Cat trip and movie night with friends! :)

Being goofy before bed with his Bink and my sunglasses!

Proud that he made Dr. Elmo (the vet) with his blocks by himself!

Playing with the doggie that Mommy made.

Cutie pie

Isaiah and Josh relaxing on the couch watching a video together

Sorry that I missed blogging this past Friday, but I had a great excuse! The prep school puts out a calendar each year to sell that benefits the Sea Turtle Monitoring Network here in St. Kitts that is based out of Ross and the pictures on the calendar are chosen from students at the prep school who submit pictures of the island. We submitted a picture for Isaiah of a sunset when we were out to eat at Spratnet and any kids that submitted photos got to go on a Catamaran trip on Friday and I was able to go along with him. Jessie and Beau also went and Missy went along with her boys, Eli and Gabe. We ended up having a gorgeous day with a tiny 5 minute rain storm in the middle, but the boys were very well behaved, enjoyed swimming in the ocean, some beach time on the shores of our sister island, Nevis, and they all fell asleep for at least part of the 1+ hour trip back home.

Excited to be heading out on the catamaran! Isaiah loves boat rides just as much as his Momma apparently....he had a great day!

Missy and Gabe

Beau and Jessie

Isaiah, Beau, and Gabe

Isaiah and Beau

With his vest on and ready to swim!

Isaiah, Beau, and Gabe enjoying some fruit punch!

So tired from his day of boat rides and swimming!

This weekend was mid-semester break, which means that the students didn't have school on Monday and they are supposed to have some time to relax and hit the beach with their friends and family, but Josh has two mid-terms left (one tomorrow, one Friday) so he spent the entire weekend and his extra day busy studying. Of course, Isaiah and I are always bummed when Josh has to study, but we're hoping that maybe we can get in some good quality, family time this weekend to make up for it! Josh also starts his procedures on his animals he has been SOAPing all semester this week. After his exam on Friday, he has his sheep anesthesia and will be anesthetizing the sheep while 2 of his other classmates practice laceration repairs. Next week, he will get to have his turn doing his laceration repair and I think he's actually excited for that!

Brayden, Isaiah, Damon, and Gabe ready to walk up to campus for a BBQ last week

Isaiah requested a snack the other day and he said he wanted cheese, crackers and beans. When I asked what kind of beans, he said, "Umm...red beans. Yeah, I like the red beans!" Only our son would put cheese and beans together for a snack!

On Sunday evening, Isaiah and I went to the Heller's house where they hosted a Movie night for the kids! Everyone brought something for a potluck dinner and the kids watched Despicable Me, well....sort of. There were a lot of kids and I think that made them a little more distractible, so I think that Eli (who is 5) was the only one who watched the whole movie while the other kids played with toys and made a mess of Jessie and Andrew's apartment! Luckily, there were lots of kids to help clean up the mess too and we had all the toys put away within about 5 minutes!

Ava, Isaiah, Damon, & Beau (on couch)

Eli & Gabe (on floor)

for Movie night!

Monday, Isaiah 'helped' me run some errands. Once a year we have to pay a 'wheel tax' on our car and June is the month we have to do ours, so Monday morning Isaiah and I took the car to get inspected (which is apparently a relative term since the 'inspection' took all of 5 minutes!) and then we had to go downtown to the Inland Revenue Service office to pay our wheel tax and get a new sticker to put in our window. Isaiah was really well behaved and waited through everything, so I promised him a gift. He got to go to the store and we got him a little hand-made drum that will also double as a good St. Kitts keepsake for him!

Happy boy

He loves these big chairs at Rituals!

Enjoying his donut!

We took Josh to school early one Saturday morning, so after we dropped him off, we went to Rituals to get a donut and he was so happy!

Yesterday, we went to the pool at Silver Reef and met up with Kori & her daughter, Blaine, Diane & Mason, and Katie & Kaelyn. Isaiah really enjoyed the pool at Silver Reef....it is shallow enough that he can touch and walk on his tip toes, so he spent most of the day walking around and 'practicing' his swimming going from me to the steps and back several times, all without his swim vest on! I'm hoping we will start of build some confidence, so that he can start to practice some real swimming on his own soon! We've got 7 more weeks on this island and we're going to see how close we can get!

Being silly and wearing Daddy's glasses!

I've also been working with Isaiah the past few weeks with some pre-writing skills. He has trouble making shapes and letters on his own, but is doing great tracing letters and shapes when Josh and I make them for him. Last week and this week, we've been working on tracing on paper and mostly out on the sidewalk with the chalk (which Isaiah calls Chalk Walk instead of Sidewalk chalk!) and he's doing really great. He can tell you the letter in his name and yesterday was the 3rd time we had practiced tracing the letters and he did an amazing job and has improved so much just since last week. He is also getting to the point where he gets really proud when he knows he's done a good job, so I think that's helping provide some motivation for him to do his best. I know we're a ways off from him being able to write his own name, but I'm really proud of how well he is doing with the tracing so far!

Tracing his name

He traced my sun (mine is yellow, he did the green) and gave it some more rays!

