Bahamian Vacation 2010

Last year we went to Chicago in February and vowed we would go somewhere warm this year.  On a little-researched whim, we went to the Bahamas.  We had a fantastic time, just the four of us in our deluxe tiny bedroom in the sky.  No vacation is without its price, figuratively and literally.  On the figurative side, as most of our adventures start, the price came in the form of being covered in puke yet again on an airplane.  Actually 4 times, spread across 2 flights.  While Sammy was getting her airsick on, Elliot made no less than 7 trips to the airport potty in a 2 hour flight.  Pretty impressive.  Upon arrival, we felt justified in our steady diet of 2 pina coladas by the pool a day.  We also learned some things about the Bahamas.  Grand Bahama Island is actually further north than Miami, and it is much hotter there than it is in say, Boston, this time of year, its not exactly sweltering.  That dingy sweatshirt I brought sure got a lot of wear.

Our Lucaya, Grand Bahama Island

The view from our room. 

Elliot saw the scary mannequin head and asked to have her hair braided.  Sitting on a crate in front of Subway.  She sat there for 40 minutes.  She spent that long tantrumming in our room running from us brushing her hair just an hour before.  Turned out to be the best investment ever ($2 per braid, yikes!) - we didn't have to do her hair for the rest of the trip and it lasted 6 days.  Who can do this for us in Cambridge?

Swimming in the hot tub.  It was freezing a couple of days.  And for a couple of days it felt like we rented a private island with a full staff and no other people.  Then a big conference descended on the place and it was hopping (and still, sometimes cold).  We made fast friends with a toddler from .... Somerville!  Just 1 T stop away from us.  How random.  

Samantha dipping her Tetakki tuna roll in Apple Ponzu sauce.  On one hand it is a little gross that we took our girls out to fancy sushi date night with us, on the other hand, I am proud of us for choosing to eat there b.c Ben & I would like it instead of the touristy family joint that might have been more suitable for families.  The good side of us being on this deserted island is that the restaurant wasn't crowded, so were happy for the business and didn't seem to mind feeding toddlers on their porcelain dishes.  

Playing Go Fish in the lobby of the deserted Manor House.  The next day:  on to see the dolphins!

Exuma the dolphin we pet and kissed.

Crybaby and China Doll, I am talking about the birds.

Hunting for conch on the beach

Samantha seems a little too at ease here.

This is us, traveling light.

This is our return flight:  our little yellow bucket was not used at all on this leg.  You can hate us again.  

Working from Home

My pictures are back.   Throw money at the problem...that will fix it.  Apparently there is a limit as to how many pictures Google will let you post for free.  And for any of you in the same boat, it apparently only costs $5 for the year to fix...and about a month to figure out how to pay that $5 if you are me.

This picture is from a while ago when the 3 of us were working from home the same morning.  All in front of our respective laptops.  Sammy's sings.

Video: The Ballet Last Day of Our Acquaintance.

A Thousand Words

My girls are cuter than ever and my mailbox or blogbox or something is over its size limit and since my house is not equipped with an IT guy like my office is, and my office does not support or sanction my blog, you don't get pictures of my babies, you get words.  Sorry.  Sort of.

"IS STEPHEN A FIXER?"
Elliot and Ben have been watching inordinate amounts of Homes by Holmes on TLC or whatever channel it is on.  I find Holmes to be almost unbearable to watch in his handy manny overalls and he's-better-than-all-contractors tone, but Ben and Elliot LOVE it.  Elliot asks to watch it all the time an Ben is happy to oblige in the name of bonding (i.e. getting to watch tv).  So on the way to school, Ben & Elliot had this conversation:

Elliot:  Daddy, is Uncle Jamie a Fixer?
Ben:  Like, does he fix things?
Elliot:  Yes, like you used to build houses in California?  (how does she know that?)
Ben:  Yes, Jamie is a fixer.
Elliot:  So, was Uncle Stephen a Fixer too?
Ben:  Yes.  He was a very, very good fixer.
Elliot:  But, how did he get up the ladder in his wheelchair?!

VALENTINE'S DAY AFTER
Who ruined my 3 year old and is feeding her crap at such a young age? Yesterday before school, Elliot had a massive tantrum breakdown because she left the bedroom and I changed Arthur to the news.  (Hmmm, lots of tv theme here. Bad mommy - who is typing this in front of the tv).  She was supposed to be eating breakfast with Ben anyway, but she was sobbing on my floor.  Then under her breakfast, which was on the table above.  Then she calmed down and climbed on my lap.
Mommy:  Calm down.  You probably don't even remember why you are crying, do you?
Elliot:  sob, sob, Yes I do.  (she looks around, trying to think, spies the vase on the table)
Elliot:  I did not get any ..... flowers.
Mommy:  Any what?  breakfast?  did you say flowers?  flowers?  When would you get flowers?
Elliot: I did not get any flowers for Valentine's Day.  Boooo hooooo.....

Cut to Mommy putting some flowers in a vase for her by her bed and reminding her she got better than  flowers: a box of chocolates bigger than her head.  And that Daddy sent flowers to all his girls, she was just asleep when they arrived so I put them in the vase.  She smiled, and was happy.  Oh man, it starts at 3?!

MUSIC MIS-MANAGEMENT
Samantha is super musically gifted.  Could be a prodigy if her parents had any talent to cultivate this gift. But we don't.  We indulge her with sign alongs and kids music and cd's.  But I am tired of all the kiddie music.  Okay, I like singing along with it.  But, I can't think of the last time I listened to my own music.  Somehow I saw a lot of media this week about super cool parents whose kids listen to cool rad music that would put my iPod to shame.  And then I wanted to listen to my own music and have my own kids singing along to something other than Wee Sing.  But the problem is, I don't listen to super cool music that I would want a 3 year old to process.  You think I had a problem with the message sent on Valentine's day above, then how can I pass on my love of angry chick music with inappropriate or melancholic messages?  Oh, Liz Phair, you have a kid, why do you have to drop the F-Bomb all the time?  Tori Amos, I guess they wouldn't immediately know what you meant?  Ani DiFranco, really are you angry at everyone?  And this is why if I could post anything right now, I could post the video clip of Elliot and Samantha who ran to put on leotards when they heard Sinead singing " This is the Last Day of our Acquaintance" and did beautiful ballet maneuvers because it kinda sounded like "ballet music" to Elliot.  At least more than Lady Gaga. 
PS speaking of lady Gaga, it is wrong, wrong WRONG, that Elliot kicked through Home Depot chanting "this beat is sick, i want to take a ride on your disco stick."  Glad she hasn't yet asked me what a disco stick is, because really, I don't know. 

Happy Birthday Samantha!

More to come.  Something is not letting me upload pics right now...


Sweet Samantha turned 2 today, but don't tell her that.  She fully answers and thinks she is 3.  She really relished her birthday and seemed to "get" it that it was her special day.  We played Cooties and Don't Break the Ice early in the morning while Daddy was on the radio for a work interview.  Then Samantha supervised the making of her birthday cake - a buttercream frosting lover's dream.  She slept while we transformed the living room into Dora party land for our family party.