lots of stories

Buen día... translation... Good day :-)

Wow is time speeding by... November already, before we know it will be time for Santa to visit all the little girl & boys.

Panama has been busy getting ready for the Christmas season... the stores are decked out, the decorations you can get here are very beautiful. In a store like our London Drugs there are 8 trees all decorated in different colors and themes. You can purchase a tree as you see it, decorated and all. The $1000.00 decorated tree is one you would see only in a magazine... I never in my wildest dreams thought that Christmas here would be as big as it is.

What is new with us. Well the kids are busy getting ready for more events. Easton has his Karate tournament on November 17th... very exciting. Emma went to the casting call for the play "Mary Poppins" and will be in the production as a dancer on Dec 1 & 2nd (lots of practices for that) Birthday parties all the time... nothing new there though. The kids had their Multicultural festival which I made a video of below... so life as usual with three munchkins..haha..

This is a bit of a longer blog ... so if you are short on time or impatient... sorry... and if you like novels you came to the right place :- )

I have alot of pictures to and a few videos this time... it is hard to narrow it down when you are trying to tell a story and to keep updated memories for the kids.

Easton was invited to a costume party which was a lot of fun for the boys. For me well what can you do when you can only speak to 1% of the other moms :- ) I luck out at each birthday party usually as there is one mom who can speak a bit of English and we make a go at it. The boys had a great time in the bouncer and running around wild like most Panamanian kids...haha...

(Can you find Waldo... Can you find Easton among the other kids :- )

(East with his buddies from class... Micheal Angelo & Ubay.. East was a Jeti)

(Pinata time... this pinata would not crack it took adults to take swings at it)

(the boys were covered with sprinkles as well as candy when the pinata finally broke)

The Multicultural Festival finally arrived. Emma's class practiced for over a month Saturday mornings and during class time to prepare for this show. The Oxford school took this event very serious and it was great to be apart of it. Each class represented a different county and put together a display booth showing what they had learned at the convention centre. At each booth they had food and very interesting decorations. The concept reminded me of EPCOT centre if you have ever been there in Florida.

Here is a funny story.... We were told there was a Canada booth but there was not, however they had a Hawaiian booth and a USA booth. I asked Easton's teacher " is not one aware that Hawaii is apart of the USA?"

Each student had a tailor made costume for the show... that alone blew me away... when the Panamanians party they put on an amazing show.

(Emma with her buddy Luiza... Luiza is from Brazil)

(Easton's country he represented was JAMAICA and they sang the song ... daylight comes and me wanta go home... watch the video)

(East's class in front of their booth)

(East sang his heart out... no stage fright with Easton)

(Emma was nervous but did her moves very well. She was nervous about one part but pulled it off beautifully, I think she really enjoyed the stage also)

(They are growing up so much and it is alot of fun to see the people they are turning into.. :- )

(this is what Everett thought of the show... poor kid, if he can't join them then he sleeps)


HERE IS A VIDEO OF SOME OF THE KIDS festival!

HAPPY Belated HALLOWEEN!

Halloween was quite exciting here for us... I found a pumpkin, a very expensive pumpkin but traditions are meant to keep. The kids had a lot of fun carving the pumpkin, Emma decided the eyes, Ev the nose and Easton the mouth. Elia really had no part of this activity since alot of Panamanians do not like Halloween. The more educated ones are open to it but there is still alot of them who will not par-take in it.

I bought Halloween candy like I was still in our Killarney house (expecting lots of kids) Well here in Panama our door bell rang at 3:00pm and this little boy storms in our apartment to the boys room, drops off his candy and flies out. Trent was scrambling to find our candy to give him during this time. The little boys name is Kzos and he lives in our building. Kzos was our only visitor that we know about... now I have all this candy and not even good candy. You can not get licorice here, nibs, wine gums, peanut butter cups... all our staple candy at Halloween. Trent and I usually raid the kids bags for those candies, not this year.

We went halloweening JACKETLESS (first time for us) to Albrook, an area with a high population of foreigners. It was a very nice night.

