Abe just swallowed...

...now we patiently await the encore performance.

Feliz Pascual

Argentina is a predominantly Catholic nation and Easter is a a largely celebrated holiday. Friday and Monday were Argentine National Days (most Argentines head out of the city for the entire week) which means the the embassy was closed and Steve was afforded a nice long weekend. The weekend was packed with activities. We kicked it off with the annual Easter Egg Hunt in the garden of the Ambassador's Residence, which also included the egg roll and egg toss contests pictured below. Steve went to Youth Conference, we enjoyed two Easter gatherings with friends, one of which lasted from immediately after church until bedtime (literally, Peyton fell asleep on my arm while we were packing to go home), and another that included swimming and more great company.

The kids had learned by the 4th Easter Egg Hunt this weekend, that Mom quickly puts the eggs to the side to ration the candy intake. For them, this meant that they needed to get the candy eaten as quickly as they could find it before I would notice that it was gone. Once the gig was up, they enjoyed searching for the 70 remaining eggs. Peyton woke up after her nap yesterday, once we we home for good and started looking for eggs again. Steve tried to convince her that they were all gone, but she just kept looking around. She was even dreaming (sleep talking) about them when she went to bed last night.

Peyton was such a joy yesterday. She spent two hours sitting on the counter helping me cook in the morning. I was trying to make deviled eggs and recreate Costco Broccoli salad. They both turned out wonderful once I convinced Peyton to stop eating all of my hard-boiled eggs, broccoli and raisins. She love, love, loves to cook and we try to give her every opportunity. The best part is, she also enjoys eating to food. We have even signed her up for a little cooking class at school once a week. She also loves to sing and has begun to hum her own tunes. And when the music is on, she can't help but dance.

Abe was so anxious about the Easter Bunny coming this year, that he woke up every hour beginning at 2am to check to see if he had come. He had a reason to be excited... the Easter Bunny left behind a new Wii (although he was more interested in the lion slippers pictured below.) Besides a little extra sleep, we couldn't have asked for better company, better weather or time together.

The Little Fish Can Swim

When Abe was one and a half, we gave him a Speedo vest that made it possible for him to cruise around the pool independently and and helped him to keep up with the older boys at the community pool. By 2, he was begging for water slides and bridges to jump off of. He was fearless when he wore the vest. After 3 summers of threatening his life if he ever jumped in a pool without his vest on, it was a hard sell otherwise. We decided that since we have a pool in our backward and another summer to work with him due to our hemisheric move, it was time to try and retire the vest. This was no small feat. Often times, it is more difficult to teach someone else how to do something or rid them of their fears than learning ourselves.

Abe is stubborn... and he does things on his own time. If he wants to learn how to do something, he will. Obviously, this requires us to find ingenuitive ways of helping him to believe that he really wants to learn what we think he is ready for. He walked when he was 9 months old and began reading at 3, but we still were having much difficulty convincing him that he really could swim. If he felt like he could touch the bottom of the pool, he would swim, play and float. This has been going on for some time. It has taken months to help him understand that if he is swimming on the top of the water, it does not matter how deep it is underneath him.

The point is... our little fish can finally swim! In the picture above form last week, he jumped in and swam to the other side where the water was deep enough that he could not touch. He has continued to swim without the vest ever since and hopefully, it can be packed away for someone else. GO ABE!

Kindergarten

On February 27th, Abe began Kinder 4. In Argentina, Kindergarten is a formal program for 3-5 year olds. 3 and 4 year old children attend 5 mornings or afternoons a week. When they turn 5, they begin going to school all day from 8am - 4pm.

He absolutely LOVES it! Look at the photo below from the school website. They painted telescopes, pirate ships and bandanas to prepare for the treasure hunt outside. Apparently, they were successful because they found the treasure in a pile of leaves on the soccer field.


Abe is checking out the teacher with his green telescope. When he described the project to me before I saw it, he told me that he painted a telescope that looked like a Froot Loops Straw - thanks Grandma!

Lemonade from Lemons

Last week, we all managed to come down with a little more than a cold, which turned into Bronchitis for poor Peyton. Sitting around the house with the kids and no where to go (obviously we did not want to pass it on) left us with A LOT of time to find new activities for the kids. The backyard or a walk was ruled out by the nonstop rain. So instead of acting like a bunch of sour lemons, we made lemonade. The juicer almost keeps Abe as occupied as the computer... okay, not really.

