Beach trip

I took the kids to the beach a couple weeks ago... what was planned to be a morning excursion with a picnic lunch and then trip home turned into a morning, lunch and most of the afternoon playing at the beach. There was too much fun being had to pack up and leave as planned so we stayed and played and played. Due to the excess rain, the ocean extended into an estuary about a foot deep at most, perfect for the boys. It was a blast!

4th of July

Even though we don't get to see any fireworks, we still manage to have a little 4th of July celebration each year. This year Judy brought flags and some hats for everyone to decorate with feathers, ribbon and plenty of red, white and blue!

Grandmas Visit

We were happy to have Grandma come visit us in June. While she was here we went to Nicaragua, went to the beach, spent a day walking around shopping here in Bagaces since I have never done that, went horseback riding and one day there was a little fair here in town that we visited. The time once again flew by and before we knew it it was time for her to return.

She of course had plenty of time to spoil the kids, hide candy in all the corners and managed to get more loot in her suitcase then I ever imagined possible! She brought a slip and slide, a big wheel, a scooter, 8 containers of Parmesan cheese, 20 bags of kettle corn and more. Her suitcase could get a job next to a circus car any day.

We love you Grandma!!!!

Nicaragua Trip

Every 90 days we must exit Costa Rica to remain on "tourist" status. We are in the process of trying to get our residency which we are able to do since Riley was born here; however it is an enormous process and thus we still have to leave. We headed back to San Juan Del Sur in Nicaragua which is just a few short hours from here taking along Grandma and leaving Riley with Judy (since he was born here he doesn't have to leave). We departed Bagaces around 9am by bus and arrived "la frontera" the border to do our border crossing.

The CR/Nica border is the model of disorganization. From the time you arrive it is a cluster of people trying to change your money, trying to sell you something, trying to "help" you, no signs of where to go, chaos everywhere. Once you get stamped out of CR you have to walk through no mans land, that portion that isn't Costa Rica and isn't yet Nicaragua. I don't know if words can describe this part. Wall to wall semis that sometimes take weeks to get through the border, no real path of where to go, definitely no signs, yet constantly being stopped at random picnic type tables where you must present your passport to the authorities (while wondering if they are really authorities or just want your money), then walking 15 feet further only to be stopped at another table exactly the same as the one you just left. Then there are the random fences set up that you have to stop and are offered papers for purchase that you will need to complete to enter Nicaragua (which you get for free once you actually do arrive the counter)... trying desperately to escape the "helpers" offering you papers and services. It's intense, like you are holding your breath the entire time wondering when this process will be over. Next time I go I will put it all on video.

After we finished our business at the border we took a cab to SJDS and checked into our hotel before heading to town for lunch. We love San Juan, the people are really nice, its a small fishing village with just the right amount of tourism. And the beers....they are a dollar. Yep, $1. Can you beat that? I think not.

The first day we had lunch and hung out on the beach then went to a pizza joint for dinner. The next day and the highlight of our trip I would say was our fishing excursion. Other than the fact Jaxon got sick and barfed all over the boat, we had a great time and caught four mackerel. The guys at our hotel were so nice and took them to a beach restaurant where they used our fish to make ceviche and 3 styles of fish, fried fish finger style, broiled and breaded.

The next day it was time to head home and do the border all over again. We it home safe and sound and while the border really does suck, we all enjoy our time when there and I look forward to another Nicaraguan adventure!!

Ready for our adventure!

Waiting with Grandma at the bus stop.
Chillin upon arrival.

Jaxon before he decided he didn't like boating.

Grandma ready for the adventure!

Aaron's first catch of the day!

My fish!!

Not feeling so hot.

Jaxon barfing over the edge of the boat.

Always impressive to see people
balancing stuff on their heads.

Cute little girl at a souvenir shop. She kept taking Jaxon's sticks he had
found and throwing them into the street. Naughty little Nica.

Late afternoon beach view. Guys on the left were
playing baseball which was fun to watch.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RILEY!!

We celebrated Riley's 2nd birthday on June 7th...yeah so its been over a month but I still wanted to share! My mom was able to be here this year and we took a cake up to Aaron's parents and had a little party with the family. Here are some pics of the birthday boy!

Riley at birth - day one

Riley's 1st Birthday

Riley turns 2!!!!

We love you buddy!!!!

Please recycle...

Monday night Jaxon's school was part of a town parade... I am still uncertain as to the purpose of the parade, some say it was to celebrate a Catholic Saint, I heard it was also Environmental Awareness Week, maybe the combination of both is a great excuse to have a parade!! Jaxon's school was one of five floats in the parade. Each child was to make an animal costume (the animal had to be one that actually lives in Costa Rica) out of recycled materials. Jaxon's first choice was to be a dragonfly but given the complexity of the costume, we opted for a scorpion instead. Aaron whipped the costume up in no time out of materials found at the office, some cardboard, some foam and some straps...

Upon arriving to the school the night of the parade, we quickly realized that "recycled materials" was defined differently by other parents as several costumes were simply animal costumes that most certainly were not made at home. I guess it doesn't matter how old you are, some people just can't follow directions. At any rate, our little scorpion got all set up on the float and we were instructed to head to the park for the start of the parade. An hour and a half later, the parade was finally under way! Jaxon did great despite the long wait and being a little uncomfortable, tired and thirsty. The other floats were really great as well, all the floats' components were made with recycled materials, newspaper, cardboard, plastic bottles, etc... it was a fun time and impressive to see what others did... here are some pics of the occasion...

The boys building the costume.

Riley got stung by 2 bees while "helping"

The little scorpion on the float getting ready for the parade.

Some of the other costumes, pretty sure those
bunny ears were not made with love in the garage...

Daddy and sick Riley

Jaxon making bear growls while
fiercely waving his claws at me!

Waiting for the parade to begin.

You can sort of see Jaxon next to the purple pants and
underneath the scorpion stinger...

Jaxon's float in action...

This was one of the other floats in the parade.

Another float with a suspended airplane made of cardboard.
The propeller even spun while the float moved...it was cute.

The end.

A new do!

After three years of pulling my hair into a ponytail to keep it from touching me, I had enough! When in the states, I typically changed my hair in some way or another fairly frequently so growing it out for so long was eventually maddening. It's too hot here to let it touch you, so hair cuts have to be such that the hair remains long enough to be pulled back, or short enough not to touch the skin... The photos below sum up my choice! I love my hair, Aaron...not so much, but he is dealing.