We found this very cool fruteria that sells all kinds of costa rican produce.

The boys were sampling this rambutan for the first time. It's a red, spiky fruit on the

outside, and with your fingernail or a knife, you slice around the middle, open the

peel, and inside you find a white, juicy, tart fruit, about the size of a small apricot.

Unfortunately, there is a pit inside the fruit, otherwise this would be our new favorite.

Overall, there's not a lot of flesh to the fruit, but it was very cool to try! Loved the flavor!

Jed found this amazing caterpillar outside, named it fluffy, and had it as a pet by his bedside.....

until fluffy didn't survive all the manhandling! Kaylee also kept a pet caterpillar who is now in chrysalis state, and we are awaiting the birth of a beautiful butterfly any day!

This past weekend we took the kids on a canopy zipline tour. Ethan is getting suited up for

the fun!

On on of the last lines, Kaylee went "superwoman" with the guide. The two guys in the background were fishing with scuba masks and machetes,

and plastic grocery store bags for "coolers."

Our post canopy tour family pic. Everyone is happy NOW! Jed cried for about

the first three zip lines even though he was riding with Zach. The last five he finally

warmed up, feeling a little silly that he made such a big deal at first. He hasn't stopped

talking about the zip lines ever since. We will most definitely do these again!

After a great Saturday morning adventure with the kids, we were fortunate enough to have a little afternoon sunshine for a while. We all headed to the beach for a little surfing and sand fun. The girls got on a silly streak with each other, making up games to play, and finding treasures in the sand at low tide. Zach and I couldn't interrupt the magic, so they played on the beach for about 5 hours, until Zach and I were leaving on our date (the first one since we've been here...it's felt like forever since we're used to weekly date nights). I'd asked Grettyl, the housekeeper, earlier in the week if she would stay with the kids Saturday night, and she was happy to have the extra work. We now have our weekly date night back in place, and that feels great. Grettyl is great with the kids, and it was so nice to return from a date with a clean house as well!!! Zach and I walked down the beach and ate at a great little place here in Tamarindo called El Coconut. I thought I was in heaven, with shrimp and avocado appetizer, and mahi-mahi, filet mignon, veggies and mashed potatoes for dinner. The BEST! We stopped to top it off with a slice of cheesecake, but it turned out to be a let down, just not the same as REAL american cheesecake!

I forgot a few items in my list of favorites from last week: 1. Full service gasolineras! Man, the works. Fill up, pay, get your windows washed, tires checked, etc. 2. Hot lunch at school.....I have been tempted more than once to put in an order for myself for hot lunch at school. Anything from Tuna croquettes, to mahi mahi with rice and beans, to pasta with chicken and veggies! It includes a snack of fresh fruit everyday too! Sure beats crusty pizza and frozen chicken nuggets (assuming that really is chicken). Everyday Ethan reminds me he does NOT want cold lunch, he wants the real lunch at school. It's fairly reasonable in price, but the bottom line is food is expensive here anyway, it beats pb&j on bread I wouldn't eat, with pb I also wouldn't eat. And, it has taken a huge stress off of my morning! Works for me!

Today we were blessed with another fabulous day of weather (so now I am just waiting for the downpour), with sun all day long. After some fun at the beach we had dinner with our friends, Caralee and Tom at their home in Huacas. The kids swam in the pool, even after the sun went down, and we grilled burgers, had chips, watermelon and veggies with dip. The Burtons are a good family to "pick brains"...they have been here over a year, and are just familiar with the area....where there are good doctors, fun places to visit with kids, inexpensive tiendas, and so on!

We got our first package from some of our most favorite friends in CA, the Allebests. The package was addressed to Zach and I assumed it was some of Zach and Erik's business venture supplies or something. The kids and I felt so loved to find warm, happy notes inside, crafts, and oh-so-tasty treats....oreo cookies, dark chocolate, and PB cups from TRADER JOES!. The kids were so happy doing crafts all afternoon, painting and hanging their window figures in their rooms. This was a fantastic surprise on a day I really needed it!

Tomorrow I start some spanish tutoring with my friend, Tara, and a lady in our ward who teaches spanish at one of the local private schools. I think she will be able to work more on the grammar and vocab with me, and I can continue to practice speaking and listening with Grettyl and the neighbors/ locals. All is well here for us, and we hope it is for you too! We'd love to hear from you.