Work, Canal, Robbers, & Blonde Boys

On our second day in Panama we went with Scott to work at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute. 

We explored while Scott worked. Atley had a great time taking pictures of the strange bugs and plants.

After a couple of hours we headed to the Canal. Morning is the best time to view the ships entering the locks at Miraflores.  The Panama Canal is an amazing feat of engineering. While the history teacher in me longs to give a lesson on all of it, I will spare you the lecture.  Actually, never mind I can't help myself.  Although there had been lots of talk and plenty of explorations in Central America to find the best way to dig a canal and shorten the route between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, it wasn't until the gold rush of 1849 that serious research began taking place in and around Panama. Other countries, including Guatemala and Nicaragua, were explored before finally deciding that Panama was the best choice. Not only did Panama have the most narrow isthmus but the churches that were built in the early 1500's indicated that the area was free of earthquakes and other natural disasters. Initial explorers thought that they could just dig a ditch from the Caribbean to the Pacific. The only problem was that Panama's interior was full of mountains.  This problem was solved by creating a dam in the high country and then the largest man-made lake in the world, Gatun Lake. Engineers then developed a lock system that raised and lowered the ships to compensate for the changes in elevation between the oceans. The canal was completed in 1914 and was controlled by the United States until 1999. Most Panamanians are very pro-America because of the canal and the economic progress it has brought to their country.  One Panamanian told us, "We love America.  It is like having a really good boss."  The canal contains three different locks and passage takes about 14 hours. Miraflores are the locks nearest Panama City.  Two train engines attach themselves to the large ships to guide them through the locks.  Smaller vessels are guided by tug boats.  The cost of passing through the canal is based on the weight of the vessel. Larger ships pay more than $100,000 to enter the canal, while the only man who ever swam the length of the canal paid $0.36. Construction on a new wider canal with a more efficient pumping feature is schedule to be completed in 2014 next to the original canal.

We ate some yummy churrascos and spent the rest of the day at the mall while the hubby tried to earn more money than we spent.  Panama is famous in Latin America for its excellent shopping. We had a thing or two to learn about the whole process though.  For example, after buying a few things in one store we strolled into another, where I was approached by a man whose Spanish was spoken way too fast for my knowledge of his language.  Next, thing I knew he was grabbing my shopping bag. I was fighting him and showing him the one area where my vocabulary flourished-Spanish swear words. Finally, I escaped the clutches of this evil robber only to be told by someone who spoke a little slower that he was trying to tell me that I needed to deposit my shopping bags in this weird little shopping bag prison before entering a different store. Apparently, it is some mall law and I was quite the criminal.  Go figure!  This is the day we also learned that Atley's blonde hair compelled others to cross all personal space barriers and rub his head in excitement. At first we were shocked, but then we started offering a free head rub as payment for services throughout the country.

It's Great to Be 8!

Happy birthday to the one and only Atley "Beans" Butler!  After 3 1/2 days of labor you were finally born 8 years ago today. How could I have known that would be the easy part.  Every day with you is an exhaustingly wonderful and hilarious adventure. 

We love you and are thrilled that you survived another year!

The Adventure Begins

Scott has been working in Panama for awhile now. My initial plan was to take all of the kids for a few months but things did not work out quite like we had imagined.  After much indecision, I finally decided to take Atley out of school for his very own Central American experience with mom and dad. I chose Atley partly because he will be 8 tomorrow, partly because he is the only one old enough to remember any of it, partly because he really needs to gain an appreciation for all that he has been blessed with, and partly because he is a bit of a mess right now and I was hoping some alone time might help.  Granny was left in charge of Nash and Harley and our adventure began.

We arrived in Panama City around noon. In true Atley fashion he was absorbing every sight, sound, and smell in the city. He seemed perplexed and finally asked when the earthquake happened and why no one had cleaned up after the disaster.  Yes, a question like that was exactly what I was hoping for. Now, I could explain how poor some of the people were and how lucky he was to have what he has.

Here is just one of the buildings that prompted Atley's question.

 We got settled at Scott's apartment which has an incredible view of the city. In the distance you can even see the ships lining up to enter the canal.

We then headed to Casco Viejo/Antigua, which is the original part of the city founded by Spanish Conquistador Pedro Davila in 1519 after Balboa discovered the Pacific Ocean there. We walked through old buildings, gazed across the bay on the new part of the city with its modern skyscrapers, shopped at the artisan stands where Kuna Indians and local Panamanians were selling their wares, got a glimpse of the presidential palace, and stopped for ice cream before calling it a day.

 Presidential Palace

Kuna Indians

What do you Dream About?

