The Island of Culebra - Day 1

Our whirlwind adventure started Saturday Jan. 24 around 4:30 am with a morning flight to Puerto Rico via Philadelphia.  We finally arrived in San Juan, Puerto Rico at 10:00 PM.  After our 2 hour wait for the rental car (there was a mix up and they were out of cars!)  we were finally on our way to the city of Fijardo to spend the night and catch the morning ferry to the island of Culebra. 

Breakfasted and swim-suited we were ready to set sail

The ferry ride..... 1 hour 10  minutes of gentle rocking that lulled most passengers to sleep!

Who looks tired after only 4 hours of sleep?????

The blessed island welcomed us!

EYE CANDY to 2 weary travelers!

We stepped into a postcard paradise!

The Lion King

This was such a fun night!  Thanks to Grandma T and Papa Jim for the generous Christmas gift!  When we asked the kids after the performance if they liked it, their response in unison was "NO, we LOVED it!"  They've developed a true love for the theater and Ben and I couldn't be happier.  They are DYING to see Phantom of The Opera! Dream big right! 

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Happy Birthday to the best wife and mother in the world!  We Love You!

Sherriff Ellie is at it again!

We never worry about forgetting "THE RULES" in our household. Ellie keeps us in check by posting them regularly. She often reminds us of rules we never knew existed. We don't know how we would function without her???

The above listed rule was posted on the guest bathroom door after she discovered the toilet was not working properly. It states:

"NO GOING INTO THE BATHROOM BECAUSE THE BATHROOM TOILET IS BROKEN, SORRY!"




Another recent posting on the playroom door:

1. PLEASE PICK UP AFTER YOURSELF IMMEDIATELY
2. PLAY TOGETHER
3. PLAY NICELY
4. NO CRYING
5. NO BAD THINGS (this is an all inclusive statement I think!)
6. NO RUINING TOYS

Now that Ellie has listed all the rules for visiting playmates I am wondering if she will actually follow them herself or just enforce them for others (her brother included!)

Rock Stars... Christmas Jam session

La-La (Angela) on the drums, Daimon warming up his  vocals

Cousin Jayla  rocks the guitar

Cousin Isaac is impressed with everyone's music abilities

Daimon's really rockin' now!

Frosty the Snowman...

We don't get this white stuff in Arizona!

A boy and his Daddy..... it's a guy thing

Ellie's determined not to let the boys have all the fun!

Thumpity, thump, thump...... Frosty's on his way

Mission accomplished..... time for a snow break

Christmas Morning - 2008

Patiently waiting to see what Santa brought

First look at all the bounty!

WOW!!!  A new bike, how did Santa get it to Utah?

YEAH!!  Christmas is a kids dream come true!

SPAM??? Don't ask, it's a boyhood nostalgia thing!

Can you guess what Hayden's favorite movie is?

"Bah humbug, go suck a pickle"  A Poppy surprise for Daimon!

"Go fish"  A poppy surprise for Ellie!

La-La found the perfect present for Audrey

Nana is thrilled to have the grandkids for Christmas!

Christmas Eve - 2008

Jayla and Daimon bringin' down the house!

Kelly and baby Carston, can I keep him?

Hayden wanted to wear his stocking

The Browns forgot their stockings at home, thanks Poppy for lending us your snow socks!

Isaac and Daimon are feelin' the love

Present Game, it's tradition

OOOHHH AAAHH!  mouthwash for Ellie

Daimon will keep warm with his cocoa

Jayla's thrilled with the mustard platter

WOW!! Kelly won flushable wipes

Benny won scented lotion, don't worry Ellie took it off his hands ASAP!

The gang!

Celebrate with a Lunch Date!

To celebrate our first official day of Christmas break the kids and I went to lunch and did some shopping. Ellie strikes a pose and Daimon is rockin' it in my camo hat! These kids are so much fun!