Over the Hump

Landon was the top story for the Tico Times newspaper here in Costa Rica! Check it out at:

http://www.ticotimes.net/Current-Edition/Top-Story/To-catch-a-toucan_Friday-July-20-2012/

Here's the first paragraph, just to give you a bite:

"TURRIALBA, Cartago – “Listen. This might not work,” Landon Jones disclaims even before he has introduced himself.

Jones is standing in an overgrown backyard in Turrialba’s Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE), east of San José, holding a net attached to a string he recently shot over a nearby tree with a crossbow. The 33-year-old Iraq War veteran – who also happens to be a Mormon and a father of four – is dressed in a college T-shirt that says “Ragin’ Cajuns.” "

Other news: We are now over the hump of our Costa Rica stay! 10 months gone, 10 months to go.

Chloe and Logan both had birthdays recently. Logan is now 1 year old. With the other kids, I'd excitedly counted down to that benchmark of 18 months old, which is when kids get to enter the nursery at church. That won't work this time, seeing as I work in the nursery.

Chloe gets ready to poke at the piñata. We took the blindfold off to give her a chance.

More of Chloe's party. Our neighbors are pretty diverse:

Karla - the little girl in a white dress - is from Colombia
Sombriti - little girl in blue on right - is from Nepal
Elva - Lady holding baby - is from Mexico
Michele and her family (husband in yellow, son in front) are from Brazil

Notice Tristan's angry eyes (bottom front). He must not be happy with his spoils from the piñata.

Logan eagerly awaits his birthday brownie. He's at a fun yet trying age. Landon calls him “an evil wind-up toy.” Although I don’t approve of the label, it does describe some of his behaviors. Logan’s favorite trick nowadays (besides playing in the toilet, which hasn't lost its novelty over the past few months) is to climb up on the dining room table after meals, toppling glasses and throwing food. He also likes to empty my kitchen cupboards, run out the front door at every opportunity, and bite my legs when he wants attention.

My first science project! Although "I" did a couple in school when I was younger, I now realize it was really my parents who did all the work. Now I'm the one doing the work and putting Jocelynne's name on it. :) Brownie points for writing it up in Spanish! (Thanks for the help, Dad.)

Peeping Logan. This look-out onto our front porch area is one of Logan's favorite spots. He climbs onto whatever debris is piled up under the window that day for the extra couple of inches it provides and then peers out the window. He does this when he hears Landon's volunteers outside during their shift change, when they come to pick-up supplies.

I boldly decided one night to send Tristan to bed sans diaper. After picturing in my mind the possible consequences (i.e. washing all the bed linens the next day and hanging them out to dry, waking up in the middle of the night to Tristan cold and crying), I had a change of heart. Because I was too lazy to undress him, he ended up looking like some sort of Potty-Training Superhero.

The family at the central park in Turrialba. Next to the toucan, of course.

Joss and Chloe with Nonna at a restaurant. As you can see, Nonna got them ready for the night out. The waiter looked at Joss and exclaimed, "Que preciosa!"

I agree with the waiter. Ellos son preciosos!

Nonna and the kids look at art.

It has been a difficult month, except for the wonderful time we got to spend with Susan during her visit. Our car died of a bad transmission that can’t be replaced unless we ship it in from the States. We are once again peasants and slaves to the bus schedule.

Jocelynne stepped on a piece of glass at our neighbor’s house while I was out shopping one day. It was a small wound, but it refused to heal. After a week, I took her to the doctors because I was convinced there was still glass in there. The doctor squeezed out blood and pus and told me to watch it. A week later, it still hurt Joss to walk on it. I took her to a different doctor who grabbed a needle. When we heard a “clinking” sound as he probed the wound, we knew what had to be done.

When I asked him to give her a numbing injection, he just laughed and gave me a “you’re joking, right?” kind of face. They just don’t have the money for that kind of stuff here. They didn’t have a Band-Aid for her foot when I asked for one. So I got to hold a light for the Doc while he dug into Joss’ tender heel. I felt immense dislike for the poor man during those 10 beastly minutes while he tortured my daughter, but he ended up with my gratitude when he finally pulled the hunk of glass out of her foot, sweat running down his face. The clear piece of glass promptly fell out of the tweezers’ grasp and onto the floor. I had Joss put her shoes on.