large amount of LARGE chicken wings in my freezer. Anyone got a recipe they want to share?

Have no fear. The guac and chili were awesome and Mike went to the store himself and found out I need to ask for alas de pollo marinada (or something to that effect). And the recipe I found for wings - AWESOME! I boiled them, then put them under the broiler for 15 min a side, then put on a sauce of Amazon hot sauce, butter, and vinegar. The Brit even commented they were the best he's ever had and NO DEEP FRYING was involved! And to think the hubby had lost faith in my abilities. HA!

The best part of the day though... sitting in the kitchen with my Colombian woman friends discussing recipes, babies and general chick stuff IN SPANISH and not only did I understand and participate in the conversation but it felt normal. In the past the Spanish has been such a chore I couldn't envision having actual friends that did not speak English but it has happened. We laughed, they showed me how to make aromatica, and it was comfortable and easy. Shocker to me! Oooh and for those not in the know boil a pot of water with about 3 strawberries, a wedge or two of apple, a handful of mint and once boiled top it off with a lime. AMAZING! SIF I bet this "tea" would be great for you and the taste is so yummy. We added cidron too but I'm not sure what that is in English. It's an herb I'll have to look it up 'cuz it's yummy.

Oh and while this was going on the kids were playing. Our Colombian friends have 1 child each that attend the same school, actually are in the same class, as Max. Maggie is in the other PreK/K class. Anyway Mikaela, who is very cute btw, and Max always play well together. Mikaela came out of the playroom and whispered in her Dad's ear "Soy enamorado de Max". Translation "I'm in love with Max". SO CUTE! Julio (Dad) responds with "We have a problem here." and Aida (Mom) replies "Yeah we do. Why'd she confide in you and not me?!" Me, I'm happy, she's cute and has wealthy parents. Good job son!

Fripp Island

August 22, 2010

Fripp was actually our first stop on summer vacation. This year Mike was in DC for work prior to the kids and I arriving so he got our car out of storage and drove down to SC. Such a great hubby... he stopped at the grocery store and filled the house with the food we would need for a week on his way down (9 hour drive easy) then he drove to the Savannah airport to pick us up (another hour) talk about a loooong day! And still he was happy to see us. I'm one lucky gal!

The kids just loved the deer which frolick all over the island.

The deer loved them too for all the apples and watermelon rinds!

BEACH!

Since it was a windy night we flew a kite.

And searched for shells.

The next day had perfect waves for little guys!

Happiness is...

MAGIC SHOW!!!! Max is TOTALLY into magic so I couldn't believe our luck when a free show was listed among the activities. Max actually got chosen to assist too. From the look on his face I don't think he was having a good time ;o)

Dinner out always turns into a, "wasn't me" show.

Not to be outdone by the Amazing Maggie show of "EW!"

Pool time! My kids are such great swimmers now. So nice not to have to worry about them every second.

Fishing with the new Iron Man rod.

Car ride to DC to see my parents was a little tight!

Short video of Mike taking the kids out to ride the waves back in. I think this was their favorite part!

ARRRGH!

August 19, 2010

Pics from our Pirate Adventure in Annapolis, Md where our children transformed into pirates and found treasure! Highly recommended for kids 8 and under!!!!

The Crew

Mad dog Max and Mainsail Maggie learning to speak pirate.

The Sea Gypsy. Outfitted with water cannons!

Hoisting the flag.

Checking out the map.

Max is SO into this adventure I almost think he believes it's real! Here he is shouting that he has spotted the X.

X marks the spot!

Boy that treasure chest is heavy... this requires teamwork!

Woo hoo!

Enjoying some grogg after a hard day's work of pirating!

Party time!

Love how careful Maggie is to NOT spill her grogg aka cream soda. Um yeah, mommy never gives us cool drinks like SODA!

Just a few photos. We have tons more of them shooting Stinky Pete, who had stolen the key to the treasure chest, with water cannons etc. Seriously a good time for parents and kids. Now GO!

