Secret Beach

Here at the school, they have an awesome program, or organization for the spouses.  It is a great source for friendship and activities.  The girl who is in charge of the activities this semester had so many fun things planned.

Last Saturday we went to Secret Beach.  It is a small, very nice and very clean beach, that you can only get to by boat.  So we met at the pier at 9am and headed to the beach.  

It was a really fun day, the kids had so much fun.  Kyler found a coconut shell, and he played with it the entire time.  He would fill it up with water and dump it out, and then he would throw it like a ball.  He even tried to use it to make a sand castle.  Bryn loved to watch the pelicans dive down and catch the fish.  It was amazing to watch them how fast they dive down, and then how fast they are able to catch one and back up to the rock they go.  A lot of the kids from Bryn's school were there, and they were all catching hermit crabs.  Bryn of course was not in on that action, but she played with Kyler the whole day.  It was great for both of them.  I feel really blessed for as well as they get along most days.  Bryn is such a big helper to me.  It is a lot harder now that Erick is gone all the time, especially when we go do things like that at the ocean.  I have to be watching Kyler all the time, and Bryn is so good to help me watch and to play with him, that way I only have to watch one place and see them both.  They are both great kids, it is just that Kyler has no fear, so I have to be on my toes all the time!

Best Buddies!

The kids were really hungry after 3 hours of swimming!

Kyler's coconut!

A Long Awaited Visit

So we have been on the island a little over a month, and my parents came to visit last Saturday!  It was so great!  The kids had been counting down the days since we had arrived.  Bryn kept telling Kyler they were coming in one month, even after we had been here for two weeks.  When it got down to one week, the first thing Bryn would say when she woke up was _ days left, Right mom?  

We went to the airport to pick them up and the kids could hardly stand the wait, but finally Grandma and Grandpa came out the doors.  

So we picked them up and made the hour ride back to our house.  They had brought a lot of things with them that I had asked them to bring that I couldn't get here, and it was like Christmas here, I got two flyswatters, a candle, and some Febreeze among other things!  It was wonderful.

They got to go to church with us, we took them to a couple of the beaches here, we went snorkeling, and swimming at the pool, and just got to hang out with them.  It was so nice for us.

Bryn was so sad when they left.  When we got home that day I couldn't find Bryn, and when I did find her she was in her room crying because she missed Grandma and Grandpa.  So we both had a good cry and then decided that we needed to be tough and that Christmas was not that far off!  Thanks Mom and Dad was coming and spending a few days with us.  It is an adventure to come here and to be here, but we are really glad you braved it.  We all love you so much!

Here are some pictures of the trip:

Snorkeling at Purple Turtle
Can you find the Iguana?
This was just fun trying to get the picture when he made that thing on his neck balloon out:) (by the way it is a lizard on the tree, about the middle of the picture)

PHB beach! 
Eating at Tomato 

bedtime prayers

Last night Bryn started this thing with her doll where she now gets a turn to say prayers with us.  She "Whispers" in her ear and then in her "I'm a doll" voice she repeats what she just told her to say.  At first I didn't know if this was something I really wanted to get started doing since she has a doll and a kitty, and Kyler has a puppy they sleep with.  I looked around the room and thought we might have to move bed time up a half hour to accommodate.  However it turned out to be a very good thing.  Kyler has always relied on us to help him pray and even with encouragement he wouldn't do it by himself ( which is funny since everything else he does he will "Do myself")!  Anyway I have really been working with him to say his prayers by himself, and during the prayer I would prompt him with ideas, but he would never just do it.  So after Bryn had her doll say her prayers, of course Puppy Joe had to go ( that is Kyler's Puppy) and he did it all by himself.  Exactly like Bryn had done, voices and all!! :)

So tonight, when it was his turn I didn't say a word and this is what he said:

"Heavenly Father,

Bless Grandma and Grandpa, Bless Bryn, Daddy, Bryn, Mommy and ME! Bless my puppy Joe, and Bryn's dolly, and Bryn's kitty, and puppy joe.

Amen"

I was so proud of him for doing it all by himself.  And he was so proud when Bryn kept praising him for doing it all himself.  We have a good support system here :)

It was just so cute I had to share.

little boys

So I have heard a saying that goes:  Mothers of little boys work from sun up until sun down.  When I first heard this, I thought, " they can't be that much different than girls."  But let me tell you, THEY ARE!!!

If I am not watching Kyler all the time, he is getting into or doing something that he shouldn't, and we are past the point of discovering what is off limits.  He knows what he is not supposed to be doing, and what is okay.  He just chooses the things that are off limits.

This is what Kyler found to do while I was on the phone the other day.  Which by the way I am getting a cordless phone when we are home for christmas.  I have now decided they are an essential when you have kids.  So I was on the phone and it got really quiet.  I know- always a bad sign, but I didn't want to just get off the phone, but I couldn't move enough to see him.  When I got off the phone this is what I found!  Yep- I need more salt.  He emptied the entire can of salt, and it was FULL, on the table and then mixed in a whole bottle of water.  But that was not enough for him.  He had to see what it would do if he made balls out of it and threw them.  We found out it makes a mess, so if you are wondering don't try this at home!

