The last day...

First of all, it rained for the first time Thursday night! About 9pm we heard a ton of racket and it was the rain on the roof of the school next door. It rained all night. It hadn't rained the whole time we were there! So that was just awesome. I couldn't really sleep. GRRR. I had packed up about everything and I justs wanted to sleep. So much for that.

We got up and the boys got ready and headed for daycare. We got ready and walked to school in the rain. It was wild. It wasn't raining super hard but since it hadn't rained at all the whole month we were there it was kind of strange. We had a really great business class. One of Rosy's friends is a literature professor and she specializes in Chicano literature. She came and talked to us about the genre and had some books for everyone to look at. One of the cool things about the class was that the kids were looking at the books and making connections to things they learned in the Mexican History class. That was great. They knew that if they hadn't had the other class then the two things that stood out to them in this one particular story would not have made sense at all. I love those moments! It was a really great session. But it was the last one and that was a bummer. We all took pictures as you can see above. I think they turned out well. That is the whole group- minus Amparo and Zulema. They left late Thursday evening to go home with their Dad.

Thursday in history I had asked if Nava could teach modern Mexico- from 94-present. I wasn't sure if he would or not but when we got to class - it was all over the board. We weren't supposed to have much of a class but he really took my request seriously and presented a fabulous lesson. We were all taking notes even though there was no test or anything. It was great to see him work extemporaneously like that and the information was awesome. The kids really enjoyed his class. Today's lesson really just put the finishing touch on the whole month of history. Again we took pictures and those are above as well.

The school had organized a going away lunch for everyone but that was to be at 1:30 and we wanted to hit the road before then so we could make the border at a decent time. We weren't sure if we were going to stay in San Antonio or if we would try to drive all the way through. We figured we would just play it by ear and see how things unfolded. So we said goodbye to the kids and that was kind of a bummer. Most of them are seniors and have graduated so I won't see them again next year. Kind of a smack in the face but hey that is reality.

Eric went to pick up the boys and I finished packing up the last few things. I brought some things down to the van and then the kids came home. We loaded everyone up, dropped off the keys and we were on our way. Really weird feeling.

The drive was fine. Jared played games and Drew fell asleep. It rained sporadically on our way through Nuevo Leon but there wasn't a lot of traffic and the rain never got super bad so it wasn't crazy nuts or anything. What was crazy is how Jared had to use the bathroom. There was nothing in sight and we didn't want to stop and wake up Drew. It is much easier to drive when Drew is asleep! Soooooo I poured a bottle of water out the window and Jared peed in that. Yeah. That was fun. But it worked and we didn't have to stop.

We hit Nuevo Laredo about 4:30. We had to stop at the border and cancel the sticker for the van. That didn't take long and then we had to get in the lovely, long line to cross the bridge. It took FOREVER! Goodness. A little over an hour... everyone was getting a little irritated. We finally got to the customs agent and we were on our way. We ate dinner at IHOP and man that was good. I swear we looked like we were eating our last meal or something.

So we thought we would stop in San Antonio or a little further south. Let's just say that wasn't happening on the 4th of July. I called hotels, we stopped at hotels and there wasn't anything vacant. Eric said that was our sign to keep driving all the way through- and that is what we did.

Austin was pretty busy- we came through there a little after 11 and fireworks must have just ended. I was driving so Eric could get a little rest and then he would finish the drive. The boys were both asleep and that was great. I knew we would get in late and I wanted them to just be able to fall asleep in their own beds when we got here. I told Eric I would let him drive at midnight- and I was looking for an easy on/off exit. Yeah well I didn't really find one and at about that same time is when the State Trooper pulled me over for going 71 in a 65. PUHLEEZE! Anyway, I just got a warning but it is only the 2nd time I have ever been pulled over in my life so it was a little unnerving. Drew woke up and said hi to the nice policeman.

Eric drove after that and we got home around 2:30. Plucked the boys out of the van and put them in bed. Everyone seemed to be able to sleep except for me. Finally about 4:30 I slept. THANK GOD! I was in my own bed!!!

A nice cool day

Well today is our last full day here. We will leave tomorrow afternoon and head back to Texas. Don't have a true itinerary yet- just know when we are leaving.

