potty training and no running water don't mix!

Wednesday, November 26, 09

There was a new little puppy in the back yard today. We don’t know where he came from, but he is so tiny. The girls quickly adopted him... we’ll see. I was outside with the girls, playing with the puppies, when the neighbor’s gardener said hello. He is a young man with long braids named Mark 2 (pronounced Mock-2). One day I saw him come to “work” with his braids in pigtails....this literally cracked me up... it still makes me smile. A grown man in pigtails...hardee..harr...harr!

Well he wanted to talk so I walked over to the fence and tried my best to understand his strong lazy accent. It’s really fun...kinda like a game to figure it out. I asked him how I could tell when the breadfruit was ready to eat. THere is a HUGE breakfruit tree in my yard. He told me that he didn’t know how to explain it, but he’d show me. I went up on the roof to tell Joshua to come down in the yard ( he was up on the roof sleeping in our hammock...what a life). As I was coming off the roof, I was gonna run in our apartment and grab the keys to let Mark 2 in the yard, I looked over to see Mark 2 climb over our 7 foot fence like it wasn’t even there. Can I tell you, that sure made me feel safe! :) He shimmied up the big tree and got us down two nice sized fruits. Then he built us a little fire in the yard and showed Joshua and I how to roast it. He cooked it until it was black on the outside and tender. Then he taught us how to cut it up. It is really good. You can also put it in boiling water and boil it like a potato (which are called Irish down here). It was really nice of him.

We don’t have running water today!

I’VE LEARNED: potty training and no running water don’t mix!!!

After 2 accidents both of us are frustrated. I had to break open my last package of wet wipes, that I’ve been saving for an emergency....this was an emergency!

The girls and I played in the back yard all afternoon. There is no grass, just concrete around trees, but they still get very dirty. We cleaned out some of the lily pads that grow in the gold fish pond, and we played with the puppies. We were walking around the house and my sweaty little Alexis turned around and held out her hand to me so we could walk together. For a split second, my mind flashed with all the dirt, germs, and any imaginable uckiness on my daughters hand....and I could just see that all running up my arm...contaminating me!!! But thankfully, my mind cleared and I reached out and took her hand. She smiled an adorable smile up into my eyes, then turned and we walked together. I love being a mom.