I say Ta-bay-go...you say To-bah-go...

It has been ages since we arrived home from our amazing Tobago holiday. But it's about time I blog about it. I've already posted 60 photos on my Facebook page, but I'm going re-post many, if not all of them here. Why duplicate you ask? The simple answer: because I can. Just thank your lucky stars I'm not putting all 650 on here because that is how many I came home with. And that WASN'T including Veronica's!

So, if by chance you find yourself bored out of your mind...check out the other posts I've finally published. Or if you happen to be one of those that is hating us because you're jealous just keep this in mind -- we're going back next year. (tee hee!)

Day 1 and upon arrival...the girls immediately threw all their stuff on the floor, found their bathing suits and proceeded to investigate the pools. There were three and each became quite endearing in their own unique way. The smallest was the hot tub which was never warmed up because there was absolutely no need. It was perfect for the girls to play in and was fun because it backed up to the koi pond. The second, one of the infinity pools was used the most frequently as it was the perfect depth for both of the little dippers. The third was also an infinity pool but was pretty deep and therefore much cooler than the others. It was perfect for cooling off after baking in the Caribbean sun.

Pool number 2 and our gazebo overlooking the semi-private beach we called ours.

Day 2 through the end is a bit of blur now. There was sun, swimming and really lounging about. We were in charge of our own breakfasts and lunches but dinners were taken care of by our house manager Rena.

The picture in the sand is supposed to be Veronica
(trust me guys...she's MUCH cuter in person!!)

The bat cave where our little friends would sleep all day...no,
not the girls...literally bats that would swoop in to the house (it had no walls)
and visit us while we'd eat dinner

The house from the beach...I just can't wait to get back there!!!

Day 3 through day 8 was pretty much a blur too (especially since it's now July and I'm finishing up this post). All I can really say is that it was spectacular and the kids are desperate to return. It truly was heaven on earth and we had an absolute blast. We didn't even leave the house except for food and some new Havianna flip flops. It wasn't worth missing what we had there...all of it to ourselves and all of us together. How can you beat that???

Ron with Anders

Me right after my terribly wonderful massage out on the gazebo overlooking the ocean.

One of my most favorite photo's I think I've ever taken. It encapsulates every ounce of our holiday in it.

This koi in the massive pond surrounding the front of the house.

The meditation room (with no roof).

The view one evening out our bedroom.

The ultimate holiday experience. Poor Anderson...but I couldn't help myself...can't wait to show these at his rehearsal dinner one day!!

The main hanging out space...if I look at this picture long enough, I can still remember the sound of the ocean below and the smell of the air around us. This place was definitely a zen-like experience!

Anderson looks very rested and relaxed after an incredible vacay!

...you know we did.
And we can't wait to do it again.

Anderson's escapades in eating...and jumping...

This kid can put it away. I'm not sure if you all saw one of Anders first experiences with food but it put us all on the floor laughing hysterically. In case you missed it on YouTube or Facebook, here it is again (click on the colored lettering):

Anderson's Goofy Tongue

Since then, as I'm sure you'd all like to know, he's drastically improved in his technique. By leaps and bounds! At almost 6 months (YIKES!!) he'll put down peas, a fancy mediterranean rice dinner, prunes, apples and even sweet potato. That's in one meal. ONE MEAL!!! And, if you don't feed him fast enough he gets pretty cranky. Kinda like his daddy I guess. He's quite the connoisseur! Swede, parsnips, sweet potato, zucchini (or courgette here), avocado, green beans, peas, carrots...you name it the kid eats it. I've even started making my own baby food...I know I know. Shocked as you all may be at that...get this...I can sew too! ~GASP!~

Now (since it's been 4 months since I started writing this post and he's now 10 months...DOUBLE YIKES!) there is still nothing he WON'T eat. With only 2 bottom teeth he can still put away apples, toast, chicken, roast beef, salmon, cod, plums...you name it! One of his favorites is chicken liver...WRETCH!!! There are many times we've fed him dinner twice. He may not look like a chubby little fat baby but this kids is solid and weighs a ton!

mmmm....peaches

Regardless, I am shocked at the amount of food consumed by one so small. VeRONica and I keep wondering if we should just keep feeding him until he pukes so we can see just how much his little belly can actually hold?!! I wish I had more pictures to post but there all stuck on my external hard drive back in London (sorry).