Today was another nice and overcast day. Man it waits until our last week to do this! I am feeling more human today so I was able to walk to school- took me awhile but we did it. Classes were fine- had our last test in history and then that was it. We didn't meet for the 2nd hour at all. So we went full-time in the first class- 2 hours with no break... and then the 2nd class was just the test and that was it. I think we are all pretty much fried. Our business teacher sent everyone the final so they could do it tonight. I think that was a really good idea because it was really hard for a lot of them.

I came home and took a nap. I still didn't really feel like eating anything much so I just took it easy. We picked up the boys a little early since it was a nice day and we decided to go back to Santa Lucia (riverwalk) and play on the playground. Since the sun wasn't out we felt it wouldn't scorch the skin off the kids and the playground toys wouldn't be too hot. Took a taxi and walked down to the playground. I took it easy but it was a nice walk. The kids played for a good while and it was a really nice day. There were a lot of other people there and Jared played with a couple of boys who looked to be close to his age. He went on a see-saw for the first time. Drew had a blast of course. We walked back down the riverwalk to a restaurant that is right on the water and we had dinner. Nothing crazy for me but it was good. Kids ate really well too and Eric chowed down.

Took a taxi back and then Eric and Jared went to play catch. Drew and I played here. Boys are in bed already. I guess it's time for me to go and start packing my junk up. Shouldn't take too long anyway! This time tomorrow we should be in Texas somewhere!!!

Guest Blogging!

Make a Smilebox photobook

Katie is taking the day off, so I have been enlisted for blogging duty. It worked out anyway, since I took the kids on an outing today (more on that later).

This morning was a great morning, probably the coolest it has been since we arrived. I took the kids to daycare about 7:15 and it was actually "crisp." Awesome! The business Spanish class was a little disorganized today, but the history class was great. We are studying modern Mexican history and got to learn about this huge student uprising in 1968 that I had never even heard of. It is amazing how little I really know about Mexico. After class we came back to the apartment to get ready for the trip.

I have been planning to visit the Grutas de Garcia, a cave system about 25 miles outside of Monterrey. Well, with one thing after another, today was our first good opportunity. I took Jared out of daycare early and invited some of the kids to fill out the trip. Katie is not a fan of caves and it probably wasn't a great trip for Drew, anyway, so I ended up squeezing five girls in the van for the hour drive (that is right, 25 miles took about an hour. Love the roads and traffic in Mexico!).

We got there and I was pleasantly surprised. The whole rest area was new and well maintained. (In fact, they probably had the cleanest bathrooms I have seen in my three weeks down here!). Like I said, it was a cool day so we had a lot of fun playing on the playground equipment while waiting for our teleférico ride (that is a cable car to most of us) up to the top of the mountain where the cavern entrance is located. Once we got up there and were able to enter, it was just awesome. Jared was impressed by all of the stalactites, stalagmites and columns of rocks. He especially got into the game of trying to see the various shapes that have been identified in the rock formations. We spent about an hour being guided up, down, and around a series of caves before taking the teleférico back down the mountain and piling into the van. It was a great trip, but half the girls were so tired from spelunking that they fell asleep on the way back!

We got back around 6:00, collected Katie and Drew and headed out for dinner (I know that I am doing the blog for Katie today, but it wouldn't seem complete without a mention of food, right?) We tried a new restaurant and got some great service (a very nice waiter who tried to speak English while I tried to speak Spanish). He brought us all kinds of extra salsas, fresh limes, grilled onions, etc. to go along with some excellent steak tacos and quesadillas. It was one of the best places we have eaten while in Monterrey! On the walk back we stopped for at our new favorite ice cream place (of course). Drew started chanting "bite? bite?" before we even walked through the door :)

Jared and I played some catch afterwards while Drew and Katie got cleaned up. Jared's arm is getting stronger and he is doing well with pop ups as well. He is still a little afraid of the ball when I throw short hops, but given the unpredictable ground we are playing on I guess I can't blame him too much for that. All of the people walking around the park are really impressed by Jared. They frequently come over and compliment him on his "beisbol."

Cooler weather!!!

Well today was just gorgeous. It was overcast most of the day and so the temperature did not reach Scorching. Classes were good. Had a history test today and it was "interesting". Eric was really tired and didn't stay to eat. I ended up ordering tacos and bringing them back to the apartment. When I got there he told me that I was going to have a manicure and pedicure this afternoon! What a surprise!!! That is why there is a picture of my toe on this post. She cut it a little funky but hey- it was the thought that counted. It was not quite like the pedicures I have had here, but it wasn't super different either. She and I were the only people in the salon and she asked a LOT of questions. It was very interesting. She was quite young though and curious about things so hey- we passed two hours just chatting about life.

