A Dream Vacation...Yeah Mon

O.K., I'll admit I've been a very neglectful blogger... While I won't bore you with the details, let's just say our lives have been EXTREMELY CRAZY (but really fun) lately.

We managed to squeeze in a fabulous trip to Jamaica a couple of weeks ago. Many of you know that Jason and I have a side business called Premier Blind and Shutter. We spend evenings and weekends on this business and it's lots of fun. Well, Jason worked so hard the past few months that he was able to earn a trip to Jamaica at an all-inclusive Sandals resort. Lucky for us, Jason's brother, who sells blinds and shutters with us, earned a trip for him and his wife as well.

So the four of us left from the Pocatello airport at 7:00 PM. We arrived in Jamaica the next afternoon around 2:00 PM and took a 2 hour bus ride from the Montego Bay airport to the resort. We were extremely tired after the plane rides and long layovers, but the island was so beautiful that I couldn't sleep through the bus ride. Traveling by car or bus there is crazy and I felt so fortunate to have made it through alive. I was also surprised by the many, many goats running around everywhere. The foliage was beautiful and thick and very tropical, as you might imagine.

Jamaica is a relatively poor country and it was humbling to see the dwellings built from scrap metal all along the highway. It made me realize, once again, how fortunate I am to live in this fabulous country. I can't ever remember seeing a house built from scrap metal in the United States. I'm sure they probably exist somewhere, but I have never seen one. These little homes were a stark contrast with the very nice, very large British-Colonial style homes built just above them on the hill. Everywhere we went there were men all along the highway holding up fruits and stringers full of fish (mainly Snapper), trying to sell them to the passers-by. One taxi driver told us that a minimum wage job there paid about the equivalent of 60 U.S. Dollars per week. Wow!!! Even with their meager financial circumstances, the Jamaican people that we met were the happiest people ever!! I've never seen such beautiful smiles and they sing everywhere they go. They truly believe in their ever-popular saying, "No problem." We heard this over and over and it was always accompanied with a gigantic smile.

We heard tons of reggae music and I have a new appreciation for Bob Marley, although I didn't make it to the Bob Marley Hall of Fame. (Darn! Maybe next time.) Jason and Ryan were approached several times by "farmers" who were eager to share their "crops" for a small fee. :) I joked with Jason that we could have smoked our way across the entire island. Is this why they're so happy?

After arriving the first day, we took a short nap and got ready for dinner. The resort had the largest and nicest swimming pool that I had ever seen and dinner was held around the pool. It was buffet style and the food was delicious. The resort employees were all shocked when none of us ordered alcoholic drinks with our dinners. The booze is all free and they kept telling us, "You're in Jamaica, Mon!" We even had one kid ask us if we were Christian. When we told him that we were he said, "Oh, I want to be just like you guys when I grow up." My brother-in-law quickly offered to have missionaries come to visit but the Jamaican just laughed. I don't think he's quite ready to give up his rum, which is the drink of choice there.

The next day we took a taxi to the famous Dunn's River Falls. With a group of about 25 people we climbed over 900 feet up a beautiful waterfall. The guides were fantastic, telling us just where to step and when to step up or down. The entire group holds hands in a line for the climb. At first I thought it would make it more difficult, but as we climbed I could see that we all were able to help each other as we went along. We were told that these guides go up the falls every morning with a wire brush to scrub all of the slippery algae off of the rocks to make it safer for everyone.

The next day we spent some time on the beautiful beach. The weather was fantastic with lots of humidity, that I actually found very comfortable. I especially liked the chirping (is that the right word? Probably not.) of the frogs at night. It sounded similar to our crickets (hence the use of the word "chirp"), only the frogs seemed to be much more pervasive. It was a beautiful sound. We rode water trikes, ocean kayaks and Hobie Kat sailboats, all of which were loads of fun.

In the evenings there was plenty of entertainment provided by the resort. We really enjoyed the staff and guest talent show, the couples gameshow and the awesome steel drum band. Jason has always been a huge fan of steel drums. (I know someday we're going to own some-where on earth will we put them? They're huge!) The drummers were amazingly talented but their dance group was unbelievable. I've never seen such high spirited dancing go on for so long. It was unforgettable! No wonder the Jamiacan people are so thin and so fast. (Hussein Bolt is really idolized there, as you can imagine.)

The last night we attended a really nice farewell party on the beach. It was decorated beautifully and the food was delicious. We enjoyed lobster, conch, snapper and every other thing you could possibly think of, even macaroni and cheese. Jason drank coconut milk from a fresh coconut, but said it wasn't very good. And, of course, the fruit was amazing.

