Ecuador Days 20 and 21

So, as you may have guessed, our internet has been out again. It finally came back on tonight and our apartment owner told us that he is having a technician come tomorrow to check things out, so we hope that things will be up and running consistently again soon. I can't tell you how much we rely on the internet here. It is our only means to keep in touch with our family, so it has become an important lifeline for us. Having no internet for two days was killer. I keep telling myself that it could be worse...but really it was rough, especially because yesterday and today have been down days with not a lot going on.

There are many things that I will not miss about being here when we leave. Don't get me wrong; we are doing everything we can to keep ourselves busy here and to get out, but it really will be nice to get home to our own house, things, food, etc. There are quite a few daily challenges we have here that we won't have at home. For one, we are living in a tight space (I should post pictures soon of our apartment...I'll try to remember to do that) with little room for the kids to play. The floors are also all tile on top of concrete, so that makes for a rough surface to get down and play around. We brought very few toys or things for the kids to do as there just wasn't room for them in our suitcases. We do have a few dolls that Flor got for Christmas/birthday, some books, some blocks, and some coloring books. But playing with the same things over and over again is getting old for the kids. We watch a lot of movies, which is generally not something I prefer for my kids, but it is what we have available. Devin and I too have little to keep us occupied, other than the internet and movies. We don't have "projects" here that we can be working on like we do at home or anything like that. I brought two books with me and have finished the first ("Growing up Bin Laden"-- written by one of Osama Bin Laden's wifes and one of his sons. It was so fascinating and I understand Al Qaeda much better than I did before...definitely recommend this one! Thanks Mille, for the book!) and have started the second, President Monson's biography. I am really enjoying it also, but trying to read it slowly as I know that when I am done with it, I have nothing else.

Another challenge is just getting anywhere. Going up and down four flights of stairs with kids, bags, stroller, whatever we come back with, etc. is exhausting. Standing on the corner with all said stuff while awaiting a taxi for who knows how long is also tough. Being able to just walk out the door and get into my own car and drive myself somewhere will be such a luxury when we get home! Feeding the troops is also a challenge. There was nothing here when we got here, so we have spent a lot of money on basics such as flour, sugar, rice, etc. and are needing to make trips to the store three times per week or more to keep the food stocked. The cost of food is much more expensive here, so while we are trying to eat cheaply and rotating the same 3 or 4 dishes, we are still spending much more than we would be at home on food.

I know that it sounds like I am complaining a lot, but really, we are trying to make the best of things and day to day we really are in good spirits. It's just that the little things can add up and seem overwhelming when thinking about doing them for another 4 weeks. The setback on Friday was especially discouraging because we allowed ourselves to hope a little bit that we would be home before our Feb 6 flights. That's the danger-- we can't let ourselves hope things like that because we end up disappointed.

I love the country of Ecuador and I love being here and sharing it with my family, so we are trying to look at the positives each day versus the hardships. And really, I know that our "hardships" are nothing in comparison to what many many people go through. We truly are grateful to be here, afterall, this is what we worked for for years. We also look forward to getting home though, and resuming our normal routines and in our normal, comfortable environment. There are so many things that we are blessed with as Americans and I hope that I take fewer things for granted upon our return.

So, enough of my discouraged rambling. Here is a recap of the last few days.

Saturday was a really sloooow day. We have had a little issue with Jace's sleeping here. I don't really know what is going on; the only thing we can figure is that the pack-n-play is hard for him to sleep in (not as soft as his crib). He has been going to bed at his normal 7 pm, but has been waking up between 5:30 and 6:30  instead of 7:30-8 like normal at home. So, by the time we have breakfast and get the kids bathed and dressed, he is ready for a nap. He will usually nap for only 45 minutes or so, then is awake for an hour, then ready for another nap. We can't get him to sleep in long stretches. So by the time the morning is over, we haven't been able to do anything because he is sleeping. After lunch is when Flor is ready for a nap. We have tried to have her nap earlier, but it doesn't happen. So, she naps while Jace is awake and then by the time she is up, Jace is ready for another nap. We need to figure something out to get them both on the same napping schedule, because as it is, we are alternating nappers all day long, which prohibits doing much. Usually we have just foregone Jace's afternoon nap to go out and about to do our activities, but then he tends to be really cranky while we are out and about. Saturday we made a trip to the MegaMaxi after Flor's nap and picked up supplies for her going away party tomorrow. By the time we were home, Jace was in full on screaming mode, so we knew that our plan to go to the park was not going to happen. So, he took a nap while the girls watched a movie (another issue is keeping them quiet during his nap time-- since the apartment is so small, he wakes up if they are too noisy). Our little house is going to seem giant when we get home! So Saturday was spent lazing around the house, watching movies, napping, reading, and playing a little. You know the day has been boring when you look forward to the kids making a huge mess at dinner so that you can spend a long time cleaning it up. :)