(our finished masterpiece... )

(Emma was Alice in Wonderland... Easton a JETI and Everett a MCQEEN pit crew member. Emma insisted I wear my mask... it was fun, but I was the only adult out dressed up at all. In Calgary Trent & I always dress up in something)

(getting ready to go yell TRICK OR TREAT)

Here in Panama on November 3rd & 5th it was National holidays. That means parties and parades around the city. We decided to leave town and take advantage of the kids having an extended long weekend. Up to Bocas del Toro, an hour long plane ride north from Panama City. Bocas is on the Caribbean side of Panama and is quite close to the Costa Rican boarder. In the early 1900's three brothers came to Bocas and started the "Snyder Brothers Banana Company" This company helped this sleepy province with building infrastucture around the islands. Because of this company many locals speak English especially the older generation in the 70's & 80's. One of the taxi drivers we had on the island spoke excellent English and he said his Gramma taught him.

The hotel we stayed at was called Playa Mango and it was an American couple with a two yr. old running the place. It was a great location for us, it had a nice big pool, it was on the beach and I enjoyed their food. The kids were in a perfect playground.

Oddly enough The Day family was up in Bocas the same time as us... this was not planned in advance so it was a very nice surprise for the kids. We spend a very nice day with them out on an adventure to Starfish beach and at our hotel. The kids never skip a beat when they are together.

I do have to mention that the Friday we left Panama City I was extremely ill and almost did not go on this trip. I was at a point of heading to the hospital but I could not get any other flight out to Bocas because of the holiday weekend. Needless to say I do not remember most of the trip out, I just went through all the motions to keep from being sick... how fun for me :- )

(this is the plane we flew on, Trent said a good 30yrs. old. It held 32 people and I was glad just to land and head to our hotel)

(a snap shot of Bocas del Toro mainstreet. This town reminds me of a Caribbean island alot. It seems to have a lot of a Jamaican influence)

(these cute little kids on their own heading into town... that would be the day any of us let our possible 4&5 yr. olds walk through town on their own. But it looks like big brother is taking good care of his little sister)

(BEER delivery ... I sure hope he made it to his destination... On this particular holiday no alcohol was to be sold on Friday because it was the "DAY OF THE DEAD" a day to respect the deceased)

(Trent said he is HOME... a perfect office. If you look on the right side of the cabana Trent is at his computer checking a few things out, loving the peace and quite of mother nature)

(my munchkins loving their playground)

(Everett showing off his moves dancing around the beach)

(Island living... you have to love it. This was our first taxi to Starfish Beach with the Day family. The road that we travelled can not even be called a road, it was more like a small river with some dry ground to drive on. During the rainy season not many vehicles can make the trip unless you want to float down the road :- )

(smile our adventurers)

(this is a small road we drove on to get to the beach... I love little paths like this)

(here is our Survivor Tribe on a quest to find Starfish Beach... walking into the unknown. It was about a 20min or so walk from where the taxi drivers dropped us off at. It was a very beautiful stroll)

(we found STARFISH beach... it was quite amazing to see large star fishes just laying on the shallow ocean floor. We had to watch were we walked and when we stepped down in the ocean because there were so many starfish scattered all around)

(new fashion statement honey?)

(this was a really great experience together)

(here is my favorite kind of resturant... on the beach. After our long walk back from Starfish beach our delicious lunch was ready for us since we ordered it well over an hour ago)

The following day after our Starfish beach adventure we ventured out on a tour to see dolphins, go snorkelling and hit the beach. It was a nice day. We were the only ones on the boat which was good since our kids like to keep moving. I have to admit though we are getting quite spoiled. We went snorkelling and it was pretty sad compared to other places we have been to and the beach was nice but nothing like Thailand. I hear Aruba beaches may compare to Thailand so hopefully we get there next year. The diving and snorkelling is ok here in Panama but there are forsure way nicer places to explore under the sea.

(Emma took this great picture of this little boy at a resturant we ate at that was over the ocean. I had some delicious lobster which did not have a chance)

(here is the bathroom at the resturant... it would be a good idea not to have to many drinks before venturing out to the bano--- bathroom)

(here are the kids going on a boardwalk through the mangroves to find RedFrog Beach)

(Ms. Em having a hay day at the beach. It was an overcast day so the temperature was really nice)

(our baby boy catching a nap while his guard dog watches on... (the dog in the back ground). Ev's philosophy is PLAY HARD OR GO HOME --- he played hard and crashed)

(Everett met a little local friend, he was chattering at her, I hear him speaking Spanish here and there with Elia so in time it will be interesting to see what his language is like)


A VIDEO OF SOME OF OUR TRIP TO Bocas del Toro

We spend three nights in Bocas del Toro and we had a great time. It was nice to get a break from the city to let the kids run wild on the beach and play in the ocean.

