Well by now everyone pretty much knows - we are leaving Ecuador. There are so many mixed emotions right now it is hard to even know what to say. So I'll save it for another day.... not easy to put those many many feelings into words.
Because of this big change, we are very busy trying to sell everything.... again. I've been taking things out of various rooms, cleaning them up, checking their condition, photographing them, etc. This of course means that then the kids become more attached to them and want to play with them. Many of these items became a fort last weekend - a fort that was constructed, rearranged, reconstructed, demolished.... But hey, that is half the fun! Once it is built, a bit part of the joy is gone.
Benches also became the stocks on various occasions.
The kids asked if this could be their new form of discipline - instead of the usual taking away privileges, nasty chores (I've warned them that I have a few great ones lined up - like scrubbing the BBQ grill... funny how everyone seems to be on their best behavior lately!). I let them know that since they are asking for it, it was a good tip-off that it might not be the most affective means of punishment. They seemed a little surprised that I was on to them. I was a little surprised by how ignorant they must think I am!
The last few weeks of school (we have five and a half left) is always filled with a million fun events... and some not so fun. Today was Wacky Wednesday, so the kids wacked it out. Lucy, being the self-conscious fashion maiden that she is didn't want to stray too far.
Cade, on the other hand, got really wacky. Contrary to the picture, he was very into it and super excited - bouncing off the walls with each new idea. He has his hat upside down and filled with pine cones (ummm?), he is wearing mismatched pajamas (because he is wearing night clothing during the day), two different shoes on the wrong feet, a soccer sock as a head band and when he got to school he completed the ensemble with one other soccer sock overtop of his pant leg, shin guards on his arms and slippers on his hands.
You never know what is going to float this guys boat!
Lots of projects going on - like Maddy's vikings discovering Iceland model. Yes, I did help, but mainly with giving instructions and such. I will not do projects for my kids but I will happily give them ideas and instruction on how to do them! She did a fabulous job.
And speaking of construction, deconstruction and all that..... this is what has been going on outside our kitchen for the last several days. The last several days that I have been home sick and now hear jackhammers and pounding concrete going on in my head....
They are tearing down the house next door. The first two days they had two guys out with jackhammers. Our guess is that they were salvaging various materials. Then halfway through yesterday and all day today they have been knocking down walls and trying to break up large pieces of concrete with this rather large Cat (in the bottom two pictures you see them scooping up pieces, lifting them up high and then dropping them to break them.... it seems to take several attempts to make any headway). You can see from the first picture that they got the top floor down (the coral and yellow walls). We guess that tomorrow they'll be taking down the rest. And we hope that it might be finished by then.
Come June 26, the place where I sit right this moment will have the same thing happening to it. It is a wonderful house. They are crazy to knock it down.
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