Life has been jetting by at warp speed. Growing kids sure does keep a Mom on her toes. I love seeing the kids in their own lives, making decisions and just growing into amazing young adults.
LOTS since my last post has happened. Both boys have celebrated another birthday year, Easton turned 8 on April 21st and Everett is now a big 6 and a half as he tell us on May 11th.
For myself, I was so fortunate enough to jet off to Jamaica with my girlfiriend Felicity for a week of fun and getting my hands dirty..haha.
Kids wrapped up another year of school, said good-bye to all the people we love in Panama, packed and sold all our belongings to move on to our next adventure.
Speaking of next adventure. We have decided to explore once again... This time we are heading back to a place that captivated us years ago. Thailand! Four and a half years ago we packed up our little kids and made the decision to head over to Asia. We did love it there and had all intentions of returning, and what a better time than any. So on August 8th 2010 we will be leaving Vancouver bound for our new home just out side of Chiang Mai. The kids are excited about the adventure so here we go....
So what have we been up to during my blog dry spell...
Happy 8th Birthday Buddy!!!
(Easton woke up to an array of treats... it is great to have a birthday)
(Easton wanted a big cake with marshmallows... time to get creative. The surprise twist to the cake was it was filled with money)
(the kids had enough of eating the cake so they all jumped in to find the rest of the money wrapped in wax paper of course)
(a trip to East's 2nd Grade classroom to celebrate with the students. Trent walked around and sprayed whipping cream into the kids mouths. Good thing Ms. Tyson is such a great sport)
JAMAICA...for a week
My girlfriend asked me if I wanted to fly over to Montego Bay with her to check out the sites and to help out. Felicity's family has a villa in Jamaica and it needed a bit of tender loving care ~ what better way to get free labor than to invite a friend.. haha It was a blast, we had so much fun. Also Felcity's sister was turning a mildstone birthday so we had to go over to visit her.
(typical street in Montego Bay. I rented a car and it was an adjustment driving on the other side of the road. My wipers kept going off when I was turning right. lol)
(a view from the Anchrage Villa over looking Montego Bay, it was so peaceful)
(this was the view I had each morning looking out. It was an amazing way to start my day)
Off to Nagril for the day!
Felcity's sister Janice lives in Jamaica so our trip was from a locals perspective. Nagril to me was mega hotels with a backpackers feel. We only went for the day to jump off some cliffs and watch some insane guys dive off unimaginable heights.
(Johnathon (Felicity's brother) and I standing in front of the sign for cliff jumpers at Rick's Cafe (mega tourist spot). We were the only two who dared to jump in our group so we are worthy of standing by the sign)
(here is me, off I went!... I told everyone I will walk up and keep on going, I can't stop to even look down.
It is amazing what fear can do with our minds. If you let fear take hold, it will prevent us from doing so much. I would have left with regret if I did not jump.
That night I was talking to Trent and I said "Honey we went to a place where some crazy guys were cliff jumping from amazing heights" - without skipping a beat Trent said - "Jody you jumped didn't you?" Oh how my husband knows me so well..haha)
Sunset at Half Moon Beach
(friends of Felicity's family own this beautiful section of paradise. Tucked away is this hidden gem and we stopped in to watch the sunset and have a fabulous dinner)
(a perfect spot to relax and forget about all the cares of the world)
(I thought this was a scream. Not to many restaurants ask it's patrons to smoke their Ganja aka marijuana outside the bar. Only in Jamaica..haha) I was surprised that ganja was illegal in Jamaica because you would never know it by the amount I smelt each day)
Janice turns 50... lets celebrate!!!
(Janice with Ron at the Twisted Kilt restaurant (yummy burgers) HAPPY BIRTHDAY!)
(Us girls out on the town helping Janice celebrate... Jen - Myself - Felicity)
(at the yacht club in Mongeto Bay for a few bevies. It was beautiful when the sun went down and to watch the cruise ships)
(what a night of dancing and more dancing. Me, Felicity, Johnathon, Jen. Alex his sweet wife and Janice. A fun night in Jamaica)
Docs Cove
My trip to Jamaica was in part helping with painting of the villa so as a reward we treated ourselves to an afternoon at the beach. It was perfectly clear water and white sand that everyone loves about the Caribbean.
