Emma sings for ASA!

So Emma is involved in the drama club at school.  There was a program at Halloween where they did the play Hansel and Gretel.  It was cute but simple.  We went to school for this weeks program expecting the same type of program.  The play was a little better and more put together.  At one part in the play it looks as though the 3rd graders are going to sing but my daughter just stays up there.  I was a bit embarrassed for her at first because she clearly seemed to be in the wrong place.  But much to our surprise Emma sang a solo for the school.  She had not told my hubby, nor I that she was doing this.

When I asked her after why she hadn't told us she said, "I did!  Last night." 

My replay was, "No last night you told me you were nervous. That is all."  She was shocked that I didn't gather from that sentence that she was singing a solo.

We are so proud of her!  She is growing up so much everyday right in front of my eyes.


 

My Kids Speak in Church

I want to start by apologizing to my family. My kids gave these talks in Sacrament Meeting several weeks ago and it has taken me time to get them put together.

I would also like to apologize to any typos or errors. Yes, I noticed them but I honestly could not figure out how to go back and delete after I had moved on to the next slide. I could have figured it out had I been given enough time, but I figured you would rather see them sooner than later.

Lastly, I would like to apologize to all of you Spanish speakers out there. I am sure my translation leaves something to be desired, but you get the idea.

I am so proud of my kids for their courage to get up and do this. It was several weeks of practice and hard work but in the end they were confident and willing to step out of their comfort zone. Emma has become so confident in her Spanish that last week she stood and shared her testimony without any preparation. I have wonderful kids and I thank God everyday for them.

Halloween in Paraguay

I know it has been nearly 2 months since I posted, but honestly I don't have that much to post about.  Life here is pretty dull, but we like it that way.  We are spending a ton of time together as a family and getting to know the other families here. 

Shawn has kept super busy with his church calling.  Our bishop has a very sick baby girl that will be in the hospital for several months.  As you can imagine he is consumed with taking care of his family and has left much of the church business up to my hubby and the other counselor.

About a month ago I learned that the maid we loved so much had been stealing from us.  So my month has been filled with trying to find someone new.  I feel blessed that a family with the embassy had a maid but not a house, so I borrowed their maid for the last 5 weeks until we could find a new one.  I think we have a winner, but only time will tell.

Other than that the kids are doing really well in school and their Spanish amazes me every day.  Isaac just said to me this morning, "Mom when we got here I didn't know any Spanish and now I am learning it muy rapido."  He makes me smile.  What is even more amazing is to hear the kids talk to only Spanish speakers.  I stand in awe. 

On the 27th the kids and I headed to the embassy to decorate my hubby's office.  It was fun to just spend time with the kids making memories.  We hung ribbons, balloons, ghosts, spiders and spider webs.  We put our pumpkins out and added a few things to make it feel like home.  I would post a pic, but no cameras are allowed in that part of the embassy.  But here are pics of the kids' pumpkins.  This is the best we could find here, and the kids got a kick out of them.

There is no doubt our Halloween was not Halloween in the states.  But between the school and the Embassy it was still wonderful.  On the 28th Isaac dressed up as 3 different characters.  He started the day off as a zombie for a musical performance his class did for the school, then changed into his favorite book character, Jengo Fett (because that is what we had) and then finished the day as Harry Potter.  Now I know you are wondering why he couldn't be Harry Potter for his favorite book character.  The answer, because his mother is very mean and would not let him go as a character in a book he has not read.  So Star Wars it was. 

Zombie

Jengo Fett

The evening of the 28th we headed back to the school for a parade of costumes, trick or treating (just Isaac), dinner and games.  It turned out to be a fun night, after we found Isaac.  There was a time there that we couldn't find him, but he was so smart and went to the bus stop and waited for us to find him.  Isaac played games with his best friend Max, Emma ran off with her friends and Shawn waited for the "fun" to be over so we could go home and he could go to bed.  He spent the next 4 days in bed.  

