HoLidAy SEasOn

We recently had "Friendsgiving" with a few of our friends the day after Thanksgiving. It was such a lovely night, with all American foods and wine, so we fully enjoyed ourselves. The busy Christmas season is around the corner and I can't wait to get our barrel we sent and wrap all the presents. Our tree this year is gorgeous! At 7ft tall, it's got a great shape and it smells awesome!

About Gem: she continues to amaze us, crazy she will be 2 next month! Her vocabulary is growing and she's super adventurous, she enjoys being a dare devil. She used to call herself "mine" but now says her name and it's probably the cutest thing i've ever heard. She loves watermelon and can't get enough of it, I think she'd eat a whole one if I let her. She loves the skateboard and running around with her friends. One of MY favorite things is time out, sounds crazy but it's pretty hilarious, she will stand in the corner and face it the whole time, when she stops crying I go get her out but it's so nice to see how she knows and respects what time out is and what it's for, she understands so much these days. She went on the boogie board for the first time and LOVED it, even after a total wipeout haha, so we'll probably get her one for Christmas too. Coloring and painting is going to be one of my favorite things i'll always remember doing with her, she's so intense coloring, holding the marker or crayon so tight and perfect only to make a tiny little dot with such concentration is so funny watching. Being thrown in the air by dad will probably be one of her favorite memories, she can't stop, just wants to be in the air again and again, at least Darin gets a good workout :)

She knows all her friends names and gets so excited if I say they're coming over or "lets go see....", I like that she's social, I hope it means she'll have some really great friends in life who she can travel the world with and make memories. Adventure should be her middle name and who better to go on those with than your friends?

JuST LikE ThAt

Officially our late summer and fall is over and just like that, we're back in Barbados from our 5 week vacation in Orlando. That was the fastest blink of an eye situation ever! We've been home for 2 weeks and I want to post before the holiday season is upon us (which it technically already is). We lived in our new place for a month before Gem and I left to head to Orlando for 5 weeks!! I usually have anxiety going back because i'm pulled so many different ways, also flying alone and having a 6hr layover with a 1yr old was also weighing on my anxiety level.  Our flight was terrific, I attempted to use the ipad before we left so she would be distracted for a little while on the flight which worked wonderfully.....now to get past the next 6hrs, including nap time. We got through customs and immigration, then security again and I walked around for 10mins and Gem was out! LUNCH TIME! I got to sit and eat sushi in peace, also had a glass of wine. The next few hours went by without a cry, without a whine, just a happy kid who enjoyed her ipad in TGI Fridays as mommy enjoyed some nice craft beers. We were headed to the gate when Gem passed out again for an afternoon nap and when she woke up, we were boarding.  The next flight went so smooth and Gem stayed happy and all that anxiety I had went out the window. I can't believe how well behaved she was, I was shocked, it was the easiest flight ever.

After arriving to Orlando, it's always nice to unpack and chill out the first day or two there so Gem can adjust, then it was off to Seaworld. We got year passes and I was so excited to bring Gem, she loves animals, loves fish, so I knew how much she'd love Seaworld! We got to see penguins, went to the Shamu show which she loved and clapped for them, laughed and smiled the whole time. She loved the big play area and all the aquariums with fish. Great start to our Orlando visit. Gem started the next week in swim lessons at South West Aquatics, 5 days a week every morning for 10mins. Being committed was a task in itself, but in the end, I think it actually help my days stay pretty calm and uneventful. I actually found myself home a lot of afternoons which was really nice. We ventured to the splashpad some days, back to Seaworld a few more times, grabbed lunch together or met up with friends. Finding fun playgrounds was something Gem enjoyed, she loves to swing and go down slides, it's nice to be outside playing so i'm all for some good playground action.