Texas Flour Tortillas

Found on Homesick Texan

Lidia and I just made these tortillas - and they are FANTASTIC! We tripled the recipe and only made 6 per batch in lieu of 8. We used them to make Chicken Enchiladas (with my one and only beloved can of Old El Paso Enchilada Sauce). These are much better than a similar recipe that I tried a few weeks ago. And of course, it is worth mentioning that we choose this one because they do not contain lard. They are extremely easy and the kids loved to help!

Texas Flour Tortillas (adapted from The Border Cookbook by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison)

Ingredients:
Two cups of all-purpose flour (can make them whole wheat by substituting one cup of whole-wheat flour for white flour)
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 teaspoons of vegetable oil
3/4 cups of warm milk

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and oil.
Slowly add the warm milk.
Stir until a loose, sticky ball is formed.
Knead for two minutes on a floured surface. Dough should be firm and soft.
Place dough in a bowl and cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap for 20 minutes.
After the dough has rested, break off eight sections, roll them into balls in your hands, place on a plate (make sure they aren’t touching) and then cover balls with damp cloth or plastic wrap for 10 minutes. (It’s very important to let the dough rest, otherwise it will be like elastic and won’t roll out to a proper thickness and shape.)
After dough has rested, one at a time place a dough ball on a floured surface, pat it out into a four-inch circle, and then roll with a rolling pin from the center until it’s thin and about eight inches in diameter. (If you roll out pie crusts you’ll have no problem with this.) Don’t over work the dough, or it’ll be stiff. Keep rolled-out tortillas covered until ready to cook.
In a dry iron skillet or comal heated on high, cook the tortilla about thirty seconds on each side. It should start to puff a bit when it’s done.
Keep cooked tortillas covered wrapped in a napkin until ready to eat.
Can be reheated in a dry iron skillet, over your gas-burner flame or in the oven wrapped in foil.
While you probably won’t have any leftovers, you can store in the fridge tightly wrapped in foil or plastic for a day or so.
Makes eight tortillas.

Buen Provecho!

Mundo Marino

Carilo, Argentina (and the long-awaited narrative...)

Here are a few pictures from our last minute President's Day vacation. We headed south to Carilo, a small exclusive village about five hours south of us. Although Carilo is right on the beach, it feels as though you are in a small town in the Swiss Alps or a European Ski Resort. The roads are not paved and lined with beautiful summer homes.


There was a small tidal pool where the water was calm, just before the water break that the kids loved playing in. We have never seen sand like this before. The sand was composed of tiny pieces of weathered seashells.


Argentines love their meat! Lomo mean "loin". Bife de Lomo is a Filet Mingon.


We really spoiled the kids on this trip. It was just two days and they have had a long summer stuck at home with me! They each received animal baloons from a clown in the middle of the shopping plaza (mistake - we had to tote hem around for 3 hours afterward) and went on more than their fair share of carival rides. They loved this little train.


Abe continued to repeat, "Stirring and stirring and stirring a brew..."


This little shop was so cute inside. Gnomes everywhere! I couldn't help but wish that a friend of mine from DC who has a gnome collection (most of which her grandmother painted) was there with me. This little shop almost made me want to start my own collection.


I think that this pastry shop was so quaint, however it almost feels as though something is wrong reading the specials in Spanish - where is the German?



It was too bad that I was there with two toddlers who had no interest in actually allowing Mom to shop.


We also spent quite a bit of time at this Game Room. There were moonbounces, bumper cars and a bucking bull. The mouth of this Nemo opened and closed. They would climb in and wait for it to close before they would go down the other slide on the other side.

Free Rice

I am addicted to FREE RICE. I have checked the claim on Snopes.com and it is true! At least if I am going to waste my time, I might as well be helping someone else - maybe I can even count this towards my compassionate service goals!

What a Party!

On Saturday, we were invited to a friend's house for her daughter's first birthday party. We have since learned that the 1st birthday in Latin culture is almost as important as the Quinceañera. It is memorably celebrated because, as in many other parts of the world, many children did not live through the first year of life. The kids played in a huge inflatable pirate ship, ate specialty desserts, and were visited by Mickey and Minnie, Ariel, two Backyardigans, and Lilo and Stitch. Not to mention that the adults enjoyed good company and great food! Our only regret is that Peyton would not keep her clip in her hair for the pictures!

