So things have gotten better. Friday our air shipment from CA arrived and just a bucket full of cars was all Teac needed to keep busy and happy for hours. Now I have all of my spices- just not my pans- I am making a list for next time, and more clothes to wear. (If I could only get them to fit.)
Saturday was a good day. We went to play soccer with some of the guys from work against another team. They had a referee and everything. James and I took turns on baby watch. The best part was running and being outside... and not being totally terrible inspite of the altitude, postpartum, and lots of other excuses I can't remember right now. It felt great!
That night we were invited to the home of some members here. They are about our age and have two sons 4 years old and 8 mos. They live next door to her parents so we spent time chatting (I was left alone in the room with the other women for a while and had to hold my own in Spanish thank you very much) and had Colombian tamales- they are wrapped in plantain leaves and on the inside is a cumin-flavored corn masa around a chicken leg, an egg, and a little piece of pork fat. They were actually quite tastey- even Marlo liked them.
Sunday was a nice day at church- it looks like I am going to be working in the primary. Our friend took the baby and put him to sleep with cowboy songs... it was nice to be able to listen to the lesson. We had a friend over for linner (lunch + dinner). He has 4 kids back at home that he has been away from for 6 mos and he was missing the chaos which we happily provided. We introduced him to Settlers of Catan, had apple crisp, and it turned out to be a very nice day.
Potty training is an interesting process. so far Teac can stay totally dry. He will even tell me at a friend's house that he wants to go. However, he still insists on hiding for everything else leaving very messy underwear. He even thinks it's gross but I so far have not been able to convince him to tell me. If I catch him and put him on the toilet he will go while I read him a story.... we'll get there soon.
Yesterday, I cleaned the kitchen, did all the dishes, organized my closet and bathroom, moved Ethan into Teac's room (we'll see how that goes) and all-in-all had a very good day. Then Ethan woke up at 4 this morning and was ready to be very cute and sociable. I am very tired- but not overwhelmed like I was last week.

Zoe says I look like a total

rock star with those shoes and jacket. She says the jacket is very Hannah Montana. The girls decided that Marlo had the rock star look too and Zoe had the princess look. It was really fun for them.

Since most of our things won't be here for a couple of weeks yet, the girls have decided playing beauty parlor with mom is one of the preferred activities. We take turns doing each other's make-up and hair- then pick out an outfit. The person has to subject themselves without looking in the mirror until they are all done. Here are some of the results of Sunday's session. Marlo did my make-up and hair, and Zoe did my clothes and jewelery.

Unfortunately we finished aobut an hour before bed time so we had to wash it all off pretty quickly.

So I think I need postpartum therapy. Or maybe some other treatment. Life is good here. The kids are doing well, and I am exhausted. We have met some really great people here. Last weekend was regional conference. They were looking for a choir pianist and James was recruited. After one practice someone volunteered to come watch all of our kids so that I could go sing with them. It was a fun experience as I haven't sung in a choir for over three years.... our group in china just wasn't big enough. It is a stretch for me to sing soprano right now so it was good for me to have to remeber all of my exercises and good posture to hit some of those notes.
Also this weekend we celebrated 10 years of marriage. Some times it feels impossible that it has been this long- on the other hand, 4 kids are pretty good evidence. New country, new baby, new body (I think I'll try and get the old one back), new friends, new food, new budget, new language.... not many things in my life are constant right now. Some people might say this is a good thing... usually it is. I just need extra motivation to look at it that way sometimes.
Today was one of those days. Marlo woke up in a funk. She couldn't find her school sweater... we still don't know where it is. I was supposed to go out to lunch and so I rescheduled the handyman coming to get my dishwasher useable, when the time for lunch got rescheduled too close to when the handyman was coming. And since I was going to lunch, I got in the shower, got dressed (I try and do that at least every other day), then got the baby clean and in clean clothes, sat down to feed him when he spewed milk all over himself and me.... so much so that I had to change everything I was wearing... and his clothes too. Thankfully it was not all over the furniture as well. I started to cry and then just gave up. I decided to get the vacuuming done that didn't get finished on Sat, put the baby down for his second nap, and sat down to the computer to vent. I should be in ironing the clothes, or folding a load, or washing dishes or something productive. Poor Teac has had the TV for a companion all day. I also figured out today that our shower tile does not drain well so water collects and sits in certain spots creating slime.... I am going to have to clean it more often, or just wipe it down after I shower because it turns the white marble yelllow.
I think I have a talent for avoiding things... today I could have just gone back to bed. I tried but the baby wasn't tired anymore and kept making cute sounds as he lay next to me on the bed. Tomorrow is playgroup so that will get me out of the house for sure.

