Belize (with a little Guatamala) Adventure!

On Wednesday we arrived home late from an amazing vacation to mostly Belize with a little two day stint in Guatemala.  The girls once again proved themselves to be amazing travelers!  Much like our trip to Costa Rica two years ago we traveled around quite a bit, and as Patrick put it made the trip "adventure forward"where we did the more adventurous portion of the vacation at the beginning. (Although we ended up ending the vacation with one last fabulous adventure).  On the trip we started in the Cayo District of Belize, traveled to Guatamala, and then out to the Turneffe Atoll in Belize.

Canoeing.  Patrick and Izzy were in one canoe and Evie and I in the other... it was supposed to be a two hour canoe trip but we made it last all day with frequent stops.

Floating dock for swimming in the river.  Evie is hanging onto the rope swing, which we all had fun using!  The water was amazingly warm.

At the summit after a steep hike.

Hanging out in the hammock on our porch

Evie and Patrick at the start of their tubing adventure.

Izzy and Evie at a lookout tower during a break from the canoes...

We started our trip in the Cayo district of Belize at a jungle lodge called Black Rock.  There we ate amazing food (well Patrick and I did... luckily for the girls the folks there were super nice and made a trip into a nearby town to get them the makings of mac and cheese for dinner...) slept in a cabin overlooking a river and the jungle, canoed the river, tubed the river, swam in the river, hiked up to a summit (to see what we could see), and visited an amazing botanical garden.

Dawn atop Temple IV...

View through the mists from Temple IV at dawn

Later in the day at the Grand Plaza

Temple I

Coolest turkey ever!

Its rough when the steps are as big as your leg....

Temple V

We then made the trek (not long in terms of miles but long for the drive time and border crossing) from Belize into Guatemala to visit Tikal.  We stayed in a hotel in the park for two nights.  The animals were amazing, as were, of course, the Mayan ruins.  We even woke up at 3:30 in the morning to trek into the jungle and the ruins to see the dawn break atop the highest monument in the park.  It was misty and other worldly and down right amazing!  After a morning nap we set out into the park again to see the monuments in full daylight, and they did not disappoint!  The girls trekked up monument after monument, and Tikal is so big that even in the middle of the day we found ourselves wandering around and coming across ruins with no one else around.  

Playing on the beach

Getting ready to snorkel off of Half Moon Caye

Nesting red footed boobies

Baby boobie...

After two nights in Guatemala we made the trek back over to Belize City to catch a boat to the Turneffe Atoll and Blackbird Caye.  The boat ride was 1.5 hours to get out to the remote island resort where we stayed, but it was well worth it!  We spent the next few days mostly relaxing and playing on the beach and in the ocean.  On our last full day of the trip we decided to go out to the Blue Hole, which is a 900 ft across and 400 ft deep submarine sinkhole about 43 miles off the coast of Belize, and the Half Moon Caye.  Both of the girls proved themselves to be amazing snorkelers on the trip.  Evie used a real snorkel and on the Blue Hole trip day went out for 3 separate snorkels with us.  Izzy went with a floatie and goggles and just floated along putting her head under the water to look at the fish.  At one point, while snorkeling the Blue Hole she said to Patrick "Daddy, I am going to swim to you in the deep end!"  Awesome.  We are both so proud of the way the girls just rolled with it on this adventure!!

Happy 3rd Birthday Isadora!

Happy Birthday to Little Bit... our Isadora.  I cannot believe three years have gone by since that stormy July 10th when she was born.  This past year in particular she has shown herself to be a funny, brave and amazing little person.  She has gone from diapers to potty not to mention starting to swim, articulate clearly what she wants (and doesn't want) in this world and crack a mean joke.  I'll "interview" her tomorrow... and hopefully update the poor blog :)

Frozen Camp

Evie with a friend she made at camp.

Like probably every other girl between the ages of 3 and 12 (or older?!) Evie has been obsessed with the movie Frozen.  It has played in our house at least 20 times and we now all have the songs utterly memorized, in no small part because Patrick decided to buy the extended soundtrack album for the girls just before our 6 hour long car ride up to the Blue... Don't get me wrong, the music is pretty good, but dear god I am ready to let it go.  (haha)  Given Evie's fixation with the movie she was beyond excited for her first camp of the year, a two-week long theater camp where the focus was on taking the songs from Frozen and turning them into a new little play.  The big performance was on Friday, I am afraid I only had an iphone to capture the spectacular and it didn't turn out too well... but if you ever want a repeat performance just ask Genevieve... she will be more than happy to show you.

