We are OFFICIALLY moved in!

Boy oh boy has this been a week. In fact it has been the most event filled week we've had since our arrival. I hope we don't leave anything out so be prepared for a long-ish one.

The big news of the week? Our stuff is here! In our house! We are officially moved in! We waited for three months and the big day came on Tuesday. Five guys in a moving truck came to our home around 8:30 in the morning and unloaded everything. Scott, who got to stay home from work to help, marked down the box numbers to make sure we had everything and Kiersten stood in front of the door to tell them where to put each box. Yes, it was all done in Spanish. Took them about 45 minutes to unload the truck and then they set to unpacking all the boxes. Sweet deal! Two guys were downstairs and two upstairs. Where the fifth guy went we don't know. Sitting in the truck maybe? But even with four men on the job they got everything unpacked and empty boxes outside by 11:15am. It was a whirlwind that had Mackenzie very much entranced. Thank goodness for Annie for keeping her out of trouble.

Mackenzie helped for the first little bit before Annie came.

It's here, it's here, it's here!

During the unpacking mania and before we switched the room.

Kitchen's unloaded!

Then came the fun part, if you want to call it that. It was fun but it also wasn't. Moving all the stuff they just unpacked and finding it all a home in our home. They put books on the bookshelves, Mackenzie's furniture in her room and kitchen stuff in the kitchen on counters so items where in their correct rooms it was just a matter of where in the room. We started in the living room, clearing everything out so we could rearrange the furniture that night after M went to bed. Next we cleaned kitchen stuff; glasses, plates, appliances, you name it. Got through a major portion of it too. And we started on laundry because it all smelt like boxes. Did three giant loads and thought about Scott's parents in London who now have the tiniest washer/dryer imaginable. We feel bad for them but it gives us a greater appreciation for the regular sized machines we have here.

Unpacked! And a before picture of this room.

They put all our books away for us. How nice!

More stuff! This room we think will be the office.

That night, as mentioned, we rearranged our living and dining rooms. It's one big room that we just flipped and it looks fantastic. Took a lot of muscle and effort to move some of those things but it was totally worth it. Got it all done in less than an hour. We slept very well that night.

We went out to eat at La Vienesa because, no kitchen.

What a yummy meal! Then home for more unpacking!

The end result of moving furniture. And look! We have a piano!

Wednesday we did more cleaning and clearing of things but mainly in the kitchen so we can cook and eat and, you know, function normally. Kiersten had her Spanish lesson and her teacher is really impressed with her ability to understand things. She said she is speaking to her at almost her normal Spanish speed (the teacher, not Kiersten) and that on Friday we would work on past tense. Yes! After the lesson when she got home, she let Annie go home early because Kiersten was going back for a fitting for her Marine Ball gown and the timing wouldn't have worked out with Annie's hours. M was napping so Annie left an hour early. Mackenzie napped for almost 3 hours! Until 2:30. So the girls ate then got in the car to go to the dress maker's. This woman is a grandmother and had some of her grandkids there that Mackenzie was happy to play with so she played while Kiersten tried on the dress. It's gonna look great!

Mackenzie's hot pink Nikes that were in our HHE.
We got them at her baby shower and now they fit!

Thursday we were awoken at 4:30am by a tremendous thunder clap. It was so loud! Amazingly it didn't wake Mackenzie. It rained for most of the rest of the day and there was a river outside our house by the afternoon. Kiersten had an appointment with the Regional Medical Officer (RMO) at the Embassy in the morning and the roads were fine then. She learned a lot about Zika from the doctor and mentioned that DC advised us not to get pregnant while here. That stunned him and he said the risks of contracting Zika and therefore microcephaly were tiny and that he said we could go ahead and get pregnant if that was what we wanted. Another comforting reassurance in regards to our family planning. Still not sure when we want to have another baby but we know that the answer is yes so we've got a lot of things to think about.

Mackenzie discovered our Halloween decorations.
She loves this little light-up pumpkin.

That evening, the rain stopped and the roads cleared enough for us to drop Mackenzie with a friend so we could attend the Temple here one last time. It was more crowded than ever! We got the last parking spot and when we walked in learned they had started a session early so we had to wait 30 minutes before the next one. They usually do two sessions on Thursday at 5:00 and 7:00. They started one at 4:00 so that pushed everything back. While waiting we did a few confirmations and then went in. We did it all in Spanish and it was beautiful and wonderful just like the Temple should be. We picked up Mackenzie at 8pm, an hour later than we anticipated but she went right to sleep when we got home. Bless her. Oh! And we got the digital copies from our family photo session last Saturday. They look great! Here are some previews.

