Thankfulness in our Temporary Home

Another week has passed in a flurry of activity.  Between schoolwork, touristy stuff and living like locals, the days seem short.  I'll do my best to try and recap the past week's activities.

Wednesday 11/20
We spent the majority of the day at home doing school and normal life.  Crystal, Dakota and I also managed to squeeze in a mani/pedi in the house.  My ever faithful friend, Diana, arranged this for us.  It is hard to believe you can have a manicure of that quality done without stepping outside for $10!  We paid Esperanza a little extra because I just felt bad about that price.

Close to bedtime, Crystal, Little One and I headed out to the Exito in Envigado.  We caught a cab about a block from the apartment since it is too far to walk.  The store was massive.  I bet it is twice the size of a Super-Walmart.  They had clothing departments, an electronics section, furniture, household items, groceries and fast food restaurants.  We spent a LONG time browsing.  Little One enjoyed riding in the grocery cart with the little car attached to the front.  She was really good for the trip although I think she said Mami at least 50 times.  If I stopped the cart she insisted I look at whatever she was doing at the time.  So I tried to keep on moving as much as possible :)

Jude caught with a rare smile!

Dakota's mani/pedi

A very rare, peaceful moment

A little ride on jeep here costs over $90!!  Insane.

Brant's favorite snack here.  Thinking about smuggling home a few bags.

Thursday 11/21

Thursday we all headed out on the search for Salipjugos, a fruteria, close to our apartment.  As we walked, we realized our destination was eluding us.  So, we decided to just eat at a little pastry shop/deli close to our place.  It ended up being delicious so I am glad we stopped in.  Later in the afternoon we had an appointment scheduled with our lawyer in his office.  Since my saint-of-a-sister, Crystal, was here we were able to leave all the children but Little One while we went to the meeting.  Good thing since it was an hour long drive each way plus an almost 2 hour meeting.  It was really nice to meet some of the in-country staff who have been working with our case.  I love the hearts of these people and their love for the children of their country.  The views from their office were amazing, the conversation was informative and of course the refreshments they served were equally fattening and delicious!  We arrived back at the apartment about 45 minutes before Brant was scheduled to be picked up by our dear in-country friend.  They were going out to the airport where my parents were arriving that evening!  All of us but the Littles stayed up to greet Nana and Papa.  The kids were so excited to see them.  We visited for a little while before letting them fall into bed to get some rest.

Loving on Daddy a little today

Play-doh boat.  We are REALLY working hard at staying entertained.

Best sister in the world!!!

Our deli lunch and fresh juices

Dessert of course

My strong-willed but oh so sweet Reese.

Seriously.  How do you even choose???

Jude's most common pose.  Bless.

Friday 11/22

Today was spent mostly introducing my parents to our apartment, the local grocery store, the process for withdrawing cash from the ATM, etc.  Later in the afternoon we decided to take our friends up on the offer of the kids coming over to the playground of their apartment complex.  It was a little further than we wanted to walk with the kids and strollers and all.  Since there were 10 of us, we took two cabs.  The kids really enjoyed spending the time outside on the swings and see-saws.  It was a nice break from the apartment. After they played for a while, our host invited us up to his apartment which I LOVED.  It was like walking into an art museum.  It was elegant and tasteful without feeling stuffy.  There were toys for the kids and plenty of food to eat.  Little One has not been eating very well for us.  Her diet so far consists of huevos con mantequilla y sal (eggs with butter and salt which must be over-medium, don't bust her yolk), arroz con mantequilla y sal (rice with butter and salt), pasta con mantequilla y sal (pasta with butter and salt), avena (similar to a pediasure mix you add to milk) and cheetos.  But of course at our hosts home, she all of a sudden takes a couple of bites of mango (which we have offered), plantains (which we have offered, orange and yogurt (which she stopped eating from us a few days before). I have no idea what the difference was, but I am glad she took in something that wasn't smothered in butter and salt.  Even if it was only a few bites. Our host's wife then arrived with a delicious torta (cake) which she had picked up on the way home from work.  It was amazing too.  We left soon after to head out to dinner.  But before we could leave, our hosts gifted Little One with an adorable light-up snowman.  It is nice to have him in the apartment as our only Christmas decoration!

One block away from our friend's apartment was the elusive Salpijugos, so we stopped  for dinner.  Our host and his son walked us there, because people here are just hospitable like that.  They also clearly instructed the staff to take care of us and get us taxis when it was time for us to go home.  The restaurant was indoor/outdoor and had a wonderful play area for the kids.  They were free to roam and wander about while we actually sat and enjoyed our meal.   All restaurants should have places just like this!!!

Makeup time with Aunt Crystal.  Thank God for her since my makeup bag consists of a lip gloss, mascara & eyeliner dropped somewhere in the bottom of my purse!

