A trip to the dentist

Spencer, Sawyer, and I went to the dentist over Christmas break. Each of us needed some work done.

Spencer needed a baby tooth pulled to allow the permanent one to grow in straight.

The dentist gave us some reading material explaining all the possible risks of having this done as well as post-operative care. The instructions said to use gauze packs for bleeding and to change them every few hours.

I noticed that Spencer was reading the instructions very carefully and taking it all in. A minute later, he asked the nurse, “Do you have any gauze I can take home. I’ll probably need a few stacks.”

She gave him what he wanted.

Remember, this was a “little baby tooth.” The ones you tie a string around and tie to a doorknob to pull out. It’s not like the thing was impacted or anything. He probably could have pulled it out on his own.

There was minimal blood involved.

But, he’d never had a tooth pulled before and didn’t know what to expect. And, according to what he had read, he might be bleeding for days.

By the time we got home, I think he forgot all about the fact that his tooth had been pulled.

But, when I saw these packets of gauze on the counter, it cracked me up and I needed a picture.

Charlie's "read in"

Charlie came home from school one day and said, "Guess what mom? Mrs. Miller said if I read for 20 minutes every night that we can have a party at the end of the month and invite whoever we want to come and read with us. And, I know exactly who I want to invite...Ruby."

The morning of, I had a conflict and told Charlie I wasn't sure if we'd be able to make it. So, his whole face lit up when we walked into his classroom. The students served hot chocolate and candy canes to their special guests and then people found a place on the floor to curl up and read together. It was a lot of fun.

Reading has really moved up on the priority list for Charlie this year. I was impressed with how responsible he was about keeping track of his minutes each night and could tell how happy he was to return it to his teacher.

He'd add up his minutes, happily report the results, and then say, "So and so read for 1000 minutes this month..." I asked him if hearing how much his classmates were reading had motivated him to read as well. He said, "No. The reason I've started reading so much is because my teacher said we could have a party if we did."

It's amazing what the word "party" can trigger in kids. Thank you Mrs. Miller for all your reading parties.

Strings concert

I need to write a few things down about Sawyer’s concert last night. It was quite a learning experience. First off, we almost didn’t make the concert because Sawyer’s violin seemed like it was falling apart while he was practicing at home. All the strings were loose etc. and since neither of us know much about caring for a violin, I thought we were doomed.

The next thing I knew, Sawyer was bawling his eyes out and said he didn’t even want to go “to the stupid concert.”

I really wanted him to go, despite the fact that his song sounded horrible while he was practicing and the only other time I’ve ever heard him practice was the night before the last concert. But, I thought it would be good for him and he said his teacher might be able to get his violin back in working order. So we went. And, she was able to fix it.

Mind you, this was a concert for the high school strings students as well, and there was a full orchestra. Everyone was dressed up in their performance garb of black dresses, tuxedos, etc. And it was kind of a big deal. The auditorium was full.

I had asked Sawyer if he needed me to buy him black pants and he said “no”, so I left it at that. Apparently, he didn’t notice that he was the only kid up there with blue jeans on and he was sitting on the front row. So they didn’t really “blend” in.

That was a little awkward, but the real shock came when his group went on stage to get set up. Everyone was quietly going about it, using nice stage etiquette, except for one kid. He was waving at everyone and blowing kisses, exaggerating each movement. He repeated the waves multiple times, clearly wanting to draw attention to himself.

I could hear people whispering, “that kid is really trying to show off...” I agreed. The only problem was, that kid was MINE. I was mortified and started slinking down in my chair pretending not to know him. He is normally rather reserved on stage and doesn’t want to stand out. I couldn’t figure out what the heck had gotten into him. (If it were Spencer or Lucy, I wouldn’t have been so surprised, but Sawyer?)

His class sounded surprising good as they played together. I didn’t hear all the squeaks I had heard at home and thought “maybe he isn’t playing?” But he was. Afterward, his teacher came up to me and said, “I’m going to have to do something about the waving. All four of my classes need a lesson on concert etiquette. Some of the kids were trying to leave to use the bathroom in the middle of the concert...” I agreed and thanked her.

Then she said, “Just so you know, Sawyer could be one of those kids up there (referring to the 1st and 2nd chair violinists).” I looked confused and wondered if she knew I was Sawyer’s mom or had me mixed up with someone else. I said “Sawyer?”. She said, “Yes. I’m serious. He has what it takes to play like one of those kids someday if he gets some private lessons, etc.” Another shock.

Last week, he was talking about quitting violin next year. But, we may have a budding musician after all. Someday, he may look back on this concert and just shake his head.

