Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Costa Rica - The Final Chapter
More of Geoff's nature photography. Hazel and I "caught" this crab in the pool. It was actually already dead when we got to it. We later got one out that was still alive. But, it didn't hold nearly as still for pictures.
Family portrait on the beach. This was our last day to play at Playa Flamingo.
Hazel and Geoff dug a really deep hole.
Then we had to go and get cleaned up for the wedding. It was perfect weather for a beach wedding.
Hazel ran away.
I chased after her.
And then I chased her some more.
They had little cones of flowers to throw, instead of rice. Hazel thought this was awesome. She wore the cones as little armbands, but I don't have a good picture of it.
The wedding was very nice. But my favorite part was the looky-loos. Notice the couple between Jim and the right-hand post. And the dude bobbing in the ocean.
There were appetizers and cocktails on the beach while Jim and T had pictures. Hazel took the time to dance.
And then a guy came by with horses. This is actually a very excited face. Like so excited she could barely breath.
A bit of a smile. Not many two-year-old gringas can say they have ridden a horse, at sunset, on the beach, in Costa Rica.
The best family shot I could find.
Notice Geoff's crazy eyes? I think he was done at this point. Hazel was still happily eating chicken.
This shot may look blurry, but this is actually how everyone looked at this point. I thought it was super-late. Like midnight. It was actually like 8:30pm. The party starts early in Costa Rica.
Family portrait on the beach. This was our last day to play at Playa Flamingo.
Hazel and Geoff dug a really deep hole.
Then we had to go and get cleaned up for the wedding. It was perfect weather for a beach wedding.
Hazel ran away.
I chased after her.
And then I chased her some more.
They had little cones of flowers to throw, instead of rice. Hazel thought this was awesome. She wore the cones as little armbands, but I don't have a good picture of it.
The wedding was very nice. But my favorite part was the looky-loos. Notice the couple between Jim and the right-hand post. And the dude bobbing in the ocean.
There were appetizers and cocktails on the beach while Jim and T had pictures. Hazel took the time to dance.
And then a guy came by with horses. This is actually a very excited face. Like so excited she could barely breath.
A bit of a smile. Not many two-year-old gringas can say they have ridden a horse, at sunset, on the beach, in Costa Rica.
The best family shot I could find.
Notice Geoff's crazy eyes? I think he was done at this point. Hazel was still happily eating chicken.
This shot may look blurry, but this is actually how everyone looked at this point. I thought it was super-late. Like midnight. It was actually like 8:30pm. The party starts early in Costa Rica.
All in all, we had a fabulous time in Costa Rica. Hazel is still talking about it and would like to go back. Hazel and I (and Jenni and Grandma Marilyn) leave for San Diego on Saturday. We will see if the whirlwind of parks can compete with full days at the pool.
Labels: Costa Rica, Geoff, hazel, meadow, swimming, vacation, Wedding
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Costa Rica - Part 1
So, we are back from Costa Rica. It was fabulous. Our hotel was right on the beach. It was also the perfect Wilde family beach. Beach chairs in the shade for me, a long beach (with no pokies) perfect for sand castles for Hazel, and excellent body surfing waves for Geoff. He would have also liked to do some skim boarding but we didn’t take his board and we didn’t see any to purchase. In fact, we didn’t see much of anything to purchase. Costa Rica is pretty remote. Barely any restaurants, almost no stores, one paved road, that kind of thing. I hear other places are more built-up, but not where we were staying (Playa Flamingo). But, the beach was fabulous. Our hotel was fabulous and the pool was, what else, fabulous. The kiddie pool had a thatched roof over it, so even though Hazel spent every waking moment swimming, she didn’t get a sunburn.
Aaaah. The joys of Photoshop. But, I liked this picture and our faces were in the shadows. Now we just look crazy. But not shadowy.
The Costa Rican people (Ticos) were probably the nicest people I have ever met. Without exception everyone was friendly and helpful and nice to my baby. Which is all I ever want on a vacation.
Sunday night: We took the red-eye to Atlanta. Or as I like to say, “The Midnight Plane to Georgia.” The flight went from ‘no-problem’ to ‘our-we-going-to-get-on’ in hours. And it was nerve-wracking, and sucked. But, we made it on. The last three, not sitting together, seats. But, we made it. Hazel slept a little and kicked the lady next to us repeatedly (not so much kicking, just stretching out in her sleep).