Friday we woke up to more rain which continued to bring the temperature down. It rained very hard in the morning. So much so that Kiersten's Spanish teacher cancelled their lesson and Kiersten told Annie not to come in. K&M had a fun morning of playing before nap time and chores. By the afternoon everything was clear. When Scott got home from work, we all got in the car for an adventure. We went to a store we'd seen a few weeks back that looked like it had some traditional Paraguayan items but when we got there discovered it was hocking American touristy items like crappy metal signs with logos (Coke, Ford, etc.), Yankee Candles (which was kind of awesome) and other "American" home decor. We looked around for about 10 minutes before leaving very much disappointed. So we went to the nicest mall in Asuncion so Mackenzie could walk around. She felt the freedom! Running practically everywhere, waving to anyone who was looking and dancing to all the music.

Views from the inside of Paseo la Galeria mall.

Fancy, amiright?

After expending all that energy she was sure tired so when we got home she took a power nap before dinner which was homemade pizza with our newly arrived pizza stone! We love making homemade pizza and had been missing our stone so it was a pleasant reunion Friday night. Kiersten attempted and sorely failed making a cauliflower crust pizza. We've done cauli-crust pizza's before but this was a new recipe that didn't really hold up. We also made two other pizzas with regular crusts which tasted fine but the crust didn't quiet survive the separation from the parchment paper. On both accounts we blame the crappy quality of the Paraguayan parchment paper. Either way, we all ate way too much but isn't that the point of pizza? It was harder to get M to go to bed that night because of her late nap but she eventually gave up the fight. Parents: 1! Mackenzie: 1,000? Such is parenthood. 

Best thing about making the pizzas was that our stone fit in the tiny oven! When we first moved
in that was one of the things we were sure wouldn't fit. It's nice to be proved wrong sometimes.

At 7:45 Kiersten went to babysit for the couple who had watched Mackenzie the night before. It was a great way to reciprocate, even though Kiersten's gig was much easier because their two were asleep the whole time. She came home around 11:45 and Scott, who is a sweetheart, stayed up for her and they both went to bed a little after midnight.

In the morning there was no rain. Normal chores ensued and Mackenzie napped early so when she woke up we ran errands. Remember how we've been wanting a rug for months? Today was the day we decided we were finally going to get one. Well, we got three! There was one store that had the largest selection we'd seen so far and they were having a 30% off sale on ALL their rugs! We bought two area rugs and one hallway runner for about $300! Not saying their quality is fantastic but they should last us for the time we need them to so we are pumped! We measured our little car before we left to make sure we bought a size we could get home but they deliver so we got three! The area rugs should be coming on Wednesday, Thursday at the latest. We brought the runner home and it is thin but literally better than nothing which was what we had before. RUGS! Yay! 

Passing the time while the parents pay.

Loving our new runner. It's simple but something.

We made sure we got home by 4pm to watch the BYU v. San Jose State football game. Mackenzie took another nap (we should go to malls more often and let her run around) and the parents watched and cheered the Cougars through the first half. Mackenzie was up by the second half and we ate leftovers and finally got to see our team get a win since August. Hallelujah! 

We bleed blue, it's true!

"Touchdown Cougars!" Bring 'em young.

Sunday the weather heated back up again as did the humidity. Church was nice and stuffy cuz the AC was out. Scott was on Mackenzie duty so Kiersten could do Primary. This week was much better than last. There were less kids and she "team-taught" the younger kids with Liza, the first counselor who speaks English. She taught but occasionally asked Kiersten if she had a question for the kids or anything to share to which she muddled through some Spanish with Liza's help. It was awesome to help in even this tiny way.

Home for nap and lunch. Kiersten also very much wanted to make a crock pot pumpkin bread recipe she found and since our crock pot arrived on Tuesday, she could! So she did. It was delicious. And again, we ate too much of it. 

Homemade pumpkin pie spice. Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice and cloves.

Easy, delicious and relatively healthy pumpkin bread.

After dinner we FaceTimed with Scott's folks and then Kiersten's who are currently in UT so we got to see her grandparents as well. All are well around the globe. Mackenzie was really hyper all afternoon and got a little too excited playing and scrapped her knee and bumped her head a few times. Poor kid, still learning about balance and coordination. Oh and we rearranged Mackenzie's room too. Ok Scott did all the heavy lifting of getting the Embassy furniture out and moving hers in but Kiersten mopped the floor. It looks great and it will look even better when her rug comes that we bought on Saturday. The house is starting to come together!

