Quick Catch Up!

Thought I would write a quick catch up of last months happenings and post some pics. April was a busy month! Emma's 3rd Birthday was on April 15th and we celebrated with a Pirate Party! Yes people this was the theme she chose and it turned out to be tons of fun.


On Friday she wore this Birthday Crown and brought cupcakes to share with her friends at GAP!


 


On Saturday we dressed Emma in her costume for the party. She's quite the pirate!

 


Once all the friends arrived we decorated pirate loot bags...



Dug for hidden treasures in the sand.....





and finally ate this treausre chest cake I made the night before!

 The next weekend we celebrated Easter. We told Emma the real Easter story Sunday morning and later in nursery she wanted to tell her friends the story, however, the only part she could remember was that "Jesus died b/c bad mans came to get him." Hmm, maybe next year we'll get the good part of it down! 

Emma on Easter Morning. Yes those are gardening gloves she is holding. She has a glove obsession and this is all the Easter Bunny could find here!

  

Emma, not cooperating for photos, in her cute easter outfit from Grandma Susan.

Going on an Easter Egg hunt with friends in our backyard.

All the kiddies checking our their eggs and eating candy!

 

It's Never to Late to Start Again!

I don't know what is wrong with me. I have had ZERO desire to update our blog and I have no idea why. It's not that hard to jot a few things down and keep y'all informed of what's going on in our lives. I just haven't wanted to do it, so now that I'm soooo far behind, I've been avoiding it all together. But avoiding what you know you need to do can only last for so long, so here I am! Rather then catch up on everything that has happened over the last 4 months (which would be impossible anyway) I'm just going to start in the now.

We have been back in Grenada for 2 months and Jerod's life just got really busy again. Though he is in the ever dreaded 4th term he is doing great so far.  During a much lighter 3rd term he was around often so we are having to get used to having him gone, a lot.  I also seem to be extra busy. I'm the secretary on the Significant Others Board for SGU this term and that's just one of the many things that's keeping me occupied. Perhaps this is one of the reasons I haven't been posting. I'm constantly having to send and read emails, type agendas, create  forms, etc. It's been fun though, getting to be a part of the planning that goes on for families here.

Emma is approaching age 3 and it shows. She is a strong-willed little girl and has a hard time taking "no" for an answer. Whoever thought of the terrible two's was wrong, I have decided that age 3 is going to be much more challenging. Her vocabulary has improved a great deal and Hooray for this, she is finally fully potty trained! In fact, one of my friends was watching her the other day and her almost 5 year old daughter Allie had this to say about her, "Emma is talking so good now, she is like a real human!" 

So our real human says something almost every day that keeps us laughing. Yesterday, after running around cleaning the house and doing laundry I sat on a chair sweaty and tired. Emma crawled into my lap for a hug and then exclaimed, "Mom you stink, you need to take a bath right now." Of her dad she told me recently, "mom, daddy hasa go to school to get smart cause he has braaaains!" Not long ago we had just arrived home from the store and Emma took one look around our foyer and said, "holy cwap its messy in hewe." We're learning to watch, even more now, what we say as she always seems to remember the worst. Emma is also really into monsters, shooting, and bad guys. I don't know why and as I was discussing it with Jer while driving home, "I don't know why she is into that kind of stuff when she should be into things like carebears and ponies," she piped up from the back seat "cawe beaws and ponies, what that means?" Ha, I'm afraid I'm raising a bit of a tomboy who thankfully still likes to dress up and loves having her toenails painted. Finally, last Sunday Emma was given a lesson in nursery about how all things come from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. On the way home from church she sang this Emma original song " I love jesus...and heeee gives me stwawbewwies....and heeee gives me chiiiips, ahahahhhh!"  Oh how I love my silly little girl!

Well I guess it's never to late to start again! I'll make an effort to update, but don't hold your breath for to long cause you might always just be gasping for air!!

Emma fell asleep on the couch while I was working on this post. I looked over at her when I heard snoring. This was a rare moment so I had to take a pic!

Emma came out of her room wearing this a few days ago!

Burying her legs in the sand. Ahhh we are so happy to be back!

Grandpa, Grandma, Tante Will, and, Uncle Dave were here for a day off a cruise ship. It was so fun showing them around!

Running into a family from the branch at the celebration of Grenada's Independence day!

Celine, one of the young women, and I enjoying the show. Man, going home for xmas made me completely white again!

Emma and her new pal Jackson taking a shower.



Emma on Christmas morning. Why again did we em, Santa give her a recorder even if it was only a dollar?



Our October

As usual I've let a bit of time slip away so I apologize if this post becomes long and well, a bit boring. Hmmm, where to begin...Several weeks ago I wrote this entry and then just never got around to actually posting it, so you are getting the story late, but just for fun here is what I wrote...

