Fun, fun weekend

On Saturday we tagged along with some friends for a visit to Chapala--actually, a bit west of Chapala--to another little hot springs pool place called Hotel Balneario San Juan Cosalá.

On the way in a woman was selling raspberries in 1 liter cups for 20 pesos--about 1.60usd. We bought two and stuffed ourselves. 

There are two main pools, one with waterslides, both with great views of the lake. (And I think there might be other pools just for hotel guests--not sure.) The food was good, the kids wore themselves out, Narra got a massage... everyone had fun. Definitely planning to go back.

And today we met up with work peeps for our first (and maybe only) Pan American Games event: fútbol--Trinidad and Tobago vs. Ecuador at Omnilife stadium. We got there about 45 minutes late and then took our time (first stop: cotton candy) because the girls never have any staying power at sporting events. But they were enjoying this one and it turned out our tickets were good for the next game, too, so we stuck around and watched the first half of Cuba-Argentina.

Attendance was super low, so all the food lines were short, etc., and somehow our 30 peso tickets put us 4 rows from the field. Cubby even had a good time! We walked him around the concession area, which had a perfect view of the field. Win-win. He stayed in good spirits, mostly, and fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn on the way out. Charmed day.

Oktoberfest, Guadalajara Style

The whole family went to an Oktoberfest festival (is that redundant?) last Saturday and enjoyed a perfect weather evening outdoors. There was bad booming music, bratwurst, fries (with lots of chili and lime of course!), beer, and these awesome free balloon-type things that kept the kids busy all evening. One especially cool thing was the fresh pine needels that cushioned the "family" section (right by the Telcel moonbounce). It was wonderful to picnic and sit about with that amazing scent wafting around us. Not sure if that's a Mexico thing, but what a great idea.

Initially we weren't going to go into the festival grounds because the long ticket lines (separate from the long line to get into the venue) looked terrible. The kids were cranky, and the music really sounded like bad death metal. So for almost an hour, we instead rented a surrey bike and pedaled around the park. Best idea ever.

But a call from a friend in the ticket line, and other calls to families already within the fence, made us decide to rally.

At one point N laughed when he got off the phone, relaying to me a comment from one of the other dads already fest-ing away. "He said they're getting hammered." Obviously this was sarcastic, since the dad in quesiton was with his 2 year old daughter. But later as we made our way toward the entrance, Deevie tugged on my arm and asked:

"When do we get our hammers?"

Construction

Where we live is a newer development. There are still a bunch of houses under construction, which has never really bothered me because it felt nice to be amongst people during my days at home.

UNTIL NOW. They broke ground on the lot NEXT to our house! Ugh. Our view blocked. Dust in every open window. Noise, noise, noise. I just hope it is done by the time N's parents visit for Christmas!

On a positive note, it's nice to feel like we're in an up and growing neighborhood. I'll keep telling myself that...

Do Not Question the Deevie

For the past few weeks, Deevie has been breaking into song, saying something that sounded like "Papa Americano!" All the rest of the family would correct her, saying that it MUST be "Pan-Americano" or something affiliated with the Pan American Games that start tonight in Guadalajara.

So this morning, as I drove with Cubby to a yoga class, listening to 98.7 (my favorite Guadalajara radio station that often plays some of my old staples by Depeche Mode, the Cure, Morrissey, etc), on comes a song that distinctly sings "PAPA Americano." I was curious enough to Google it when I got home, and this video is what I found.

I apologized to Deevie immediately. She was very happy that she was right.

Deevie: "We watched this video at school! It's funny!"

Me: "Why in the world would you watch this video at school?!"

Deevie (rolling her eyes, as if I'm the most clueless person in the world): "Because of the Pan-American Games."

And now Deevie is of course singing the "Papa Americano" part over and over as she scoots around on her EZ Roller.

Deevie: "Why did you guys keep correcting me?! Now I get confused between Pan-Americano and Papa Americano! I was right BEFORE!!!"

Sorry, sweetie! :)

Trouble...

Lots of hatch-battening going on east of us. I was surprised to see us in the pink zone. GDL is a mile high city, so you'd think that would help. Hopefully we'll see a bunch of rain and nothing more.

Quotes

The girls have been watching old school Scooby Doo shows (thanks for the DVD, K+C!) during their TV time after school. During one episode about a spooky fortune teller:

Birdie: "Mommy, there is a boy named Crystal Ball in my class."

Me: "Really?! Are you trying to trick me?"

Birdie: "No! I'm serious! But he pronounces it 'Chris-toh-bol'."

Sure enough when I checked the class roster, there is a "Cristóbal". :)

---

Birdie: "Mommy, do you know how to say "burning" in Spanish?"

Me: "No."

Birdie: "Quema."

Then...

Birdie: "Mommy, maybe you should go to Special Spanish with me."

---

Our friend Kristen was visiting. Kristen is taking Spanish classes at a local college, the first time she's studying this language.

Kristen (looking at Birdie's Spanish homework): "You're probably learning a lot, huh? Like I bet you know what "tarea" means."

Birdie: "It means homework. And you pronounce it tah-reh-a." (Kristen's American accent was apparently lacking by Birdie's standards.)

---

I got so, so terribly lost yesterday while driving home from the school with all three kids. Yes, while driving home from a place I go to ALL. THE. TIME. What can I say? I spaced for a second and suddenly found myself on an UNESCAPABLE Mexican highway! Oh it was terrible. And stressful. Birdie kept whining from the back, saying things like, "I wish we weren't with you right now, Mommy!!" Gee, thanks! N thankfully was home and was able to locate us through our combined calculating (I had the Gudalajara street map with me, which was a blessing since our powerless GPS (malfunctioning chord will not allow charging) was useless), and walk me through the streets over my cell. When we finally got home:

N: "Hey, at least this wasn't Mexico's fault. I mean, you do that kind of thing all the time in the States too."

Ah, the sweet, sympathetic words of spousal support.

Weekend

We went to Parque Metropolitano yesterday, which is like a 5 minute drive from home. Score! What a great place. Bike paths, trampolines for hire, zip wires for Birdie, Deevie and N to try out, dogs for Cubby to say "Wuff! Wuff!" to, food stalls with fish tacos and fresh ice cream with chunks of fruit, and perfect Guadalajara weather. Aaahh, the weather. It really is superb. Someone told me that planning an outdoor wedding here from October through December is a no-brainer because it's always outdoor-wedding perfect.

Trampolines. We didn't do it this time because of the 20 minute wait.

Brave Birdie Zipping solo!

Deevie clinging to Daddy for dear life. All sorts of dogs were having crazy fun splashing in the pond below.

Blue skies, sun, food.