Swimming Lessons

The big boys finished up their two weeks of swimming lessons today.  This was the first time we had done anything like this and now for everything, Elliot asks, "when are we going to have lessons for (fill in the blank)"  like eating cherries, cooking, riding a train.  Funny child.

Today was a day parents could come and watch, which if you have ever worked with kids, means the kids were not as well behaved and there was a general feeling of chaos. 

Elliot, who has done fine every other day was not in the mood today, and let everyone know it.  After about 20 minutes of the 30 minute lesson, he decided to participate.  Oh well.

Seems that one of his favorite things to do was jump.  That was what got him out of his funk.

And Forrest just cracked me up with this move.

 Yeah, that was a belly flop.

I am glad they got to take lessons and now we are glad they are done.

Daily Challenges

One of the reasons LAM sent us to Costa Rica to study Spanish is because it's such a good in between for missionaries heading to the field.  There is a whole lot of new and different here, but there is a lot that is the same or at least very similar to the states. 

Costa Rica is the exception to Central America.   There is a 95% literacy rate here.  And there is a larger middle class.  That's not to say everything is coming up roses in Costa Rica.  They have problems, poverty and issues.  But they have a stable goverment, money goes to schools, and things are more or less stable here. 

Honduras is a different story.  Remember when I said 90% of kids grow up in a one parent home?  Yeah, and the average yearly income is somewhere around $1,000 USD.  No one drinks the water from the tap, it's assumed that when you ask for water at a restaurant, you are ordering a bottle of water.  There is a wide, wide gap between the wealthy and the poor, there is really no middle class. 

This is even more true in the country.  Two of the biggest differences we encountered were lack of clean water and spotty electricity.

Manantial de Vida is close to a little town, Pinalejo.  For example, Pinalejo's water source is a mountain river up the mountain a ways.  There is an attempt at filtering the water on it's way down the mountain, but really that's to filter out leaves and sticks.  There is no attempt at cleaning up the water to make it safe to drink.  If people can afford it, they buy those 5 gallon water jugs for clean drinking water.  If they can't, well, they can't.



And to add to all this, a water study was done on the town's water supply and it was determined that 60% of the water was being lost through faulty pipes.  And then another 20% gets lost because of poor water management, like not turning off faucets.  While we were out at camp, Pinalejo was going on 5 days of the city water being shut off. 

Camp uses the same source of water as town, but we have a pipe that branches off to camp before the filter systems, so we don't experience the same loss as town does.  But it's still full of bacteria and other not so nice stuff.


We have been prepping the boys on keeping their mouths shut in the shower, to not drink water from the tap (even here in Costa Rica we don't drink straight from the tap).  But there is something so strange about the very thing you need to live, water, is deadly.  What does that do to a mental state of a nation?


I also discovered how much slower I moved in the kitchen because of it.  There was one time in particular, I found grapes for the boys, such a treat here in Central America.  I brought them home, bleached them, and then, I turned the faucet on and started rinsing them.  I looked at Cindy and just groaned!  I had to start the process all over again!  Someone said to me "it just takes longer to sustain life here."  Yep.

We were also warned about frequent power outages.  And by frequent I mean like once a day.  This is part of the reason we bought a gas stove!  We'll be able to cook at least. 

But I do think the power outages will take some getting used to.  We are going to need to reordering our life to be less reliant on electricity.  Things like using a French press instead of an electric coffee maker.  We have heard of several ideas on how to provide alternative power sources that we need to investigate to power things like the refrigerator and fans.  You know, just the basics.  I wish I could explain it all out to you.  I can't.  I know it has something to do with some car batteries and some wires.  Yeah.  Sorry about that one.

Anyway, all of this to say, there are some very real daily challenges that we will be dealing with.  We are blessed enough to be able to have ways around these things, unlike so many Hondurans.  And we are praying that we can be a blessing to those we come in contact with because we have been blessed.

Erinn's Favorite Post

So this one is just for you Erinn.  And really anyone else who wants to read it.  But I want you to know that I remembered this was your favorite post!

So it's the first weekend in December which means.....dudududahhhhhh (that was suppose to sound like the announcing song you sing, but it doesn't really translate into written form very well.  Anyway)  The VIP Hardware Sale!  For those of you just joining us, check out this and this to get a full explanation of this amazing event!

