Alexis' First Day

You know how I wrote that Alex was pretty shy when we went to go visit her classroom? Well, when I dropped her off at school yesterday, she greeted her teacher with a huge smile and went right in. She apaprently had a great day and really enjoyed herself, and we're really glad that we're sending her. It's just weird to have her gone every morning. We signed her up for the bus yesterday morning, and I was told that bus service would start on Thursday. (Wednesday is a holiday.) However, when I got to school, the classroom was empty. Everyone apparently thought that she was going to get on the bus. (I was also about five minutes late because the guy who was picking me up only thinks it takes five minutes to get to the school.) Anyway, we called Jason, who was there to greet Alexis at the door, and everything was fine. Her teacher said she had a perfect day and was really happy, so that made me really proud. She played in the sandbox and with playdough and house and other things and said she didn't learn anything because she already knew what they were learning. We also did her homework yesterday, and she got to go to the library, which was exciting for her. She REALLY wanted to get a book for Micah, which was sweet.

We also looked at another apartment yesterday, which was great in a lot of ways but was only two bedrooms, and we decided that we really want the kids to have their own rooms. It's going to be worth it to us for them to each have private space when they want it. The search continues! There's one place that might be coming available sometime soon, but we'll have to see. Apparently it's a little dumpy at the moment but will be fixed up, and it's in the middle of everything, which is good and bad. It's supposed to get a ton of light, which helps keep the apartment warm, and it's the perfect location for Jason walking to work. It is, however, just like being in the middle of a city, which is a little crazy.

We went out for dinner and ice cream last night and had lomo saltado, a very typical dish of grilled beef, tomoatoes, and onions over french fries and served with rice. It was awesome. And, of course, there was a playground for the kids, which they love. Then we went out for more ice cream (not as good as Sunday, but it was two for one day). It was the first time I think I really got a feel for living in a city, though. Walking around at twilight and then when it was dark made me think of being in New York with tons of people around and everything open and tiny stores and massive traffic. Not everything in our area is like that, but there's this oval inside of a street called Montenegro that makes you feel like you're in downtown La Paz. (Not that I've been to downtown La Paz yet... It's just how I imagine it would feel. We're in Zona Sur, the southern area.) Being able to walk to stuff is very cool except that the kids keep wanting us to carry them, which gets pretty old.

Today is a holiday - Day of the Dead - so there's barely any traffic and the office is closed, so it's probably going to be a great day for us to get in teh car as a family and do a little bit of exploring while the roads are fairly empty. To the grocery store!