Storytime

Storytime is an important event in our house. As I've mentioned before it is the perfect time for Nyah to stall before bed or throw a fit because storytime was cut short or taken away due to, well stalling. I thought I would take a moment to highlight some of Nyah's current book obsessions, which we read twice a day, and sometimes more, just depending on how lucky I get. If you ever wonder what I think, well I don't think, I just hear the catchy tune of the Dr. Seuss stories in my head all day.

Big A little a

What begins with A?

Aunt Annie's alligator....A...a..A

Big B little b

What begins with B?

Barber

baby

bubbles 

and a 

bumblebee

and my favorite

Big M little m

Many mumbling mice

are making

midnight music

in the moonlight...

mighty nice

Nyah's is really fixated on Disney's Nursery Rhymes and Fairytales. As I was reading this book to her the other night, from memory of course,  I was surprised to realize that she too has the book memorized. I then tested her with some of her other storytime addictions, Dr. Seuss's ABC, and Ten Apples Up On Top, and she definitely knows them all. Im not sure why I thought she didn't have the stories memorized, I mean we've only read them a million times. I am so proud of her ease in picking up the stories and I am so glad she is actually listening, though it is now impossible to skip pages when feeling extra tired. One of my favorite things about being a parent is the feeling of surprise and pride felt when watching the progress of a child, realizing the hard work has paid off. The feeling is mighty nice.

Here is a little video of her reciting nursery rhymes. She can talk, I promise, but I think her mind moves a little too quick and her mouth can't quite keep up and she just ends up talking too fast. I have no clue where her tendency to talk fast came from.

Lets be honest, the girl can recite a pretty fierce Jack Be Nimble.

She Walks

Here is a little eye candy for my family. Please ignore the frightening way I look. We were taking it easy that day, I in my comfy clothes, never predicting my child would decide to walk before I had a chance to get cleaned up. How dare she. I decided to take one for the team in order to share this monumental day in Elsa's life.

Elsa will be ten months on Saturday. 


At ten months Elsa is such an independent girl, playing alone or with her sister all day, only coming and standing at my feet with a pitiful whimper meaning she is hungry or tired. She still love to nurse and sleep, though she wakes up occasionally in the night. When she is tired she cries and the only remedy is to lay her down with her blanket, which she normally covers her face with as she is falling asleep. 


She wants nothing to do with baby food, opting instead for the real stuff. Rice and beans is quickly becoming one of her favorites. 


Elsa has perfected fit throwing in the past couple of days, expressing her now found voice most often when Nyah takes something from her or when getting her diaper changed. I am suprised at how early she learned this but I guess it is a survival skill when growing up with an older sibling. Elsa is so feisty and full of smiles. We love you beyond words littlest one.

Lesson in West Indian Cooking

I drove down the bumpy dirt road in the Jeep Saturday to attend my first of hopefully many cooking lessons from my favorite St. Lucian woman, Christiana. Elsa loving received her middle name from Christiana who also goes by Chris. If you have never met someone from St. Lucia, you should. I have never met kinder people and any time I spend with George's parents always reminds me of this. 


In my time home with Nyah and Elsa I have tried to make a conscious effort to be more domestic. I find it really rewarding to take care of my family and a major part of taking care of a family is feeding them. If I am going to feed them I want to feed them good stuff.  George's favorite foods are without a doubt those cooked by his mom so I decided it was about time I learned from the best. I have very little cooking knowledge as my parents were making every effort when I was growing up to provide a better life for us and I was unfortunately not wise enough to learn from the women in my family who came before me, who hold our secret family recipes. Honestly, when George and I met I couldn't cook anything. George and I always laugh that I will be cooking like a West Indian as opposed to a Hoosier when I am finished. Luckily, I love the traditional food the people of St. Croix eat so I was more than happy to learn how it all comes together.


The day with my soon to be mother in law began with a good lesson in cooking rice (no, I cannot make rice and it's not pretty when I try) followed by a lesson making stewed goat, one of George and now Nyah's favorites.  I know, the things we do for love. Stewed meat is popular here and I am so glad I was able to learn as it is super tasty and can be applied to many different dishes.


Chris begins by washing and seasoning the goat then boiling the goat the night before to remove any fat. Here she is separating the meat from the fat after the meat spent the night in the fridge. 

