Helicopter Ride

There was a special mission here with the American war ship Kearsarge. The embassy gave us the great opportunity to go and tour it. Being so big, and having certain rules, the boat had to stay afloat about 1 mile from shore or something. We drove to the Dominican air force base and rode these huge helicopters out to the boat and then had a fabulous tour. A storm came up and we were thinking maybe we would have to spend the night on the boat, but they decided to take us back to the navy base instead. We got to ride on these huge hauling boats that sit in the bottom back part of the war ship. The warship can sink its back half a little and then open up into the sea to load and unload things. That is where we went and were "unloaded into the sea." It was absolutely fascinating! I learned so much of our armed forces and the good they do. It was strictly a peace keeping, medical mission. They were able to be near Haiti when so much of the devastation had occurred and were able to take thousands of gallons of water and other supplies in these hauling boats. I happened to meet the Colonel on an airplane a few days later and he said it was such an awesome mission...that he was amazed at how humanitarian the young service people were. He mentioned it as being hopeful when we worry so much about the 20 something kids we have. I am definately proud to be American...even when not everything in our system is perfect. These service men and women sacrifice so much! Six months out, some in, and then out again. They were very kind and professional to us. One of the other really interesting things that we saw was their six operating rooms. The Kearsarge is a special medical boat that goes to different parts of the world to help other countries, but also our own troops. They had about 100 doctors working together from several countries doing dental and eye work for this specific mission. We asked the most common surgery and the chief surgeon said, "vasectomies and apendectomies." I had to make sure I understood right, so I asked if a vasectomy was what I thought it was. He said yes, they come to make sure they can have no more babies! I thought he was talking about the different countries that they serve, but he was talking about our own troops! On their was home they have the surgery or their wives, girlfriends don't want them back!!! I thought that was a little funny, but in actuality, incredibly sad. So complicated...Life is not easy, that is for sure. Hope you enjoy part of our experience!

Most beautiful Caribbean Beach

We went to playa Rincon this weekend and had a blast. It was absolutely beautiful. Hope to go back someday soon.

My cousin Beckah

Well, she got here without a hitch--even with tropical storm slash hurricane!

Madison Princess

Well, we DID start something! I was about to leave to workout when Madison woke up and was hysterically crying. I tried talking to her, holding her...I had no idea what was wrong. She has bad allergies and her eyes were all swollen so I thought maybe she was sick or something. After about 10 minutes of just holding her, turns out that she had taken out the little pink curlers that we put in her hair last night and her hair just wasn't curly enough! She was SOOO distraught! So I stayed home from working out and we curled her hair a little more, but of course couldn't stop there! We then had to take pictures. This could seem like a new bad habit, but at least she is caring about her appearance--before brushing her hair was a nightmare! Now she asks me to :)Isn't she beautiful!!!

The Campo

It is so fun to go to the campo and see how most of the real world lives...granted, I can come home and take a shower and wash my hands, drink water that is decontaminated and not worry about the heat or bugs! But, our trip to see our housekeeper's girls was awesome. The girls loved all the animals: bunnies, a donkey, ducks, turkeys, pigs, and lots of chickens. They were so kind to us and so friendly. The grandpa used this gigantic machete to peel and orange for Layla and I just had to document it! They were kind enough to let the girls ride the donkey and we saw all kinds of fruit trees--avocado (which we ate, mango (season over), cherries (which we ate--the red color fruits), squash, beans, papaya, gourds---everything right there by their house. Such a beautiful country and people.

Layla Zooloo

I bought this cool necklace from a Colombian friend of mine that is made from a "Dalmation bean." Hence the black and white spots. I am usually not so daring in my choice of jewlery, but this was just too cool. Layla put it on, naked of course, and she reminded me of Shaka-zulu. So cute!

Morning Sunshine

I came home from working out this morning to find my two little princesses dressed up and ready to take pictures. I think we have started something here! :)

Happy Birthday Tobias!

Tobias turned 35! "I,m lucky to still be alive," were his words. The girls and I all went to his office to give him his presents and then Mikaela ate most of his favorite Toblerone :) Then we made him his favorite cake and shaped it in a heart. Mom and Dad then went out to dinner--yes we had dessert first with the girls and sang Happy Birthday. Dinner was quiet and nice, and it was fun to get dressed up. We were suppose to go to a resort just the two of us, but our nanny needed to go out this weekend to help some people in the campo. It was serendipidous that we didn't go because the rain started Friday morning with a tropical depression and there was a huge accident on the way to where we would have gone killing 20 people. So we decided we would just dance at home and have some alone time. I sure love my husband! We listened to my new favorite song that describes my Tobias to a T. Basically the words say that No matter the season it is always Christmas time because I know your mine. He is my miracle. I love you Tobias.

just for dad

So...these are pictures just for grandpa! Happy memories :)

Beautiful girls

Well, I have to say our girls are beautiful and actually pose for pictures sometimes. We try to capture these moments and linger on the memories :) We have had a fun time dressing up and doing our hair. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

Animals, animals!

