presents...

They still have these little bikes at James Store... Matix and now Hawken both LOVE them...

I keep taking little mental notes about what they like. I am getting really excited for Christmas. This will be the first Christmas in 2 years that I don't have a little baby. Both boys are big and will probably have a great time opening gifts, dancing to Christmas music, the whole thing. :) Hooray for the holidays... I know we still have to get through Halloween and Thanksgiving, but really, who doesn't look forward to Christmas?! :)

big trucks

The grocery store down the street has yet to be built... The workers seem to be working at an incredibly slow pace. I am getting nervous that it won't be finished by their November deadline, they may not even be done by our leaving the island date... I REALLY want to go shopping at a decent grocery store that is NOT an hours drive before we go back to the States. :)

We went to the construction site (as we often do), but it was another Dominican holiday... It is hard to remember which one. They have holidays every other week practically. Anyway, the whole area was deserted, so we took advantage. This is the inside of the largest part of the building, but there are many other rooms and floors. It is HUGE. Rianna and Matix are showing me how big it is.

The boys tried out a few of the trucks. Yes, I call them all trucks. I don't know the real name for them. Sad, I know, I have 2 little boys and I don't know all the truck names. Matix calls them all "big tucks!" Matix's best buddy Shane knows them all though. Shane? A little help?

Matix found one of the worker's straw hats.

Rianna gave it a try too, hat and all. :)

These boys had the greatest time exploring and trying out every truck I could lift them into. Oh the faces on Hawken... always talking and making the weirdest faces.

I love that in Dominica, this is perfectly acceptable, to let my children run amuck in a construction site. Oh, and don't worry Grandmas, they were safe. I am going to take advantage of every silly little thing like this that I can... Once we get back to the States there will be so many new RULES... :)

board games

During play group, some spouses meet up at the CAC to play board games. Recently Matix has decided that watching them play is very interesting... :) This has happened more than once. Rather than play with his friends and all the toys, he likes to watch adults sit at a table playing a rather slow, unexciting board game... What a silly boy.

I am hoping that when he is older and can actually participate in board games, that he will still be interested. I do love to play games.

my jungle man

Paul, the jungle man. He walks into the jungle, shovel and machete in hand, searching for the elusive dasheen plant... :) Ah, the hunter has captured his prey!

The leaves are taller than Hawken.

Here Paul is cleaning off the root with his machete. You can cook the root and flavor it sort of like potatoes. But I don't really like them, so we usually give ours away. :) Paul still loves to dig them up though.

new toys

What do the children of medical school students play with? A stethoscope and a tuning fork, of course. The perfect toys for toddlers! :)

buddies

Friends forever. These two are so sweet together. Playing in the sand, or wherever they might be, just loving life and loving each other.

I think they are looking more and more like brothers too. They make some similar expressions, giggle the same, and Hawken's hair is getting a lot lighter like Matix's too.

Play group fun

Ring around the rosie is a new favorite game at play group. Here is Matix with Lexi and Angelique. So cute.

Hawken and Jaz. They are still very kissy with each other... Usually Hawken is all for the kissing, but this day he ran away. Silly boy.

neighbors

We have the best neighbors ever.

Our neighbor who shares a wall with us, Phil, is in the same semester as Paul and has put up with our noisy boys since we moved here last August. He comes over to eat every Monday and we are so grateful for his friendship and company. Phil also has a ton of snacks and treats that he shares with Matix all the time, much to Matix's approval. :) He has also rescued me from lizards in the house when Paul was gone studying.

Our upstairs neighbor, Adrian, is a local doctor and works in the Portsmouth Hospital. He brings us mangos and little treats sometimes and always honks the horn for Matix and Hawken when we see him driving (which the boys LOVE).

Our across the street neighbors, Granny, Granddad, Cheryl, and Rianna, are SO wonderful to us. They all came over and brought Matix a HUGE gift for his birthday. Rianna comes over to play with the boys almost every afternoon when she gets out of school. She is so sweet with them and has learned how to take good care of them both. Whenever Matix hears ANY noise outside, he will jump up, climb onto his little chair to peek out of the window, and say. "Rianna???" He is constantly waiting for her. :) Granny brings Matix and Hawken flowers all the time too. So sweet.