Shoes on Ice

 Like many new puppies (or not so new in this case) Sadie has a shoe chewing problem.  Her chewing is particularly problematic because she seems fixated on not just my shoes but my most favorite shoes.  There have been half a dozen tragedies to date.  My heartbreak over gnawed shoes must be leaving an impression on Isadora because she has now decided that she will store her shoes (and her clothes from the day) in the empty wine fridge we have in our kitchen.  When asked why she was doing this she simply informed us that it was to protect her shoes from Sadie... and that she liked them nice and cold.  Looks like it will be a few more years until we use that classy wine fridge for its original intent... nice to know though that it is getting some use!

First Day at IST

Well folks it is official... We now have both kids at the same school!  (kind of... Evie is at camps not at IST all summer)  Yet another one of those all important milestones you will never see in a book :)  Today Isadora started at IST... or as she calls it IST camp.  Her first drop off went really well.  She was a little scared to be there but said goodbye like a brave little (almost) 3 year old.  It is exciting to see her getting to be so big and to have her learning French like her big sister!

Working on the Blue

The week after school gets out is always a child-care no man's land.  There is no school and camps won't start until the first week of June.  This year we tried a grand experiment...  a week up on the Blue where we worked while the girls played (or were asleep) so that we didn't have to take vacation and the girls would get a whole week up in the woods.  I am happy to report that for me it worked incredibly well.  I got up at 5 am every morning and worked until 8 am when everyone got up and then again in the afternoon around nap time. I also took reading down to the river with me to catch up on while they played... heavenly.  I even had an emergency with a proposal that required me to work all day, fortunetly my folks were there in the morning and then Evie just hung out with me while I worked and Izzy took a miraculous 5 hour nap.  This aligning of the stars is noted here for the record, as I do not expect it to ever happen again, and I need for it to be in print so that it can be referred to on one of those days where the whole work/mom balance utterly collapses.

Patrick didn't fare quite so well, he had to make a colossal trek back to Tucson for a hearing, but we figured out how to have documents read to him so he could work on the drive at least.  Doing the drive back and forth in a 24 hour period was exhausting, but lucky for him is boss gave him a break and he took the rest of the week off :)

The girls spent most of their time down at the river.  We also paid a social call to neighbors who rent airstreams on their property.  It just so happened that said airstreams were filled with no less than 8 girls that week, so Evie had kids to play with both that night and on another night when they came by to visit with us. 

On Thursday I took the afternoon off and we hiked Escudilla and visited the rock at mile 6.8 where we were married almost exactly 12 years ago.  Patrick and Izzy decided to stand out on the meadow and call the elk.  I laughed at them thinking it was silly, until off in the distance a bunch if elk answered back.  It was incredible.  The only sad part of the trip was learning on the way home that our favorite hike on catwalks near Glenwood NM is closed (probably for good) because the catwalks were all destroyed in last fall's flood...  The week reminded me just how lucky we are to have a beautiful place for our kids (and us!) to go back to year after year.  I think we have found a new beginning of the summer tradition!

End of the School Year!

 Genevieve has finished her first year of elementary school.  I must admit I am amazed at the transformation!  She went from a bit of an unruly kindergartener to a much less unruly (in all fairness really, very well behaved) 1st grader.  She is doing a great job reading in English and in French.  Her French teacher is working on her cursive handwriting and as of now her cursive is prettier than mine (although this is not saying much).  She has made new friends and seems to really enjoy school. 

French 1st grade singing a song at the end of the year party

 This week, as the school year was ending, we finished up her 1st grade year book.  Here are some of the answers to the questions in the book:

• She participated in 3 clubs: Art, Science and Majong
• When she grows up she wants to be an artist because artists are very famous in France.
• She made three new friends this year, Madison, Cela and Ruby and her best friend is Isabella
• Her favorite games are cootie and goblet
• The hardest subject for her was P.E. because she runs around and doesn't like it.  Her easiest subject was English.  The best grade she got this year was in science, which made her feel happy and proud. She had the most fun at school in French class.  Next year she hopes she can do better in art club.
• If she could pick just one word to describe this year in school it would be... "asome!!!!" (aka awesome)

Goals of 2014

Instead of making new year's resolutions for 2014 I decided I would set 3 goals...  The first was to complete a sprint triathlon.  Although I did not train nearly as much as I probably should of I am happy to reveal that I have managed to at least knock one goal off my 2014 list!  Perhaps even more exciting than the triathlon itself was the chance to travel back to Florida again for the long weekend.  Patrick and I went sans kiddos and reveled in those things that people without kids just take for granted....  we spent over an hour just looking out of the window on the plane, we ate dinner for almost 3 (!) hours, we watched whatever (bad) television we wanted, participated in an hour-long tour of the Dali museum, and just wandered around with no real agenda for an entire afternoon at the beach.  OK the last one we totally could/would do with children so perhaps it should be rephrased as we wandered around for an entire afternoon at the beach with NO snacks.  A big thanks are due to my brother-in-law who requested our presence at the triathlon for his 40th birthday!

