Fort Shirley

Last week on Saturday we all went to Fort Shirley. There are ruins all over the island (some are in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies). We went on a hike for most of the morning and on into the afternoon.

I don't know why Paul looks like he is yelling in the picture, but this tree was CRAZY huge!

Some fun with the cannons... :)

Having a snack with Grandpa.

Matix in his backpack... The look on Paul's face is "this kid weighs how much?!!!"

Pictures of some of the ruins...

The boys went to explore a room that was filled up with dirt mostly by the door, and Matix tried to tag along. :)

Family shot

I wish the pictures turned out better. This place was really beautiful and amazing. The amount of detail and precision in each of the buildings was incredible... I can hardly believe that those people were able to build them so perfectly, and that they are still around after so long (they started building in 1765). Very impressive. :)

Champagne Bay

Another little trip we went on was to Champagne Bay. It is down near Roseau, but worth the drive. The reason for it's name is because when you dive down underwater, you can see bubbles coming up from the sand and it looks like champagne. Very pretty. Morgan dove down about 40 feet, Stacy snorkeled along the reef, Paul and Lee saw TONS of bubbles and played in them, and Jessie played with Matix along the beach fighting off the occasional iguana that would knock rocks down the cliff toward them, YIKES! :) Fun for all.

Toucari Bay

Paul's parents got here on Sunday the 23rd, and we have been going out on little adventures everyday.

On Wednesday, we went to Toucari Bay. It was a 15 minute drive from campus. The University has been putting together little tours for the students and their families to get to see the island before the semester starts, so it was free.

The bay has a beautiful sandy beach with palm trees that grow out over parts of it. There is a huge coral reef in the bay with lots of colorful fish. Perfect for snorkeling. Morgan was on a dive working towards his scuba certification that day, so he didn't go. Matix and I played on the shore the first half of the trip while Stacy, Lee and Paul explored the reef. Then Stacy and I switched so I could snorkel too.

What you don't see in the video is when I got burned by fire coral. :( Now, I know you're not supposed to touch coral, but a wave pushed me towards it while I was admiring some fish... I used my left hand to push myself back from it, but it burned me! My gut reaction was to get away from that area as soon as possible. So I pushed away from the coral with my shins since the initial burn shocked me into that position with my legs underneath me, rather than behind me. That burned me too! OUCH! It was pretty deep where we were so I swam back to the shore following Paul so I didn't run into any more coral. My hand and legs bubbled and blistered up and looked like a bad rash right away.

The crappy thing about fire coral is it isn't really a coral at all... It is an organism that grows on corals and the thing that burns you are the toxins it shoots out if it gets touched. It is supposed to paralyze fish. Anyway, every time you get your wound wet with salt or fresh water, it triggers the toxins to fire again in you. So every time I take a shower or go swimming, it burns again. But it has been getting better and better each day. I can still see a light rash on my legs now, but it doesn't sting anymore.

All that aside, look how cute this picture is. Paul found a starfish and brought it up for Matix to see.

Matix loved it, especially when it was trying to move around while he held it. Lots of giggles. :)

New favorite picture of Matix

One of the days we went to the beach (which is nearly everyday), we went just south of the regular beach we go to. It has a half sunken ship that you can explore (if you're brave) :) and a nice empty beach for digging holes, which is one of Matix's favorite new things to do. I got this picture of him, and I love it. :)

You can kind of see the half sunken ship in the background too.

The blue and white house on Lizard Trail...

We have been in our new house now for a few weeks and we love it. It is blue and white outside and has blue doors (even the inside doors).

It has two bedrooms, one bathroom, a study area, dining room, kitchen, and living room. There is a fence around it too to keep wandering little boys close. :)

This is Matix yelling Dadadadadadadadadada! His new favorite thing to do.