And now it's Monday again. We forgot to mention that since Tuesday we have done 3-4 loads of laundry everyday and now we are out of laundry soap so that needs to be fixed. We make our own soap so it's just a matter of doing it. (Pssst, it's really easy. 1 bar of grated Castile soap, 2 cups Super Washing Baking Powder, mix and viola!) 

Kiersten and Mackenzie drove to the Embassy to pick up Scott from work along with some packages. We got there early so M could play at the playground which we haven't done in months. Then we went to dinner at the Rhoades' home who is the older Embassy couple in our Ward. They had a farewell dinner for the senior couples since the Temple closed and they are leaving. One couple's mission is finished and they are going home to another mission in Idaho to run a church camp ground. The other couple is continuing their mission in the Santiago, Chile Temple. We will miss them all. We had soup and we contributed a tasty butternut squash soup.

In her happy place.

Having a snack after playing.

Taco soup and butternut squash soup at the 'kids' table.
We ate with the sister missionaries. It was great!

Tomorrow is Halloween which they don't really celebrate here but the Embassy is having a small trick-or-treat event for the kids and then a potluck. We'll tell you how it goes next week!

Someone was selling these Halloween masks at a stop light today.

Not too thrilled about her pineapple costume... We'll see
what tomorrow brings.

Misadventures in Baking:

• We made black bean burgers this week for dinner one night. We have a standard recipe we usually use but Kiersten wanted to explore another version. It had a great taste but like all veggie patties, it didn't hold up very well while being eaten. On Saturday we turned it into a salad which worked much better.

  

  Black bean patty salad with guacamole and caramelized onions on top.

• 'Batata roja' is the South American version of a sweet potato. Kiersten is in serious food love with sweet potatoes and has been missing them here. After chatting with Liza about American foods, we asked if sweet potatoes existed here and they do! Batata roja! It has a purple-ish exterior and white inner, is sweeter than a regular white potato but not as sweet as American sweet potatoes. We attempted to bake some for our meal on Sunday and it worked! Score!

  

  Baked batata roja! The hero of this Sunday dinner.

Quirks of Paraguay:

• Pororo. While at the mall on Saturday we saw some Halloween decorations up in the stores and gimmicks to get customers. One of them was pororo which we happily ate. For you Spanish speakers out there, you might be more familiar with the name "palomitas". And for you English speakers, we are talking about popcorn! It's Guarani.

  

  Enjoying her pororo. It's such a fun word to say. Try it!

• Collectivos. Another unfamiliar term here. It's a bus. We aren't supposed to ride the buses here because the people at the Embassy don't want us getting hurt riding on them. We've talked about buses before and how crowded they can get and they are old things so we understand. Another reason not to ride the buses, you never know when they'll breakdown.

  

  Like this bus that had an issue. The driver crawled under it on the side of a
  busy street! Scary!

The Mackenzie Update:

• We know you know she likes to dance as we've mentioned it before but seriously, she has some talent and is incredibly coordinated for a baby. She claps almost to the beat and gets her arms and shoulders swinging. She bobs her head and swivels her hips. It's quiet amazing seeing as both of us aren't what you'd call dancers. But the music and rhythm are in her little soul!

  

  You can kind of see that she's swaying her hips here.

• Kisses! One day this week she gave Scott a kiss on the cheek. A real one! Sadly she didn't hang on to the concept that you are supposed to touch the physical cheek with the lips so she now gets close and air kisses you. They do that here so maybe she's just picking up on social cues?
• She started to make more distinctive animal noises. Cow = ooo. Duck = qua. Dog = woooow.
• Two times now we have caught Mackenzie asleep at night with parts of her shirt off. The first time she got one arm out of the sleeve and Scott was able to get her back in without waking her up. The next time she'd taken the whole shirt off! Not sure how or where she learned this because she doesn't do it while awake. Kiersten was not as successful keeping M asleep while re-dressing her the second time.

  

  You bet we got pictures for ya!

  

  You're welcome.

That's the scoop for this week. Thanks for sticking through this long one. We love you all! And if you want a Christmas card, give us your address so we can send you one. See you next week!

