To the movies!

Friday was an exciting day.  Not only was it "pizza day" at school, it was "pajama day" in Payton's class, hence the PJ bottoms she is sporting in the following pics.  ALSO, the Ross school children (and their families) were invited to a special showing of the movie "Bolt" at the 7-plex movie theater that just opened here a few weeks ago.  The kids were excited about the surprise (all the parent's were successful in keeping the secret), the movie was cute, and everyone had a great time (at least after I made a mid-event run to drop off Damon with a friend- thank you Jaimie.)  My only complaint- they don't know the true meaning of the phrase "movie theater popcorn WITH BUTTER" as we practice it in the States!

Miniature people

Look at these cute little people.  My Visiting Teacher came by the other day with her baby who is 1 month younger than Damon (notice the difference in size between the two of them).  She is normally a little nervous around Damon, as she is used to ducking from the balls that he is throwing at her, running away with her sippy cup that Damon likes to steal a drink from, etc.  But on this day, Damon decided he had a new favorite person for the 45 minutes they were here, and he spent the whole time hugging the little girl.  How cute is that? 

Attack of the chocolate ice cream cone!

Beth's top 10

So I've compiled a top ten list of my favorite things about our car.  They demonstrate why I would NEVER secretly be looking for a new car to buy, or secretly be trying to sell ours.  To preface, I must say that this wasn't our first, or second, or third (you get the idea) choice in transportation, but the options here on a small island are limited, especially when you want something that will fit a carseat and 2 booster seats.  So here it is folks, the top ten reasons why it is such a joy and honor to be the proud owner of this 1993 Mitsubishi Pajero.  

10)  If the electricity at home happens to be out and we can't finish the laundry, there are lots of bars along the front of the car where we can hang our clothes to dry.  

9)  There are lots of secret little compartments where we can hide our valuables.     

8)  We are on track for a record of the most things that can break down, fall off, fall apart, and go wrong on one vehicle during a 12-month time period.  

7)  If the keys get locked inside the car, the window without a latch is the perfect size for a child to climb in and open the door.  (See demonstration below).  

6)  We can "disguise" ourselves as one of the American veterinary, nursing, or medical students, (I know this is a generalization here, friends) thereby never giving a criminal the idea that we had any money, and we would never get robbed!

5)  There is no need for a visit to the sauna.  When the electrical systems are out and the windows won't go down and the AC won't turn on, we can get our sauna "experience" while driving.  Now that is an efficient use of time, I say.  

4)  Pulling up on the very sticky emergency brake is a great triceps workout.

3)  It has a nice, out-doorsy smell that still lingers from the bug bomb that we set off to kill the ants and lizard that were the previous inhabitants of the car.  

2)  I would never have had the opportunity to meet such interesting and helpful people here if I wasn't stranded and needed help from a stranger. 

1)  The opportunity everyday to practice a lesson in humility, and learning that we should never feel better than others or not as good as another because of how much money we have or what kind of car we drive.

Our kind of entertainment....

Some people like to watch boxing, WWE, or UFC (ultimate fighting). Others all over the world participate in illegal animal fighting using dogs, badgers, or pigs, and we have even seen an advertisement here for cock-fighting.  But in our household, we would much rather watch a "quick-as-a-whip, miniature green tree lizard" duel to the fall.  

Anti-haircuts

So the little guy probably does need to get his first haircut.  It's not bad, just a little long over his ears, and there are some little locks behind his ears on both sides of his head that appear to be much longer than the rest.  So what seems to be the hold up, you may be asking yourself?

Well, this is our last baby.  The days and weeks and months have passed so quickly, and I have heard others mistakenly refer to him as a "little boy."  What!?!?  This is not a little boy, this is my baby you're talking about!  He's growing up way too fast as it is, and I love the little wisps of blond baby hair that have never seen a pair of scissors.  The first time they do, it will be another milestone checked off in the almost-full list of "firsts" in the baby book.  

So for now, I will not cut his hair.  He will keep those uneven little locks of baby hair.  He will stay my baby a little longer.  So, indulge me in this for a little longer, but please, I trust you to be friend enough to tell me if you notice me taking this "baby" bit a little too far, and I haven't potty trained him by the age of 5!

Simple pleasures

"Who cares about this POOL?"

"Forget about that LARGE BODY OF WATER sitting in our backyard!"

"These little things that shoot water out of the ground are AWESOME!"

Payton....

This little girl.... she cracks me up.  From the day she was born, we have wondered "where does she get all this personality/character/attitude/spunk?"  We are a little nervous to see what she will be like in 10 years.

Halloween

They don't celebrate Halloween here in St. Kitts, but the American school that the kids go to had trick-or-treating and other festivities for all of us Americans on the island.

The kids asked to be "Pollen Jocks" from "The Bee Movie," so of course I obliged and spent 2 days making costumes.  After all, what else do I need to do except sit around on the beach? J/K- some of you think this is true.  

Damon didn't know why he was wearing this outfit or what we were walking around doing.  In his innocence, he had no idea what the candy was in his bag, but he thought it was great fun to walk around knocking on peoples doors and waving when they answered.  As you can see in the following pic, he was the only one who didn't

mind if there was no one home.

Almost home

Overnight in Puerto Rico

We had a 15 minute tour of Puerto Rico as we rode in the taxi from our hotel to the San Juan Airport.  And did you know that you can't just hail any ol' taxi to take you to the airport when you are traveling with 3 kids, 3 car seats, a stroller, 10 large pieces of checked luggage, and

all of your carry on luggage.... so much fun!