March 7, 2010

Can it really be Sunday already? We've been here a week, and it seems like a blink and time is gone. The kids are learning SO much....they are picking up on Spanish, and even doing a little arguing in Spanish with the neighborhood kids. Comical to watch and listen to!

The volleyball net is a huge hit, and kids are around all the time now...Brinley played literally all day yesterday! She even skipped going downtown with us......
The roosters, dogs, and squeek horns are really getting on my nerves! No sleep last night. A few blocks away, a neighborhood is having an anniversary party of the opening of their neighborhood.......loud music all night, heard in our house like it was outside our door. They have fireworks here that are hand made, and there are no laws limiting the amount of dynomite. I seriously jumped out of bed twice last night when they went off....thought we were being bombed.

We have several long-term volunteers here.....Luke and his wife have been here 1 month and are staying for 5......he is from Lidgerwood, ND! There are others from Indiana, Washington, and several universities....they all live with families as well. A family with 4 kids our age arrived for a couple of days....they have been in Peru for a year....Can't imagine!!! It just amazes me how people are so willing to give up their time and talents to help out down here.....everyone has their own projects that they are working on.......

The boys will be getting some paint and re-painting the BB court lines....this is their special project they want to do this week....Hmmmm...wonder why?? LOL

Bridger has been a little naughty.....trying to "scare" the lying, sleeping dogs on the street. He makes a fast step towards them, trying to scare them.....when we were in the barrios yesterday, he did this and a dog nearly attacked us. Maybe a lesson learned? He turned white as a ghost and then he got a very verbal lashing from me! He also likes to stick his head out the window and crow at the roosters to get them riled up.......gonna choke that kid!

Despite all my efforts to control what the kids eat, or drink, they still are "pressured" by their peers....Brinley had something us gringos call "liquid typhoid".....I freaked out, of course. She said she only had a bite or two....so far so good, no symptoms of illness. I guess they will learn the first time they get deathly sick....

We are SO thankful that our house mom Mercedes takes such good care of us! We are served meals restaurant style, she does all the cleaning of our bathroom and bedroom floors. She does all of our laundry by hand, which is a HUGE chore! The kids wear their clothes until they are almost crawling which saves on the amount of laundry, but not so much the time.......

I would say we are all about to start growing feathers....chicken, chicken, chicken! Chix n rice, chix n potatoes, chix n potato salad, UGH! All those carbs rev Bridger up, and make me very tired!!! Not a good combination. The food is VERY good, however it's very repetitive. Today we are having lunch at Mario Bazaan's family. Mario lived with us for about 3-4 months one year. He is living in Chicago with his son Delton who is also a good friend of ours.

Soccer tournaments starting, and the kids are already sunscreened up and off to watch...gives me a little quiet time....well, as quiet as it gets, I guess :-)

Yesterday the boys and I went downtown to the warf, Plaza, with Miguel.....so many nice changes since I was here last. We saw the boats//ships, and had a nice time walking around downtown......we found a pastry shop and wanted to get some pastries, but thank God Bridger reminded me we still needed 4 soles to get back home!!! Maybe next time.

The biggest thing that sticks out in my mind is a comment from Brinley and Bridger....."Mom, when do we get to see the poor kids?" I said, "REALLY? Look around!" They told me, "these kids aren't poor....they are HAPPY!" What a PROFOUND view from a 7 and 10 year old who have "everything." We had a long converstation about how really, we are the ones who are poor, because we cannot find happiness...we always want more, we always want the 'best'.....my kids found happiness in using a string for a VB net! Brookston has been smiling more than I've ever seen him...he usually just mopes around with lowered shoulders. Now, he's off and making a difference.......I AM SOOOOO PROUD OF THESE KIDS!!!!

Yesterday, without discussing it with me, Brookston gave his nice pair of BB shoes away.....he decided that his "old" ones that he wears daily here were good enough, and Miguel needed them more than he did......OK---gotta admit I was upset for about 1 second, then I cried.

Gotta go.....boys said they lost Bridger.....UGH!!
More later