April Mendez News

Wooweee, this was some month. Let's get all the pictures out of the way first.

After a week of pukey flu going through our house (Lily and Joel), Abby and I escaped for the first of several birthday parties this month.

Here is birthday party #1. The mom is a very sweet friend of mine from Abby's school. She told me, "Oh we're not going to do anything big." I learned what "nothing big" means in Chilean culture. Not just the cake and punch and kids running around that you'd think she meant in American culture.

Isn't this such a cool shot of Abby?

Later on, we picked up Lily to give Joel a break. (Yes this "little" party lasted about five hours.)

Then, we got the call that my Grandma Bessie had a major stroke at the age of 89. I rushed home to Alabama, with Lily in tow.
She was able to rally for awhile, and we all thought she was going to be around for at least several more months, but unfortunately on the day that I flew out, she passed away, surrounded by her three daughters.

Just a warning, if you plan to be flying through Santiago airport any time soon, this is what you are going to find.

Yes, the earthquakes (I say plural because we've had, what - 300 aftershocks? And some of those were 6.5 and above. One major aftershock was 7.2 - and I was in the shower. Felt quite a bit stronger when you're naked and have shampoo in your hair.) did a great deal of damage to the Santiago airport. The international terminal is trashed, so we're told. All of the ticketing, baggage checking, etc. are outside in tents in the parking lots. Expect to walk an extra mile or so, toting your luggage. Add in a toddler and a stroller and diaper bag and all that jazz, and you get an idea of the "fun" going to the airport is.

This is the "domestic" terminal that I went out of instead. Notice the dangling light fixtures and missing ceiling tiles. What you can't see is the lack of air conditioning. Honestly, not bad considering what some parts of Chile look like, but not exactly what you want to see right before you get on a plane.

Oh, speaking of earthquakes - I've figured out how to describe it to those of you who have never been through one. Turbulence. That is exactly what it feels like - except ummm, you're on land, not in an airplane.

The flight from Santiago from the States is an overnight flight and blessedly there was an empty seat next to me. This is how Lily spent the night. She behaved extremely well and was a great little flier.

While in Alabama, I got to visit two of my favorite places, Walmart and Target. God bless the USA - I saw a jar of mayonnaise that was bigger than my head. Really - I measured it. (Nephews thought I lost my mind.) Only in the US could you find a condiment like mayo in a container so large. What in the world would you do with that much mayo????

The Arts & Crafts Festival was going on in my hometown while we were there. I was a good girl and resisted purchasing. Mostly. But we did stop and enjoy the Fairhope Middle School Band play. Lily loved the music.

While we were in the US, Joel and Abby stayed back in Chile. Mainly because the tickets were too much, but also because we thought it would be best for Abby to stay in her routine with school and such. But don't worry, she and Joel stayed super busy. With THREE MORE BIRTHDAYS. Yup.

So, here are pictures of birthday party #2.

This is Abby's bestest friend and partner in crime, Kata, from our neighborhood.

Don't look so angelic, now, do they? LOL

This is her other partner in crime, Isadora, from across the street.

And here's a photo from birthday party #3, for Kata. Ummm, this was not a "little" party, by ANY ONE'S standards. Held at the Chilean version of a country club. Super swanky place. Wish I had been able to be there.

Then, finally, here are pictures of Abby and Joel celebrating Joel's birthday with our neighbors. Unfortunately Lily and I weren't there because we missed our connection in Atlanta.

On the flight home, Lily discovered boys. Really. Miss Obsessively-shy-and-clingy-to-mommy saw the guy sitting next to me and decided to make friends. Then proceeded to make friends with the 20 year boy across the aisle. And that worked so well she wanted to stand in the aisle and talk to everyone on the plane. All of the sudden, she decided strangers aren't so bad and needed to hold conversations with every person in the airport. It's like she was possessed; it happened so quickly. Crazy. Makes me laugh every single time she's starts acting outgoing now.

Once home, I snapped this photo of Lily collapsed on the couch. It reminded me so much of this picture I took when she was three months old. Can you believe how big she's gotten? Who is this little toddler and where did my little tiny baby go?

