You Only Live Once

Today the boys and I drove to the other side of the island to zip line in the rain forest at Maya Eden.

Evan had no fear, volunteered to be the first to go, and jumped at the idea of hanging upside down while on the line.

Keagan cheered his way across the first zip, but truth be told I think he had more fun feeding the spider monkey and getting up and close with the indigenous animals in the park.

I'm already researching vet schools with men's soccer teams.

Wes zipped, fed the monkeys, and was attacked by a green macaw.

Not to be left out, I zipped and only had to be rescued once when I braked in the middle of the line.

We are having the time of our lives, people. I will die poor because I will spend every penny earned traveling the world and living life to the fullest. We've made the boys promise to never marry a girl without a passport. They've agreed. I feel like our mission in life has been accomplished.

Flying High

Good news! It's been a full 24 hours since Wes coughed up a lung. I guess the salt air does cure all, or maybe the heavy doses of meds had something to do with his recovery.

Had he not been well he wouldn't have been able to do this.

Today he and Keagan parasailed 800 feet in the air over the reefs. Keagan said it was the best thing he has ever done. 

Evan did this. 

He spent the morning reading ESPN headlines and memorizing scores and stats. 

I'm still drinking Roatan's Kool aide and loving every minute!

Just Call Me LaLa

Have I mentioned that the snorkeling here in Roatan is the best we've ever seen? Today we took a boat ride to Spooky Channel and Blue Channel to snorkel.

We saw a lion fish, a barracuda, parrot fish, disco fish, and rainbow fish, just to name a few. I wish we had pictures of each and everyone, but it's job enough for me to keep water out of my pipe and mask. Camera maneuvers and my OCD to create perfect pictures would ensure my drowning.

We also went to a sand bar to snorkel with star fish.

And we visited a dolphin park where we caught a dolphin in mid-jump. Ah-mazing!

If the snorkeling wasn't superb, the national drink is enough to make me want to come back. I've had one, or maybe several, Monkey La Las in the two days we've been here. 

I even found a bar that serves two for one at happy hour. I got so excited about half price drinks that the boys have said my new name should now be Monkey LaLa.

Don't Count on my Return to Civilization

We made it, but better than that we flew for five hours yesterday and Keagan didn't get airsick! We have mastered administering Dramamine and will never travel with Keagan again without it. We didn't see many families with young children at the airport; I suppose we are the only ones crazy enough to bring our kiddos to Honduras!

We arrived to the resort yesterday to people everywhere. I was dubious of our choice. But a big group checked out this morning and the locals are not spending the afternoon at the beach. It's tranquil and perfect today! 

The garden outside the condo is beautiful and the coral is the best we have ever seen! The fish you see in Eric Carle's "Rainbow Fish" are real! I saw them today! I can't even begin to describe the snorkeling; it's probably the best we have ever seen. I want to drink more of your Kool Aid, Roatan!

We've been a lot of places and our bucket list is still heavy with places to see, but I just might have to come back here again next year. Let's just say Ex-pat is now in my vocabulary.

He's Still Got It

It's good to know he still has his dance moves.

Santa Was Here

Merry Christmas!

It wouldn't be an early Christmas morning if something wasn't being assembled in the wee hours. Mr. Claus was up until 1:45 putting together a basketball goal. Just a few bad words were said while in the garage putting the thing together. It was pushed outside in the early hours ready to surprise the boys at the end of a scavenger hunt. A big storm blew through in the middle of the night, though, blew the thing over, and the backboard broke! Mr. Claus was NOT happy. Another few choice words were thought if not said.

Keagan got a cross-bow, a new book, and a soccer trainer to wear on his shoe.  He said it was a wonderful Christmas because he also got new underwear that "feels great and hit my day off with a great start; these don't leave marks on my skin."

Evan is going to soccer ref school next month, got a football trivia book that he said was crap because he knew none of the answers, and a new wallet to replace the Mater wallet he has had since he was five. With new soccer gear, a basketball goal, and footballs all given as gifts this year, he said, "Man, this has been a sports filled Christmas." I can't say we haven't had a sports-filled Christmas, though, since 2009 when the top gifts were a Ben10 watch and Thomas the Tank Engine trains. It is now part of our Christmas tradition to give gifts associated with sports.

The only way that today could be better is if it were spent with our extended family. One day soon we will leave the Army behind and call the shots with how we spend our holidays. Unit then, we are blessed to be together when so many of our military are spending the day separated from family.