It is also very close to campus and grocery stores, which is a big plus for us. Although I don't much like the lizards, the backyard is really big and shady. We have a banana tree and a coconut tree, and our neighbors have an orange tree and a mango tree that reach into our yard... We have yet to pick from their trees, but Paul has been sizing up a mango that hangs really low. :)

We have been having a great time exploring. Matix likes to collect rocks and tries to bring them into the house. I will take some inside pics soon. :)

Also, do you like Matix's new favorite outfit? His diaper? Yes, unless we go out, that is his main outfit. He wears clothes to church, trunks to the beach and pool, shorts to the grocery stores and around town and jammy shorts to bed. But that's it. Diapers are perfect attire for EVERYTHING else! :)

Wedding Pics

Okay, following a friends lead... She thought it would be fun to post wedding pictures. These are the only ones I have on my computer, but I really like them. :) I think that the people who read this post should put up their wedding pics too.

Morgan Visits

Paul's cousin Morgan is here visiting. Yay for visitors!! :) Everyone is welcome to come, but you must bring a box of diapers with you. Size 3 or 4. :) They are super expensive here, so we are trying to stock up so we don't have to purchase many from here.

Anyway, Paul and Morgan have been going out on snorkeling adventures almost everyday so far. This is a video they put together from the past few trips. Some are inside a sunken ship (yikes!) and some are from the reefs. I think they did a great job with their video. Check it out.

They also bought a machete since Morgan has been obsessed with trying to get coconut milk. :)

Matix is enjoying him here too. This is Matix doing his best impression of Morgan. Eating snacks and watching TV. :)

Matix and Jessie move to Dominica

Matix and Jessie joined Paul in Dominica on Friday the 7th. We stayed with the Roy family (friends here on the island also going to Med. school) until we got our house on Monday. The Roy's have 5 kids and were gracious enough to let us stay for quite a few days. Thanks Roys!! :)

The trip was fine, a bit long, but we made it. Here is a video from our trip. No running, almost missing flights, or close calls, but still worth watching. :)

Poll results... Paul's airport trip

Okay, so this was the poll:

Paul has a history of having interesting flights...missed flights, late flights, long and hilarious stories about it all...:) ANYWAY, We are leaving for Dominica in less than two weeks and I want to see what you predict will happen.

1. He will make his flight, no problems, and on time.

2. He will make his flight by running through the terminal and yelling for them to hold the plane.

3. He will miss his flight, but catch another later that day.

4. He will miss his flight and blame all of you voting for this choice because you jinxed him.

The results of the votes are as follows: 1. 23% 2. 61% 3. 0% 4. 14% Watch the video below of his trip to the airport to see if your vote is what really ended up happening. :)

Blog info...

Okay, so for some reason our blog is cutting off some of the youtube videos, so the ones with words don't make as much sense. If you double click so youtube opens in a new screen you can see the videos better and even enlarge it to see the video on the entire computer screen. Anyway, just an FYI, because things like that tend to bother me. :)

Here fishy, fishy, fishy!! :)

Check out this aquarium of an ocean we live next to!!! :)

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!! :)

Prince Charming...

This is my little guy while I was packing. He was being super helpful, so I tried the Daddy toy trick (see the Bath Time Baby post on 8-1-09) and this was his reaction.

He giggled for about 10 minutes before I grabbed the camera. Too cute! :) Also, please ignore the food stuck to his cheek, that was the trick I tried first...

Video of Matix walking (back in AZ)

As promised, these are some of the clips of Matix walking. 10 months old! :) Yay Matix!

Belly Pictures 22 Weeks

So, ignore the wet hair (oh, by the way, I cut off all my hair for those of you who haven't seen me recently... 15 inches, YIKES!)... But this is my belly at 22 weeks! Yay! Just over halfway and I am already showing!!!! With Matix I didn't really "pop" until I was around 6 months. I love pregnant bellies and I was always so jealous of everyone who had a big belly earlier than me. But THIS time, I am showing at 5 months along! WOOHOO! :)

Bath Time Baby

Okay, so we got our new camera, but I still don't have a video of Matix walking... :( Sorry. I will get it soon. But in the meantime, I thought this was a cute video from our old camera of Matix having fun in the bath. Paul was putting toys in his mouth and then spitting them toward Matix and Matix thought it was VERY funny.