We go to a ranch of our friends often, and the girls just love the animals and getting dirty. The mangoes were such an added treat this year!

Everyday life in the DR

Drive-thru Mango shopping...Who could ask for anything better??


Grocery shopping for yummy food! Notice the sticker on Opa's head!


Swinging in the backyard.

Resort WIth Oma and Opa

Well, this is our third trip to a resort and we feel absolutely spoiled! Look at this beach! The girls got their hair done and refuse to take it out! They swam 24 hours a day with daddy while mom sat under a tiki and enjoyed the breeze. We went to a fun Japanese restaurant and they had fire!!! Wahhoo! The seafood restaurant was actually really gross...but the Japanese place was awesome! Sushi was yummy and cooking in front of you kept the girls attention for long enough that we could eat our food! We took long walks on the beach early morning and late evening. We ate and ate and ate...The girls really liked getting anything they wanted. Talk about gorging and wasting! Resort atmospheres are fun and can be relaxing, but they are also incredibly indulgent. We are ready to go home at the end of five days, eat healthier and do something productive!

Beach Bums

VACATION WITH OMA AND OPA

We are almost done with our tour and are just now finding the most amazing places to take visitors! This little Isla Catalina (island) was incredible. We took a huge catamaran out to one side of the island to snorkel (Mikaela decided to sleep again to avoid the big swells and the less-than-smooth ride) and then they took us to the other side that was absolutely phenomenal! The water was so blue and clear, and the sand so white! It was paradise. No vendors, not many people...it was perfect. We got drenched on the bumpy boat ride back, but both girls slept the whole way. This must have been Oma's favorite trip. Too bad we don't have a boat!

Punta Cana Vacation

We just had a family vacation on the east coast of The Dominican Republic and all absolutely loved it. We love that we have the time and means to do these things that make such an impact on our little family. The beaches in this country are awesome! We loved swimming, playing and enjoying being together.

Mikaela turned 2!

Mikaela is two! What a day of fun with the family. We opened presents and just kind of played the whole day. Tobias took the day off of work and we enjoyed opening presents and using them throughout the day. Most of her friends are not around right now (just moved and vacation) so Madison was very distraught that we didn't have a big party for her. Madi needed them (and boy have we had them!) but we almost had to force her to open her presents. Finally we just let Madi do it for her (that is what Madison really wanted anyway!) I learned that home made cake is always better--period. We wish family and friends could have been closer, but it was a good day and we sure love our little family. The biggest event of the day was that we got rid of her binki!!!! We are still working on potty training... if she is naked, she will go in the potty, if not forget it! Oh well, we rushed the first one and are still paying for it. I am just not stressed about this one. Parenting is definately NOT about knowing all the answers!

These are our girls with MY birthday cake! So fun! I'm 31!

Pigeon excitement!

Our Layla sure loves animals. Isn't her little voice so cute!

Princess Madison

Madison and mommy had our date night together at Princesses on Ice (Disney production) It was great fun! Madison dressed up like Cinderella and was in heaven. She keeps asking when we can go again. She kept saying during the performance, "Why can't I go up on stage??" I asked what she would do on stage and she said she would do what they were doing. I think we have a future actress on our hands! :)

Daddy--open your eyes!

Tobias was surrounded by so much joy he could hardly even keep his eyes open!!!!

Happy Faces!

Can you see the seventh heaven on their faces?

Humpback Whales

So this is why the whales are called humpback. If they are going down into the ocean for a long dive they will flip their tail and splash downward (they need the momentum). But if they are just going down for a few minutes then they just hump their backs and keep swimming. This is our famous couple--there are more pictures below that are bigger so you can see more detail.

What a VIEW!!

This is the amazing pool where the girls just loved to swim! It feels like we are always on a tropical vacation..oh wait, we are!

Tired girls . . . and Dad

This is what happens after all day in the sun watching whales--we were toasted and exhausted!

This is a beautiful little bed and breakfast we stayed at when we went to see the whales in Samana. It was really a wonderful retreat and as always, never long enough!