Ruby Q

I still feel like I only have the workload of four and a half kids because Ruby has been so mild. But, I can tell she's going to push us up to five soon.

She's still not very interested in rolling over, but, will sit for a long time if we put her into position. I try to give her tummy time everyday to strengthen muscles and encourage rolling, but when the kids are home, they want to hold her. I don't blame them. We're all vying for holding time with Ruby. And wherever we take her people are vying for her as well.

Ruby's at the stage now where she wants to hold whatever she sees and if you take it away, the crocodile tears come spilling out.

This past week she's been enamored with paper. She wants to feel it, look at it, suck on it, and crinkle it. I took her visiting teaching during her normal morning nap time and she narrowed in on my Ensign magazine. She was on the brink of a complete meltdown, so, I started ripping out pages I didn't need to let her play with.

We couldn't be more grateful for this little girl. I absolutely love having a baby around again. And, as much as I love seeing her development, there's a part of me that keeps thinking "slow down Ruby." I know it won't be long until she'll prefer getting down and playing to being all cuddled up.

So, each day that I wrap her up in my arms, I'm thankful she still wants to be there. We love you Ruby Q.

Mathletics

Sawyer had a Mathletics competition after school this week.

The way they do it here is one school hosts the competition. This time, three other schools from the district came and they randomly put the kids into teams of three by grade. There is always a good mix of Indian, Asian, and Caucasian kids.

The kids are given a word or story problem and a time limit (1-3 minutes). When the moderator says, "time", each team has to hold their paper up whether they're finished or not. The papers are gathered and while they're being graded, the kids start another problem. At the end, the scores are tallied and the top 3 teams from each grade are awarded ribbons.

It was fun to be there and see them work through the problems. I love opportunities like this for kids to get together for wholesome fun as well as learning.

It's a great opportunity for them to work under a pressure situation with people they don't know and figure out how to be successful.

Sawyer's team had the added bonus of coming in first place. Way to go Sawyer- keep calculating!

Healthy Eating

Lest I’ve painted Lucy in the wrong light, she does eat healthy food.

Right now, her standard for dinner is refried beans. She usually just eats them warm with ketchup over the top, but this week she’s been wanting them on a hotdog bun with ketchup. Hey, it’s definitely a step up from hotdogs.


I’m so glad she’ll eat beans because they are packed with protein. She’s also a huge milk drinker and likes most meat.

She will also eat apples and occasionally bananas, but won’t touch the vitamin packed smoothies I make in the Vita mix. Our goal is to gradually work her into those. I’m sure a "treat" incentive will help.

When I encourage her to try new foods she says, “Mom, I only like the food that I usually eat. I don’t like the food that I don’t usually eat.” Duh.

Before we left for Costa Rica, I bought a big box of ice cream sandwiches for Lucy and Charlie to enjoy while we were gone. So now, everyday, Lucy thinks she needs an ice cream sandwich or some other BIG treat.

And she reminds me, “chocolate milk doesn’t count. That’s a snack, not a treat.”

Normally, we save that stuff for weekends, family night, or special occasions. But, to Lucy, everyday is a special occasion.

This week, while I was busy with computer stuff, she decided to make chocolate pudding out of milk and Nesquick.

Costa Rica

We just returned from a wonderful cultural adventure in Costa Rica. We've been dreaming of going there for years and it finally came to fruition. We took Spencer and Sawyer with us and had a great time creating memories together. Here are some of the highlights:

Leaving Kansas city on an early morning flight. We packed light and didn't check any luggage. Thank goodness Spencer and Sawyer love to read, because there was lots of waiting time in airports and long car rides throughout the trip. The night before we left, I checked the boys' backpacks to make sure they weren't bringing unnecessary items. Spencer had three BIG books and I told him to take one out. He and Brad convinced me that he'd need all three. He did... and then started on Sawyer's.

We flew into Liberia International airport and spent two nights at the Hilton Papagayo. Our first day was full of back road adventure and exploring beaches. Our favorite was Pan de Azucar (Sugar Bread Beach). The sand was really soft, no rocks in the water, and perfect for boogie boarding.

Before heading to the beach, we hit the open markets in Coco and bought the boys some sunglasses. Sawyer's lasted a whole three hours before one of the lenses fell out.

During the week, we made several visits to the supermercados (grocery store) to load up on essentials like milk, cereal, bread, oreos, and agua. It seemed like the boys ordered hamburgers and french fries every day. By the end of the week, they preferred cold cereal and milk for dinner and wanted to stay in the room while Brad and I went out. We didn't complain, but never got too far away either. (I'm not sure how Spencer felt when Brad showed him how to use his Blackberry to call Grandpa Halverson, just in case we didn't return).