I have had night terrors since I can remember.  I must have some deeply rooted psychological impairment, but don't we all!  Anyway, I have vivid dreams each night and a few of them are reoccurring.  I was just wondering what you dream about?

Here are my most common dreams/nightmares.

1.  I wake up in my bed and there are millions of fluffy jellyfish floating down from the ceiling onto my face. It is then that I show off my mad ninja skills by karate chopping the thin air above my head.

2.  I need to make a call and I can't make my fingers dial the right number. Every time I think I have dialed correctly someone on the other end says, "Domino's Pizza Hut! Can I help you?" I wake up so frustrated.

3.  For some reason I leave my kids somewhere, our house, the mall, in the car and try as I may I cannot get back to them.  There are constantly obstacles in my way and I wake up panicked!

4.  I am asked to read something in public and I keep saying the words incorrectly. Most recently I was giving the State of the Union address and each time I tried to say union I would say unicorn and everyone would laugh.

 I am totally not running for president now!

Look Who's 2!

Harley Belle turned 2 on Thursday!  She got to open one present, but in true Butler Family fashion we spread out her birthday for several days.  We were waiting for daddy to get home on Saturday to really celebrate!  Scott has been gone for almost a month so, as you can imagine her best birthday present was having daddy back.

Her favorite present was the 4 packages of stickers she got from granny.

She also learned the freedom and joy of having her very own set of wheels

Another favorite part of her birthday weekend was dog-sitting her favorite puppy Jersey!

No-Bake Cookie Oatmeal for Breakfast

This recipe has become my go-to breakfast for the past month. It is only about 250 calories and tastes just like a warm No Bake Cookie. Not to mention, it sticks to your ribs much longer than most breakfast foods.

Ingredients

1 cup water

1/2 cup instant oats

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon peanut butter

Dash of Salt

1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Sweetener to taste

(I use 1 tablespoon of Truvia)

Boil water, oats, cocoa powder, and salt until the water is absorbed.  Add peanut butter, vanilla, and sweetener.  I occasionally add coconut, or chocolate syrup, or even a few chocolate chips if I am feeling particularly rebellious. Pour it into a bowl and enjoy!

Adapted from Dashing Dish

Out of Touch

Awhile back it was CRAZY HAIR DAY at Atley's school.  I totally dropped the ball on the whole thing.  I had planned on buying some colored hairspray but I honestly just forgot about it.  Atley remembered at bedtime the night before.  He was adamant that he participate in this most special event.  What to do? His hair is only a quarter of an inch long, not a lot of a material to work with.  Ah! Ha! I would dye his hair with Kool Aid. We had red Kool Aid in the pantry and I commenced dyeing.  I wrapped it in tin foil and let it sit for an hour or so. I was so excited to remove it and discover the masterpiece beneath, but when I removed the tin foil hat there was absolutely no change to his hair just some streaky red Kool Aid stains running down his forehead.  UGH!!  I was in the middle of telling him that there was nothing we could do when Scott came home and suggested we bleach his hair with Hydrogen Peroxide.  Okay, whatever! I was willing to try anything to get him to go to sleep for the night.  After two hours of adding more and more peroxide and creating more tin foil hats there was still no change to his hair.

 I told him I could give him a Mohawk but he didn't want that. He finally went to bed in tears.  The next morning he seemed in an unusually chipper mood for someone who wasn't going to participate in CRAZY HAIR DAY.  It was a cold rainy morning and I took him to the bus stop in the van. While we sat in our warm car he pulled the visor down and flipped open the mirror.  He then preceded to pull one of the previous night's tin foil hats out of his backpack and started mashing it on his head. "What are you doing?" I asked.  "You can't wear that. It isn't crazy hat day. It is crazy hair day."  He replied with, "Mom, I have no choice I have to do this. Everyone would think I had no school spirit if I didn't."  My response, "Yeah, but people will laugh at you if you show up wearing foil on your head."  He didn't agree and there was no convincing him otherwise.  We watched as the other kids arrived at the bus stop with their intricately designed crazy hair.  How could I possibly convince him to take the foil off of his head.  I came to the conclusion that this was going to have to be a social lesson he learned for himself.  The bus arrived and he got out of the car.  I was so nervous to see the other kid's reaction to his tin foil monstrosity. Imagine my surprise when they started clapping and cheering for him.  Another parent actually yelled at me, "Great job, Mom!"  What the heck?  He looked like a total dork!  What were they thinking. 

Eight hours later I picked him up at the same bus stop. He hopped off the bus with the foil helmet still sitting snugly on his head and a huge smile on his face. He had had a fantastic day. Everyone loved his crazy hair. It was then that I realized I was completely out of touch with what was cool and socially acceptable. In fact I think I might be the dork in the family. 