The American School -- Decorated

Harry Potter, Hermione,
and Nearly Headless Sir Nicholas

On Monday we met after school at the embassy and made the rounds to all the offices collecting candy. The kids decided to go with a Harry Potter themed Halloween so Isaac was Harry, Emma was Hermione and Eli was Nearly Headless Sir Nicholas (how could I resist with that crazy head of hair he has?) The kids had a blast.  There were a couple of haunted houses and some great costumes.  We started in the Ambassadors office where we found the Ambassador on the floor covered in "blood," and a dull kitchen knife lying next to him.  It was funny!  He is new and it was a great introduction for the kids.  We finished at the Ambassadors house with pizza, cookie decorating and chatting with friends.  All in all it was a wonderful time.

Eli, BEGGING for more pizza

And there you have it.  Hope you had a wonderful Halloween.  And with the holidays coming up I would guess it won't be another 2 months before I post again. 

Church Calling --- the what?

On Sunday we arrived at church (late as usual-- but to be fair it starts at 8:30) and headed to our classes. While Shawn was in Priesthood and I was in Primary we were summoned by one of the counselors in the Stake Presidency.

 This is what we hear: "Buenos Dias, something something hasta mañana mummble, somthing importante que something, somthing something something servir something parte something, something fuerte something."

 I look at my sweet husband and he looks at me and I say, "I didn't get any of that did you?"

 "NOPE"

 The man repeats again what he wants and at the end I look at my husband and say, "I think they are calling you to be the first counselor in the bishopric."

My sweet husband feeling overwhelmed by the HUGE language barrier says, "When do you need to know?"

"Sometime before sacrament."

With about an hour to come to terms with this new calling we sat, talked, prayed and cried. Okay I cried. And now I will sit by myself during church, kiss my Tuesday nights good bye and probably have to stop cursing. But I will pray for strength... and the gift of tongues and enjoy the service.

Why don't we have "Children's Day"?

Until now the answer to that question was always what my parent's told me, "Everyday is Children's Day." But now that we are embracing the Paraguayan culture we have learned that today August 16th is Children's Day in Paraguay.

Why you ask? The story is actually quite tragic. We are remembering the infamous Battle of Acosta Ñu. In 1869 the war had already taken its toll on Paraguay the dictator Francisco Lopez needed younger and younger recruits for the his army, this particular battalion was made up of 3,500 children ages six to fifteen. Although the war was essentially over the Brazilian government wanted Lopez captured and on August 16th, 20,000 thousand men from Brazil's army obliterated the small Paraguayan battalion made up of mostly children.

So today we honor their memory (and pray our children will never be forced to take up arms to defend our country at such a young age) by celebrating the innocence of being a kid.

So Happy Children's Day to you!

MADE IN THE USA! (Or as close as we can get.)

Shawn's birthday was not too long ago and it is tradition that he eat pie for his birthday (So he is not forced to share a cake with his daughter who has a birthday 2 days later.) We looked high and low for a pie this year and could not find one. So instead of a pie we bought a very different cake from a very pricey bakery around here. Shawn and I really liked the cake, it was very moist (almost like it had been dipped in milk) and a little bit tart as it was a lime cake. The kids however hated it and it took some begging and pleading just to get Isaac to take a bite, afterwards he assured me he was going to "throw up in [his] mouth."

So it is tradition in our house to have dessert on Sunday nights. Last night I whipped up a lemon cake (thanks to Betty Crocker) and orange frosting. As you might expect from my unadventurous 7 year old he did not want to eat it. To which Emma said, "Isaac it is homemade with powder right from the U.S."

Yes, that is how I homemake almost everything with powder right from the US.