Walking the Tightrope

One of our friends built this contraption over their pool for his 5 year old son. Abe and the other boys were able to take advantage of it on Sunday afternoon...

Horseback Riding Lessons

Argentines love Polo! Today I took the kids to a Polo Club for their first horseback riding lesson. They loved the horses and just laughed and laughed with the instructors. Even little Peyton (apparently she's not so little anymore) will be able to take classes too. It really was a beautiful day...

Tagged

4 jobs I have had in my life:
Chocolate Fountain Business Owner
Environmental Consultant
Assistant Manager of a Tanning Salon (you do what works when you are in HS)
Student Aid in the Financial Aid Office in College

4 Movies I have watched more than once:
Anna and the King
Stepmom
The Incredibles
The Sound of Music

Most of the places I have lived (where do I begin...)
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Virginia
Wyoming(Cheyenne, Casper and Wheatland)
California (Diamond Bar, Walnut, Yorba Linda, Hacienda Heights)
Colorado (Arvada, Colorado Springs, Golden, Fort Collins..)
Oregon
Washington
New York (Buffalo, Syracuse, NYC)
New Jersey
Ohio

2 TV shows that I watch: (when you have to buy them on iTunes, you think twice about whether or not it is worth it.)

Grey's Anatomy
Lost

4 favorite pastime activities:
My new iMac
Lunch with Friends
Friday Night Dinners with Steve
Reading/writing blogs

4 places I have been:
Hershey Park, Pennsylvania
Antigua
Mazatlan, Mexico
San Juan, Puerto Rico

4 people who email me regularly:

My mom
Heather
Sylvia (sometimes more regularly that others! lol )
Elena

4 of my favorite foods:
Plain Chocolate Cake without frosting
Chips and Salsa/Guacamole
Cheddar Cheese (Sadly, we haven't had it in nearly 3 months!)
Cheese Danish

4 places I would like to visit (and plan to in the next 2 years):
Iguazu Falls, Argentina
Patagonia (Antarctica)
Uruguay (Colonia and Montivedeo)
Bahia Blanca, Argentina

4 favorite restaurants:
Taco Bell! (The $200 RT Flight to Santiago Chile really is tempting)
Kansas (Currently, our only hope for good American Food and they are open before 8pm - which means that we can actually take the kids)
Anything Tex Mex (not the Argentine or Virginian version)
Pei Wei

4 things I am looking forward to in the coming year:
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with Steve's family
Seeing my family in Oregon (cross my fingers)
Becoming fluent in Spanish with the kids
Traveling

3 things I am not looking forward to in the coming year (can't come up with 4!):
Moving Again... in June
An 18 hour flight with children
Organizing all of our papers

Tag! You're it! - Sylvia, Alicia, Ie Li, Talai and Katie

He's 30!

Can you believe it? I am so proud of him and his accomplishments! As each year passed, we have tried to predict where we would be in our lives when each of us turned thirty. We would have never suspected that we would be in a foreign country with two children. I could not ask for a more loving, kind and dedicated husband or father. I can only pray that he is afforded another healthy, happy and fun-filled 50 years...

She's All Girl...

...when she is not battling with the boys.

Fruit Market

I bought a large sack of oranges for fresh juice from this stand for 7 pesos (US$2.25).

President Gordon B. Hinckley

"Do you want to be happy? Forget yourself and get lost in this great cause. Lend your efforts to helping people... stand higher, lift those with feeble knees, hold up the arms of those that hang down. Live the gospel of Jesus Christ." President Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

As a convert to the church, President Hinckley is the only Prophet that I have known. He was one of the most wonderful men to have ever walked the earth and lived his life as a beacon for all to follow.

Mission Reunion

It has been more than 10 years since these men served together in the Colombia Barranquilla Mission for our church. This mission, like so many, had very few North Americans, which meant that Steve spent a lot of time with people he thought he would never see again due to life circumstance and borders. They told mission stories, laughed about times they shared, and drank malta (not to be confused with mate) and Postobon, a Colombian orange soda. It was a joy to meet their familes and spend the afternoon practicing my espanol.

EDITED: Steve's companion passed away about a year after this photo was taken.  He had Cancer that was diagnosed shortly after we met. He left behind a pregnant wife and small daughter.

Mundo Jurasico

We took the kids to the robotic dinosaur exhibit. They were so life-like that Abe would not go near them.