Next we sautéed peppers, onions, parsley, garlic and an unknown herb from her yard which she called goodete`, I am sure I am spelling this wrong. 

We also added these tasty little green peppers, also grown in their yard.  

Next we added the goat to the veggies, followed by burnt brown sugar mixed with water to give the goat a nice dark color. I must admit, this was the last ingredient I ever thought went into the dish. Color is an important element when cooking with Chris. 

We then added some water and let the pot simmer on low. Finally we added some young papaya, again from their yard, to help soften the meat along with some tomato sauce. Check out this tree.

This dish then simmered on low during the afternoon of cooking and our wonderful conversations about family and Chris's days growing up in St. Lucia, cooking on coal pots, peeling her own rice, walks home from school for lunch, life with no refrigerator and cooking with her family. Here is the finished goat. Yes, the bones remain.

She also taught me how to  make beans to put over the rice, one of my favorites, salmon and a special blend of seasonings she uses which she blends together in the blender then adds to dishes when some seasoning is needed. 

She finally taught me how to prepare breadfruit, which of course is grown in their yard. Breadfruit is what is referred to as a provision here and is a like nothing I have tasted before, the consistency of which is somewhere between foam and a potato. Horrible description but a really tasty fruit.

Here is the breadfruit after being boiled in salty water, peeled and the center removed.

The feast that followed the hours in the kitchen was well worth the work. Everyone indulged, smiled, sweated a little and ate too much. 

This was one of the best days I have had in a while and I hope there are many more cooking lessons to come so maybe someday our girls rave that their mom's cooking is da best!

Tropical Rain

The monsoon is still upon us. The girls and I are relaxing and moving to some music, trying my best to keep them occupied. The bananas outside our condo are ripe and we made some wonderful banana bread today. These are the sweetest little bananas, so different from the typical variety found in the grocery store. 

We are enjoying the sounds of the tropical rain storm. Rain here is awesome and usually a blessing, except when water is coming in our house. Rain gives us a chance to slow down, relax and be together. When the sun is shining I usually feel guilty for being inside and doing nothing. 


The little rebels and I did finally made it out of the house today to do some laundry, which was an experience to say the least. Nyah was wonderful and is really into helping but Elsa wants nothing to do with being confined to a stroller. Just can't bring myself to let her crawl on the dirty floor. 


Well, we will be here, dancing, baking, painting and playing... until the sun shines again. 

Seasons Change

Rain, rain go away... Nyah keeps singing this song this morning as the rain comes down from the tropical depression that is out there somewhere. School was canceled for Nyah. She was sad.  I am trying to explain to her that this is cause for celebration but I guess she will understand in time. I will just enjoy her enthusiasm for school as long as it last, which is hopefully forever. 

So far, the highlight of Nyah's day is getting the opportunity to put on long pants. The novelty of pants never fails to get her going. We don't get the opportunity to wear pants often. The lucky girl has no clue. With that being said, it is looked down upon here to take a child out without proper clothing on when the elements present. It is hard for me to remember to dress the girls in the extra gear when, well most of you understand, the temp isn't below fifty degrees and or snow isn't on the ground. 


When Elsa was a wee little one an elderly woman in the air conditioned pharmacy was questioning where Elsa's socks were. Mind you it felt like a sweltering 100 degrees outside. George and I were stammering, of course feeling horrible when the woman proceeded to tell us that, "Babies have feelings too". Talk about neglectful parent. Ugh. Now I try to pay closer attention and comply with the clothing expectation here so the girls don't "catch a draft" as they say, which still confuses me, but I think it is a cold.


I know I lost my thick skin for cold weather because I really feel even the slightest drop in temp. Honestly, I'm a wimp in the cold. In fact, I am drinking coffee as I type and enjoying the nostalgic feeling of fall while it lasts. The coffee maker hasn't been on since the last time one of my parents were on island. I guess my body is still programed for the change in season. Seasons do change here, you just have to look a little closer. And by the willingness of those who live here to bundle up, even those raised under the sun, it makes me suspect that I am not the only one who looks forward to the change.


I have a feeling will be enjoy our "snow day" indoors, snuggling in our sweat pants, and pretending its fall...just for the day. Cross your fingers the power doesn't go out. Hope you all are enjoying the change in season.