Crock Pot Pumpkin Bread

This was too good not to share. I've never made bread in the crock pot but I LOVE all things pumpkin and found this healthy, mostly whole-wheat, sugar free version that I had to try and I was pleasantly surprised. I can't remember where I found this recipe... Pinterest or a cooking magazine, on-line some place... who knows so I can't give credit where it is due but I cannot take credit because I am no where near clever enough to come up with a recipe like this on my own.

Had to make some pumpkin pie spice before beginning.

This bread was thick and plush, just the way a hearty Autumnal bread should be. We think it would hold chocolate chips in it very well without sinking to the bottom and melting. It would also give it another little shot of sweetness since it isn't as sweet as many other popular pumpkin breads. However it tasted perfect to me. I definitely ate more than one slice.

Pre-baking with the parchment paper out.

Check out my awesome set up with the transformer! Overseas life!

Besides the taste, another reason I'm keen to share this recipe is the brilliance of using the parchment paper! There was essentially not crock pot clean up at the end which can be a pain because we have a small sink and short faucet and the pot itself is heavy. So that was a baking, crock pot WIN! Also with the parchment paper lining the pot, it created a barrier between the heat of the pot and the bread. This made the bottom and side crusts just thick and crisp enough without being burnt and hard. The inside was incredibly moist, something that surprised me as I've experienced many a dry meal from a crock pot.

All done! Just lift it out. Genius!

A beautiful, perfect loaf. The right side there has some nuts in it.

It was difficult to make each slice even since it's a rounded loaf.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Bread
Serves 16

1 1/2 c flour
1 c white whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp salt
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree
2/3 c maple syrup
2 large eggs
1/2 c canola oil*
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c walnuts or pecans, chopped (optional)**

1. Scrunch some parchment paper to make it pliable. Push it into the bottom of a 6 quart crock pot, leave excess on sides to lift bread out at the end of baking. Spray the parchment paper with cooking spray.
2. Mix the flours, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt in a large mixing bowl. Mix together the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, eggs, oil and vanilla in another mixing bowl. Combine the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add nuts if using.
3. Pour batter into the parchment lined crock pot. Cover and cook on HIGH 2 hours until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the lid and cook another 30 minutes on LOW. (Something to note here: with the excess parchment paper hanging over the edges I wasn't sure if I should close the lid with it inside or outside the pot. I opted to drape them over the sides, cover with the lid and then cover further with a kitchen towel to trap in all the heat since there was a small gap on both sides where the parchment paper did not come outside the pot. Worked great.)
4. Lift out bread using the excess parchment paper on the sides and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Once cool enough to handle, cut into 16 pieces with a sharp knife. Best enjoyed warm.

*I used vegetable oil since I didn't have canola oil. Both have a neutral flavor so I don't think the overall taste was affected by this change.

**I like nuts, my husband does not. I wanted to add some more healthy fats into this bread so after I poured in the batter, I chopped about 1/4 c of pecans and added them to a small section of the bread and gently mixed it in by hand. They did not cross contaminate the bread and tasted delicious.

Being enjoyed by the babe.

Kiersten's Chickpea Sloppy Janes

As promised, here is Kiersten's vegetarian sloppy joe recipe. Try it! You might like it!

Serves: 4

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and finely diced
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
3 TBSP tomato paste
1/4 cup no sugar added ketchup (regular is fine too)
1 tsp reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tsp maple syrup (can omit if using regular ketchup)
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp oil (I used coconut oil)
2 onions, sliced

1. Heat a large skillet with 1 teaspoon of oil on medium-low heat. Add the onions and caramelize. Stir occasionally. Cook for about 20-30 minutes until caramelized.
2. Meanwhile in another large skillet, heat the other teaspoon of oil on medium heat. Add the diced carrots and green bell pepper and soften, about 4 minutes.
3. Blend about 3/4 of the chickpeas in the water in a blender or food processor until mostly mashed. Add chickpea mash and rest of chickpeas to the carrot-bell pepper mixture. Mix.
4. Add the pumpkin, tomato paste, ketchup, soy sauce, maple syrup and seasoning. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Combine all and let it heat through.
5. Toast buns and top with Sloppy Jane mixture, caramelized onions and cheese (optional). Enjoy!

   

   Two different versions. One on a regular white bun with cheese.
   One on a whole-wheat bun without cheese.

   
   
   

It was Mackenzie in the Kitchen with the rubber duck!

What a week, folks! Can you believe its Monday again? Sneak peek into this week's post:

• Mackenzie is learning and developing at a rapid pace. New words almost daily both English and Spanish
• More power outages due to "storms".
• A night out for Mom and Dad!
• The Primary Program, and
• We went one week without eating sugar!

