We did make it out of the resort today. After breakfast, knowing that the place was going to fill up with spoiled brat locals, we decided to relax in the room for a little bit and then head out to the shopping center. Usually the shopping center is the last place I would like to be, but it was a welcome change to being at the resort, for sure. It was a nice morning to walk, not too hot, and not too much traffic. We made it to the shopping center and walked around for a little while, with our first store being a toy store that, for some reason, also sold kitchen ware. We found each of the kids little toys that they liked (an elephant for Juan, a hippo for Andres, and a key chain pig for Shirley) and made it out of that store relatively unscathed. We then walked around for a while, just enjoying being out and doing some light window shopping. Okay, that is totally not me, but it was better than sitting in the hotel room or battling punk kids at the pool. I did manage to find a good shot of espresso at Juan Valdez Coffee, although still no americano (or at least I couldn't find it with my superior command of the Spanish language). The espresso went down smooth, and though it was a warm day and it was a hot drink, I savored it as if it were gold. After we toured the place for about hour or so, we went back to the main grocery store to pick up a few things that we needed before returning. It was a very successful trip to the grocery store, as we found some killer bread at a very low price (I am sure we will return for more before too long). After we were done, we braved traffic and headed home, the boys getting tired, and me wired from the espresso.
When we got home, we had a light lunch and got the boys ready for bed. They fell asleep fairly quickly while the rest of us relaxed in the front room. I was able to read for quite some time, and Janine and Shirley read, worked on the computer, and listened to music for a bit. It was a nice and quiet two hours. The boys woke up in great moods and we played around for a little bit before heading out walking around the campus before dinner. Shirley chose pizza again, although she did not eat as much or seem to enjoy it as much tonight. Frankly, neither did I, which is saying quite a bit considering I didn't enjoy it all that much last night (but it was a good change of pace). We again walked around the golf course a little bit afterward, giving the boys exercise and killing time as we ate quite early. Ice cream was a success tonight, and we ate among the many people by the pool. Even Juan enjoyed some ice cream, a first since we have been here! It was a good overall dinner time for us tonight.
Tonight the kids did stickers with Janine while I was able to watch a little college basketball on tv. It was a relaxing evening, one in which the kids were able to play among themselves for a bit without needing our constant reassuring, which is a good step. We are now able to find bits and pieces of time in which the kids entertain themselves and are able to police themselves in activities to an extent. We hope that we are able to continue to build this up in the kids, allowing them the freedom to play, giving them the confidence they need to just be kids and have fun without always needing Mami and Papi to watch or look at every second of everything they do. They are making progress, which is very encouraging. One of the things that we try to do is to get the boys to exercise, to walk up and down stairs or hills. It sounds kind of strange, but I don't think that they have done much of this before. Tonight was a success in that both Juan and Andres were able to walk up and down a fairly steep incline on their own. Janine and I were both happy to see this and encouraged their bravery (believe me, for the boys, that is really courageous) and their hard work as they walked up and down the hill.
On a side note, we did have a strange encounter with a man with a sawed-off shotgun coming up and playing with the boys for a second. He emerged from the bushes near the resort, an odd looking fellow, approaching us as we played on the hillside. He had no qualms coming right up to the boys and playing with them, too, teasing them, placing their cars on his head and allowing them to take the cars off his head. It was just strange to stand their, watching our children playing with a guy carrying around a shotgun...a guy who just emerged form the bushes carrying a shotgun...pump action, sawed-off, with a pistol grip. If he did not have a Club Campestre emblem embroidered on his shirt (trust me, it was not an iron-on...I looked to make sure of the authenticity), I would have done my best to get us out of there without offending the guy with the gun. But, in the end, it all was harmless. After a few minutes with the boys, the armed man ran off in another direction, carrying his shot gun with minimal gestures. I saw him a few minutes later, as we walked to the golf course, running alongside the resort in a crouched position, holding his shotgun...and I wondered...
We have seen quite a few people carrying guns here. It has been a peaceful time, with the biggest news being the mine explosion, but we have seen the military, the police, with their automatic weapons and batons. We have felt completely safe in every way, though, free to move around, to walk through this section of B-manga, trusting that we are out of harm's way. It is weird, though.
Another side note: the elephant and hippo we got today have suction cups on them so we can hang them on windows or glass or whatever. Anyhow, the elephant was stuck to the television in the front room tonight, and along comes Juancho, all 26 pounds of him, built like a stick...he tugs on the elephant, once, twice, but to no avail. It is stuck. He turns to me and lets out his usual "help me" whimper...immediately, the elephant comes off and falls to the floor. My son cannot pull off the tv what falls off on its own...we need to get him into the weight room!
Anyhow, it was a really good day. There really was minimal crying and fussing today and the kids had a good time without the pool. We are now going to play a matching game with Shirley, which she usually wins (she is really good at it). It should be a quiet and uneventful evening, especially now that the boys are falling asleep. I do hope that you are all doing well.
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