Puerto Rico Day 2

Puerto Rico is 2 hours ahead of our time at home which made it really easy to stay up late, but not so easy to wake up.  After sleeping in I headed to the pool while Brad had morning meetings.  While at the pool it started to rain, so I headed back inside.  Brad and I were both scheduled to go on the Zip Line Tour, but since I was pregnant I went on the Rainforest Hike instead.  I really didn’t want to but it was the best thing to do.  I had been to this Rainforest before when I was in Puerto Rico with my dad and Jill when I was in college and the more the hike went on the more I remembered about that trip.  

My brief time laying in the sun before it rained!

The beach.

La Coca Falls

Raining in the rain forest.

The whole time we were on the hike it was pouring rain.  We all bought ponchos at the trail head and that helped us stay a little bit dry.  I didn’t know anyone else on the hike, but it was nice to get out in nature and go for a little walk.  Even it if was in the rain!

Jill and I swam here years ago....it was a little cold for swimming this time.

I found these fascinating

Crazy roots!

I finally asked someone to take my pictures.

Brad had fun on the zip line tour even though it was raining.  He also had fun playing with his Go Pro camera he got from his parents.  But it sounded like the rain interfered with that a little bit too!

That night we went for dinner in Old San Juan to what they called a Casino.  It was a really fancy building with more marble in it than you can possibly imagine.  It was the one night we didn’t have assigned seats so we were able to sit with Tony and Mary and met some other very nice people as well.  The dinner was delicious!  The music was so loud you couldn’t hardly hear the person next to you talk unless they were yelling and if they were across the table you could see their lips moving and that was about it.  When we got back to the hotel we ended up at the hotel bar with Tony, Mary and we were introduced to 3 other really great couples…all from the south!  Heath and Lorenda from Georgia, Kathleen and Jason from Louisiana, and Amy and Dow from Arkansas.  They are all amazing people, they were fun to talk to and I felt like I had known them for a very long time.  Heath has a gift for telling stories (all were true), but he could probably make anything sound exciting.  We spent so much time laughing that my face and stomach hurt!  Before we knew it is was very late.  Actually that scene replayed itself the next two nights as well!

The outside of the casino.

Marble, marble and more marble

Beautiful ceiling and chandelier.

The very good, but very loud band was up in the balcony.

Puerto Rico Day 1…arrival, food, meeting

Our first day in Puerto Rico was fairly relaxing, after spending our flight guessing which people on our flight were probably on the trip (farmers aren't too hard to spot in a crowd) and talking to the adorable older couple next to me we got on a bus,  we headed to the beautiful hotel and checked into our hotel room.  We had time for a quick walk on the beach before we hat to get ready for dinner.  After looking at the agenda it was clear they would have us busy all day and night most of the time we were in Puerto Rico.  I also learned that just because it is warm in Puerto Rico doesn’t mean you shouldn’t bring a sweater, the ballrooms at the hotel were freezing!  On our first day we met Tony and Mary and quickly became friends! 

View from our hotel room.

I have been to quite a few continuing education meetings.  Most of them were for veterinary medicine, but I have been to a few farmer meetings.  Something that always impresses me is that fact that a prayer is said before every dinner!  I love it!

Brad on the beach.

View of the beach.

Hello Puerto Rico and Goodbye Healthy (finally) Children

In late January we finally had healthy kids and we were able to go on a trip to Puerto Rico sponsored by Pioneer.  Pioneer is a seed company that we buy soybean and corn seed from.  I was looking forward to 5 days away, especially since it was a free trip for us!  Sleeping in, watching whatever I wanted on the tv and not having to cook for anyone sounded like fun to me.  Nice weather and adult conversation was a bonus!  Brad and I had both been to Puerto Rico before, but not together.  Diane watched the kids the first 3 days we were gone and my mom watched them the last 2 days.  It takes a lot of work to get everything in order for other people to stay at the house and take care of the kids.  There was appointments they had to know about, lunch schedules, school schedules, homework, dog and cat chores, and random odd things about the house (like that pesky burner on the stove we can't trust).  I ended up typing a 7 page note about everything and outlining the weekly schedule of events.  I sent Vincent down to get if off the printer and he came back upstairs and said “All this for 5 days!”.  Because I needed attitude from the 5 year old!

Vincent's point of view and Mr. Literal

It is no big secret that in our house we have three small children that all have an opinion on almost everything.  Somedays it drives me crazy but most days I am able to find the humor in it.  Here are some examples.

Vincent:

As I was matching socks I found some with holes, ripped them to make them bigger and asked Vincent to throw them away.  He did, but he wasn’t happy about it.  It wasn’t that he didn’t want to do work, but he thought we should save the socks.  Here is how the conversation went.
 

V: Mommy, why did you want those thrown away.

K: They had holes and nobody likes to have holes in their socks.

V: Mommy I think differently than you.  I don’t mind having holes in my socks.

K:  Ok, but I don’t like it and if I see any socks with holes I will throw them away.

V:  Why don’t you just fix the holes?

K:  That takes a lot of work.  I don’t know how and socks don’t cost that much money.

V: Just send them to Grandma Pat and have her fix them. 

K: She lives in AZ.  I am not shipping socks back and forth to AZ. 

V:  Why don’t you learn how to sew them?!  You have a sewing maching.