(a quite afternoon at the playa)
(here we are enjoying our afternoon. Decided to order a mango margarita (very yummy) asked the price $7.00us ... it was so funny because it took Felicity a bit of time to lift up her jaw from the sand, she was so shocked at the price. Welcome to paradise..lol)
(the cutest little guy at the market. He yelled to us "in,in" pointing to the direction of his Mom's booth. He was so sweet)
(I paid 50 cents to take this picture of the Jamaican Patios language... It is a great sound to hear Jamaican people ramble on together)
(a quick shot of the local market square)
(my partner in crime here in Panama. Hugs Felicity, it was fun trip. I can't wait to meet up somewhere and do it again.)
As the days go on... in Panama
(Trent took Everett's whole class out for ice cream after a fun field trip to the Smithsonian Center. The K-5 class made a very nice poster to say a big Thank You!)
Wednesday's at Los Rios Pool
Every Wednesday afternoon is spent at the pool with the ladies and all the fun kiddies... A fun time for all, my boys seem to always be the last ones out.
(a birthday party at the pool. It was so hot the cupcake icing was melting (a standing joke all icing melts here)
(that's my Ev... nice face)
(Jacob and East enjoying their pool side snacks)
Walk-a-thon
Every year the school has a big event that turns each class into fierce competitors. Each class tries to out due eachother in raising funds to help earn money for the building construction of the school.
(walk a thon enthusiasts... it was a fun morning chatting with everyone and watching the kids do their rounds)
(Noah and Everett won movie passes for walking the most laps in their class. Way to go Boys!)
(hulk's in the house. The kids did not have much to do around the house because everything was either given away or packed... But they never cease to amaze me creating something )
(a funny picture I had to share. This is our friends SUV with our couch they bought on the roof of the truck. This is moving at its finest...lol)
(I wanted to take a picture of our gardener. They all wear the interesting headdress gear when cutting grass. He is the sweetest guy who alway has a big smile on his face when you see it)
(Ev hidding out in his fort he made with a fallen palm leaf in our backyard)
(I have been trying to get a picture of these guys for a while. This is the DON'T MESS WITH police. They ride around wearing pitch black helmets holding either shot guns or machine gun ready to go, while traveling on dirt bikes. A bit nerve racking when they pull up beside you I have to say)
Ev turns 6 ~ or as he says 6 and a half
(Ev with all his amigos at the bowling alley celebrating
JJ. East. Em. Markie, Lilly. Guan Carlo. Ev. Asher. Eva. Noah. Emmy)
(SCORE!!! - not strike, but score)
(cake in a cone was a huge hit with the kids. They were fun to make and decorate, so easy)
(My birthday boy and me. It was a fun day buddy)
A weekend Getaway at Breezes
Trent gave me 24hours notice to get my bags packed because he had a surprise getaway planned. He arranged a babysitter and booked us into the new beach resort Breezes here in Panama. It was so nice to just escape, sleep in, hang out at the pool with my hubby and just chill. Thank you Ms. Tyson for taking such great care of the kids.
(Trent doing what he does best... hanging out in the pool. I don't have very many pictures because I did nothing absolutely nothing)
Field Trip with 4th Graders to Portabelo!
Trent and I escorted Emma's class to a small town called Portabelo on the Caribbean coast. We went to tour the ruins, church with the black Christ and the stunning views. It was a long but educational day. We had a group of 10 kids who were awesome.
(our group of kids for the day we had fun....with (*Marifar * Em *Nico *Franklin *Mauricio *John David *Joel *Morgan *Keimi *Fernanda we called ourselves "The Portobelo's")
(the monkey in Nico's arms loved Gaderade and all the attention. Field trips are sure fun here)
(a very old cannon made for a fun picture with "The Portabelo's)
(Em's grade 4 class of 2009~2010 at CCA in Panama)
Yen. Emma. Kenny. Kiemi. Feranada. Marifer. Ramses. Franklin. JD. Morgan. Lizbeth. Jake. Diana. Daniel. Khushi. Ricky. Nico. Joel. Tohko. Mauricio
~ an array of kids from Panama. USA. Nicaragua. Japan. China. Colombia. Costa Rica and of course Canada!)
Friday afternoon treat... snow cones
(Friday after school the snow cone man is waiting for the kids. 25cents still buys a cold treat)
(Panama's slirpees)
Oh the puppies...
Our friends the Cortese's dog had a litter of 7 puppies. We went out one afternoon 10 days before we were departing Panama to take some stuff and play with the puppies. Well by the end of our afternoon visit Trent and the kids had convinced themselves it would be a good idea to take care of a puppy until we left. An interesting 10 days it was.