As children many of us might of feared going to bed at night because we were certain there was a montser waiting under the bed or hiding in our closet. Well this fear became reality the other day when we found a monster hiding in the drapes. This monster happened to be a five inch centipede, INSIDE my house people! After finding said monster I grabbed Emma jumped up in a chair and demanded that Jerod get it out of my house! As Jer was chasing him around the living room with a strainer and cup (didn't want to spray everything we own with pesticide) Emma was gently patting my arm as we leaped from chair to chair saying, "Mommy, it's not scawy, it's not scawy!" I on the other hand was yelling, "just get him" and "tell me when it's over." Jerod was laughing and saying it's not like it's a venomous snake. To me, it might as well have been a grizzly bear because I was terrified.

I am usually rational when it comes to bugs. I am the one who calmly tells my friend Ashley to pull over and take a deep breath when we discover a golfball size spider on the windshield. I am also the one who still has the courage to run up the bug covered steps at night and unlock the door when Ash and I return home from our workout. However, let me tell you a little something about centipedes. They are poisonous, fast, and aggresive and knowing this makes me hate them! I would have much rather seen a 5 inch cockroach on my bed! I did however manage to relax enough to take this picture. Yesterday, and thankfully, the bug killer man and his team came to spray. Goodbye ants, cockroaches, wood beetles, millipedes, and most importantly centipedes. I know I live in the jungle but monster bugs and I are just not meant to coexist!

Okay now that I FINALLY have that story of my chest I can blog about the rest of October's adventures. First we were super excited that my mom, stepdad, and little brother came for a visit. Overall they loved the sea, disliked most of the food, and could not understand the narrow, crappy roads. My sentiment exactly! We had fun showing them around, getting to try a few new restraunts (with actual yummy food), and visiting a few sights we haven't seen yet. Hanging with them was a welcomed break from my normal island routine and I was happy to have them around, even if it was just for 1 week. Thanks for a great time Family! Here's a few pictures taken at Belmont Estates (they produce cocoa beans here).


My Brother and I "walking the chocolate"



Emma enjoying the cocoa tea (hot chocolate)

Eating Lunch at Belmont Estates. Nice face Tanner!

Also, at my request, Grandma Susan brought Emma a snorkel not believing she could actually use it. The smallest they make them are for 5 year olds afterall. Yes people, my 2 year old can snorkel! It scares me half to death but it is easy to hear her breathing through the tube.

After my fam left, Jer and I got to stay at an amazing resort called Mount Cinnamon for the weekend. A long awaited and late celebration of our anniversary. Thanks to Blair and Ashley for staying overnight with Emma! I think she had just as much fun as we did. Here is a  few pictures of the resort.

Picture of our suite

Emma showering in the rain shower. She thought this was so much fun!

Lastly, Halloween was very different this year, but fun nontheless. The grenadians do not celebrate Halloween however, the SO (significant others) Organization held what they called A "Fall Festival" the Friday before. The kids got to trick or treat on campus, play games, eat treats, jump in bouncy houses, and make Halloween crafts. Emma dressed as a bumble bee and was oh so cute! She didn't understand though, why if her costume had wings she couldn't really fly. When I first put it on her she started to cry and when I asked why she kept saying, "I wanted to fy, I wanted to fy!"

Trick or Treating on Campus. Emma looks a little concerned about what candy she will get!

Making a pumpkin mask with Vanessa

So that's about it, that was our October!  Happy belated Halloween everyone!!

Crazy & Cute, What a Combination!

I have been a bit ill which has officially caused me to lose my mind! I figure that if I can make fun of myself  instead of getting upset it will help me get through all of the crazy things I have done lately. Majorie Hinckely once said, "The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either have to laugh or cry. I prefet to laugh, crying gives me a headache." Here's what I've done so far that has cause me to laugh and maybe cry just a little...

1. Atleast 5 times a day I say words in a sentence backwords, or say words the wrong way all together

2. I put the milk jug away in a cupboard rather than in the fridge where it obviously belongs

3. I set the television remote in the wall cradle for the A/C remote, and put the A/C remote on top of
    the TV (We didn't even notice this until it was getting hot and time for some cool air.)

4. I crashed my car into a cement post while pulling into my driveway (already somewhat of a terd on
    wheels, this was still extremely upsetting.)

5. I can't seem to remember anything and put things away without recalling later where I have put them

Now, I don't know if these things were caused by being sick, medication, sleep deprivation, or a combo of the three...or if these are just silly excuses for my foolish behavior, but I'm losing it right? Anyone ever feel this way??

In other news Emma has become a skilled talker and is cracking me up every day. Here's a list of what she has been saying lately...

1. This morning she crept over to the side of my bed and put here face to mine. When I peeled my eyes open she looked at me and exclaimed with a big smile, "Mommy, you waked up. I'm so powd of you!"