We saw lots of cows as we drove through the countryside. Sawyer affectionately referred to them as "goat cows."

Eating lunch at a roadside "soda" (less formal than a restaurant). At lunchtime, they usually eat "un casado", which consists of some type of meat, rice, fried plantain, and sometimes a vegetable or salad. I really enjoyed it. One thing we loved was eating all of our meals outside.

Sunday morning was a highlight. We gathered with the saints in Liberia for church. Brad and I were taken back to the good ole mission days as we asked for directions to the church. We got two different answers in completely opposite directions.

Costa Rica is a relatively safe country for tourists as long as you don't leave anything in your car. We had all of our luggage with us at church, so the branch president offered to lock it up in his office.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the meeting and singing the hymns in Spanish and could have stayed all day, just soaking it up. The boys were good sports, but tired by the end of sacrament meeting due to the language barrier. Afterward, they talked to some of the youth in the branch speaking in Spanish and English. I loved watching them make an effort to communicate.

One thing I noticed was that all the members bring their own hymn books. I was touched by their kindness in sharing them with us. Ticos (as they call themselves) are very friendly, warm, and helpful people.

As we were leaving, the full time missionaries came walking down the street. One of them was heading home the next day.

From church, we headed to the volcanic region of Arenal. It was about a 3 hour drive on very windy roads. Brad and I were amazed that the main highway through this part of the country was a two lane, very rudimentary road.

We soon understood why people warn you not to drive at night. There are massive potholes and no shoulder on the roads. What was more astounding was seeing all the locals walk along these streets with their children. They're literally walking in the road with big trucks and cars whizzing by because there's no where else to walk.

You definitely need a 4 x 4 to get around.

In the center of each town square, it was common to see a church and a park right across the street. That's where people socialize on the weekends. Every town has soccer fields as well for the children to play on.

The roads were crummy, but the scenery breathtaking. I loved seeing the impatiens blooming along the roadside.

Lake Arenal reservoir

Arenal volcano

La Fortuna- we stayed in a quaint little locally owned cabin for two nights. We loved getting to know the owner German and his family. They had a horse pasture out back and Marco Antonio helped the boys mount up bareback and later with a saddle. It was the first time on a horse for both of them.

German assured us that Botro was very "manso" (tame) and had Spencer walk underneath him to demonstrate. Throughout the trip, we commented, "that would never happen in the U.S."

German made breakfast every morning which the boys loved. His bacon was the perfect crispiness and the juice was so good.

I had gallo pinto most days. This is "la comida typica" for breakfast (typical Costa Rican breakfast).

On to the rainforest and zip lines.

La Fortuna Waterfall

This is the only place I didn't want to get in and swim. The water was so cold. I'd been spoiled by the 80 + degree ocean water and couldn't bear the thought of being cold. Brad started exploring and found a hanging bridge, so we all went back and saw it with him. Being out in nature and surrounded by all this green was heavenly.

Camouflaged lizard.

In the evening, we enjoyed local hot springs. It was amazing to be sitting in a river of WARM water. The climate and water temperatures were perfect. We never felt that twinge of coldness that you usually feel when you get in the ocean. It didn't matter what time of day or night, we never felt cold or needed a jacket. I don't think I've experienced that sensation any where else.

Each day, we'd jot down our thoughts, feelings, highlights, interesting observations or details, so we wouldn't forget.

I ate lots of pineapple and mango and loved how they made the fruit look so appetizing.

Another discovery. Brad and Sawyer found this swimming hole one night with a rope swing. So, before leaving town, we had to check it out.

This is what got us from one adventure to the next. We named it "the tank."

The trip would not have been near as fun without our own transportation. It allowed us to do lots of things off the beaten path.

After Arenal, we drove 4+ hours to Manuel Antonio National Park. We saw lots of "monos" (monkeys) and iguanas near the beach.

Another waterfall discovery and cliff jumping en route to Dominical.

Random shots of local life

Playa Ventanas- south of Dominical

How often do you find tree lined beaches like this? With nobody there.

We stayed across the street from restaurant "El Avion." The twin sister of a U.S. cargo plane shot down in Nicaragua during the Iran contra war has now been made into a popular eatery.

The boys had some serious games of pool each day.

Back seat readers.

Near the river Tarcoles, we saw a bunch of crocodiles sun bathing.

Roadside souvenir shop.

Spencer and I usually fell asleep early, while Sawyer and Brad went swimming.

I had to finish the past few pages of "The Book Thief" before drifting off to sleep.

Goodbye Costa Rica- thanks for a wonderful experience! We hope to return someday.