So he will be 2 months old on Friday. That is just about right for my hormones to be a mess. James has been very supportive and understanding. Sometimes it is hard to know if I am feeling stressed because of the new move, feeling trapped in the house, lack of cooking equipment or if I can really blame it on the hormones. Yesterday the boys and I walked to the grocery store about 5 blocks away. For a small tip they will help you walk back to your house with your shopping cart. It was about a 20 min walk and Teac did great. He walked all the way there without complaining and then rode in the cart back.

Ok so things are quite expensive here. You can buy most anything from pickled palm hearts to balsalmic vinegar. I even saw canned lichi fruit that they grow in China. Baking soda on the other hand.... not so easy to find. I'm sure someone got a good laugh of me following the store manager all over the place as I tried to explain to him what baking soda was, some of its uses (hoping that they just carried it in a different section), and trying in my broken spanish to help him understand.... just ending up back where I started- at the spices section with no soda. Baking in general is just going to have to wait until my spices and pans arrive in a week or two.

Oh and did I mention I have a hard time with beans. I like black beans... so does my family.... I do well at soaking them over night, starting them on a low simmer in the morning, it's just the rest of the process that seems to overcome my attention span. Last week I boiled them over spilling blackish-purple juice all down the back of the stove and into the cupboard, not to mention burning it on the burner. Today I just boiled them dry until they burned... I thought I smelled something.... so I guess we'll start over and try again.

This picture is all about cheeks and chins.

The lighting is dark but you get the idea....occasionally he smiles big enough that we see at least one dimple.

Some have requested some updated pictures of Ethan so with his wiggling and my less-than-professional photography I will attempt to get some good ones. He has just started looking at us and smiling... and he has just started getting demanding as well....maybe it was something I ate because for the last four days I have had a really hard time finding time to do anything but hold him. The sling has been helpful, but that makes my back tired....well at least he's asleep right now. :)

Just two days after she turned 6, Zoe lost her first tooth. Bottom front left

She says she colors her hands in class while she is paying attention.

That night to celebrate we went out for ice cream to a great place practically across the street called Crepes and Waffles. Nice change from China... they have very tastey ice cream here. Blackberry seems to be a common flavor in everything. I wonder if it grows close by.

Saturday Zoe turned 6. For breakfast we had apple crepes and then opened presents. That afternoon we went to a friend's house for their little boy's birthday and lunch. They were so great and had everyone sing to Zoe as well and even had a present for her.

The other side of closet heaven....but it is difficult to help you understand- it is a small room- almost as big as one of the kid's bedrooms. It even has a full length mirror inside.

If you turn around from the main sink there are two doors... one goes to the shower room, and the other takes you to closet heaven. This is just a glimpse of the shelving and beautiful drawers...

This is a strange picture.. but if you stand in the jacuzzi tub (if only there were enough hot water to fill it...) you can look through both glass doors of the shower and see the other sink.

This is the master bathroom.... the other sink is in the shower room just to the left. You can't see them very well but there are beautiful wood floors.

The other side.... and Marlo all ready for school on PE day.

Master bedroom- right now Ethan is with us but that is going to change...

Walk through the laundry room and you reach the maid's quarters... if only we had one

;) it is our storage room and only place for a freezer wsh we didn't have to give up the bedroom for it.

This is the laundry room... stackable full size (so they say) washer and dryer... note the cool hanging rack rigged on the ceiling for drip-drying- it has a handle on the wall for raising and lowering it. Also the cool flat sink you can see on the counter... it has lots of small tiles in the basin for scrubbing and a stream of water that cascades accross it when you turn it on. It is a small room, so just don't try and get anyone to help you while you are there.

Marlo got the queen-size bed that can double as a guest room if any of you should feel the need to come south :)

Turn around in Zoe's room and you have a walk-in closet with beautiful shelves and her own bathroom with shower. In fact, every bedroom has its own bathroom and great closet.