Sunday night our plane left Bocas at 5:00pm it is an hour flight to Panama City. When we took off never in our wildest dreams did we think we were going to have the night we did. As we approached the city Trent turned to me and said "Did you see that lightning?", I said "don't be silly it is the lights on the wings of the plane" Trent was right we were flying in the middle of a lightning storm. We flew home in the same plane we flew to Bocas, the plane that was at least 30yrs. old this is not the kind of plane you want to fly through a storm.

As we approached the city we flew over the domestic airport we were suppost to land at, the Albrook airport. We kept flying for 30 more minutes and tension was growing on the plane. Emma & Everett were asleep, Trent was scared and I could not believe what what happening outside. People on the plane were getting sick, including myself and Easton from the turbulance as well as the fear of the unknown. We have now been on the plane for two hours. Finally the flight attendent who spoke very little english told us as well as the other 30 passengers that we were flying to the International airport to land.

Our plane was in que for another 20min or so and we finally landed ... our prayers were answered. There was no room for our plane at the main terminal so we were taxied to the cargo shipment section in rain like I have not seen before. We disembarked off the plane running through the rain and we all waited in the cargo area unsure of what was to happen next.

As we waited we met another Canadian who had two small children with him (he lives here also) and a few other foreigners. Word was that we could not have our luggage until the following day and that taxis had been called to take us back to Albrook airport, a 40min drive or so. We waited and waited then the captian came out and told us that the storm had let up and we were going to fly back to the domestic airport which would be a 10min flight.

We boarded the plane and we were missing passengers... I said to Trent "no locals are on the plane just foreigners, what is up with that?" Out of 32 people 20 got back on the plane. It is now past 8:30pm, the kids are doing great, but not very keen on flying again. We start down to get in line to take off and close to the runway the captian radioed back to the flight attendent. I could tell by her face that something was up.... Everyone is asking and not one is really saying anything, finally through translation we find out that the domestic airport is closed again and that we are going back to the cargo area.

As you might imagine tention is really high now... I was extremely relieved, I did not like the idea going back in the air and I should of followed my gut in the first place. I was estatic to get off this plane. We taxi back to the cargo area and the engines were still running on the plane and the door is not opening. Trent stands up and say "hey open that door right now, my family is getting off this plane, open the door now", this other American lady is going crazy and is yelling at the captian down the plane demanding the engines to be turned off to get us off the plane.

Finally the captian came out of his little door and instructed the flight attendent to open the door. We were again told we could not have our bags until the morning at the other airport and that the airline was sending a bus to take us all back to the domestic airport. The time now is about 9:20pm. Again we all load off the plane and wait for the bus while being told we could have our bags once the employees arrived to unload them (CRAZINESS)

I waited with the kids until just after 10:30pm.... no bus, no sign of anything. Someone called a taxi to explain how to get to the cargo terminal so the kids and I could take a taxi home. Trent stayed behind to wait for the bus and get our bags. 11:00pm the kids were in bed, just after midnight Trent made it home with our luggage. In what should had been an hour journey it was a 7 hour night we will not forget.

The kids are not so keen on going on old small airplanes anytime soon.... but they seem not affected at all by what took place. They are AMAZING kids. This story is not intended to scare anyone it just shows how unperdictable life really can be... and next time we will fly the other airline :- )

(here the kids are waiting so patiently at around 10:00pm playing their leapsters while everyone around them can't stop talking about our ordeal)

EMMA TURNED 8 YRS. OLD....

Emma opted to have a very quite birthday, she had Luiza over after school on Thursday and we went bowling. Emma told me yesterday that her eighth birthday was her favorite birthday yet. I could not believe my ears because she has had some pretty cool birthdays. Em said she liked it nice and quite. It is amazing what we learn about our kids as they grow up.

(here was a mission. Em came home and said a little girl in her class came to school with a cake with fruit around it and that is what she would like for her birthday. Oh my goodness I had no idea where to go to find this one request Emma had for her birthday. I had a hunch where I might find this cake. The day I ordered it, it took me at least 25min to try to communicate what on earth I wanted and I was pleasantly surprised when I picked it up that it turned out right)

(HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART)

(Emma got three presents and she was happy as a pig in mud)

(East and I waiting for the party to begin... Everett took this picture, they are learning well : -) If I could just teach their dad ..heehee

(we bowled at this awesome bowling ally at Albrook Mall)

(the boys listening for the ball to come back)

(we had so much fun... a great birthday Emma love you sooooo much)

(as always our great guy East, doing his kind of pose... he loves to wear his Jamaican hat out with any kind of outfit... you are one of kind Pal... love you)

Time to sign off. Trent said "ENOUGH OF THE BLOG" - party pooper I say to him.