We got to see my family quite a bit. We stay with my parents (Oma & Opa), and Gem didn't take long to say both their names as well as Remie and Casper. Remie and Gem are best friends and were completely obsessed with each other the whole time we were there. Craig and Kait came every Monday to her swim lessons and then grabbed brunch with us after. It was so nice to have our families come show Gem how we were all so excited for her, cheering her on during swim. We went to Laura's place and met more dogs, Gem was in dog heaven this trip. Oma loved having Gem on the counter watching her bake and then rocking her in the evenings before bed. Opa shared ipad moments with Gem while she drank her milk and sat on the couch with him when he got home from work. He went out one night with Gem and I, we went to a skate party and then grabbed pizza on the way home.

Pumpkin patch pictures are my absolute favorite of any kid! I could go without seeing school pictures, holiday pictures, birthday pictures, first poop in the potty pictures (people actually do that), but what I can't go without is pumpkin patch pictures! I missed them last year, we got to Orlando to late, but THIS year, I made it! We planned a day with Oma, Opa, Grammie & Poppie to go see the pumpkin patch and farm animals, eat some kettle corn and go on hayrides. The Early family met us there as well and the day was so nice, family filled.

Halloween also happened while we were there. Last year Gem was to small for it so this was her first trick or treating Halloween. Teya always does these fabulous costumes so I got in on hers and we did a joint one with the 3 kids. Wendy, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell....the cutest kids on the block. Thanks Gem for all the candy! ;)

After Halloween, we flew up to Atlanta and met Darin up there. We got to spend some family time with the Doty side. We haven't seen the girls in a while and knew Joss probably couldn't travel for a bit, so we needed to make a trip. We got brunch on arrival and then headed to the Georgia Aquarium. It's so big, and the different areas are done so well. The big huge tank is amazing, it's HUGE, it's like a really big movie screen with stadium steps to sit on and enjoy the animals swimming by. The dolphin show was SO good, better than Seaworld's! Gem loved it, of course she'd clap and laugh and just smiled the whole way though....by the time that was over, Gem was over lol....her travel day had started to take a toll, it was getting late so we left and headed back to Drey and Shane's house. The next day was a leisure family day at home, we celebrated Jordis's birthday too. It's nice to see the girls get to play together and love on each other, wished we lived closer to each other so we'd have more moments like that. I grew up with my cousins all around, someday I hope Gem can enjoy the same. Grammie & Poppie left that night for their drive back to Orlando and we left the next evening. Before leaving, we brought the girls to a playground so they could run around in the fresh air, it was nice breathing fresh cool air for a change. Our trip was to short, ended too soon, but we had to get back and finish our week before leaving for Barbados.

NeW HOmE

I obvi wrote this at the beginning of september.....which was like 2 months ago lol....anyway....here's a read, i'll post more this week because a TON has happened since september :)

I meant to post my last entry weeks ago, but after Darin left for Cayman, things got a little crazy and then moving to our new place all by myself with a 1 year old and not having internet for the last two weeks made posting a little difficult. BUT......i'm here, i'm back and 80% unpacked!

With that said....PHEW, these last 3 weeks have been a tornado! Darin had to go to Cayman to help out the shop there and then from there he went to Orlando for a little over a week for work as well, so it was just Gem and I for 2.5 weeks. Normally i'd be ok (i think), it seems long and I probably would of got frustrated at some point but he left a week before we were moving into our new place and that added a whole other bag in the mix of already being a single mom for a bit. I packed slowly, every day I did a little and threw away a lot and gave away a lot. Packing with a 1.5 year old was a tad tricky, I had the back room as my room with all the boxes and kept the door closed, so I really only packed at nap time and after Gem was in bed.....talk about no downtime, holy moly!! On top of moving I also knew we couldn't sit home everyday, Gem needed to get out even if for a little bit so I made sure we had something to do every other day or so, just to keep her from getting stir crazy. Moving day came and my house was packed up, moved and unpacked in under 2 hours. I had 2 great moving men come to my rescue! Once all the boxes were in the new house and the men had left, I was just not motivated to do any unpacking. I had a friend Anna come over and she got started in the kitchen so that's where I started too. Slowly during the week with friends stopping by to lend a helping hand, room by room and box by box got cleaned out and more trash filled the dumpster. Darin wouldn't be home for another week so my goal was to get most of the unpacking done so when he got back he'd feel like he was coming home. I'm still not totally unpacked but i'm at about 80%, the rest will just come in time once I can figure out a storage plan, we're lacking on storage badly here. We've had a few people over to swim and hang on the porch and watch the sun go down, grab a bite at the golf restaurant a few steps away (oh right! i'm on a golf course and it's pretty awesome). We have our first big bbq and pool lime (party) this weekend with everyone, looking forward to a good day and lots of laughs and good food!