Let's get crackin'!

This Tuesday Kiersten did NOT wake up with mysterious hives so she was successfully able to attend the Temple. When she arrived, there were a lot of cars in the parking lot which meant the Temple would be busy which is awesome. She found one of the senior sisters and asked where they needed people to serve. A group had come in from the country-side of Paraguay ("el campo") and they didn't have many youth with them which was unusual for groups so the baptistry was lacking in patrons. Kiersten happily performed confirmations and baptisms for many deceased sisters, something she hasn't done in almost 10 years. It was wonderful!

For dinner we made a surprisingly delicious Mango Chicken with Cauliflower Rice. It didn't take that long to make and it was a completely clean recipe. For those that don't know this food lingo "clean" means no processed food or sugar or additives. "Clean" foods are pure and in their natural state. If you can't say the ingredients on the food label, then it isn't clean and should you really be eating it anyway? As a health and fitness professional, Kiersten tries to practice what she preaches and with this 3 weeks of no sugar we are taking a step in the right direction. Enough preaching. The point is, the meal was delectable.

Garnish with cilantro and mango. Mmmm!

Wednesday offered Scott and Kiersten a treat for lunch. One of the senior sister missionaries was having a birthday lunch and invited us along with the other senior couple and a few other LDS couples at Paulista Grill Churrasqueria. Kiersten was a little nervous since her last encounter might have been trigger for the hives so she ate cautiously and sparingly. Good news! She isn't allergic to Paulista! No hives! The lunch was so much fun. The food was amazing and the company was terrific.

All the ladies from lunch.

Since Kiersten attended the lunch she had to cancel her Spanish lesson. Good thing she's got those happening twice a week. It was a very hot day so K&M spent about an hour in the pool after Kiersten got home from lunch. Mackenzie loves going up and down the stairs, just like on land. Kiersten was able to sit by her and hold her hand and still catch a few rays. We love having our own, private pool! And honestly the size is perfect. 

This is how we found M sleeping that night. Scott was able to dress her again
without her waking. Silly baby.

Thursday was a little bit different. The Embassy hosted a hospital tour of three local hospitals in Asuncion, ones the health unit has a good working relationship with. Scott and Kiersten took part and were very glad they did. Annie came early to watch Mackenzie since the tour started at 8am. The first hospital they visited looked exactly like what you'd expect of a hospital in this part of the world. It seemed to have a good pediatric unit which is the main thing we are searching for. The next hospital was leaps and bounds above the first. It was huge and extremely modern. In fact it reminded us a lot of American hospitals. They toured pretty much the whole place, starting in the ER which was basically empty but they had a specific pediatric area which was very nice. One of the doctors helping with this part of the tour was about 7-8 months pregnant. We chatted with her for a few minutes and asked about her concern for Zika. She was very calm and reassuring that its very rare and have only seen about 2-3 cases in the last year here in Paraguay. She then said, "Go ahead! Have a baby! It's fine!" It was very, very comforting to hear this coming from a local doctor who specializes in pediatrics. Zika has been a constant worry for S&K since they do, at some point, want to continue growing their family.

Saw this cool artwork on a building across the street from the last hospital we toured.

The rest of the hospital was just as impressive as the ER. The maternity ward was large and beautiful and reminded us of Fairfax Hospital where Mackenzie was delivered. They even had a Mommy Gym only for pregnant mothers! The third and final hospital was small and old and didn't have a pediatric unit so we won't be going there and it was the farthest away. We were only there about 30 minutes then got back in the van and drove back to the Embassy. We got back earlier than expected so Kiersten was able to let Annie go early as well which she was happy about. Her brother just returned from his mission from Argentina the night before so she was happy to get to spend a little more time with him.

When Mackenzie woke up, they went to the store then the Embassy to pick up some packages that had arrived and were large so Scott wouldn't have be able to carry them home. One was a birthday present for Kiersten! Two more weeks before her 20's are no more. For dinner we made Ramen for the first time ever and it was shockingly easy. But the sodium... too much!

Go Cougars! Thanks Grandma!

All the ads take up the whole back!

It's challenging to get her to hold still.

Matching shoes for Mommy and Mackenzie!

Soy Sauce Ramen with bell peppers, chicken and green onions.

Rain finally came that evening after the forecast had predicted it all day. The winds were pretty strong in the morning and actually knocked out our power before we left for the tour and Annie said it was out for about 2 hours. Right as the rain was starting, Kiersten made her way to the church for a primary program rehearsal that sadly she learned was cancelled upon arriving. So she made her way back home. We've talked about the traffic and driving but in the rain it is another beast entirely. Driving in the rain any where is bad but it seems especially bad here since they already don't fully adhere to the traffic and driving laws anyway. Just to put it in perspective, the Temple and church are about a mile from our home off a pretty major thoroughfare. We've learned of some back roads so Kiersten took those and felt pretty slick until she was less than half a mile home and turned back onto the main road which was a parking lot. It would have normal taken two minutes to get home from there but now it would have honestly been faster to park the car and walk home and return for it later. She sat in traffic for 20 minutes before finally pulling in through our gate and just in time to help Mackenzie into bed.

While making dinner, M took the laundry basket and set it up like a table.
Kiersten had no idea this was happening until she came to check on her.

She was taking the puzzle animals out of the puzzle one by
one and putting them on her "table". What a smart cookie!

Not 20 minutes after that did the power go out again. It was off for an hour then was on for 40 minutes and then went out again for 20 minutes and was back on the rest of the night.

Glorious Friday arrived with cooler weather and a spectacular breeze. Kiersten did attend her Spanish lesson and they spent the entire time working on the simple form of future tense. She can now say, "I'm going to ______." Yay! We just need to work on some more vocabulary.

Mackenzie was napping when we got home so we ate lunch and cleaned house. One of Scott's coworkers had given us a child's playhouse type thing the day before so we cleaned that up and when Mackenzie woke up, we introduced her to it. She was thrilled! She played with it and around it for a solid 30 minutes. It has some lights and plays songs and buttons and all those kinds of things that children love and parents love to hate.

"I see you, Daddy!"

"Ba! Ba!"

Crawling everywhere!

At 5:20 our babysitter arrived. We had a date! After explaining all the Mackenzie stuff, routine and food, we took off and were some of the first people to arrive at our Murder Mystery Dinner. There were about 45 people in attendance but only 15 of us were characters in the mystery. The rest of us were spectators who could also play the game.

The first phase was during cocktail hour. We could mingle with the characters and ask them all kinds of questions to get to know their back story better. Everyone playing a role was perfectly suited for their character and really got into it and had fun. There was a black golfer named Cougar Forrest, a baker named Sugar Ann Flour, a librarian named Rita Bookaday and a socialite named London Wilton. Get it? 

Sorry for the bad quality. There wasn't a lot of lighting.

Before sitting down to dinner everyone received a page with 8 riddles on it. Two riddles would matched so four total matches for example an answer for one is flower and another is flour or one is candle and another is stick. These riddles were supposed to help us solve the murder and we are convinced we were only supposed to receive one and find our match amongst the guests.

So many people ready for a murder!

The second phase was the dinner. All the characters sat together at the first two tables and the spectators couldn't talk to them anymore but we could listen in. Then, suddenly, the murder happened. London died. Enter phase three. The characters learned their locations during the murder and we all began to learn about the layout of the hotel, where the body was found and who had motive. It was very much like a live version of the classic board game Clue.
It was such a fun night! The dinner was pretty good too. And we all deduced it was the Baker with the candlestick in the Library. Those pastry chefs are as temperamental as their baked goods. 

Good food. Chicken, spinach fettuccine, roasted veggies and rolls.

The characters all sat together during dinner.

This was how we made our deductions. Just like Clue.

Saturday morning we scheduled a family portrait session with one of the Embassy wives here who is a semi-professional photographer. Just in time for Christmas cards! Who knows how long it will take for us to get those to you with the mail here. Anyway, due to Mackenzie's super fun night with the babysitter the night before, she had gone to bed late, woken up early and was cranky for the pictures so we took what shots we could. Fingers crossed that we have a few good ones out of the hundreds she seemed to have taken. We will get the digital copies this week so no previews yet.

It was extremely humid during our photos so when we got home we spent a while just trying to cool off. Scott did pool chores and even swept out the garage/car port area. And he mowed the lawn with our sweet circa 1940's lawn mower. What a great guy!

The primary was supposed to have another rehearsal for the program in the afternoon but Kiersten was not able to confirm if it was taking place at 2 or 3pm and no one answered any text messages so she just showed up at 2. And was the first person there. For 20 minutes. Paraguayans are VERY lax on start times. They don't have the same sense of urgency as Americans which we can appreciate. We all should take our time in life and learn to slow down but as an American AND a band kid, it was very irksome. Fast forward to 3:20 when the Primary president finally arrived and a few other children. We officially started the practice at 3:30 and were done by 4pm. Luckily this time going home was "pan comida" or "a piece of cake" (not a literal translation but it has the same meaning).

Saturday night dinner was make-your-own-of-whatever-we-have-in-the-house kind of dinner. Scott made Ramen, Kiersten made chili and Mackenzie ate whatever we gave her. Right as we finished making dinner, the power went out and stayed out for an hour. Mackenzie went to bed once it came back on and S&K watched most of the BYU Football game. It's just getting depressing now. Maybe Basketball season will be better?

Drowning his feelings with the only non-sugar snack foods we have.

Potato chips and a baked empanada shell.

Sunday, the big day arrived. Kiersten had been asked to play the piano for Sacrament Meeting by the regular pianist so they arrived to church early and she stayed on the stand for the whole meeting. Scott did a great job with Mackenzie and she loved playing with the people sitting behind them. During the program, Kiersten did the very first speaking part since that child wasn't there. This was her line:

"El albedrio es el don de elegir por nosotros mismos."

Which means, "Will (or agency) is the gift to choose for ourselves."

The program went very well. No disruptions or meltdowns or anything of the kind. 

Yes I surreptitiously took a picture during the program.

However, all that pent up energy was thrown at us for the next two hours during Primary. Without knowing what was going on, Kiersten felt completely helpless. She helped hand out snacks (more sugar! seriously?!!) and finally got one of the most rambunctious girls to sit by her and be reverent. It helped a little but it was just complete chaos. Not sure if there is a Junior and a Senior Primary and a Nursery or just a Nursery and Primary because there were some little kids in with the big kids and the Nursery was in another room. It was also weird because there were no lessons today. Again, no idea why. Maybe giving the teachers a day off or the teachers were gone. No clue! Needless to say, Kiersten's nerves were very much frazzled by the end of church.

Mackenzie went off to nap and S&K made fajitas for dinner with homemade tortillas which were easy and delicious. Then Kiersten took a nap and Scott cleaned up and sat outside in the absolutely gorgeous weather to read a book in the shade. The girls woke up about the same time and joined Scott outside. 75 degrees, 40% humidity and an occasional strong breeze made it the perfect afternoon. 

Such a beautiful spread and with homemade tortillas to boot!

Playing while the parents lounge.

She loves that ball.

We did a quick FaceTime with Kiersten's parents then began watching Happy Feet with Mackenzie who soon lost interest but that's alright, it was bath time then bedtime. We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the beautiful weather since we don't know when it will happen again.

Today, Monday began just like any other week except with one little difference. When Scott arrived at work he saw an email in his inbox from Friday afternoon after he'd left work about our HHE. It's here! And ready to be delivered! So we are going to have a full day of movers in our home, unpacking our boxes and giving us our things that we realize we can live without. We are most excited about getting more clothes, kitchen appliances and tools and the piano!

Oh and remember that dress Kiersten said she found for the Marine Ball and ordered in the middle of September? Remember how she said it's almost impossible to find a modest dress today? Remember how she said, "God bless the internet?" Well this weekend she takes it all back. She has been expecting her dress for about 6 weeks and learned on Saturday it was returned to sender...in China! When she asked their customer service why they responded that no one was home upon delivery which is ridiculous because it's a DPO! Someone is always there and it would have needed to be picked up by someone after being delivered at an airport and she NEVER received a statement or confirmation of any attempted delivery. Ludicrous. She is getting a full refund (hopefully) and is now about 2.5 weeks away from this ball! Luckily there was a silver lining to this whole situation. There is a dress maker in town that has made several dresses for other Embassy ladies and she speaks wonderful English, doesn't live far away, does amazing work and does it fast. Kiersten scheduled an appointment for this afternoon and is going back on Wednesday for a fitting! And best of all! She requested pockets in this dress and the seamstress said, "Absolutely. No problem at all!" WIN!

This is the dress she ordered and is now getting made but it will be blue with POCKETS!

For dinner tonight Kiersten created her own version of a vegetarian sloppy joe and is calling it a Sloppy Jane (title not of her own creation). She combined two different recipes and got a very good mashup. Recipe will be posted soon.

Side by side comparison. One with a regular bun and cheese, one with a whole
wheat bun and no cheese.

It was very yummy. Vegetarian meals can be tasty and filling!

