First Semester DONE...

so if you had asked me 5 1/2 months ago if I thought we would make it all in one piece to the end of the school semester I think I might have answered.. NO WAY... but here we are 5 1/2 months later and tomorrow is the last day of semester for my girls and all I can say is WE MADE IT!!.. yes.. we made it.  I am filled with pride and happiness to say that they have had such a wonderful transition into Argentina.  It hasn't always been easy and yes there have been tears along the way but as we end the semester we are looking forward to 6 weeks off, but best of all, we are looking forward to going back to school already.. a true sign they are doing better than fine!! 

As we roll in the holidays here things will be quiet.  Most of Buenos Aires goes to the beach leaving the city deserted for the few that remain.  I am looking forward to less traffic as we continue to explore.  The girls are going to try sailing and archery and I am going to do my best to relax and just enjoy the time with my girls.  While these holidays are certainly a departure from our normal I am determined to make them great.. :) (even if there is no eggnog!)

In case I have never expressed this.. my husband likes to travel.. so the past few weeks we have been traveling .. El Calafate, Argentina and Colonia, Uruguay.  El Calafate to see the Glaciers and Colonia for Nola's 11th birthday.. two very different extremes of climate. 

As we roll onto the holidays let me share some photos with you:)  LOL

 that hat!!  LOL.. in Argentina when seasons end, clothes that are needed for that season go away.. no sales, no reduction to liquidate stock, just one day winter clothes and the next day summer clothes.  We however scored these fancy hats at the local 'walmart' type store.. I was floored.. and I promptly bought them and said a silent thanks!!

Our first ice burg sighting.  We took a tour of the glacier on a boat and the first time you see an iceburg close up.. all I can say is wow.. amazing to think this is only 15% of the iceburg, the rest is under the water (you know just waiting for us to crash into it)

so according to my children.. nothing tastes as cold as this drink.  Poured over glacier ice they fish out from the river

Amazing 'small' glacier

again.. a small glacier.. you know just a mile wide..

ok so my experience with Argentines to date is that are humorless.  Truly they have no sense of humor, none.. I say that I have maybe met 2 that truly laugh, its true.  So this sign on the floor was so funny to me.. because the glacier museum has a sense of humor!!!  LOVE IT..

 cold as cold can get.. and rainy.. oh and windy.. like Chicago windy.  judge the hat away.. it was still cold

Glacier Perito Moreno.. 3 miles wide and about 240 feet tall.  No picture I could ever show you can properly show you how amazing this glacier was.  When pieces would fall off the bang was like a gun blast and watching the pieces fall into the water.. amazing!!  it is the only glacier that is still growing while the other glaciers are receeding.

 These flowers reminded me of the Texas Bluebonnets...

 

 quickly I learned that Cora will do JUST FINE at the bars when she is in college.. just fine...

more glacier Moreno.. as we first saw it..

so this kid turned 11 and is just the light of my life.. she is funny and sweet.. tender and tough and everyday she blows me away with how she is able to adapt and stay so calm.. I just love her.. 

On Nola's 11th birthday she had a school play called Mighty Medieval Men.. she was so annoyed by having to perform her on birthday.

 

 Colonia Uruguay is a tiny town just an hour boat ride from Buenos Aires.  It has a lovely history and many old military forts for climbing and exploring... which is right up my kids ally. 

 So because of Argentina's import restrictions we don't have a lot of food products we are used to... mostly Nola misses whipped cream in a can and gummy bears.. while I can't help her with the whip cream.. we could help her with the gummy bears.. Uruguay keeps them stocked up because many people buy in bulk when they visit from Argentina...  was nice to get stick deodorant too, but that's a different post..

 the irony of this photo is that when we started walking with the snail in our hand, Cora stepped on a snail and crushed it.. I won't tell her.. she would be so sad.

 photo totally out of order.. but Cora worked on her Under water Ocean project for a month and the result was great!!  she did a puffer fish, complete with a 3d model, a story board and a power point presentation... she received high marks.. was proud of her

 after 128 steps up the lighthouse.. I took a break!!

 nothing like old cobble stone roads.. so quaint and lovely

 there is a beach in Uruguay.. now it isn't the Jersey Shore, but man it was nice.. we see a day trip to come to the beach again for sure!!

 We capped off the birthday weekend with a little go kart racing.. never in my life have I felt so out of place but the kids loved it!!! 

so this is the gas station at our neighborhood.. they serve food and this is the outdoor seating area.. while the kids and scott laughed at me for wanting dinner at the YPF, you have to give it to me, the view is lovely.. :)