First day of Kindergarten (and the poem I was given)

The First Day

I gave you a little wink and smile

As you entered my room today.

For I know how hard it is to leave

And know your child must stay.

You've been with him for five years now

And have been a loving guide,

But now, alas, the time has come

To leave him at my side.

Just know that as you drive away

And tears down your cheeks may flow

I'll love him as I would my own

And help him learn and grow.

For as a parent, I too know

How quickly the years do pass

And that one day soon it will be my turn

To take my child to class.

So please put your mind at ease

And cry those tears no more

For I will love him and take him in

When you leave him at my door.

Need Prayers

One of my college roommates and teammates needs our help.  

Bethany is a new mom with beautiful triplets (yes, three!).  The bigger two, George and Olivia are thriving and at home.  

The smallest of the bunch, Samuel, is fighting for his life.  

Bethany does a great job explaining what is going on here.

Please keep little Samuel in your thoughts.  My friend needs a miracle.

Last Caymans Post...I Promise.

The wedding madness is dying down and I am now going through a sea of pictures.  We had the Ottawa reception this past weekend and it was wonderful.  The best part for me, was watching the kids as they saw their friends from the Caymans.  Each couple who walked into the boat club was greeted my a very enthusiastic HP and The Dude.  The friendships each of them has made over the past month is definitely one of the best byproducts of being in Nina's wedding.

Now, for the last batch of pictures...

HP and Starchy building a giant hole.  Not sure who had more fun!

Here is Starchmeister after the wedding.  This was taken by Peter, the professional wedding photographer.

Another one of Peter's.  Each side of the family.

The Corky family out to eat.  I remember this restaurant not for the gorgeous view, but for the kick ass grilled mahi-mahi sandwiches.  They were to die for (and I am a loser).

The Dude (and Starchy's ass...ha ha ha...whatever, he never reads my blog).

Squishing in the back of our rental car that smelled like stale bread and cat pee.  Good times!

Oh la-la.  Starchy and I all fancy.

HP and The Dude walking down the dock.

Pausing like good little girls and boys to get their picture taken.  I love, love, love this one.

Even though he was dressed up, he was still 100% boy.

Getting his pep talk from Starchy about how to hold the ring pillow and walk at the same time (Peter's pictures from here on out).

Getting fancy-girl hair.  
In these two last ones you can totally see the lagoon that the lanai's look out to.  The lagoon is surrounded by homes (in a horseshoe shape) which were all rented by the wedding guests.  It was a wild and crazy time!

The Caymans Days 4-8

Our trip has been fantastic! Starchy, the kids and I are in paradise. The prospect of coming home is weighing on our minds as we try to soak up every ounce of sand and sun. As always, I do better when I let the pictures do the talking. In random order...

The Dude's home away from home. Mr. Man has been making sure all of his bathing suits get equal time in both the ocean and the pool. He has REALLY improved his swimming and snorkeling skills on this trip.
HP and Ashley after renting jet ski's. The salt water kept splashing HP in the face so she used Ashely's glasses (so nice of her!). Ashley said they hovered right around 10 miles an hour. To put that in perspective, The Dude and Uncle Do-It hovered right around 40 mph. It looked like Ashley was driving Miss. Daisy!

The boys giving it a go on their "faster" jet ski.

Starchy and I at the wedding reception after about 15 rum punches.

This isn't the best picture, but you can see HP at the wedding reception showing off her moves on the dance floor. She kept swinging her arms in the air (like the "up-came-the-sun" part in Itsy Bitsy Spider) like a madwoman. It was adorable!

The Bride giving her speech. One of them...

Here are a few of the Ottawa guests that made it to the islands. We had three other tables like this plus the head table. Very intimate and very pretty.

Starchy, The Dude and Uncle Do-It.

HP on the boat between the ceremony and the reception. We ended up going pretty fast and she was screaming her everloving head off.

The Dude was more reserved at the reception. He wasn't keen on dancing and I think he was a little tired having to be "fancy" all day. Here he was taking a moment to himself.

The Three Amigo's on the boat ride! Side note: HP did have a gorgeous flower girl dress on for the ceremony. But after hearing her complain about how itchy it was, she changed before the reception. A comfortable 3 year-old, is a happy 3 year-old.

The Bride.

HP and I (her wearing the itchy dress), me wearing one two sizes too big.

HP's pretty hair and tiara.

The Bride before her big day. In another moment of class and grace.

HP and I in the holding room before the nuptials.

Do-It and Ashley in the pool at Margaritaville on 7-Mile Beach. Yes, there is a water slide in the restaurant!

The Dude with a baby lizard on his arm. He was so brave (I was totally grossed out).

The Caymans Days 1-3

We have been having a BLAST here in the Cayman Islands. Here are some pictures from the first few days.

HP has been getting good use out of her prescription sunglasses. And they are so fashionable to boot!

The Bride and Groom...

The kids at the Turtle Farm. We were in the bird section and The Dude was asking the quide a question.

The Dude holding a Cayman bird. This bird was perched on another tourist's shoulder about 2 minutes after this shot was taken and proceeded to take a giant turd all over the poor woman. It was HILARIOUS!

Starchy and The Dude in matching outfits (we didn't plan it!).

HP being brave and actually holding a turtle (I did not).

Starchy and I at stingray city. We got in the water and swam with stingrays! You can see one by my leg in the water.

Both kids have been loving the beach. They have spent countless hours on the beach making sandcastles and digging holes.

Carnival!

The O-Town carnival rolled into town last night.  Here is a photo play-by-play of our night...

Here are the three stooges on the pirate boat swing.  HP was about 1/2 inch shy of the height requirement for this ride.  So when the Carny came around Starchy showed her how to stand on her tip-toes so she met the 42" line.  It worked like a charm.  We fooled every single ride operator there (not such a hard feat I'd say).  AND we taught our daughter to be deceitful to boot!  Parents of the Year! ;)

The kids on one of the more tame rides.
This is the speed at which The Dude ran the entire time at the carnival.  Fast.

I've said it once and I'll say it again...isn't she lovely?
HP coming down the "fun house" slide.
Starchy in a moment of contemplation.  MEOW!  He is so cute.  

Getting tired.  This pic was taken about 15 minutes before leaving.

Navigating the fun house.  HP had is down pat.  She got on her hands and knee's and zipped right under the bungee cords.  The Dude on the other hand, went over the top.  Luckily he was able to catch up to her and make up for lost time by running through the rest of the house.

See...

Another ride in which we fudged HP's height.  They LOVED this one!

Brother and Sister on a mini roller coaster.

HP and I.  We were waiting for Starchy and The Dude who were on a ride that HP was CLEARLY not tall enough for.  

But the boys sure had fun on it! :)

Starchy giving The Dude a pep talk.  He was a little nervous on this one.

Going on the giant Ferris wheel!

For every ride she went on, HP made a beeline towards whatever she could find that was pink.  Like she had to coordinate with her outfit or something.

Grinning from ear-to-ear after her 11th time (I'm not kidding) down the giant slide.

Backs-of-heads