Gabi turns 8 months!

Gabi says "Come play ball with me!"

Such joy!

Playing ball is one of Gabi's favorite games. She's just turned 8 months and is very steady sitting up. Her newest adventure is attempting to commando crawl on her belly....pretty cute!

New family additions- Sally and Goldie

Goldie

Sally

McKenna with Sally and Tatum with Goldie.....hard to tell who is happiest the girls or the puppies :)

We've rescued two adorable high-energy puppies into our brood- Sally and Goldie, both two months old. While it saddened us to leave Reggie (our 1st baby) home in Auburn we hear he's doing well and being loved by many! McKenna and Tatum have welcomed the puppies with open arms and Gabi is intrigued by them also, they're providing much family enjoyment already in their first 24 hours. We have a dog pen and a big grassy yard so there's been much exploring by the pups. Goldie is the bronze one and Sallie the tri-color pup, they're likely a combo of breeds-Heinz 57 like :)

CR Independence Day- Sept 15th

Recyclying float

Brad and Gabi in front of the roasted chicken restaurant's wood pile- our viewing spot for the parade which offered some shade for Gabi.

Many musicians performed for the parade.

McKenna and Tatum sporting their Independence headbands as they lined up to watch the parade.

Costa Rican flag

Two little girls sporting the Costa Rican national dress as part of the parade.

McKenna and Tatum proudly dress up in the CR national dress as they prepare to attend the Lincoln school Independence parade.

Tatum flashing her shy pose.....we all know there's hardly a shy bone in her body :)

McKenna showing off her full skirt, great for twirling! These costumes are our newest additions to the dress up fashion wardrobe for playtime.

Today is Independence Day here in CR. McKenna and Tatum enjoyed dressing up in the Costa Rica typical dress for a day of festivities at school. We barbequed at friends' yesterday where the girls enjoyed quad riding, especially Tatum who insisted at driving at every opportunity! And we attended a colorful parade in Tibas, a nearby town, earlier this morning. Many marching bands and colorful floats and costumes. I thought I was fortunate to enjoy a 2nd Mother's Day holiday celebration upon arriving in CR in mid-August, and the kids also voiced their enjoyment at getting a second round of independence partying this past weekend--we're definately double dipping on the holiday front!

Trip to Poas Volcano

One of our first day trips we headed to Poas Volcano and enjoyed seeing our 1st Costa Rican live volcano. It was a beautiful clear day and the volcano was in clear view-pretty awesome! About an hour from our house, we were proud to navigate successfully :)

1st day at Lincoln School

Tatum in 1st grade and McKenna in 4th started Lincoln school on wed, August 12, 2008. Here they are as they set out for day 1 in their new school uniforms!

Childrens' Day in CR

Tatum waited patiently to have a butterfly painted on her face. Brad and Gabi watched on.

The girls posed while watching the clown perform :)

Tatum, our friend Naomi, and McKenna relaxing at the club awaiting lunch while Gabi and Lisa play ball.

Our kids think we should bring Childrens' Day back to the US as a best practice! We spent it with friends at our club, swimming, face painting and playing with a clown.

Our house

Our kitchen

McKenna's bedroom Tatum and Gabi's bedroom

Playroom

Living room

Brad and Lisa's room

Terrace bar

Dining room




Another Living room

Terrace







Front view of our house

We've been very fortunate to find a beautiful home in San Luis to live in. We have fabulous neighbors, our home is close to Lincoln School where McKenna and Tatum attend and our new hometown is very welcoming!