Merry Christmas Eve

There's nothing better than the joy of the Christmas season. Today it is 72 degrees, though, and a little hard to imagine that it is really Christmas. All I want to do is sit in the sun and drink a milkshake. It was so warm that we couldn't eat our traditional Christmas Eve dinner of potato soup. Wes was happy with that change in plans.

This morning we served the disadvantaged in our community and while serving sweet tea and cake, Keagan listened to every old person story imaginable. He did it all with a smile and not one complaint. Evan, on the other hand, had his fill after the first hour and voiced his disapproval every five minutes thereafter. After an hour of listening to him complain, we left the church to ensure our Christmas joy was still intact.

This afternoon we attended a candlelight service at church, and then we came home to open presents our family members sent the boys. I think these pictures of three mean we are in need of a selfie stick. Maybe Santa will find one in his bag for us!

Uncle Jamie sure knows how to wrap presents. Keagan went through six layers of paper when he finally got to this....a box of fig bars! Keagan actually believed he had been given food, but he really got football gloves, sick football gloves, I might add.

My grandmother sent the boys pocket watches that belonged to their great-great grandfather Shoemaker. Keagan was shocked and then wanted to take it apart and look at it ticking. Ummm, no!

Evan got Chewbaca pajamas that were endearing, ugly, and perfect all wrapped into one. He never laughed so hard, and yet he said, "This is the first time I have ever really liked getting clothes for Christmas."

Aunt Vikki sent a drone with an attached camera, and the boys immediately made plans to use it to spy on the neighbors when playing AirSoft, video backyard football games, and use it to stay away from "it" when playing tag in the neighborhood. All great ideas that certainly spell trouble!

Nonnie sent an autographed football from J Wit. We debated a good twenty minutes about whether or not it was authentic before Wes finally called his mom and asked. I lost that bet. It will be treasured by the boys for years to come.

The best quote of the night goes to Evan. He got soccer shin guards from Oma and Opa. He opened them and said, "Just what I needed. Now I won't be called Wal-Mart Shins anymore." I guess his old guards had seen better days. And then after opening a new pair of size 13 Sambas, "Oh, my gosh! They feel so good on my feet. They aren't even tight anywhere." I think that was my cue that the shoes should have been opened well before Christmas.

Our day has been filled with love, joy, and peace. Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve

Christmas vacation day two and we started the day like this.

I really know how to spread Christmas joy with a dentist appointment scheduled the week of Christmas! I made it up to him, though, and took him to the local college to watch a men's basketball game.

Today we are listening for tornado sirens and decorating a gingerbread house. There were no tears with collapsed walls and no bad words said when the icing wasn't sticky enough. Pre-assembled houses are the way to go; all we had to do was ice and decorate.

The boys' finished product looks just like the perfect picture on the box. :)

Of course, Evan spent more time eating the building materials than actually decorating, and Keagan got frustrated when he ran out of peppermints because someone was eating them faster than he could spread the icing. But it was all in fun!

Even Wes got into the action. He's high on steroids and antibiotics trying to recover from pneumonia, but after today's breathing treatment, he has finally had enough energy to do something besides sleep.

Oh, how I love the family time and the family traditions we have created to practice no matter where we might be assigned or living!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Family Photos

The day we were supposed to have family pictures taken, it rained. I had envisioned brick walls and an urban backdrop, maybe something downtown. The rain put an end to my vision, though, and I had to settle for the front porch. The boys were, of course, mad when I told them I had a photographer booked for a photo session, but they were relieved that no photos would be taken downtown in front of other people. I got a few smiles, but this year's photos didn't look anything like the ones taken last year in the natural light. Still, we got one good family pic for a Christmas card.

Evan only complained once or twice or a dozen times, but I would listen to it all over again to get another picture of his smile.

Sadly, Keagan's "I'm a Little Teapot Shot" didn't make the final cut, but this one is perfect!

Next month we will have been together twenty years. Twenty years! How can that be?

I am anxious to see what our family looks like in another twenty years!

Christmas Cookies

It's raining and messy out today, so the boys and I stayed indoors and made Christmas cookies.

Let me rephrase. Keagan rolled the dough and made a mess with the flour, 

I painstakingly decorated each of them, and before Wes came home, Evan had them eaten. 

Some traditions never change. 

Hooray for Vacation

The tree is trimmed, the porch is decorated, and the presents are all wrapped and under the tree. 

