(Spring) Cleaning

There is no spring in Ecuador. Here on the equator there are no "real" seasons. But, it must be in my blood, April rolls around and I feel like cleaning!

A couple of weeks back now, I decided that we needed to do something about Nicolas's room. We got the loft put in (still waiting for the carpenter to come and fix the upper railing) and we moved most of the toys in there, but it was always looking like a mess, and there were a lot of toys that really just needed to go. In terms of toys, I've noticed (with my boys, at least) that less is more. YET, they will not throw or give away one single thing, which means we even have teething rings lying around, in anticipation of being played with.


(In all fairness, every time I think I will throw some toy away, the very next day, or even hour, I will spot one of the kids playing with it. So, I am always a little hesitant as well. I've also had those "Mommy, where is that ______ toy?" moments. *Gulp.* I can't say "in the trash" without causing a flood of tears.)


So, a couple of weeks ago, a night the kids went to bed early, I decided to go through their things and get rid of some of these excess toys. It took me hours of separating and throwing, and I couldn't walk for a couple of days afterwards (great exercise for the back and legs!), but the next day the kids actually took out some of their toys and got real excited to play with them.

It just goes to show that a little organization can actually spark a lot of creativity.

Guinea pigs, ice cream and bizcochos, oh my!

Anyone who knows Andres knows that he likes his food. Anytime we go on a trip he is all about finding the food that will go along with it. And sometimes the food stops trump any other stop. Today it was guinea pig in Chaltura (I ended up not quite getting up the nerve. I doubt I am missing much). (And, yes, that is the kids like zombies in front of iPods. Well, you know, it keeps them quiet.)

Next it was ice cream in Ibarra. Pictures while we ate and made room for round two. Throw in quesadillas just for good measure!

"Mommy? How about a picture here?"

"Oh, and here too!"

Bati and the kids at Yaguarcocha Lake.

And in Cayambe bizcocho biscuits and caramel sauce for the ride home.

Photo Shoot in Ambato

Today we took a trip to Ambato. The weather could have been a little better, but we had a nice time anyway. First we went to eat the famous gallinas de Pinllo (Pinllo chickens) in peanut sauce, finishing it of with some local pop: pineapple-flavored Fruitkiss.

Next we went up to the Primera Imprenta to view the city. As Grandpa Dan searched the horizons for that perfect building and perfect shot, Agustín asked me to take a "few" pictures of him.

"Mommy, take a picture of me here."

"Mommy, now take a picture of me here."

"Mommy, now here."

"Here too."

"Now take a picture of me here."

"And now here."

"Oh, this looks like a good place, right Mommy?"

And after all those pictures, I had to get one of the two of us. He was so huggable at that moment!

The whole time Agustín was posing, I ket trying to get Nico, but he kept giving me his back.I did get this one, though, surprising him by coming up behind him and sticking the camera in his face!

Next we went up to Quisapincha.

Driving around later that afternoon, we came across an indigenous celebration. Got to watch as adults and kids went out dancing, some dressed as devils, others as angels, others as animals (there was even Bigfoot), all dancing around statues of the Baby Jesus and Joseph and Mary. Very very cool.

This guy was a bit creepy, but cool to watch. He had a stuffed skunk that he used as a phallic symbol and/or pointer. I am not sure at all what was going on, but it was one of the neatest shows I have seen. I need to do some research to understand more about what the celebration and custom was all about.

That night it was Ali's for supper.

"Mommy, here is good too, right? One more. Last one for today, OK?"

A Common Sight

Feel like you've seen this before?

He will never get tired of Legos.