A little Skip-Bo 

Caught you smiling!!

Glad to have their Nana and Papa here

See-saw action

This slide was so fast.  I laughed every time they came down.

This is our amazing Jaime.  He and his wife, Stella, have been incredible.

Saturday 11/23

This was the sad, sad day when Crystal left us!  We enjoyed having her so much and she was an amazing help and distraction for the kids.  Little One really started warming up and playing with her.  But I know she was glad to get home and see her family again.  Thank you Braxton, Parker and Paisley for letting me borrow her!!

Little One was up during the night with a very high fever.  A sickle cell patient does not have the spleen functionality that other people have.  The spleen protects you against so many infections.  So for someone with SC, the fever could be an indication of something very serious.  Typical protocol in the US is for the patient to be seen in the ER for IV antibiotics and blood work anytime the fever is high.  But we are not in the US!! So what?  Of course my dear friends to the rescue.  Before the day was over, there was a surgeon at our house examining Little One.  A house call for only $15.  He and his son, who served as a translator, were so kind.  Little One was diagnosed with bronchitis and cried during the whole exam.  I can only imagine how tired she is of all the poking and prodding she has already endured in her short life.  Dr. Garcia left me with instructions on 3 different medications she should be taking.  I headed off with Little One to the drugstore a few blocks from our apartment to pick them up.  One of the medications I purchased was the penicillin she will take twice a day, every day until she turns 5 years old.  This is standard practice for SC patients in the United States but was not a medicine Little One was taking.  BTW, a prescription is not required for penicillin here.  You just walk up and buy what you need.  I purchased it for I think $3.  I got back and realized it was in powder form and I needed to do the mixing the pharmacist at home typically do for you.  I am going to be an expert at so many things before this trip is over!! Besides the penicillin, Little One will also take folic acid daily and Hydrea every other day.  Hydrea is a medication used to treat certain types of cancer and leukemia.  It is also used for SC patients because it causes the body to produce Fetal Hemoglobin which basically helps prevent the red blood cells from sickling as often.

While I was nursing Little One, my mother helped with Jude and everyone else headed out with our friends to Happy City.  This is an indoor/outdoor amusement park in El Tosoro mall about 10 minutes from our apartment.  The kids had a wonderful time riding the ferris wheel, swings, bumper cars, etc.  I was glad my dad was able to go and enjoy the afternoon with them and that the kids felt like they got a little treat.  After the Happy City trip, our friends took Brant, my dad, Dakota, Gavin and Reese to get arepas at a restaurant in the mall.  Another blessing from this family.

El Tosoro mall and just a small example of their Christmas decorations.

Sunday 11/24

Sundays in Medellin are interesting.  The main road at the end of our street is a divided highway type road.  On Sundays for 4 hours they close off one side of the divided highway and divert all motorized traffice to the other side of the divided highway.  On the closed off side, only pedestrians, cyclists, roller bladers, etc. are allowed.  I think everyone in the city goes out an exercises on Sundays.  The road is closed that way for miles.  It is also the only time you ever see people in this city in exercise clothes.  No yoga pants for the non-yoga goers or Nike running shorts for the non-runners.  You only wear these types of clothes when actively exercising here :)  And that apparently happens on Sunday.  We decided this was our only opportunity to wear shorts outside, so we all joined in the fun!  It was so fun.  We pushed the strollers and people-watched.  The kids enjoyed seeing all the other children riding tricycles and scooters in the road and the people walking their dogs.  We walked for quite some time and then we started approaching some very loud music.  As we got closer, I realized that there was an aerobics class going on IN THE STREET!  It was great!  Just something you never see in Alabama.  On our way back to the apartment we stopped for some bunuelos at a small stand. These are now a favorite of the entire family.  Little One even likes them even if they weren't covered in butter and salt.  I was glad she was feeling well enough to go out!  Her fever is not as high so I know the penicillin has begun to work against the infection.

Monday 11/25

Since my mom and I did not get to visit El Tosoro mall when the kids went to Happy City, we decided to all catch a cab to explore the mall together today.  It was a really huge and beautiful mall.  We spent hours there just looking around.  The Littles alternated who sat or napped in the double stroller. We grabbed some lunch and Little One actually consumed an entire chicken finger, and then we ate some ice cream (helado) at the creamery of Crepes and Waffles.  I love that place.

Winter in Colombia has nothing to do with a change in temperature.  It is only a change in precipitation levels.  Winter is the rainy season.  Every afternoon we have enjoyed a nice cooling rain.  Tonight, was not a normal rain.  It really stormed.  About 2 in the morning, I was woken up by the thunder.  I walked into the kitchen and on the way stepped into a big water puddle in the floor.  I realized we had a roof leak.  I then looked outside the window.  The road in front of our apartment looked like the Ocoee River.  Rapids and all.  Of course, being the loving wife I am, I immediately woke Brant up to show him our street and our leak.  He loves me.