This is Zoe's room- the boy's room is very similar with these great built-in bookshelves with cupboards below for hiding toys.

The front door is just to the right. The study is through the glass doors to the left, and the living room is at the end.

That is the front door on the closest left. The living room is to my back, the master bedroom door is at the very end, and the family room is just next to it on the left.

Down the hall from the front door, opposite end from the living room is the family room.

This is the study.. it also has a fire place....we will see how it looks once all of the computer stuff arrives :)

Kitchen... to my left is the fridge and a small pantry, to my right is the oven and microwave... down the corridor to the left you access the stairs, frieght elevator, and can get to the laundry room. Lots of counter space but so far I hate the white floors... who has the energy to mop every day?

From the living room you walk through these doors to the dining room, make another right and you are in the kitchen... like our view of the neighbor's building? The floors are beautiful though.

The dining room... with the view of the balcony.

This is our living room.... and closest to where I am standing there is room for the piano... the fireplace surround that you can't see very well is green marble.

This is out the same window looking the other way. The living room and dining room both look out on the street. The dining room has a balcony off it and a sliding door through which they are going to have to creatively deliver the piano... I will definately post pictures of that!

The next few pictures will give you an idea of our house and what it is like where we live. This is a view from our living room window. Aparently we are very lucky to be in our permanant housing from the begining. Most people here are in a hotel for up to a month because the housing is so tight. I feel very blessed.

First day of school in Bogota.... here is the school website if you would like to see what it looks like: http://www.cng.edu/ 1st and 3rd grade ... so far so good.

I think he looks like his dad.

Same photo shoot...

Ethan 5 weeks old

This I need to get blown up for the wall. I didn't get many other pictures that day, so if anyone has some- I would love it if you would send them on.

Wish I could figure out how to turn this... I know the image is a little dark, but I love the look in her eyes. This is just before her baptism in AZ. Thank you so much to everyone- especially Papa- who made it happen for her. So many people were there to support her. I know some of you couldn't make it but wanted to.

Princess Zoe- if there was any doubt.

The night before we left to AZ Grammy decided to throw Zoe an early birthday party complete with doll cake, presents, and crazy singing relatives (just kidding). It was great fun. I am especially glad since we have only been here two weeks and I don't have any way to bake a cake, and she doesn't know anyone she would really like to invite... so it will be a nice family day I think.

Sometimes having a little brother is like having your own personal, live, doll. :) Hey, at least they don't put him in girl clothes and paint his nails.

Marlo in action.

We were in CA long enough that I signed the girls up forr gymnastics twice a week. They loved it. Here is Zoe, a head taller than everyone else... I don't think she is headed for a career in the sport but maybe something else :)

Grandpa was refinishing his saw table and Teac found a good way to help. The sad face is because he couldn't figure out how to get back out...

Inspite of his crazy schedule uncle Scott took time to take the kids out to fly his toy... and stop by for birthday dinners etc.... we were so glad to see him.

3 weeks, eyes more open, and he definately looks better in red than Teac did.

Baby at 2 weeks old...

This is the proud big brother holding the little guy. His favorite thing now is to tell me when Ethan is crying... even if I am already holding the baby and doing my best to quiet him. Inspite of my worries in the begining, Teac is very gentle with the baby and mostly stays clear of him. We'll see what happens when he's mobile.

Here is Ethan just before we left the hospital. He didn't seem to open his eyes for at least 2 weeks.

and 6 hours later.....

4 days past my due date, here I am before we leave to the hospital to be induced. I just couldn't take the waiting... and the thought of us not being able to travel together was enough to convince me to let them do it.

Here we are just 3 days before I am due... and I am still pregnant. Can you tell how the summer went for me? Auntie's nice tan is proof of how much time she spent watching the kids out at the pool for me. What a life saver.

Before this summer I think the kids were a little afraid of Uncle Johnny "the bear". He made such an effort to come over after work and to play with the kids that by the time we had to leave they would all run to see him when he came in the door... especially Teac who loved to use him as a human trampoline.

We did manage to make it to the beach a couple of times.... the kids had a blast building and digging and riding boogie boards. The water was so cold my ankles hurt just standing in it.

