Mom, Is That God?

 

On Monday morning, we were on an early morning walk around a nearby lake and Carter saw the sun rays coming through the clouds, much like this picture I took in Puerto Rico.

He was riding his bike ahead of me, and when he saw this he just froze and waited for me anxiously.

When I caught up, he said to me in such amazement,

"Mom, Is that God?"

What would you have said?

Going, Going, Gone!

"Going Once, Going Twice...."

It's a common phrase to any auctioneer,

But I didn't think it so literally described Steve's travel itinerary 

until this recent Puerto Rico job.

45 days ago, Steve left for his first trip of many to Puerto Rico for work.

Total days spent in Puerto Rico since then: 33

Total days spent at home: 12

Most time spent at home in one single stretch: 3 days

Seems like the scales were unevenly weighted. 

Felt like it, too.

But the good news is that Steve's auction was this past weekend and it went GREAT!  Way to Go!  Steve was heavily involved with all the marketing, negotiating, open houses, and more for some condo properties throughout the island.  

And he also got to be the featured auctioneer (featured, I say, because remember--he doesn't speak spanish.  Um, kind of a major detail when conducting an auction in Puerto Rico, so he tag-teamed with a bilingual local auctioneer, Luis).  So after 5 live auctions in 48 hours, and the majority of 2 months spent away from his family, Steve was ready to come home -- tropical beach or not!

And we were ready for him to come home, even if it was just to prove to some of my new friends that moved in while he was gone that he truly does exist.

So, I'll have to kiss my girls' nights, slumber parties, and early bedtimes goodbye for sometime, and say hello again to Movie nights, date nights, game nights, barbecues, hangouts, etc.  I'm so HAPPY to have him back!

Here's a list of somethings I got done, though, while he was gone:

   1.  Planted 3 bushes and 142 flowers.

   2.  Sponsored free babysitting at my house so my friends could go on dates.
   3.  Bought 12 bags of mulch, laid down 2, then stacked the rest for Steve's to-do list upon    returning.
   4.  Met Curious George, himself.

   5.  Reorganized the kids' clothes and closets.
   6.  Went Garage-selling.
   7.  Took the kids to Wisconsin Dells with 5 cousins.

   8.  Mowed my lawn and my friend's yard.
   9.  Volunteered in Carter's preschool.

   10.  Did the whole Easter Egg thing.

   11.  Bought Carter our first pet fish-- that was dead by morning.

   12.  Went to Chuck-E-Cheese for our first time ever.

   13. Had several slumber parties, for me and the kids.

   14.  Found all kinds of parks we'd never been to before.

but all of this is trumped by the mere fact that

    15.  I kept the kids alive and happy to see Daddy when he came home!

The Tropical Beach Screen Saver Really Exists!

We found it.

The most beautiful beach I've ever seen.

This was Vieques.  It's an island an hour from Puerto Rico, and so serene and beautiful!  

 

We spent the afternoon enjoying paradise and collecting shells for our kids.

Private.  Pristine.  Perfect.

Steve notes: The Polynesians make it look so easy!

Oh yeah, and I saw the first crab of my entire life.

And on the ferry ride back to Puerto Rico, these two awesome parents even had time to call our own Moms.

Who knew T-Mobile had coverage in the middle of the ocean.  Who knew.

What a rejuvenating day to kick of the shoes and relax.

I think this is what "Paradiasical Glory" means.

But out of curiosity, what's the Guilt Factor for spending my Mother's Day here instead of with my kids?

More than Just Looks

Obviously, Alana inherited MORE than her looks from Steve.

Check out the size of THAT burger!
Totally from Steve's side.
I won't touch a burger to save my life.

No matter who we are
how old we are
what trials we've faced
or where we are in our journey of life,
We are all children of God.

We are still children.
Still needing help.
Still learning.
Still growing.

Even the most grown up grown-up I know, is still a child.
A child with more to learn.
A child who is not perfect.
A child who is still turning to their Father
For help.
For guidance.
For strength.

No one has grown up so much that they are no longer children of our Father in Heaven.

We are all somewhere along the same journey.
Back to our Father in Heaven.

All in a day of Puerto Rican fun...

Hiking in a Tropical Rain Forest

Yunque Rainforest -- Just like the Google Stock Photos of a Rainforest.  Just like that.