Gem has adjusted pretty well here, I was a little nervous at first because she was getting up real early but after trying a few things, I figured out it was the light in the am coming through the windows. No problem some blackout curtains can't fix, and ta-da :) my 8am baby is back!! Darin's now been home for a week and we're settling nicely in our new place. Happy to be here, to have all of us here and I think we'll really like it here. 

KaDOomeNT & TiNGs

We are just now slowing down from all the festivities of the last 2 months. We came home from Abaco as you know and 2 weeks later Laura arrived for her 3 week stay. We had a blast while Laura was here, I think it was the best Barbados trip she's ever been on. She had great weather, great parties, tons of adventures and awesome food for 3 whole weeks!! Kadooment time was upon us and before Laura arrived we booked ourselves to attend 7 parties within 9 days.....you can't imagine how much hard work that was until you've lived it. Fun is an understatement, it's more like the most epic week ever in the history of ever! We did 2 booze cruises and the weather was perfect, the water was perfect, the music and drinks were flowing and the people were dancing and having a time! We did Foreday (J'ouvert) with MixNutz and that was Friday night from 11:59pm through until Saturday at 6am....paint, mud, rum punch and wee-wee trucks at all hours of the morning, talked about mashed up. The Beach House party was a normal hours, outdoor party with DJ Private Ryan (if ya dun know him, ya bess get his podcast), free food and drinks all night......oh and rain, that was unexpected but so were my sandals turned 4 inch wedge shoes at the end of the night, nasty, horrible weather for an outdoor party. Nonetheless, we danced and sang and partied in the rain! We had a few beach days and one of Laura's favorite is JuJu's Beach up west. She got to snorkel with turtles from shore, touched them, swam with them and took video of it all.....the water was perfect visibility for swimming with turtles. Kadooment morning was a bit crazy as always, we were running a little late, and if anything starts "on time" here, it's Kadooment.....well, not this year lol, it started over an hour late so we were technically early haha. We had a few costume malfunctions in the morning but we rigged ways to fix things on the go, had a little sprinkle of rain to cool off the early morning, and then it was time! Time to follow the music trucks and drink trucks and jump, chip, wuk up and such down de road. Kadooment is one of my favorite days of the year, the colors, the people, the music, the vibe just all in one huge parade of a day, it's truly amazing to be a part of it. I'm so glad Laura got to experience ALL of Kadooment this year, now when I reminisce later in life, I can with her :) Laura's "man friend" Dylan came, he got to experience all of this as well, minus 3 of the parties he wasn't here for....BUT, I think in his short 5 days here, he did more than anyone else has done in a week or more. We literally ate at all our favorite places, went to all of our favorite beaches, he jumped Kadooment, went on a booze cruise, dove a shipwreck, swam with turtles.....I mean you name it and he did it, all in 5 days which is completely crazy!

So Laura and Dylan left, then it was time to settle our living arrangement starting in September. We met with our new landlords, have put our deposits and such down and signed the lease. We have 2 weeks to pack up the house and move. Only problem is....Darin works all day and he leaves tomorrow. I've been packing during the day for the last week and throwing tons away, also selling a bunch of stuff, hired movers for the day of (since Darin won't be here), and now just stressing about being there a week before Darin gets back. It's crazy he leaves tomorrow and will never come back to this home we've been in for 2 years, he comes home to a new home. In my packing i've already cried in Gem's room, it's sad to think she's leaving the first home she knows, her first room, the only place she knows. She does all these cute things because she knows where everything is and soon she won't. When I ask if she wants to brush her teeth, she goes right to the bathroom, if she's tired she goes to the stairs and waits for someone to take her upstairs, at bathtime she goes to her room, gets her towel and meets me in our bathroom, all those little things she does are so cute.....I hope she adjusts well in the new place.