All our love to you and keep in touch. The next blog will be about Easton's karate tournament and Emma's play. So I will talk to you next month.

Happy Thanksgiving to our friends in the States and have fun shopping for the Christmas season!

Love Trent * Jody * Emma * Easton * Everett

a great weekend in Boquete

A weekend getaway.... Trent style.

Trent came home last Friday and told me we were invited to Boquete for the weekend (a mountain town in northern Panama).... nothing like last minute (Trent style). Trent booked our plane tickets Friday afternoon and Saturday morning we were boarding the 50 min plane ride to David ( a city in northern Panama) We landed in David not quite sure what to expect since I did not have time to really prepare for this quick getaway (not my style) but it was fun!

I had never met these people who had invited us to Boquete and all I knew was that they had two small children and they were kind enough to say "lets get together". At the airport their driver picked us up and we headed towards Boquete which is a 40min or so drive from David. Boquete has been put on the map in the last few years with North Americans. It is a town that is crawling with Americans and Canadians because it has been voted one of the best retirement spots by a very popular retirement magazine... International Living for a few years.

Boquete is a town surrounded by coffee plantations. Some of the best coffee in the world is harvested here.

(here is a view of the town of Boquete from a look out point... a cute coffee town)

(this is main street of Boquete... little America now)

(a little local coffee/burger/shake shop that has had many international visitors... food is an universal language)

On our way into Boquete we stopped at recovery centre for animals that a couple from the UK run. They have been in Boquete for a few years and this rescue centre just fell into their laps. They are very sweet people and have an interesting story. The kids loved this place, we all did.

When we first drove up it was in a picture perfect location. Lush gardens surrounded the roadway as we walked up and our first visitor to greet us was MAZZY a little rescued Monkey. She was very cute and very rambunctious. Mazzy was rescued and there is a chance she may never make it in the wild that is why she wears a pamper, she has the run of the house :-) The kids thought that was very strange (the pamper). Alot of the animals at this centre have been either given to the UK couple because the original Panamanian owners grew tired of the animals or they were found abandoned in unnatural places.

(here Trent is holding Mazy... Trent was the only one who could hold her and it was for a brief moment)

(Mazy crawled down the Mrs. shirt when it started to pour rain... it was a down pour)

(the kids touring around the butterfly house. The butterflies here are very colorful... they were to fast for me to get a picture)

(this beautiful cat was given to the centre after being held captive by a local farmer. This beautiful animal was never let out of her cage for months and the neighboring children were not very nice to her. Now the cat's tail will not go straight because it was curled in a ball for so long. It took months for the centre's volunteers to get this animal to come out of her enclosure. We petted her.... she loved the affection and was so beautiful)

(these love birds were pretty cute to watch... they stick very close to each other but are free to roam where ever they wish)

(this monkey also was rescued from a local Panamanian... his name was MONTY (the same as our dog) The kids had a great time having him climb all over them)

(these little creatures LOVED Trent, they would not leave him alone. They kept trying to take his sunglasses and loved to sit on his big shoulders)

Boquete is known for its beauty... it is much cooler up there as it is in the mountains and people do not need either air conditioners or heaters... perfect temperature all year round. I froze when we first got there, it is a big temperature change from Panama City, it took me over an hour in a a hot tube to warm up.

Since it is perfect temperatures in Boquete all the beautiful tropical flowers grow plentiful here. The gardens are breathtaking... I love tropical gardens!

(at the rescue centre... just walking around surrounded by absolute beauty)

(it is very very beautiful... this is why Boquete is the number one retirement place in Panama. It is crawling with foreigners... who feel you are in paradise here)

I have finally figured out... or found the time to figure out how to get a movie on my blog... It has been fun putting some old videos together... Hopefully I will have more in the future. This is very exciting!!! TURN UP YOUR SPEAKERS...