Wow!

 

Swimming Under Waterfalls

La Mina Falls:  An incredible hike into the forest.  MAN -- that water HURTS as it falls!

 

Discovering a Private Lagoon

Los Angelitos, still in Yunque.  Thanks to the locals for tipping us on this trail.  A beautiful a warm lagoon, rope swing, and all these mini waterfall pools.  WOW!

Late night Kayaking in a biolumiescent bay

Biolumiescent: Basically, it glows in the dark.  Yes.  The Water glows in the dark.

This was the most amazing thing EVER!  The water glows neon green when ANYTHING touches it:  Our hands, our oars, our boats, the fish, etc.

When I reached my hand in and let it pour over my fingers, it looked like:

1) The Gatorade commercials with the dudes sweating neon Gatorade (Steve's idea)

or

2)  I was going to change into a super hero with this radioactive stuff! (That's me)

We didn't take our camera, so here's a cool idea of what it was like.

 Basically it happens because of a specific organism in the water, that glows when touched or moved.

So what did YOU do last Friday?

Puerto Rico....That Lovely Island...Island of Tropical Breezes...

That song from West Side Story has been running through my mind since we booked this trip a month ago.

Thanks to Steve’s amazing recent gig selling condo developments in Puerto Rico, we just enjoyed the most incredible vacation of our lives!  (I think I say that after every getaway we have!)

We left on Thursday morning.  Note to self:  Get the exit row EVERY TIME.  There was so much leg room, my 5’3” legs couldn’t even reach the seat in front of me-ok, 5’2 ½”!

 As soon as we picked up our rental car in San Juan, and dropped off our stuff at Steve’s condo, we hit the ground running, and didn’t stop until we boarded again on Monday.  We had the most AMAZING food at this Mexican Restaurant –feliz cinco de mayo...

And speaking of things we ate, yes, Steve and I both tried Kangaroo at a very fancy beach resort.  I’m still a little heartbroken about that...even though it was only a little bite.

Thursday we loved Old San Juan – the castles, walls, and forts that the Spanish built in 1500 when they discovered the island and claimed it as their own.  Even the city itself was the most beautiful right-out-of-a-movie- setting I have ever been to.  Everything was so quaint, clean, safe, colorful, EVERYTHING smells like flowers, and at sunset when we sat to rest in a park, a young town troubadour began strumming his guitar to traditional Spanish tunes.  There you have it, our movie-set was now complete with our own soundtrack.

So of the 95 pics from Old San Juan, here are a few. 

 The Fort (El Morro) and Castle

Thanks to my Mom and Dad for watching our kids while we were gone!  Me—gone on Mother’s Day?—I’m not sure that was so fair.  The kids LOVE going to Grandma’s and who wouldn’t, with a house dedicated to fun!  A Basement with swings and a jukebox,—let it be noted that when I grew up, we had a slide down the stairs—an Upstairs family room full of all our childhood toys, books, and dress ups.  And grandparents who see this as a 5-day slumber party with their grandkids, more than a childcare gig!  The kids have come home GLOWING with joy and have felt soo loved from their grandparents!  WE ARE SO LUCKY!

Stay tuned for more!

How to get Aquaphor out my child's hair...

Not words I thought I'd ever have to type into Google, but type I did, and came up with over 5000 search results.  Apparently it's quite a common theme for 3 year olds these days.

And thank goodness it was, otherwise we'd be stuck with Mr. Greasehead for the rest of his life and an unwilling mother to buzz it all off.

It all happened when I agreed to let him have "quiet time" instead of a real nap.  Nuff said?

Well, when it didn't come out after washing his hair 4 times in the tub -- this vaseline-like ointment is VERY waterproof--I turned to the wise ol' Google, and came up with SEVERAL concoctions that included peanut butter, baby oil, cornstarch, and yes -- scissors, and finally fell upon one I was willing to try:

First, douse the head in Baking Powder until he looks like he's wearing an 1800s Colonial Wig.

He may not like you rubbing it in:

Next, wash with --what? --yes, dish soap.  Thank goodness for the "gentle on hands" clause.

Then be grateful that MOST of it comes out.  I rewashed his hair with shampoo right after (5th shampoo), and again the next morning after another round of Dawn (6th shampoo), and we are starting to look back to normal...