La Iguana Chocolate Farm

Owen and I gave surfing a go this week! It was harder than I thought it would be! He was able to get up on his board most of his tries. I wasn't as lucky haha, but still enjoyed getting up a few times. We are going to give it another try next week.

Our school/work routine is flowing nicely. We've even all gone and worked together at our local bakery (Val Halla) close by. They have the most delicious chocolate croissants and cream cheese danishes!

It's pretty dreamy most days, but even in dreams, there can be challenges. Turns out our lovelies can still be turds sometimes, even when we are in paradise. :) But then they can be the sweetest angels too lol (solidarity to all the parents out there!). I find that we just go at a slower pace than we normally do back home. That Pura Vida lifestyle is kicking in. ;)

We are loving our Bejuco Beach and visit every day. It's just down the street from our AirBnB. We are always soooo sandy after. We had to try a Costa Rican snow-cone on our last beach visit. Interestingly, it's got powdered and condensed milk mixed in with the shaved ice flavors. Tasty!
All three kids love playing in the ocean. It's a special joy, though, watching Lainey cackle as the waves crash into her. 

I start most days with a run to and alongside Bejuco Beach. I'm training for a marathon (Detroit Free Press Marathon) this year and have to say, it is WAYYYY easier to get up early to run when it's hot. The cold mornings in Michigan were becoming challenging before we left on this adventure. 

We drove to a chocolate farm today! Ok, first, the road to get there was CRAZY. Easily the worst road we've driven on so far. It started with a road that had so many crater-sized potholes. It then transitioned to a gravelly dirt road that went straight up with tight curves through the mountain. Our trusty van (Señor Coco) had some trouble getting up some of the inclines. We ended up rolling back down twice, so we could get a better running start. Sara legit thought today might be our final day here on earth. 

But then we arrived to La Iguana Chocolate, and had a super interesting lesson on how chocolate is made. We cut some cacao fruit off their trees, and tasted the slimy beans inside. It has a super fruity taste, that is not so chocolatey. After we learned about several of the steps to making chocolate, we were able to make some of our own chocolate truffles! Oh man! Just incredible. We finished the tour with a delicious Tico lunch afterward. 

This one was tougher with Lainey. We forgot her stroller this morning, but it turned out it wouldn't have really worked for the terrain anyways. She was not quite as interested as everyone else in the makings of chocolate (especially since it doesn't fit into her strict keto diet). It's tough in this situation, because generally the only solution is to have her watch a phone, so that's what we did. Sara especially hates when we have to do this, but it's a coping mechanism for the whole family to be able to do an activity sometimes. It helps center some of Lainey's anxieties, and it allows Mom/Dad to partake in an activity that we wouldn't otherwise be able to. So, when you're judging a family who has a kiddo in front of a screen (even on a beautiful chocolate farm on a Costa Rican mountain), know that there just might be more to the story than what you are seeing.

We are so thankful to get to share this adventure with some more visitors this weekend! Some of Sara's side of the family arrived this evening (Scotty, Jessie, & Lincoln), and two more arrive tomorrow (Mom & Dad Spitters)! We grilled out at Bejuco Beach tonight, but eventually got rained out. Tomorrow we head back to Manuel Antonio National Park! Adventures are better shared.