As you can see from all the traffic, this is a big night here in Fairview.  This year was quite a thrill because for the first time, our family won one of the door prizes! Forrest got a brand new interchangeable screw driver!  At first he was a bit skeptical.  Why do I need this?  Why would I want this? 

But soon he warmed up to the idea and wouldn't let any one take it away from him!

Of course, there were the normal goodies, which the boys enjoyed sitting at the service counter.

There was also beef brisket in the wood stove room.  Which was by far Elliot's favorite part of the event.  The room, not the brisket.  He has a thing for fireplaces now.  Everywhere we go, he points them out and tell us about them. So a whole room full of wood stoves and fireplaces, well, let's just say he was quite excited!

Another highlight this year, (Come on, people, quit laughing at me!  You don't realize how big of a deal this is until you have experienced it!  Really!)  was the high school choir came to perform Christmas Carols amongst the shovels and windshield wiper fluid.  And yes, for those of you know know him, that is Kevin Salsbury. 

Our big purchases of the night (come on, 20% off everything!) were two door stoppers for a project Noah is working on (Hillbilly Wheel of Fortune) and these cute little guys, that are tucked in the diaper bag for when they are needed to help ease the boredom of two kids while we talk with people about Honduras this next week.

Sorta reminds me of the 10 point buck we got Forrest our first year.  And please don't ask why the Hardware sells hunting action figures.  They just do.


What a good last VIP Sale for us.  We went out with a bang!  A door prize and all.  Maybe next year when we are in Costa Rica, we should have someone bring their laptop to the sale and Skype us so we can be part of it. 

Trunk or Treat

When I was in college, the church I went to went all out with something called Trunk or Treat.  I don't think they were the ones to come up with the idea, but it was the first time I had experienced it and man it was crazy fun!  There was so much candy and prizes and just loving on the community around the church.  It felt like it went on for hours and hours.  I worked with a group of high school girls and ever year we would volunteer to do a trunk. Such fun!

Last year, a brand new little church here in Fairview pulled together Trunk or Treat.  We were downstate and out of country, so we didn't go.  But this year we did, and my oh my, what a fun time!  And it's so great for the community.  This was really the only thing like it in the area. 

Not only did the boys get more candy than they have seen in their lives, but they got to ride a donkey (they both were thrilled with that!  Forrest talked a million miles a minute, and while he was a bit shaky, he laughed and smiled the whole time!  And Elliot, well, he just got right up there, grabbed the horn and was off like nobody's business!) and tour a nursing home and just be plain overwhelmed.

Forrest kept asking me, "why do I need this Mom?"  Meaning the candy.  And on the way home he kept asking what the different types of candy were.  Because at three and half, he really doesn't know what candy is.  He gets 3 M&Ms from the accounting lady here at camp when we stop in to see her.  And the East Side cook gives him smarties, but that really is the extent of his candy knowledge.

Anyway, Trunk or Treat was great, the boys loved their costumes and a good time was had by all!

Our Friday (or the Beginning of the End)

This weekend is the annual Northern Michigan Relief Sale.  You know, one of two big cultural, community events around here.  The other being the VIP Hardware Sale in December.

If you're new, the relief sale has all sorts of wonderful things, like a used book sale, donuts, quilts, crafts, plants, and vintage stuff.

This year, I knew I had to keep my book buying to a minimum, because we are not hauling boxes and boxes and boxes of books around the world.  I also forgot to get a babysitter for the morning.  So, with Elliot in the sling, and Forrest glued to my leg, we grabbed a few new books, and then went looking for donuts.  Which we found in abundance.  And in the soft morning light at the fairgrounds, we sat eating fresh cinnamon sugar donuts and read Noah's Ark by Peter Spier.

We also found some darling sunflowers, 5 for a dollar.  I bought 5.  I should have bought 15!  They are so fun, and we had fun bringing them to some friends around camp. And meeting a darling new baby!  But that is another story for another day.


We spent the rest of the afternoon sleeping, and reading the new books.  And going on the last hayride of the summer.

After the boys were in bed, I found my one on one girl and I I took her to the relief sale, for her to experience all the northern culture she could. On our way home, we found a whole field of sunflowers.  And I just happened to have my camera, and the light just happened to be right.  So, we parked by the side of the road, and tromped our way to the field.  So very fun!