Making books

One of my favorite schooltime memory is making a book in Mr. Johnson's fifth grade class. We gave it to our parents for Christmas and it was so exciting. This year Agustín's class is doing something similar - it isn't for the parents or a surprise or anything, but they are working on writing and illustrating their own stories. His is called The Magic Door, and the basic idea is that a kid from another planet just like Earth but with strange continents creates a door, and behind the door there are robots. Some are good, some are bad. There are also witches and pirates - both of which are bad. That is all I can really understand of it, but he is really into telling his story. Now he is creating coloring books, pop-up books, etc. Today when we got home from work, we found him at his grandma's house working on a pop-up city. Then he surprised me by presenting it to me. He is a really sweet kid!

Dinosaurs and Turkey

Agustin created these dinosaurs today, all by himself. He made their cave, and even gave the green one a slab of meat to nibble on while we took the picture. It never ceases to amaze me how creative that kid is!

On another note, we did end up having our Thanksgiving meal today. We didn't get home to put the turkey in until about 3 pm, but I was really organized this year, and also used Amy's crockpot stuffing recipe, which helped free up pans and oven space, and we were eating by 7 pm. Too late for the Ecuadorians among us, but it was yummy anyways.

The menu:

• turkey
• stuffing
• mashed potatoes
• green bean casserole (I laughed at the 10-minute prep time on the recipe - I have to boil the beans, make the soup from scratch, then make the onion rings from scratch, so this was a two-day process!)
• deviled eggs (I didn't forget this year)
• corn
• jello pretzel "salad" (gotta have a salad ya know!)
• pumpkin pie

No pics. We were all so hungry that there was no time for that!

Seven

Happy birthday, Agustín!

Almost 7

He will be seven in three days.

Seven years ago, today was my due date. I went into the doctor and the doctor said we should probably do a C-section and I freaked out and begged for a couple more days. I was terrified of having a C-section. More than labor, for some reason.

Well, we waited until the 19th, when I went in and the doctor scheduled an emergency C-section because the fetus was in distress and the heartbeat was going down. Agustín spent a week in the hospital, 3-4 of those days in the ICU, and I still can't help but think that it was probably my fault.

Or maybe not. I don't think the doctor would have let me wait if it had been dangerous. I want to tell myself it was just one of those things. It happens. No one really understands it. But in the end the C-section wasn't the worst thing that could have happened to me. Having a sick baby was, and suddenly how he came out seemed the least of my concerns.

(Almost) seven years later I can look back in relief and know that he is OK. He is healthy and strong and seemingly unaffected by the incident. But I wasn't, and am not, and will never forget that terrible scare. To this day, I can't watch the video that Andrés taped for me to bring into my room so I could "meet" my little newborn until I recovered enough to go up to the ICU without seriously bawling my eyes out.

We love you, Agus!

Remarkable Cows

Tin spent a good portion of his afternoon today listening to Rhinoceros Tap and reading/singing along with the CD. He was really proud of himself, that he sang all 19 songs. ("Nineteen songs, Mommy, nineteen! That's a lot." in his own words)



In the meantime, in my own book news, I am currently coveting Hoda Kotb's new book, released today, I believe. (It really is too bad her name is a swear word here in Ecuador or I would tout her a bit more around here, haha). I really hope it is on iBooks! Although I'd much rather have a hard copy, but I doubt it will make it to the bookshops down here.



I am also re-reading Gone with the Wind (on my iPod) - oh it is just so good, I'm already lost in the story in chapter 2!!! - and the best book ever, The Voluptuous Delights of Peanut Butter and Jam. How could I have never heard of this book before? It was one of those purchases where, I had a few extra dollars and ran to the bookstore to treat myself with something, and couldn't find a single thing I thought looked good. Desperate, I spotted this little treasure. I was unsure, but went ahead and picked it up anyways, and I am so glad I did. So far, halfway through, I am really loving it. It takes place in the now-Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia, and it feels nice to read something about a place so far away and "exotic".

Oral surgery

The end of this smile?

