Cayman Day 7

Today was our last full day here on Grand Cayman. It was quite leisurely done. We tried to sleep in a little, but Mia kept us from really doing that again. After some more cereal for breakfast, we went outside by the pool and read for a couple of hours while the kids played in the pool, and hot tub as well as on the beach. We then left Grandma and Grandpa at home with Mia while we took the boys to do some souvenir shopping. The power went off and the stores shut down. We drove 30 minutes to a place called Rum Point where we had been earlier in the week and their power was out as well, so we just lounged on the hammock's there on the beach and had some very expensive lemonade (all food here is expensive, but $15 for 4 small glasses of lemonade is rediculous). We came back to our place, made some lunch, and then went back outside to read and then Alyson, myself, and the boys all went for another snorkel. The waves were a little rough, but we still had fun. We then read a little more before then dressing up for dinner. Dinner was at a lighthouse on the ocean. Now, we're back getting ready for our last night on the island. We've had a lot of fun, but just so you all know it hasn't been perfect...food is VERY expensive, an average meal cost us about $200 whether it was on the beach or in a restaurant, the wind blew constantly, the kids still fight even on a beautiful island, and they are stiil easily bored (especially Connor). It would have been fun to have everyone here, but I don't think I could have handled Derek complaining about the cost, the kids would have loved playing with each other on the beach, but I know that it would have been even louder. Overall, it was a great trip and we created a lot of memories which is the biggest reason we do it! I am not ready to go back to work at all.

Cayman Day 6

Everyday here has been windy, but today seemed especially so. Dad and me went diving again today for the last time on this trip. The dives were very good. We did a deep wall dive and then another through some underwater caverns. We saw grooper, lobster, crab, a large green moray eel, and a lot of carribean fish. We then went back to our pad and found a house full of beached out kids, grandma, and Alyson. The wind was keeping us from wanting to be outside of our place so we decided to pack up our gear and headed to the west end of the island away from the wind. We were dead on. The wind wasn't even a factor. Alyson and me snuck a few ocean-side kisses (just for Britt). I went with Adin, Connor, Preston, and Grandpa to do some more snorkeling. Adin has gotten really good at it and Preston has now followed his older brother in diving down to the bottom to get really up close and personal with the fish! Adin is the cutest. Everytime he sees a fish (a lot) he has to pull his head up and tell me how cool that fish is. I told him to just signal me with the thumbs up sign and found that he was putting the thumb up all of the time! After a lot of snorkeling, we buried Connor in the sand. This time he couldn't get out, so we had to help him. We then loaded up our sun-drenched and sand covered bodies into the car and went to dinner. Now we're back at the place and tired once again. We have one more full day of fun left! I'm dredding going back to work.

Cayman Day 5

Today was great! We went a little north of where we are staying and played in the waves and sand. We then came back to the house and the kids had some drinks by the pool (pink lemonade with lime in margarita glasses). Adin, Connor and me went snorkeling on our private little reef! Adin did great! He says he saw a baby shark! It was a fish the size of my hand. He absolutely loved it! We then went to the famous Stingray City! It was way cool! These rays were anywhere from 2 feet to about 4 feet long. Preston, Adin, and Mia thought it cool for a small amount of time, but then it got a little freaky when they were all around us. They got in the boat pretty quick. Grandma, Grandpa, Alyson, Connor and myself stayed out there and fed them some squid until we had to get back in the boat. We then did some more snorkeling close by at some coral heads. A big green Moray eel came right at Connor and Grandma! It gave them both a little scare! The boat ride back was little bumpy and wet, but it was just another chapter in our great book! We're now back at our paradise home and ordered some takeout that we're going to pick up in a little bit! We're all a little crispy and tired, but it's a good tired!

A Report From A More Northern Paradise

Things might not be as bright and sunny as in Cayman, but life is going pretty well here. :) On Saturday Derek and I took our first bikeride of the season--26 miles-- out on the peninsula with a doctor that Derek met and his wife. It was great to be outdoors again! We also found a really cool country-store that was built in the 1800's that we'll have to take Mom & Dad out to when you come out in a few weeks.
We did have one 70 degree day on Monday, so we got out the bikes and rode with Ethan to school. Reid, Luke and I then rode over to the hospital and met Derek for lunch, and then to the grocery store. We LOVE bike riding, and made a mental note that Wellington might not be the place for us. :)
We have kept the house immaculately clean, as we've been showing it to potential tenants (which we are hoping for so we can end our lease one month early.)
Ethan informed me today that Luke was being "Laban"; when I asked him what he meant, he said he tried to trade Luke a car for a Lego man, and Luke just took the car and kept the Lego man. Talk about "likening the scriptures"...!
We got a few good faith estimates today, so I think we are well on our way to being able to buy a house in Ft. Collins in the near future!
And we did have our own surf-n'turf night here at home last week, and discovered the Reid, Mr. "I'm hung-weeee!" (that's hungry in Reid-speak) loves crab and steak. So he and Adin truly are two peas in a pod. :)
Derek and I have been going to the tanning bed, so you won't have anything up on us when you get back. :) Glad you're having fun!