GOOOD MORNING!!!

August 12, 2010

Nothing like waking up to a BOMB in your neighborhood! Not real close to my house this time but it sure was a doozy. Check out the video, which is in English btw. You can see buildings with the windows blown out 11 stories up. A friend mentioned that while driving into work he was listening to Caracol Radio when the place was shook by the bomb right outside the building. He mentioned the announcer exclaiming that was MOST definitely a bomb but he kept on broadcasting. So far it seems no one was killed, which is amazing given the appearance of the building, buses etc in the surrounding area. Wonder if this is a reflection on the new presidency here. If anyone saw this on CNN were all fine!

New phone!!!

I just ordered this phone and I'm VERY excited about it. Got a great price too, at Walmart, sorry Liz ;o) Should work with my Colombia sim card and then whatever sim I get in the US next year.

Cross your fingers it works as well as the reviewers said!

My Papa drank poison.

August 10, 2010

The other night I was reading this blog and eating frosting from a can. Gross I know but I had a HUGE sugar craving and since I keep no sugar in my house this was my only option. *Side note, I have a can of frosting leftover from Maggie's birthday as my back-up plan in case my homemade frosting didn't come out well. Anyway, I was saying... I was eating frosting from a can and reading this blog when my hubby comes in and exclaims, "Sweetie you aren't eating that straight from can? That's not good for you!" To which I replied, "duh". And I had to laugh because the topic of said blog I was reading had to do with a hangover. Now those of you who know me know I don't drink. Well not as in never, ever but rarely. Just not my thing and I'm not crazy about the taste except for the girly drinks which contain too much sugar and calories so I don't usually go there. Oh except for gin and tonic but I'm getting off topic AGAIN. Ok so, hang over blog, eating frosting, not good for you. Which led me to think about my dear hubby.

Last year at the marine corps ball Mike drank just a little too much. Okay ALOT too much and was seriously ill the next day. I'm hoping he is NOT reading this because he will not be too happy for sharing. Anyway the kids wanted to know what was wrong with Papa so I decided this was a good time to learn a bit about alcohol. I told them that Papa drank tooo much alcohol and that alcohol is poison so now Papa is sick. And then I promptly forgot about it. They didn't...

Flash forward about a month and a half and we get on an airplane to head to Machu Picchu. Sitting behind us on the plane were a group of Americans, marines no less. Now my kids are NOT shy. Matter of fact Maggie is SUCH an extrovert I worry about her being a prime kidnap victim! So Maggie and Max start chatting up the marines. I believe one of them was under the weather due to the altitude. To which my sweet little munchkins exclaim, "My Papa drank alcohol...that's poison and he was sick for a whole day! Did you drink poison?" Ah ha ha. Mike didn't find it too funny :o)

Life's not fair... suck it up!

August 6, 2010

My husband has always been the "creative" parent. When the kids were little, I mean really little like 2 years old, they could be a little frustrating. But you can't get too upset because they are still soooo little. Mike however is a marine and kids not listening and jumping to do his will drove.him.nuts! This is where the creativity came in. He realized being angry because a 2 year old does not immediately go and put on his pajamas is a little ridiculous so he started the tasers. No not real tasers - finger tasers. He'd taser the kids 'til they laughed so hard they cried for mercy and did whatever he asked. Pajama races started immediately afterwards as well.

Flash forward 6 months or so and Maggie has this annoying habit of grabbing EVERYTHING! She never asks, "Can I have some ____" she just grabs. In the process she knocks her plate on the floor, accidentally whacks Max in the head etc. So Mike one day looks at her and says, "handcuffs". Which was pretty funny because Maggie, Max and I all looked at him waiting for what the heck that meant. He made Maggie hold her hands behind her back. This was like Chinese water torture to her! Oh my was she upset. But handcuffs have come in pretty handy for whatever misbehaviour is occurring and they work SO much better than time out as you carry your hands with you EVERYWHERE you go. Love it! Mike tried "feet cuffs" one day but those don't work so well in chairs, car seats...

