Days 3 and 4

We had a whirlwind couple of days accompanied by spotty internet so it was hard to do a post. On day three we took a guided walk through a cloud forest complete with about eight hanging bridges. 

We then took a ride up a sky tram to the top of the forest. Most of the day was a downpour so we don't have a lot of pictures. We then went into a small town for lunch and for the chance to look around.

Ethan, who slept through lunch because of a increasingly painful earache, needed something so we took him to the equivalent of the urgent care clinic. The doctor there said he did indeed have an ear infection and prescribed antibiotics. We started him on them that night and he was already better the next morning. 

Yesterday we drove four hours (seeing a troupe of monkeys along the way) 

to see a pottery demonstration 

and take a boat ride where we saw lizards, birds and crocodiles. 

We then drove two more hours to see the oldest church in Costa Rica 

and then beach where we will stay for the next two days. We are all glad for the break from driving! 

Costa Rica day 2

Today was jammed packed with fun. The kids woke up at 5:30 in the morning and we ate a big breakfast then we took off for a day of zip lining through the Costa Rican canopy, horseback riding, tubing down white water rapids and soaking in natural hot springs. It is 6:45 and I feel ready for bed!

We coated ourselves with mineral-laden mud before soaking in the springs.

Everyone was so impressed with the bravery of our kids. We all had a ton of fun! 

Here is a photo from our first day... Juice in a bag with a straw. It was the sweetest pineapple juice ever! Apparently it is fruit season here. Hooray!

Costa Rica day 1

Yesterday we drove to the airport where we surprised Elia and Ethan and told them we were going to Costa Rica. Of course they were shocked. At home they figured we were going someplace, but we told them it was a surprise. They guessed everything from schlitterbahn to chuck e cheese to itz. Nana mentioned something about Passports and Ethan said, "I know! It must be McDonalds!!" I guess it's good that Ethan thinks mcdonalds is foreign enough of a place to need a passport :)! We got in late last night and they were so excited it was hard to get them to go to sleep.

This morning we woke up to a beautiful pool with a water slide... The town of Liberia doesn't have much to see, so after a quick trip downtown we came back to swim more.

Arkansas

I rarely get a chance to have all the family in the same place at the same time I wanted to post an updated family pictures That I took during Thanksgiving vacation with the Bushes in Arkansas.

Eric and Jen's Birthday

Eric and I celebrated our birthdays this month. I had been wanting a dressy necklace since my jewelry box got stolen last year and Eric surprised me with a really nice pearl necklace, bracelet and earring set. He also got a new watch battery put into my watch for me... one of those things I never got around to doing. We also went out for lunch and to a movie with the family. For my birthday I am also doing something I have wanted to do for the last 10 years... take guitar lessons! I had my first lesson a week ago.

For his birthday I signed us up to do a mud run/obstacle course. The thing was, it cost $75 per person to run unless you volunteered to help at the race for half the time... Not wanting to spend $150 to run, we volunteered from 7-12 and then ran the race after.

Eric ran the 10K and Elia and I ran the 5K. We had a lot of fun. I had an especially good time running with Elia. She is so athletic... I know I am going to have a hard time keeping up with her as she gets older. It makes me want to stay in shape because I know she enjoys spending the time together too and I know running makes her feel good because it is something she is good at. Poor Eric ended with big holes in is feet after he took the advice of another guy (who has apparently done a lot of races)who told him not to wear socks because of all the mud and water.

Ethan was in mud heaven... throwing mud balls into water and climbing on the muddy mountains. I brought a spare change of clothes for everyone. The only kid who survived a change of clothes was Kara who got special treatment:

 Eric's race:

 Zip line at the end:

 Mechanical Bull:

 

We finished off the day with some nice Texas BBQ at Spring Creek BBQ. What an awesome and exhausting day.

Jen's birthday

Yesterday we celebrated my birthday in style. It started off with the waffles with ice cream for breakfast... A birthday tradition. Next, we went out to our neighborhood garage sale. I got to look at as many garage sales as I wanted without Eric saying he was done. We had a blast and came home with 32 u.s. mint proof coin sets, a compound bow for Eric, a jewelry box for Elia, a "secret stash" box for Ethan to stow his treasures in, a family game and a puzzle, two books for kara, and a new bike helmet for Ethan.
Eric surprised me by replacing the battery in my watch all by himself. He had purchased a watch repair kit a few months ago and put it to use. He also bought me a very nice string of pearls with a matching bracelet and earrings. Since my jewelry box got stolen I don't really have much jewelry anymore. In the afternoon, we did a few things around the house before heading to Jason's deli for dinner and then to the movie theater to see the movie Brave. It was a happy day. I felt very loved especially with the cards from the kids and Eric's thoughtful surprises. Elia even gave me $2.00 from her allowance! How thoughtful! That's a lot of money to her and she wanted to give it to me! I love my family!!!
I feel like I got so much for my birthday today!
Next up is Eric's birthday in 13 days how am I going to measure up?!

Elia's baptism

Elia was baptized and Sophie was blessed on Saturday. We were lucky to have lots of family and friends come... Including Eric's best childhood friend. Their kids had never been to the beach so of course we had to go there. On Saturday we went to a hummingbird festival at a local park. They had lots of fun activities for kids. Kara even got to release a hummingbird! At four we blessed Sophie and then Eric baptized Elia. She is growing up so quickly. She is an amazing girl with so much potential. I was reading in a talk from our lds church conference about trying to gain a vision of ourselves as the Savior sees us. I was thinking about what life might have in store for Elia. It is just amazing to think about. She can do and be almost anything she wants! Thanks for all the support from our friends and family. We love you all!