Our accommodations were arranged for us in Boquete, we stayed at Valle Escondido. This development is out of a story book... literally. This vision started years ago by a gentleman by the name of Sam Taliaferro, he developed a town with in a town. Valle Escondido is an amazing little place in the mountains. In this community of residence you have a spa, restaurants, golf course, amazing swimming options, fitness classes and a cute hotel. Trent said if we were old this is where we would be spending some of our time. It is a much slower pace of life but you are surrounded by amazing beauty, it was nice hanging around for a few days. Trent and I had the pleasure of being invited to a cocktail party one night and it was interesting to see the very large age gap between us and the rest of the patrons... This is a retirement place!

(the hotel we stayed at)

(our walk to the restaurant to go get breakfast... B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L)

(the kids at breakfast)

(the church at Valle Escondido... this little village is like it's own little town)

(there is a medieval looking theatre that over looks the "village centre")

(we are trying to warm up in the hot tub while over looking the golf course outside our room)

(my cuties out for a walk with me one morning.... a perfect way to spend time with my kiddies)

Trent was busy so I had the pleasure of acquiring our our new friends diver and he took me and the kids for a tour of the surrounding areas of Boquete. It was a picturesque drive even with the rain. You will have to excuse some of my next few pictures as the clarity is not so good... it was raining cats & dogs at times so my pictures are not the best they could have been.

(you are looking at rows and rows of coffee plants. Boquete and area has the largest area of coffee plantations that the native Indians work during coffee season. Some of the most delicious coffee is grown here. Year after year Panama growers win some the highest awards for coffee... we drink it everyday :- )

(here is a coffee plant up close. The coffee berries are almost ready for picking, for the best tasting coffee the berries are picked when they are red. I did not know this prior to this day. Fransisco (the driver) told me to eat a berry, I tasted it and as I bit into it the taste was sweet but you only eat the meat under the skin, I then spit out the seed which is the bean)

(the coffee berries up close... almost ready for picking)

(here is the bean that was inside the red berry. Once all the coffee berries are picked they are taken to a large processing plant and put through the coffee process. Unfortunately the day I was there the plant was closed (Sunday) so I can not give you an in-depth detail of the process from personal experience just what I have read. Next time we go back up to Boquete or area I will forsure visit a processing plant)

Coffee berries are most commonly picked by hand by labourers who receive payment by the basketful. A report in 2003 said payment per basket is between US$2.00 to $10 with the overwhelming majority of the labourers receiving payment at the lower end. An experienced coffee picker can collect up to 6-7 baskets a day. Mixes of green and red berries, or just green berries, are used to produce cheaper mass consumer coffee beans, which are characterized by a unpleasant bitter/astringent flavour and a sharp odour. Red berries, with their higher aromatic oil and lower organic acid content, are more fragrant, smooth, and mellow. As such coffee picking is one of the most important stages in coffee production, and is the chief determinant for the quality of the end product.

Coffee cherries must be processed soon after harvesting to prevent the pulp from fermenting around the bean. There are two types of processing known as dry and wet processing. Dry processing is sometimes called "unwashed" or "natural" processing. Cherries are spread outside for 15 to 20 days. The cherries are exposed to the sun and stirred regularly to help them dry evenly. The dried cherries are then hulled by hand or by machine, removing the dried out pulp and parchment. This is the way coffee has been processed for centuries.

The other type of processing is know as wet or "washed" processing. A few hours after the cherries are harvested, the pulp is removed from the cherries. The beans are then washed in a process that involves cycles of fermentation and rinsing. Small amounts of fermentation don't hurt the bean but softens the remaining pulp and skin, making them able to be easily rinsed off. This is a better type of processing because it causes less damage to the bean than dry processing.

Once the coffee beans have been processed, they are sorted by size and looks, then bagged ready for shipment. Coffee beans that don't make the "grade" for export are normally used on a local basis.

The most important step in getting coffee into your cup is the roasting. Roasting coffee is both an art and a science, requiring years of experience and the right type of roasting equipment.
Green coffee beans are roasted at temperatures ranging from 370 to 450 degrees for up to 20 minutes. During this time they lose 18 to 23% of their weight and increase in size by 35 to 60%. They change color from a light straw green color to medium brown or dark brown, depending upon the degree of roast.The bean splits open and brings out the rich aroma of the coffee.

Roasting is merely the "cooking" of the bean. How much the bean is roasted is what called the degree of roast. The less it is cooked, the "lighter" or "milder" the roast. There are different terms used for the degree of roast. Some use the words Mild - Mild-Medium - Medium - Medium-Dark - Dark. Today, another common naming of roasting is after countries -- American roast, French roast, Italian roast, Turkish roast. These all go from light to dark, from mild in taste to down-right burnt tasting.

