Happy Halloween

...from all of us to all of you!



Tonight the AUC Spouses Club hosted a Halloween party for all of the families complete with pinatas, games,...



pie eating competitions,...



and a trunk-o-treat! We decided to decorate the trunk like "Survivor St. Martin." We had palm branches, trees from our house, and jungle sounds on the laptop. I even managed for find gummy geckos for treats!



Noah tried his hand at the Pinata,however for some strange reason, when I see this picture, it makes me think that when he grows up he may not be much of a ball player!)




Anyway, on to costumes... For the boys this year, I decided that purchasing real costumes would not work because they were far to expensive and more importantly VERY HOT! One lady tried to sell me a pink wool sleeper that was supposed to be a whoopie cushion for Nolan for $89. Needless to say I decided to try my creative side. After roping Chuck into the process we came up with making Noah a Jack-in-the-Box,...



...and making Nolan a dice!



However, due to some design flaws and the fact that the poor kid doesn't sit up very straight yet, he spent most of the time sporting his little pumpkin shirt!



We all had a really great time. It was so nice to have some time with the family and also to have plenty of kids for Noah to play with. He ran around for the entire 2 and a half hours chasing his buddy Issac! Unfortunately it didn't make him very tired because as he was running he also was eating a ton of candy. I think he is finally recovering from his sugar high though. Nolan even had some buddies to hang with!



Well I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween.

See you soon,

Matt

PS. If you would like to see more Halloween pictures please check them out in my Photo Album.

A Little Wet...But Who's Complaining!

Well, the last few days haven't been too eventful. The weather has been a little wet so we have spent a lot of time inside. However, we did make it out the other morning to the pool.


I was getting the boys ready to go when I got an email from some of the other spouses saying they were all going to go to the pool and asking if we would like to come along. So we met them and had a really good time. Noah had a wonderful time playing with the other kids...


and everyone had to hold Nolan...



so I got a pretty relaxing break.

Last night Chuck cooked dinner and everyone came over here to eat and watch Grey's Anatomy. The meal was great and we had a really good time. After dinner the boys all watched Happy Feet on TV while the girls did some more studying.

Today the boys have been playing around here while I worked on the computer and did some laundry and then tonight we are going to go to dinner with Chuck and Geneva after we pick up Tangra at the school. I hope everyone is having a great week and we love you and miss you all.

Later,

Matt

Pinel Island...or is it heaven...I forget!

On Saturday we attended the Spouses Club Beach Day at Pinel Island. All I can really say is ... WOW!!! The boys and I picked Chuck up at 10am and caught the ferry to Pinel Island at around 10:30. It was absolutely beautiful. The beach part of Pinel is nestled in a bay so you have very few waves and the water averages around 2-3 feet for the first 100-150 yards, which is perfect for Noah in his swimmer. He could just swim to his hearts content.



Nolan took some time out of his busy schedule to enjoy a little coconut...



...and what beach excursion would be complete without a nice nap!


Man, I have to say after looking at that picture, my 6 month old son has a life most retirees would die for!

Anyway, after we had all enjoyed the sunshine and sand we headed off for higher ground. Nothing like a little exploration with friends to make a day complete. Like I said before, Pinel Island is Gorgeous! OK, I know you don't believe me and quite frankly I want to make you jealous so here are a few pictures to prove it! If you would like to see more pictures please visit the Photo Album in the section titled "The Places They Will Go."




Love ya all,

Matt

Friday night on the town!

Well, this weekend was another fun one! On Friday afternoon the boys and I went to a birthday party at McDonalds. One of the med-school student's children had a birthday and we were invited. The boys even dressed up a little.


After the party we picked up Tangra at home and went to meet Chuck and Geneva for dinner. We went to a restaurant that looks similar to a 50's and 60's diner called Cheri's. It has pretty good food and there is a show while you eat. The show is put on by three guys who dress up in costumes, sing, dance, and act out little skits. Noah was excited because everyone gets a free "clapper" when they sit down that they use throughout the show.

Oh ... and Baby got a mask! :-)


Lou Lou really stole the show though!

After the show we went out in the street and watched the short show put on by the casino every night at 9:30. Then it was time to head home to bed so we could get plenty of sleep for our big day at the Beach on Saturday!

Later,

Matt

A picture is worth 1000 words!

So, I came out to the living room this morning and found Noah in this pose.



Now, I'm sure that you're all thinking the same thing I was but look closer!



Yep, that's right...he is trying to ride his motorcycle...but I'm afraid it may be a little to small!



I guess where there is a will...there is a way!

HaHaHa,

Matt

A Nice Weekend.

This weekend was very relaxing. Noah and I got a chance to go to the pool on Sunday while Tangra and Nolan took a much needed nap. Noah met a new friend, Luke, from Northern California. (Luke's father took some pictures and will be emailing them to me when he gets back to the states next week so I will post a picture then because Tangra says I don't put enough pictures in the posts.) After the pool we went home and hung out with baby while Tangra went to the school for a study session. We did a little cleaning and the boys took naps. After Tangra returned we made some dinner and vegged on the couch.

On Saturday I was able to have coffee with my wife on the patio! It was great! After that Noah and I went to Grand Marche' to get some much needed groceries before taking Tangra to school for an afternoon review session. While Tangra was studying Chuck and I took the boys to Marigot to see if the bike shop could fix the bike the neighbor gave us for Noah. Of course they couldn't (or didn't want to) so I ended up buying a new one instead. I just couldn't figure out how to say no. The only thing I could think to say was, "I know that I gave you a bike that doesn't work son but it will have to do because I am too cheap to buy you a new one of your very own," and that just didn't sound right. Anyway, after buying the bike we took him back to campus so he could ride it around the school courtyard. He really did quite well . . . when he wanted to!