I got out about 6 and was walking home when I heard someone yelling, "MOM". So I look around and finally I look up and there are Drew, Eric and Jared standing on the roof of the apartment building looking for me. It was cute. So I go up the elevator and didn't see them- thought they had come back down to the apartment... so I came down and they weren't here either. So I went back up... I could hear Drew crying for me but I still didn't see them so I came back down again. Turns out they were in the elevator coming down and that is when I heard Drew. Crazy!! The weather was so nice we decided to go to the macroplaza and have dinner and do some shopping. We were looking for soccer jerseys and a wrestling mask for Jared. It was such a lovely evening!!

Went to a book store first. Drew decided to scream but it wasn't because he was mad- he was just having fun. I bought a book and a couple of magazines and Jared got a comic book. We had dinner at Burger King and I swear Drew had 7 chicken tenders and Jared had 8. They were bottomless pits. We found Jared's mask (see above) and he is happy as a clam about that. We went to the mall we went into the other day and they had some native people making beautiful crafts. I was fascinated with the weaving and the pottery. They were making them right there! It was amazing to watch them. I bought a few things and then we kept on walking. We were full from dinner so we didn't get any other snacks. Drew thought it was fun watching everyone. We finally left around 8:30 and everyone is in bed now. It was so nice to be able to go outside and not sweat to death!!

I was taking pictures of Jared in his mask and then Drew decided he needed to wear it so I could take pictures of him. Then he wanted me to take pictures of him in his Burger King crown. He thinks he is so very clever... Today was our last Monday!!!

Plaza Sésamo

Oh my goodness can you say HOT? The boys got up at some awful hour and Eric took them out. Drew came back for a nap and then I got up. We went to Plaza Sesamo today. It is a combination theme/water park. It was Hot. I don't think Drew or I had recovered from yesterday but I really wanted to go. It was something we had talked about before we left Irving and today was the last day available that we could really do it- so off we went.

I couldn't handle the heat so I had us go to the waterpark after a few minutes. Drew thought it was the coolest thing so we were pretty pumped. He had never been in a water park before and this was the kiddie area. Eric and I took turns going on water rides with Jared. That was a lot of fun. The last time we were at a water park was when I was pregnant with Drew and I couldn't go on any of the water rides.

So it was all good until Eric left with Jared to go on some rides. Drew just melted down. He wanted in the water but only if I would hold him. I didn't want to do that the whole time and so he pitched a fit. Then he went hysterical and I had to just sit there and wrestle with him. I was already tired and I wasn't in the water so I was hot. Finally Eric and Jared came back and we got something to eat. Poor Drew was just wiped out so he and I came back to the apartment and Jared and Eric stayed and played. Drew slept for 3 hours. I slept for a little over an hour.

The boys came back at 4:30 and we played around here for a bit and Drew had some dinner. There was no puking today thank goodness! We went to the taco stand where we first had dinner that first Sunday night. Eric was really hankering for a real hamburger. So he ordered one and an order of tacos. Jared ordered a baked potato and I had tacos with mushrooms and bacon. Needless to say we thoroughly enjoyed our meal. We waited until 7 because that is when they opened but also when it is a more humane hour to be outside. It was downright pleasant. After dinner we went for some ice cream and that was delicious as usual.

The boys are in bed and I am finishing up these blogs and Eric is working on homework. I wrote my essay already for history class tomorrow... I still need to study though.

Today was our last Sunday here in Monterrey!!!

Cola de caballo

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Wow. We are exhausted. I am just going to post these pictures so you can see how sleepy Drew was after the trip, Jared on his pony and of course the waterfalls themselves. Everyone else is asleep and it is only 8:52 pm. I am still up because I was finishing my grad work for this week and am talking to a friend on IM. I think I will have to edit this tomorrow morning...

OK it's Sunday morning now. I slept in until about 10 am. Jared and Drew woke up around six. Wow. Eric took them on a walk and then Drew took a nap around 9. He is still asleep.

