Red Tide

If anyone is an expert (or knows anything) about red tide, please let me know! Apparently we have been experiencing it here. What we have found online is that there is some sort of excess growth of algae in the water, which takes all the oxygen from the fish and kills them. Which results in a beach full of all kinds of dead fish. Which results in all kinds of rotten fish the next day. Which results in dozens of vultures circling the shore. Which results in the Jonas' taking a break from the beach for a few days. Here are some of the fish we found on the beach.
You can imagine my anxiety level rising at seeing these eels about every ten feet and my kids not watching where they're walking. They were so creepy.

This is kind of cool. It's a puffer fish (I think that's it's technical name). They are really neat looking and not as creepy as the eels, but still didn't help with my anxiety level!

Family Pictures on the Beach

Waterfall Hike

This was our adventure for the trip. We "heard" about a waterfall hike that was supposed to be good, but no one really knew much about it. So we made our way there, parked at the end of the road and asked the people that lived in the house there if they knew about it. They said "Yes. Pay us $4 a person and go that way." So after haggling the price (which I'm sure they have no right to charge, but we didn't want anything bad to happen to our car) we headed off in the direction they pointed. There was no marked path and we had to search a little, but it wasn't that far and we made it! Unfortunitely the water was a little too dirty to actually swim, but we did get in it and hiked up it a little. It was a fun little adventure for us!
Ausitn and I at the top of the first falls
Bailey didn't much like it

Random Pics

Our little monkey

Surfing Costa Rica
Austin giving Bailey a shoulder ride
Sweet Adeline
Twinner girls

Boat Tour

This boat tour was so cool. We saw so many monkeys. At one point one herd was trespassing on another herd's territory and there was war. We watched one herd jump trees across the river to fight the others. We never actually saw fighting, but we sure heard it. (at least this is what the guide told us) We also saw a couple snakes...not so cool to me.

Sorry, I uploaded the wrong picture, so both the girls look weird, but I'm looking pretty tan. Hope it's not just the lighting!
This was the most darling thing I have ever seen...It's a mommy monkey carrying her baby. Don't you feel like this somethings? You're trying to jump through trees and you've got this baby hanging on you sideways!!
But look at that sweet, tender face that you just can't get enough of! I feel like that sometimes too.

The View From the Top

This is on top of our condo. The other night John and I sat up here and watched a really cool lightening storm.

A Day at the Beach

I left for an hour and came home to this...

John helped the kids catch a lizard and he lost his tail! They said it flopped around for a minute or so. Gross!Austin begged to take the tail home. "NO! And go wash your hands" was the answer he got.

Zipline Canopy Tour

Manuel Antonio

I will have to upload the video of us feeding the monkies later, but here are some pics of our great afternoon in Manuel Antonio. It's one of the more popular beaches in Costa Rica and John and I were shocked at how much it's grown since we'd been here 7 years ago on our honeymoon.

Feeding a monkey

Addie getting the guts to feed a monkey

The beautiful beach
I thought this street sign was so funny! Sure beats all the deer ones I see daily.

My Dad...

We are on Tico time, so this post is, of course late!
I have posted much about love and adoration for the father of my children, my sweet husband. You all know that he is pure perfection to me. However, in honor of Father's Day, I want to write about my own father, Jonn Dale Claybaugh...
I am having trouble starting, as I feel that the words I am writing are not worthy to describe him or my feelings for him. Most of my Gospel knowledge is from my dad. We held regular scripture study in our home where he would constantly stop and explain what was going on in an animated and exciting way. What would I do without my love and understanding of the Book of Mormon? He was also my seminary teacher my junior year of high school! There I learned that his love is limitless, his tears are free flowing, his knowledge is deep, and his testimony is firm. He is my go-to man on any doctorinal question I have (and in having a question answered, you not only get your answer, but he will always throw in a part of his testimony, so it always seems to become a spiritual experience).
He is the most tenderhearted man I know. He is so gentle with the new grandbabies and eternally patient with my strongwilled Adeline. Wait, I think I taught him that patience as he dealt with me! I can honestly say I have never once been yelled at by my dad. Not that I have never been punished by him! His punishments are stern talks that are full of scriptural passages, shakes of guilt, lots of disappointment, and all wrapped in love.
My dad is a cool old surfer dude. He loves the beach and is still a skilled body surfer. Sometimes (especially here in CR) I will see these older men hanging around the beach in only a pair of "trunks" with thier surf board propped in the sand. Looks like their lives are care free and full of sun, sand and waves. How my dad would love that life!! But he has dedicated his life to higher things...being a devoted husband, an involved father, a hard working church employee and a servant of the Lord in any way.
I have said this many times, but seems appropriate to say again in my Father's Day post...I know of the love that my Father in Heaven has for me because of the love my earthly father has shown to me in countless ways. This is what has given me the confidence to be who I am today. Where would I be without the knowledge that I am desperately loved and am worth "more than rubies"?
How I wish I could go on and on! Thank you, Dad, for being the first man in my life and showing me how things should be. You are my first love! I owe you a nice dinner with just me and you when I get back.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY FATHER'S DAY