The trip was super busy and loads of fun. We tried to spend all of our free moments at either the beach or at one of the beautiful swimming pools. It was a great trip but we couldn't have gone without the help of my Mom and sister who came to stay with our kids. I missed them terribly and got teary when I told them goodbye. But when I got home it didn't seem like they had even missed me. Ha!! I'm sure this just means that they were very well taken care of. I know they had lots of fun with Grandma and Aunt Suzy! Thanks to the both of them. We could never have enjoyed this opportunity without them.

The Weirs-Jason, Melanie, Nichole and Ryan

Yeah, Mon!!

Back To School...Already!

Nathan started back to school this week. Where has the summer gone? For those of you that don't know, Nathan attends Special Needs Pre-School at our local elementary school. He qualifies for this wonderful program because he utilizes a walker and has gross motor delays. Last spring Nathan attended the school 3 days a week for a few weeks until summer came. He really liked going, especially riding the bus, and I thought the program and the therapy that he received at school were very beneficial. This year he'll go to the school 5 mornings a week and will receive all of his therapy at school.

For a few weeks before school started we reminded him that he'd be going to school soon. We talked about riding the bus, seeing his teachers and his friends and learning new things. We talked it up as often as we could. I hoped that on the first day Nathan would be ready to go with no nervousness or sadness. Well, it worked!!! On Wednesday morning I got him up, fed him breakfast and got him dressed in his new school clothes. He looked so handsome!! When it came time to meet the bus he said goodbye to Lauren and Landon and told them he'd see them after school. He was happy to see his friendly bus drivers and didn't show the least bit of sadness when he got on the bus.

I'm so proud of Nathan and all that he has accomplished this summer. He's a very smart, very determined and very funny little boy. I often say that he's a pleasure to parent. While it's difficult to let him go to school, I'm convinced that this extra help will be for his benefit. His school therapists are wonderful and are determined to help him build strength and balance. We hope that one day soon Nathan will take off walking and leave his walker in the dust. Won't that be exciting??!!

Big Smiles For School

To keep him safe, Nathan utilizes his "ride" for the bus ride. Once he gets to school he uses his walker (we call it his "wheels") and his "ride" is put away. Go Nathan!!!

Swimming Lessons

This week our kids started a two week session of swimming lessons. It's a "Mommy and Me" swimming class and each little person needs a big person to help them in the class. For this reason I've had Jason and some of my Young Women from church helping me. The boys are absolutely loving the lessons. They like to kick their legs, float on their backs and are O.K. with having their head under water for a brief moment. Nathan especially likes it and said to me recently, "Mommy, I'm a good swimmer." Lauren, however, is another story...

The first night the teacher asked if we could all dunk under water. I used my funnest, happiest voice to convince Lauren that it would be O.K. and then put her head under water. Well, she FREAKED!!! She started cyring and hanging on super tight to my neck and saying she wanted to get out. I promised her that I wouldn't do it again, but my promises were in vain. Jason tried working with her. He reassured her and told her that he'd hang on tight to her. She endured the 1/2 hour class and was relieved to finally be out of the pool. Then, as she was walking on the concrete around the pool, she tripped and fell and skinned her knee and ankle. The tears started all over again. Needless to say, I think I've ruined Lauren in regards to swimming. The next night she stayed in the pool for about 3 minutes and spent the rest of the class sitting in a chair a safe distance from the pool. We'll hope that tonight is better for her...

Shalissa, Landon and Sydney

Jason and Lauren-The smile on her face was very brief.

Nathan and Sydney

A big THANK YOU to all of the girls who have helped us with this. They have been wonderful and our kids love having them come to swim with us. We couldn't give our kids this opportunity without their help.

A Very Fun Weekend

Last weekend our family took a trip to Boise for Jason's cousin's wedding. It was a fun event and we enjoyed visiting with Uncle Pete and the Weir family. As always, there were lots of laughs and funny things that happened. The Weir family is a fun and funny bunch and we always enjoy getting together with them. Congratulations Mary and Rocky!!!

Uncle Pete, Mary and Rocky

The kids thought the wedding was O.K., but they loved staying at the hotel and eating at restaurants. They especially loved our trip to the Boise zoo and even tolerated a little bit of shopping at the Outlet Mall.

Landon, Nathan, Lauren and some of their penguin friends.

The zoo was fantastic with great monkey and penguin exhibits. The kids really liked watching the penguins swim. The way the exhibit is set up you can stand inside and see their little feet kicking under water. Our little ones were fascinated and are still talking about seeing the penguins. It was a very fun weekend for our family.