So yesterday we got to the school around 10. My kids were all there. There was another group that was going to go so we thought we could just share the same bus. We had to drive slowly up to the waterfalls. Most of it wasn't due to the winding roads but to the super slow speed limits in some of the places we drove through. No big deal, we drove up into the mountains and it was really pretty. Drew slept a little on Eric on the drive up there. Once we got closer to the waterfalls we were on some really tight curves. Of course there were houses and little stores right on the edge of the road so it was pretty wild driving there. There is a really nice hotel up there and I wouldn't mind staying there! We walked over to the entrance and we saw we had options of how we got up the mountain. We wanted to ride horses but all of the horses had been taken by students so we were just going to ride up in a little cart. As it turns out, there was one horse left and one pony so Jared and I rode those. I rode the horse and he rode the pony- just for clarification.

The waterfalls are magnificent. No other word to describe them. Just beautiful. The water was so clear too. Nice breeze too. There was a little food stand up there and I found my Precious POFFETS! My favorite cheese popcorn that is nearly impossible to find. I have looked in every store, tienda etc. trying to find that stuff and when I saw it at that stand in the mountains, I about passed out. I seriously bought 14 bags and left two. Nice of me huh?

So we rode the little horses down the hill and then walked over to where my kids were thinking about bungee jumping. I would NEVER do that of course but my kids well, they are a little different. Claudia decided she was going to jump. Sooooo... we watched. Of course we are in the sun most of the time and since we are in the mountains we are even closer to the blasted sun than we were just in Monterrey. So yeah it's hot. She jumps and it was great and I was relieved it all went well. Then it was time to head for the bus. Well an hour and 15 minutes later we finally get everyone on the bus. I was beyond irritated because the other group just decided to dilly-dally and well, that wasn't ok. We hadn't eaten lunch and the heat was taking its toll on me and on Drew. GRR. My kids weren't perfect either and I let them know it. They KNEW better than to even say anything when they got on the bus.

On our way down the mountain Drew decided to puke up everything all over Eric. No, really ALL OVER. So we got Drew cleaned up and Eric couldn't get that clean and so he wore puke covered clothes the rest of the way. That is a real badge of fatherhood right there.

We went to a market called Los Cavazos and we ate there and shopped. Eric, Jared, Drew and I went to a different buffet place than most of the others. Man was it good. My dad would have LOVED it there and would have made food fool of himself there. It was that good though. Even Jared had a lot to eat there. Drew was "ok" but didn't really eat anything. We went shopping but it was sooooo hot it was miserable. Eric tried to find some clothes he could change into but for some reason there weren't any extra tall shirts. HMM We made it back to the bus and got cooled down and headed back to town. Drew fell asleep on me and slept most of the way back. Thankfully the bus driver dropped us off at the apartments.

After a little while the boys ate dinner and everything was good until Drew threw up again. YUCK. He had been in here sitting on me but then he got up to see Daddy. Whew! I think he was just overheated, too tired and all that good stuff. We all went to bed very early and passed out. It was a very good trip though. I highly recommend it.

Thank God it's Friday!

No pictures today. Sorry. I wanted to get one of Jared but he wouldn't let me take one of him. He lost a tooth you see, and I thought it would be cool to put a picture of him on here. But he said no and well that was that. OK. I lied. I just remembered we got pictures of Jared's field trip yesterday so I am posting them. We don't have a scanner so I took pictures of them with my iphone. Quality isn't that great- taking a picture of a picture... I propped it up on my purse on the bed. Yahoo! I think the pictures are really cute and the big one with him and the little bunny is absolutely precious. That daycare has been so amazing. I am so glad we found a good place like that for them. We got really lucky with that.

Boys got up bright and early- gotta love that- and Eric got them ready and on to daycare. I was still drained from yesterday's heat so I stayed in bed a while longer. Besides, I didn't need to go to class- they were taking a test and I don't do those!

I did a lot of homework after school. Seemed to not realize that Sunday is the day my first assignment is due for this new class I am in and I hadn't done anything for it yet. Oops. So I did a lot of it this afternoon. I just have to do the discussion board and that will be it for this week. Whew! Eric washed the clothes and then we folded them and put them away. Probably the last time we will do that here - we can take home our dirty stuff and wash it there!

We have to get our essays written, questions answered and study for our history test Monday. There was so much stuff going on this week in that class. It really makes you think. My kids ask really good questions though and I am very impressed. The professor is so good with them and they are really rising to his challenge in that class. I think it is really making them feel very confident in themselves.

