Back to Bombona

Ok, so I didn't have the name right the fist time.  It's Bombona, not Bonbona... in case you're ever in Pasto.  Anyway, Connor had played with his top so much that he actually wore down the metal tip.  He got my dollar's worth.  Also, we discovered that the thinner ones are easier to launch.  So we went back and bought a bag full.  At a dollar apiece and how much time the kids are spending with them, I'm totally ok with that.  We also picked up a couple of souvenirs: a mask for my collection, a plaque that holds keys, and Ken wanted one of the yellow Colombian futball team shirts.

Patrice asked if we wanted him to drop us off at the mall.  Since the weather was not so great, we said yes and he took us to another mall farther away.  It's a little smaller but we liked it better.  The prices in the arcade were better and they had a toy'ish' store that also had a large collection of art supplies.  I was able to buy more origami paper for the kids.  We have so many origami pianos and pocket knives it's crazy, but they seem to enjoy doing it and the pads of paper were only a dollar each and it kills time when we are stuck in the hotel.

Ken and I decided to not cave to the quick and easy Mister Pollo.  Well, that's what the kids ate but we ordered from someplace else.  It was quite the experience, you order and they give you a sign post to set on your table.  They then serve you on real plates with actual metal place settings and such.  We got salads for the first course and giant steaks with potatoes and fried plantains for the second.  It was really good.  It was really weird being served in the food court at the mall, though.  And again, I regret going for the quick and easy the other day at the mall.

Everything was going ok till two minutes before Patrice came to pick us up.  Have you ever been that person carrying a screaming flailing child from one end of the mall to the other?  Yeah, that was me today... with my entourage of ducklings following behind with Daddy carrying a little boy pulling up the rear.  It was a much different experience than in the states.  Of course, everyone was looking at me but they didn't have a look of disapproval or pity on their face... they all looked at me with empathy, like they'd been there, or encouragement, like 'you're doing the right thing, keep it up' or even the look of fans at a ball game cheering 'go mom go!'  It was weird, but reassuring.  Thus far our greatest fear about the kids fits is that they would do them one time in public and we'd have to restrain them and the police might get involved.  That would stink.  I mean, it's obvious by looking at our very white American selves with the broken Spanglish and accents that these children our not our biological children.  Add that to the gusto with which they pitch their fits (say that three times fast), and you might actually think we were kidnapping them.  We do have a paperwork from ICBF that we carry everywhere, but I would just really like to avoid an incident all together.  So we made it, and it was ok. 

The days are still full of ups and downs and completely exhausting.  It does seem to me that Diana is starting to realize that we mean what we say.  It seems that she is starting to take control of herself a little more and make better choices, though not consistently.  Her fits are not as long or frequent as they were before.  John is just fabulous.  He is doing really well with me and Cody has really taken a shine to him.  Yuli's fits seem to be intensifying but she's tiny and has no strength whatsoever so it's not like dealing with Diana.  I'm just so thankful that Diana has calmed a little before Yuli grew worse... it reminds me of that verse in Corinthians (I think) that says that God will not give us more than we can handle.  I'm grateful for that.  Patrice's meals continue to be delicious and filling so we are eating well at least two times a day and have the energy to carry on.