We booked our tickets to go home in October and booked her first swimming lessons as well! I'm so excited for her to swim, she wants to so bad but obviously she can't. Our new place has a pool so we plan on fully enjoying it during the day and Gem to be a little fishy in no time! I think she's going to do awesome!

SuMMeR TiMe

June:
Can't believe it's almost been 2 months since my last post!! Whoops! Let me get started....Darin's permit is up in September and since we're still here and haven't heard anything about leaving, we're assuming another year or so here in Barbados. Our landlords at our home here have given us a time frame and need us gone soon (not because we are bad tenants but for other reasons haha)....so now we're eagerly on the hunt for a new home.....and it's madness! Between Gem, a new business, visitors coming soon, vacation coming up, Darin's traveling....this blog has been sadly last on my list of things to do.

Did "a new business" catch your eye? Let me elaborate for ya. For the last few months i've started working on opening a business with a friend and it's become something more than I dreamed it would be. We haven't had any business yet but that's because we're focusing on making it so amazing and don't want to offer anything to the world until we're ready (prob another 6 or so months). Doing this has kept me busier than ever before, I wake up thinking about it and go to sleep thinking about it, thinking about what to change, ways to make it better, adding things as I learn more and more.....it's become my second baby pretty much and seems like it will also take some time before it's out for the world. This has kept my days busy and full, every min i'm not doing something with Gem, i'm working on the business stuff. We have a mentor who's amazing and helping us every step of the way as well, glad we have someone to keep us on the right track and encourage us.

July:
We just got back from a week in Abaco with 16 other friends! 2 houses, 1 boat, 3 golf carts and 1 pair of missing flip flops later, we're home safe! Gem was dropped off in Miami and taken to Orlando for the week while we were in Abaco. She stayed with our parents and i'm pretty sure she had just as fun of a week as Darin and I did. She went on play dates, went to parks, splash pads, shopping, played with her aunts and uncle, grandparents, dogs, cats and had her 18 month dr appointment. 

Gem is 29" tall and weighs 25lbs! Guess we should drop the "peanut" nickname since she's no peanut anymore :( Her eyes are turning more green these days then staying blue, which is ok with me. She's smart and funny and we love her personality! She love kids and people and still loves the beach! Her hair is getting so long but it's so curly you'd never know it. We can't wait until our visit in October, Gem will be in swim lessons and then we'll follow up here once a week. I want her to continue to swim so i'm doing my best to find a new home with a pool and it's not so easy, but there are options so we'll see. 


Here's a few pics from June and July....
*we had our 5 year anniversary 
*yes, I went blonde :) 
*bum pics are from July 4th in Abaco :)

15 MonTHs!

Things have been quite busy around here. Darin's been traveling a lot, i've been helping a friend with her business, all the launch parties for kadooment are happening and costumes are coming out......it's just been a crazy month needless to say. We're jumping Kadooment this year again! Our costumes ordered and all!! Laura will be here and we got her costume ordered as well! This year Kadooment season has been a lot of fun and only going to get better as July comes around! 

Gemma has been keeping us on our toes....she's figured out to open the pantry when she wants something, or if I ask if she's tired she goes to the stairs, if she wants something on like her shades she brings them to us, we can always tell when a cat or dog is on tv because she freaks out, it's always the little things she does that i'm so impressed by, like how she knows to hold onto me when she's putting shorts or pants on and stands on one leg lol I don't know why it's so neat, it just is, trust me! We've moved from baby snacks to big kid snacks....no more bottles either, and she's almost mastered the stairs. She's into everything that's NOT a toy, like boxes I bring home from a store similar to Costco, those are her favorite!! I'm pretty sure her favorite part of the day is eating breakfast and seeing Darin come home after work (she does this crazy dance)....we still play with the neighborhood kids a few nights a week and she loves that as well, the big kids don't seem to mind either. Her new favorite show is Bubble Guppies, she says bubble bubble bubble over and over when it comes on, it's pretty funny watching her. She continues to chat and go on about stuff so much, that I wish I had earplugs sometimes lol.

