My Neighbors

 I am very very grateful to have sweet neighbors at my new house. It's a young couple and the wife's brother (e-hay is a hole-way other-nay ory-stay) with two young kids. The little boy's name is Edgar - he was real shy towards me at first. His sister's name is Ximena and she is the CUTEST little thing. I mean...cute, cute, cute. She is outgoing and curious and Edgar has to translate everything she tells me because I can't understand her. She just points and goes, "eh!" or does a series of different voice tones. Edgar always knows what she wants.

When I first moved in, I was excited to see I would be having cute neighbors. I gave Edgar a little Hot Wheels car and Ximena a little toy cat. From that moment on, we were BFFs!! I'm not kidding - ha! If I want any peace and quiet after coming home from school I have to remove my house key from the ring so they don't hear my keys jingling. Edgar caught me the other day when I was trying to sneak into my house. I was tiptoeing up the stairs when I I heard a shout of joy from inside his house then out he runs with his arms stretched wide, like, "TA DA!!!!!! I'm here!"

 I am always so embarrassed when Ximena runs out of my house screaming crying. There is no in between for her - she always cries like someone is cutting off her hand. Of course, it's not my fault, but I still feel guilty. The first time, I was fixing Austin lunch and had my back turned to the kids. All of a sudden Ximena BUSTS OUT with that awful wail. I whip around....the first thing Edgar said was, "I DIDN'T HIT HER!" Augh! That little booger.

Edgar came over one day after I'd put up my Christmas decorations. He was playing with one of the plastic ornaments and threw it down really hard on the floor. Of course, it broke. I was like, "Heyyyy...why'd you do that??" He got a shocked look on his face, climbed off the couch, and told me, "I'll be right back."

 He came back a few minutes later with a handful of candy and said, "This is for you." 

HAHA! 

 Ximena likes to get into the roller carts I have under the kitchen counter. She takes out my tea bags and gives them to me, one by one.

 I sent this picture to Nicole as a joke one day - 

"The kids are over and I am entertaining them!"

It is a joke in my family - everyone knows I like fire. LOL.

 The kids like to take all my shoes off the rack I have by the door and have me try them on. It was during this game that Ximena had another one of her crying episodes and embarrassed me yet again. HAHAHA. I picked her up and am trying to shush her before her mom ran over, but to no avail. I tried to explain to her mom what happened...as Ximena is screaming at the top of her lungs and doing that no-breathing thing. "SHE HIT HER HEAD ON THE CORNER OF MY COUCH WHILE TRYING TO TAKE MY SHOES OFF THE SHELF RIGHT HERE." Both kids left at this point so I had to do the walk of shame and take back all the toys they'd left at my house.

 I don't know why I am so paranoid around kids. Maybe because I never really babysat when I was younger. I just don't feel like I have that much experience...I don't consider myself as being very "kid-friendly". I mean, I LIKE kids. But...I don't know. I kind of feel nervous around them. 

I am doubly paranoid around Mexican kids though, especially babies - like Ximena. Some people here have so many eird-way beliefs, you never know when you are breaking a rule or doing something that their mom thinks could kill them or put their health at risk. I like to run around barefoot in my house and I don't know how many times someone from my church has seen me and said *gasp* "You're going to get sick!" One guy told me that my oes-tay were eventually going to get spread all out. He'd seen it happen before! *EYE ROLLLLLLL* (Now that I think about it, was he trying to say I am fat?!)

 Ximena took her shoes and socks off and refused to let me put them back on. Me and my neighbors share a porch so when her dad came outside I made sure to get on to Ximena loudly..."Girl, you better put your shoes on or you're gonna get SICK!" I'd done my part - it was out of my hands now - ha!

Technically, we are not allowed to have pets in this apartment. But....apparently Edgar threw a it-fay and ended up with a puppy. It is just a mutt, but part pit bull. I was happy about this development - ever since Nicole got engaged, the idea of having a little animal to snuggle with and keep me company has sounded better and better. I am figuring if my landlord doesn't say anything to my neighbors, he won't say anything to me and I can get one of my own. :-/ (We'll see how it goes.)

(Dad? Hi. Umm...If you are reading this - I've decided on a Yorkie. ☺ They are small, hypoallergenic, and oh so cute. Heh heh.)

She never wants to sleep in her bed. She'll sleep on top a bag of trash, a pile of clothes, or in the dust pan.

I've always thought all puppies were cute until I saw this little gal. My first thought was, "Man. This is gonna be one ugly dog." However, one night she was outside my door whining and it was really cold. I got a blanket and wrapped her up and put her in her little box. She snuggled right down and didn't budge for the rest of the night. I cringe as I type this: It was really, really cute. Ugh. I am tryyyyying not to get attached. She itches constantly and is losing patches of hair on her bum. I know she needs a flea color and some de-wormer pills...but she's not mine. I am scared that soon I'll be picking up her p**p. Gaaaaa.

 I'll come home from church sometimes and she'll be splayed out on the porch beside a ripped-into bag of trash, obviously having just gorged herself on some treat. She is so fat...you pick her up and she just grunts. (This pic was taken before having noticed the sores on her belly and hair-loss on her posterior. Anyone thinking of the same diagnosis as me? The one...the only...the feared....MAAAAAAAANGE!!! Let's all go wash our hands.)

~Bethany~

Oh Be Careful Little Hands....

