Costa Rica Vacation, Part III

Since we are on vacation, we took it easy the last couple of days and enjoyed ourselves. We went swimming in the pool, walks in the rain, to an observation deck in town with some great views and today, we went to a Zoo in nearby La Garita.

 Amelia loves relaxing in the hammock swing on the back porch. It is very comfortable.

 
The two little ones are showing off their new headgear. Aren't they adorable? Elliot was 10 month old today and he doesn't look and act like a baby anymore. Please, stop growing up so quickly.

The Zoo called Zoo Ave, is actually an animal rescue and rehabilitation place. It was very nice to walk thru a jungle-like environment and looking at animals that are home to Costa Rica's bountiful landscape. Since the nearest National Parks are at least an hour away from here, this is the next best thing to Costa Rica's wild habitat that you usually find in the jungle. And best of all, it wasn't crowded at all.

 

 

The zoo also offered Canopy Zip Lining, which Costa Rica is known for and I always wanted to try. So with the blessings of my loving husband I tried it. And it was great going 50+ kmh  down the jungle. There were a total of 3 zip lines and while the first one had the shortest distance, it was the most scariest as I didn't know what to expect. But the feeling of flying thru the woods was phenomenal and I definitely want to do that again.

For sure, we had some fun and relaxing days. And I loved that I'm able to spend quality time with my husband and kids. After all, it doesn't matter where we are or what we do as long as we do it together.  

Costa Rica Vacation, Part II

On our scouting expedition thru the Central Valley of Costa Rica, we have visited many small and some bigger towns during our first week here. On Thursday, we went South thru San Jose (the capitol) to Cartago, Paraiso and Orosio. We didn't stop in San Jose as it was too big, busy and crowded and we have no interest in living there anyways. But driving thru we noticed that this city is just like any other big city with shopping malls, theaters, restaurants and lots of traffic and people. It felt very different from the other, smaller cities in Costa Rica, more developed. We stopped in Cartago for a few minutes, but didn't like the city much either and decided to move on. Except for the remains of the castle from earlier times, Cartago had really nothing to offer for us.

The castle in the middle of downtown and Ticos feeding and petting the pigeons.

Next, we arrived in Paraiso (not much there to see either except for the church and the park in the middle of town- this is how every city is set-up in Costa Rica) and decided to drive further to Orosio. There is a big lake near this mountain town, but due to construction on the nearby dam, the lake was drained and we couldn't really see it. But here is a snapshot from the river and the dam. Very pretty indeed. And we had a great lunch with a beautiful view in a restaurant on the side off the road in Orosio.

On our way home, we stopped spontaneously (restroom break) at a BBQ restaurant in San Jose and discovered a little gem. They had a really nice playground in the restaurant and while we waited for our food, the kid loved playing there. And since it was a BBQ restaurant, they had lots of decorative bulls and oxcarts there. Amelia was very fond of riding on them and loved standing next to X-large one at the front of the restaurant.

Every Friday there is a Farmer's market in Atenas, where local farmers sell lots of fresh produce, fruits, meats and such. Of course I wanted to go and check it out and while we were there, we sampled some fruits and cookies and even met some Expatriates (Americans from Arkansas). We also bought some great fruits such as those Lychees. Afterwards we drove up North to San Ramon and looked around that town for a while and met up with a Real Estate Agent. Again, there was a church and a park in the middle of the town, where the locals/ Ticos meet and hang out. 

Since we seem to like the North of the Central Valley much better than the South and it is a bit cooler there, we decided to check out Zarcero again today and weren't disappointed. When we arrived, it just started to rain a bit and the temperature dropped to 68F (19C) but then as soon as it stopped raining, it went right back up to 80F (25C). The air was very misty and the view up the surrounding mountains was just beautiful. This town definitely has something mystical about it, especially when you stand right in the middle of the park in the center of town.

And since our two little ones get restless driving around so much, we usually stop by at a playground in each town we visit. They love running and crawling around and get along well with the local kids. Language barriers don't seem to exist at that age. Whereas Elliot sticks out a bit with his blond hair and blue eyes, Amelia seems to fit right in with the Ticos.

 

And so we swing away on our vacation and enjoy our time being together.

Costa Rica Vacation, Part I

After a quick and uneventful flight from Ft. Lauderdale to San Jose, CR, on Sunday morning, we arrived safe and sound in our rental house in Atenas (25 minute drive from the airport). Already at the airport, we were greeted by really friendly and helpful Ticos and so far we have not incurred an unfriendly person yet. Atenas is a small town, which seems to be almost every town here. Nothing special, some good places to eat, grocery shop and a catholic church and small park in the center of the town (like in every town this size). The weather has been great. Not very humid, even though it is rainy season. Usually it rains every afternoon here for an hour, just like South Florida. But the temperature is much nicer with highs in the mid-80sF (25C) and lows at night in the high 60sF (18C). Just perfect to have the windows open all day long. It does get dark here around 6pm but then the day begins earlier too at around 5:30am. How do we know? Let's just say the kids have not adjusted yet to the 2-hour time change and we are up very early (5amish) the last few days, which means we go to bed early too. 

