Henry is the smallest person in our immediate family, but he has the biggest personality. There is never a dull moment with this kid. He came out of the womb with grit and determination. We don’t remember potty training him. He just watched his brother and wanted to do it too. We were worried about him learning his letters because…
We are entering our fifth month in Nicaragua. We have always stayed within walking distance of town, so a car has not been necessary. We rented a car a few times, but just for one or two days when we had to go to Rivas or Managua. We still live near town, but we decided to rent a car for…
We are heading into month 4 of quarantine here in Nicaragua. We are not able to go out and have experiences like we normally would. Before COVID, we would find activities or playgroups for the kids. We would travel to other cities, go out to restaurants, and take tours. Now that COVID is here, we stay at home and the…
Horseback riding is an activity we never thought about for Lucas and Henry. Lucas and Henry have never expressed interest in it. We have not done any organized activities since March. We came across an opportunity for horseback riding lessons at Big Sky Ranch in San Juan Del Sur (https://www.bigskyranchnicaragua.com/). We decided to give it a try and the boys…
Lucas was not supposed to spend his birthday in Nicaragua. We were supposed to be back in the United States. Things did not work out the way we planned, but Lucas still had a great birthday. The day started out with a few games of spades, and a special breakfast requested by Lucas. Hashbrowns, bacon, and avocado. Lucas helped make…
When we set off on our trip to Central America, we planned to be back in the United States in May. One month in Nicaragua has turned into five, and we may be here longer than that. Before coronavirus struck, dental tourism was big here in Nicaragua. The cost of dental care is much cheaper in Nicaragua than in the…
We stay cooped up in our house in Nicaragua most of the time. It is hard to continue to stay home when we have been quarantined for so long, but we know that getting sick here would not be good. COVID-19 is here. It is real. We do get out to grocery shop and occasionally head to a deserted beach…
Last week we went to the pool for a swim. Lucas and I (Judy) discovered a frog in the pool. It looked like the frog was having trouble climbing out. We were nervous at first to get near the frog (we are city dwellers). After much screaming, laughing and experimenting with how to get a frog out of a pool,…
In January of 2015, we took the kids on a cruise. Lucas was four and Henry was 2. We went with Judy’s mom Miriam and her husband Jim. We chose the Carnival Cruise line for its affordability and itinerary. The boat stopped in Belize, Honduras, and Mexico. Who knows how the cruise industry will rebound after Coronavirus, but we have…
When we arrived in Nicaragua at the end of February, our first stop was in Ometepe. It is an island in Lake Nicaragua that is made up of two volcanoes: Concepción and Maderas. We hiked part of the way up Maderas, but Maderas is dormant. Earlier this month we drove two hours to visit the Masaya volcano, an active volcano.…