Sooooo Tired

This week the kids have all had a little bit of a cold. It hasn't slowed them down much but they've been a little tired and had runny noses.

Yesterday I was busy doing chores and could hear Nathan saying, "I want you Mommy." When I asked him what he needed he said, "Put me on the couch." I told him that I was busy and that he was a big boy and could get on the couch by himself. A few minutes later when I walked past the couch, this is what I saw.

I couldn't believe he had actually fallen asleep like this! I guess he really did need my help getting on the couch. He was just too sleepy to make it all the way by himself. Poor little guy!

To the mountains!!!

This week we enjoyed 4 days of camping for Jason's annual family reunion. We all had a wonderful time and I can't remember the last time I was able to relax for that many days in a row. With no washing machine, no house to clean, no lawn to mow, and the shared meals, it truly was a break for me. The kids played long and hard each day and stayed up late at night. I think they're still trying to recover.

We started each morning with a yummy breakfast together. We ate pancakes, eggs, sausage and bacon. (I'll probably have to call my cardiologist to have my cholesterol meds increased.) Then we enjoyed mountain golf, 4 wheeler rides, art projects, playing in the dirt, eating more yummy food, playing in the dirt, fly fishing (with little success), eating more yummy food, playing in more dirt, fighting with the kids to get them to sleep, and a nighttime campfire with marshmallows, conversation, laughs and mosquitos. Here are a few photos...

Here is Jason panning for gold. Lauren thinks she sees something, but unfortunately riches were not found and Jason will be returning to work at the hospital on Monday.

Jason and Landon on the 4 Wheeler. Landon loves motorcycles and 4 wheelers and couldn't wait to ride.

Landon shucking corn with the "big boys." Landon followed them everywhere and was sure he was as big as they were. They were very tolerant and included him every time they could.

Would you believe that Jason put her on kicking and screaming? He said she calmed down as soon as he took off and she returned with a beautiful handful of wildflowers for mommy. (Later Jason informed me that picking wildflowers is illegal. Oops!)

Lauren playing a round of mountain golf. This has become an annual tradition enjoyed by all. It was started by Grandpa Gordon who couldn't give up his almost-daily golf game during family reunion week.

Nathan eating one of the yummy meals that we had. Why does camping always mean eating? Anyway, as you can see, he thoroughly enjoyed his chocolate chip cookie.

Landon and his buddy Jerratt. Jerratt is Jason's cousin Tami's son. Thanks to Jerratt and his brother Justin for taking such an interest in our kids. They kept them entertained for hours and are such awesome kids!

Lauren coloring a picture using Jerratt's paper and pencils. He had her all set up at a table just her size.

This hole in the ground provided hours of fun for all of the kids. Here Lauren and Nathan are playing with Shannon. This picture doesn't accurately depict the immense amount of dirt in their hair and ears, but you get the idea. Thank heavens kids are washable!

This picture perfectly portrays the way we were all feeling by the end of the week...tired. This is Nathan sleeping next to Grandma-Great. I thought it was the cutest picture.

As you can see we had a wonderful time. Thanks to all who came and those who helped put all of this together. And thanks, especially, to Jason's grandma for creating such a wonderful group of family. We are truly blessed and will look forward to more fun and more dirt at next year's excursion.

Happy 4th of July!!!

Lauren, Landon and Nathan

We had a wonderful 4th full of fun, fun, fun!! We started with the parade in the morning. The kids LOVED the candy the most. They also really liked all of the horses and the motorcycles. Lauren HATED the fire trucks. Every time she saw one coming she grabbed onto my neck and nearly strangled me. She did not like the sirens at all. The parade was quite long but the kids sat there the entire time and were totally into it. It was great.

Jason, Lauren and Landon

Melanie and Nathan

Later in the afternoon we took our boat out on the river. We had such a fun time riding around, tubing, splashing our feet in the water and swimming.

Nathan and Jason

Landon

Lauren

But the highlight of the entire day was watching the fireworks on our boat. We were able to get right under them and they were extraordinary. Landon provided non-stop commentary through the whole show ("I like orange/purple/blue/green best.", "That was my favorite.", "That one was sparkly.", etc.) and Lauren and Nathan were in quiet awe. (I think they were getting tired by then.) We are so blessed to live in this wonderful free country. Our family is grateful for all of those who have fought and who continue to fight for our freedom. We hope your day was as nice as ours. We were tired by the end but loved every minute of being together.