Well the sun was finally shining again today, and daddy decided he wanted to give the wood burning grill a go. I think he just needed to get his fire fix and since it was finally too warm to build one inside, he decided it was time to build one outside (your daddy has a thing for collecting firewood and building fires in a very non-pyro type of way). Anyway, lucky us because he sure did cook an awesome dinner! We all played outside while the grill was going and watched the sun go down. Daddy made fish on the grill, baked potato, and broccoli. It was perfect!! You invented a new game of hiding under the hammock and popping out with a big goofy smile. You ran around in the grass, played with the pups and cats, picked some fruits off the trees, and just entertained us with your silliness. After dinner we all shared a bag of animal crackers, shut off all the lights, and went on the deck to look at all the stars in the sky. You chatted up a storm and just snacked on your cookies looking up at the sky. What a fantastic night! XO. Slideshow below (you can see why they call it a cloud forest. Some amazing pics of the clouds and view off our deck).

Here are some pics from Saturday morning here. Every morning when Sosi wakes up she wants her daddy to take her outside and they go pick some clementines and bananas and eat them in the rocking chair. The nugget now has a new love for clementines and will just keep shoving them in her mouth. I think the most her and daddy split was 5 in one sitting. She is typically at 2 per morning and then a banana to wash them down. Chester was just chillin in his little cubby and the other pups were lounging/exploring. Mommy was doing some laundry, sipping her coffee, and of course, taking pics! I just love the mornings here…i wouldn’t mind if they started a bit later (ehem, Sophie), but it is def. nice to be able to go outside and pick your fruits off the trees, watch the animals all play, and sip some nice strong coffee (ehem, Sophie). Pics below 🙂

Today was one of our favorite days here and really all we intended to do was drive into a town known to have a bunch of strawberries. We were told that if we drive towards the Poas Volcano we will pass a bunch of vendors set up on the side of the road selling strawberries and also that there was a great restaurant along the way called Freddo Fresas that we had to eat at. Well, this should have more accurately been described as…if you drive to the Volcano, about 10 minutes before you hit the Volcano, you will see a bunch of strawberry vendors and a great restaurant. Nevertheless, we basically drove up to the Volcano, but we did find Freddo Fresas and a bunch of strawberries!

Sophie slept for about 1/2 hour of the hour car ride and was up just chillin during the rest. The road wasn’t windy and pukey like it was on the way to Arenal Volcano (thank the lord). Right before we left for our travels we stopped at a gas station that was doing some sort of promotion with a bobble head blow up guy and some girls handing out flyers. Sophie was sitting in her car seat looking out the window while they pumped our gas and all of a sudden the bobble head guy started walking around and moving. She grabbed my neck with a hook arm and pulled my head into her lap in sheer terror! For the next half hour she would not let my head off her lap and fell asleep with her head on top of my head. It was the most uncomfortable position (especially through every bump on the darn road) but it is a memory that will stay in my heart forever. It was so sweet to see her be comforted by my head laying in her lap. I am just thankful the bobble guy didnt come up to our window. I kept having the vision that he was going to come to the window and wave at Sophie and my head would be decapitated. Luckily he stayed in far enough distance and we zoomed right out when the gas was done. Ironically Sophie didnt cry. I think she was so frozen in fear that she forgot to cry. Wish i got a pic of bobble head but obviously i was in no position to whip out a camera.

Anyway, on to why this was an amazing day.

1. The ride was smooth, fun, and the drive was pretty. Once Sophie zonked and i got my head back, I snuck up to the front and sat with Will and it was like a little date with my hubby for 1/2 hour.
2. We got free Strawberry shakes at the restaurant and Sophie loved it.
3. There was a beautiful garden across the street and we spent about an hour exploring and roaming through it. Sophie did her ritual spanking of the rock, and ran all around like a little looney.
4. We saw hummingbirds galore, and the look on Sophie’s face when one zoomed right in front of her was enough to pee your pants (see pic of Sophie and I sitting on the bench in album below).
5. We got a bunch of yummy strawberries and Sosi has been chowing on them like crazy.
6. Sosi fell asleep again on the way home and I snuck up in front again and Will and I got a second little date for the ride home! Oh the little things.

We just love seeing Soph tuckered out from a day of fun and exploring. It really just brings us so much happiness to know that she had the most fun filled day and we were part of it. Seeing her excited, exploring, running, giggling, eating, talking, ugh it is just the best reward. I just hope her life is chock full of days like today (minus the gas station bobble head guy), and we will do our very best to make sure it is!