Sea Turtles Mate!

We had the absolute coolest experience last Wednesday.

Our business partner and friend Daniel is also District President of the Green Party -an environmental political group. Through his contacts, they have secured a protected zone for sea turtles just south of our development. Along with this protected zone, they were able aquire 220 baby green sea turtles from a nest far north of where we are on the beach.

To educate people on their endangered status, keep people from eating the turtles and the eggs, and to endear these turtles to both adults and children so that when they return to nest - the local people will protect them rather than each them. The reason why they release them near the protected zone is that females will return to the place they entered the ocean to bread - except it will take 20-25 years for them to be sexually mature.

They invited local schools to participate so each child was able to release a turtle themselves to the ocean. It was really facinating. The little guys started crawling toward the surf and when a wave came - whoosh- off they went into the ocean -although some got swept back further than where they started! Once they were in the water - they were gone. They all instinctively knew what to do. What an experience! Even better - they will be able to release more next Wednesday.

G's Eye Incident

Ok for those of you who missed out on this tramatic event - here' what happened to G's eye.

While I was in Canada moving the remaining things out of our house (BTW it is incredible how much crap one family can accumulate!), I get a call almost mid-way through my visit.
Bill calls me to tell me there's an emergency and G is hurt. He starts to explain that they had a fire going in our yard (this is mostly how they handle garbage here - to explain later) and something exploded out of the fire into G's eye.

I ask him if he took G to the hospital yet - oh no, it just happened and G was crying and wanted to talk to me. Ok NOW I freak out and yell at hubby to GET G TO THE HOSPITAL TO HAVE HIS EYE LOOKED AT - WHAT ARE YOU DOING WASTING TIME ON THE FREAKING PHONE!!!! He reminds me that the reason for the call is that G wanted to hear my voice so I quickly tell him I love him and to be brave and listen to the doctor and once again emphatically tell hubby to get his rear to the hospital.

Once I am off the phone - now I cry. I really want to hold my baby. I do my best to not let my mind go to the worst case scenario so I pray and trust that God will protect my little one. I go back to work on packing to try to keep my mind off my G.

I get a call back about an hour later ( that's right - there are no huge waiting lines at the private hospital!) from hubby at the hospital. G is ok -the doctor doesn't think there is any damage to his eye, though they had to wash quite a bit of plastic out of his eye. Most of the damage is to his eyelid. It burned off some of his beautiful, long eyelashes. Bill sent me a picture the next day:

That was probably the toughest time away from my kids I have ever experienced. I started to wonder if they were safe at all away from me (ok I know that doesn't make sense) and I just really wanted to hold my boy to 'make it better'. Of course he was fine shortly after the hospital as daddy spoiled them with ice cream. I couldn't wait to see them again.

I took some pictures when I finally saw him a week later. That was 2 months ago, and as I mentioned in my last blog - he still has a scar.

It doesn't seem to detract anyone from talking about how 'guapo'(handsome) he is. He will tell you himself that he has a lot of girlfriends. He will also tell you that he's not allowed to kiss any girls except on the cheek until he's 16. I've made sure he understands that! Here in Mexico it is customary to give a little kiss on the cheek - between women, children and adults and between the oposite sex - although between the oposite sex so far seems to be hit and miss - maybe only for good friends and family. I'll have to find out more about that. The French in Quebec have the same kind of tradition, except for them its 2 kisses- one for each cheek. And men kiss women on the cheek for friends and family or to show a desire for friendship. I am guessing that it is along the same lines here.

Anyway - sorry for going off-topic - but we originally told the boys they couldn't kiss girls at all until they were 16. Then they started freaking out when the girls tried to kiss them on the cheek - so we had to revise the rule. Now he knows it's ok if the girls kiss him on the cheek - but that's all.

So now those of you who were uninformed are updated as to the eye incident.

So now more details on the garbage thing. I don't know if it's because we are in the country or if it's just part of the way things are here, but recycling is definitely not happening here - unless you are talking about buying your Coke in the retro little glass bottles and returning them to the store for a refund. No recycling for paper, plastic, whatever. We have yet to meet the garbage collection guys to tip them ( a must here) and let them know we want our garbage collected. Most people in our little town would rather burn their garbage than tip the garbage guys - which explains why they don't automatically pick up the garbage. There is a dump in the neighboring town on San Isidro, but usually Bill forgets, and by the time he gets home, it's too late or he doesn't want to go back out to go to the dump. As a farm boy - he sees nothing wrong with burning it- especially since they are doing anything with it at the landfill anyway. I must say I am starting to see his point of view.

Ahhh la vida en Mexico!

TTYL

Yes I am still alive!

Ok I know it's been a while since my last blog. Ok - a REALLY long time. Whew - who knew Mexico would be busy!

I do have a lot to write about - though today I just wanted to do some basic highlights. Let's see....

School has started at our Casa. Hmmm even more work than I thought. Not so much because of the actual preparation, etc. Just because C requires constant supervision or his mind escapes and nothing gets done or learned. Very frustrating. Then G gets frustrated because C dominates so much time - gets bored then disruptive. Ugh. I am glad I never decided to become a school teacher for a profession! My Dad suggested I get more creative and incorporate more fun stuff into learning to help encourage C to want to learn. So that is what we are trying. We are working on making a claymation movie. He has to write a script first (Language arts) edit it, count out the number of sequences (that's all the math I've figured into it yet) do the rough sketches as a film strip then we will shoot the movie with my camera. It should at least get him writing and reading his own writing - and definitely handle the art aspect.

For math we have been playing store. He's practicing giving change so that he can sell lemonade on the roadside to earn money for a toy he wants. It's a start.

G's eye is still scarred, but his vision doesn't seem to be affected. He's a bit more defiant - but everybody loves him. He's called 'Guapo' just about everywhere we go -even with the scar on his eye. The workers at the beach all love him too. He was 'helping' them shovel sand the other day to prepare for a walkway. The worker gave him rides back and forth in the wheelbarrow to get sand. It doesn't seem to matter that G speaks little Spanish, they like having him around.

Residential Oasis is moving along well. Casas 1 & 2 are basically finished -except for a few details that I have been out at the beach almost every day helping with. The boys have been spending a lot of time on the beach since we are all out there. Casas 3 & 4 are going along a little slower than we originally hoped, but still well within the construction schedule.

C finally lost his 4th tooth which for some reason was complete drama! He howled and cried even though the tooth hung on by a thread for a week! We finally got tired of it (it was sticking straight out of his mouth and looked like a hillbilly) and yanked it out. He cried far more about the THOUGHT of the tooth being ripped out than it hurting at all.

I stopped to take some pics after the tooth came out, and couldn't get the boys to give me a decent pose. These pictures are the best I could get.

Panther, our black cat died while I was in Canada in August. We don't know for sure why - though he was older, overweight and had we think arthritis in one leg. Anyway -it was sad that I wasn't there since I was the only family member that Panther would really trust.

That's all the updates for now on our little family - I have lots of other adventures to write about in later blogs.......