Monday-Part 1: We arrived in Atlanta at around 6:00am Atlanta time and then had to hang out until our flight to Costa Rica at 10-ish. I don’t remember the actual time of anything… Hazel did NOT sleep in the airport. Geoff and I both took turns doing the head-bob. It was miserable. However, the Atlanta airport had these fascinating displays of contraband items. Like a polar bear rug, a snake in a bottle, a stool made out of an elephant foot, and, best of all, a narwhal horn. NARWHAL! Seriously, this was the best part of Atlanta. I guess we have never been in that concourse before because I don’t remember seeing the displays before. And then we ate some grits and then got on our plane. And it was blessedly empty. We all got some “sleep” on the plane. The only one who was really invigorated was Hazel. Because she is little and can sleep anywhere.
Monday-Part 2: I think these need separate sections because they are so vastly different. We left ATL and it is a giant airport, with a train. And air conditioning. And 3.5 hours later we arrived in Liberia, Costa Rica. LIR is little. With no air conditioning. We got to walk down the stairs from the plane, no jetway. Then we hit “customs”, there were two lines. The first one the dude just looked at us and stamped our passports. Then the second one, some guy grabbed my suitcases for me (I had two of the suitcases and Hazel) and then cut me in line, had the guy stamp something and then we were through. Seriously, we didn’t talk to anyone. **Remember this story when I get to the return trip in Atlanta** This was the first of many times people would be lovely and nice to us.
Then we got our rental car. We had a Kia Something. 4WD. Diesel! The guy showed Geoff how everything in the car worked. (not that he remembered) And then they gave us directions to our hotel (stay on the only road, basically) and directions to a delicious restaurant. (see picture with Hazel drinking her delicious blackberry smoothie) And we had food. And it was delicious. And we saw cows and a dog. So that was great. And then it started raining. Not a light drizzly but RAIN! Buckets and sheets and cats-and-dogs. And it rained almost until we got to our hotel. And then it let up. And we probably did something like swim or nap or whatever. But I don’t remember. I think it was nap. We were really tired.
I had to take a picture of Geoff's awesome volcano chicken. It was beautiful and delicious.
But now it is late and Hazel is still awake. She spent the evening with Aunt Jenni and Nova while Geoff and I helped move Auntie Michelle. And Geoff is grumpy. Which means I better get off the computer and help.
More later. Maybe tomorrow. We have a lot of pictures.
Labels: Costa Rica, food, Geoff, hazel, meadow, swimming, vacation
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
19 Months!
The months are speeding by, our little piranha is 19 months old! She is learning new words and signs everyday. She adds them without even thinking about them. One day she is just grunting and the next she is asking for beans for dinner and a bib to wear. She will even say peoples' names. Except for Jenni's because she is mean like that. Or, for example, she just came up to me to point out the turtles on her jammies. It is like she actually knows things, instead of just parroting back what we ask her to say.
On the other hand, she is quite the little mimic these days. She saw Geoff put tissue up his nose when he had a bloody nose and now she constantly wants tissue in her nose. When the mama has a ponytail, Hazel wants a ponytail. Until she remember that she hates things in her hair. This cycle can continue for many rounds. At least until the mama gets tired of putting ponytails in every 2 minutes. Sometimes this power works for good and she will copy sweeping or putting things away. But she prefers to copy things that are less productive.She also REALLY likes peek-a-boo these days. She will stop what she is doing to peek-a-boo. Or to wave at kids. Let's see what else does Hazel like... candy, dogs, books, brushing her teeth, Signing Time, walks, carrots, juice, dolls, stuffed animals, blankets, blocks (sometimes she likes blocks in her pants), pockets, changing outfits, and the list goes on and on.
We went swimming at Tutu's house on Sunday. This is a favorite family activity. The water-loving nature of Hazel has been well-documented. We took boogie boards this time. It made for some great activities. We would have Hazel sit, lie or attempt to stand on the board and then swing it around. Good times. She loved it, even when she got dunked. Especially when she got dunked. It was a perfect day for swimming. Not too hot or cold, not too sunny or cloudy. Hazel actually stayed out in the pool for close to an hour. And then she wanted to go have a bath and have Tutu rub her feet.
Today, we went on a trip to the Utah Museum of Fine Art with Jenni and Christie and Jordan. Hazel picked her own outfit and her own shoes. And packed her own bag. And what would you think a girl would need to pack to go to the UMFA? Why clogs, of course. Authentic Dutch clogs. In the middle of our visit to the musuem, Hazel decides she needs to change shoes. Because, if you bring two pairs of shoes, you might as well wear both of them. Clogs on hardwood floors are loud. They make cowgirl boots sound like walking on cushions of air. So instead of trying to walk like a normal person, Hazel had to jump in her clogs. This was even louder. You would not think 22 pounds could make such noise. Wooden clogs on wooden floors in big open areas make for very, very loud noises. Anyway, this is the outfit she chose. The clogs are in the Lego backpack.
Labels: hazel, meadow, monthly update, museum, swimming
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