Now my baby boy is not a baby anymore. Ya'll he turned 6, SIX, on Wednesday. How IS that possible? And of course HE IS the most perfect boy in the world. But I suppose he does have one, tiny, little shortcoming... he is really emotional. Max can cry at the drop of a hat and also become angry over nothing. I'm convinced it's because he is super sensitive and therefore his angry isn't much different from his sad internally. Does that make sense? He doesn't do well in a soccer game - ANGER, which is really disappointment in himself. Someone is unkind to him - CRYING, because he wants everyone to like him. Anyway, Mike and I have been trying to tough him up a bit and teach him what is and isn't appropriate to cry over. Mike stared with the list of "what men cry about". 1. your team loses 2. your dog dies 3. you drop a nickel on your toe (inside joke and really painful for those who have never done that) and finally 4. if you're bleeding. And really, it actually helped... some. So what next... This summer, Max was nearly 6, he was upset over something small but you know HUGELY important to a 5 year old like his sister hit him in the head with a pool noodle while trying climb in the golf cart. Mike looked at Max and said, "We're gonna play a little game - it's called SUCK IT UP". Max is NOT a fan of this game. But it is oh so funny too! Is it wrong that I take pleasure in the pain my husband inflicts on my children? Now when Max is upset because he wants ice cream for breakfast and we say no so he stomps his feet and protests ad nauseum Mike just says, "we're gonna play a little game" to which Max responds, "I don't wanna play suck it up" with the hugest pout ever. But ya know what... it works! Max knows that suck it up means, game over, move on.

Finally Max's birthday was on Wednesday and we had cupcakes. The kids could barely eat dinner because the cupcakes, and presents, were calling their names! So we sing and place the cupcakes on the table and Mike says, "ok kids go open presents I'm gonna eat some cupcakes". To which Max whines, "Papa that's not fair it's MY birthday and those are MY cupcakes". Mike replies, "We're gonna learn a new game it's called Life's Not Fair it goes really well with Suck It Up". Needless to say the humor was lost on the munchkins. And NO he didn't eat all the cupcakes himself!

Parenting is hard enough in English!

August 4, 2010

But then you add Spanish to the mix and WOW whole new dimension. What am I talking about you ask? Well, I took Max and Maggie to try a taekwondo class with some school friends, Colombian of course. After the class, which was awesome I might add, we went and got a snack. Kids can be stinkers sometimes and Arturo was saying, keep in mind this is all in Spanish, that he wanted to sit next to Maggie but not to Max. To which Max replied, in Spanish "oh yeah, Mommy can you trade seats with me" and then he was sitting next to Arturo as well. He looked at Arturo and teased, "I'm sitting next to you". Then it got ugly. Not sure what Arturo said but Max fired back and I, well I was lost in the rapid-fire Spanish retorts. Angelica, Arturo's mom stepped in and reprimanded Arturo. Max started to cry. Now, Max is sensitive. Overly sensitive really. Usually I take the situation in and either tell him to suck it up and be a big boy or help him verbalize his feelings, without crying. But since I have NO IDEA what was said I really didn't know how to help. Then Max got angry and said something really mean to Arturo. I don't know what it was but I could tell by Angelica's face it wasn't nice. Yikes... now what?! I put Max in my lap and told him if he couldn't say something nice not to say anything at all. Then sweet little Mikaela told Max, "Te quiero a ti" (I love you) with her hands close together to show him how much. So sweet! Then she said she had a heart full of butterflies, and her dad said he had a heart full of lollipops. She asked Max what his heart was full of and he replied "Pirates to kill Arturo". Okay then... I think it's time for us to go. And I need more Spanish classes to keep up with the 5 year olds!!!!