Matix is a WALKING boy!

That's right. Last week Matix started taking his first steps! Right now (sadly) my camera is broken, but I am hoping to borrow someone's to catch him while he is still so stumbley! :) He first took about 4 steps to me, but we weren't sure that counted as his first steps, but then he did it again and again, adding a few steps each time. He walked 7 steps to Paul yesterday without falling. And today he has been experimenting with walking around while playing, rather than walking to someone who is ready to catch him. We were so hoping that he would walk before we left, because we didn't want Grandma and Grandpa to miss it (since they have been such a big part of his life so far). We are so happy and impressed with our little guy. He makes being a parent so much fun.

As soon as I get a camera (either my new one, or a borrowed one) I will put up a video so you can see. :) In the mean time, vote on Paul's Poll on the right side, please. :)

Thanks, where thanks are due

So, we have been packing and packing and packing... YUCK. Luckily we have awesome families that are helping us with the whole move.

Here is a small list of thanks for the HUGE amount of generosity we have been shown.

1. Thanks Taun and Leah (Paul's cousins) for letting us live in your spare house rent free for the summer. It is a great house and such an amazing gift to us these past few months.

2. Thanks Kim (Jessie's Mom) for the kids clothes for when Matix gets bigger. We really appreciate it and can hardly wait to see him in all of them.

3. Thanks Colleen (Paul's sister) for watching Matix so many times during the summer and working your magic on him when you could have been sleeping, reading or hanging out with your friends instead. We have never been able to sing him to sleep like you did.

4. Thanks Lee and Stacy (Paul's parents) for helping us be bill free this summer. No utilities, grocery bills, gas for our car (most of the time), trips to the pool, waterparks, etc, etc, etc.... You have no idea how much your help has taken a burden off of us.

5. Thanks Jolie (Jessie's sister) for the maternity clothes and for some of Bradley's clothes. Matix and the new baby would be happy to rock any of Bradley's too small clothes.

6. Thanks Steph (Paul's aunt) for giving us so many of Aidan's too small clothes and shoes. Who knew Aidan had SO many clothes.

7. Thanks Taun and Leah (again) for letting us store our stuff in your house while we are gone. That is so amazing of you to offer that to us.

8. Thanks Stacy (Paul's mom) for EVERYTHING. For cooking meals for us, for loving Matix the way you do, for the amazing example you set for us as a parent, for being such a good sport with all the chaos this summer, for offering to come back down to Dominica with us after we have the new baby to get us settled... Really, you have been so great to us. Thank you.

Thanks also to the family that have helped us in other ways. The emotional support, advice, financial help, etc. We really could not have done this on our own, and we feel so grateful for all that has been done for us. Everyone did all of these things and MANY more without wanting or expecting thanks. They did it because they are good people and we pray in thanks for our families every day.

Thanks again everyone. We love you.

Advice...

So, a few weeks ago we went out to eat with Paul's cousins Krystal and Kipp (that's them in the picture on the right). They have two kids who are 15 months apart and since our little boys will be almost 15 months apart, we had lots of questions for them...

Of course Krystal is a rock star mom and I don't really expect to live up to her standards... but I would like to be close. :) For those who don't know her let me give you a couple of examples:

1. Her son was crawling at 5 months and walking at 8 months. Not just stumbling around, but really walking!

2. Her daughter walked at 9 months.

3. Krystal has already potty trained her son, it only took her a couple of days and he was only two when she did it.

4. Her kids LOVE each other! They play so nicely together, none of the terrible two's crap either.

There are many more examples, but needless to say, when we had the chance I wanted to get some advice from her... Was it hard having them so close together? What did you hope someone told you about? How did/do naps work? Food? Etc. etc. etc....

Paul and I are VERY excited, but I want to know if there is anything I should be prepared for... :) Lots, I know, but maybe if any of you had some less than obvious advice or stories or wisdom to pass along, it would be appreciated, especially from those who have kids really close together like our guys will be... Thanks!

