And The Adventure Continues...

Tuesday May 3th - 9:00 p.m. departure time to head back to the US. Still had a ton to do - cleaning and packing. The kids still went to school that day (I won't do that again - messed up packing and I think was the main contributor as to why I didn't finish) I still had a lot to do, but at 5:00 we took a break for an interview with Start Up Chile, for their records, of our experience.


Corey played Illapu on his saxophone, I tried to clean and pack more, it was almost 6:00, and the owner was coming to get the keys and we still weren't cleared out. Corey said "Well, we gotta go, I'll come back and finish it tonight" - I hated leaving things in an un-finished state, I felt unfinished myself, the kids had gone straight from school to a friends house, Lily didn't have shoes, Abi's hair was in her face, but we were off, and I felt like "Well that sucked" - bad way to end the whole experience, in chaos and stress and feeling unsatisfied with the state of things. But what to do, the plane was leaving so we had to go.

In Rodrigo's car on the way to the airport.

Rodrigo helped us carry and check in our luggage. Suckers for the kids from their Sunday Loot - sticky mess - Abi's hair in her face, Lily's got no shoes on and two suckers in hand to keep her quiet - I couldn't find them in the packing mess.


Baggage all got checked in okay, but we didn't have a boarding pass for Lily to be an Infant in Arms, so Corey went to take care of that at the Delta Help office while the kids and I sat and they sucked their suckers.

Got the ticket for Lily, we're good to go! 8:00, plane leaves in an hour, we're good on time, we're gonna make it!

Or so we thought... one last and major glitch at the Chilean Police Department of Investigation Stations: I hand over our passports and Chilean ID cards, they look it over and we're ready to officially part ways with Corey and the boys until we meet again in Utah, but no, "You need to go talk to the PDI Office." The kids and I waited at the gate while Corey talked at the office.

Waiting and waiting for an hour, ...isn't it fun to wait, Lily?

Corey talked in the office with the head honcho who did not look up at Corey, talked to Corey while he looked at his desk papers, did not listen with any empathy, compassion, or understanding or rational thinking, he just kept repeating, "Nope, nope, she can't go..."


Corey calling people at Start Up Chile to see if they can help us out. 8:45 - a guy from Delta comes looking for us, he walkie-talkies the plane to tell them we're stuck with the PDI and aren't going to make it... Oh dear, how is this all going to end? Are we going to loose our tickets and have to buy new ones? Um, that's gonna be around $4000 bucks which we'd rather not spend... come on, guys, give us a break!

In he end, common sense did not prevail. they would not give me and my 4 kids permission to pass because I was attempting to travel with Corey´s children without him without written permission, and I can´t do that under Chilean law, which, we found out, applies to us since we have temporary visas and Chile National Identification cards. Who knew!

Said the head of the police there "You´re practically Chileans..." Well, we´re flattered. But we think he had a chip on his shoulder or some bone to pick, so we were the lucky ones last night. ¨She can´t go without permission...¨ Corey ¨Here I am! I give my permission!¨ Nope, nope, no good. Funny how being there in person giving permission doesn´t hold any weight, you gotta get a typed document that´s notarized and signed.

I told the kids to show me their sad faces... I think Joe wins.

Chile´s National motto has taken on a new meaning for us "Por la razón o la fuerza" Last night that Police chief chose strength, to show the strenght of his word, over reason. Come on buddy, a little common sense! You can look at us, hear us speak, look at our US passports and know we are not Chileans, give us a break. Pretty funny. ¨I´m sure it will become more funny the further we get away from it¨ (-name that movie!)


Luckily, Gabriel was there to save the day by providing the children with food and shelter for the night while Corey called Delta who I will always love as an airline, they switched us to the same time and flight for today with no fees, and then Corey & I went back to our apartment to finish up packing and then this morning we went to a Notario to get a notarized paper for each of us so that we could each travel legally with permission of the other, on flights without each other with our children. Such drama! It makes a good story. I'll give the details of our Wednesday soon.

Dear Lily

As I clean and pack I am finding and scanning over tons of kid papers and drawings and crafts and notebooks, trying to sort out trash from treasure. I just found this gem on the inside cover of a spiral notebook that made me smile, a letter to Lily from Joseph. (spelling in original)

To: Lily Wride my sister
as I right this you're takeing a nap and I'll read it to you at the proper age when you can enjoy it and not tear pages out and ruin the whole tings and mak me start all over again and please let me sleep, everyone needs it just like in the 5th chapter.
Joe
ps, please do what it tells you
and also to Wane Wride my grandpa, Grandpa I hope someday you'll be able to read this book and Love you dearly and thank you for all you taught me. Joseph Wride

(the story he was referred to is not in the notebook, hmm. I'll have to find out if he took it out and is guarding it somewhere else or if Lily really did destroy it again and poor Joe has to start all over.)

