Feliz Navidad 2008

We've enjoyed our first holidays in Costa Rica this season. It's been filled with special family time, new traditions and many fun gatherings with new friends. We've been here for five months now and are truly acclimating. We all chatter spanish quite often and much to our amazement often we're understood!? Best wishes to all for a Feliz Prospero Ano Nuevo 2009! celebrating Boxing Dayat the Stubbs home, David, Juletta and kids, Sue Lyn and Sean...we were introduced to Mahjong ( a chinese game) and opening crackers were a big hit too!

Tatum and Sean....Sean was the master music dj helping the girls download music to their new MP3 players

McKenna, Sue Lyn and Tatum....the girls enjoyed doing fuse bead designs and playing pick up stix

the Stubbs and Foulger clan minus Brad the photographer, standing in front of the pretty, purple Christmas tree designed and decorated by Sue Lyn

The Stubbs family( Juletta, Sean, David and Sue Lyn) originally from the UK have lived in CR for 4 years and have been very helpful to our getting settled here. Both Brad and I worked with David at HP many years ago in the Bay Area. In addition to living in the Bay Area and UK, they've lived in Hong Kong and Singapore with Sue Lyn and Sean speaking fluent Mandarin.

Christmas Day in the gardens of Hotel Bougainvillea, our very nice favorite restaurant

Tatum's wondering why her questions are not being answered?

On Christmas Eve we joined our neighbors, Alberto, Carolina, Marie Paula and Valleria Loria, at Carolina's Grandmother's house for a family celebration. We arrived around 3pm and enjoyed mingling with 50+ relatives, a tradition amongst the family. All the family lives in the greater San Jose area with some cousins attending college in the states, back for the holiday break. We've really enjoyed getting to know the Loria family, their girls and McKenna and Tatum are close in age and attend the same school. Carolina is my key resource for learning anything about CR and she's been a chief chaufeer showing us around the area, a very daunting task!

Christy, Carolina's mother and the Marie Paula and Valleria's grandmother, was assisting Santa as he passed out gifts to all the grandchildren, young and adult, much to our surprise he also had gifts for our girls.....fortunately!

Tatum's watching closely as Santa enters the room....we hadn't anticipated seeing Santa here.

Tatum put her bow on Gabi's head.....her present for the evening!

we spent much time outside in the garden, very lovely, only wish I'd taken more pictures before darkness

The girls in the garden, our girls along with our neighbors, Valeria (holding the dog) and Marie Paula (right of McKenna) and their cousins Maria Jose (left of McKenna) and Maria Fernanda (right end)

Our neighbors and close friends the Loria's , Valleria, Carolina, Marie Paula and Alberto

Carolina's sister Christina and family, Oscar, Maria Fernando and Maria Jose, the girls attend Lincoln school also with McKenna and Tatum.

end of Christmas Eve, Gabi changed into her jammies for the ride home

Christmas morning opening presents

abrazos (hugs)

ready to head out for our Christmas lunch

all smiles

just wrapped up Christmas lunch, yummy!

Christmas bromeliad, one of many beautiful flowers in the Hotel Bougainvillea gardens

Lisa and the girls in the Hotel Bougainvillea lobby

family photo in the garden

Panama trip

The girls finished school Dec 10th and to kick off their 6 week holiday break we headed to Panama City, Panama. Brad had been there on business previously but for the rest of us it was our first time there. One of the highligts of the trip was visiting the Panama Canal. We spent time at the Miraflores Locks museum and were impressed to see the United States engineering behind the amazing canals. We were able to look up names of the workers via records there to see some Siegel (Lisa's maiden name) relatives that worked to build the canal. It was awesome to watch boats pass through the canal, definately an enginnering feat to be proud of. We stayed at Playa Bonita and enjoyed the beautiful Pacific ocean cove and resort vacation. Definately a great way to kick-off the holiday season! On our flight to Panama Gabi's waving

Panama City skyline.....many sky scrapers and more under development as the Panama Canal extension has boosted the local economy

theater in the Old City

historic building in the old city

Catholic Church

narrow roads.....the old city was constructed by the French as they worked originally to build the Canal

apartments

at our InterContinental hotel there was a magnificently decorated Christmas tree that we all enjoyed especiallly Gabi

Gabi loves her big sister McKenna

Tatum loves to pose for photos these days

Gabi wants to wear Mom's sunglasses

the girls loved the beach entry swimming pool

Gabi sporting a pony tail, she is getting more hair!

<> naptime at the pool

We met Pedro from Colombia, he enjoyed playing with the girls- here they're golfing

Gabi enjoyed swimming with Dad

Gabi playing with the sandtoys

more swimming

We took a break from the beach to do some shopping at Albrect Mall, the penguins dressed up for the holidays were very cute....Gabi was taking a snooze

comfy bed on the grounds of Playa Bonita

the hammocks were a hit

Gabi trying to take a leap from the bed, her big sisters save the day

evidence of Gabi eating sand

playing at Playa Bonita

more evidence of Gabi eating sand

sisterly love

wow! those waves come rolling in fast

collecting seashells

fun in the sun

looking out from our room balcony

another view from our room

At Miraflores Panama Canal watching the boats pass through the canal

Panama Canal opened in 1914

Day trip to Sarchi

a stop in nearby Grecia park

a very tall Christmas tree with coca-cola ornaments in downtown San Jose...the Costa Rican's sure love their cola

Grecia church

in Sarchi the girls stop next to the wheel of the world's largest ox cart -hand-carved and beautifully painted

Tatum sporting her rain boots, perfect for the drizzly weather that day

full view of the LARGEST Ox cart in the world

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