Things we did before we left...

So we are now living in Dominica... it is HOT here. Well, not hotter than Arizona, but SUPER HUMID and HOT at the same time... My hair is really curly, (for those of you who know me well, you know that I do NOT enjoy my curly hair), Matix is taking weird naps because he is so hot and sticky, we have to walk everywhere... and the lizards... the CAT-SIZED LIZARDS! YIKES!

BUT...

It is BEAUTIFUL! I have never seen so many shades of green. All the plants and flowers are huge, and colorful, and perfect. The beach is around every corner and the water is cool and nice (no big waves to knock little babies over). There are fruits and vegetables here that I have never heard of or tasted but look delicious. Matix LOVES the food here and can't get enough of it (I hope he is going through a growth spurt because we can't afford to feed him like this for much longer). The people we have met here (locals and students) are all REALLY nice and helpful. Our new house is perfect for us and all the doors are painted blue, which makes me happy. Anyway, despite it being crazy and hard to adjust, I think we are going to do just fine. We have lots of support here and at home and are looking forward to the rest of our time here. I will put up pictures soon of our trips here and some of our first few days here soon. So, check back in a few. :)

And we didn't want to forget... these are some of the things we did before we left:

We sold "Tangy" our scooter. :( So sad. I LOVE this scooter!

and Paul's car. Not so sad, but it was a good car. (Paul burned his hands and face for this picture) :)

Packing and packing and packing and packing and packing... seemingly forever. Some things were put in boxes for storage for the 18 months we will be gone for. Some things were packed into luggage to go with us to Dominica in August. Some things were packed to stay at Paul's parents house for when Jessie comes back to the states to have the new baby. Some things were packed to be brought down to the island after Jessie, Stacy and the babies return to the island in January (just a guess of the return date so far... it really depends on how quickly we can get the birth certificate/social security card/passport/visa/etc.) Anyway, thanks to Mary Poppins, Oh, I mean Stacy, for all the help packing and unpacking and repacking EVERYTHING! :)

Camping! Yay for camping! It was Matix's first time camping and I think he had a great time.

He ate probably 10 pounds of dirt and pine needles. We took hikes around the lake, Paul and Dale swam across it too. Matix fell asleep in the hiking backpack. Colleen made a great fire for us. I made a clover crown, like I did hundreds of times in my childhood, but not since then. Matix took a nap in the woods (in his pack and play) with Grandma near by (to watch for BEARS, yikes!) :) On our hike we found TONS of butterflies. Vanessa and Gavin found and played with a disgusting looking horny toad who was affectionately (NOT) named "Grossy". Lee taught me how to skip rocks. I got two skips on film, but three was the best I did. Yay me! :) I think Lee, Stacy and Dale made 15 skips or something crazy like that. We all had so much fun. Here is a video of some of the adventures from that trip.

And, DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNNNN.... Our camera broke. :( Matix broke the little shutter over the lens and drooled on it a bit, then I spilled Chinese food sauce all over it. Paul took it apart to clean it out, but still, no luck. :( BUT, good news! We got a new better one! It is awesome, but the feature we like the best is that it is water proof. Here are some of the videos we took with it in the water. Some have sound and some don't (we are still learning about all the features) :)

We LOVE this camera!! :)