The view from one of the open-air sections of the El Tosoro mall

Inside the mall.  This place was really something.

Another view of that kid's area

Fresa (strawberry) juice

She is such a Nana's girl

It is the paci or an ever-present scream.

Tuesday 11/26

Zoo day!!!  So glad that Little One was feeling well enough for us to go on another adventure!  Medellin has a zoo called Parque Zoologico Sante Fe.  It is about a 10 minute taxi ride from our apartment.  Prior to leaving, I checked out the admission rates online.  Based on the fact that admission for our entire family was going to only cost us $13, I wasn't expecting very much from the zoo.  I was so wrong!  The zoo was not huge or fancy, but there were lots of animals.  And you were SO close to all of them.  We were all pleasantly surprised.  The kids had a great time and more wonderful, priceless memories were made.

Later that evening, Brant and my dad went out for an evening of tejo with our friend, Jaime.  While they may have enjoyed their evening, I can assure you my mother and I did NOT!  The boys have been pretty terrible during this trip.  I mean just awful.  Screaming, crying, throwing, pouting, destroying, you name it.  But tonight was the worst night by far.  It is all a blur now but I know I went to bed a defeated, exhausted woman.  Payback Brant.....payback!!!

Reese loves her so much and is so sweet to her.  She tolerates him.

These are two amazing, resilient, and beautiful children.  I am so blessed.

Nana did not like this.

Reese and the favorite sofa blanket

Reese's response to Jude's screams.  He does not seem to notice the volume when he is the screamer.

Tejo!!!  Hope it was fun, honey!!!

Papa and tejo

Tejo and pork belly arepas. 

Wednesday 11/27

The dreaded day, Christmas card picture day has arrived. After breakfast, we attempted to get everyone ready for the once a year fiasco that is Christmas card pictures.  In previous years we have featured the kids only I could just take the pictures and no one else had to be subjected to said event.  This year we thought we would be included. Poor Papa.  He and Nana were troopers as we dealt with one Mr or Miss Grumpy Pants after another.  First Little One was mad because we took her out of the new stroller we borrowed from our friends.  She had ridden in it all of 10 minutes and obviously did not think her ride should have ended so soon.  The first several pictures had her with a very displeased look.  Not what we were going for. Then Jude started his ride on the Grumpy Express about the time Little One cheered up and began posing for the camera.  He cried, he screamed, he ate snacks, drank juice and sucked his paci.  Not only that, we were having to time the photos between runners doing some sort of interval training up and down the path we were shooting on as well as the officer with the drug sniffing dog that kept coming up behind us.  He was in a LOT of our shots.  Funny now, but it was definitely not funny Wednesday morning.  We will be picking the best of the worst.  What more can you do!!!

That afternoon, Dr. Garcia came by the apartment for a recheck of Little One.  He said the bronchitis is better but still there.  He gave me further medicine instructions before heading out.  What a gift to our family he has been.

Close to bedtime for the Littles, my parents, Reese and I headed out to catch a cab to go to the huge Exito. In the elevator of the apartment building, I chatted briefly in my very limited Spanish to a lady who stepped on after us.  About a block down the road, the same lady was driving by in a car.  She recognized us and stopped.  She asked if we were going to Exito in Envigado (were we wearing a sign???) We finally realized she was offering us a ride when she yelled, "Let's go!!"  We piled in her car and had a crazy conversation about Hawaii, casinos, her lack of English and babies.  It was so funny and something that would only happen here.  I seriously love these people. She dropped us at the door and thanked us for riding with her :)

We got a little shopping done and Reese did not melt down but he was on the verge.  On the next to last aisle he yelled, "WHERE ARE ALL OUR KIDS????"  He notified me that we needed to go home "right now".  We checked out and starting hailing a cab.  We loaded all our groceries in one that said they were available for the area of town we "live" in.  After we all loaded up, I told the cabbie the address and he began screaming at me.  In Spanish.  Now I can understand a lot of what I hear. But not when it is that loud or that fast.  When he finished his tirade, I asked him in Spanish if he wanted us to get out.  He began screaming again so I took that as a yes :)  We unloaded all the groceries and reloaded with a sane and nice taxi driver.  You should have seen Nana's and Reese's faces :)

Later that night after everyone except Brant and I were in bed, we heard a lot of commotion outside.  This is so common that at first I gave it no thought.  But it became overwhelmingly loud after a while.  So we peeked out the window and realized there was some sort of bicycle race going on.  At 10:30 at night on a Wednesday.  No idea.  To top it off, right after we figured out what was happening out there, two bicycles wrecked right outside our building.  We people watched and speculated on the strange timing for a bike race before turning in for the night.

My sweet, no longer little, girl

I almost gave up and just made this the Christmas card from us all.