Things I Do Now that I Didn't Do Three Months Ago

• make pizza sauce from scratch
• buy (and actually use) fresh herbs from the grocery store
• spend several hundred dollars a month on amazon.com
• patiently wait 2-3 weeks for my Amazon order to arrive
• have a stock pile of breakfast cereal just in case there in an emergency
• buy meat from the butcher (IN SPANISH)
• buy fruit by the kilo
• pay the bag boy to walk my groceries home for me
• Sit through 3 hours of church I don't understand
• beg my English speaking friends to go to lunch with me
• wear shoes all the time (in the states I would rather be shoeless)
• have clean sheets twice a week
• hand wash dishes (sometimes it is just easier)
• check facebook 15 times a day (okay sometimes I did that before moving here)
• talk to the baby first in English then in Spanish (because he won't point and laugh)
• invite the missionaries over once a week
• smile when I hear my kids speaking Spanish
• stand in the grocery store and convert currency in my head
• look out my window when I hear clapping (there might be someone at the door)
• usually have about 3 dozen eggs in my fridge (they come in packs of 30 or 60)
• buy eggs warm off the shelf
• buy milk in one liter bags that then are frozen and stored; we defrost 4 liters at a time 1 whole liter for Eli and 2 skims and a whole for everyone who is not Eli
• try to teach people how to say my kids' names (for some reason Eli is the hardest one)
• schedule all of my (and my kids) Dr. appointments around the few weeks I will be in the states
• use our awesome bbq at least once a weekend
• eat coconut cookies; because they are good!
• drink yogurt, because there is no other kind
• use a prepaid phone plan because it is cheaper
• force my kids to try junk food because we are in a new place and we try new things
• hide my underwear so the maid will not wash them when she is here
• buy coke in returnable bottles
• constantly check to make sure the baby is not playing with roach traps
• or roaches --- yes, gross, I know

I'm sure there will be many more. 

I guess things could be worse I could be living in Ouagadougou!  hehehehehe---Yes Sheryl, I do think I am funny!

~

I Love My Maid!

So I have recently discovered the beauty of taking my maid to the grocery store.  As you know my Spanish sucks, but I know enough to communicate with someone who is patient and willing to sometimes play a guessing game with me, as my maid is.  So while at the store yesterday we went to get veggies, bread and meat.  All of these places require you to communicate with the staff because it has to be weighed and tagged before check out.  At each place I talk as much as I can and then when I get lost I will tell her what I want/need and she will translate my crappy Spanish into good Spanish.

 I have gotten so comfortable with her that when I was a the back of the line and the check out girl was yelling to me to do something I turned to Rocio (my wonderful chica) and said, "Does she want us to move?"  And it took me a minute to realize it was not my crappy Spanish that was the reason for her confused look, it was because I was talking to her in English. 

I pray by the time I leave here, conversation IN SPANISH will come easily, but for now I'm so grateful I have Rocio. 

Gotta Love School in South America!

School is a different animal here.  Please see the following email from the school.  Note that in bullet point number 2 we are asked to make sure our kids get "a good night sleep," yet in bullet point number 1 we are invited to an event that will keep our kids up until 9:30 if you are quick to get home.

Tuesday, May 24          Elementary School Art Fair 7:30-8:30 p.m. in the MPR.  Please join us in celebrating the art work created by our students.

·        May 23-26               MAP Testing continues for grades 3-6.  Please make sure your child has a good breakfast, gets a good night?s rest and gets to school on time.

·        Friday, May 27       May Break?No School    

·        Monday, May 30   Fifth Grade Parent Meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the MPR regarding  Tierra Nuestra.

·        June 1-2                    Elementary School Musical, Mulan 7:00p.m. at the Alianza Francesa Theater on Mcal. Estigarribia 1039.  Tickets are on sale now at the PTA office for G.15, 000.

·        Friday, June 3         Field Day Students should wear comfortable clothes and tennis shoes.  Dismissal will be at 12:00 p.m.

How Do You Say Scorpion in Spanish???

So I am only blogging this because I was telling my sister what dorks my husband and I are she insisted I share it with you all.

The other day my hubby went out to shut off the pool filter and saw a scorpion.  He came in the house and promptly tried to tell our maid to make sure the kids wear shoes outside and to keep their eyes open for.....  how do you say this in spanish??? 

SIDENOTE:  We have tried really hard not to be those people that think if you say something sssslllllooooowwwwwllllllyyyyy in English with that look like you should know what I'm saying that the person will understand us.

