Pool Day and some Playdough

Eating a pop in the cool bath to help his fever

(Thanks for the pops Mimi!)

I have gotten some cute pictures the last few days, so I figured I would post today while Isaiah is napping. We've been having a pretty boring week. Jessie and Beau are at home for a visit in New York, and Elijah has been sick the past few days with a fever, so with some of our friends not available, Isaiah and I have just been hanging out at home a lot. I'm getting nervous to start work....thinking that's it's been almost a full year since I had to go to work and leave Isaiah, but at the same time I know that he'll have a blast at preschool. He already knows half the kids in the class and they are his best buds, so it will be like a huge play date everyday.

The other night when we were folding laundry Isaiah was "helping"

and held my bra up to his chest and said, "Bra on"

The last couple of days we've just been out of the house to take trips to the grocery store or to pick Josh up at school and Isaiah went along with me last night to worship team practice. When we left Joe and Jakki's it must have been just the right time for mosquitoes because Isaiah and I got SWARMED!!! I counted 17 bug bites on me and thought there were only a couple on Isaiah, but when he got up this morning he's got a pretty nice collection of about 6 of them on his poor little left forearm! He doesn't look too bad otherwise, but I feel really bad that they got us!

Isaiah's first masterpiece hanging on our fridge!

Isaiah put his goldfish in this pan and looked at Josh and I and said,

"I cookin'!"

Today we headed to the Royal St. Kitts hotel for pool day with other Moms. People have been traveling and a few people have left, so our group was very small today and was just Isaiah and me and our friend Kristen and her son, Brody. We had a good time chatting while the boys enjoyed the cool water and toys we brought along, so it was nice. It was definitely fun for Isaiah and I to get out of the house and do something fun instead of just running errands! Josh is coming home this afternoon for a bit and to have dinner with us and then he is headed back to school to get in a couple more hours of studying. That's about it for us right now. I'm looking forward to maybe a beach day this weekend!

Isaiah wearing his Playdough "Gasses"--he thought this was hilarious!

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Isaiah cheesin' while coloring with some sidewalk chalk

(Thanks Aunt Ashley!)

First, I want to apologize for not posting in so long! I've been taking lots of pictures, but it just seems like there is always too much to do while Isaiah is napping! But today, I'm really going to try to get it done!

My boys watching it rain while the power was out

I feel like things are really getting busier here for us. Josh is getting into his studying for finals mode. There are only 4 weeks left in the semester and Josh is getting nervous about his finals. This semester he only has midterm and final exams, so it doesn't leave much room for error if you want to do well. I know he's doing an excellent job, but I think his anxiety helps motivate him to study hard until the semester is officially OVER! Another thing keeping me busy lately is getting prepared to start working. I will start training for my new job on campus next week, which is exciting, but also a little stressful. I've had the pleasure of being a stay-at-home Mom for the last year and I think it's actually going to be harder for me to leave Isaiah and go to work now than it was when he was just a couple of months old! I've got everything set up for him to start preschool at Ross' prep school on campus, so he'll be there 2-3 days a week while I work and also have a little extra time to get the housework and errands done.

Ready for Long's Bday party Saturday

(thanks for the new swim set Aunt Kate!)

Having fun playing in his pool on our porch

Isaiah was sick last week for a few days with a virus we're assuming. He woke up the middle of the night Tuesday night running a fever and that was really his only symptom the whole time. Finally, now since Saturday he has been fever free and back to his silly little self. He's getting to be quite a little comedian lately and constantly seems to be cracking Josh and I up. Last night we were talking about how much we love him and Josh and I both decided that if for some reason we never have anymore children that would be okay....because we've already got the most amazing child we could've asked for!

Elijah eating a popsicle in the bathtub

Isaiah with his popsicle

Hopefully this week things will be a little more back to normal for us since Isaiah is feeling better. I'm hoping we can make a couple trips to the beach and pool and find a few reasons here and there to get out of the house. I'm looking forward to starting work and Isaiah going to school, but I'm realizing that our life is going to get a lot more complicated than it has been! But that's ok....maybe it'll help ease us back into things because in about 16 months we'll be headed back to the U.S. and then things will get really crazy!

The boys LOVED playing with the lawnmowers!

(Thanks Aunt Deana!)

Elijah said, "I'm on Zi-Zayah's bed!"

The boys watching an Elmo video

(Thanks Kate!)

