Still here...

Our belongings were delivered last week, and I am beyond busy and tired.  I'm going to take a week or two bloggy break to try and get things together and the house in order.

I'll be back!

I'll be back!  Get it?  Those are their backs.  I am still a dork!

Can your iphone do this?

My last cell phone was held together with packing tape.  No, really, it was.  I dropped it too many times and the back kept falling off.  I thought that clear packing tape was a classier option than duct tape. (read that last sentence again when you need to feel better about yourself)  Yes, it is a matter of degrees, but I do have standards! 
It's not that I didn't want a fancy new phone with texting features and all that, but the thing was that if I got a fancy new phone I had to change calling plans.  The newer calling plans offered fewer minutes for more money.  Why would I pay MORE for LESS?  Mama didn't raise no fool, so I"ll keep my packing taped cell phone, thankyouverymuch!

When we found out we would need new unlocked cell phones for living in the Bahamas, we did very little research.  I wanted an iphone.  Those guys are awesome.  So my terrific sister secured two iphones for us from friends of hers who had recently upgraded to the 4G iphones.  I had plans to restore some modicum of my coolness.

Yeah that didn't happen.  See when we updated iTunes before turning them on it LOCKED the phones.  That's not cool because locked phones don't work.  I felt like this

We thought about it and decided to do basically nothing.  I mean I wanted  to be cool  my new iphone.  I figured that if I waited long enough we could get them unlocked.  Don't really have anybody here to call me, although cell phones are handy.

Then I signed Jackson up for school.  About 48 hours before he was to start I realized that if I didn't have a cell phone I would be chained to our home phone all day long.  In case of emergency and all that. 

When my hand was forced I went to the cell phone store and paid $50 for the least expensive model possible.

I was so pleased that it actually has some features that an iphone DOESN'T have.

Can an iphone listen to FM radio?  Nope!

Can you make a fake phone call on an iphone? Nope! (Well you can, but you have to buy an app for that)

Take that apple!

Another First

Last week was another first for our family. 

I'll be honest and tell you I was not ready for him to go. 

The only option for Pre-School was to send him 5 days a week from 8:15 to 2:45.

That is a long time.

Why so long?  Why every day?

The problem was that he was ready!

Really ready.

Even if I pretended that he wasn't ready and thought I'd keep my baby home a little longer, he told me he wanted to go to school.

I could tell you that as an educator of young children preschool is important. He needs peer interaction, blah, blah, blah.

As a mom I can tell you that I have deliberately tried not to push him much. Not that I want him to be behind, but I know he has the rest of his life to read chapter books.

Why not let him explore his world and throw rocks and play in the sandbox?

I've seen too many parents who want their child to know certain skills by a certain time, no matter what the cost.

What's the rush?

We know that we have a reasonably sharp child and that he learns well on his own.

I am blessed to be a stay at home mom. 

I get to teach him what I want when I see fit. 

I was not ready to fully hand that over.

But he was ready.

That and he can hear the kids at school when they are outside and his poor little self said, "They are having more fun than me."
 

Ouch!

So I went and registered him.

A week later he started.

Thunk, thunk thunk.  That's my heart breaking a little.

Here he is in his cute uniform (minus the black dress shoes he has to wear).

Remember my boys have wide feet?  Had to order those suckers and they aren't here yet!

 He was a little nervous the first day.  When I went to pick him up, he was over the nerves and happy as a clam!

Just so you can see his school.  it is modest.  It is like a motel.  All classrooms open to the outside.  The windows and doors are open all the time.

Giving his new teacher a high five 

Then away we went.  We left our baby with some lady had met once his teacher.

Amazingly I didn't cry.

My Biggest Wish

Just the other day I was telling allen that I REALLY want one of these. 

He may or may not have said something a little snarky about the price.  I countered with how cool it is and how great our new neighborhood is for biking.  Also, I love the color.  The boys would think it is the bomb diggity!  I can pedal right over to Jackson's new school.  Can't you just picture Miller in the back?

Imagine my surprise when I found out ABOUT THIS!!!

Now, I like entering to win things because, DUH winning things that are free, is wonderful!  Right, Anna??

Wouldn't it be great to smile, ride your bike with your lab in the back and flowers in the front.  Maybe not the sweater, scarf and boots here, but everything else, yes, please!



What kind of Christmas present would one of these babies be?  Beyond perfect!

What kind of Christmas present would WINNING one of these bikes be?  Amazing and beyond perfect!

Here's to wishes!

OK, I totally didn't stage this, but right as I was typing this post I saw that it was raining and sunny at the same time.  When we went outside to look for one, we saw this.

This is the 3rd one I have seen since we have been here.  Is God making me some big promises or what??
 Please let it be a sign!!

Life Here

So many of my friends have asked, so here you have it.  What is it like to live here?

Gorgeous!  We have only been to 3 beaches here, but we drive by them several times a day and I don't think I will get tired of seeing that turquoise water.  This is what it looks like when you come out of our neighborhood.

This is what we see on the way to Allen's work.  Not too shabby.

 The sign above this little hut says "Daiquiri Shack".  Haven't tried it, but one of these days...

We have had several amazing sunsets.  They were really pretty in Texas also, but having water makes it even better.

This is what the bread looks like

The grocery shopping, or any shopping for that matter, is a whole other post or ten.

Soon I'll  download some pictures of the houses.  You're going to love the colors!  I was so sly, since I had my camera while Trick-or-Treating, I didn't feel at all weird about taking pictures of other people's houses.

Coming soon, all the things that are strange and not so gorgeous about living here.  Think crazy high prices, crazy dangerous drivers and people who have never seen, much less used a carseat!

Now I need to get away from the computer, we have some coconuts that need to be thrown off the dock.  I'll take things I never thought I'd say for 200, Alex