Pura Vida

Adam and I were very blessed to have the opportunity to run off to Costa Rica for a couple of days.  Adam had to go for work and so I tagged along and we went a couple of days early so we could see the country and have some fun.  I've been there before.  I studied Spanish there for six weeks and lived with a family while I attended the language academy.  We would go to school Monday-Thursday and on Friday-Sunday, we would take trips to see different things.  Adam picked a couple of things to go see and we went and re-visited some of my favorite places.  

Our first trip was to the Arenal Volcano and the hot springs at Tabacon.  We took a 3 hour bus trip down winding roads to get to our destination.  Once we got there, we had some lunch and then were given keys to a locker and some towels and we had about 5 hours to relax at the Tabacon Resort.  They have natural hot spring pools and waterfalls that you can go sit in and relax.  I was a little worried if Adam would enjoy this trip because I thought he would get bored.  But surprisingly, he enjoyed laying around and sitting in the hot springs.  It was so relaxing.  As the sun started to set, the clouds went away and we got a clear view of the volcano.

Arenal

One of the falls

Arenal

 Before we left, we slapped a will together because we now have quite a bit to take care of should something  happen to us.  We were last minute calling people, finding executors for the will and bothering everyone.  So as a thanks, Adam thought we should make a pin-up calendar of him at Costa Rica.  Unfortunately, we only got enough shots to make it through April.  So, if anyone is interested, I can get you a poster size print out.  You're welcome.

He gave me permission to post this.  I promise.

This is a view from our hotel in San Jose.  While we were there, we got to see the super moon every night.  It was beautiful!

 We took a tour of a coffee plantation at Cafe Britt outside of San Jose.  It was an excellent tour.  Adam has turned into quite the coffee lover and he enjoyed learning about coffee and seeing how it is harvested and turned into what we are drinking.  We highly recommend this tour!

Cafe Britt Coffee Plantation

Our last day there, we went white water rafting.  The Pacuare River is the perfect location to go rafting.  We went with Rio Tropicales and the guides are very professional and knowledgeable.  Rafting was my favorite thing that we did when I went to Costa Rica 9 years ago.  We went rafting in Jamaica and it was nothing compared to my experience in Costa Rica, so I was excited for Adam to go rafting.  

We only had one minor incident.  He and I sat on opposite sides of the raft in the back by the guide and we got to a rapid and he yelled, "get down!" which means you SHARE the space in the middle and crouch down.  Well, as soon as he yelled get down, Adam shifted his large frame towards me at the same time his side of the raft hit a large wave and popped up and so he slammed into me and sent me flying into the water.  They train you on what to do and they also have two men in kayaks there to save you.  (we had on life jackets and helmets)  My head kept going under water as I was being carried down the rapids and my body was slamming into rocks.  When I finally made it down the rapid, I was able to catch my breath and find a kayak to grab onto.  

You should have seen Adam's eyes when they pulled me back on the raft.

He felt horrible.  And it was only half his fault.  But from then on, he learned to "get down" on his side only.  I had a bruised ankle and bruised hip and Adam's arms were sore from "rowing harder than everybody else."  (Because it was a competition...)  

It was a lot of fun.  You get to see the rain forest and see a lot of wild life. We were both sore and tired after that trip, but it was totally worth it.  

There was only one bad thing about Costa Rica.  

We missed our kids. 

A lot.  

I mean, I really enjoyed sleeping in.  Eating hot meals, slowly.  Using the restroom...alone.  But it's almost like motherhood is a curse.  These kids drive me crazy and there are days where I long to rock myself in a dark, quiet room.  But then when I'm away from them, I think about them constantly.  It seems like everywhere we went, we saw kids our kids' ages.  There was even one night when I was missing the kids and I grabbed something out of our backpack and one of Kyle's snack puffs fell out of the bag.  I almost cried.  I love these kids.  

My mom was in town to watch them and luckily, Steve was staying at the house and was here every evening to help mom with the kids.  I will tell you more about that later.  

But it was so good to get home to the kids.  I came home on Monday evening and saw them the next morning.  Adam stayed in Costa Rica to work and came home on Thursday evening and saw them on Friday morning.  This was the longest Adam has ever been away from the kids (i.e. 9 nights).

Daddy's home!!

Hey!  Who's home??

