I am a little behind on blogging, but I will try to do better! Emma had her first field trip in the beginning of February. They went to The Stuffington Bear Factory in Phoenix. It is similar to Build-a-Bear Workshop, but they make all their animals on site at Stuffington. The kids got to tour the back work space, make a bear and hear how teddy bears came to be. Emma picked out a pink teddy bear and named her Pink Sparkles! (She's such a girly girl!) Emma loved it and I'm glad I was able to go with her.
Jon and I just got home from a wonderful, fabulous, amazing vacation to Puerto Rico! We had so much fun and I have never been anywhere more beautiful! In some places I felt like I had jumped into a postcard. Jon left last Sunday on a business trip to San Juan. I left on Tuesday and arrived in San Juan around 10 p.m. Tuesday night. I was sad to fly in over the ocean in the dark because this was the first time I have flown over the ocean. The first thing that hit me when I walked out of the airport was the humidity...it was nasty! Jon and I got our rental car and drove back to the hotel where Jon negotiated a room with a view for no extra charge. I walked out onto the balcony and just gasped...it was incredible! Our room overlooked the pool and the beach. The pool by itself was pretty, but then to have the beach right there was amazing! We walked down to listen to the waves for a bit and then went to bed because Jon had to get up early the next day. Wednesday I woke up after Jon left for his meetings. The first thing I did was go out onto the balcony and I felt like a kid in a candy store! I think I actually jumped up and down and giggled a little bit! To see the ocean at night was one thing, but to see the beautiful color of the water in the day was quite another. I have only ever been to the beach in California but the Atlantic is so much prettier! The water is actually aqua colored instead of a kind of putrid greenish blue. And it doesn't stink like it does in California! I pulled myself away from the view for a bit and went to the workout room and ran on the treadmill, so that I could justify any vacation eating habits! :) Then I headed for the beach where I stayed ALL day! The weather was perfect...in the 80's with sunshine and enough of a breeze to make me forget about the humidity. I would switch back and forth between the shaded pool area and the beach so that I didn't get too sunburned. Jon was done with meetings by about 4, but had a dinner that night. He changed and met me on the beach and we just walked around for a bit. I couldn't believe how warm the water was! That night while he was at his dinner I just enjoyed the view and watched a movie.
Here are the pictures that have the view from our balcony. you can see the beach and the pool and the middle picture is the view at sunset.
On Thursday we went to El Yunque...the national rain forest in Puerto Rico. It wasn't too far from where we were staying. The weather that day was cloudy and rainy, but it was still warm. Jon made fun of me, but we were both glad to have the rain ponchos that I brought to keep us from getting completely soaked while hiking in the rain forest. We looked silly, but we were dry! The rain forest was a great experience. There were several hiking trails that led to different parts. We decided to take the Big Tree trail to La Mina Falls. Just as we started out the rain came pouring down...but it was kind of fun! The falls were beautiful, but we decided not to swim. That water was a little cold. We liked trying to listen for coqui frogs (the kids thought that was cool because there is a Dora episode about coqui frogs) and looking at the different trees and vines hanging everywhere. There was bamboo, which sounded like wooden wind chimes knocking together in the wind and there were HUGE leaves everywhere. I've never seen leaves so big. The one I'm holding in the picture wasn't even the biggest that we saw. Right off the driving road is La Coca Falls. These falls ran down a straight rock wall. It was very pretty. How often can you say you've been to a rain forest? We thought it was pretty neat!