She had her first "sick" experience 2 weeks ago, while Darin was gone, of course it happens then. She ran a super high fever and slept in my bed so I could keep an eye on her temp. I sent the dr a text (yes, you can do that here) and she let me know what to do and if I needed to come in and to text her if it got any higher or it lingered. Her temp did go down but stayed a low grade so we had a few good naps in the a/c the next day and then later I wrote the dr and we were told to come in the following day. Gem had a bacterial throat infection!! Some puss in her throat even! So, off to get some antibiotics we went....her temp broke within an hour of her new meds and she was well on her way to recovery. Seeing an uncomfortable sick miserable baby is no fun, you only know worry and exhaustion at that point. Gem is no snugger so I was sure the few snugs she offered that day, I made plenty of room on the couch for. 

BuNNy EarS

Easter was a few weeks ago but there's been tons going on since then. Over the Easter weekend we stayed up in Bathsheba, we've stayed there the last 3 Easters (since we've lived in Barbados). It's always so nice to get away to that side of the island and relax in the hammock on the deck overlooking the ocean and surf break. Last year gem was so little still and to have her walking around this year was SO WEIRD! We had a nice 4 days with good friends, food and memories that we'll keep forever. 

A weDDiNG aNd CanAdA

I was supposed to be in Orlando for 2 weeks, it turned into 5! I love how that happens but I also loathe it. I love it because I get to see my family and friends longer but that just means I have to spend more money and that part I loathe. There were a few reasons for me staying longer than I did. My parents closed on their new house so I wanted to be there and help move in, I also hadn't seen the property since it was just dirt. Darin had to leave but was coming back a week after I was supposed to leave so I just decided to stay and go back with him, plus Gemma is at a really cool age, her walking is getting really good (oh yea, she's walking....since 11 months but it wasn't all that great, i'd say 50/50, she'd walk or crawl, decisions decisions) and she's a lot of fun, so I wanted our family to enjoy her as much as possible. 

My brother got married the end of January, and we couldn't miss that for the world. It was a very sweet ceremony and you could see the love between Craig and Kait the whole time. What a cool experience sitting in the front row watching my brother get married. For sure I thought i'd cry but I held it together pretty well. Kait's dress was so incredibly pretty, it was perfect on her.....when she was getting ready you could see the excitement on her face just being in her dress, she loved it! The reception was a fun one with lots of dancing and having a photo booth was a bonus! We had a lot of our family come and it was so great to see all of them and spend sometime with them during their visit. Kait seems to fit in great with our oh so large family....you'd think it would scare some (i'm pretty sure it scared Darin lol), but Kait doesn't seem to mind, I think she likes it :) I'm so happy for my brother, that he found someone like Kait to share his life with and make great memories with in the future, i'm glad I get to make memories as well with our new sister! Congrats to Kait and Craig, love you both! xx

The week after the wedding I ventured up to CANADA!! I have a friend who lives up in Vancouver and since I haven't been to Canada before, I figured it was the perfect time to get a trip in! Gem stayed with her grandparents so I could go enjoy time with Jen. Vancouver is a great city, lots to see and lots to do and only an hour drive from Whistler!! I'll be going back to ski for sure and go to the tube park! They had a weird winter so there wasn't much snow except for what was on the mountain. We sat and ate lunch out on a patio of a cool restaurant at the bottom and watched people wipe out coming down the mountain.....something the nice heaters and a few cold beers made super funny! It was cold in Vancouver but nothing like I thought it would be....you could get away with a long sleeve shirt and a jacket and be just fine, I was expecting layers and layers but that didn't happen lol. I got to go to my first hockey game which was so fun, but they lost :( Got to visit a few of Jen's usual spots, a few lounges, fun bars and restaurants. I was really excited to have a Tim's coffee everyday and also poutine (which is fries with chunks of cheese curds and gravy, sounds super gross, but it's super awesome). It was a great 5 days and so nice to spend time with Jen, hope to make it back soon!!