Birthday Parties!

Genevieve, as has now become the tradition, has celebrated her birthday multiple times.  First was the actual birthday last weekend and this weekend it was the slumber party spectacular at our house.  (Well actually it was pretty low key, in fact I commented to Patrick that we got off pretty easy this year, given that last year we did a slumber party, trip to Disneyland and a gathering at my folk's house) 

Last weekend we spent her birthday recovering from our 11 hour drive home from Texas.  This "recovery" involved building the climbing dome that we gave her for her birthday and a my little pony scavenger hunt in order to get her present from me, a perfect example of how scarcity begets ingenuity.  I decided to put together the scavenger hunt because I didn't have any wrapping paper....  Finally, we ended the day with a birthday dinner (and presents!) at my folks house. 

Then this weekend she had three of her school friends over for a sleep over.  This year's sleep over was much easier than last years, the girls even got to all stay in the same room and sleep together.  They managed to make it into the pool twice (hooray for pool covers that make the pool 80 degrees already), watch Frozen (the seemingly favorite movie of all young girls) and do an egg hunt in the wash this morning.  We even saw one of the most spectacular sunsets I have ever seen.

Evie, ever the shiny personality, proclaimed that it was the best weekend ever... and it is only Saturday! 

Spring Break Roadtrip!

Whew!  We just got back from a whirlwind, but incredible, 5 days on the road for Evie and Izzy's spring break.  The ultimate destination was Sanderson, Texas but, on the way there at least, we meandered our way.  We left on Tuesday after Patrick got out of a hearing and made the 5 hour trek to Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Flower in bloom on Gerard and Monique's Ranch

In order to make the traveling easier on the dogs last week we bought a hitch carrier and a bag for our stuff.  It seemed like such a good idea.... but as it turns out Subaru's, heat from exhaust pipes and long-distances = melted plastic carrier bags, ruined sleeping bags and general stinkiness.  The worst part about all of it was the sleeping bag that got permanently attached to my cargo bag is my dad's sacred bag that he has had since I was a kid.  He allowed us to borrow it but asked that we "not let anyone throw-up on it..." Well melted plastic and singed down isn't exactly barf but it is decidedly less recoverable.  As a result my Dad has now "aquired" a brand new special sleeping bag.

Aside from the sleeping bag tragedy our trip to Las Cruces was uneventful.  I remain very thankful for my two kids who will just sit in a car for hours on end with only coloring books and recorded stories to keep them entertained.  I did learn this trip though that after about 4 hours Isadora becomes very touchy and the littlest thing will send her over the proverbial edge.  On the way home, for example, (which was actually at hour 9) she got all in a tizzy because we told her we were stopping to go to the "little girls room" and then when we went to the bathroom she dissolved because "This is NOT a little girls room, this is a bathroom!" and proceeded to scream about the lack of little girls room the entire time we were at the gas station. 

Anyway on day two of our adventure our plan was to make it to a campground near Carlsbad Caverns.  On the way we decided to stop at White Sands, which was just as amazing as Patrick and I remembered it from over a decade ago.  Evie fell in love with the big dunes immediately and was running up them and rolling down them and generally having a fantastic time.  Isadora on the other hand at first refused to get out of the car, I think she was intimidated by the wind and rather large dune we stopped at.  So for our first stop she hung out in the car and watched us play.  Then we took a little walk on a trail and she enjoyed that, so when we asked her if she wanted to try the dunes again she said yes.  We went to a more Izzy sized dune and she had a blast.  So much so that she was about as mad as I have ever seen her when we told her it was time to go.... 

From White Sands we journeyed up and through the mountains and down back into the desert, where we stopped at probably the most awesome roadside stand and petting zoo I have ever seen.  They had a camel and a water buffalo... not to mention your typical goats, llamas and sheep.  Let's just say feeding a camel was certainly the highlight of my day. 

The whole trip it was really windy, and with all of our random stops it was getting late so we decided to try to find a hotel for the night instead of camping.  After calling 10 hotels that were either full or didn't take dogs we booked it to where we wanted to camp and managed to get the last available camp site.  It took Patrick, Evie and I working together to get the tent up in the wind but once it was up we really enjoyed the spot (they even had a playground and an abundance of kids) and had a great night camping.