They do things like this, and you still love them more that anything in the world.  However, Girls don't do things like this (at least mine doesn't) and you love them more than anything in the world.   Ironic don't you think?

Erick's first time snorkeling

So Erick had a half day free, and we decided to go snorkeling.  He had never been and the kids really wanted to go to the beach.  We gathered all our stuff up and headed to Purple Turtle.  It was really fun.  Most of the time it is me and the kids, so to be blessed with Erick's presence for half a day was great!  The kids stayed by the shore and either Erick or I was with them while the other went out snorkeling.  It was great.  

Erick had gone out and was out for quite a while.  When he finally came back he yelled at all of us to come over.  He had found a huge star fish!  It was really cool.  The kids were fascinated by.  Erick had a hold of it, and by the time he got back to us t

he arms or legs or whatever you call the points, were starting to curl back.  I think it was a sad effort at trying to get Erick to let go.  If you have never seen a live star fish, they are very slow.  So it was not having any luck getting rid of Erick!

Marriage Tag

1) How long have you been married? 7 years and counting  :)
2) How old is your spouse? 29
3) Who eats more? Hands down, Erick does
4) Who said I love you first?  Erick did.  We were at his mom's house on new years eve!
5) Who is taller? Okay so I am paranoid about this, but Erick will tell you he is taller.  However when I look at us together I feel like we are pretty close, and then Erick will drag me to a mirror to  prove that he is in fact taller.
6) Who sings better? That is a tough one!!!!:)  You guys tell me???
7) Who is smarter? Erick
8) Who controls the T.V. remote? Erick did, and now he is never home, so I am going to go with Bryn!  She knows how, but when Kyler learns how to control it who knows!!
9) Whose temper is worse? Both of us have a VERY SMALL temper:)
10) Who does the laundry? I do
11) Who does the dishes? I do, but I love it when Erick will surprise me and do it for me every once in a while.
12) Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? I do, the other side is the wrong side.
13) Who cooks dinner? I do
14) Who is more stubborn? equally both. 
15) Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Erick, he is so good to say sorry.  
16) Who has more friends? Here in Dominica it a toss up.  Erick is friends with all the students and I am friends with their wives.
17) Who has more siblings? Erick by one!
18) Who wears the pants in the family? I do!
I tag Sherrie, Mindy, and Adreann

Back in business

Okay- So I have not blogged for a long time and here is the story:

Last Sunday we got up and got ready for church, had the house all cleaned up, dinner in the crock pot and was on our way at 8:45.  When we got home around 12:00 noon, we opened the door and there was a huge mess on the front room floor.  My first thought was that my backpack had been blown over and spilled.  Everything that was on the floor had been in my backpack.  But the very next second I remembered that my backpack had been put away.  We took another step in the house and that was when we saw all the glass, the huge rocks, and the broken window.  

We have bars on all the doors and windows in our whole house, except one window.  It is above the door in the kitchen and it is very small.  There is no way to see the door or the window from the road, so someone had been watching our place and waiting for a chance to break in.

The first thing I did was run to where my computer was, and yep it was gone.  We looked for Erick's and yep gone too!!!  Then I started running all through the house checking on our passports, money, cameras, Ipods, anything else I could think of.  As I discovered something missing, I was yelling at Erick to tell him.  Pretty soon the kids were following my lead.  Bryn ran in her room and couldn't find her doll.  She broke into a loud sob and kept saying, they stole my doll.  Later that night we did find the doll.  They had gone through our whole house and thrown clothes everywhere, so the doll had gotten thrown behind a dresser. (good thing, since it was the only one we brought with us)!!!!

In the end we lost both of our computers, all of our cash we had in the house, my backpack and a few of Erick's clothes.  They took his flip flops, which he had just said the day before how comfortable they were and that they didn't hurt his feet!  Hopefully they will be just as comfortable to who ever has them now!

So after we walked in and saw the mess I of course was bawling, and Erick was very calm.  I called our landlords and Erick called the police.  Everyone got here, they took a report, and then just hung around for a while talking.  When I remembered dinner in the crock pot, I figured it would be burt, but the power had been out most of the day, so the chicken of course was bad. 

The worst part is, when they police got here, they told me that they were sure they knew who did it, because they have this problem a lot when new students move in.  So he said that the guy who usually does it had served his time in prison and had just gotten out!  I am not sure if that was meant to make me feel better, but if so it didn't work.

The day had to be the worst I can remember in a long time!

We now have our computers replaced, and things are back to normal.  They replaced the window, and put up bars.  I still am a little scared when we are home alone (which is most of the time), but we are all okay and life goes on!!!  And I am now back to blogging:)