Well, I guess I need to get going. Doodlebops just got over so the boys are ready to go. We are going to go to campus again so he can ride his bike some more before we meet Tangra for lunch.


Talk to you all soon,

Matt

Time with Mommy!

Hello again everyone. I hope everyone is doing well. Things here have been great the last few days. Tangra had a test on Monday which means she doesn't have another one for 3 weeks so the last few days she has had a little more time to spend with us. We were even able to rent a couple of movies. It was just nice to have her around a little bit.

On Wednesday we gave Noah his bike! (The neighbor had one for her son that he outgrew so she said we could use it.) However, it is broken so I have to push Noah around everywhere. I took it to the bike shop but it wasn't expensive enough for them so they said they couldn't fix it. We are going to try a couple of other bike stores today. Noah just doesn't quite understand why the bike doesn't move when he peddles, but it was a good opportunity to teach him left and right which he is doing very well at.

Nolan continues to get bigger and more determined. He is trying to crawl but tends to go backward. We do have to be careful though because he likes to roll off the beds which is never good.

Yesterday I decided to try my hand one more time at cutting Noah's hair. I wouldn't exactly say that I am a professional but it didn't turn out too bad. I was so happy because he didn't cry once. I was a little smarter this time and I cut it while he was watching cartoons. I think I could have cut it with chainsaw and he wouldn't have noticed.

Well, the boys are starting to get hungry and we have a lot to do today. (Not really it just sounded good, I'm retired remember!) So I better go for now.

Take care,

Matt

Where has the time gone!

First, to all my readers...sorry for the delay! I logged on today to do a post and realized it has been a long time since my last blog entry. We've had beach days, birthdays, and test days since then. My birthday was on the 5th and I had a really good time. It was rainey and Tangra had to study all day but the boys and I hung out and took a good nap which was nice. Tangra got me a new little phone to use at home with the skype system. It was really sweet of her and I really like it. That way I can walk around the house and talk to people at the same time!

The boys have been having a blast! We've really been walking a lot to keep ourselves entertained and in shape (or at least trying.) They are both getting so big. Noah is always trying to be Mr Independent and Nolan is trying to do everything Noah does! It won't be long I'm sure!

Tangra had another round of exams yesterday and she did fairly well again. To celebrate the test being over, we went for dinner at Ric's with Chuck and Geneva. I guess it was the happening place to be because half the campus was there. From the conversations around us it appears that not everyone did quite as well as Tangra did though becausea a lot of people were discussing the options in Nursing which I suppose is not a good sign!

Oh, on a somewhat funny note...about a week ago we went to lunch with Tangra at the school and the lunch lady asked if she could hold Nolan. Of course we said yes because that would give me enough time to eat without him trying to grab my spoon! Anyway, when she picked him up she began to tease Noah by saying "My baby...I think he is going to go home with me!" To which Noah would emphatically respond "My Baby!" with a small bit of worry in his voice. After a few minutes I was done eating and she decided to give me the baby back and life went on as normal!

Well, today we went back to the school for lunch again and when Noah saw her he started whining and said "My baby!" Just before we left she came out to say goodbye and when she went to pick up the baby, Noah pointed at the kitchen entrance and said, "you go your house." I couldn't believe that he not only remembered but he held a grudge all that time.

Ok, I guess that covers the highlights for now. Sorry again for the long break and see you all soon,

Matt

HOLY CRAP!!!!!

It is amazing what you can find in a mop bucket that has spent some time on your porch!
Notice that the porch is covered with 12"x12" tile!!!!!!!

Another relaxing weekend!

We had a great weekend. On Friday night Chuck and Geneva came over and we had a K-Bob party. I prepared some steak, chicken, shrimp, potato, tomato, onions, peppers, and pineapple. We each prepared our own k-bobs and then I cooked them on the grill. It made for a late night but it was great eatin!




Saturday was another beach day with the spouses club. However, Chuck and I are starting to feel like they might not want us around. The invite said we would all be going to Anse Marcel but when we showed up, the beach was empty! Now I don't claim to be the sharpest crayon in the box but that seems like a pretty good hint! So we decided to take the kids to the beach across from the house instead and we all had a really good time! In fact we had such a good time that we stayed on the beach for nearly 4 hours. Thank God for 50spf sunscreen. Baby took a small break around hr 2!


But after a short snooze he was ready to go again!

Noah had a great time playing with his new toys and chasing Chuck up and down the beach . . .



. . . but even Noah has a limit! So after the beach it was back to the house for a shower followed by some R&R wrapped in a towel. After all that is the latest form of enjoyment!



Saturday night we decided to go to Ric's for some Tex Mex food and then it was home to bed.

Sunday we spent most of the day around the house. Tangra studied and the boys and I took a couple of long walks which lead to a long nap! Like I said, "I've really grown to love naps!" Other than that we didn't do a lot which is what we like sometimes.

Today the guys are here to fix the broken kitchen faucet and the guys are on the way to fix the AC. Once they are gonewe are going to go get some necessities from the store and then meet Tangra for lunch. Have a great day and we will see you soon.

Till Later,

Matt