I hope you enjoy the pictures this week. There are several different ones. We babysat Elijah a couple of weeks ago and that's where all the pictures of he and Isaiah are from. They had a great time and we'll have to do it again to give Jason and Jen another date night! I'm hoping it won't be this long again until I post...I know there are several people at home that count on this to keep track of us and see Isaiah! We love you!

Isaiah during his nap the other day--

notice that he's holding a "CYCLE" between his hands while he sleeps!

Just some pictures....

COUSINS! :)

So cute!

Ashley just posted some pictures that she and Steve took on Facebook from while we were in Ocean City and I thought I'd share them with you. Josh and I had a great time yesterday on our movie date and Isaiah had so much fun at the beach with the Johnsons and playing with Eli that he didn't want to come home with us last night!!! We're so thankful for the great friends they are to us!

Best Friends, Buddy Cousins for life!

Sitting in the waves

Another view of Isaiah and Ella on the CYCLES!

Pool Party! (Happy Bday Joe!)

Ready for some swimming with his buddies!

Hey everyone! Sorry it's been a few days...I haven't been very good at taking pictures this week, so I'll try to do better! Not much new going on around here. On Thursday, Isaiah and I headed to our regular pool time to meet up with some other Moms and kids at the Royal St. Kitts pool. Not very many people showed up, so it was just us, Jessie & Beau, Kristen, and Allie. (Brody ended up going to daycare on Thursday) So, we had a fun time at the pool, it just wasn't quite as exciting as usual. After that, Isaiah and I came home and got some lunch and Isaiah a nap and then we picked Josh up from school and went to the grocery store to get some things for dinner and the weekend. Thursday night we didn't have any plans, so it was just making a nice dinner and having some family time just me and my boys!

He was ready to jump right in!

Daddy loving on his boy (and look at that hair!)

On Friday, Josh headed to school early (as usual) and Isaiah and I chilled out here for the day. Isaiah didn't go to sleep until late (2:30, I think) even though he was tired ALL morning and a little whiny, which had me frustrated! We picked Josh up from school and even took a walk to see the donkeys on campus, which is Isaiah's new favorite past time. I bribe him with getting to see the donkeys at school all the time, especially so he'll be good in the car on the trip to get Josh! Isaiah was excited to see the donkeys and Josh was petting one, but Isaiah wasn't too sure about that. He ALMOST touched one, but not quite! And then we just came home and had another family night here together. After dinner we took a drive down to the Marriott and got some gelato and took a walk outside to see the lights on the trees and around the pool.

Not sure about Long (who took these pictures!)

He wasn't happy because he just ran headfirst into a pole

(hence the red mark on his forehead above his right eye!)

Yesterday, Josh went to school early again to get in some studying before his tutor sessions and Isaiah and I just relaxed here. We did countless puzzles (well....the same 3 puzzles, just a ridiculous # of times!), played with Play-dough (which excites Isaiah and he makes this gasping noise when he sees it!), read a bunch of books, played in the tent, and rode on the truck! He is definitely a busy boy and keeps Mommy busy too! He got a good nap in after all the playing and when Josh got home from tutoring we headed to Josiah's bday pool party at the St. Christopher's Club which is where all the pictures from this post are from. Josh was pretty impressed with Isaiah's swimming (all by himself with just swimmies on his arms!) and willingness to go under water. Isaiah got to have some good Daddy time when Josh took him in the pool just the 2 of them and they played for a long time! We all had a great time visiting with friends and Isaiah had plenty of other kids to keep him busy....Damon, Ava, Elijah, and Beau were all there to play!

Loving some pool time with his Daddy

Being silly

Today, we went to church and then Josh headed to school to get some studying done. He's coming home this afternoon and Isaiah is going to go play at the Johnson's house with Elijah for a bit this afternoon while Josh and I go catch a movie together! I'm pretty excited to have some date time! Then after the movie, I'm headed to Bible study, as long as our movie doesn't run too long! So it'll be a little busy, but hopefully a nice day and Isaiah will probably LOVE spending some time playing with Eli!

My perfect day summed up in one picture.

Big Boy Underwear....well, not quite!

Isaiah Mo-hawked and ready for the Beach Party

on Saturday afternoon

Look how long it's getting on top!

