Christmas 2008

Ali gets her first set of stitches

Ali jumped off the toilet and was pulling up her pants when she lost her balance and fell into a nearby closet. She ended up with five stitches!

Two girls listening in ballet class!

Two girls not listening in ballet class!

Ballet for Two and Four Year Olds

Ali and Jaden were in a ballet class together and Ali also went to a separate class for older kids. Ali got to be in a show (see red outfit pics) and she loved it. Jadie loved being onstage too before the performance, but when it came time for Jadie to perform she would not get on stage. So I have included photos from their dance class practice as well as Ali's show. Jadie loves to dance and it was a shame that she was so shy onstage. Her teacher said that she was one of the better dancers in the 2 year old class.

On the Ganges River

The Ganges River

We went to the Ganges River with our friends, Keir, Robyn and Zoe. First we stopped in Rishikesh, where we walked through the city that was made famous by The Beatles. We saw holy men, and saw alleys filled with everything Indian including cows and sandalwood. We stayed in the worst hotel with the most amazing view. Then we left there and went to spend a few nights in a tent on the banks of the holy Ganges. We did not see any dead bodies floating down but Troy rafted a class IV rapid called "The Wall." Sadly we lost him, sorry Bob and Arlyce. Ok kidding, he only got injured. It was beautiful and clean. Ali and Jaden swam in a little swimming hole because I wanted to keep them out of the current. They still talk about their trip to the Ganges and want to go back.

The Train Museum

The Train Museum is about a ten or 15 minute walk from our house. We live in a very nice part of town so the streets are not crowded. We also do not see many of the things that you would see in other parts of India because the area is so nice. The kids loved the museum but Jaden was scared of the train ride. I forced her on it once and she sort of enjoyed part of it but she was very happy to get off. Ali loved it and went around twice. At the end, when we were leaving we saw our first snake charmer which was interesting. Ali thought it was cool but Jaden wanted to leave.

Better late, than never!

So it has taken awhile to update our site because we were in transit, we have a new computer, we started a new job and oh yeah, I just remembered...we moved to a new country. Anyway, I have some photos but I need to find the time to get them posted. The girls are finally sleeping together for the first time in their own room. It took about two weeks of sleepless nights but somehow it finally seems to be working. Jaden is happy with our new nanny but Ali is not adjusting very well. She thinks she is in charge and it is causing a lot of problems. We hope to get that worked out over the next month. Ali misses Peru and is very aware of all the changes around her. We can make her happy quite quickly though because all we have to say is, "pool" and she is smiling and laughing. She loves the pool and would stay there all day if we let her.

The school is amazing and we enjoy going to work everyday. It is one of the best international schools that I have ever worked at in my life. The children really do come first here and we are so happy to be a part of this community. It is hard to adjust in just a few weeks to a new country, new school, new nanny, new friends, etc. but we are trying and things are going quite smoothly. Ali has decided that green is her favorite color so we painted half of her room green for Ali and the other half pink for Jaden. There are a bunch of toddlers on campus so the children have play dates every single day. I have also signed Ali up for ballet and she had her first class on Friday. Jaden was quite upset because she wanted to stay and dance too. Jaden loves dancing but she is too young this year.

Parade

We looked out our window one night and it was an amazing parade. I have never seen anything like this in Lima before this year. It went around Lima until 4 or 5 in the morning. Ali and Jaden danced with the ladies while we waited for the parade to get started. Then when the music played, neither of my girls were shy; they both danced in the streets. They were the only two dancing like crazy in the streets. I twas so much fun to watch them.

Jadie's Second Birthday

We celebrated Jadie's birthday with two other little girls who were turning two in May. Jadie had Stephanie from Lazytown on her cake because the store could not make the Backyardigans. She did not blow out the candle. I think she was feeling shy and a little angry that I put two rat tails in her hair. I couldn't help it. Everyone thinks she is a boy and for her birthday, I conformed with society and put pink tails in her hair.

Mother's Day

These are from Mother's Day. We went to a farm and Ali made bread, picked up baby ducks, fed rabbits, goats, and even milked a cow.

Gifts from the USA

The first two pictures in the slide show are from March 29th when we participated in Earth Hour 2008. We turned off all the lights for one hour with many countries around the world to support saving energy. I did use a flash to take the photo but I wanted to show how excited the kids were because we had the lights off and we were using candles. They thought this was the coolest event since when they first discovered sugar.