So please imagine my husband walking around with his hands pretending to be pinchers, trying to do a funny scorpion walk.  And right behind him I am walking around with a finger pretending to be a stinger saying, "buzzt, buzzt."  And then it hits her she understands!!!!

Es un escorpión.  

Next time I'll try slow english first. 

Happy 200th Birthday Paraguay!

This last Saturday Paraguay celebrated its 200 birthday.  They had a big (this term is being used loosely) parade downtown where many countries came to celebrate the day with Paraguay.  After seeing all of these groups we wished we had just gone and watched because it looked so amazing (and I would really have rathered my kids not see some of the costumes so up close and personl.) 

But participate we did and although it was a long day it was one for the memory books. What was funny is once the parade actually started we walked for about a block and a half and then it was over. So although there were many participants and many countries were represented, the crowd all fit in that tiny block and a half.

 The kids with Uncle Sam.  (I think that is who it is.)  Isaac was super excited to participate. 











 

                 He did eventually cheer up.  Maybe that is because they gave him a balloon and cookies. 

                                                                An attempt at a group shot. 

                                                              The three 5th graders walking.

             Right before we started walking I was yelled at because I was not walking between the lines.  So this is me staying between the yellow lines. 

                           This is the kids' spanish teacher with someone from the Taiwan group. 

                                                          And here we are all done. 

So far one of my favorite things about being here has been seeing the patriotic spirit of the citizens as they have prepared for this day.  The city is covered in red, white and blue.  Stores have put up balloons and banners, and mannequins are dressed in red, white and blue.  I am so glad we didn't miss this.

Eli Turns One

I have to say I was dreading Eli's first birthday.  In our family 1st birthdays are a big deal and we usually have a big family party.  Cake, singing, presents, the works.  I knew that Eli's birthday was going to be different and that made me really sad. 

We have only been here a couple of weeks so although I came prepared with a few birthday decorations and a cake mix, presents had not arrived (with the excetion of my mothers... she is so on top of things).  We have all been feeling VERY under the weather and it just didn't seem like a birthday.

The kids however did make the best of the day.  We put up what decorations we had and spent the afternoon making the cakes.  Everyone did their best to make Eli's day special for Eli. 

Emma and I worked on baking the cakes and then I turned over the frosting and sprinkels to the kids and they each decorated one cake.  I think this has become their favorite part of the birthday tradition.  I used to order cakes because it was a "special" event.  But they love decorating so much it makes the day that much more special.   

The picture below is of my mother on the phone singing to the birthday boy.  She was such a trooper it took him almost an hour to eat (and decide he couldn't eat any more) cake and she was on the phone for the whole of it.  I wish we would have throught a head and brought our camera so we could have skyped. 

This is how all of the cake was eaten:  a big handful and then shoving as much of it into his mouth as possible.  It will probably not surprise you that a good portion of the cake ended up on his lap. 

 How do you not love that smile???

When he was done eating he began just playing and throwing it everywhere.  Emma called it the Splash Zone.  He had a blast!

 

Eli offered many times to share his cake with everyone else.  He is such a great sharerer.  We however refused. 

 I could not decide which of the following pictures was better so you get both.  I have them as the background on my tv so everytime I turn it on I laugh. 

Last but not least I would like to take a moment to remember my father-in-law.  He died 14 years ago on this (April 8th) day.  It has always been a difficult day for our family, but last year on this day our little angel came 2 weeks early to change all that.  I like to think it was Paul's doing; reminding us that he lives on through our children (and believe me the genes are strong).  I believe Eli still gets to talk and play with him all the time and knows him well.  I didn't know him very long but I know he is a great man.  I am thankful for his love and example to my husband.  I am grateful for the home my husband was raised in with strong roots and abounding love that surrounded him.  I hope we can/are providing that environment to our children.  You are missed Paul!  We love you!

Things That Make You Go, Hmmmmm

For security reasons I can't post pictures of our house.  However there are a few things about it that I think are funny enough  to share with you. 