We went to eat at a new taco place (no, I am not tired of them yet!) and it was quite tasty. After that we went to the grocery store to get a few things for our last week. I can't believe it's almost over- these last 3 weeks have flown by. We got ice cream at the store- they have a little kiosk. Man it was good. Just simple vanilla in a cup but wow. Jared had it all over but he enjoyed his cone. Drew enjoyed sharing mine. He was asking for bites before we even had ours ordered! Little pig.

We are trying to find a camera battery so I can take pictures tomorrow. We leave at 10am for the Cola de Caballo waterfalls. From what mom said, Grandpa and Norma have been there too so I think that is pretty darn cool. We will be gone until about 5 and that is why I wanted to get homework done for the Lamar class... I HAVE to turn in that stuff- the stuff here is optional for me. Anyway. I plan on taking a lot of pictures.

So that is pretty much our day in a nutshell. It was a nice relaxing evening. Since yesterday was nuts and tomorrow and Sunday could be quite busy it was good to chill tonight.

La Pastora- the zoo in Monterrey

This week is just flying by. Eric got up early to work on some school stuff so I got the boys ready and headed out. They both slept till almost 8 and were in very good moods. On the way to the daycare Drew needed to stop and wave to everyone he saw. Yeah. "How cute". Classes were good and everyone seemed to have alot of energy in the history class. Our prof has a ton of energy and is very passionate about his work. My kids really like both teachers a ton. It is fun to hear them talk about them. Such good kids and they are working really hard.

We thought we were going to visit a software company but that has been moved to tomorrow- we think. Now we were left with the whole afternoon with nothing planned so we had to come up with something quick. We really didn't want to have hours with nothing planned and the kids just bounce off the walls here in the apartment. The pictures I am posting show our "living" room. It isn't bad and the mirrors make it seem bigger. The colors of the furniture however, are bad. But hey, it works! Drew loves to climb on the table thing in the corner that Jared is lying on. Drew likes to climb on the top part and lie down and look in the mirror and "talk" to the baby.

Anyway! For some reason I thought we should go to the zoo so we looked it up and it is not far from here at all. It was 4pm so we picked up the boys and headed over to the zoo since it closed at 6. It wasn't as hot as it has been but boy it was still hot. It was a fun place though and they had a lot of nice exhibits. They are in the middle of renovating it so we didn't see some things because there were no animals in those exhibits. DUH. They did have some cool hawks and owls. They actually had some great cats and some elephants and lions. Since the Dallas Zoo doesn't have lions or elephants anymore it was nice to see these. We sure did sweat a lot though. :)

It was a fun outing and we came home and cooled down. Then we went to Pollo Loco again for dinner. We did NOT eat outside this time though! Jared ate two pieces of chicken and I was so proud of him. Thankfully it is just down the block so it is a good cheap, close dinner we can have once a week. Jared is glad that we have those in Texas. Now I just have to find the closest one!

Eric is telling me right now about their presentation that they are working on tomorrow. He just told me that we are NOT going to the software company tomorrow but to the cerveceria. That would be beer manufacturing plant. It's very famous and it was founded by the great-grandfather of the guy who started the Tec in 1943... So because of that beer we have the school. :) That will be fun though. We might bring the kids to that but I don't know...

HOT

OK. Today was just plain hot. It got up to 107 that I saw. That is not including the heat index. That made it 109. Whoopdeedoo. This morning was not too bad but wow this afternoon that sun just made you HOT.
We had to go in early today because our teacher had an obligation last week and we missed an hour of the first class. So we are making it up a half our at a time. On the way to class today Eric saw the buck. He was just chilling in the grass and he looked great. I had to take the picture with my iphone so I couldn't zoom in really well. We also saw the fawn and its mom but I didn't take a picture of them. So cool. One of my kids lost their pre-paid lunch card so I took care of that during the first class. Got a new one for her and it will be active tomorrow. History class is covering soooo much this week it is a tad overwhelming when you break it down. I really enjoy the classes we are taking.

We picked the boys up from daycare and we came back to our apartment and a lot of the kids came by. Eric is working with 3 of them in a group and David came by to pick up his money. Drew loooooves Diana and wanted to leave with her but I wanted to go out to eat! So everyone left and we went to El Pollo Loco which is like a block from here. We have them in Dallas but I haven't been there before. Well we chowed down and it was relatively cheap for us to all eat there. $14 for chicken, tortillas, 2 drinks and fries. As you can see from the picture, Jared really enjoyed it. He gets corn tortillas at lunch at daycare so he knew to put his food in there. He had fun putting chips, chicken, fries all together in his tortilla. We ate outside... yes it was warm, but it was covered and there was a nice breeze. The bonus was we were right on the road so Drew could see his buses go by.