Awww!  Daddy!!

The Ticos (Costa Ricans) say Pura Vida. (Pure Life) and in the airport the sign says it is the happiest country in the world.  I think it might be.  I highly recommend you go there.  It is a great country and they are very friendly to Americans. I hope everyone is enjoying their summer.  I'm going to try and post a little more often.  No promises, though.



Love to all! Pin It Now!

My husband's not a babysitter

Nor is he a bumbling idiot.

I'm sick of movies, television, and just our culture today, portraying fathers in this manner.  There's movies about how incapable men are that stay at home with their kids, or sitcoms where the wife comes home and dad has messed up again with the kids.  Poor dad.  Doesn't know how to care of a child.  Shouldn't have left him home to "babysit."

Let's review what a babysitter does.  It's a very low-responsibility job that is short term.  You hand the kids off and are no longer on duty when mom comes home.

Is that what you want your husband to be?  Dads, do you really only want that short term, low-responsibility influence on your children the short time they are under your roof??

Adam drives me bananas on the weekends.  He gets up and dresses the kids.  For some reason, after I told him 3 times, he continues to put the green polo on Kyle, with little anchors on it, with shorts that belong to a different outfit!  And the girls...don't get me started.  He manages to find a shirt that I have shoved in the back of the drawer because it doesn't fit right, and he'll slap that shirt on them with some wild leggings and a black velvet skirt from a Christmas outfit.

Getting to church on the weekends also drives us both bananas.  It's close to impossible.  He stays at the breakfast table with the kids while I shower and get ready.  I will have laid out their outfits.  And what seems to be a 4 step process of getting the kids cleaned up, changed, and out the door turns into a 12 step process with lots of bumps in the road.  I can hear the chaos and fighting happening from my bathroom and I'm so tempted to come out and "fix" whatever problem is going on.  But I don't.

You see, dad has his strengths, too.  I spend more time with the kids.  I know their ins and outs.  I know how telling Aubrie to go use the restroom before we leave is better than asking her to.  I know that Emilie will not be capable of going and getting her shoes out of the closet even though they are laying on top of the shoe basket.  She's 2!  Her brain prevents her from doing simple functions like bending at the waist and reaching for a shoe!  It bothers me a little as I can hear dad trying to work it out from the other room.

Am I happy they are running him through the ringer?  Sort of.  But I'm more happy that I have a co-parent who battles through the weekends and fathers his children.

If I storm out of the bathroom and get on him about the shoes he picked to go with their outfits, not wiping the syrup off Emilie's cheeks, not telling Aubrie to use the bathroom and giving her the option by asking her...it would all kill his confidence.  I have the upper hand.  I know how these kids work.  I can sense Emilie's next melt down coming from a mile away.  But if I go get on dad, I'm killing his desire to keep battling.  I'm embarrassing him in front of the children.  I will make him withdraw and not want to be involved with the kids.  Pretty soon, I'll be getting myself ready for church, getting the kids ready for church, and dad's off watching sports center until we are all sitting in the car, ready to go.  Who cares if Emilie has syrup on her cheeks?  At least she smells good.  And who cares it took him 30 minutes to do something that I could have done in 10?

Dads are vital to our families.  Adam, and all men, encourages risk, spontaneity, pushing boundaries, and having courage.  What he brings to our family dynamic is just as crucial as my ability to nurse a baby, put meals on the table, and kiss ouchies.

Ephesians 5:28-29 says, "In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies.  He who loves his wife loves himself.  For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church"

I encourage you, moms and wives, to embrace your husband's strengths.  Cherish what he brings to the family.  Tell him this weekend how much you appreciate him.  Men love affirmation.  My girls get what they want from their daddy.  He listens to them, loves on them, buys them things...it's because they are always giving him affirmation.  They give him those googly eyes and say stuff like,  "Daddy is so strong!"  "Daddy, you come home after work, ok?  I miss you."  "Daddy is sooo funny!"

I know Adam is funny and strong.  But I assume he knows I think so.  I don't tell him all the time like his girls do.  But I need to.  I want to see him get that big head and puff his chest out as he parades his wreck of a family into church on Sunday.  Because he is a great dad.  And he deserves to know it.

Happy Father's Day!
(Especially to my daddy.  One of the best!) Pin It Now!