Today we officially started Christmas vacation. I couldn't be more ready. I avoided the lice outbreak on the third grade wing, I survived cold season, and I didn't contract pink eye. Life is about small victories when you are a teacher. I celebrated the start of vacation (and my health) with a Sonic slush.

Our week of rest and relaxation began with a school basketball game. Evan got a double double with 13 points and 12 rebounds, and the team proved that they can, in fact, win a game.

When Evan stepped out of the house this week with his basketball warm up gear, my heart skipped a beat. For a second, I thought I must be seeing into the future because there's no way my Evan can be that old, that big, that mature looking. Then I realized it is true. Time is slipping away and faster than I ever thought possible.

Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Lean Your Ear This Way

This happened tonight and it didn't cost us a thing! I guess Evan was just filled with Christmas joy and decided to humor us all with a picture on Santa's lap.

At the office Christmas party, Evan even got to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. Santa then told him to make his list of wishes short; 162 pounds can get heavy!

Keagan got a turn, too, but he refused to sit on Santa's lap. He told Santa he wanted an AirSoft gun, and Santa told him to be careful because he got shot in the eye once while playing with a gun. Keagan was mesmerized with the story and ended up having a full conversation with him about guns. 

Budding Artist

Last spring my school had a team building activity where each teacher painted signs to hang outside the classrooms. Mine turned out real bad. So bad that a co-worker asked me which eight year old painted mine for me. I laughed it off, but that sign has been hidden in my classroom closet ever since.

I thought for sure I would return home from tonight's girls' night painting party with art work that would be stored under the bed. I even told my friends I would be the only person to fail a paint by numbers class. So I couldn't believe my eyes when it turned out to be something I could actually display on the wall for others to see. 

 

Neither could my boys. Wes wanted to know if I did it on my own, Keagan wanted to know if I bought it, and Evan shook his head in amazement. I can't blame them; I was just as surprised.

I'm so good that I've decided to paint one for each season.

Evangelism with a Twist

Tonight Evan told me a locker room story. Here's his version of the events, which I'm sure sits somewhere between the truth and pure exaggeration and probably closer to the exaggeration side of the spectrum.

Evan says a fellow basketball player uses offensive language all of the time, even in front of his mother. The first time he said it at practice within earshot of Evan, he said, "Dude, you can't use the Lord's name in vain." The following day he used the same words, and Evan said, "Dude, don't say things like that." A few days later, the same guy uses the same words, and Evan says, "Hey, I told you not to use those words." Then last week the boys were wrapping up practice, and the guy says something again. Evan punches him in the face and he knocks his head into the lockers. The kid turns to Evan and says, "Dude, what was that for?" and Evan replies, "I've told you to stop talking like that."

Don't think for a second that the irony of this was lost on me. Evan and I had a conversation about hitting others for words and the likelihood that this is not Christ-like behavior, and Evan said, "Well, I got his attention and the bad language stopped. I would say it was pretty effective." Hummm. I had no words.

St. Nikolaus Day

Thankfully I have a friend currently stationed in Germany that posted on Facebook that she had put the boots by the door in hopes that St. Nikolaus would arrive. Thankfully, they are eight hours ahead of us, and that left me some time to run to the store and get the supplies for this year's boots. Otherwise, St. Nikolaus would have been delayed a day or two or may have even forgotten.

True to form he left his American friends a boot stuffed with non-traditional items. This year it was Nike socks and Nike shirts. I'll be honest. I was sick of washing the red/white basketball socks that match the team uniforms every night.



Within minutes, though, this is what I found in the living room. The boys are currently suffering a sugar hangover.



Thanksgiving

If this is any indication of a wonderful Thanksgiving, then ours was great. Within twenty minutes of eating his dinner and two pieces of pie, I found Evan like this.

This year we were blessed to have family travel to our house. Wes pulled duty on Thanksgiving day so that his guys could enjoy the day with their own families. Thankfully the phone did not ring and Wes was able to enjoy the day with us as well.

Today we said our good-byes to the extended family.

We had a wonderful traditional meal of fried turkey and all of the sides, the kids made turkey cookies, and we watched the Cowboys lose. We took the loss all in stride, though, with the consumption of a lot of alcohol. Well, everyone but Evan. Unfortunately, he couldn't bury his sorrows with any beer.

A Cowboy win or loss is really insignificant. Our family has so much more in which to be thankful.