Upon my arrival home, it was time to help my parents move, so every day after my mom got off work (11:30am), we'd load up the car while Gem was napping and when she woke up we'd take the 30 min journey out to the new house and unload the car, do something at the house, wait for furniture, alarm people or someone and make it back in time for dinner either at their old place or at my grandma's house. So....that was a fun week. Darin came in again that Friday afternoon and had the weekend to spend with us before he had to go to meetings starting the next week, every day for work. 

As always the weeks went by super fast but we were ready to leave and get back home to barbados. It's nice after being so busy and visiting so much with people to sit and do nothing again lol. It's nice to get back to our routine and have it be just us again. I miss our evening walks to watch the sunset on the ocean....reminds me everyday why I love living here. We have a few things coming up that we're looking forward to and the first is Easter week in Bathsheba! We've gone every year since moving here and it's a great little escape that sort of gets you rested before the crazy summer starts with all the Kadooment crazy events. This year in Bathsheba should be fun with Gemma since she's old enough to play with the kids and not have to just sit in a bouncy seat on the beach like last year, I think she'll fully enjoy it and that means a good night sleep for an exhausted 1 yr old every night, SCORE for mom and dad!!!  

About Gem:

*loves playing with the neighborhood kids and her own ride on toy

*skateboarding with daddy

*picking up and bringing you invisible things

*giving "closed mouth" kisses and says mmmmmmmuh doing it

*sometimes she says "thank you" lol, it's funny

*still really loves bathtime and sleeping

*her "pretending" is really fun to watch

*she's completely on the move, walks/runs everywhere, the beach is the best to watch    her walk around on....she looks like she's had one too many daiquiris hahaha

*says her version of kitty, dog, woof and a pig oink which is hilarious

1 YeaR! WaiT....wHAt???

It's hard to believe you're ONE!!! The last year of our lives was nothing short of absolutely amazing. The year began with you and you were a perfect start to the next chapter in our lives. It's crazy to me how fast babies grow in a year, from being completely helpless and dependent to very independent and taking on the world. It's a beautiful thing sitting back and watching your curiosity take control, I sit and wonder what you blab about when you're off in your own little world, talking to toys, putting your hands up in the air like you're preaching and why you chose things that are not toys to play with instead of your super fun toys we buy. Your personality is starting to show though and it's also another one of my favorite things about you. You love people, you love kids, your smile lights up everyone's day and it's intensely contagious. You're fun to have around and your entertainment to us is endless, you're silly, smart and loud and always so proud of yourself when you do something new. You are exactly how we pictured life would be with a kid, you're the coolest, friendliest, happiest, easy going kid ever. We can already see you'll love adventures in life and will be living it to the fullest.....I mean, how can you not with that zest for life we can see in you at just ONE year old!?

You love to get in the way of the fridge, play with shoes (eating them) and following us to the bathroom. You love the show Pocoyo, Zack & Quack, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse....or do I love all those shows....you FREAK when Zack & Quack comes on, when the intro song you comes on you come crawling or walk (whatever you feel like that day) from wherever you are to the tv and break out into dance and yell with excitement (how I probably do when I see Taylor Swift on Ellen). You also dance on command if we say "dance" or "twerk" lol, it's pretty funny. You say uh-oh when you drop things, say bye bye when someone leaves, put your hands in the air if we say how big is Gemma, so big!! If there's music on anywhere you dance, no matter what, you dance and you love every second of it, you love the stroller and going for walks (usually to watch dad surf or see the sunset on the ocean at Freights Bay). You give (open mouth) kisses and also blow kisses. You're an amazing napper and night sleeper (thank you Lord!), you love peek a boo when you're the peek a boo'er, you're smile lights up the room and your oh such gorgeous eyes get all squinty, I love it! You love the beach, oh my gosh you love the beach!! You crawl all around and the sand doesn't phase you, you eat the sand, roll in the sand and get it all up in your hair, you crawl into the water and back out to get toys, you float for hours with us and sometimes even pass-out in your float. You look completely adorable in your bikinis with your sun hat, it's hard to resist squeezing all that cuteness! You love your own space, your own crib, your blanket and Honda bear (from Opa).