Cayman Day 4

This is not near as important as Alec, but here is the report from yet another day in paradise. We slept in a little bit, although Mia was up at 6. Dad and me went diving in the morning and had two great dives! We got back at noon where we found our sun drenched family soaking up the rays. The kids were playing between the beach and the pool and hot tub. Dad and me then took Connor and Preston out to some coral heads to do some scuba diving (maximum depth of 7 feet). Dad and me would snorkel from above them and they would explore around the coral heads! It was so fun! The kids got to be up close and personal with a lot of fish! When we finished with them, Mom and Dad went out to snorkel the same area. Dad and me went out there again with the scuba gear and explored for about an hour. Connor did a ton of kayaking. He really got the hang of it. The boys then found a ton of snails and brought them up to the pool. We had a great meal prepared by the cook we hired and found that even Adin likes shrimp and lobster. Everyone liked the chocolate cake. Connor learned how to play Nertz, so tonight we'll be doing Nertz with 5 of us. We still wish you were all here!

Say Another Little Prayer For Alec....

FYI, Alec is getting tubes put into his ears in the morning. I saw the Doctor on Monday and he still had some fluid. I told her that I did not want to worry about that factor anymore and could she please do the tubes. She did not even hesitate and scheduled him as soon as possible. Since most of you are out of reach, I just thought I'd let you know. Love you all.

The Cayman's Day 3

And another day in paradise. Slept in a little later (8am). Drove to a beautiful port called Rum Point to catch a boat to Stingray City, but they cancelled our trip due to rough seas. That was okay. It was beautiful there. We took our lawn chairs and sat right on the edge of the water and then Connor, Preston, Dad and me went snorkeling. We then buried Connor, Adin, and Preston in the sand. We had some great blackened Mahi, Mahi. We then went back to our place and let Connor and Preston do some scuba diving in the pool, I swam in the ocean, we did some kayaking, and more snorkeling right off of the house. Then, we had some native Cayman's cook us a great meal of Chicken, Grouper, Plantanes, potatoes, and a salad. We're now just lounging around while the kids continue to go crazy. We should have another great day tomorrow.

Grand Cayman Day 2

Today, being a Monday and not a Sunday, was a lot of fun according to our kids. Dad and me went scuba diving in the morning, while Alyson, Mom, and Connor, Preston, Adin, and Mia hung out at the pool and on the beach. Then, we all went to the other side of the island to see the famous 7 mile beach. Oh, and we went to Hell! Yes, there is a city called, Hell, Cayman Island. Connor wanted to go to church in Hell, but we couldn't find one...The Church is True! Mostly, we had a great time even though our kids still fight, even on vacation!

Grand Cayman!

We're all here! Oh wait, some of us are here! After a long flight, we met up with Mom and Dad today. We have our own private beach house. We look forward to really diving into the beauty of this island tomorrow. I took this one picture of the boys discovering the beach and the ocean when we arrived. More pics will follow!

Preston the Hero!

Preston was the subject of our FHE this evening. Preston did a great thing. I'll try and skip to the most important details. There is a boy (Forest) in his class that has had some trouble making friends lately. Another boy, known to cause some trouble every once in a while, came up to Preston and said, "Forest says that your dumb and that you're not a good person." Preston responded, "That's not true! Forest is a good friend and he would never say that!" The boy couldn't believe it, it took the wind out of his sails and he turned around and didn't say another word. How did we hear this story? Forest was a little ways away from this conversation and heard it all. After school he went home totally excited and told his mom. His mom then called Alyson and told her this story. Why was it so important to him and his Mom? Forest has been having trouble since kindergarten with this certain boy saying mean things about her son. Forest's Mom and Dad have been telling him since kindergarten, "Don't worry, some day somebody will stand up to this bully and tell him the truth!" That day came the other day and our Preston was that boy! Now, his Mom said, "Thanks to Preston, Forest feels like he has a real friend at school!" They're already planning on having him over after school or on a weekend coming up. Good job Preston! I told him today after a hard lacrosse practice, "Preston, Heavenly Father really doesn't care if you are the best lacrosse player in the world, but He sure cares if you make one of His children feel better about themself!" Preston's frown from a tough lacrosse practice turned into a smile like the one you see here.