We walked to the Oxxo and Eric got an ice cream and Jared got a Twix. I got some weird breath mint that I thought was candy and just bit through it. It's cool but weird. Drew didn't get anything even though he did try to pull off everything from the shelves.

Boys are in bed now. Eric and Jared went to play catch again. That is a nice routine that they have. We watched some Mexican baseball game on tv too. Eric is going to go and study with his group and work on tomorrow's presentation.

Tomorrow after class we will get everyone packed up. Jared has his field trip and I am sure we will leave early afternoon. We don't know where we are going but hey- we got here just fine!!

MARCO

Today was kind of a weird day. It was a good day but the organization was a little different. We went to class and then I started making a to-do list. I knew we had to leave by 2:30 to pick up the boys and then get to school by 3 so we could go on the art museum field trip. Well we get out of class at 1, have to eat, and then it's almost 2... I had to do some school stuff (Academy) that I knew would be time consuming and I also had to do some school stuff for here- little things but still things that took time. I decided to go back to the apartment and I worked here until it was time to go pick up the boys. I got a lot done- talked to our contact about Zacatecas, tried to pay for the apartments here but didn't get that done until after our field trip, and of course- finished the Spanish placement test grading. That wasn't so bad but I hadn't really had a chance to do it since the tests were taken about a month ago. Something about the end of school and preparing for this trip just kind of wiped me out. :)

So we picked up the boys and headed to school. We got there at three and that is when we were supposed to leave. All of my kids were there except for four. They went to exchange currency. We waited a few minutes and then we started to pull out. Of course that is when they came back. I think they were in Starbuck's but hey... So the bus goes into reverse and then I run across the street and let them know we were leaving etc. and I was a little tweaked. Oh well. We went to the Museum of Contemporary Art (MARCO) downtown and it was nice. We got to see the exhibits and the kids enjoyed them. They had 2 exhibits and the first was a little creepy but cool. http://www.lorettalux.de/ Here is her website. She is from Germany. The technique she uses is really cool. The pictures are interesting though! The other artist was Tomas Sanchez http://www.remediosvaro.biz/tomas_sanchez.html. I really, really liked his stuff. The details are amazing and the pictures are just beautiful. Check out the water- how in the world does he do this? Everyone enjoyed this artist thoroughly. In the pictures you see a lot of my kids. David gave Jared a piggy back ride and he really enjoyed that. Drew has his favorite kids too but his #1 fave is the bus itself. He HAS to sit in the front seat and from there we look for other buses. I enjoyed the picture of Drew sitting on Eric's lap.

We got dropped off at our apartment this time! That was wonderful since it was over 100 today and don't even start with the humidity! Oooosh! Eric and I brought our 2 goofballs to McDonald's. We hadn't been and it was right down the street. It was quite good. Drew enjoyed his nuggets and his fries and of course Jared did too. Then we all had ice cream. As you can see from the pictures Drew is working hard to get his out and Jared is trying to get all of his out before eating the cone.

After dinner Jared called Kyle and then Eric brought the boys to the park. Some of my girls walked by and they all came back together. Today Drew is particularly fond of Diana. They came to the room and hung out for awhile. They left and kids got ready for bed.

Tomorrow will be a busy day because we have to get all of our homework done before we leave for Zacatecas on Friday. I think it will work out for us to leave early- still checking on the whole hotel room thing. We are doing laundry tonight since we won't have time to do that this weekend. Next weekend we are going to the Horse Tail waterfall and that will be really awesome- it is just a day trip though. We would really like to bring the kids to Plaza Sesamo before we leave.

I guess this is long enough huh!!

Low key day

Today was a good day. The money transfer went through but now I am having difficulty transferring money to Jerram's account. The big pain is that Eric talked to Bank of America before we left and "everything will be taken care of". So he isn't really happy about that. We will get it taken care of tomorrow.

We got our tests back in history and everyone did well. I think that gave them a nice boost. We are covering 300 years this week and it is a lot to have to remember so the fact that they did so well on the first test should motivate them to keep up this week. We also got our history copies so we didn't have to take so many notes and could pay attention to what was going on in class. In our business class there is a lot of work to do. I am not really part of that class because I have already had it and it's not fair to the others when we work in groups or do speeches etc. I feel like the team that I am on has an unfair advantage that way. So I just step back and guide them but that is it.

