Our Birthday Girl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BRYN!!!!

We hope you know how much you are loved!  I can't even begin to explain how much joy you bring into our lives.  From the moment you were born, you have been such a little princess.  I could not have asked for a better daughter.  I can't believe that it has been 6 years, you are such a big girl, and a big helper to me.  I always appreciate your help.  There are a few things that I want you to always remember:  First of all I want you to always know how beautiful you are, Inside and out, you are the most beautiful little girl!  I also want you to know that Heavenly Father knew I needed you when he sent you to me.  You have taught me how to be a mom, and I am thankful for that.  I also want you to know that there are so many people in this world that love you.  Your mom and dad and Kyler Love you more that anything.  You have lots of grandmas, and grandpas that love you as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.  And we will always love you no matter what.  We are here for you, and want the very best for you.  And there is also your Heavenly Father, you wants the best for you, and who loves you no matter what.  I hope you will never feel like you are alone, or that there is no one there for you, because that will never be the case.

I always tease you about not getting any older, that I want you to stay 6 forever, so that you never leave me.  And my favorite thing that you tell me is:  "mom, I have to grow up, so I will get married and then live right next to you okay!"  So I am going to remind you of this when that time comes.

Bryn I love you so much, I can't tell you that enough, I just hope you realize how much that is, and I know, because I remember my mom telling me this and it is true, you won't REALLY know until you have a little girl of your own, but I do love you, and I am thankful everyday that I have the opportunity to be your mom!

Love,

Mom.

Worse things could be

So the end of the first semester is in sight!  I can't believe that after tomorrow, Erick will be done with his first semester.  He has one last BIG test at 1pm and then we get him all to ourselves for 2 weeks!  We are all very excited.

Today, I had a list of things to do.  After I dropped off the kids, I was going to fill up our water jugs, go pick up a few groceries, buy some electricity, fill the car with gas, and pick up some bread ( I have been too busy lately to make my own, and yes, I have to make a special stop for bread, you don't buy it at the grocery story here, you go to the bread store!).  Then I was going to go home and make lunch and do a couple other small projects I was in the middle of at home.  Well this is how may day actually went:

I dropped the kids off as planned, things were still on track.  Then I went and filled the water jugs, great- doing well!  Then some how things went amiss.  I was pulling out after getting water, and a lady honked her horn and pulled right up next to me and told me I had a flat tire!  Well that is just great, Erick is studying for the biggest test of the semester the next day, so I don't want to bother him, and I can't change a flat tire!  Just then a employee of the university walked by, and told me to pull down by the campus security and they could help me.  So I pulled down and right when I get out the guys run over to help.  They are just so helpful and willing, I thought, until after I had been there for 45 minutes!  They came running over with the compressor hose, and handed it to me.  I had no idea which way it goes on, and instead of just coming and showing me, he stands over there yelling and trying to get me to understand.  I finally get the hose on, and nothing.  The compressor it not working.  So I just stood there waiting for them to fix it, while 4 other guys sat there on their brake and stared at me.  Lovely!  Finally they got it fixed and the guy came over and started filling it for me.  It was looking full to me, so I ask how he know when it is full.  Of course there is no pressure gage in sight.  He tells me with his eyes.  He said that you have to train your eyes, and then you just know.  I guess my eyes are not trained, because it looks like it is going to pop to me.  But, I get air in my tire, can't complain.   They tell me to take it and have it patched because it has a small leak in it.  So I go to the place he tells me to go to, and they don't fix tires anymore.  So I ask that guy where to go.  He explains how to get there, and then says, "You can't miss it!"  So I am driving along looking for a BIG O, or something I can't miss, and apparently, I can miss it.  I have to stop to ask for directions and finally find the tire place.  I get out, and find someone to help me and tell him the story of my day so far.  So he takes the tire off and does some checking, and then puts it in the water to look for bubbles.  No bubbles.  He tells me it is fine and that there is no leak.  So as he is about to put the tire back on, he checks the pressure and I thought the end was going to shoot right out!  The first guy had not trained his eyes very well I guess.  So the kid lets out some pressure and this takes quite a while.  Well after he gets it down to the right pressure, he sees there is a leak under the rim.  It just wasn't showing up since the tire was so full:)  So he takes it in to fix it and I am left standing there to wait again.  By now it is 11:20, and I don't have anything on my list done after: fill water jugs.  So when he gets the tire fixed, I head back to the school, we end up eating lunch at subway, and then after lunch I still have to go get the groceries, which sets Kyler's nap back.  For dinner we took something down to Erick so he could just study right through, and not have to stop while he went to get something.  And that means that my night routine was completely thrown off.  We counted dinner with Erick as family home evening, and skipped baths all together.

So here I am tonight, looking at a kitchen full of dirty dishes, some unfinished projects and I am thinking about my day and wondering what I accomplished.  And I have decided that nobody went hungry today, and the kids were in bed on time so even though my plans were messed up, I am glad it wasn't any more serious that a flat tire and waiting for most of the day.  I really am learning to be more flexible.  I still don't like my plans to be changed, but I am learning to deal with it when they are.  I am learning the island attitude of "Worse things could be."  

Bryn in the pool

Bryn has been going to the pool everyday.  She goes in the after noon with her summer camp, and then at 3:00 when we pick her up, we head back to the pool, or the beach so Kyler can swim too.  So needless to say she has become an amazing swimmer, and she is learning how to do so many things in the water.  Her newest trick is a hand stand.  She also loves to do flips, which she can do a front and back flip (these are just standing in the water, not off the side- yet!), and she loves to drive for things off the bottom of the pool!  It is really fun to watch her, and she all that she has learned!