It takes a lot of talent to pose for a picture while you are trying to swim and hold your breath...I think he looks great though.

We spent many days in the pool. Everyone really improved their swimming and their tans because of it. We were so glad to have cousins there to play with.

Here we are celebrating Marlo's birthday with desert in the afternoon... it was difficult to fit all of the parties in and make sure the kids still went to bed after desert. She has decided she likes cookies and ice cream better than cake so this is cookies and cream ice cream sandwiched between two giant homemade chocolate chip cookies. It was pretty good. :)

Here we are by the drinking fountain in the lobby of the theater... you can kind of see my pregnant belly.. this is about 3 weeks before I delivered.

Grammy and grandpa bought tickets for us to go see Wicked in Los Angeles as our birthday presents this year. Here are the girls in the theater waiting for it to start... I think everyone else got the cute pictures our front on their cameras. Oh, and yes we loved the show... I think we listened to the sound track at least 50 times over the summer.

Marlo received the Settlers of Catan as a gift for her birthday from the Smiths. We played it many times over the summer and some nights there was a little love lost because of it. It is one of our new favorites. For Marlo it was a toss up between the game and the Hannah Montana shirt from her cousins.

For Marlo's 8th birthday she got to go with Papi and the big kids to Magic Mountain. I think her stomach handled it better than Papi's did, inspite of the dramamine. Can you tell how much fun she had? She was just tall enough to go on most of the cool rides.

As part of the 4th of July festivities the big boys all went paintballing. The little kids wanted to go, but for obvious reasons didn't, so when they got back, Uncle Steve drew the short straw and played target while the little kids shot at him on the hill. Zoe hit him several times. :)

Some friends in the ward couldn't use their Dodger tickets one night so the four of us went. It was so fun... the Dodgers even won!

One day the kids were out front when a neighbor drove by with his cool car, stopped, and asked if the kids would like a ride in the jump seat (rumble seat?). They had a blast riding around the cul-de-sac and back.

I think they look related... some day they may laugh at this picture.

So the first time you "solo" they tear your shirt and write on it....the theory is something like it gets so sweaty while you are wearing it because you are so nervous that you need to save it for posterity... either that or to always remind you how cool it was.

Papi fulfilled a life long dream off learning how to fly airplanes... it was hot, but even the kids got excited about seeing him up in the air.

July is the birthday month.... but this is in June. I think we are celebrating Hyrum's birthday. Between June and July I think we cover 1/2 of the family. One great thing about staying with family and friends is they actually enjoy having my energetic kids around... and my kids love having someone other than me to play with.

The gang enjoying the shade...

Staying cool in AZ is such a trick that even the parks have water play grounds.

june 2008- glad to see he's thinking about safety at an early age...

After many haircuts by me while we were in china, I finally took the girls to have someone else cut it.... not sure if they did any better but they had a blast. They seem to look cute no matter what.

This was the summer for lost time. We played and swam with cousins and all of the kids got nice and tan. I figure we had to make everyone sick of us so they would be happy when we left again. ;( Torturing one another seems to be part of the bonding process.

After CA we rode a small plane to Flagstaff through a thunderstorm. Had a whirlwind of adventures with grandma and grandpa and then went down to Mesa to warm up where we filled up our friend's house for a couple of weeks with kids and chaos. Unfortunately I felt like such a bum with the heat and being pregnant. I was happy just to lie on the couch... thank you to all who were so patient with me.

After the earthquake in Chengdu, our flight got canceled, we managed to get on another one and slipped out of town with our house still full of boxes. We made it to CA for a week to see doctors and drop off our huge bags- my parents are really good sports.

This is Teac sporting his new hair cut at uncle Johnny's softball game.

Here we are with some of the members of our little church group at Peter's Tex Mex restaurant a couple of nights before we left china.

So much has happened since I posted last.... we left China 3 days after the earthquake, to AZ for 3 weeks, then back to CA for a few months to wait for the baby to be born and get ready to travel. Along the way we celebrated several birthdays and got to spend a lot of time with family and friends. It was great. I am going to try and catch you up by posting a few of my favorite pictures. This is Ayi and the kids wearing the great sweaters that she made for them just before we left China.