After class we went to pick up the money from the bank and that was no problem. The only "problem" was that it was really HOT outside! We had walked a ways so of course it was fun to walk back. But there was nothing pressing today so no big deal.

Eric and Jared went to the movies tonight. They saw "The Hulk". They thought the movie was fine and the movie theater was very nice. It's not too far from here so they walked. Drew and I played and played and played some more. He wouldn't let me be! We went upstairs to the roof and played some up there. As you can see from the pictures, he likes climbing into the basket on his stroller. He was putting crayons in there as well. We were getting very creative. When I brought my phone out to take pictures then he had to pose. I know some folks will not like the picture of him with the mirror. I don't know anyone else who ever stood like that in the mirror...

Tomorrow we are going to an art museum so we will pick the kids up early and then head to the bus and go downtown. Should be cool and it is a good outing for everyone. I don't know how much the boys will get out of it but Jared shouldn't mind because he loves hanging out with the kids. He has been doing such a great job here and I am very proud of him. His days are pretty full with daycare and then we try to do things with them at night. He usually reads to me from his Cooperstown book and we talk about all sorts of things. He has two loose teeth on the left side. One on top and one on bottom. He has only lost the two top and bottom middle teeth so it's about time to get these others out of the way! He misses Kyle and we try to keep him busy so the time will go quickly for him. He is supposed to go on a field trip Friday to "La granja de los abuelos" (Grandparents' farm) http://granjalosabuelos.com.mx/. I know you guys may not understand it but you can see the pictures. It looks rather cool to me! I am sure he will have a really good time. We will leave for Zacatecas later that night.

Right now someone is playing their music nice and loud outside. It's not from our apartments but I can hear every word. I love that at 10pm!

Just another manic Monday...

Well another day and no pictures. We were busy being school kids I guess. Today started out really humid and I did not do well with that. In class I had to get something to eat that was sweet and gradually it got better but it kept coming back and that is just annoying.

Our classes are more intense and I think that is good. Kids need a challenge and I think they are up for it. Our history class is only covering 300 years this week. Unfortunately we get history condensed in a tiny little package but it is good. I can only imagine what kinds of details and stories we are missing but what can you do? We had our history test the first hour and it was 2 essay questions. He had given each of us a topic to study so we could just focus on those areas and that definitely made it easier.

Eric had a nap after class and I went to eat with some of the kids at a snack bar. We hadn't been there yet and the food was much cheaper than the Big Meal at the main cafeteria. We had chilaquiles and some had burgers. It was all good. Eric was going to take the girls to Costco and I was going to go to the bank to figure out how to get the kids their refunds. As it turns out I didn't go to the bank but Eric did go to Costco. Instead, I was talking to Jerram on Messenger and I told him what I was trying to do so he graciously helped us out and is getting the money to us by tomorrow. It was not a complicated process but it was easier for him to start it on that end and since he is a B of A account holder as well then there was no problem. I shall go and get the money after lunch tomorrow. The bank is at the other end of the school so I will go while we are there and then just walk home after lunch. So even though I didn't actually 'go' to the bank, I still got that accomplished. Thank you Jerram! By the way, he and Emily got married Thursday and I think that is rather cool.

We didn't do a whole lot tonight. Eric went to Costco and WalMart with the girls so the shopping was done. He got more water and Gatorade- can you imagine?

I went and checked on all the kids after dinner. I wanted to make sure that they were using their time wisely. Surprisingly a lot of them were really tired today because they stayed up really late writing their essay for history class. HA! I wanted to "help" them realize how important studying was etc. and to manage their time more effectively. I brought Drew with me because I knew he wouldn't be such a spaz in their apartments. He gets really shy around them and then loosens up. I thought Jared and Eric could have some downtime in the apartment. I went to one of the apartments and found 6 of the girls there. They were having a full-blown home-cooked meal! Claudia knocked everyone's socks off by making steak and pork empanizado and fried potatoes. It was awesome. They had a whole little dinner party there and I was mad I had already eaten. We had some good conversation though and then I headed to see the other girls. Rita and Yanira were "sleeping" but I decided to wake them up anyway and I know they were glad to see me. Had a good talk with them and then ran into David and Jimmy on the way back to our room. Jimmy isn't part of our group per se, but he has been grouped with us. He is a college student in San Antonio and came by himself. He is a good guy and fits in well with our group. He is 26 and married too. I didn't see Diana and Mary but they came by after working out so I was able to meet with each one of them. Good times.