You've adjusted into every stage so smooth and made all those horror stories i've heard never become real with me and i'm so glad they never did. I'd be a bad advice giver to people who have kids that don't transition well. You pick up on things so quick and changes don't seem to phase you much (hence you're super "go with the flow, easy going" personality). You do have a spark in you're easy going personality....you're LOUD and passionate when you speak and i'm pretty sure one day it won't be so cute.

I don't think we could of been more lucky, you make being a mom more fun than anything else in this insane world, daddy and I look forward to so many more amazing years with you....LYTTMAB my love! 

xoxo,
mommie & daddy

HoLiDAy TiME

Tis the season for dinners, parties, gatherings or just being out somewhere, I think this is the busiest i've ever been during the holiday season. We had Gemma in tow (of course) to most places and she just sleeps in her pack n play upstairs or in another room in someones house until we're ready to leave. She arrives in her pj's, plays, has her bottle and down for bed, thank goodness she's a great and easy sleeper, you can just put her down, shut the light off, shut the door and that's it. I think she's become a professional partier....she can hang for a bit but gets partied out pretty easy....not because of drinking to much though. I think we all enjoyed our busy holiday, seeing everyone, meeting new people and making the fun memories. Since this is my first year with a kid I wasn't quite sure how the present giving to other kids worked....Darin and I did a little something for each other but not a big deal and Gem only had 4 presents (stuff here is so expensive), not to worry, she has more in the states waiting for her (how to get it here is another story). We didn't do anything for our families because our flights home are so expensive we just wanted to spend the quality time with each of them this last trip and that we did. SO.....mid December rolls around and people keep showing up with gifts for Gemma! As nice as it was and how amazing it is knowing how much people love our little girl and they want to give her gifts.....I felt HORRIBLE!! I didn't get anything for anyone....lame! Next year i'll know for sure what's up. 

It's always weird around the holiday time when we aren't with our families and this year I got pretty down about it, more than I thought I would. Maybe because it's Gem's first Christmas...i'm not sure. To keep me out of my funk was our island family. I know i've said it before, but again, we have the most amazing friends that are like family here and thanks to all of them for keeping us feel welcomed and busy throughout the holiday. We spent so much time with other people and their families you can't help but feel super loved by everyone here, the food is great, the people are awesome and if we can't be with our family in the states then we could never ask for a better group of people to be spending the holidays with. 

New Years (or Ole Years here), we went to this amazing event put on by some of our friends here. It was huge and magnificent and we had such a great time. They had a great execution of their first go at throwing an Ole Years event. Everything was completely thought out from the detail in our wristbands to the signature drinks at the bar and the layout and ease of getting around with hundreds of people there. We didn't feel squished, we didn't wait forever for a drink, the music and food were awesome and the vibe was perfect for the whole night....with all you can drink champagne!! Next year will be just as epic i'm sure!

Gem was 11 months on Christmas Eve....that's crazy to me. I can't believe babies go from such helpless little things to walking around and understanding things you say and do, they start to develop a personality...I just feel like this should take like 2 years, not 1. Their little bodies just change at an insanely fast pace, from week to week they look different, do new things, say new things, are curious about new things.

Gem can walk from thing to thing or if we tease her with something she'll walk to us but doesn't go clear across the house yet, this all started somewhere in the 10th month. She loves the fridge and the dishwasher and tries to get in them every moment she can. She has a new kitchen set that makes a bunch of noise and she loves it! We moved most of the toys to the back room so no more mess in the living room (i always hated it anyway, drove me nuts), hooray!! The girl loves to eat, pretty much everything so far, playing chase and peekaboo with Darin is one of her favorite daily activities and she has certain shows that when the songs come on she freaks out, crawls to the tv and dances....or dances in place, it's pretty funny watching her. She's almost 23 lbs, and about 28 inches tall, hopefully she'll keep the chunky thighs a little longer, since I love them!

top: New Years and Boxing Day 12/26, raft up party at Juju's beach

bottom: Christmas Day brunch at a friend's family house