Agustín went in for minor oral surgery this morning, to get rid of the the flap of skin that connects his upper lips to his upper gum. It has grown too much, too long, and is between his teeth, which is why they are so separated. Last week when the kids went to the dentist (Agus 0 cavities, Nico 3!!!) the dentist said it was time. I was really really nervous, and once we got there Tin was too. It took over an hour just to get the anesthesia in! Once the Novacaine started working, however, he was fine, although not too happy about getting stitches. We go back next week to get the stitches out, but in the end, he was a real trooper and hasn't complained even once about it all.

With this little operation, he will be ready for braces if necessary, but hopefully once his front teeth start coming in they will correct themselves a bit. Although, if he needs braces, I don't mind at all. It may improve his speech, too, according to the doctor.

Taking the bus

Agustín is going to take the school bus this year. At least, for the moment, in the mornings. His grandma is still going to pick him up in the afternoon so the day doesn't get too long and he can have lunch earlier (the bus arrives at 3 pm), but we decided to let him take the bus in the mornings to help out with the morning routine. He was very disturbed the first day of school when he didn't get a bus number, which was another reason why we decided to contract the service (it is $27 a month - not too bad I guess!). It makes him feel very big and old and responsible. I just pray the bus driver is careful - one of the reasons Agustín loves the bus (so far) is because he says the bus goes "really fast - like a car race." Hmmmmm.

The New Face of the Lego Magazine

There is a feature in the Lego magazine where kids send in a picture of themselves with an invention. Agustín decided tonight that his car was cool and original enough to send in, so we took a picture of him in front of it and will see if he gets his mug in the mag!

"Take a picture of Plomito!"

Even Plomito is getting in on the action. Happy as well to be back home, he wanted a picture this afternoon, and wouldn't take no as an answer.

Waiting for the word

Agustin cannot wait to get at his new Legos. Daddy is torturing him, telling him to wait until things are put away a bit form the trip, but I don't know how much longer he will hold out.

The forbidden fruit.

Spiderman pajamas

Excited to be home, missing family but excited to open all our goodies and get back into the routine, Agustín shows his excitement by dressing up as Spiderman in his new jammies. He was really looking forward to wearing them with his Spiderman mask!

Packing

Packing tonight took some time. As you can see, Agustín got a little creative with where he was going to put his clothes. Needless to say, most didn't get into his bag.

More of the same

Did I say 10 hours of fun? Let's make that 14 hours, with a break in between.

New legos

New legos will keep this kid busy for at least 10 hours straight.

Peace.

A new flavor for Pringles

Agustín loves doughnuts, and this afternoon at the bakery I saw some and bought him one. Of course once I got home Nico wanted a treat (he doesn't "like" doughnuts, so I didn't bother buying him one), so I let Nico open a tube of Pringles. They were pizza-flavored. Agustín proceeded to inform us that he didn't "like" pizza-flavored Pringles, but once he saw his brother dig in, he decided he'd try one. He quickly announced that he "loved" them, then started getting creative, eating a bite of doughnut and a bite of Pringle. In the end, he started eating them together. And then he announced his great idea: "They should make doughnut-pizza-flavored Pringles!"

He made everyone in the family try his creation. It wasn't that bad, actually!

Stories of the good ol' days

Tonight Nicolás fell asleep before supper, so we had dinner as a family of three. Agustín loved the little bit of extra attention he got from Mom and Dad during the meal. At one point, he look at us and said, "Tell me some funny stories of travesuras you did when you were little."

This is not the first time we've told him about the trouble we got into as children. Daddy using Grandma's expensive French perfume as bathroom air freshener, me breaking Jenny K's garage window and locking Amy and Connie in the garage (I can't really remember the story, but that's the version he got), but his favorite stories involve Auntie Amy, especially the one of her and Connie going up to Tom Thumb alone. We will need Aunt Amy's version this summer, as well as any other stories she has for us (censored for a 6-year-old's ears!), because Aunt Amy has decidedly been named the most traviesa!!!!!

*mischief, like trouble you get into for being too curious and mischievous

One of the many faces he made every time we'd get to a good point in the story. He'd be like, "Ooooooo, you're getting in trouble!"