The next set of photos were from today. We got a package in the mail from Grandma and PapPap Mumma that had their favorite TV characters inside. Jadie got Pablo from the Backyardigans and Ali got a Stephanie wig, purse, cell phone and bracelets from LazyTown. These two were so psyched today! I showed them photos first so they knew who the gifts were from and then let them open it up. Ali wore the wig the rest of the afternoon and Jadie was a little freaked out by her sister's hair. This was a great day because mom mailed this stuff months ago and it took until now for it to show up! Lima postal service...what a joke!

Ali's Heart

Troy draws a heart for Ali in Bayahibe.

Dominican Republic

We left Peru for 17 days to explore the Dominican Republic. We visited our good friend Randall who is working at the Carol Morgan school first. We were only supposed to stay with him for one day but Ali got sick with a fever, vomit, and everything else for the first five days. Luckily, Randall's roomate was a doctor. We ploughed on after three days, like the young parents that we are, and tried to have a good time anyway.

The beaches are beautiful and the water is amazing. The girls loved the water because it felt like a pool to them instead of the ocean. We traveled to four different beaches but loved Bayahibe the most so we stayed there for a week. The locals were very casual and laid back here. We didn't feel hasseled to buy anything on this beach and it made it that much nicer. We got to go snorkeling out near an island one day and Troy found some starfish. Ali loved being on a boat but Jadie hated it and screamed most of the way to the island. She partially adjusted later and we were grateful to give the other passengers a break. Ali got on stage with some local dancers and danced with them. She was not shy and felt pretty free around everyone we met. Jadie on the other hand clung to me like a monkey. I had breaks here and there when the girls were playing in the sand so I enjoyed more than one "Coco Loco". This is basically rum poured into a coconut. Yum! Troy had a few Presidente's (local beer) and several whole fish.

Grandma and Grandpa Duffield will be happy to know that Ali wanted them to come play with her at the beach. It took several explanations for her to understand that this was not possible. This was a great trip because we had lots of time to bond as a family and the girls were so happy to be at the beach everyday. One thing that surprised us was how many Italians are in the DR. If you plan on going to the DR and you are not staying at an all inclusive hotel, then you will need to speak Spanish or Italian. You can get by with either one of these languages.

Last days with Grandma and Grandpa

These are the last photos we have with Grandma and Grandpa from their visit.

Ali's slideshow

At three years old, we have a budding artist. Grandma and Grampa Duffield bought her a kids digital camara for Christmas and Ali has been busy taking photos. I helped her edit by erasing about 100 photos of the family furniture and black outs. Now welcome to the Ali show...

Jadie saying "Hola"

Jadie has a slight lisp and we love to hear it when she is trying out new words. Here, she is showing off for the camara.

Ali throwing rocks

Ali has always loved rocks. She used to eat them as a baby and now she just throws them all around her head.

Ali at the playground

This is a video of Ali at the playground. She is so happy to be such a big girl now. She was playing with older kids and it was such a big deal to her. She is hanging on so tight that she is afraid to let go to wave to mommy or daddy. What a big girl!

January with the Duffields

Troy's parents flew down from Tampa to visit the kids and help us out while we were in Thailand. They have been here almost a month and the kids are used to them already. Jaden calls them Reampa and Memaw. It is off the charts adorable. If you think your kid is cute, well then you can't wait to see mine. I've thrown in some photos of Jadie wearing shoes which is her favorite thing to do. She walks better in high heels than some adults. Ali has her usual "open mouth, stick tongue out" photos that always charm us.

Thailand Slideshow

So we decided to go to Thailand to see what the world had in store for us. We were elated that New Delhi, India was the answer. We are going to hang up five years here in Peru this July. We will say goodbye and move to India. We are elated because this was our first choice in job offers and we can only guess what the future will hold.

After the job fair we were exhausted and tried to take a few days to enjoy Thailand. We traveled to Jom Tien near Pattaya. Lee, Jean and her sister Cheryl joined us or actually we joined them on their vacation. Jom Tien was a little too seedy for me but I was so excited to be there that I was able to wax poetic about all the strange sites of old balding men with young Asian lovers. This is a PG rated site so I'll keep it at that. Then we traveled to Koh Samet which is an island almost two hours from there and I saw my first white sandy beaches with pure turquois water. It was too much for me and Troy was amazed by the sight of my smile and laughter. I felt like we were on honeymoon and that right there equals a good time.

Opening Christmas Presents

Here Ali is opening Christmas presents from Aunt Amy and Uncle Rick.

Christmas Video for Grandma and Grandpa

This is a video I made for mom and dad at Christmas. They both loved opening gifts this year but it was a slow process.