I realized today that I haven't posted for a few days and thought I'd better get to it today! We've been having a pretty low-key week, so there's not much to talk about. Isaiah and I got to spend some time yesterday visiting Kristen and Brody, who just got back from a trip home on Monday. Jessie and Beau and our new friend Allie also came too, so we had a nice visit and the boys had fun fighting over toys! Why do they always have to want the same one when there is a room full of toys? I may never understand it! Then after Isaiah's nap we picked Jessie and Beau up at their place and the 4 of us headed to Rockies for some afternoon beach time. We were supposed to meet some other people there, but their boys napped too late to make it, but Jessie and I had fun with our boys and it was nice to get out and let them play for a bit.

Being silly in his Cookie Monster underwear

Last night, Josh had Bible study and then I encouraged him to go see Eclipse with a friend from school since he hasn't seen it yet and things are likely to get busier in the coming weeks as we approach finals. He decided to go and really enjoyed himself and hopefully some time without worrying about Isaiah and I...just some good time to relax! That meant Isaiah and I were together all day and all evening just the 2 of us! I was worried that neither of us would be happy with each other 'til the end of the night, but we really had a nice evening together! I made us some dinner and then we skyped with Gayah and Pappy Mark and then skyped with Mimi and Pappy McCahan, both of which Isaiah really enjoyed. He loves talking to both of his sets of grandparents about CYCLES which is his current obsession. (He reminds me a bit of his father already!) Then we watched a few Elmo and some other videos on Youtube and Isaiah went to bed without too much trouble. I on the other hand had an awful time trying to get to sleep with Josh not here, so I ended up watching a movie myself until he got home and we could both fall asleep!

Climbing up on the chair...look at the size of that kid!!!

Today was a day at home for Isaiah and I. Josh took the car to school, but is home already and working on his tutoring material for this weeks' sessions. Isaiah just woke up from a 2 hour nap and I'm hoping that's enough to keep us a happy kid for the evening! I decided to try big boy underwear for Isaiah today to see if that would help him figure out when he NEEDS to go to the potty, so that's what the pictures are from. I took him to the potty at 8am and he peed for me, so we put on the big boy underwear to give it a try and I planned on taking him to the potty again at 9:30am. At about 8:40am I realized his underwear were wet and around 8:45am I found the puddle in our bedroom to go along with it. Isaiah never said anything even once he peed on the floor and was walking around with wet pants, so I'm thinking we're not ready for the potty thing yet, but at least we gave it a try to see! I got some cleaning done around the apartment and I'm working on my 3rd load of laundry for the day, so I feel like I accomplished some things during our day at home too! Tonight we are all going to worship team practice together, basically just so I can spend more time with the boys and everyone in worship team loves Isaiah (and Josh too) so they'll basically go along to visit while we practice!

So cute and thoughtful during his nap today

The plan for tomorrow is our weekly morning at the pool with the other Moms and kids and I always pray for good naps on those days since Isaiah gets worn out pretty well! I need to try to get to the grocery store some time soon too! I hope that you all are staying cool at home and hydrating during your heat wave! I think the last couple of days it's been HOTTER in PA than here in St. Kitts!

Beach Party!

Such a cutie saying 'cheese' for the camera

Since I just posted yesterday there isn't too much to report today. I did take a really cute video of Isaiah and Josh reading one of Isaiah's books. It's an Elmo look and find and Isaiah is doing a really good job naming lots of things in the pictures and they were having a great time. He especially likes the page where Elmo and his friends are at the park and Elmo is riding a CYCLE!

Look and Find with Elmo

The other pictures I have are from this morning. Josh took our car to school this morning to get some studying done and for his tutoring sessions from 12-2. For those of you who don't know, Josh is tutoring a 1st semester class (Nutrition) this semester and has 3 groups that he tutors that total about 15 students. He's enjoying it and making a little money, so it's been really great. So Isaiah and I have just been hanging out at home playing, reading, and even watching some Elmo videos on Youtube. I found one we hadn't seen before of Elmo riding a tricycle and singing about it, which we had to watch twice!

Watching India.Arie sing the ABC's with Elmo

We did make some changes to how our room is arranged and moved Isaiah's crib up beside our bed. Josh took the one rail off and we have it pulled up to our bed and for the first time last night Isaiah did not sleep in our bed! With Isaiah and I visiting in Everett we all seem to have gotten used to having more room and none of us were sleeping that well once we were back together in one bed, so we decided to try this. I think Isaiah did all right with it, but I had a little trouble sleeping, I think because I was worried I wouldn't hear him when he needed me since he wasn't smushed in between Josh and I! It was nice to get back to sleeping next to my husband and for all of us to have some more room, so hopefully the new arrangement will work out well!