K:  That isn’t going to happen.

V:  We think differently.

K:  We think a lot the same too, just not about socks.

Joel:

A conversation at night.  Remember Joel is very literal about everything and has a great memory, so saying anything to just pacify him will bite you in the butt.  If you say to him “you are a monkey”  He will say “No I a kid!”

K: Joel get in bed now, story time is over.

J. I not take a nap.

K: Ok, no nap.  You are going to bed.

J.   I not take a nap.

K: Got it.  Tomorrow is school.

J: I NOT go to school.

K:  Yes you are now close your eyes.

J.  I not close my eyes.  I keep them open.

K: Ok, lay down with your eyes open.

5 minutes late he was sound asleep!

Cecilia spent over 2 weeks being sick.  Days before we left for Puerto Rico she was finally back to her self  When she was sick this is how the conversation would go (with her and Joel).

K: Cecilia are you sick? (As she lays on the couch looking miserable)

C:  I NOT sick.  Vincent sick.

K: OK.

Clifford

In Joel’s class everyone gets to take turns bringing home Clifford and you get to take him with you for the whole weekend and then journal about what you did.  Joel was very excited about this and Vincent and Cecilia enjoyed it as well.  Clifford and Joel got to go run errands one night with Brad, play in the basement, sleep in Joel's room and he got to meet cousin Ellie.

Clifford is in the bag with all the Clifford books.

Joel was not happy Vincent and Cecilia were getting a picture with Clifford.

Joel and Clifford!

While Ellie was at our house she wanted to go sledding with Brad and Vincent, but she didn't have snow clothes with her.  So we fashioned my snowpants on her with Vincent's belt, gave her gloves, hat and mittens.  She had to wear her cowboy boots, but she didn't care!  The three of them had a blast outside although they looked really cold when they came back inside.

Ellie!

Vincent showing Ellie how to build the marble tower.

Bad Weather and Church

This winter we learned a new weather term: polar vortex.  We had so many days were the windchills were -50 for days on end.  It meant all the outside horses got to go into the arena for days on end.  It happened at least two different times for several days on end.  While it was fun seeing them all running around the arena, and doing chores with Bob and Sarah’s whole family, I didn’t enjoy the extreme cold.  All the kids wanted to do was go play in the snow and that was not an option, they would get frostbite in a matter of minutes.  On the bright side they got an extra long winter break because it was too cold outside.  Which gave my kids a couple more days to recover from their random illnesses before I had to send them back to school.

Sick Cecilia

Snow and lots of it!

One Sunday it was so cold, windy and the snow was blowing.  Brad offered to stay home with the kids (they were still sick) so I could go to church and get away from the house for a little bit.  He even told me to stay for the unhanging of the greens, which I happily did.  There were only like 15 people at church the morning due to the bad roads but it was so nice to get away from the house  for a little bit.  I love my kids dearly but 3 or more weeks in a row of sick kids is really more than any one person should have to deal with.

Sleeping in the car with their hats on...probably while we were doing chores.

Cecilia all bundled up in her hat.

Kasi and Brandon Babysit

I had to work a few days at the beginning of January and Kasi was still off of school for winter break, so her and Brandon drove out and watched the kids for me.  They brought along the new sleds my mom and Dave had got the kids for Christmas.  One was a big tube with a cover so it wouldn’t pop.  Another one was a small sled with a handle that went straight up in the air, that sled is so fast!  It is hard to control where you are going, but it is really fast.

The kids had a blast with Kasi and Brandon like always!  Those two are so good with the kids.  Vincent was really excited because he got a Skylander Wii game for Christmas and Brandon played it with him.  I tried playing it with Vince too, but I am terrible and Brandon had prior Skylander experience.  I am really grateful to have sisters that are willing to watch our kids and that they all have boyfriends/husbands that love our kids!  Or at least do a really great job pretending.

Goodbye 2013!

Our New Year's Eve started out with Cecilia, Joel and I all sleeping on the couch.  Cecilia and I barely fitted on the couch and then Joel joined us in the middle of the night.  In the wee hours of the morning Vincent felt left out joined us, but I made him lay on the floor.  I was getting very desperate for a good nights sleep.

 

Three sleeping kids...only 2 were actually sick.

On New Year’s Eve we (Brad, Vincent and I) went to Feed My Starving Children with Bob, Sarah and the kids, and John and Michelle and their kids, Aunt Linda, Grace, Mary and several other people that John and Michelle knew.  Grandma Diane stayed back and watched Joel and Cecilia who weren’t completely healthy or old enough to join us.  On the way we tried to stop to get food at two different places they were both closed.  Apparently on New Year’s Eve not many places are open past 6pm. 

Brad and Vincent hard at work.

Grace, Aunt Linda and Mary.

We had a lot of fun packing food and it was the first time Vincent had ever gone.  He really seemed to enjoy it.  On the way home we talked with Bob and Sarah about going out for ice cream.  Again there was no places open to get ice cream.  Sarah went to Walgreens and bought several types of ice cream and we met them at their house and visited for a little while with them before heading back to our house to relieve Grandma Diane.

Brad, Vincent, Kelli and Keith photobombing.

It turned out Cecilia was still sick and she woke up not long after we got home.  So she got to be up to ring in the new year!