Connor Made Honor Roll Again!

Connor has now made Honor Roll every single semester that he has been able to make honor roll! We're very proud of him! The pressure is growing and this was the closest call yet. He made it by 0.3%. The great thing is that he is one of only two boys in his entire class to have made it! Now that he is a Junior Leader of America how can he do anything less?

2 Pianist Pea's in a Pod!

Connor and Preston blazed through their annual piano festival. This is a test day for their piano skills. They have to go into a room and play a song without any music in front of them, they have to sight read a song (play a song that they have never seen before), and take a written piano theory test! Both passed with flying colors and received honorable mention for their pieces. They put a lot of work into it!

Preston's Swim Meet!

Preston had a swim meet last weekend for 8 and younger kids only. He gave it his very best and was sure the best looking kid out there!

Matching Slippers

I gave Alyson and Mia these slippers for Christmas, but I got the wrong size for Alyson. She returned them and Mia wouldn't wear hers unless Alyson had some on as well so they didn't get worn for a few months. Finally, they came in and they are both happy again!

BIG BOY!!!

Guess who is sleeping in his own big boy bed! We are finally, after nearly ten years, crib-less. Actually he does not sleep here...we put him in the bed and he climbs down to the floor and sleeps next to the door. We try to put him into his bed again before we go to bed, however we are not sure if he stays. One night I checked on him much later (after we had already put him back into the bed) and he was on the floor again. Luckily he usually stays in his room...unless he doesn't! If he is tired he goes right to sleep, but he opens the door and comes out, if he is not. I am seriously considering putting a lock on the outside of the door so I can have some day-time quiet time on occasion. Also...we got such a kick out of him this night...saying his prayers like a big boy. Does it seem like we have only one child, or what?!!!!

one of the many good pictures I have

This is a picture that I modified with my amazing photoshop talent. I was updating pictures and remembered that I did this one and I really like the contrast. Tells a different story than the originial and really brings out the subjects personality;)

I think this is the technique that the little weaver's wanted to used on their christmas cards to make the hats red with the rest in black and white.

Need a good laugh?

Check out the "Hatch Family Blog" link and look at Nick's most recent post.

Waiting for our big news!!!

I am sitting at home, waiting for Derek to come so we can discover our "destiny" at 1:00 pm. This is such an unusual feeling of excitement and anticipation! I've thought about how it's different from waiting for a new baby, for example, because you never know when that moment is going to arrive. Or from instances when we waited to find out if Derek got into medical school or waited for test results, or any other such similar situations, where 1) we didn't know when the answer would come and 2) we didn't know if the outcome would be good or bad. This time, we are assured that we are moving to Grand Junction, Ft. Collins, Provo, Denver, or Greeley, all of which would be great!
Anyway, just thought I'd share my musings on waiting while I continue to sit here and WAIT! Well, I guess I can fit in 15 more minutes of cleaning. :) Talk to you all soon!!!

Salad recipe

Here's my new favorite salad recipe, if you want something to change up your week's menu a little :) Of course Derek doesn't like it because it involves fruit in a salad.

Spinach leaves
Shredded swiss cheese
sliced strawberries

Salad dressing:
1/3 C raspberry vinegar
1 C canola oil
1/2 C sugar
1/4 t salt
2 t minced white onion
1 T poppy seeds

In a blender slowly combine all ingredients except oil and poppyseeds. Slowly blend in oil and stir seeds in last.

Sugared pecans, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges would also be great additions!
(This is the same dressing we had on Christmas Eve, Fred & Nori)

Thawing out...

We've had 3 days of sunshine in a row! Life feels very good when the sun is out... living here has made me a believer of S.A.D. And now that Derek is done with tests, and we are just waiting until Thursday to know our fate, we are enjoying life more.

Shoveling slush in front of the driveway so it won't refreeze tonight...

We celebrated Ethan's birthday all day long on Friday... Grandpa Randy was in town, so we went to breakfast with him and then he came to Ethan's school for the classroom celebration. Friday night we had Ethan's friends who live next door come over for cake and ice cream. Thanks for the blog messages and phone calls!

We are Home, Oh yeah, Derek, we were gone.

Biking in Progresso, Mexico. Horse riding in Belize. ATV riding in Cozumel.

We are back from Mexico and Belize. Just an ok trip. We had some adventures, but the weather was not as summery as we had hoped.

Next trip Grand Cayman!!!! Hopefully diving and water!!!