We feel so lucky to have such amazing friends and neighbors and will miss them all terribly when we leave.

Dancing with Granny and Rianna.

Matix with Granddad.

Matix with Cheryl.

love

How much do I love this little boy...? TTTTHHHhhhhhhiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssss much! (Imagine my arms outstretched as far as they can go)

He is such a sweet little boy. So happy, silly and snuggly all the time. I am so happy he is mine and I can spend all day with him. I love you baby Hawken.

style

My sweet boys. I love them so much. They have such unique personalities. I can see bits and pieces of both Paul and I in them, but this... This is from Paul! Matix's funny sense of style and extreme LOVE of shoes. Matix picked out each of these "outfits" by himself. :)

Semester 4, Exam 1

What?! What's that you say? You say Daddy is done with mini #1 for 4th semester?!

Hooray! That means he will take the afternoon off and play all day with ME?!?!?! Oh... Hawken and Mommy can come too, I guess! :)

last first again

On Monday, this handsome guy will be taking his LAST mini #1 of his LIFE!

Wish him luck and think happy thoughts for him. We are all so proud of you hubby, and we know you will rock this test! :)

swimming

Matix is a swimmer boy now. He has this little inner tube and will jump off the stairs into the pool with it and swim back. No fear. He has been doing this ever since my birthday, but here are some pictures of the happy swimming boy. You can tell he is SO proud of himself! :)

And here is Hawken, perched in his spot on the top step, yelling when Matix gets too far. :) Just kidding, I don't know why he is yelling. He "talks" a lot! :)

Update

Miami update... So after a mini meltdown, a few prayers, a couple emails and phone calls, we may have found a place. :) Hooray! My fingers are still crossed that a few little bumps will be ironed out after the potential future landlady emails me back. I have not yet signed a lease or anything, but if all goes well we will be living about 3 miles from the main campus, and just as close to a few of the hospitals Paul will be doing some of his rotations at. More details on the place once I for sure know that it's ours! :) I am so thankful for both Paul's family and my family for helping us out so much with this whole thing (emotionally and financially). Thank you! You know who you are! :)

In other news, Paul had his first experience at Princess Margaret Hospital in Roseau today. He left early this morning, dressed up with his white coat and stethoscope, ready for the almost hour drive down to the capital city. He was there all day and came home after the boys had already gone to bed. Paul had a great time and said he had some interesting experiences. Part of the day the doctor they were following would read a bit of the patient's file, then ask if any of the students knew what illness they thought the patient had, or what medicines they should prescribe, and many other questions like that. Paul (and if you know Paul, this shouldn't surprise you) was eager to answer and got all the questions right! Yay Paul! Sometimes I think people expect him not to have a good answer since he is so silly most of the time, but he really knows his stuff! The doctor was really impressed with him, and so was I when he told me all about his day.

The boys and I are really looking forward to tomorrow so we can have more time with Paul. Fridays are especially great since Paul usually meets us at the pool, and we go for ice cream on our way home. The boys both really love ice cream. We made our root beer floats with haagen dazs vanilla and fudge brownie! Yum! In both pictures Matix is trying so hard to do exactly what Paul does. So cute.

Hawken was just ravenous! He could hardly swallow the first bite before he came back for another. This was his first time with ice cream.

the hunt...

We have been on the housing hunt for the past few weeks... Although I am excited about the move and living some place new, this whole process is turning out to be quite the pain in the "bum-bum" (as Matix says)! I have had some good leads, and then they end up being duds. What was listed as a 1 bedroom is really a studio, or the rent is within our price range only during the "off-season" and will increase (out of our price range) as soon as we need it, or children are not welcome (what?!), or it's only for adults over the age of 55... Arrg! I have called and emailed about a million landlords, apartment managers, and home owners.

Really, look at us. We are a nice little family of 4. I will keep the house clean, the boys are good little boys, we only want to stay for a little while anyway... We are not being very picky, we're even contemplating a 1 bedroom just to widen the search. Please, SOMEONE, rent us a place! And Kelly, I don't want to hear anything about Michigan. :)

Sleepy Sunday

Notice anything funny in the background of this picture? It's Hawken, sleeping in the sacrament meeting room at church.

Cute.

Matix likes to get in on the sleeping action at church too. Sweet little angel babies. :)