Today has been a much better day. We went to church this morning, which did a ton to rejuvenate me and to renew my spirits. I love that the church is the same, no matter where you are in the world. This was our first full week there as the first week was Christmas so we just had Sacrament Meeting and last week the kids were sick so we didn't go. Today, though, was really great. The kids were fairly well behaved in Sacrament Meeting. It was Fast and Testimony Meeting and it was so wonderful to hear others share their testimonies. I could understand most of it, and even though the words were in a different language, I could really feel of their sincerity and their spirits. A family behind us helped entertain Hallie and held Jace for a while, which also helped a lot. There was an English speaking Sunday School Class, and Devin and I were the only attendees with a senior missionary couple doing the teaching. We had the lesson on the introduction to the Book of Mormon, since that is what we are studying this year. I enjoyed it so much, even though there was just the four of us. We talked quite a bit with this couple as well as they are from Rigby, Idaho, so we know a lot of the same people. They are humanitarian missionaries, so they don't get as much contact with the members, but they are over the whole country and travel to bring needed supplies to hospitals, clinics, and villages. The sister took me to Relief Society and the husband showed Devin where Elder's Quorum was. In Relief Society, Jace was about done and a little old sister took him from me to entertain him (though he literally looked like he was going to knock her over when she picked him up, haha!) Everyone was so kind and welcoming.

I forgot to mention that the Primary workers took Hallie to Primary and insisted that Flor go too, though I didn't know how she would do. At home, Devin or I will always probably need to accompany her. I think there was only two primary classes, one for the younger half and one for the older half as Flor and Hallie were in the same class. The teacher spoke fluent English, which was great. Hallie was so excited to be a Sunbeam now, she didn't want to hear any mention of nursery! They colored, made crowns ("Heavenly Father says I am a Queen, so I get to wear a crown", according to Hallie), and sang songs. Hallie loved it. She came out beaming and had become friends with everyone there. As we were leaving, she turned around and shouted back down the block to say goodbye to all of her new friends, calling them by name. She is so funny and social. The teacher said that Flor did great too and said that she was quiet and well-behaved. She said that she could tell that she is a very loving spirit. Very true.

The senior missionary couple told us that there are 6 stakes here in Quito, with over 30 wards. The ward we are attending has over 800 members, though only 150 or so attend. Very interesting! The nearest temple is in Guayaquil and members from the ward make Temple trips once every three months, leaving by bus late at night, traveling through the night, then spending the day in the temple before making the return trip. We have it so easy, with a temple five minutes from us and another to be built even closer. Crazy. These members are dedicated though, and I felt a lot of their spirits.

Well, I didn't mean to go on and on about church, but it was definitely the highlight of the last two days. It reminded me that Heavenly Father is aware of me, as he is of all of his children, and that he will help us and guide us during this up and down adoption process.

The rest of today has been spent at home. Devin and I even attempted to make a cake! It turned out pretty good, despite our not having any idea what temperature our oven is on (gas stoves/ovens. You would all be proud of me that I am getting quite good at lighting the match and getting the stove lit...if you don't know, I have had a fear since childhood of matches and of fire...so this is big!) We made an applesauce cake since that is all we had the ingredients for. We almost thought we couldn't do it because we don't have any applesauce, but then we remembered Jace's baby food and substituted that in (mixed fruit instead of applesauce...it worked out just fine.) You know things are bad when we are enjoying cake made from baby food! Ha! Our snack supply is dwindling...!

Alright, enough of this novel. Sorry for the lack of pictures. We didn't really take any the last few days, but I did have a few I wanted to upload, but it wasn't working. We will take what we can get with the internet working, though, so here you go!

Tomorrow is the big going away party at the orphanage, which will definitely be the highlight of the day, so stay tuned for that.