Jared and Eric played catch at the park and then everyone got ready for bed. They were tired kids. Had a good day at daycare and ate good dinners. They are doing such a great job.

Not much else to report. Wednesday we go to an art museum and Friday we leave for Zacatecas. We might go to the history museum tomorrow because admission is free. It is really nice too. We were there for 2 minutes Saturday but that is when we saw the price was free Sundays and Tuesdays so we opted to come back one of those days. So that might be on tomorrow's agenda after school and picking up the money for the kids etc... It's supposed to be stupid hot again tomorrow. Yahoo!!!

But we are having a great time!!!

Week one is done!

Well today was a good day. It was Friday of course! We had our classes and then we met up at school at 3 so we could go on our first excursion. It was just our group so that was kind of nice. We had picked up the boys at 2:30 so we could be at school in time. Drew had only about an hour to nap. Oh well- it's better than nothing!

Our excursion today was to the planetarium. We had a decent drive and got to see more of Monterrey and that was nice too. We were in the ritzier part of town. The planetarium was in a really pretty part of town and there were a lot of trees. It was set up like the Science Place in Dallas and we had a guide go through the areas with us. It was much better than the Science Place and the kids really enjoyed the exhibits. I could only think of Mr. Flint and how much fun he would have with all of this crazy science stuff! The kids all played (including the big kids) with everything and then they watched an IMAX movie. Drew was not having any of that so we went outside. There are fish tanks in the entryway and we looked at fish first, then went outside. There were some outdoor science exhibits too (pictures above) and we had fun playing with those. His favorite area was the botanical gardens. It was so pretty and the breeze was blowing and the weather was just great. So we chilled for awhile and he played and played. The other kids got out of the movie and joined us outside. Jared tweaked his arm on one of the exhibits. He told me he tore his arm. He is fine and it only lasted 2 seconds but that is when I took that picture. Boy did he have fun with the kids. They hadn't seen the big kids for a few days so it was a good reunion. They had a blast as you can see from the pictures. We didn't leave there until 6:30. Bunch of traffic on the way home so we didn't get home until late. We walked back through the school and that is when we saw the baby ducks. Jared thought those were awesome. They were soooo cute walking through the grass. We also saw the peacocks again and Jared was very surprised to see one just walking next to him like no big deal. He did not get to see the deer though. He did get some money for PawPaw though and he had a death grip on it. Jared talked to Kyle tonight and he talked the whole phone card so that was awesome. I talked to Mom after the boys went to bed.

Tomorrow morning we will meet back at school at 10am for our city tour. It will be 4 hours and we have lunch built into there. I am excited about this and 10am shouldn't be too bad. The buses are not school buses either but the nice buses with air conditioning. The Tec doesn't do anything 2nd class! So we will have the afternoon and evening free- and all of Sunday too. I have 3 journal articles to write and need to take my final. I think I will do that tomorrow so I will have a six day break before my next class starts.

We have homework for history too. We have a 3-4 page essay (typed) that is due Monday, 3 "debate" questions and to study for our test on Monday. Should be interesting. Today's business class was awesome. We did skits and they were all very good. The teacher was very impressed with how easily the kids spoke in front of the class. I told her yesterday that they were used to doing that since they had to do that for me all the time (part of the AP Lang test requires them to speak formally for 2 minutes over a topic they find out about 5 minutes beforehand). So she was very pleased. Kids incorporated a lot of the new vocabulary they had learned as well.

The kids are very excited about the trip. Some went out last night to that school sponsored Salsa class and had a good time meeting new people. I am very proud of how they handle themselves. They are very pleased with how much they have learned this week even though it has been a long and tiring week.

I know this is long but there was a lot going on today! When we went to pick up the boys we spoke with the owner. She told us how friendly the boys are and how quickly they have fit in with everyone else. Drew made a little thing for Eric for Father's Day. It has his huge handprint (Drew's, not Eric's) and it says, "Papá a bordo" which means "Dad on board". It even has the suction cup to put it on the window. I was touched.

Well I guess this is long enough. I better get to bed. Drew went to bed early without much dinner so I bet he will be up early!

:) I don't like how the pictures ended up on this post but I can't do anything to fix it!!!