Oh, y'all will love this. Abby's doing T-ball now. Here are some pictures of her first batting practice. (And no, I did not dress her. She picked out those clothes all by herself. According to Abby, they "match" because they both have pink. Couldn't convince her otherwise.)

Here is one of our Embassy friends, Alyssa.

So, as far as the rest of our month went:

With all of the mess of the earthquake, we just didn't see Joel much this month. Thankfully they were able to complete the majority of repairs to the embassy and work has gotten to close to normal for Joel again.

I'm staying busy with work as well. I've been planning my way through some certification and assessment programs and new marketing plans and all that fun jazz. Never seem to catch up, which I guess is normal.

Abby started preschool this month and we got adjusted to our "normal" schedule. Every morning I drop her off at her class, pop Lily in the stroller and go power walking. So far I'm up to power walking two miles. I really want to progress to jogging or running but every time I attempt it I get shin splints. So for now I'm sticking to power walking.

Joel and I also attempted to do South Beach this month. Stress and dieting are not that great of a mix though. I did end up losing four pounds in the first week and a half, but then I went to Fairhope and gained three pounds back eating my dad's BBQ ribs. Oh well. Just teaches me that I better lose that last fifteen pounds for good before we move back in August. Maintaining will be hard enough.

Speaking of moving back, Joel and I thought we should update y'all on our plans. After thinking hard about it for the past two months, we've decided that the girls and I will be moving to Fairhope, Alabama while Joel is gone to Afghanistan. Our current plan is that we will be in Fairhope until January of 2012, then join Joel in DC for about six months while he works there until we head overseas again in June of 2012. Yes, it does look like we will be heading back out overseas again after this brief break. We hope to purchase a condo there that we will have as our summer home when we're overseas. Right now we are doing all of the homework on buying our first home. I did view one place while I was home and it looked really good, but I don't want to jinx it by saying more. I'm even looking at Pottery Barn catalogues and decorating in my head. Craziness. But I'm really looking forward to it, and to Abby starting kindergarten in my old hometown, and getting to do all the fun "US" things like go to high school football games, participate in a "large" (as in larger than 20 people) church with tons of kid activities, ballet classes for the girls, parades, Arts & Crafts, picking strawberries at the strawberry farm, that sort of thing.

Abby is still not adjusting to the old nanny leaving and we've been in the midst of that this past month as well. It's caused some serious behavior problems and regression that we're having to deal with that, trying to help her get through it. Lily, thankfully is oblivious to that, but however has hit her terrible twos early. She literally laid herself down on the floor of the grocery store last week in protest. It was hilarious. How in the world do you not laugh when they are doing things like that? Thankfully we were there early in the morning and the store was fairly empty. The new nanny and I just let her sit there as we continued to ignore her and "shop." My cure? Fruit Loops. Lily discovered Fruit Loops while we were at Nana and Papa's house in the US and she's addicted. I just started talking very loudly - "Oh wow, look what I found. I have Fruit Loops." (the Chilean version, but close enough.) Man, she perked up so quickly and came running over begging for them. Hahaha.

I did purchase a "chore chart" for Abby at Arts & Crafts that she is really is responding to (she loves to get the "stars", and we are trying bribe. . . I mean, convince, Lily that using the potty is fun. She gets an M&M for sitting on the potty. Because she totally CAN use the potty, she just doesn't WANT to. Do you see what I mean about the terrible twos?

I guess that's all I can think of to catch you guys up for the past month. Oh, and I did our taxes, too. Honestly, I wouldn't mind having a boring month with nothing to report for a while. But with our move to the US happening in just FOUR MONTHS, I don't think I will get one of those any time soon. Oh well, right?

Coming up in April, Joel and I are plowing ahead on our preparations to get ready for our move. We're holding a HUGE yard sale this month to purge our house of everything we can get rid of now. Joel is processing his way through all of the bureaucratic nonsense our move will entail. The girls continue to run amok. I'm trying to crank my way through the never-ending to-do list.

Love to all of you,

Julie, Joel, Abby, and Lily