Our backyard oasis

View from the house and a daily visit to the cows next door

We have a rental car and are doing daily trips to scout out different towns and surroundings in hope to find the perfect place for us to live at. On Tuesday we visited a town called Sarchi, which we liked very much. It had a nice small town feel to it, but enough store there to get different things if needed. The town center was really nice too with a big church, a toddler playground and some huge oxcart exhibition. We also visited a very pretty botanical garden there, which is owned by Germans...(we also found a German bakery and Café in Atenas today and now we are enjoying some fresh baked breads and cakes)





Then we went on to Zarcero, a small town way up in the mountains. It was much cooler there 67F (17C) and very moist (it is rainy season after all), but we loved the climate and the town center. Right in the middle of the town is a small topiary, which made the town look mystical. Distances are not a big thing here but it does take some time to get used to the driving style. We are in mountainous terrain here and if the roads are paved then they are narrow and very curvy, up and down the mountains. Thus, it takes much longer driving from point A to point B and I had some scary moments in the backseat.

And this last picture was taken just 15 minutes after the prior pictures and one can see clearly how misty/ foggy it got within minutes. Would be a great place for a haunted evening on Halloween. Don't you think so?

Today we rested and relaxed at the house, but tomorrow we are off to explore the South of the Central Valley. Stay tuned for more about our trip.

Play Dates and Best Friends

Even though we are in the midst of packing and getting everything ready for our vacation on Sunday, we still found some time this week to meet up with friends and play together. The kids love meeting their friends and getting out of the house and I do too. This gives me a chance to wear something else than workout clothes and have real conversations with other adults. Although, most often we do talk about our kids.  

The 3 Amigos: May 2012 (9/10 months old) and August 2014 (3 yrs. old)

On Thursday, Amelia met with her two best friends, Jaxson and Noah, also known as the THREE AMIGOS, at a children's gymnastics facility for an open-play session. Amelia is always excited to see the two boys as they have been best friends since they were 6 months old. It is so cute to see them grow up together and develop a true friendship. They always ask for each other and it doesn't feel quite right when one of them is missing for a playdate. Also, Jax has a baby brother, Jeb, who is just 2 weeks older than Elliot and thus, the babies have someone to play with too.  But before they could play, they had to have some lunch.

Baby Jeb, Jaxson, Amelia and Baby Elliot

And then they were off running, jumping, tumbling, and having fun. Since not many other kids were there that day, our kids had plenty of room to run around and have fun.

Elliot playing peekaboo, Elliot and Jeb roaming around together.

Amelia on the trampoline, Noah and Amelia doing the monkey bars.

Everyone loved the ball pit.

Elliot trying the balance beam. He is such a big boy.

Jeb, Jaxson, Noah, Elliot and Amelia

And today, Amelia and her girlfriend Sofia had a playdate. The girls played very nice together in her room and just had fun doing girly things. Of course, this involved playing dress-up as a princess and playing with Barbie's and horses.  

Amelia is a very lucky girl to have such good friends and playmates and she loves seeing them. I bet she will miss them dearly in Costa Rica but hopefully she'll make some new friends there as well.

Growing BIG

I can't believe that my little man is already 9 months old. Time for sure flies. I remember just bringing him home from the hospital and now, he is crawling, talking (even though most of it is incoherently), eating on his own and having a mind of his own as well. It is actually pretty funny that he understands when I tell him "No". He then stops what he is doing, shakes his head and once I turn my head, he continues with what he was doing. Here is a little video clip of him showing of his "skills" :)

He also tries to get in to trouble by climbing on furniture, getting the dirt out of my flower pots (which I now have moved to the outside), chasing down the cat, taking Amelia's toys away or being in her room for that matter (she now closes the door when she wants to play by herself and then he sits outside of it and cries). Yes, he is doing a lot of things little boys do and I never had to deal with before. 

On the other hand, he is really good playing by himself in his room (with a gate blocking off the door) when I need to clean the house or cook. The other day, he was in there for an hour happily playing. Every so often I peek around the corner to see if he is ok and smile when I see him play in his ball pit like a mad men. His big sister showed him how to act crazy in there and how to throw out all the balls. He loves playing with her and unconditionally loves her. Lately, his newest friend is the cat who lets him come real close and as soon as he is ready to touch her she moves on. It is funny to watch them interact and the fact that he tries to meow at her but it sounds more like a seagull instead.

Elliot also likes to help me, especially with the laundry. He usually pulls out the dirty laundry from the washing machine or helps with the folding. It may take me a few minutes longer when he helps, but I think a boy can never learn early enough to take care of him and a household. His future bride will thank me for this one day.

Of course, his favorite time of the day is tubby time/ taking a bath. Normally, he only takes a bath every other night unless he is extra dirty. But if he could he would be in that tub multiple times a day. I now have to close the bathroom doors since he crawls in there all the time and stands at the bathtub and trying to climb in. 

My baby boy may not be that little anymore and he is for sure on the big site in terms of measurements (at his 9 months checkup he weighted 21lbs (9.6kg) and was 30.5 in (78cm) long), but he still loves to cuddle, being kissed and being with his Mommy. Especially now with the constant teething, he is extra needy at night and often nurses still every 2-3 hours. Even though all that nursing and constant waking up at night drains me, I still love holding and cuddling him at night when the house is all quiet and dark and it's only the two of us.