Perhaps he has such an appetite because of all the energy his expends while he's in his jumperoo. I've never seen anything like it. He's got one that sits on the floor by itself and then there's the really cool one that hangs from our door jambs. At least that's how it's supposed to work. In our house the doors are unusually low while the ceilings are at least 11 feet tall...go figure. So, we've put it on the door that separates our living room with from our sitting room. The jumper doesn't reach the floor properly and Anders can just reach it with his toes and when he gets going there's no stopping him. Here is what the little daredevil does (I had to put it on youtube since the file was too big for blogger...click the colored lettering again)

The Jumping Bean

And then, there's Bones. It's been awhile since you've seen him I'm sure. He's only grown about 6 inches and gained about 40 pounds but it doesn't mean he isn't above snuggling and looking for cuddles. Danes are enormous dogs and many people on our high street are scared of him because of his sheer size but in all honesty...he is the biggest pile of smoosh ever. He thinks he's the size of a poodle (though he stands 34" at the shoulders and weighs about 138 pounds now) and will crawl up into your lap if you give him the chance. He adores Anders and he plays well with the girls. He has a heart to match the size of his body and he will do anything for some love...even pretend he's the carpet...check it out below: (click on the colored lettering again)

The Love-Deprived Lil' Pup

Half-term...twice.

Half term breaks can be tricky in London. Your children get a week, or two. Depending on the time of year, it can even be 4 weeks. You soon realize that you too have a bit of a vacation. No school run, no making lunches, no real schedule..what more could you ask for? By the end of their time off though, I find myself thinking..."where did the time go?" and "gosh what did we do?" in which case my answer is often "not a thing". So this time around, despite the girls being on differing schedules (while Av was off Sloane had school and visa versa), we went....da-da-da-daaaa....

Bowling.

That's right...

And yes, she did beat me in the second game!

Not sure Anders really got the whole bowling thing...but he sure did look good...


For another one of the days off I decided that I would be a good mum and do what all other Londoners do with their kids. Get their behinds into a museum for a little cultural perspective. So hmmmm...where to go that might actually keep all of our attention??...the Natural History Museum of course! So off we went. This time, though Sloane was supposed to be in school, we pulled her out and she got to play hooky (shh...I do believe they actually have truant officers here!). The first thing they saw in the museum was about the only thing they really got excited about.

Our very own journey to the center of the earth!

We managed to snag them Explorer backpack sets so that they could roam the museum looking for a mystery animal using the clues provided in said packs. Sloane chose the Mammals one while Avery chose Oceans. They each got a pair of binoculars, a sweet looking hat and a bright red pack filled with pens, pencils, clues and paper. The girls wouldn't be caught dead in the hats but Anders wasn't fussed about it. The kid has style and quite a bit of self confidence!!

No clue what dinosaur this is but it was pretty big with teensy little arms!

For Sloane's half term (along with every other school's break) we decided that she should be able to get to do a little something with just us like Avery did. So off to the London Aquarium we went. Thinking that every other school is also on break , we arrived at the aquarium with 1 minute to spare before it's opening. We queued with the other patrons at 1000. We stood in the queue, bought tickets, waited for lifts (elevators), got Sloane a sparkly tattoo, even got her a picture of her swimming on top of a shark, saw every single exhibit and we were out of the museum at 1055. Not what I would call a quality place to go, it's sort of like Madame Toussauds--don't waste your money. But it was certainly quality time!

This isn't a bad shot actually...usually she has her head cocked sideways and a leg wrapped around the pole...I have to tell her to stop looking like she's pole dancing. Thankfully she doesn't quite know what I mean. The other passengers get a bit of a chuckle.

Happy as he always is!

Sloane and Veronica on the way home

What's a little snow......

...I mean really. We get a little bit of snow and the entire city of London is brought to it's knees. I'm sure you all heard about our avalanche of snow but really, it couldn't have been more than 6 inches. That's nothing in upstate New York terms. A light dusting if you're in Colorado. London however, it was a different story. The amount of snow was literally unlike anything they've seen in 18 years! The city doesn't even own a snow plow but I suppose if you can go 18 years without the need, why bother!?! Below is just a bit of how we spent our days off. I kept my tush indoors while Veronica dove right in. She's never seen so much snow and to be able to make a wicked snowman!! What fun for our lil' Aussie :)

Bones didn't know what to make of all the snow so he made the most of it!