He did a really good job tracing his A!

I can't believe that we're only 7 weeks away from leaving St. Kitts and for Isaiah and I it's for good this time. I'm definitely sad that we won't be here with Josh for his last semester and we will miss our friends, but I am also really looking forward to having so much time to spend with our family at home. Isaiah asked yesterday how we get to Ella's house and I told him we had to go on a plane. He said, "Okay. Let's go get on the plane now, so I can go to Ella's house and see her." He also has requested a sleepover with Ella when we get home. So....when I worry about Isaiah missing his Daddy too much, I remind myself that hopefully Ella and Lydia will help make up the difference a bit!!! Love you all...and see you soon! :)

Movie time!!!

Isaiah relaxing and watching a movie!

Pretty sweet setup

This past weekend was ALL about the movies! On Friday night, we invited people over, but it ended up working out easier for us to go to the Chins' for dinner and a movie. We decided to show the kids Kung Fu Panda and Josh and I then planned to take Isaiah to see the sequel, Kung Fu Panda 2 at the movies on Saturday afternoon! Isaiah and Ava LOVED watching the movie and had a great time playing together. It was nice for the adults too, as we got some time to talk and hang out while we got dinner together for the kids. Josh and I had fun watching Tavius crawl around and try to 'steal' food from the big kid's plates! It was a really nice evening and we were very thankful that Jason and Jen let us crash their place for the evening.

Isaiah and Ava relaxing and watching Kung Fu Panda

Tavius was on the move!

(I think he looks like he and Isaiah could be brothers!)

They were really into it!

On Saturday we took Isaiah to the movies. Jessie and Andrew decided to bring Beau to try out his first movie in the theater, Harley brought Damon, and Fernanda and Ignatio brought Patricio, so we had a whole row of parents and little boys to watch Kung Fu Panda 2! All 3 Henry's really enjoyed the movie and we can't wait for the next time we can take Isaiah to the theater. He behaved even better this time, so Josh and I were both really happy that we can all enjoy movies together! :)

Ready to go to the movies!

This week has been a little crazy. There was a little Ross drama this week with some people in Josh's class which has now been resolved, but it made things a little more stressful to say the least. I have been working and Isaiah's been doing well at school. This morning when I dropped Isaiah off, one of his teachers took his backpack and lunch, Isaiah gave me a big kiss and RAN into his classroom without me! It was so amazing to get a kiss and see my little boy happy to be at school before I left to start my day!

Isaiah was so excited!

The Henry family in our 3-D glasses!

Beau rocking the 3-D glasses!

This weekend, we don't have too much planned. Tomorrow after Isaiah's nap we are going to a pool party for Mason's 1st Birthday (he lives next door to us with his parents, Matt and Diane). Josh and I are teaching Sunday school this Sunday--the 2nd week of Sunday school ever at CCF. The kids had a great time learning about Jonah and the Whale last Sunday and making whales out of paper bags, so I'm hoping they will enjoy our lesson about Ezra this week too! Then I will have Bible study on Sunday evening and Josh will have Bible study on Monday evening. A week from today is Josh's first mid-term exam, so I'm sure he will be very busy studying for exams this coming week and next. Please keep him in your prayers. This semester, he only has mid-terms and finals and is a little stressed about that. Hope you all have a great week! I will try to post again next Friday! :)

The boys played Ring-around-the-Rosie in the lobby after the movie--So cute!

Beach and Pool fun!

Happy boy!

This week has been another pretty typical week. With Josh's schedule being a little more time consuming with SOAPing, Isaiah having a set school schedule, and me having a set work schedule, things are starting to go pretty much the same all the time. I finally feel like we're getting into the 6th semester routine! On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, Josh is SOAPing in the afternoons (in addition to SOAPing every morning since he ended up the odd man out in his class without a partner) so Isaiah and I hang out and play at the prep school after school those days until he is done. Usually Isaiah is ready to head out before Josh is done, so we usually end up feeding the tortoises before we leave too, which Isaiah really loves to do! On Tuesdays, Josh has been driving himself to school, so Isaiah and I usually have a lazy Tuesday hanging out at home. Thursdays continue to be pool days at Fairways with the other Moms and kids.

Brylee, Brayden, Isaiah, and Beau at Shipwreck Saturday morning

Isaiah and Beau

(trying to get these 2 to both look AND smile at the same time was impossible!)

Isaiah, Damon, and Beau playing in the Caribbean surf

Isaiah running around...I like that you can see his footprints!

Tonight, we are hosting a MOVIE night at our house for some of the other couples with kids. I borrowed our projector from church and we're going to watch Kung Fu Panda. Josh and I are going to take Isaiah to see the sequel tomorrow afternoon after his nap and are hoping that some familiarity with the characters will help him sit through the movie tomorrow! He did great at the 1st movie we went to, so we're hoping we'll have another good trip. Josh and I LOVE going to the movies and it's something we definitely miss since having Isaiah, so it's nice now that we can look forward to taking Isaiah with us to see some kid-friendly movies!

Dressed up and ready for church!