The next morning we packed up early and headed to Carlsbad Caverns.  I have always wanted to go, and it did not disappoint!  Izzy and Patrick only made it through part of the 1 mile hike through the caverns, but, Evie and I explored the whole path and she worked on a junior ranger badge, answering questions and writing poems about caves.  We will definetly have to go back some time in the future when Izzy is older so we can do one of the more involved ranger-led tours!  From Carlsbad we made our way through the New Mexico/Texas oil fields down toward Abu and Oma's house.  We made it there by dusk and were treated to a fabulous home-made quiche. 

Making pasta.

On Friday we mostly hung around with Gerard and Monique, after a fabulous french toast breakfast made by Gerard.  We left really only to take a little trip out to their ranch land, where Evie found prizes for the fairy garden she was making at their house and I found lots of pretty cactus flowers to take pictures of.  In the afternoon Patrick and Evie make a fairy sled out of balsawood and Izzy almost took a nap (so close yet so far).  We gave Monique and Gerard a break and walked from their place to a little shop in town, which of course was when Izzy decided to fall asleep in Patrick's arms.... but little nap is better than no nap.  That night the girls got to watch Oma make pasta from scratch and we had amazing homemade fettuccine alfredo and venison sausages. 

Just a small sampling of Monique's garden.

The next day it was time to make the long journey home.  All told it took us 11 hours on the road to go from Sanderson, TX to Tucson, AZ in one day.  Probably the highlight of the drive home was listening to the first Laura Ingalls Wilder book.  Qe listened to most but not all because at round about hour three of the book, and hour 8 of the journey, Izzy declared "I DO NOT like this book!"  and proceded to repeat this over and over for a 1/2 hour until the CD ended... poor Izzy long car rides are tough when you are 2.5 years old.  All told it was a fantastic whirlwind road trip!

Genevieve is 7!

Oh my goodness!  Is it really possible that Genevieve turns 7 years old today?  I guess what they say is true... time flies when you are having fun!  Here are some facts from an interview with Genevieve on her first day as a 7 year old...

Favorites:
Color - Pink
Book - ("I love books") Nancy Drew and Fancy Nancy (the learn to read ones)
Music - Rusted Root, Nutcracker, Let it go (from Frozen) and the theme from Barbie in the Pink Shoes
Movie - Frozen and Matilda
TV Show - Magic School Bus and My Little Pony
Subject in School - French, English, Math, Science and PE (I guess she likes school....)
Game - Majong
Activity - watch a show or play majong
Food - "It used to be apples but now I have a wiggly tooth so popcorn and cookies.

What she wants to be when she grows up: Artist, Scientist or a Professional Majong player
Best Friends: Isabella, Ruby, Madison and Nanan
Best thing that happened while she was 6: "I met my friend Ruby."

Notable things - Started 1st grade.  Learned to read in French and English.  Won 3rd place at the Science Fair.  Built countless fairy gardens in our yard.  Learned to ride a bike and swim across the pool all on her own.  Carved her first pumpkin on her own.  Lost 2 teeth. Acquired chores (first it was kitty poop and now it is taking care of the chickens each morning). Decided that she can live on pasta and butter alone.

Backyard Camping!

 The weather is getting nicer so we decided to go for a little camping trip in our backyard!  We had a lovely picnic and then went for a "hike" around the neighborhood.  The hike turned out to be a fabulous idea because we met some neighbors who have a little girl that is Genevieve's age.  They came by for an impromptu beer at our campsite and then Evie played with the little girl for most of the next day.  Needless to say I think we are all excited for Evie to have a neighborhood friend!

Evie and I were the only intrepid campers that made it for the whole night.  The tent did make a pretty good place to play for both of the girls though....

Yay Genevieve!

Last night Genevieve had "the best night EVER" because she won an award at the Southern Arizona Regional Science Fair!  She won one of the "grand prizes", 3rd place in the kindergarten division (because she is still 6) in the Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences category. Her experiment was called "Eeew Mold!"  She was also extra excited because her best friend Isabella also won 3rd place in the social sciences category for her experiment on which cookie tastes better.

Of the 1,400 kids who compete at SARSEF only about 500 get an award of some sort and only 200 of those get the "grand prizes" so needless to say we are pretty proud of her! 

I am pretty sure that at the tender age of 6 she has already won a trophy cooler than any I ever won....  She also won $25 dollars (being a prize-winning scientist is seriously lucrative).  Her prize money is burning a serious hole in her pocket.  As of an hour ago she wants to use it to buy a new groovy girl, however, other options have included more toy horses and calico critters... Oh choices choices.