Every single door and closet in the house comes with these keys.  If you want the closet to stay shut you need to lock it.  So all over the house we have keys sticking out of doors.  On day number 2 Emma thought it would be funny to lock Isaac into his room, and then she couldn't get him out.  Of course it was somehow his fault.  

It is hard to tell but this nob is right up against the shower door and does not turn anything on or off.  It appears to be there so we can wonder why it is there. 

I know, this seems like a perfectly normal picture of the front porch light.  However you will find it in my living room.

No comment needed. 

Yes, my washer and dryer are in two totally different rooms.

This is newly laid sod.  It appears to be crab grass.  Our tax dollars at work. 

This is how the trash is collected.  These little bins sit out infront of each house and you take your trash out to it.  They come once or twice a week (no specified day) to collect.  So people just have trash out in front of their house all week long.  

We couldn't open a couple of the doors in the house.  They told us that if we looked in the office we would find the "extra" keys and see if they work.  This is what we found.  60+ keys and hours spent trying to get them to match and the lock smith still had to come out. 

This is our front door.  It is hard to see but you can look through the lock and see right through to the street. 

Nintendo DS fun for the whole family. 

Hope you got a chuckle.  More later.

We Made It!

I wish I add pictures to share with you but we are still without Internet access.  I have been going through withdrawal so when I sent the kids to school today I came to the Embassy with my husband to use the computer here. 

So far so good.   Our bags did finally arrive late Sunday night, so my hubby didn't go to work in shorts and an t-shirt and the kids only had to spend one night without underwear. 

When packing I thought I was so smart I packed a whole carry-on bag of just swim stuff so even if all of our bags got lost (and like that would happen lol) we would still have swimming suits.  Well we arrived and our pool is broken.  What a waste of space.  I could have packed underwear in that space!

The kids started school today and are excited to not spend the day with each other. 

Our house is new to the housing pool so it has many, many, many issues.  Although it has been a great big pain in the butt, I know it is a blessing because it has forced me to use my very crappy spanish with all the people coming to fix it.  I so appreciate that people are patient and with me and willing to point and laugh with me.

I would love to spend time telling you all about my week, but I desperately need to spend some quality time with Amazon.com.

Airport Life

We woke up yesterday and heard about the fire at the Miami Airport.  We check the flight info all day long and the flight remained on time.  Here is our day so far. 

3/24
5:00 pm     Leave Hotel
5:30 pm     Arrive at the Airport
6:45 pm     Finally get cat checked in
7:00 pm     Eat dinner (and talk to grandparents)
7:45 pm     Expected boarding time
7:55 pm     Flight delayed to 8:30
8:30 pm     Flight delayed to 9:15
9:15 pm     Flight delayed to 9:45
9:45 pm     Flight delayed to 10:15
10:15 pm   Flight delayed to 11:00
11:00 pm   Flight delayed to 11:30
11:15 pm   Migraine sets in (Relpax #1)
11:30 pm   Flight delayed to 12:15

3/25
12:15 am   Flight delayed to 1:00
12:30 am   Still fighting a migraine (crying and Relpax #2)
1:00 am     Flight delayed to 1:30
1:15 am     Finally some relief from the migraine
1:30 am     Flight delayed to 2:00
2:15 am     Flight canceled
     --- Hubby on phone with American Airlines working on getting rescheduled
     ---I'm on the phone looking for a hotel that will take a cat (all hotels in the area are booked)
     --- Emma gets a migraine
     --- Can't collect bags but are sent to baggage claim to get cat
3:00  am   Arrive at baggage claim
4:00  am   Employees of AA arrive to actually man baggage claim
5:15  am   Cat is in our possession
6:00  am   Recheck cat onto new flight
7:30  am   Take cat out of kennel in hopes that she will use the bathroom (no luck)
7:55  am   Take cat to boarding area
8:10  am   Security AGAIN!
8:25  am   In line trying to get them to put all 5 of us together on the plane
9:24  am   Blogging about how crappy my night has been

Isaac slept about 2 hours, Emma 3 and Eli 4ish, Lisa 2 - 20 min naps and the honey, not a wink. 

