Austin and his Prodigy

Last year Austin started band and has been learning to play the drums. Well, lately he has been trying to get Zoey to play too. He thinks she has a lot of potential since she can drum pretty fast. I think she had the potential to be a spoiled rock star, since she throws the sticks when she's done!

Here's a few pictures of Austin and Zoey "practicing". They have to use pillows since we live in an apartment and there's no room for real drums.

Concentrating very hard!

That's a wrap!

No Longer My Baby

Well, I can hardly believe it, but Zoey started preschool yesterday. People here seem to start sending their kids to school when they are only 1. Last year everyone kept asking me when I was going to send Zoey. I didn't really think I would send her, but the problem became that all of her sibling are in school, and so are all of the other kids her age. So in order for her to have any socialization we decided to put her in preschool 2 mornings a week. She was very excited to go and didn't care at all when I left her. When I picked her up they said she was very happy all morning and had a great time. I kind of wondered how she would do, since it is all in spanish, but so far, so good! So I guess she is now a "big girl", and not my baby!

Here she is with her Dora backpack, ready for school.

The Best Day of the Year???

Well, the day has finally come. Just when I thought I might tear my hair out, school started!!! The last week the kids have really been at each other, and I really think everyone needed a break from each other. While I love the fact that I can sleep in a little in the summer and we have no real schedule, I think everyone at our house needs to get back on a schedule.

As is our tradition, we always take pictures of the kids on the first day of school, so without further ado-

Isabella- 1st Grade

Kaylee- 4th Grade

Joe Cool, I mean Braden- 5th Grade

Austin- 7th Grade

Can you believe we have a 7th grader???

1 Year!

I'll keep this short, but I just thought I'd let everyone know that we have officially been "Costa Rican" for 1 year. It's hard to believe, the time has gone so fast. We are kind of feeling the pressure now to make sure we see everything here. I guess this means we will be vacationing a lot this year!!

I also wanted to post this picture. It is a beautiful tree that is right outside my dining room window. I have no idea what kind of tree it is, but I thought I would share it with everyone.

Summer Fun

Well, I guess it's about time I update this blogg! My sister Vicky has been on me for about a month asking when I'm going to make a new post. Well here it is.

We have had a very full summer. The first week of June my cousin Megan came for a 2 week visit. We went zip lining and to the beach and had lots of fun. She was also kind enough to watch the kids over night for our anniversary and we went to the most awesome place ever. It was called Peace Lodge, and that is the perfect name for it. If you ever come to Costa Rica you have to stay there for atleast one night. It's not a family place and is a very romantic place for couples.

Me on the balcony of our room at Peace Lodge

The week after school got out Megan and I took the kids to a beach resort for 4 days. Our friends the Belnaps and Andersons were also there for their last beach trip before moving back to the US. Everyone had a great time and we will miss our friends so much!

Braden in front of a big tree at the resort

The same day Megan left, our whole family flew back to Arkansas. Dustin was able to stay there with us for 2 weeks, unfortunately working most of that time, and the rest of us stayed for 6 weeks. We were able to see lots of friends and family. The kids had a lot of fun with my sister Vicky's kids. It was especially fun to see Zoey and Trista play (and fight) together. They are only 5 weeks apart so they are fun to watch.

Zoey and Trista in matching nightgowns

Austin and Kaylee also got to spend a few days with their best friends, Josh and Katherine Walker, before they moved to Hong Kong.

Isabella, Katherine and Kaylee

Austin and Josh

After Dustin went back to Costa Rica, Vicky and I loaded up the kids (all 9 of them) in our cars and headed to Kentucky to see our sister Rebecca and her family. It was a little crazy with 4 adult and 10 kids in a 3 bedroom house for 4 days, but we had fun. We all went to a water park together and had a blast. My kids and I also stopped by Churchill Downs for a picture and went to the Louisville Slugger Museum, where we got to see them make the bats and all got our own miniature bat to take home.

Zoey listening to the TV in the car

We made a quick stop at the Temple in St. Louis

Trista, Zoey and Jacob at the water park

The Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory

Isabella, Austin, Zoey, Braden and Kaylee in front of the big museum bat

On our way back the kids and I stopped at the St. Louis Arch for a photo op and then continued on to Grandma and Grandpa Lowe's for a visit. We spent a couple days with them and then returned to Arkansas.

Braden, Isabella, Kaylee, Zoey and Austin at the Arch

The St. Louis Arch

We went to Missouri to see my parents the next weekend and Austin and Braden got to go to a Springfield Cadinals game (the minor league). They had a great time with grandpa and Braden caught a hat they threw into the audience and Ausin caught a T-shirt. On Monday we sent Austin to Boy Scout camp for the week. It sounds like he had fun, although he came home with poison ivy and a million bug bites!

Zoey helping with brownies at Grandma's

(she had it all the way to her feet)

Braden and Austin at the game

Last Friday the kids and I flew back home to Dustin and Costa Rica. I am glad to no longer be living out of a suitcase and of course to be sleeping in my own bed. Now I am just counting down the days until school starts! (11 days, yeah!)