And this morning, there was pretty big splash of fall mixed in with the morning cup of summer.  It's refreshing.  For us, those cool mornings are a reminder that things will soon calm down.  Summers aren't so lazy and peaceful for us.  But fall and winter, that's when life slows down.  Almost to a hault at times.  But right now, looking at week 9, that slowness sounds very lovely!


But we are still looking at week 9 next week, and so the sunflowers help make the day just a bit better!

Boxes

We went a bit box crazy last week.  No really.  There was the barn, the wagons, and then there was the Little House.

Last Saturday, I called The Warehouse, which serves as the local appliance, furniture, DirectTV, Verizon store(s?).  You can also buy engagement rings there.  I was on the hunt for some big boxes.  Mammoth boxes.  Ones so big that a 3 year old could stand up in them.

I have this vague memory from my childhood.  I had to be about 3.  I remember what seemed at the time a behemoth of a cardboard house sitting out on our front porch on Whitfield, or was it Willard?  Why did we live on two streets starting with W before I was 5?  I can never remember.  Whitefield, I...think.

Anyway, back to the box house.  I remember even sleeping in a couple of times.  And I think we drew flowers on the outsides of it.  Maybe even window boxes.

So it's from this vague memory of a 3 year old I was trying to reconstruct this for my kids.  I got to The Warehouse, and they had both a range box and a refrigerator box.  I wanted both!  But the guy that was helping me was trying to tell me they both wouldn't fit.  And he was right.  Because he was trying to put them in the van fully put together.  He tried putting the stroller in the range box with the hatch open and told me I could drive the 15 miles home like that.

And then I realized this was silliness.  I needed to collapse them.  And sure enough the range fit just fine.  And then I realized, despite this "helpful" guys protests, that I could do the same with the refrigerator box and slide it along side the seats.  Perfecto!  Minivans are amazing pieces of equipment!

I wanted it to be a surprise for the boys, so I waited until the boys were asleep, and then wielding my knife, I started to create this box house.  I used the stove box as the "main" section, complete with a door 2 windows and a huge hole, where I slide the refrigerator box sideways through.  This made a long tunnel section.  I added another door, several more windows and taped that sucker together.

Then, because I was bored, I grabbed some paint that I had laying around and painted the whole outside of the house.  I figured this structure was going to be with us for a while, and I didn't want to look at it with all it's labels for the rest of the summer.

I kept it from the boys until the next morning.  Forrest headed to the playroom first thing, and promptly came running back to my room, "Mommy!  There is a little house!  Can I play in it?"   He then went to breakfast with Noah, and when he came home he asked, "Is the Little House still builded?"  I guess he figured it appeared out of nowhere overnight, maybe it would disappear while he was at breakfast.

So fun.  And it was free.  And it's providing hours of entertainment for all!

Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight

Last night was the second largest social event of the year here in Fairview. The first being the Northern Michigan Relief Sale. But this is an entirely different beast. This, my friends, is the VIP sale at Fairview Hardware!

The whole town turns out. No, really, I am not kidding. This year, we decided it would be good time to take just Forrest out. He has been needing some concentrated mama daddy time. What better opportunity than the "store party" as he calls it.

He was able to indulge in cookies, punch, and popcorn. No turkey this year, but they had grilled pizza in the fire place room!

At least half of Barakel staff was there. Alex Boeve dropped a six point this season. For that he was rewarded with a muliti ply pocket tool from the hardware. I think there was something about a contest in town for the biggest buck.

Noami Gardner won some gardening gloves and Paul managed to walk away with a free screwdriver with interchanging bits. Quite impressive!

This year we needed to exchange our propane tank for the grill. Yes, we grill all winter long. And we walked away with a Christmas tree. I have been lobbying for another Christmas tree hunt, but Noah seems to want a tree that looks like a Christmas tree. And they don't grow those in Huron National Forrest. So, we found a nice, normal looking thing that Habitat was selling. Forrest enjoyed taking the tree tape up to the cashier.

All in all it was a good "store party." We were able to catch up with some people, spend some time with just Forrest, and have a good laugh at this itty bitty place called Fairview.