Fun With Emmy

On Friday night our friends/neighbors Liz and Jason went to go see the movie on campus, so Shane and I got to play with their little girl Emmy! What a cutie, we're so happy she lives next door! She and Shane are becoming little buds, and they spent the night walking all around the house and balcony together.
She is definitely faster, but she liked to be right behind himAnd Shane liked hogging the keys and lens cap, both very coveted items

"Oh, there you are!"
They played with toys a little,

then Josh came home from his student government meeting and put Shane to bed in our house, and I put Emmy to bed in hers. Being neighbors is pretty convenient, and a fun night was had by all!

What sweet little friends!

Poor Josh

It just doesn't seem fair that Shane and I get to go on trips with the spouse club to beautiful beaches like this one,
play with our friends all day,

and eat delicious lunches in quaint outdoor settings while Josh studies all day.

Oh well dad. Sometimes life just isn't fair!

We love you, keep up the good work!

Secret Beach Adventure

Josh had the day off on Friday, so we decided to go to Secret Beach with a couple friends to snorkel. Remember, Shane and I took a boat ride there last semester? This time we wanted to take a catamaran (sp?) or kayak there. We walked down the beach but the people renting the kayaks weren't there
So, we did what any self-respecting parents would do- swam there with our 1 year old in tow in his floatie.

Lest you think we're crazy, it was just around this bend and a short bay over. (Unless you want to be impressed by my swimming prowess- then it was really, really far away!)

And, it's the Caribbean- there aren't really waves and we were in pretty shallow water. We only had 1 snorkel set, so Josh pulled Shane and swam with the fins while I swam behind with the mask and snorkel. Shaners was such a trooper and I think he really enjoyed himself. Seeing this little cute sight the whole way kept me going

We made it there, woohoo!

We rested for a minute on the beach and enjoyed some of the scenery

Then Josh and I took turns snorkeling and watching Shane

Shane played,

and explored,

and was generally happy as a clam

I brought my camera in my new waterproof case and had fun trying to take pictures underwater

After an hour so, we made our way back. I guess we tired Shane out, because this is what happened on the way back.

We love this little boy, and are glad he likes adventures too!

Because Sometimes I Just Can't Hold In the Cheesiness...

For the past couple days Shaners hasn’t felt well
He was coughing all day that’s how I could tell
Not wanting to pass it to little ones here
We’ve been mostly at home just to stay in the clear
Yesterday he was tired from coughing all night
But we cuddled lots and read all books in sight
Today he felt better and we ventured outside
Shane played with the rocks while the camera girl spied
I’ve been experimenting and having lots of fun
So I hope you like pictures cause I’ve got a ton!

He likes to back that thang up...

Not forward, just back. Must have got that from his mama :)

Dinnertime!

(Alternately titled: I'm Having Entirely Too Much Fun With My New Camera!)

Dinner time has become one of my favorite times. Josh comes home and Shane and I are so excited to see him. Shane sits in his booster chair in front of us while we sit on the couch and we give him whatever we're eating. And man this kids likes his dinner! Enchiladas, shepherd's pie, hamburgers and beans, they've all been winners this week. It feels more like we are a little family (well, we are!) when we are all eating dinner together, and Shane provides the entertainment with peek-a-boo and his many faces. He does this eye roll thing when he's eating that sometimes means he's annoyed and sometimes means he's in pure food heaven. And he has become quite the ham when I pull out the camera! We sure love this kid.

Today

*Today was a beautiful day in the Caribbean.

*Shane made it his personal goal to pull out and read every book in his bin
*I went for a run and passed a man who told me, in all seriousness- "you should be running in the Olympics. Very strong you are".

*Josh ate 3 bananas at lunch with his sandwich. How he doesn't get sick of them is beyond me, but I'm hoping it stays that way!

*We did not go to the pool or beach, which was tragic, but we went into town to pick up a few things instead.

*I went outside and realized that one of our wires was now two feet above the sidewalk- hmmmm

* I passed this and stopped for a moment to revel in the beauty

*Heard the conch blow, signalling a fresh catch of fish, and summoned up the courage to actually buy some! It was tuna, so that wasn't scary, but cleaning it sure is! What was I thinking?!

Home Again

After three blissful weeks in America, we are back home in Dominica. Yes, America was great- the food was great, the weather was perfect, the couches comfortable, and the time spent with family absolutely worth the small fortune we paid to fly there. But, Dominica really is our home now, and we are happy to be back. I think especially Shane It has been fun watching his eyes reregister everything and remember (in the picture above he is looking out the door at the dog). The coolest thing is to see how you can really just tell he knows this is home. It has been a little weird seeing him places that he couldn't used to get to without me though! It took one rough night for him to get used to the four hour time change, but thankfully last night was great and we hope he's on the way to being fully adjusted. As for Josh and I, we've been busy unpacking the 190 pounds of stuff we brought from home (no joke). No more toys for awhile grandmas and grandpas! Our apartment is not the biggest, but Josh is like the Houdini of somehow finding a place for everything and making it look somewhat okay. Thank goodness cause I stink at it! Although really I think he's just trying to show me that we do have room for a new couch! School starts tomorrow and I think he's ready, and I guess I could be ready to lounge poolside again:)

Grandma Dettinger!

After traveling 24 hours to get to Southern California, we didn't think it would be much fun to drive another 10 to Utah in the same break (we are going there for next break in April instead). But, lucky for us, Josh's grandparents live only an hour or two from my family, and his mom volunteered to make the long drive down to see us Shane :) I mean really, could you resist not seeing this little bugger for almost a year? So while my siblings had left and parents were back to work, we got to spend a couple fun days in Hemet with Josh's grandparents, his mom, and brother Matthew. It was like Christmas all over again!
We were nervous about only having a couple days and hoping that would be long enough for him to warm up again, but it only took about 10 minutes and she had him laughing like old times.

And she knew the way to his heart- books!

We love you Grandma! Can't wait until April!

*And Grandma and Grandpa Elkins, sorry I didn't get any with you guys, I guess you'll just have to come up in April too, huh?!