Us in our goofy ponchos at La Mina Falls
La Coca Falls
After the rain forest we drove to Fajardo where we wanted to catch a ferry the next day, so we wanted to make sure we knew where we needed to go. Driving in Puerto Rico is crazy! The streets are about half the size they are here and people drive like maniacs. I am really surprised we made it through without an accident! After locating the ferry we found a little shack of a restaurant, but we were so hungry we just decided to try it out. I ordered a chicken salad and Jon ordered conch (which he loved). For those that know me, you know I do not eat seafood of any sorts. Well my "salad" came out and it was not like an American salad. It looked like coleslaw with meat in it. But the meat was definitely not chicken! I could instantly tell by looking at it. But Jon made me try it and it was seafood of some sorts, but we are not sure what it was. My guess was maybe octopus because it had a sort of purple color to it. But Jon has had octopus before and said it didn't really taste like it. But, whatever the mystery meat was...it was not chicken. So I ate my rice and beans which I thoroughly enjoyed. The rice was cooked perfectly and the beans are more like a stew with chunks of ham in them. They were delicious. After lunch we went back to the hotel and changed clothes so we could go to Old San Juan. We went to El Morro which is a fort built on the the edge to town to protect against sea attacks (pirates included). It was started in the 1500's and they made a last addition during World War II. It was pretty incredible. I have never been somewhere that was so old and had so much history. The fort was huge and had several different levels, a lighthouse on the top, a cemetery, a chapel, and some old cannons and artillery. The construction of it was really neat to see. There were circular and triangular staircases that were built to give the soldiers quick access to the different levels. This was definitely one of the coolest places I've ever been to. We took way too many pictures at the fort, so enjoy the slide show...
After touring the fort we walked around Old San Juan for a bit. It was getting late so some of the places I wanted to go into were closed, mainly the Cathedral. But we took pictures of the outside. I loved walking through the cobblestone streets just admiring the Spanish architecture and bright colors. We passed by a Ben and Jerry's and it smelled so good we decided to get some. They actually made their own waffle cones and that was the wonderful smell. It was so yummy eating delicious ice cream in a warm waffle cone!
Old San Juan
Our last day there we took a ferry to Culebra. It is an island in the Caribbean about an hour away from Puerto Rico. And there lies what Discovery channel rated as the 2nd most beautiful beach in the world...Flamenco Beach. The ferry ride was an interesting experience. All the reviews we read said to be there an hour early to get a ticket on the ferry. So we were there and the ferry was an hour and a half late! The were loading several trucks and cars onto the ferry and it took forever!! We were happy to finally board and start the journey to Culebra. You can see in the pictures the water starts to change as we get closer to Culebra. It got more and more clear and beautiful! Just the bay was beautiful! I was glad to not get sick on the ferry, but I think the open air helped.
Once we got to Culebra we took a van to Flamenco Beach. I couldn't wait to see the water! There were several little shacks set up with food and rentals. Jon really wanted to snorkel and I decided it was time to get over my fear of swimming in the ocean and try snorkeling with him. I figured there was no better place than the Caribbean. We got our gear and headed down to the beach. The first view was absolutely breathtaking! It was the most amazing and gorgeous place I have ever seen! The sand was white and so soft and fine and the water was such a beautiful color of aqua with very low waves (perfect for snorkeling). We found a place to set our stuff down and headed out to the water. It took me about 10 minutes of just standing there before I built up the courage to go under. But I did it!! And it was pretty cool. There were a lot of grassy areas where fish were and the visibility was incredible. It was like swimming in a swimming pool. The temperature was even nice. We saw a fish that looked just like Dori from Finding Nemo. The kids thought that was cool. I am so glad that I conquered that fear! It was definitely worth it. But I told Jon not to expect me to ever swim in California...it's cold, dirty, stinky and not as pretty! I am completely spoiled now!
There were some old WW II tanks just sitting on the beach. Pretty cool!
After our wonderful day on Flamenco Beach we went to catch the ferry back to Fajardo. We should have know that since the ferry was 1 1/2 hours late in the morning it would be the same in the evening. But it made for some pretty pictures going back at sunset with a full moon rising. This was by far the most amazing place I have ever been. And if it is the 2nd prettiest beach in the world, I would love to see the 1st because I can't imagine anything prettier!
Culebra at sunset and a full moon
Jon and I are in full agreement that this was the best vacation we have ever taken. We are already wanting to go back. I highly suggest a vacation there for anyone who wants to relax and see some amazing sites!
