Too much fun in Jamaica

We just got home from our 10 day family vacation to Montego Bay, Jamaica. We went with Josh's parents, his 3 brothers and their families. It was an absolute blast! We had sunny, warm weather everyday and it only stormed twice at night. The water was bright turquoise and crystal clear! A couple beaches we went to were the epitome of Carribean beaches: white, soft sand and warm clear water. You could walk for a while out into the ocean and it would only get waist deep. We got our fill of swimming in between the ocean and our hotel pool. Matt loved swimming and would point to any body of water we went passed and grunt like "Hey mom and dad take me swimming!". He had this yellow baby float and some foam balls that entertained him for hours in the water.

We had 2 rental vans the whole time so we made lots of excursions out and about the island. Jamaicans drive on the left side of the road, so Josh got the nerve racking experience of leading the way through narrow streets and backwards (to Americans) round abouts. He did a great job driving though, and by the end of the week he didn't have to think so hard behind the wheel. There were some key phrases we learned: " Ya, mon.", "Respect, mon", "Its Jamaica, no rush mon", "No problem, mon" , "You want to PARTY?" this meant do you want to buy my drugs! The people at our hotel were so kind and helpful and easily fell in love with all our babies. We made good friends with a couple of them. Jamaicans outside of the resort....well, lets say they wanted any money you would give them. Overall, it was a great experience and I would highly recommend planning a trip to Jamaica.

Here's the run down of our week in Jamaica:
Thursday- flew to Dallas, TX and spent the night in a grumpy hotel
Friday- flew to Jamaica and relaxed at our resort Coyaba
Saturday- played on our beach
took Matt paddle boating in the ocean
went on a couple's Sunset cruise
had authentic Jamaican dinner with Jerk pork, bammy, callaloo, conch fritters, and a Steel band for entertainment
Sunday- played in the pool
went to Falmouth LDS branch for church
went to Dr.'s Cave beach and hung out all afternoon/early evening
Monday- drove to Ochos Rios to Dunn's River Falls
hiked and played in 900 ft (gradual downriver) waterfall
got harassed at Jamaican craft market by vendors
Tuesday- everyone but me, Jenny and babies went Scuba diving
souvenir shopped
swam/played in pool and beach
had delicious dinner at "Seafood night" at the hotel: seafood chowder, grilled shrimp,
awesome tuna, jerk crawfish, crab cakes, and callaloo mashed potatoes
Wednesday- drove to Negril beach and saw Negril lighthouse
Josh nearly gave me a heart attack as he jumped off a 40 ft cliff into ocean
swam in most gorgeous ocean water I've ever been in
haggled vendors for better prices on souvenirs
Thursday- deep sea fished in the a.m. I caught a 3 ft barracuda, no one else caught
took Matt ocean kayaking and swimming
went to Luminous Lagoon at night to swim in glowing microrganisms, tough one to
explain.
Friday- woke up for an early morning drive/swim at Wiltshire community beach- this gorgeous
spot of ocean off the main road that all the locals swim in. Josh had his eye on it all week.
took family pictures around the resort
packed and went to airport with sad faces
nearly missed flight and were running all over the airport while Matt held on for dear
life in his stroller.
arrived in Dallas, TX to stay the night (this time at a nicer, happier hotel)
Saturday- arrived in SLC! we were so excited to get home and have normal food and milk, and
of course to relax. Vacations can wear you out!!!

And I couldn't write this post without a HUGE, heartfelt, neverending "THANK YOU!" to Josh's parents. Our amazing trip wouldn't have been possible without them. Thanks for all the hard work and planning, mom and dad! We love you!

Weeding the Garden

Heather and I spent a good portion of Satruday morning trying to weed our garden. Long story short, it didn't matter how many toys we gave to Matt, he was only interested in one thing and that was helping mom and dad. Lets hope this helping just ins't a phase.

Hogle Zoo Father's Day Outing

For Father's Day this year, Matt and I surprised Josh with a day of fun (Saturday before Father's Day). We read him this cute book about a day out with Dad. We followed along the story with a yummy breakfast, playtime, a trip to the Zoo, a picnic (in the car since it was pouring outside) and a pizza dinner. We had a fun day as a family. Matt liked the larger animals at the zoo, like the giraffes and zebras. Here are some pics of Matt's first trip to the zoo! Oh and Happy Father's Day to all you Fathers out there!

Yummy Broccoli Chicken Casserole

Thought I would share the latest delicious recipe I've found. We had our great friends The Booths over last night for dinner. They were my guinea pigs, but it paid off! We had this over rice. Everyone had seconds or thirds :) It was great to see them and catch up. So, here's the recipe Tiffany and all those other chickies who love comfort food!

Broccoli Chicken Casserole
Layer the following top (1) to bottom (5):
1. 1" buttered cubes of French bread (about 1/2 loaf)
2. 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3. sauce (see below)
4. 2 cups cooked cubed chicken breast
5. 2 cups steamed broccoli

Sauce:
2 cans cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp lemon juice
-Mix sauce ingredients together before adding to casserole layer.

-Layer ingredients in a greased 9X13 glass dish. Bake at 350 degrees about 30 mins. Bread will be toasted and cheese will be bubbly.

I want to be like Dad when I grow up

Matt likes to play with Josh's things during the day. He came up with a game where he puts Josh's crocs on his arms and crawls around. He even puts them on the right sides! The first time he did this I laughed so hard.

Here is Matt in one of Dad's t-shirts. He really is a mini-Josh :)

Also, this week Josh hooked up Matt's carrier and they went on their first bike ride together! It looked so fun, I think Matt liked it a lot. He didn't want to get out afterwards.

We sure love Josh. We are so glad when Dad comes home everyday and we get to play and spend time with him.

OuR bUsY wEeK

Last week was full of fun! How about a photo recap:

Kevin and Jenny went through the Temple and then were sealed as a family! We are so happy for them. This was a great night. It was wonderful having so much family in the temple together.

On Friday, Joel graduated from Granger High School. Congratulations Joel! We are proud of you, and wish you the best as you go onto BYU!

Saturday, we did some yard work to get ready for our first BBQ of the summer. We picked a ton of strawberries, hung a hammock chair I got from Cancun several years ago, and played with our happy babe in the backyard. We had a great time with our friends that night and thankfully the weather held out for us.

Sunday was Katie's baby blessing in Provo. Brian gave her a beautiful blessing. Unfortunately, we didn't take our camera so here is a picture of newborn Katie instead :)

Also, yesterday, we got to visit Amy and Justin. We stopped by their ward and Elder Oakes was visiting for his granddaughter's baby blessing or something like that. We got to see him, although we didn't wait in line to shake his hand. You can feel the Spirit just by looking at an Apostle. It was a neat experience to see him close up. We visited with the Blackhams and they made some yummy taco salads for lunch. (PS. This is a pic of them in Vegas, not Sunday dinner)

All in all, a great week! Now we need a break, jk.

For the Fun of Sunglasses

Matt is obsessed with sunglasses these days. Anytime I have a pair on, he points to them and "talks" until I put them on him. So here are some pics of Matt in mom's sunglasses. Hope you enjoy.