Farm Fresh: December 2009

1. Christmas Day, at my sister's

Christmas is not complete without a sword fight
Or several...

If you read it, they will come...

Aviana 5, Cadrian 17 months, Cora 6, Titus 3, Brielle 3, Ella 4, Eli 14 months

And then the fun for me pretty much came to a skidding halt...

2. Christmas night, home
I'm not above giving my children used Christmas gifts...I got this fabulous train for $15

And this wonderfully twirly dress for $5

My husband, on the other hand, got me a new lens, so I could take pictures

like this

from all the way across the room

3. Day after Christmas, our house

My brother, who drove up from St. Louis just to be here for 36 hours

Magnetic paper dolls

Laughter: by my cousin Amelia, my nieces and daughters

It's hard enough to take a picture of seven small children without technical difficulty too! Perhaps it would help if I knew what I was doing.

4. Today, Grandma Joyce's
When do we eat?

Cadrian cracks up Grandma with his cute lil self

A little cooperation would go a long way...

Not bad for a self timer picture

Me and my beautiful SIL Connie

Sunday: At El Morro in Old San Juan

Monday: I'm in my swimsuit (well, half of it anyway) at an internet cafe in St Thomas overlooking the cerulean blue seas of the Caribbean.

Kevin and I got thwarted in our original plan for the day (rent scooters to cruise around the island on our own), but we managed to have a good time anyway. We took a ferry to a smaller island of St. John.

We went to a beach that was really small, narrow and secluded. Beautiful water, soft sand--practically like walking on flour. There were a few other people there, and the seas were breaking kind of rough. I actually saw a fish and I admit, I shrieked a little.

We've met some nice people from all over the world--there are people on the boat who are from India, Australia, Holland, UK, Trinidad, you name it. We've met several people from MN, but no one else from IA yet.

The food is phenomenal and we have our first formal night tonight.

SO exciting!

I'm surprised how many other passengers are blasé about everything. I was making good jokes last night at our muster station where we had to practice putting our life jackets on in the unlikely event of an emergency and where we heard the word muster at least eleventeen times, and the people next to us were all... "EH."

Why did the ketchup not want to put on his life jacket?
He didn't want to be mustered!

See, good joke huh?!

Miss my little darlings, and I still haven't been able to sleep in, but at least I can have coffee out on the balcony of our room! Super fab!

LOVE YOU! Besos to all--J&K

from my mom:
Dear Mama,

A: We've been having lots of fun playing with the fairy and ballerina books you gave us. right now, I am playing dress up and Brielle was playing with her fairy book.

B: I want you to write a joke. Why did the B help the A? Because he wanted to do the ketchup dance!

G: "I wanna finish my fairy book now..." Oh, that was B, not me! XXXOOO

Tuesday: Wait a minute! You're in half your swimsuit at an internet cafe?! Which half?! Do I even want to know? Sheesh, girl, I know you're on vacation, but come on!

Sounds like you are having an awesome time and I can't wait to see you and see pictures when we come up after Christmas! I assume your folks are surviving! Continue to enjoy yourself and each other! Love, Aunt Barb

Wednesday: At least SOMEONE caught the swimsuit reference! Just so you know, I had taken off my wet bottoms and put on pants before we caught the taxi back to the pier.

Now we're in Antigua. In a back room above a book store. On a keyboard whose space bar doesn't seem tobe effective. With 20 minutes before we have to be back on the boat. Where it costs $.75/minute for the internet! We rented littleboats this morning and went to an uninhabited island. Pretty cool. Driving a boat in the ocean is notvery easy!

We've seen some great shows and had great date nights. We go to a nice dinner, go to a show (last night was a hypnotist, who did the shoe phone schtick, so I bet it was the same one you and Dad saw. I got a medal because by the audience applause meter,

I was the 'best' hypnotizee. Kevin says this is the equivalent of the Knobby Knees contest he won a trophy for on his first cruise; but not quite as prestigious. )

We've seen a comedian, played some game shows and gone dancing.

Yesterday we went to a beach & got the Best of Tortola tour.

I can'tbelieve how much I miss my babies. There are some people w/ small children on board (crazy people!) and I tear up a little every time Isee one Cadrian's age especially.

Hope you are all getting along without us :-) love,J &K

Wednesday: (from my mom)We had Life cereal for breakfast. "I wonder what Mamma & Dada are having for breakfast on their cruise?" Then we had second breakfasts with Opa. Now it is 9:30 and everyone is hungry again!

We have coffee and croissants delivered to our room and then after we get dressed we go to the most fabulous breakfast buffet in all the world. Yesterday I tried venison & quail. At breakfast. Today at lunch I tried grilled peppers and potato,celery, & octopus salad. Thumbs up on that one--thumbs down on the grilled peppers.

Grandma tried octopus once and from her description, i was never willing to try it! Cory likes calamari, too, & aren't they baby octopi? Maybe I should believe my kids!

I read your messages to the children. Aviana says, "I wonder what Mama will look like when she gets home?" Do you think she thinks you'll have grown 8 arms?

Mr. Trouble disappears SO FAST!!! He makes a HUGE mess in seconds!!!

Really? I guess I hadn't noticed. Heh heh heh!

Brielle calls out from Quiet Time: Do you want to see my outfit? I'm so cute!

I miss her laugh!

Zipline in St. Lucia

Friday:

Hello my loved ones. Now we are in Barbados.

It's the best island yet! Our scuba outing got cancelled at the last minute, but we substituted for a pirate party/shipwreck snorkel/turtle encounter. VERY cool. The shipwrecks are old unseaworthy ships they sunk intentionally. I got to actually touch one of the sea turtles & see on eat a fish--amazing. I felt a little like Steve Erwin, but without the cool accent. Our pirates were amazingly friendly,

no one had to walk the plank, but we did have to go down the waterslide!

Now it's formal night and we only have 15 minutes to catch the bus. Although if we miss it, we would not be sad, Barbados is beautiful and we want to retire here. We'll miss you though. We are down to $2 cash! Send money :-)

We've made friends from MN-Maria & I are twins separated at birth I think.

We're all going to play The Newlywed game tonight! Maybe we'll actually win once, since we were not stars at Jeopardy & Movie Tunes Trivia.

We love you!!

A twin in MN??? Huh! News to me!!! Hope you did well at the newlywed game, since you've been married for what, 6 years now??? Um...try seven, Mom.

Sunday:

Sadness galore. We had to get off the ship. Apparently, Princess Cruises frowns upon people stowing away in the life raft barrels. Huh. Go figure.

Now we are wandering around Old San Juan. We found a hole in the wall guest house for only $53, right in the heart of Old San Juan.

Me and Enrique, who owns the hole-in-the-wall

In our wanderings we ran into our friends from the ship and had lunch in the street cafe with them. Seems like a small world when that happens.

We came in last in the Newlywed Game--

but that was ok because they asked embarrassing PG13 questions, which I was not expecting.

Yesterday we were at sea all day, I just relaxed with a book and hung out in the shade.

Kevin played water volleyball in 7+ foot of water. He's such a champ. He burned off every calorie he ate all week, which is quite the accomplishment.

It was hard leaving our home for seven days, but I am ready to have my babies in my arms and go back to two pairs of socks. I'm prepared though--I bought a shawl knitted by the neatest lady! She teaches refugees to knit so they can sell their work and support their families. It's a wonderful project she's got going on.

Bye bye flip flops!

Lots of love, J & K