Criss-crossing the world

We dropped Ermias off last night with David and Daniel. Oh yah, and Randy and Sary-Jo. He is being totally spoiled with a mini-spa from Tia Jo, shower assistance from Daniel, and a bed buddy with David. He was so excited yesterday all day we could hardly calm him down.

Mason is wrapping up his final stint in Mexico. He has moved to Mexico City, where they have eight full-time maids. It's quite the different life than he led on the farm and he seems to be taking to it just fine. Every day is an excursion.

We have been able to FaceTime him now that he has wifi. His cheeks are peeling and he looks very dirty. We also got a notice that he had incurred over $100 of roaming charges, so he wasn't actually on wifi.

The driver picked them up today and took them to the roller coaster. They keep a frenetic pace the entire time, and I think he is looking forward to a bit of quiet as he camps in Zion next with Sarah and Kyle. 

Meanwhile, when we went to Europe this last summer we cashed in frequent flyer miles. However for the return trip, the cheapest way home was to buy round-trip. And now it would just be wasteful to not use that other ticket back to Europe. That's the logic that got us to plan a quick girls week that starts in Paris.

You did what

Kenzie imitates Cindy's look when she finds out I bought shrimp pots. Yes I may be allergic to the little buggers but that doesn't mean I don't want to catch them for others to enjoy. Or maybe for myself. 

De Nada

Mimi

Today I was warned that Mason was going to ask to bring the puppy home so I was prepared when he called and started talking about "your present." This may be a difficult partying, but we know the puppy, Mimi, has a family that loves her. he told Whitney today that he was not going to proceed onto the next phase of their vacation unless he could bring the puppy and that he would stay in the country forever.  

He also went horseback riding today, ATV riding, and flew kites. He told me that he was going 38 when he crashed the ATV, but we aren't clear whether that's miles or kilometers. Regardless he is fine and having the time of his life. 

New friends

Whitney sent us a few texts today. We learned that Mason and the kids played with the newly hatched chicks this morning, went tubing on the lake, bought street tacos, ate ice cream out of the back of a truck, and lit fireworks off of the roof. It sounds like Mason is having the time of his life. He has also adopted a new puppy as you can see in the pictures. Evidently he takes it everywhere. Anybody else see this ending badly? 

They are staying in the mountains near Mexico City right now. 

Notice the puppy in the sweatshirt 

The white boy is getting a bit of a sunburn on his neck 

Ding and Dong viajen a Mexico

Mason was invited by Wils family to go to Mexico for eight days. We left the house at 3 this morning. They will travel to Mexico City and then to the country, visiting family the entire time. He will travel from there directly to Vegas to see Sarah and Kyle, as some of us have other plans!

I told Wil "he's gonna miss his Mommy. You're gonna have to snuggle him." He told me, "that's not a problem, Julie, I got that."

This is one happy kid!

Baseball Time Again.

January 31, 2016

Once again, another anniversary spent at baseball tryouts. Mason has decided to play baseball again. I think he's even more excited this year than last. We are hoping he gets his same coaches again but if not, at least, a good coach!

Grammyism

Yesterday on my way to work I got a phone call from my mother. She said that she had very bad news. She processed and my heart sank. She proceeded to tell me that she had a stack of magazines and a her cell phone sitting on top of the toilet and the cat single-handedly swiped the phone into the toilet precisely as it was flushing. The phone was completely lost. I told her that I was worried that maybe it was stuck in the neck of the plumbing, but she assured me that they had a "modern" toilet that didn't have the same pipes. It went straight into the ground. I tried to dispute this but she reassured me. Still driving to work, I convinced her to stick her arm down the toilet, presumably into the ground, and fish for the phone. No luck. I then told her that we should probably call a plumber because the phone would certainly show up somewhere. 

Fast forward to about four hours later when I get a text with two random characters from her. I replied "mom, did you find your phone?" 

She replied "The lost is found when I got home Cindy was calling and I traced it down it was in my robe pocket in the bathroom by the toilet."

I still giggle when I remember the splashing sound on the phone of her sticking her arm in her modern toilet. 

Beggars

This is their "please take me to dinner" pose

Growing

Ermias growth markers on our wall. Almost three inches since August. 

2016 Polar Bear Plunge

Happy dog at his beach

Each time we drive over to Port Townsend, Bentley detects the beach a little bit earlier in the trip. He whines, sometimes barks, and frequently rolls the automated window down. This time he rolled it down about five times in a row until I locked it. When we get here he is happy sitting on the deck, even in the cold air. At our other home he wants to be inside with us at all times. I think he likes sitting on the deck looking at the birds, the activity on the water, and the occasional person who strolls on the street.

Home away from home

These are just a few of the reasons why we love it here: