Just a little detour on our way from breakfast to the beach to see some airplanes! Holly wants to be the pilot and the mechanic.

Last weekend we spent a whirlwind 48 hours traveling to and spending time in Salinas with our friends. Here are some photos of snow cones. Everyone got one on our way back to the car and we all walked so slowly while we ate them. It was funny to watch 12 people walking and eating snow cones so slowly! 

While in Salinas, we went to La Chocolatera, which is the most westerly point in Ecuador. We went just as the sun was beginning to set and it was beautiful! And the perfect temperature. We could see crabs scuttling around on the rocks - they were so camouflaged it was hard to see them! The ocean is so healing for me. I loved being along the coast again. 

Maeve's little romper is size 6-12 months and it still fits her (she's 15 months old!), which is great because it's one of my favorites. 

Last week, I went to a 2-hour cooking class at an amazing restaurant, called La Warmi. Warmi is a Quechua (aboriginal) word for strong, self-sufficient woman. It's really interesting to me that there are many Quechua words mixed into spanish here in Ecuador, for example wawa is a word for baby and I learned the word for drunk, but obviously forgot it from lack of use.

I made sure to eat lunch at this restaurant before I signed up for cooking class and it was the best meal I've eaten here in Ecuador, hands down! The cooking class was so much fun! We made ceviche (amazing!), potato tamales, and a fried dessert made with fine grated yuca and topped with a molasses sauce made from panel (a raw sugar), water and cinnamon. I brought home recipes (!) and I can't wait to try making these dishes at home. All the dishes were incredible and delicious. I got to cook with a retired man who is visiting Ecuador with his wife. They live in Seattle. I'm hoping to go visit them and cook with them. 

This cooking class was one of my top experiences in Ecuador! Tomorrow, I'll go sign up and pay for another class! I can't wait!

And this is the lunch that I had before my cooking class. I need to eat here again!!

A couple times, the girls and I have done a little bit of homeschool on the grass by the river, while the cleaning lady cleans our apartment(!!!). The girls definitely like it better than I do. I should probably loosen up a little! But I feel like I'm yelling when I read. Again, need to loosen up! Today, we read for a little bit and then I let the girls play before Maeve's nap. All three of my daughters were 20 feet down the river bank from me. Maeve was so, so happy to just be a part with her big sisters. And Holly and Greta were celebrating every time Maeve stood up. It was seriously the sweetest and completely worth the yell reading. 

PS: we brought two headbands for Greta, but both of them broke. Greta has worn a headband every single day for years. I'm totally hesitating buying her a new one because I love her hair without a headband.