Isaiah taking a nap in HIS bed!

Sleepy boy

Josh is planning on heading home after his tutoring sessions this afternoon and we are all going to go to Gong Beach. The 2nd semester class is sponsoring a beach party and a large group of our friends are planning on going, so it should be a fun time to have together and with our friends here on the island. We had a great time at dinner last night with friends as well. Josh and I decided that PJ's is way overpriced and the service isn't great, so I don't think we'll eat there much in the future, but we did have a wonderful time visiting with everyone! I'm looking forward to the beach party as well and an evening at home with my boys after that!

Lots of fun with Daddy again!

Perfect little man

Both of my boys 'cheesin'

So I promised some people that I would blog today and then the camera's battery died and I couldn't locate the charger, but luckily I did find it and have a lot of cute pictures to share. I think I've said this before, but knowing that I want to have pictures to post on the blog helps remind me to always have my camera closeby and I think it's really helping me document Isaiah's childhood as well as our time here in St. Kitts!

Playing Peekies

The first pictures are from the other evening...maybe Tuesday? Not sure of the timeline, but Josh took Isaiah out on the porch and they played for a good while with sidewalk chalk. It was a really pleasant evening with a good breeze and I got some really good pictures of the two of them. Josh even traced Isaiah's feet and then his hands and he LOVED it! It is so nice for me to see my boys back together and having so much fun! Isaiah wasn't too sure of Josh the first 24-36 hours we were home, but now he wakes up asking about Daddy and wanting to know where he is and he loves playing with Josh whenever he gets home from school for the day! It is a wonderful thing to have our little family back together again!

Wednesday night, Josh watched Isaiah so that I could go with some friends to see the new Twilight movie, Eclipse! It was crazy at the movie theater, but a great time with friends and I really enjoyed the movie too! Isaiah was really good for Josh until he started to get tired and wanted only his Mommy. Guess you can't really blame the kid if the only parent that's put him to bed in the last 6 weeks is his Mom, right? Josh was a good sport about it and only felt bad that he couldn't comfort Isaiah, but I think both the boys were glad when I made it home!

Goofball: The sunglasses are from Bible school and Isaiah's friend,

Elijah let him borrow his truck to ride for a while!

Yesterday Isaiah and I took Josh to school and came back and hung out at home for a little bit. Then we got ready to head to our weekly pool play dates at the Royal St. Kitts at 10. Isaiah had been acting really tired after waking up at 6am, so my plan was to only stay until he started getting fussy, but he just kept going and going until we finally headed home around 12:30 and the poor little guy was asleep after only about 3 minutes in the car! We had a good time there even though our group is much smaller at the present time. (Some families have left for good and some are just home in the U.S. visiting for a while) Isaiah took a really good nap for me when we got home and woke up in time to eat some "lunch" (at about 3:45pm!) and then we picked Josh up at school after his tutoring session.

Isaiah and Josh playing in the pool

Last night we went to Jakki and Joe's for worship team practice. I was reminded again last night how lucky we are to have such a supportive and wonderful church family in St. Kitts. I mean, I loved getting to go to church at my home church with my family while I was home, but God is definitely providing for us in all sorts of incredible ways here on the island too! I'm excited to get back in the swing of our lives here and hopefully Josh will even be able to have a little fun this semester!!!

Squirting Daddy with the "Sharky"

This afternoon, Josh came home and made some lunch and we got to watch part of a movie together before Isaiah woke up from his nap, which was nice. After Isaiah ate some lunch we blew up his pool that Gayah sent back with us and he had fun playing in the yard in his pool for a while. Tonight we are going out to an Italian restaurant called PJ's for dinner with a group of friends. Our friend, Autum, sort of organized it as a "Welcome Home" dinner for Isaiah and I, although I think she was just really craving some PJ's food! Either way, we should have a fun night relaxing and eating some good food with some of our closest friends here. I hope everything is going well for all of you at home. Isaiah and I definitely miss everyone (he misses his best buddy cousins, Ella and Buggie (aka Lydia) the most I think). We can't wait for Christmas to have some more time at home and are also really excited for Lynne's visit to St. Kitts in August!

Laughing at Daddy