Now the question remains will our flight get fuel so we can go?

Am I living in a DORM?

This struck me funny when I saw it.  It seems more likely to see this in a college dorm or a work fridge than at home from my 10 year old.

Sometimes I Thank God for Unanswered Prayers

Yes, I am aware this is a Garth Brooks song, but every time I pass this building in Arlington I can hear that song in my head. 

So many years ago this company found my husband and offered him a job.  The job was not ideal, it would require we move (and pay for it), it was full time hours but listed as a part time position so they didn't have to pay benefits among other things.

However it would get us closer to D.C. (where we thought we needed to be so my honey could get the job he wanted) and it felt like a move in the right direction.  (Mostly it would have been a move in A direction.)

The job was his we just had to wait for the background check to clear.  We waited and called, and waited some more and called.  We even got a W-2 at the end of the year stating that he had not made any money with them.  After a 6 months he applied for his job with the Foreign Service.  It was actually a fluke.  I was on-line one day and noticed the job opening.  The window to apply was 2 days, and the opportunity sounded amazing.  When he got home I showed him the post and asked what he thought.  With a "what have we got to lose" attitude he sat down and went through the 3 hour application process.  I think more than anything we applied for the experience of applying for a federal job, and possibly an interview opportunity.  We really didn't think we could get a job like this. 

He scored high enough on the test that he qualified for an interview.  He had to fly to CA to interview and the process was long and grueling.  And then the waiting began.  Several weeks later they called him with his "number," this is the order in which they will hire applicants.  They do not tell you how many they will hire or what your prospects are just your number.  To be honest I can't remember what his was, but 16 seems to stick out in my head.  He called to tell me the news, but this is a small agency and we had know idea what this meant.  But before he could get off the phone with me they had reached his "number," and the rest is history in the making. 

Had our prayers for that job first job been answered (the way we wanted them to) I don't know that we would be here.  I was so frustrated at the time, yet I'm so grateful it happened.  Not just because my hubby has a job that he loves (when he is not learning Spanish), and not just because I would rather be seeing the world rather than living FAR outside of DC because we couldn't afford it any other way.  But because every time I drive past that building I get a reminder that there is a bigger picture, and I have God on my side to help get us to where we need to go. 

So today I thank God for hearing and answering my prayers, even if the answer is NO.

DC Cupcakes

Well we are approaching our last few weeks in DC and we decided to do something we have been meaning to do for months.   

We got to DC (actually Georgetown) Cupcake yesterday afternoon and the first thing out of my hubby's mouth is "There is no cupcake worth waiting in this line for."  I explained it is not the cupcake we were waiting for but the opportunity to eat a cupcake from a company that the kids and I have watched on TV.  We left the decision up to the kids and surprisingly it was Isaac that decided he was willing to wait for his chocolate cupcake.  

 

The line was an entire block long and the store is very small.  They have 2 people taking orders while 3 girls fill the orders.  They will only allow about 15 people in the store an any given times so needless to say the wait was crazy long.  It took just over 2 hours from the time we got in line until we walked out the door with our cupcakes. 

Shawn commented that the way they make their money is because people come with the intention of buying just a few but after 2 hours they are willing to double their order just so they never have to go back.  And we did.  We bought 12 cupcake and the cost of $31.58 and hurried home to enjoy them.

What came as the real shock was it was the really simple one that turned out the be the best.  Isaac ordered 2 chocolate cupcakes (the best so far). Emma ordered a chocolate peanut butter and mint cookies and cream.  Shawn and I got coconut, key lime, salted caramel and red velvet. 

We stood in line so long we made friends with the people in front of us and the people behind us.  Our entertainment was watching cars try to parallel park.  Several gave up, a couple made it and received applause, and one lady hit the car behind her. 

When we left, the line was even longer than when we arrived.  And although it was a long wait, it was defiantly a memory we made together. All in all the kids did great.  Even Eli was a trooper, he talked to anyone who would look at him.