Flamingo Beach

It rained all day yesterday and boy, did we get an ear-full from the kids. Ethan is the top contender for best complainer for some of these beauties: "I don't want to spend the whole time in Costa Rica just sitting here!!! We aren't doing anything!!! We haven't done anything fun! Is this what it's going to be like the whole time?!?" It hasn't been that bad - swimming's been fun, right? Or the beach on Monday? You forgotten all that? He's probably just mad that we haven't repeated it? (Slight crush on the girls, me thinks. I don't blame him, they were cute).

Below is a photo of Mr. Top Complainer complaining after we first arrived at the beach today about how the salt water was KILLING his toe, wail, cry, scream, wail - he had three small scratches on his big left toe, which said scratches he got from the edge of the stairs in our pool at home. He wanted a bandaid, but I didn't have one. I tried to explain that a bandaid wouldn't keep the salt water out anyway, but he didn't hear/listen... We've got a communication barrier between us.


Well, this morning it looked like a rainy day again, but we decided to try for the beach anyway, and had a GREAT time. We left our home around 9, it was about a 20 mile drive to Flamingo Beach, so about a half hour. We took a shortcut to the beach (unbeknownst to us at the time). We were riding a steep dirt road over the mountain and a steeper and narrow paved road on the way down, and thought we had reached a dead end at some nice homes on the south cove of Flamingo beach. We decided to head back to where we got on the mountain path and get back on the main road to see if that lead to the main beach, but as we came to a fork in the road I couldn't remember which one we came down, and so we took the one that went toward the beach, thinking if it wasn't the right road over the mountain, then it would probably lead us to the main beach. I didn't think all the people in those cove homes which were really nice would tolerate driving over that steep dirt road everytime they were coming or going. Luckily I was right, and we quickly arrived at a beautiful spot on the beach and had it practically all to ourselves.

Joe, always prepared with his nose plugs.

Joe and Ethan spent the first hour and last our of our time there jumping in the waves. A great activity for young boys (not sure what happened to cure Ethan's toe. Glad he was able to switch off his complain mode). Mel was busy making a sand castle, and it made me think of the differences between boys and girls, men and women. Men/boys looking for adventure and excitement, women/girls looking to create something beautiful... (as much as resources will allow - a stick with a dead leaf for her castle's flag...) and settle down and make a home. I have some of that in me still, I know it's there, wanting to make a house somewhere our home. It just keeps getting pushed to the end of the line of things to do. Corey has said that a home is on his list of acceptable purchases, so that's good. :)

I like something Corey said today, that the ocean provides a perfect combination of exhilaration and calmness for families and kids - Parent's and kids will get calm just watching and hearing the waves, and then you can send your kids out to get up close with the waves and burn some of that energy off while they slightly fear for their lives.

Lily of course loved laying in the dirt, here she is poking it with a stick.

She was so funny, I loved it. I'd try to dig a hole and it would fill up from the water that was in the sand, and of course she assumed it was a little tub for her and crawled right in it and just sat there contently, I was laughing. Corey got some video of it on the Flip Camera, but I don't know how to upload that... I'll see if he can later.

Abi, Lily, and I got a slight sunburn on our faces and backs - we haven't been out as much as the boys who are all turning so dark - their tan line from their swimming trunks is become quite the contrast of white skin to dark skin. They are almost Ticos! (Ticos are what Costa Rican's call themselves).

Abi loved throwing dirt

Wesley was busy building mountains

Hyrum, Ethan, and Joe played in the waves with Corey or I looking on - some of those waves seemed to be pretty big.


Melodie built sand castles, Hyrum joined her while Joe and Ethan kept at the waves.


Eth and Joe joined in on the sand after a while and they had a "sand castle contest".

I asked who won, and they don't know. I guess since we left in a hurry when it was raining, there was not time for the judges to choose a winner. Next trip to the beach I guess.

We stayed there till 1:00, at which time we packed up cause Abi was hungry (no surprise, she eats constantly) and thus fussy. Corey took her for a walk...

...then shortly after he got back it started to rain.

And I even documented my self photographically today

See! I was at the beach, too!

I give Flamingo Beach 5 out of 5 stars for small crowds, beautiful surroundings, lots of shore space to dig, good sized waves - not to big or small. Great beach. We'll be sure to come again!