Altitude and Attitude

August 1, 2010

I am finally feeling back to my ol' self. Forgot what a butt kicker the altitude here is. When we moved here 2 years ago, boy it's hard to believe it's been 2 years, the altitude really got me down for a couple weeks. This time it was much more subtle and thankfully lasted just a few days. I would LOVE all my friends to come for a visit this year before we leave BUT the last week has reminded me that the first few days won't be much fun unless you take the pills for altitude sickness first. So, who's game?

As for my attitude it is MUCH better. I was dx about 6 months ago as SEVERLY hyperthyroid. You would think after suffering with thyroid issues for the last 20'ish years I would recognize the symptoms. Problem is one of the symptoms is mental confusion. Hmmm... Anyway I think my levels are finally right, still need to do a bloodtest, but I feel great! I have also, however, starting reading a blog that has sucked me in. She is a terrific writer with a wonderful sense of humor. Problem is she is suffering from infertility and I think it's hitting a little close to home. I've never made much reference to my issues and really only talk a little to my good friends about it but it is something that I think about almost daily. So I guess what I'm saying is I really feel for this woman and anyone who feels strong enough or has similar issues may want to visit her blog and leave a few words of encouragement. BUT, go back and read her history. She is amazing really.

I left my camera at my mom's house so no photos 'til it shows up in the mail. Cross your fingers it makes it. Boy would that suck!

All is well

July 23, 2010

Apparently Max wanted to save me some pancakes this morning because he missed me!!! So all is not lost yet... they still love me and need me. Thank goodness because 18 will come all too soon.

Um Mom you need to LEAVE!

July 22, 2010

Ya know you carry the little buggers in you for 9 months, and/or pay a bazillion dollars to buy 'em, and they turn 5 and voila! you are no longer needed. How rude! LOL my kids are spending the night with my sister and they informed me that it was NOT a sleep over as long as there mom was still in the house (aka LEAVE). Guess I should be thankful I have raised them to be independent and confident - right?

Um what, a NEW post!

July 22. 2010

So I'm a TOTAL slacker. I have a million excuses and one of them, I think, is valid. I can't promise I'll get back to regular blogging but I'm gonna try. No photos though 'til we get back to Bogota which is in another week, oh no, another 4 days. I better get shopping!

We've been having so much fun this past month. We flew to Fripp Island for a week with the in-laws. Really stinks my in-laws live on an island in SC. I mean who wants to go there for a visit! Kids had a great time swimming, looking for gators, feeding deer and helping to drive the golf carts (sshh, don't tell Grampa).

Then we headed to DC and did the 4th with our good friends Gregg and Jen. Fun, fun, fun. Parade on Capitol Hill followed by swimming, moon bounce, tattoos, cotton candy, snow cones... at the Army Navy Country Club. Back to The Hill for a rooftop BBQ then a nice walk down to the Nat'l mall for the fireworks. Yeah life sucks alright.

Next we went to Philly to visit Malia. She threw a party with the Larkin side of the family. We also went to Sesame Place. Can I tell you how much fun that was?! Perfect for the little ones. Water slides, mini roller coasters, a parade and all our fav sesame street characters. And thanks to the "Salute to Heroes" program we got in FREE. And let me tell you at $53 a person that was a HUGE help.

Back down to DC to visit with my parents. We've been to the Bug Box in Stafford (go if you are in the area and have kids 7 and under), museums, zoo, arboretum, a bounce house, the marine corps museum... Maybe it is time to go back to Colombia I'm feeling VERY tired typing this!

I suppose our biggest news this trip was the orders we got to PCS to NEW ORLEANS next summer. Yes you read that right the Marine Corps actually gave us orders a year out. Of course that just means a year of FREAKING OUT over schools. If anyone has any pull in NOLA let me know. I'm not against bribing an official for my kids education. Kidding - maybe.

Aguas Calientes

March 22, 2010

Okay so let's review once more. We took a plane to Lima, then a plane to Cusco. Next we rode the train below for 3 hours to Aguas Calientes.

Then hopped on the bus below for 20 minutes. We took a road that was VERY narrow, and VERY curvy. And at last... we reached our destination - Machu Picchu!