Here is a short clip of her doing a hand stand!  It is sort of a one handed one, and then a front flip!  :)

Quick Update

I have not posted for a while, and there is somewhat of a good reason for that.  The power goes out a lot here, and when it does we no longer have internet.  The last time the power went out, when it came back on, the internet was still not working.  We called the landlords, and the cable and wireless company, and after a week they finally got us up and going again!  So with that in mind, I feel like I am a little behind here!

We are at the end of our first semester on medical school!  Classes ended last wednesday August 6, and we are, or I guess I should say Erick is very busy finishing up with tests!  He has a big test this thursday, and then the final for the whole semester is next tuesday on the 19th!  I think we are all looking forward to that.  However, I can't believe it is over, the time has gone so fast for me.  

Kyler's head had healed completely, the bald spot is still there, but the wound is healed, and it doesn't look like it will be too big of a scar.  However, everyone we see that asks what happened, tells Kyler, "Chicks dig scars!"  So either way, I think we are going to make it.

Bryn is very busy with school, we loves the pool and the ocean.  She is now able to dive to the bottom of the pool at the deep end (probably about 7 feet deep) to get things off the bottom.  It is really amazing!

I stay very busy as well.  We have found a turtle, just off the pier, that we love to go watch.  He is amazing.  The first time we saw him, we swam with him for about two hours.  It was so awesome.  I don't have an underwater camera yet, but when I do, I will be taking pictures for sure.  He is awesome!  I can't wait for Erick to have a break, so I can take him and the kids to see him!

As for the weather, it is hurricane season here, and we have had a lot of rain, but that is about it so far!  We are very stocked up on water and canned foods just in case, but so far so good!  And the crazy part- it is still very hot all the time!  I love it, and Erick is ready for the cold:)!

So that is a quick wrap up for now!

Batibou Beach

On Saturday the spouses organization was going to a beach that is quite a drive from where we live.  It is one of only a few beaches on the island that has white sand.  They call it Batibou Beach.  I really wanted to go since I have never been before, and I didn't really know where it was, so I couldn't just drive to it myself without having been there once before.  However, Kyler was not supposed to get his head wet for a week, and it had only been three days.  But, I have a really good friend here, that was not going to the beach.  She offered to keep Kyler so I could take Bryn and go.  I was so excited to get to spend the morning with Bryn.  

The Beach was amazing, so beautiful!  Bryn and I went snorkeling, and just played in the water.  It was so much fun.  Here are a few pictures of the day!

Sand Princess

...then he'll huff and he'll puff....!!

I had to video this.  Kyler was so determined to blow this balloon up by himself.  Bryn and I couldn't stop laughing, because every time he did manage to get a little air in it, he would suck it right back out!  He loved every minute of it though.  He is a little performer just like his dad.  If he can get a laugh or any reaction for that matter, he will go and go and go!  

The accident

Wednesday I was picking up Kyler from school, and still had a few minutes before I needed to pick up Bryn.  So Kyler and I decided to go grab a drink.  I was carrying Kyler and started to walk along the sidewalk.  There was a square of the sidewalk that was not attached, and was just sitting on top of the huge hole underneath, so it didn't look like anything was wrong with it, and we walk this sidewalk all the time and never knew anything was wrong.  But this day, as I stepped my foot caught the back corner of the cement and fell in the hole, the cement flipped up and went between my legs making my other leg fall in the hole as well.  In the process I dropped Kyler.  He landed on his back and hit his head on the edge of the cement and cracked it open.  

So this happened on Wednesday, it is now Sunday and I am just being able to blog about it because I felt so bad.  I still can't talk about it with out crying.  

Anyway- we went to the clinic and they of course took us right back since Kyler's head was gushing blood!  The doctor game right in, and was trying to clam me down.  By this time Kyler wasn't making a sound.  She kept telling me he was going to be okay, but I couldn't get past the fact that I had just cracked my son's head open!

She told us she needed to shave his head to get the stitches in.  So she pulled out a disposable razor and just started to shave without any water or anything, and of course with the first swipe it was pulling this hair more than actually shaving it.  So she got out a straight blade razor and shaved his hair just in that spot.  After we saw this much, Erick told her we didn't want stitches, we would just use some butterfly Band-Aids.  So she got him all cleaned up and the tape on, the whole time Kyler was holding still not saying a thing. 

I kept telling him, "Kyler, I am so sorry."  And he would just say, "It's okay."  

After they had Kyler all taken care of, she cleaned up my leg since it was dripping blood from my knee down to the top of my foot.  They ended up just putting one big band-aid on my knee and leaving the rest of it open.  Kyler looked at my leg and said, "Don't worry mom, they have band-aids at my school, and I will get some for you for the rest of your owies."

That night was a very sleepless night between waking Kyler up ever two hours, and in between that replaying the whole thing trying to figure out how I could have prevented it from happening.

The next morning I called my mom, I needed to hear from someone that I wasn't a bad mom.  Someone other that myself.  Since I knew the only reason I was telling myself that, was to get myself to let it go.  Thank goodness for moms!  I of course felt better after talking to her. However, I still had a hard time talking about it.  I soon got over that since everywhere we go people ask what happened.  I can't blame them, it looks really bad since they shaved his head, it really looks worse that it is.  And Kyler likes to tell the story to everyone we see.  I told Miss Mary that she will probably hear about it until we leave.  If you don't know Kyler is quit the story teller.  He does all the actions and doesn't leave out any details.

I am sure I will feel bad about this his whole life, but I am thankful that we come to a point where we can talk about things, and move past them to get on with life.  Kyler was on with his life by the time we got home.  I am also grateful that kids are so forgiving.

Wednesday Night

Thursday morning

The cut is about as big as half my thumb!

To a mom that is huge, to a dad, barely there!!