Conference started Friday night which meant there was a ton of work to do. Everyone had their assigned jobs. All of the ladies had taken home vegetables to chop. A couple ladies were in the church doing food prep for the next day. My job was to make 50 sandwiches for the travelers that would be arriving in a few hours. After that I was to make dinner for the ministers that night. I was at my parent's house because that's where all the supplies had been delivered. Before getting started on the dinner, I figured I'd wash the dishes in the sink. My mom's sink has two sides to it and one side had dishes in it and the other side had about 5 inches of water and some plates. I washed everything on the one side then stuck my hand under the plates to let out the water in the other side. It took me a few seconds to find the drain and unplug it....so I was fishing my hand around in this cold water that had been there since the night before. I have a drain phobia so I always haaaate doing this. Mushy food, cold water, floaties....

One by one I'm pulling plates out when all of a sudden I get to the bottom, lift up the last plate and....

No, this isn't the actual mouse. This is off of google. It was too traumatic of an experience for taking pictures.

There was a DEAD MOUSE LAYING THERE WITH SOAP SUDS ON ITS NASTY LITTLE BODY. There is no font or letter size big enough to describe my SHOCKKKKK. I started screaming bloody murder, crying, and jumping up and down. My mom was coming up the stairs carrying a bunch of groceries and she runs in and sees the mouse....then yells at the top of her lungs, "CUUUUUUURT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Valentin and one of the ladies working downstairs in the church come racing up to the house....they thought I had cut myself or something.

It was thee most terrifying thing that has happened to me in a very long time...

One of the ladies was saying later, "Yeah, mice are just terrible, we are scared of them!" But it wasn't that, really. I'd seen a mouse just a few days earlier outside and yeah, it's a little shocking, but it's a whole 'nother story when it's in the bottom of a sink of dishes. I probably TOUCHED IT while trying to let the water out. After having the mouse removed, I filled the sink with about 1/2 bleach-1/2 water and scrubbed my hands and re-washed the dishes.

I got to tell this story a few times at church the next day and each time I did, I would feel shaky all over again and start tearing up. It was AWFUL!

We've lived in this house for eight years and have never had a problem with mice. However, a couple months ago we were given some boxes of tools and things from a family moving away....we think maybe that's where they are coming from.

We've caught about 5 so far. Ugh. So gross.

~Bethany~

Idaho Christmas

 For Christmas the whole entire Wakefield family went up to Idaho for Christmas! We had a crazy flight schedule and had to leave around midnight to fly out from Mexico City. Nicole and I sat around the living room chatting and packing last-minute items while trying not to go to sleep. My house has white tile which means you never stop sweeping. It hides nothing. So I was messing around with my broom and accidentally found out it stands up by itself. Magical! There's been a recent string of break-ins in the neighborhood and I was pretty worried about leaving my house alone for a whole week. I figured this broom trick was pretty much heaven-sent so I carefully stood it up just inside the doorway so I'd know if anyone had entered my house. 

This was Nicole's official moving day. She packed up all of her belongings in 5 large suitcases and a couple carry-ons. All of us had her stuff poked throughout our luggage!

We arrived in Boise to a freezing 11 degree icy, biting cold! 

Snow, snow, snow, how Alex loves snowwwwwww!

Grampa loves snow too!

The ground was positively icy and slippery so everywhere we walked, we were hanging on to each other.

We headed out in the morning to take FAMILY PICTURES! In the pouring snow! It was absolutely magical! I will definitely be posting to show you guys the pictures. They turned out amazing.

After taking several pictures outside in the snow, we all ran inside the warm hotel next door to sit next to the fire...

Me and Grampa were all about the snuggle while in Idaho. Grampa insisted on always sitting in the back seat, in the middle between Gramma and I. He said it was the warmest seat in the car - ha!

After family pictures, we went for our very first American meal at one of our very favorite places...

Of course we are all going "Take my picture in the snow!!!!" LOL. It was beautiful!!!

 While in Idaho, we stayed at Nicole and John's new house. 

I found some guy's huge shoes in the guest room closet. Wonder whose they were!

 Austin and I had a lot of fun with the snow...We went outside one day and tried to make a snowman. It didn't work out too well because the snow wasn't sticky enough, but we also made snow angels and threw some snowballs. I found out that if you wear the right clothes, you really can't feel the cold. The only thing that suffers is your nose...which goes numb after a while.

One morning I woke up so cold, I was mad. LOL. I grabbed a blanket and pillow and made myself a pallet about 3 inches from the fireplace. Now that was the warmest seat in the house! 

 Austin and Johnny went duck-hunting one of the mornings.

John's dog, Maggie, watching over her loot.

 The Collins took us all up to Sun Valley one day. It was an absolutely beautiful drive!

Grampa...in the middle seat...

A real Christmas tree!

Sun Valley Lodge

My funny little grandparents! :D

 

The two love-birds

 They had these incredible ice sculptures throughout the whole lodge...

 

 

 

Ho, ho, ho!

 We all enjoyed our time with sweet little Bella Joy....

 Sis. Collins made a wonderful dinner on Christmas day - which I have no pictures of, unfortunately! Afterwards, Bro. Collins declared to the men that it was time to "meditate". So off the men went to take care of that serious job!

After dinner, Grampa got his hair did.

 Church on Christmas morning ended up being canceled because of all the snow. We were able to go to service on Tuesday, however. It was nice to go to English church!

Right before service was to start, Grampa got up on the risers to take a picture of the congregation...with his gigantic iPad.... He is just TOO MUCH.

I'd been worrying about my house off and on while on vacation. When I got home, I was relieved to find my broom still standing perfectly as I had left it. Home sweet home! :D

We had a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful time in Idaho. I am glad my sister is marrying into such a sweet, Godly family. It is also nice that she will be living in a place that gets snow! (Nice for ME, at least:) Spend a little time with her...and when my feet freeze and I've had enough, I can just come back home. We are in the dead of winter right now. I just let the kids out of school and it is a sunny 70 degrees outside. Heaven!

~Bethany~