Ah the famous Tree Lighting Ceremony for George Town...it never fails to disappoint, so there is some comfort in that I suppose. Don't mean to be ungrateful, but it could be such a sweet and fun event.
Above: Christmas Wish Lists, Emit's treasures (included a small rock in the perfect little heart), the 'garden' makeover and neighbor fun!
Below: Joss pretending to be Daddy... hat and sunglasses is all it took ;) Helping with, I mean playing around the kayaks, more train fun on the skateboard ramp.
My parents came down right before Christmas this year. Lots of fun in the sun when these two come to town. It's always an extra treat when my dad gets to come along with my mom too!
If I'm not mistaken, this was my mom's first trip back down here after going through all of her treatment, so it was a pretty special one for everyone.
They were flying back home just before Christmas, so we celebrated things a little early with them.
New Shoes...
New shirts...
and New Skylanders of course!!! Think they were excited?? :)
This time of year is always perfect for a bonfire on the beach! Who am I kidding, I love them just about anytime of year.
So much joy!
CC came stocked with crafts and goodies for the boys to make while they were here.
When our little house is this full, it's best to keep the activities outside... otherwise it just gets too loud, too crowded and too crazy!
With my two fellas, we need the GREAT OUTDOORS and wide open spaces!
More Christmas crafts...
Joss threw me for a loop at the last minute this year with his birthday cake request. He wanted a Skylander/Chima cake. Sadly, this is probably one of my least favorite cakes I've done, but he didn't seem to care one little bit. It was tasty at least!
Birthday Boy.... can't believe as I type this, we recently celebrated his 10th b-day. Doesn't seem possible at all!
Sweet little Zoe... who is no longer with us :( I'll get to that when I get to that time though. Jumping ahead of myself.
Soon after my parents flew home, Dallas' parents flew in. We don't usually get both sets of parents visiting each year... this just happened to be the case this particular year.
My little "Bug Master" :)
Christmas Morning...
We went to play with the ball and bat set that Nana & Papa gave them in the afternoon. They had a blast running around hitting the ball!
This year, we had a People's Rush Junkanoo parade in town on Boxing Day. It was actually a lot of fun! The boys loved blowing the whistles and rattling the cowbells. We got a few looks for our "rhythmic abilities" but at least everyone was smiling, laughing and having fun as a community!
This was when Joss got to go on his first kayaking and camping trip with Dallas. It was a short 2 night trip, and the couple didn't mind... so off he went.
Of course I think he's adorable all decked out in his gear! This set below were some photos from the guest that were on the trip.
Emit is totally lost back home without Joss, but we managed to get by.
It was a very happy reunion!
You're going to start seeing more and more sailing posts over the years. It has become a pretty big part of our lives down here, and it's fun to see where all it goes. Right now, (currently in Jan. 2018) we are preparing for the funeral of the young boy in the blue jacket in these 2 middle photos below (far left and left on the pry). Dallas and some of these original guys that sailed with him in the club are going to be pallbearers next Saturday, and we are trying to prepare ourselves emotionally.
He's also the kid sailing here in Panther with Dallas and Joss... Cameron will be missed terrible in our sailing world and community. :(
Dallas and I pray for strength as we continue to work with this ministry, especially as our boys get older and more and more involved. We pray that we will be bright lights shining for the Lord and that He will use us to fill voids, gaps and empty spaces that many of these children have. Help us to not grow weary, Father!
A big Christmas gift for the boys this particular year was an improved swingset. We gave them all the sings and rings and monkey bars and things we planned to install under the tree with a promise to build ASAP. You better believe that was my first project of the year!
We cleared away a big rock pile in the back yard so we could make a fun space in the shady area back there. What excitement as we had the rocks hauled away or pushed back. Crabs were running everywhere!
They seemed to enjoy the process and have very much enjoyed the swingset itself :)
Our backyard bonfires became a very routine thing during the cooler months! That is something we still enjoy very much :)
Riding the waves on Stocking Island is always a big hit!
Had a little fun messing around with my boys in between launching and receiving some trips in Barraterre.
Crazy little dudes!
Skateboarding fun!
I sure love these handsome little critter-catching boys!
Little Farmer's Cay Regatta Year 2 (this camping trip has become quite the tradition now!):
Ever exploring...
My little ospreys...
The boys each had to start their own fire in their own pit... hence the three pits side-by-side! They all eventually merged to one big one later on.
This year Dallas simply sailed with Mr. Lloyd and his crew on Warrior.
So long as the batteries last.... the boys are quite content to be cruising around during the races.
Cookie helper :P
Emit also got to go out on a trip all by himself too. They went in the powerboat while the guests sailed. Emit, my little treasure hunter, found this little broken piece of glass (below) and said, "Look mom, it looks like a bunch of sailboats lined up in a race!" I thought that was so cute, but I love the little piece of glass too. I still have it on my trinkets shelf.
Now it was Joss' turn to not know what on earth to do without little brother...
2 posts already.... NEW RECORD!!!!! :)