And now Scott and Kiersten are prepping for a whirlwind of movers and making our house less empty tomorrow. Wish us luck!

Misadventures in Baking:

• This week Kiersten attempted to make two different kinds of milk. Yes, this is a thing. Almondmilk and coconut milk. Both were very simple and required two ingredients almond or coconut and water. Twice as much water as the solid. Soak for 4 hours for coconut milk or 24-48 hours for almondmilk. The coconut milk was really to create coconut flour at the very end of the milking process which was successful. And the almondmilk also worked! It's just a long process. We can buy it here but it isn't always in stock. This is also cleaner with only two ingredients and I know what they are.

  

  The almondmilk process.

  
  

  

  Blend it up then drain it through a cheesecloth.

• Homemade tortilla recipe found here. You're welcome.
• Mango Chicken and Cauliflower Rice recipe found here. Third one down.

Quirks of Paraguay:

• Salsa Golf. This has got to be my favorite so far. At the Murder Mystery Dinner there was an appetizer that was a redish-pink sauce with small hard-boiled egg halves (like Robin's eggs, which by the way they do sell in the grocery stores for consumption) with a green leaf garnish. When we asked our babysitter about this (she serves in the Primary with K and speaks perfect English) she wasn't sure of the name of the appetizer but the taste sauce sounded like Salsa Golf to her. She said it's basically ketchup and mayonnaise. FRY SAUCE! According to the internet it was invented in the mid-1920s at a golf resort. Hellmann's brand Salsa Golf can be found in the stores. Love it!

  

  Can't wait to buy me some Fry sa... Salsa Golf this week!

• Lights and street signs. Let's talk about the traffic a little more shall we? Stopping in this country seems to be optional to them. Look a STOP sign, let's ignore this one. Another STOP sign. We'll obey it. Red light? I'm on a motorcycle. I'm small enough I can just go when no one is coming. Zoom! A green arrow and green circle. Ok to turn left. Green arrow gone but green circle stays, don't turn left even when there is no traffic. Also the lights are right on top of the line so you need to stop well before the white line on the street in order to see the light which is a habit we've been working on breaking. No sign indicating no left turn. HONK!! Don't turn left here! (Even though there is plenty of room to go around.) Two lanes, one for left turns and one for right turns. People are turning left from BOTH lanes! Sigh... we are still learning the traffic rules here. Everyday is a new adventure!
• Christmas. Didn't you guys know it isn't too early to start setting up for Christmas? Well down here it isn't. Apparently since they don't have any major holidays from now until Christmas they just go ahead and get on with it. A huge, electronic Christmas tree was being put up this week at a fairly major intersection near our house. 'Oh the weather outside is frightful....'

  

  Being set up...

  
  

  

  And all lit up!

The Mackenzie Update:

• New words creep into her vocabulary it seems daily. This week the two that stand out are "pez" (fish) and "ba" for ball. If she sees a ball she points and says, "Ba." She calls her Goldfish snacks "pez" so if she wants them she will ask for it specifically. Still not too sure about the "dada" word.

  

  Being silly with her pez crackers (Goldfish).

• We have a terrific thrower on our hands. She can launch a ball quiet far and with surprising accuracy. Softball star in the future? Who knows.
• We gave Mackenzie Scott's old iPhone 4 when she was itty-bitty to chew on and now she uses it like a real phone, pretending to talk on it that is. She'll put it up to her ear and jabber on, mimicking sounds she hears us saying and the inflection of the conversation. She'll walk around with it at her ear for a while, set it down, and come back to it for another round.
  
• She truly experienced rain this week. She's been out when its raining but not IN the rain, like hard rain. She liked it at first and then she got cold so we came inside.

  

  "Ooohh! It's falling from the sky!"

  
  

  

  "I like it!"

• Mackenzie has done this for a while but not sure if we have posted about it. If she has a blanket or other soft object, she will put it on the floor, lay down and rest her head on it as if going to sleep. So sweet!

  

  Having a rest with Daddy.

What a week. We get more and more settled each week which is wonderful. Thanks for supporting us in your thoughts and prayers. We think and pray for all of you as well.

To close out this entry here are some more pictures from the park we went to last weekend. Have a wonderful week and we'll see you back here next week!

So many trees! We are convinced this is where they plant the
10 new trees when they cut one down.

Pato! (duck)

There was a little island in this pond/lake with a beautiful white bridge.

Scott and Mackenzie explored while Kiersten ran back for the car.

It even had a pagoda!