My guys

Dr. Garcia.  I love that he carries the exact sort of bag I pictured a doctor  on a house call would carry.

Thursday 11/28     Thanksgiving!!!

Thanksgiving in Colombia!  The majority of our day was spent at Arvi Park.  We wanted to get a really good lesson in navigating some of the public transportation options in Medellin (which are fabulous by the way).  So we used Christine, the driver/translator provided by our in-country team, to show us the ropes. Christine came to our house and we walked down to the bus stop.  We took a bus to the metro station. Three metro trains later along with one incident where Reese almost lost a leg in the metro door while Brant did a hero block of the doors and we arrived at the suspended metro cables (gondolas).  We took two different suspended gondolas to get to the the top of the mountain where Arvi Park was located. The views on the way were just breathtaking, humbling and unbelievable.

The suspended metro took you over what I could only describe as a slum area. This is the place people began to flee to during the time of Pablo Escobar in the 80s and early 90s.  The residences are just piled one on top of the other.  The government has made tremendous efforts to provide transportation to the people who live here so they can get to jobs as well as make utilities available.  One thing I found interesting is that cable and utilities are done on a prepaid card type system.  For example, you could load your utility card with 10,000 pesos and use the utilities until that 10,000 pesos is spent.  Then you would not have utilities again until you reload your card.  Same for cable.  You prepay whatever you want to on the card.  Then you can choose to watch a particular show for a particular amount of pesos.  Never seen that anywhere else.

When we arrived at the park, it was much cooler due to the high elevation.  There were some food and handmade craft vendors at the entrance to the park.  We stopped and had some bunuelos, empanadas and other snacks while we browsed through some beautiful handmade earrings which they were selling for $2 or $3 a pair.  Then we caught a bus to another part of the park where we spent the rest of the day. On the bus, was another family with two children ages 2 and 6.  They also had a cousin with them, named Pablo, who just returned from Canada where he spent 5 or 6 months learning English.  They were a very sweet family who we continued to bump into all day and even on our return back into town that night.  The park was a beautiful huge bit of nature with tons for the children to do which was what we were looking for.  There was an indoor playground, outdoor slides and obstacle courses, food vendors and ropes courses among many other things.

After we had explored, played and eaten our share, we began to head to the canopy for our 3:00 pm time slot.  My mom, Christine, the Littles and I all waited for the next couple of hours while the others enjoyed their ropes course and zip-lining.  Papa and Gavin went on the course for his age while Brant and Dakota went on the other course.  The Littles were surprisingly good for such a long wait. Pablo, our friend from the bus, helped keep the boys occupied.  He is amazing with children.  Of course, in keeping with the theme of our adventure here in Colombia, we missed the last train down from the ropes course.  So the security guards had to call in a golf cart type thing and someone's personal truck to take us down to the entrance to park to catch the bus which would take us back to the Metro cable.  We got there with only 20 minutes to spare before they would shut the suspended cable down for the night.  That was cutting it close!

We then went through the same transportation process we had gone through earlier in the day but in reverse.  When we exited the metro we opted to search for cabs instead of waiting for a bus.  As much fun as we had, we were all exhausted and ready to get home for our Thanksgiving dinner! We arrived around 7:00 pm and I bathed the kids while Nana finished up our lasagna feast.  It was perfect as her lasagna always is!  To top it off, Jaime and Stella had come by our apartment and left a gorgeous, huge coconut cake with the doorman to our building.  They had a sweet Happy Thankgiving note attached.  Have I told you what a gift from God they have been??

Daddy entertaining the Littles with balloons while I get ready for the park

Metro bus ride

View from suspended metro cable 

These are the gondolas we rode in up the mountain

Starting out with sleepy babies in our laps

Little market at the park entrance

I have nothing to say here.

Face painting for the kids

Dakota on the ropes course

I just love this picture

Our new friend, Pablo!

Gavin's rope burn injury from rappelling

Wherever Jude is a crowd follows.  They talk forever about his eyes.

While our Thanksgiving was not very traditional, it was near perfect.  Beautiful weather, a healthy family, my parents visiting and tons of memories made.  This was a true Thanksgiving to remember.  The Lord has blessed us with so much.  As I looked at the homes we passed over on our way up to the park, I thought about our financial blessings.  When I looked at the little faces surrounding me, whether they were smiling or crying, screaming or showing me some new treasure, I thought these are my true blessings.  I have so much more than I could ever deserve.  While this journey has been excruciatingly difficult, painful even at times, I know that there are brighter days ahead.  Continue to pray with us as we learn to juggle it all.  Especially pray for Jude and Reese.  As much as I make light of their behavior, it has become an overwhelming challenge for us.  Some days it seems just un-doable!  We trust and believe that you are all continuing to lift us up in prayer.  I am so thankful for all of you and your love and support!