New Poll

Okay, so I put up a new poll on the right side of the blog. :) It is about Paul and his awesome history of making and NOT making his flights. I just want to see what others think will happen. :) I love you hubby!
-Jessie

Berg Olympics

I know, it sounds silly, but you're just jealous you didn't get to be in the olympics! :) Paul's brother Dale came up with the idea to have the 1st annual "Berg Olympics". We did lots of games like the three legged race, pie eating contest, doughnut on a string game, egg on a spoon race, and lots more. Everyone had a great time and we even had an award ceremony at the end with medals! :) Colleen's friend Ariel came and videotaped the whole thing.... but that is on Dale's camera, so hopefully he will put it on youtube or something when he gets back to Texas. So, here are some pictures from it.

We did this on the 3rd of July... It has just taken me a long time to post it. Sorry. :) Oh, and sorry about the cheesy music, I have limited choices on my computer.

It's a....

BOY!!!

We are so happy. On Monday we found out that baby #2 is a boy. He was moving all over the place so we didn't get any really clear ultrasound pictures, but Dr. Bruce says he looks good. One day Paul will get his girl. :) but he is still way excited to have another boy. I can't believe my baby is going to be a big brother in a few more months! Crazy how fast this went.

Sunsplash

So we started our 4th of July with a breakfast of french toast and sausage (for the adults) and LOTS of watermelon for Matix (see the picture below) :) Later that day we went to Sunsplash (a water park in Mesa). Stacey, Steve and Morgan came down from Utah for the weekend. Morgan is getting ready to turn in his papers to go on his mission so it was really nice to be able to spend some time with him before he leaves. He is awesome and will be a great missionary. Krystal, Kipp, Kyson and Taylee came down too. They had a baby blessing to go to, but we all met up on the 4th for the water park.

This is MY Grandma!

4th of July

Happy 4th of July!!

Grandma Kim Visits

Jessie's Mom came to visit two weeks ago... She could only stay for a few days, but we had lots of fun. Here are some pictures from the trip. I will add more as I get them from her camera, and from Stacy's.

This is a cowboy hat Grandma Kim made for Matix. She made him lots when he was a baby, but has since outgrown most of them. So when she came she brought more. He is riding on a bouncy horse at Grandma Stacy's house which he LOVES!

My Mom wanted to take all the Dad's (and everyone else too) out to celebrate Father's Day. Paul had giant beef ribs. They were very big and it was all you can eat.

And here he is after eating two plates full. :)

This was also the first time we took Matix out to eat with us... I know, he is 9 months old and lots of people take their kids out before now, but here is the thing... We are poor and besides that, we like to eat at home and really enjoy each others company. :)

Here is everyone: Vanessa, Lee, Gavin, Dale, Paul, Jessie, Kim, Matix, and Stacy. Colleen was supposed to go, but when it was time to leave she was nowhere to be found. :) Good old Colleen. Notice Matix sees more food on the table and is giving Stacy a hard time... He loves to eat, as you can tell by the sheer size of him!

We went to the pool a couple of times too. Matix had fun and my Mom tried to get a tan (since she is from Wisconsin and it was in the 50's the day she came here) although, I don't know if she got a tan or not... :)

On the last day of the trip we went to the temple before going to the airport. It is so beautiful and peaceful there. I love it.

We walked around and my Mom took some family pictures of us. I thought it was important that we had some of when our family is just the three of us before we get our fourth. :) I think they turned out pretty well, and after some editing, well, LOTS of editing... these are my favorite three.

It is always nice to see family and friends, especially ones we live so far away from... hint hint. :) visitors are always welcome! We leave in the beginning of August for Dominica, and will be gone until December of 2010. Thanks for coming to see us Mom, I love you.

Matix Getting Into Stuff :)

So this is what Matix used to look like when we caught him getting into stuff...

A little scared, and shocked that we noticed him getting into the dog food, or computer cords, or kitchen cabinets... but now he thinks it is funny. Look at this little stinker!