Inspiration

I started reading Stephanie Nielson's blog years ago when we first moved to Arizona. I had a friend who knew her and she was my first introduction to the blogosphere.  She was beautiful and inspiring then but nothing compares to how beautiful and inspiring she has become.  In 2008 she was in a horrific plane crash with her husband where she was burned over 80% of her body. This book is a chronology of her journey before, during, and after the crash.  You will cry with each turn of the page and you will walk away from this book a better person for getting to know this amazing woman. You will also gain a different perspective on what true beauty really is.  This should be required reading for every mother and woman in the world.

 20 Million Stars out of 5!!!

Getting Older

I turned 34 on Monday.  It didn't bother me much except when Atley reminded me that I was now older than Jesus, or when I read an article about a recently conducted survey stating that 33 is the age when people are the most happy.  I wish someone would have shared that piece of information sooner maybe I would have tried to enjoy it a little more.

The boys were constantly making me something for my birthday, another card, another drawing, carrot cake,

 a fleet of Lego Chickens that are now perched in my kitchen window,

or modern art as Atley termed his gift when I asked him what it was! 

 Each new gift brought with it another mess for me to clean up but I didn't mind, their hearts were in the right place. The truth is my age doesn't grade on me, I still feel like a teenager although the tell tale wrinkles beginning to appear near my eyes or the grey hair that I religiously dye might speak something differently. What has me a little depressed is my kid's getting older.

Atley will be 8 years old in 3 weeks and Harley Belle will be 2 in two days. Nash just went to kindergarten orientation and I thought I might have a panic attack just thinking of him leaving the nest for 7 hours a day this fall. I want to keep each of them in the safe little cocoon that is our home, but they don't seem to like that idea as much as I do. 

Shortly after kindergarten orientation Nash got sick. I had to take him to the doctor which he fears more than anything.  I promised him he could buy anything he wanted at the grocery store next door if he was brave at the doctor.  I wouldn't exactly call him brave but he didn't run out of the room screaming.  Not feeling well, he was still excited to be pushing the little green shopping cart through the aisles of the grocery store.  Harley and I kept a safe distance while he filled up his cart with his favorite treats, donuts, lunchables, milk, and Nesquick.  The best part was hearing him sing at the top of his lungs as he trudged his little cart up and down the aisles. He was belting Taylor Swift the whole time:

Drop everything now

Meet me in the pouring rain (he actually says boring lame instead of pouring rain)

Kiss me on the sidewalk

Take away the pain

I see sparks fly

Whenever you smile!!

People were cracking up all around us. He was completely oblivious.  He just kept singing along, happy to be him and I was so happy he was mine.

My kids are each uniquely special to me.  Atley is a skinny bundle of nervous energy too smart for his own good.   Nash is my cuddly, husky, sly sweet talker, with an east coast accent that will melt your heart. Harley Belle knows she is the princess. She is sassy, tough, and full of personality.  They are each optimisitc about life and the world around them. I want to be able to protect them so that they can forever have that youthful optimism.  I love them all so much and am so lucky that they call me mom!

 

Our Day on the Bay!

When we left Arizona, we had lived there for a little less than three years and we never saw the Grand Canyon. We thought we had time, we were wrong.  So, when we moved here I vowed we would see and do as much as we possibly could, never knowing when our job would call us somewhere else.  It is exciting living in a place where each day you can wake up and say, "Let's do something we have never done before!" and you never seem to run out of options.  This weekend was pirate themed. It all started with a trip to the movie theater to see the new movie...

It was pretty funny and had the boys speaking pirate all night.  The next morning we drove to Annapolis and the beautiful Chesapeake Bay.  We were going on a pirate cruise!  The whopping 45 degree heat kept the other pirates at bay and there were only 7 of us sailing that day. 

First step, dress like a pirate complete with tattoos:

Next, get on the ship, get debriefed about the dangers lurking in the water, and do some push ups to be strong enough to face said dangers.

Once we set sail it wasn't long before we were attacked by Blackbeard himself. Never fear the kids took care of that scallywag with their water cannons! ARGH!!

The kids pulled a treasure chest out of the bay and a bottle of ice cold Grog, aka Rootbeer, for all of us to enjoy.  They had a fantastic time and worked up one heck of an appetite. 

 Our plan was to visit the famous Chick & Ruth's Delly, home of the 6 lb. milkshake and 4 lb. cheese burger.

Annapolis was also hosting it's annual Sail Boat show, after all Annapolis is the sailing capital of America, so eating at Chick & Ruth's was a little trying but after a long wait, some tears, and a lot of Peek-A-Boo with Nash's jacket...

they brought the boys their shakes and me the most delicious Reuben I have ever tasted!