Madi's Cinderella the first

Poor Cinderella the first, died of some kind of crazy diarrhea that just showed up out of nowhere. We bought her a new bunny and it had to be named Cinderella as well. This is the first...probably of many. The girls wake up wanting to be with the bunnies and all through the day we are playing with them. It has proved very therapeutic and a wonderful blessing for everyone. The only rule for the grown-ups is that Tobias takes care of them...period! The girls' most important rule is "BE GENTLE WITH THE BUNNIES!!" Sometimes rough love is all they know :)

Madi's turn

Mikaela was brave enough to grab a pigeon at the park the other day, but Madi just didn't get the hang of it. She cried so much some guy felt sorry for her and brought her one to hold. That is one thing that I love about the DR, the people love the children.

Brigham

We've had some visitors this year and Brigham was the latest to leave. It was so fun to share our home with him and some of our favorite adventures. The girls loved him and cried when he left. Tobias was so excited to have an adventure buddy! Here we are at a restaurant on the ocean--great food and better company. Incomparable scenary.

Bird Lover

Here we go again! Our friends were grossed out by the pigeons on the Cathedral's grounds, but our girls were in heaven. The birds would land on your arms and eat like crazy the corn we gave them, and then our girls would grab them from my arms. Mikaela was hilarious and in seventh heaven! Again, we always no diseases are transmitted!

Puppy lover

OK, so this girl is going to be a vet or something! She absolutely loves animals and can't keep her hands off them! It is so fun to be around her when the excitement starts. This dog was at the beach and we successfully avoided him for three hours and then lost the battle! She would pet him and lay by him and talk to him--it was really cute. We are hoping no diseases were transmitted in the process!

Eternal Summer

We love the DR!
When we got back from Christmas break the weather here was absolutely perfect! We loved going for walks and being outside--it was just so perfect. The weather is starting to change and get muggier and hotter--but we still LOVE IT!!!! WE go to the beach at least once a week, and with all of our visitors we average more than that. I get to go lots because I am always home--constant vacation is nice...and we get to come home and feel "useful" because we still clean up and go to work and school. Having the Caribbean within 40 minutes is wonderful. We will move in December, but we don't talk about it much as we are just really enjoying our time here.
Our girls are growing tons and we are too actually. This is like a Spring of our lives--Russia was literally and figuratively a winter. We will remember this time for years to come. Madison is 4 and a half and we are now beginning to have to make some school decisions for her. She is already doing pre-kindergarten here and could continue in the Fall--but then going home in January she would not be able to continue because her birthday falls in November. Likely she would have to repeat kindergarten again in Mozambique. We have been praying and reading a lot as many things are coming up. Madison is very intelligent and learns very quickly - her current struggles are more with emotional development, controlling her temper and change in general. We have been working hard and are making improvements, and we have wondered if the home environment will be easier for her at this age. As we read and pray it is heartening to see how the Lord whispers and helps us understand things and then we will find answers with books we have been reading. We are leaning towards taking a break from her "schooling" until Africa so that mom and Madi can concentrate on some home-based learning for a while.
Just so it doesn't seem negative please know that Madison is an incredible little girl, so energetic and creative. We went to see Disney on Ice and she kept saying, "but I want to be on the stage, Mom!" I told her that she would be a wonderful actress someday. She also LOVES our two bunnies and actually will wake up happy if we take her a bunny first thing in the morning--which might not seem like much, but is an incredible achievement!! Her little friend Emma just moved back home to America and we were saw her and her family off at the airport. Emma and Madi had really made a connection, in part because the are quite similar. When she left Madison cried and cried, and they just didn't even know how to say good-bye. It was sad for everybody - friends make such a difference in our lives, even more when you are overseas. We are so grateful for the gift of having friends, and feel very blessed.
Layla is so big now with beautiful blond hair. Each time we go to the beach it gets blonder. The ends are in cute little curls we just love. She is starting to talk a bit more and it is just too fun to hear her new words. The girl bunny is named Cinderella but Layla has started to say "rella." We love it. She is a great helper around the house, especially with the laundry and dishes. Both of the girls love water! Any excuse to get wet is so wonderful. They get soaking wet helping to wash dishes with me and we are all happy.
Mikaela and Madison have more recently developed quite a bond, and often are partners in both helping and in "crime." They also get noticed wherever we go, mostly because their coloration is so much different than most Dominicans. Everyone seems to love their blond hair--and people also just love babies and little kids here. If they go with me people are so much nicer! Thank heavens for nice people. And thank heavens that there are things, like cute kids, that help people remember the softer, kinder side of life. We all could use help to focus on the good in our lives so that we can approach all that comes our way with more hope--I know it has made a difference in our lives. We love you all and hope this finds you well.