On our afternoon drive I was very intererested in the Castle I kept hearing about. Fransisco took me right to it and yes in deed this couple from the UK built a castle over looking coffee plantations... in an area that I personally would feel very guilty building a large very obvious house in. The surrounding areas of this house is fairly local people just making it by on roughly $200/month if they are lucky. For me this would not be the way to go but everyone finds happieness in thier own way :- )

(it is a beautiful setting among the coffee)

(Fransico said they have not completed the house and it is just two very large rooms inside... it would be very interesting to take a tour of the house. Boquete is a VERY small place where everyone knows everyone so maybe Paul and Linda will stumble upon them and be invited in :- )

Another tourist spot in Boquete is "My Garden is Your Garden" A wealthy family has opened their amazing garden to the public to see... It is inconceivable the amount of time they have put into this garden, it is absolutely a green thumbs paradise. The kids had fun running around playing on the playgrounds and finding all the lawn ordiments spread over the property. There is quite a few "painted cows" like you find all over Calgary.

(a quick family shot of us... Everett was in no mood for pictures :- )

(a beautiful little chappel tucked away in this perfect setting. This illustrates so much of the beauty God created)

(the kids riding away into the sunset...)

(a fun picture from the look out tower... I said it was an interesting yard)

(as we were walking no one noticed anything about these row of plants but then it dawned on me as I walked up the steps looking back.... it was a Christmas tree. I would love to see it all lite up at night... it would look pretty spatacular I think)

(the flower is almost the same size as Emma's head. My Gramma Edmundson would have LOVED this place)

We had a great few days in Boquete... thank you to our hosts... we had a great time :- )

(Daddy and his little girl... Em will be 8yrs. old in about a week... How can believe she is 8 already... time really does slip by fast)

(my worldly traverlers saying good-bye to Boquete ... "until next time" East says.

To catch our plane we needed to go through the city of David which was a perfect excuse to meet up with the Day family again. Fransisico dropped us off at the Day's hotel and the kids did not skip a beat...English speaking kids love spending time together... I think they appreciate it subconsiously so much more. The Days were our tour guides for a few hours. For lunch we went to their favorite resturant and had some yummy pasta for lunch.

For all who have asked about them. They are doing great, they have secured a house for most of their stay in Panama up in Boquete and they have bought a car. Other than that until they are settled it is sparce communication right now. Trying to get settled can be a lengthy process especially in a foreign country but they have been blessed with some great people around them up in David and area and the kids seem to be doing just great.

(A very delicious resturant in David... all of us ate for $25.00, everyone had their own dish... good cheap food)

(The Day kids got pop and my kids gave me the look... they were in heaven having orange pop...funny what makes them happpy)

(Emma could not take the smile off her face because she got to spend time with Sydney and she wanted me to tell you "she does not like pop... it tastes yucky" she is the only child I know who does not like it... what a smart girl :- )

After lunch the kids had another round of swimming before we caught our plane. They all have so much fun... even with my stinker boys... yes boys... I love them so much but ohhhhh are they teasers like their Daddy. (anyone who knows my husband knows what I mean)

(1-2-3 GOOOOOOO)

(a little meditation before we rush and not miss our plane.... the common theme with us... rushing to catch planes... I am preparing for the Amazing Race! I wish!)

(East says "Respect the classics man" - Easton is forsure classic... not one else like him - he is a very cool kid.

We are trying to get away next weekend... we will see ... flights are pretty booked since it is a national holiday weekend around here. The kids have been so busy with this International festival it has been hard to go away on weekends because of practice (they take this stuff very serious here) but the festival is this Sunday then it is OVER. Baseball takes a lot of time also... three times a week for little boys but East & Ev love it though. Tonight Trent and the kids are at church enjoying a carnival, I have been batteling a fever so I stayed home...

Nothing else is really new other than life with three munchkins... busy busy :- )

Love hearing from you so if you can drop a line at schmulandj@gmail.com or reply on this blog under comments. If you have any questions about Panama or anything else email me and I will answer them. I feel sometimes that it is just regular life for us but then I will remember that so many things are very different back home.. ie.. people drive semi- normal back home. haha

Well a great weekend to you and your family. All our love to you all... miss everyone and talk to you soon.
xoxooxo
Jody . Trent . Emma . Easton . Everett