Name That Fish

Since moving here we have all done quite a bit of fishing.  Boys love to fish, and since there isn’t that much to do here, we fish a bunch.  there are worse problems to have.  Just so you know, we don’t keep these fish.  It is just for the enjoyment of throwing a hook in the water and seeing what we can catch.  So far only one has not made it back into the water alive (RIP angel fish).
Now for our game:  Name That Fish



Gratuitous picture of a sleeping child.  I love him.




Sometimes I think we are catching the same fish over and over and these pictures seem to back that up!  Living here is a fisherman’s dream

6

Oops, I thought I had this scheduled to post on Friday.  Today is just about as good, right?

Can he really be 6?  Today is the day the calendar tells me that my baby is 6, so it must be so!  Today I celebrate our smart, adorable, somewhat silly, shy and so helpful SIX year old. Each year on his birthday I try to remember the sheer sweetness of this boy. His dark lashed eyes, his quirky smile, his long limbed frame, his sweet snuggles in the morning, his tender heart, his unbounded joy. He's something else, but I wouldn’t change one thing about him. And I love him to pieces.
He has been anxiously awaiting this day for about 360 days.  He has upped his excitement in the few weeks since his check up where the doctor told him he doesn’t need any more shots!
Six years with this boy have been phenomenal!  One day I need to write down his birth story, it’s a doozy.  Not today because today is all about celebrating!
At 6 years old Jackson is

• Starting to resist affection, but still wants to be held at night and in the morning.
• An avid fisherman.  {If I could just get him to bait his own hook and take his catches off the line!}
• A beginning reader.
• So eager to help that it melts my heart.
• Devoted to play Legos.  Which is g a good thing since they are everywhere in our house!!
• An amazing swimmer!
• Starting to enjoy video games, especially Lego Star Wars
• Lover of all carbs!!  Bread cereal, cracker, chips & sweets!
• Starting to ask about staying up late.  Oh my!
• Sure his daddy can do anything.  He wants to hurry up and “get black hair like dad’s” !
• The proud owner of two permanent teeth and one wobbly top tooth!
• So ready for First Grade

I am so thankful that God has given us such an excellent son to raise.

Water bugs

We finally got Miller to the point where he enjoys being on the boat.  Previously he vacillated between ok to be on the boat to hysterical.

I am here to tell you….Bribery works!  Candy and snacks made him feel more comfortable, and now he sometimes asks to go on the boat.  Last weekend he even felt confident enough to jump in the water.

He pretty much rode his daddy like a pony, but still it’s progress!

Jackson is all about jumping in the water.  He even feels confident enough to jump in without anyone else in the water.

Needless to say, I am so proud of these boys.  Even more so I am so thankful that we have the opportunity to live here and give them these experiences.

4

Today we celebrate four magnificent and wild years of Miller. I marvel each and every day at his blonde hair, green eyes, huge smile and sturdy frame. He's strong and strong willed and when he talks with that raspy voice you want to listen to him some more. The boy is smart and self sufficient. If he wants to look outside for children to play with, he does(which is why this place is dead bolted, chained and alarmed at all times.) His love of his brother is staggering and his natural athletic ability is remarkable. He's uniquely himself, one of a kind, as we often call him. Because he is my baby, I have a hard time with Miller growing up.  As hard as I try to keep him my baby, he is growing up.   4 seems awfully grown up. Anyway, here is a little Miller Montage.








At 4 Miller is

• Still a total free spirit.  He does whatever comes into his mind.  God bless him!
• Loves his brother like a superhero. 
• Dramatic. When he is wronged, you know it! He loves big and he gets upset big. When he is mad watch out, there is likely to be a fit! It doesn’t last long, though
• Loves making us laugh by doing silly things and telling jokes (that don’t make sense).  His fake laugh is hysterical!
• Plays with his Legos ALL day EVERY day.
• Swims like he was born in the water.
• Dances like nobody’s watching.  He’s got some moves too!
• Eats apples all day long.  I bet he would eat 4 a day if I didn’t limit him.
• Makes every stick, wand or pencil into  “life saver”{light saber}.  Star Wars is a big deal.
• A total blast!

Thank you God for putting him in our care.

Things that are “normal” here

When I’m talking with my friends in the States I’ll mention things that are pretty common here and they are always surprised to hear them.  You are anxious to hear, right?

This week we have lost power 3 times.  Not a flicker, but for several hours.  There was no storm to knock out power, it was just OUT!  We did have a big storm on Thursday night, the power stayed on.  Let me remind you it is hot and sticky here.  No power = SWEATY!

Thursday morning there was no water.  This happens all the time.  Allen will go to get in the shower and nothing.  I’ll go to put a load of laundry in and the washer makes a horrendous noise when I turn it on.  We have to keep jugs of water to flush toilets with.  We’re fancy like that.

Our cell phone situation is….odd.  Allen has a typical cell phone where he gets a bill every month, etc.  That’s because his work pays for it.  It is something ridiculous like $650 to buy a Blackberry here.  We can buy a cell phone here (remember this post), but they are like typing on a typewriter.  I paid good money to get an iPhone unlocked and I use that, but most of the functions of an iPhone don’t even work here.  I simply lost my cell phone/fm radio and didn’t want to pay $50 to get another.

We buy our cell phone minutes from a guy who stands out in traffic and sells them.  It’s a phone card you buy (cash of course) and put in a PIN and then it adds minutes to your phone.  Not your account because accounts are so “first world”.  As of January 1 we can now go into a store and “top up” where you give the cashier your phone number and some money and she adds minutes to your phone that way.  This is an advance!

There aren’t really any convenience stores here.  if you want a drink while you are driving you pull up to  a situation like this.  I say “situation” because pulling up to a guy with a dirty cooler filled with questionably clean water ice is just sketchy to me.  But that’s the way it is?  Want a Sprite?  Too bad, you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.

This entrepreneur has a bit better spot.  He has an amazing Poinciana tree  right there!

Then there is this…

This is very common here.  Is it just me or does it  look like Marge Simpson’s hair? 

This is how they wear a hard hat.

He not only wears the hard hat in such a jaunty manner, but he has dreads on his chin.  See the little one “dripping off”?  You just can’t find this anywhere!

And I think that is a good place to stop for today!

Getting Ready

It’s August and that means it is the birthday month.  We are getting ready.

Can you believe that they are almost 4 and 6?  I can’t!
They are both maturing so much.  I love it, but it is hard to see them growing up SO fast!