Not sure what this pose was about! He looks like such a little man!

Tavius chilling in his float while Jen gave him some

water in his bottle...he's a pretty chill little guy!

The kids playing on the deck at the Chin's house Sunday after church

Isaiah can swim like a pro with his vest all by himself

(Now we're just starting to work on kicking/moving his arms without the vest!)

On Sunday, we will be helping celebrate Beau's 2nd birthday at his birthday party in the afternoon. It will be at their new place at the POOL, so I'm sure Isaiah will love it! Hopefully I will get some good pictures from our movie night and Beau's party to be able to share with you next post! Hope everyone is doing well at home! We love and miss you all! :)

Tavius lounging on my lap while Jen made his lunch

Sweet boy

Damon and Isaiah were showing me their muscles in their 'MUSCLE SHIRTS' they told me!

Weekend retreat, haircut, and tortoises!

Dr. Isaiah!

We babysat Eli a few weeks ago and the boys had fun with spiky hair in the bath tub!

The boys at SpratNet for dinner last Thursday

Finally got both of them to look at me and smile!

Sunset from SpratNet

We had a very busy weekend last weekend! Our church group had a retreat weekend called Real Life/Real Impact sponsored by CVM (Christian Veterinary Mission). CVM sponsors these retreats at several U.S. vet schools and for the past few years has been sending speakers and providing meals for Ross students too! It was a great weekend! We had several great speakers talk on various subjects and they all were able to tell us their life experiences, about mission trips they have been on, and how you can incorporate your faith into daily veterinary practice. We were invited to dinner at SpratNet on Thursday, dinner was provided Friday, breakfast Saturday morning was a potluck, lunch and dinner were provided Saturday, and on Sunday after church, a brunch was provided at Jasmine's restaurant which is at the Frigate Bay Resort where we meet for church! Isaiah LOVED getting to spend all that time with Eli! They loved playing and getting dirty and running around like crazy boys!

Ethan, Autum, Chelsea, and Josh during their Sudan presentation

for the Real Life/Real Impact weekend

Isaiah, Eli, and Jen doing some reading during the Sudan group presentation

The boys really enjoyed playing with the diggers in the dirt!!!

Eli's dirt face

My dirt muffin

This week has been a pretty normal week for us. Josh has been SOAP-ing every morning which leaves Isaiah and I a bit lonely as we get ready for school or one of our lazy days. Josh may have to start SOAP-ing more since he doesn't have a partner and his 7th semester partners sometimes SOAP alone and some of the 7th semester professors aren't happy about that. I'm praying that doesn't mean that Josh will have to SOAP twice a day, everyday just because he was unfortunate to be the one person in his class that didn't get a partner because of a mistake when they wrote down his height!!! We definitely feel like we're seeing him a bit less this semester and don't need anything else to take up more of his time! He has been working really hard with SOAP-ing and studying for his mid-terms that will happen in a few weeks. In July, he also has most of his surgical procedures for his surgery class, so that will definitely keep him busy as well!

Isaiah has been doing so AMAZING with school drop off lately. For the past 2 weeks (so the past 6 drop offs) he has practically run into the room and over to play while I put his stuff away and then is busy playing when I leave. There has been no crying and this Mommy is SO happy about that! I know that the crying when I left was harder on me than on him and I would worry for hours after that he was still upset and/or not having a good day and I feel so much better leaving him happy and playing with the other kids!!! He's also doing great with going to the potty like a big boy. I've had to reinstate a reward system, only on school days, to get him to actually go tell his teachers when he has to go. Since promising he can have M&M's when we get home if his pants are dry I don't think we've had any accidents at school, so I'm hoping that will continue. All in all, Isaiah is getting to be a really sweet, caring, and hilarious kid! We are loving this stage (aside from the sometimes temper tantrums) where he is so funny out of the blue and so sweet too. He now gives me a good night kiss and then turns my head to give me another kiss on the cheek! Also, when we tell him our plan for the next couple of hours, etc., he'll respond by saying, "That sounds like a gweat idea!" He really does keep us entertained!

Isaiah and Eli running around and playing during our retreat weekend.

Running to come see Mommy.

Cutie pie!

Buddies!

Sharing some gummies at the end of the evening.

Our only other big news is that Isaiah got a new haircut yesterday. His haircut from over break was pretty much grown out and with the weather getting ever warmer here and Isaiah being a really sweaty little boy anyway, the longer hair was just too much! So, I took him on campus to see Noel (his wife is a professor at Ross and he has a room in the dorms set up like a salon/barbershop) yesterday before we went to swim. He wasn't too sure about Noel at first, but ended up being really good and sitting still for his hair cut. We're really pleased with it! It's a lot shorter on the sides and a little shorter on the top which will hopefully help Isaiah feel cooler and more comfortable! Here are some pictures of his new 'do!

Ready to feed the tortoises some flowers!

Smile!

Feeding the tortoises

He was saying, "Here you go buddy!" and when the second one came out from the bushes he said, "Look, he's coming out! I'm so proud of you buddy!"

So happy with the tortoises

Happy to see Daddy after school!