Last Day of Church in Chile

A lady at church yesterday who loves my kids and who my kids love brought them over a gallon of treats and cookies to try and bribe them into staying with her AND 7 baby bunnies! Needless to say she had their full attention and I did not have control over them at all at church - They were almost persuaded. Once we got home, I, the government, promptly confiscated all their booty and with threats such as "If you ever want to see your candy again, stop teasing your sister" they all became my reluctant subjects


Another lady in our ward (Mary Joe - she's such a cutie) almost lured Abi into leaving church with her cause she has a pet cat!

I barely talked her out of it with promises of a pet bunny. Kid's minds are so simple - Sometimes I'll see Lily walking around holding a DVD or something and instead of just taking it from her, I like to put quickly and unnoticed by her place a random attention getting object (like a book, piece of candy, cell phone) in her path of vision, and 99% of the time she goes for it. So funny. I think that example is how God also knows what we're going to do in a given situation, but still we are the ones with the liberty that make the choice - he just knows us too well. We are like little toddlers easily distracted, but it helps Him get us where he wants us to go.

I also had to get a picture of Hyrum with Laura - she was in his church class and in his class at school which I think (in addition to being bribed with a Hogwarts Lego Castle) made his time at school much easier to adjust to - they like to play tag and the games usually carried over the weekend into the church block time. "Pinta!"

Waxing Sentimental About Change

This Wednesday I'll be back in the US. These past few days have felt a little strange and different - it's a strange feeling knowing that you are living life but it's really a dream and you will soon be waking up and thinking "Did that just happen?" It will soon all be just be a memory even though it's right before my eyes.

As shared at the beginning of this General Conference message "Nothing is as constant as change" (I love this talk ~ Read it if you haven't, or read it again if you have. It's wonderful!)

But we are all excited for what this next chapter of our life back home in Utah will bring, such as:
~ another precious baby! Am I really going to have EIGHT children?!? Holy cow.
~ a new home to live in and make new memories in, but in a familiar neighborhood with family and many dear friends close by again, it will be great.

On the same note, I've loved the adventure that we've been having for the past 7 months. Some of my personal favorite moments and memories from our 3 months in Costa Rica:

-Watching Corey bury 7 kids at Playa Conchal (I'm enjoying every memory and photo of the beach right now - we had a lot of beach days - that was great)

-Our jungle hike

-Papaya Smoothies (Is there a place to buy fresh or frozen papaya anywhere in Utah?)

-Having the kids with me all day everyday, providing lots of free time to explore and be creative or just bum around the house.

And even little things like the car ride to church every week, mopping that shiny and very slippery floor, making pico de gallo, those little "just daily life" things about Costa Rica are now cherished.

All the daily life moments in Chile are still too familiar to be longed for yet, but I know they will be soon: picking the kids up from school, then driving home with all of them simultaneously loudly telling me about their day, the daily trips up and down the elevator, the city lights, maybe I'll even miss all the cars that honk at me everyday when I drive? I thought it was kinda funny when we first got here, lately it's been really ticking me off and annoying me. Listen people, if I'm trying to turn a corner but I'm not going yet it is because there is a pedestrian crossing the road! You have liberty to honk, but it will not make me move any faster, we just gotta wait until the pedestrian is gone, cause you're not supposed to hit people with your car, OKAY?!?! Let's all just calm down a bit and pause just for a few extra seconds before letting loose with the hand to the horn reaction. Although I do have a goal to try and honk at someone myself before we leave. I mean everybody is doing it, so I probably should too, just to make my Santiago experience official. :)

Wesley's Last Day of Pre-Kinder

The older kids will be attending school on Monday and Tuesday of next week, but today was Wesley's last day.

Wes on the way to school.

Even though I was a little nervous for him on his first day, he took no time to adapt and has loved going to school. Such cute kids in his class and the teachers are just lovely and wonderful in every way.

This is Tia _____

And Tia ______
(All the teachers are called Tia (aunt) instead of Miss)

And in the photo below is Joseph's teacher who comes in to teach her subject to the Pre-Kinder class, and she taught the kids a song that Wesley just loves and makes him laugh his "tickle-me-Elmo" laugh that is just contagious and makes everyone giggle.


There's Wesley on the left drawing a picture of his imaginary friends...

Until he got caught a glimpse in his periferal vision of a plate full of artificially colored snacks

And forgot all about what he was doing...

and proceeded to follow Abi around and sneak snacks off her plate, and the other cute kids in the class were looking longingly at her too, so we had to go since there was not enough to go around.

I'm grateful Abi shared with Lily outside, they munched while we waited for the older kids to finish school for the day and week.

Mmmm... Nothing says "I taste good!" like bright rainbow colors, right?