Individual Action Shots

Continuing our photo session, the kids wanted to capture their individual glory, so Joe was kind enough to lend his nose plugs out so the kids could focus their entire concentration on jumping and not have to worry about holding their noses.

Here's Joe doing a karate chop


Mel - V for Victory!


Ethan - He thought his picture was cool, standing on water!


Hyrum - funny little face



and Wesley -

Now this poor little guy had a scare after this jump. With those little arms reaching upward he plunged into the deep end and his floaties slipped right up and off his arms. I snaped the shot, stood up to show him, and there were two floaties floating by and Wes bookin' it with his little arms and feet doggy paddling as best he could. "Ahh!" I screamed, and all the kids came over to help, but Wes did great and made it to the side of the pool all by himself and considerably shaken up. Now we know: a hand plugging a nose equals an arm locking on a floatie.

Group Action Shots

We decided on Wednesday to get some action shots.

Looks like Wes wasn't ready. It took a few tries for everyone to jump in sync.

Ready? One... Two...

...THREE!

Here's another pre-jump stance shot. I thought this one was cute cause of how they were all plugging their noses.

Why Dads Don't Love Swimming with Kids

It's fun to have a water fight with them them or throw them up in the air like a rocket, not so fun to be a kid magnet. But something about being in the water with them just makes it happen.


Actually, it just occurred to me that this was my fault... if I hadn't given Lily to Corey to hold he could have fought them off and kept having a rough and tumble time. So let me correct myself... Dads probably always love swimming with kids except for when they have to play the Mom's roll.

Wes, so proud of himself that he is holding on so tight.

Trying to Spoon an Apple

Lily looked super cute last night when she tried to get spoonfuls of an apple to eat. She was very patient with herself and just quietly worked. She never got frustrated that she didn't get any apple. I enjoyed watching her try to figure things out. She's a cutie, I love you Lily!

An Afternoon at Tamarindo

Our friends from church are renting an awesome home that backs right up to the beach - it was sweet. Not huge, but nice and modern with granite countertops and stuff with a great yard and location. Here are a few pictures of it, but just from the outside...

They had a covered outdoor patio.

The path through the trees... (Hi Lily!)

Can you see the beach?

Amazing view of the cove, beautiful ocean sounds.

I think I could handle living in a home like this.

The kids all had a great time boogie boarding, playing in the waves, and digging in the dirt.

Ethan and a girl in their family that is his age


And Joe with the girl his age - I didn't get their names, and the kids can't remember. But they were both really cute. Corey was commenting to Joe - "You didn't know when we decided to go to Costa Rica that you'd meet a cute American girl, huh!?"


I didn't bring Abi's swimming suit, but she had no problem with hangin in her panties.

Boogie Boarding

We went to Tamarindo Beach on Monday to visit some new friends from church. They have a boy Wesley age and one a little younger than Hyrum. They shared their boogie boards with Wes and Hyrum, and those two kids picked it up real quick and did awesome. The above shot was my favorite of the two of them. I thought Wes looked like a real pro who had been at the waves for years with that little board on his head. Isn't that cute?

Here are some other shots I got:


Hyrum riding the wave and an upclose shot.


Wesley taking some in, then heading back out for another go.

Taking turns.


Next time, Hyrum's eager to try it standing - let's go surfing!

A Plunger Story

Corey is reading to the kids (8:00 at night, time for bed! I have to get used to having my free time at night instead of morning... I'm adjusting to that) so this is my chance to blog, since my pictures are all on his personal laptop, which is the laptop he's been using all day today. Usually he's on his work laptop. Anyway, hurry hurry!

Ok, so here's a story from today, which I thought I'd share just cause it shows little things about being in a new culture/country that make simple tasks/problems a little tricky to solve and give vacations/trips/adventures their charm.

Problem - a plugged up toilet. I was the last one to use it and flush it, so it was my mess that we had to get rid of, but it wasn't me that plugged it. I'm hoping it was just the beans that's given me a bad case of something and not the water... If it's the water, I'm in for a long 3 months, or I'll just have to not drink from the tap. If it's the beans, it should be gone soon cause we finished those off today. Shirley made them, very tasty, but she didn't soak them overnight... does that cause them to give a bad case of the runs?)

Solution #1 - I look in all the bathrooms and the laundry room/cleaning closet for a plunger.