Over Christmas break we took Emma and Derrick out to the Wildlife World Zoo. It is a drive out there, but it is a nice zoo. It was not nearly as crowded as the Phoenix Zoo and much easier to navigate around (no hills!). They have some nice aquariums so the kids were able to pet starfish and stingrays. Derrick, of course chose to ride the train and Emma wanted to ride the Sky Ride. There was a petting zoo with baby goats and deer. And they also fed the giraffes. They thought that was pretty cool! I actually thought it was pretty cool! Then they got to pick out toys at the gift shop. Derrick picked some binoculars and Emma picked a monkey. It was a really fun day!
In memory of Louise Brenay...an amazing wife, mother and grandma. I truly feel blessed and privileged to have know such a remarkable person. The fact that she battled cancer for 9 years shows her strength and determination in life. She could light up a room even through her pain. We hold many wonderful memories of her dear to our hearts. She will be greatly missed...WE LOVE YOU!
A couple days after Christmas we headed up to Young. There was a little bit of snow on the ground in Young, but we stopped on the way home where there was more to let the kids play. When we got there, Grandma and Grandpa had gifts for the kids. Grandma had made them pajamas and slippers. Derrick's were green frogs and Emma got a pink nightgown...perfect! Derrick refuses to go to sleep unless his green slippers are on his feet! They were wonderful gifts especially because they were handmade by Grandma. It's hard to write this right now because Louise isn't doing good at all. This trip will end up being the last time the kids and I were able to visit with her. Jon is there right now with his brothers and sisters and Louise is only expected to live a couple more days, if even that. For those who don't know, Louise is Jon's step mom and she has been battling cancer for several years. She is an amazing woman and we love her very much! As we were leaving Louise told me in a happy voice, "I had a good time." Even though I knew she was not feeling well and she laid down most of the time we were there, I know she was glad to see the grandkids and I am very thankful they got to see her one last time. So here are our snow pictures from Young, where I am sending all my love right now.
We had a a really good Christmas this year! The kids woke up around 7am and could hardly wait to get out to the tree. Every year up to this point we have had the kids eat breakfast before opening presents, but I knew that wouldn't fly this year! We also say every year that we aren't going to go crazy with Christmas, but why even say it because we always go overboard. It's just too fun! The kids opened their stockings and gifts and then we made them eat breakfast and told them they had to get dressed to go outside to see another really big gift that wouldn't fit in the house. Emma thought maybe it was a giant snowman! :) Emma was lucky enough to receive 2 of the same gift! Santa and Aunt Stevi think alike, but we are going to exchange one pony play set for another at the store. Jon and I already got our own gifts. I got an iPod touch and Jon got a new bow. But we still filled stockings for each other. Jon's had cologne in it and mine had an iTunes gift card! After breakfast it was time to show the kids their swing set. Jon put in about 20 hours of work putting it together. Luckily Ron was able to help with some of it. We told the kids that he was building a fence and every time he would get a big piece put together he would hide it on the side of the house. One day Derrick looked out the window to see all the wood in a pile and said, "Whoa, dad is sure doing a good job buldin' that fence!" Good thing 3 and 5 year olds are easily fooled! Their reaction to the swing set was exactly what we hoped for! They loved it and stayed outside most of the day. It was probably in the 30's when we first took them out there, but they didn't care! That afternoon we went to my parents house for Christmas dinner and present exchange with cousins. My parents gave us money, which we will use to take the kids to the Wildlife World Zoo in Phoenix. It was a wonderful day and I found myself crying in my prayers last night just being thankful for such an amazing husband and 2 great kids! We are truly blessed! Merry Christmas!
Riding the bus with Hannah
Emma with her friends outside the Factory
Learning how bears are made...
A very flat bear!
Making a wish
Stuffing her bear
Watching as her bear is stitched up
Giving her bear a bath
Some giant teddy bears!!
The "Hallway of Bears"
Emma's Kindergarten Class