When we are over at Grandma and Grandpa's house we can hear him crawling on the kitchen floor and when we see him heading toward the dog bowls we say, "Matix..." and he crawls faster and sometimes giggles. :)

Father's Day

So this is Paul's first Father's Day and I am so happy that he is the father of my baby. He is such an attentive and loving Daddy to Matix. And Matix is absolutely in love with him. Paul gets the biggest smiles and squeals and giggles from Matix. Happy Father's Day Paul!

Matix also made Paul some original pieces of artwork. :) I bought some canvas, and with the help of Auntie Colleen, Grandma Stacy and Grandma Kim, we got it done. I will add more pictures soon from Stacy's camera with the "how it was done" pictures...

Paul Graduated!

Paul graduated last month from ASU!  Hooray, hooray!  President Obama spoke at the commencement ceremony and Paul graduated Cum Laude... Good job Paul!  

Paul's Grandparents came from Utah to see him walk.  Liana, Arch and his Uncle Bill got to come.  Paul's brother Dale, his wife Vanessa, and their son Gavin come to Arizona every summer, so they got to be there too.  Of course Paul's parents and sister Colleen and Matix and I were there as well.  It was a very nice ceremony and wasn't too long either.

Paul's Aunt Liana made a really cool DVD (thanks Liana) with the pictures and videos that she took, but I can't figure out how to put it on the blog, so mine will have to do.  It isn't as long or fancy, but you will get the point. :)

We are all so proud of you Paul!

Eating REAL food

So after Matix had his 4 month check up, the Dr. said he is ready to start eating REAL food! :) Yay! So here is a video of the first few foods. It has been a long time since then and he LOVES to eat. He especially loves it when we let him try the food we are eating.

Matix Crawling

So, it seemed to take Matix forever, but at 7 months old he started to crawl. He had been getting so frustrated not being able to move to the toy he wanted, so we were thrilled when he figured out how to move around independently from us. Now Matix wants to walk everywhere, but has very little balance... We will see. :) Watch the video below.

I'm sorry, so sorry... :)

Okay, so I know it has been a LONG time coming, but you will just have to wait a little bit longer. :) We haven't updated our blog in forever, but now I am done with my work and almost done unpacking our things in our house for the summer.

Matix eats lots of food now, is crawling and trying hard to walk, but has little balance. He also dances when he hears music or Paul sings to him. Paul graduated (yay Paul!) in May and is excited about moving. Jessie is REALLY excited about moving :) Matix and I get to play all day on the beach...

Sometime next week I am planning on posting lots of things, so you will have to scroll down a bit (I am assuming) Anyway... I have been hearing a lot from friends and family lately, and I WILL do it soon. :)

Pooping face

Too funny not to share.... Matix makes this face when he is working on a little something in his diaper. :)

Polar Bear Plunge

The Polar Bear Plunge is this crazy event every New Year day in Wisconsin. Everyone goes down to the Lake Michigan beach and despite the far below freezing temperatures and the ice chunks mixed into the sand... everyone strips down to their swimsuits and jumps in. You have to go in and underwater to be a part of the Polar Bear Club...

Anyway, while we were in Wisconsin Paul and a few of our nephews were going to go it. The first picture is of Hunter, he turned 7 a few days later and this was going to be his first one. He was really excited.

BUT, as you can see in the next picture, there was a huge iceberg and the whole thing was shut down by the fire department. :( The iceberg covered so much of the beach and the first 60 feet or so of the water that it was too dangerous for the plunge. The place where you would have had to jump in was pretty deep and the waves would probably slam you into the back side of the iceberg... yikes!

This is a quick video of this year... it was SO cold. Paul was a little relieved that he couldn't do it. :)

We did the plunge two years ago with Jolie. It was crazy, but SO fun. You can actually feel your heart slow down when you go underwater. This is a picture from then.

Christmas 1-4

Okay, sorry this took so long... Matix had a great 1st Christmas. We had lots of celebrations to go to, lots of family to visit, lots of presents to open...

I am still waiting on some pictures from Wisconsin, but here are some from our adventures in the slideshow below. :) Enjoy.