2. When she came outside with an ever patient daddy to view the damage to the car she said ""Mommy what happon?" I said, "Mommy broke the car." Then she said, "Oh mommy, I buy you new one k."

3. A few days ago Emma noticed a scratch on my face and said "Mommy I'm sooooo sowwy you hewt yoursewf." She is not quite pronouncing her her L's or R's just yet but this was super sweet of her to say!

4. Whenever she is on the couch she pats the seat next to her and says, "come hit by me." when we correct her and tell her to say "sit by me, I swear it sounds like she says "shit by me!"

5. On a daily basis at some point she tells me, "Mommy, I'm reawwy sad." When I ask why she says with tears in her eyes, "I miss my puppy, I need my keka."

So there you have it, 5 crazy things I've done and 5 cute things Emma has said! Whew, what a week!

Taco Soup in 90 degree Weather!

It occured to me today, as I was simmering taco soup for dinner, why my mom thought it was odd that I wanted to go and get soup in the middle of summer (this was in July, while we were visiting Medford). I remember eating homemade soup on cold, rainy days as a child. Now I'm here, making this large pot of soup in 90 degree weather, where the sun is shining, and the earth surrounding me is green and lush. It's strange to live somewhere where the weather pretty much goes from hot and rainy to hot and dry, and I am missing Fall. I want to put on a sweater and a pair of waist slimming jeans for pete sakes! Instead of stomping my boots in a pile of crisp fall leaves, I am crunching crabs with my tires as I drive-sick and wrong I know, but it sounds awesome! I think Jer might miss the changing seasons a bit too. A few days ago he bought cocoa mix and we both enjoyed a steamy mug of hot chocolate in our humid house! So give fall a kiss for us, and tell him that while he has forgotten to come here I am still trying to pretend he exists!

Yoho Yoho a Pirates Life is NOT for me!

Ahoy Matey! This weekend we set sail on a pirate ship with the significant others group at SGU. Emma was extremely excited about going on the ship since she has been asking to go on a boat since we got here. She has never been on a boat before and so I was a little worried about how she might react, but it seems she had a great time.  Immediatly upon boarding she asked for a pirate hat and gun. I on the other hand spent most of the time hiding in the lower deck near the bathroom. Yes people I still have my dignity; I refused to chum water with a few others up above and did my puking in private! I should have known that my stomach would not approve of the swaying ship.  At any rate I survived the excursion and was grateful the rest of my little family had fun. While aboard we dressed as pirates for pictures, drank juice, ate snacks, and shot cannons into the water. The ship also moored at flamingo bay so we could swing from ropes, walk the plank, or climb the ladder for a wavy but refreshing swim.

Life Lately

My blog seems to suffer lately due to a severe case of writer's block, or is it because life here finally feels normal? Not much about Grenada shocks me anymore. I'm used to the people, the culture, the lack of inexpensive but tasty restaurants, the crazy bus drivers, men peeing on the side of road, the expensive groceries, the rain coming down in sheets and flooding the streets in just a few minutes, the short banking hours, the sun going down by 6:30pm, having to wear sunscreen and bug spray daily, the sweltering humidity, constantly sweating from said humidity, legs always itching from mosquito bites, pesky ants in my cupboards, swimming at least 4 times a week, craving a smoothie everyday, only wanting to take cold showers, fun Friday nights spent together as a family or with friends, being asked for money everywhere I go, and the rest that living here entails.

 Life just seems to go on as it would at any other time or place. We are completely adjusted to the routine that medical school and living on a tropical island requires. I love being here despite some of  the odd things I've listed above. Living here feels natural, like we've been here a very long time.

Emma doesn't know any different. She is in heaven with the beach or pool as her playground.  She also loves attending the GAP (Grand Anse Playgroup) this term. I'm thrilled that she can finally tell me what she wants to do, Like "mommy, I wanna go wimming." or "I wan go schoo," or "I wan watch a mootee (movie)" or "I wan see Kody and Ayee (Allie)." She doesn't seem, however, to understand why I can't fulfill her almost daily request of "mommy, I wanna go to gammas house day."

For Jerod, time goes by quickly. He is busy of course with school and has already completed 3 classes for term two and is continuing 3 others. Every now and then he squeezes in a game night with friends, a movie, or some beach time with us. Mostly though he's at school listening in lecture or studying. I am proud of his commitment towards success.

As for me, I stay busy keeping Emma entertained, reading books on my new Nook that I never want to put down, watching movies with terrible acting at night with my good friend Ashley, cleaning like crazy, cooking new things, planning activities for young womens with little to no resources, chatting about motherhood and busy husbands with friends at the pool, attempting to burn more fat at SGU's gym, and catching up on my favorite TV shows via the Internet.

So that's it. That's our life lately. Boring as it seems I wouldn't have it any other way, at least for now!