Elsa Goes to Florida

Elsa made her first trek to Florida this past weekend. I have not stepped foot in Florida since graduating so it was so nice to be back. Florida used to be my mecca, all I looked forward to during the long Indiana winters and hot summers. It was so nice to take the little one on a trip, though I can honestly say I think I have gotten a little spoiled as a mom. I used to just pick up and go with Nyah, so independent and able to solve any problem. When traveling alone with Elsa I found myself looking around a little longer and strategizing in my head how to get stuff done. Yes, I was looking for George. I don't know how I used to do it. Who used to carry all my stuff?

Elsa melted hearts everywhere we went and insisted on making friends with whoever we were sitting by on the airplane. She would stare at the person softly touch their arm or leg and laugh until by the end of ever flight she and the person in the neighboring seat were serious friends.

Elsa perfected her back arching and going limp skills which helped her get out of unwanted situations. I am so happy she has learned this. On our longest flight coming home from Miami to Puerto Rico Elsa was in constant motion, attempting escape the confines of my lap at any chance. The girl needs to roam. I wrangled with her the entire flight, trying not to be that lady with the screaming kid kicking the back of the seat of the person sitting in front of us, until Elsa finally fell asleep. As the plane was landing. 

Overall we had a wonderful time. Cassy's wedding was beautiful and its always good to see old friends. Glad I was able to get the girls feet in the powdery Florida sand.

Travels

As Elsa and I were getting ready for a little getaway to the Sunshine State this weekend to attend a friends wedding I came across this little gem.

This might look like a raggedy old suitcase to you but this little beauty is my old suitcase. This suitcase signifies my start in life and when I saw it, for the first time in so long, it reminds me how far I've come. She feels like an old friend that I haven't seen in years and laying eyes on her brought forth some unexpected emotions. I used this suitcase when I first left home to conquer the world at eighteen years old.  Though the suit case has been replaced by bigger, more functional ones, I love it all the same and am so thankful to still have her. This suitcase is part of my history. It has accompanied me on the many trips I took back to Indiana from Florida, family vacations, to other countries, to other continents. I remember sitting in my college dorm room so young and innocent, and no doubt home sick as ever, tying this green ribbon the handle to distinguish my suitcase from others. I know, at that very moment I didn't want to be a way from home, from the comforts of what I know and those I love, though I knew being on my own was necessary for me, something I absolutely, without a doubt had to do. I think of myself then, always dreaming of what life would be and following that ever strong passion in my heart to keep moving, keep going, to explore what was out there, to challenge myself, always planning my next move to help me find my path, and I can't help but feel amazed and proud. This suitcase was my freedom. 


As I was pulling the suitcase out of the cramped closet Thursday, I realized that might have be the first time the sight of a suitcase did not make me giddy inside, possibly because I was leaving part of myself behind. Do I dare say the word? I am knocking on wood as we speak. I think I might be content.  Happy where I am, with what I am and who I am.  It is such a wonderful feeling, yet terrifying. The churning in my chest is finally still.  I am finally able to focus all my energy on what is in front of me. Finally don't feel short changed in life if I don't have this one last experience I have conjured in my head. I am finally at peace.


As I write this all I can think and hope for our girls is that they get a chance to experience life to the fullest before they attempt to settle in.  I hope I remember to remind that through all the plane rides, adventures, loneliness, heartache, mistakes, letdown, and heartbreak, a whole person is being formed. Though some of it totally sucked at the time, it seems at least in my case, they were necessary in the development of my own unique happiness.


I keep thinking of this quote by Henry David Thoreau, "Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves".

As their mother, I hope I will be able to open their eyes to the wonders or of this inspiring world and spark that desire inside them to experience everything they possibly can. Not to fret when lost but to enjoy the journey.


I am still surprised this suitcase made it to Saint Croix with me and though I know my journeys and challenges through life are far from over I just have to remember this moment. Right here, right now in this little condo on this little island, with my little family, I am content and the happiest I have ever been. Crazy it took an old suitcase to remind me of this. George tells me that some search their whole life for this very feeling, so for this, I give thanks.


Elsa and I had a great trip though we missed George and Nyah immensely. Congrats to Cassy and Josh!