Culture opinion developed - I really don't understand how people survive without a plunger in the house. Do all Costa Riquenos live without a plunger? I don't understand that. Okay, so gotta move on to...

Solution #2 - go to the store MegaSuper to buy a plunger. Joe, Mel, and Lily accompany me.

New Problem - Can't find a plunger...

Solution #1 - Keep looking. After walking up and down the cleaning and bathroom isles twice, Joseph spots it on the bottom shelf: the bottom of a plunger and bottom only.

Problem: Incomplete plunger.

Solution #1 - Joe offers to step on it at home. haha, he's just joking. Maybe Mel can push it with her hand. They're being silly now. We wonder: do they just sell the bottom part? It's with other bottoms of things like broom bottoms and dusting pan bottoms (their dustpans are attached to handles like you'd see at a theme park) I look at the handles, they are all long. Am I supposed to buy a long handle for a plunger? That's weird.

Culture opinion developed - Can't these people just sell an item ready to go? Are they so tight on store space that they have to keep things chopped up and separated like this, or is it so they can charge me for two different things? What gives?

Solution #2 - After much deliberation and trying but not succeeding at finding the prices of the different handles (varying in length and type: wood/plastic) we decide to just buy the bottom of the plunger and use our dustpan's handle at home, hoping it's the right size in diameter to screw on tight enough to be able to flush the toilet. At the register, after ringing me up, the cashier lady sends someone to go get me the handle to the plunger. I didn't see it there in the isle, maybe they keep it somewhere else, or I'm just blind.

Costa Rican Culture opinion of Americans developed: these silly American tourists, don't they know how to find plunger handles? Were they just going to go home without a handle? What were they planning to use? How do they survive?

In the car, Melodie assembles the plunger. It's ready to go when we are home. I go in to the stinky bathroom. I try to plunge. Nothing. I try to plunge again, it just swishes disgusting water around. Repeat, repeat, repeat...

Culture opinion developed - AAHH!! Don't these people have decent plungers here? What kind of cheap material is this thing made of? I couldn't see what was happening under the surface of the toilet water for it was too murky and non-transparent. In my frustration I just keep shoving it in harder and harder, until it surprises me and all goes down and away. I flush the toilet to get it all rinsed off... FINALLY!!! THESE COSTA RICANS ARE LUCKY THAT THIS PLUNGER FLUSHED MY TOILET OR THEY WOULD HAVE ALL BEEN IN BIG TROUBLE!!!
I fiddle around with the plunger in the clear water to try and puzzle together what had been going on in there. Appears the toilets here in our home have oval holes, and the plunger is a circle, so it wasn't sealing all the way around during my first attempts. When I pushed it harder and deeper it was finally able to get 'er done. Lesson learned. Our toilets have oval holes.

And now this rental home has a plunger.

Swimming with Mom & Dad

Another day in Costa Rica, another day in the pool.

This time, Mom and Dad suited up to play. I made sure the kids didn't splash me, so I could take my camera in the water for some "from the pool" shots. Here's what we got:

Kid 1 - Joe: showing off that he's got possession of the coveted nose plugs. He's got the power!


Kid 2 - Melodie: playing with the shells that she gathered from the Brasilito Beach last Thursday 9/16


Kid #3 - Ethan: showing me how he can dive into the deep area and find the shell he just dropped in.


Kid #4 - Hyrum: Showing me how he can touch the bottom of the pool. Good job Hyrum, keep those air holes above water!


Kid #5 - Wesley: Doing the back float with floaties - great smile.


Kid #6 - Abigail: Just showing her natural beauty.


Kid #7 - Lilian: Playing with Dad. Not wearing the top of her two piece.


Hope posterity doesn't get her confused in the future with a picture almost exactly like this of Corey and Wesley in Brazil - Wes had the Miracle Ball and everything. I love it when I get two photos of two kids that are almost a perfect match, don't you? That picture is on my other laptop. Hmmm, maybe I'll go boot it up so I can show you... Ok, I will... gotta save this, go boot up that, internet on, log in blogger, edit post...

(10 minutes later...)
Here it is:
Oh, I guess Corey had the ball... does that still work? Wes had it in this one...


One of those would work, right? Do I still have a match? I say close enough. (I'm going to make a Go Fish or Old Maid game using family photos someday.)

So, anyway, the kids love swimming with us, and we like it too. They make us feel so important and loved.

(Keep that head up, Hyrum!)