Our Chilean School Morning Routine

So here is a part of our life here that is "normal" so usual doesn't seem news worthy. But for the sake of my children's blissful reminiscing of this dream they're living, I shall now document our morning routine.

Chile still hasn't started their "fall back" to regular daylight time cause they're trying to save energy, so it's been feeling sooo dark and early in the mornings. I thought the time would switch at the beginning of April, then finally asked someone in the elevator and they said May 8th, and I was bummed cause we're gonna miss it and we were so looking forward to having that extra hour in the mornings. But, we'll be back in the US, and guess I'd rather we go back than stay just for the time switch. So we've pressed forward with the early morning routine.

6:45 - wake up the kiddos.
They get dressed in their uniforms and I go start to make the lunches.

(Yes, that is our kitchen table that Melodie is standing by. Yes, our kitchen is like unto that of a motorhome kitchen. Yes, most of us usually eat standing.)

I always put in four things.
1) Peanut Butter and Jelly/Honey sandwiches everyday (grateful Lider is owned by Walmart and we can find some "Great Value" brand foods!
2) yogurt almost every day, sometimes boiled eggs.
3) Fruit almost everyday, sometimes a juice box or cucumbers
4) Some random snack - chewy granola bars, chips, cookies. They got lucky this day with the Chilean version of Ding Dongs! Happy kids. (Now say "Thank you, Mother!")

All zipped up and ready to go. I win if I get their lunches all made before they're dressed and finished with their oatmeal. Oatmeal is the fall back breakfast. I stopped buying the expensive yet comforting food of cold cereal two months ago after we forked out too much money for their books and uniforms.

Also, after buying all the school supplies I decided against buying them lunch bags that were 10 bucks each cause I didn't want to spend the money, so we've been getting by on reusing ziplock bags. They get a few looks and comments at school, but they don't mind. We can get away with just being the weird foreigners.

Ok, get your books for the day... backpacks on and lunches in? Good. It's 7:30, let's go!
Hop in the elevator!


Down to our parking level at negative 2.

Push the button to open the locked gate to the parking garage.


Walk out the gate into the dimly lit garage...

Take a slight left, then right, and there's our little car that I pray every morning will work another day for us.

Backpacks in the back, kids jump in. Then the 25 minute drive to school. School starts at 8. Looking forward to an extra hour in the mornings back in Utah where school starts at 9, that will be nice.

And that's the Morning Routine!

Easter Egg Hunt

We had a wonderful Easter on Sunday. The Lamberts invited us over for dinner, and it was lovely - Liz made a meat roast, cheesy potatoes, and delicious homemade apple pie - it was so nice - Corey and I were both in heaven and I am so excited to have my crock pot back again NEXT WEEK!!! Well, take that back, I'm sure I won't find it for a few weeks, but still, woo-hoo! I'm excited to be baking soon - I seriously have used the oven here ONE time and that was for frozen pizza - I have cooked everything on the stove top in our little motor home sized kitchen. I made french toast last week as a treat and was killing myself trying to find counter space. I'm way excited to see a lovely big American kitchen again! The Lambert's kitchen is very nice compared to ours in our apartment here, but Elizabeth and I both laughed at I said "Wow, your kitchen is so big!" as we remembered what kitchens in Utah are like - those are big, and it will be great to be back.

Okay, back to Easter - We didn't get plastic eggs, so I asked the kids to make something, and Melodie happily volunteered. She spent two days making these little Easter baskets. Friday was a day off from school for Easter weekend, so all Friday and Saturday she was busy coloring and taping her crafts.


Each one was different. She's so creative. All ready to fill the baskets with treats!


We went to their home at 3:00 and let the kids have their Easter Egg hunt first.


Hiding the goodies


We even let them eat it too - knowing perfectly well it might ruin their appetites for dinner, but the potatoes needed a wee bit more time, so they had fun gathering eggs in the back yard.


Finding eggs - I love toddlers at Easter - they find one egg and they're good! They stop to enjoy it and don't even know they're missing on the hoarding. Love little kids


Then they ate their goodies - can you see the high sugar level in Abi's eyes? She is her mother's daughter. I'm trying to get my love of carbs under control though, but Abi's got it in her blood just like I do.


Sweet Wes-ers

After the kids got their sugar fix, we sat down to a lovely feast.

Big kids got to sit with the adults, lucky lucky! And little kids outside on the patio table.

After dinner we adults visited for the next several hours while the kids played and played with toys and we were hardly interrupted at all! It will be so nice to have a big home again where that might be a more frequent occurrence for us. Next week at this time I'll be back in Utah and Corey will be in the air!

Thanks so much for having us over Elizabeth and Matt! We owe you - when you guys are in Utah this summer (and if you have time) it's our turn - dinner at our house, okay? :)