(Easton with a few of the pups. The selection process was on... which one to take home)
(all the kids had a puppy each to hug, kiss, pull, prod and smootherly love)
(the local little girl with her puppy she chose... They are both so cute)
(Pleased to introduce you to Wonder ~ our puppy for 10 days. However in that short 10 days it was amazing how much the kids learned about caring for a puppy... cleaning up her messes, taking her outside constantly, curbing her from chewing and just having a alot of fun playing around with her. She was so fun to cuddle with)
(No shortage of love for Wonder)
(Wonder and Trent sleeping in in the morning, they both love their zzzz's)
Awards Ceremony...
What a morning it was at school. I could not be any more proud of my kiddos, they made me beam. At the awards ceremony each of our kids were recongnized in front of their peers for all their hard work. Congratulations my amazing E's.
(Ev was honored with a Language Arts Award. Ev loves school and really focuses on his tasks, thanks to his amazing teachers Mrs. Layman and Mrs. Guy)
(East ran out of hands. East worked hard at getting Honor Roll for the last quarter as well as maintaining Honor Roll for the whole school year! Ya East. His third award was for all his helpfulness and endless Creativity this year. Ms. Tyson really allowed East to express himself and he flourished, what a great year it was)
(Ms. Emma... Em is a eager student who wants to do her best. Em had Honor Roll all year long but the surprise came when she was the only student in her class to be awarded High Honor Roll for the last quarter. She pulled it out and remember the kids have to get top marks in Spanish as well that goes towards their final grade. Way to go Girl)
Em's Piano Recital
Emma has been taking piano and guitar lessons this school year. My daughter is a natural at music and I hope she takes it and runs. On June 1st (my birthday) Em along with other students had their piano recital. It was a fun night because it gave us an excuse to go buy her a new dress, put on some lipgloss and curl her hair... all for the fun of it. She played and looked beautiful.
(cute outfit with sweater...)
(adorable girl in dress without the sweater)
Lots and lots of soccer
This was the first year the kids really got into soccer. Trent took on coaching the Sub 10 and 12 Girls team at the school and Easton also played on the boys school team. As a family we really did not know to much about soccer but by the end of the season WOW my throat was sore from cheering.
(Em's team played in the championship game against the biggest rival school Balboa in Panama. It was a great game that was tied and it went to a shoot out. Unfortunately the shoot out was not in our favor. We were so proud of the girls and they did great under the pressure of all the screaming fans)
(fight for it Em)
(Easton did great this soccer season, he played on the Sub 10 team and played with some amazing soccer players. These boys we so exciting to watch. Soccer in these Latin countries is like water... a must ... and can these boys play. Easton always had a big smile on his face, he loved being out there)
Ev has graduated to Grade 1...
no more baby, a Big boy
Ev's class was a special class. He had a great group of kids who really loved eachother and a teacher who gave it her all in her last year of teaching. It was a blessing that Everett was surrounded by such amazing kids, I can not believe he is growing up so fast.
The graduation was awesome, they sang, we had treats and took lots of pictures. Everett had English kindergarten in the mornings and also took Spanish class with 5 other students in the afternoon. At the graduation the kids sang two songs in Spanish and it was a tear jerker for me. Our kids have flourished in Spanish it still amazes me to hear them speak.
(our little graduate getting ready to sing his heart out)
(I look at this picture and can not imagine fast forwarding 18 years to his High School Grad)
Moving on... time to say good-bye Panama
We have had a great life in Panama however as a family we decided it was time to move on to the next chapter in our journey. We made some amazing friends along our way whom became our Panamanian family. It was really hard saying good-bye but I know we will cross paths again. We love you all and will miss you dearly. I had a great group of woman around me which I will cherish always, I will miss Tuesday nights. Trent will miss his Tuesday night with the guys as well, (lots of studying going on)..haha. So many great memories we will hold dear to our heart.
So many things in our day to day life that everyone has said they will miss, surveyed my family;
~Tuesday massages - jody/trent
~Thursday nails being done - jody
~Thursday night out with the Cortese's - jody/trent
~Debbie babysitting - all the kids
~Saturday night Date night. - everyone..haha
~Lunches at Don Pan and Masala - everyone
~All the inexpensive wine. - trent
~Playing street hockey. - everyone
~Living in Clayton. - everyone
~Our jungled backyard - everyone
~Our two trucks - emma
~Trips to fun adventures - emma
~Chino Store - fresh fruit and veggies - emma/jody
~Wonder our puppy - everyone
~Bagel shop freezer and all the yummy bagels Bavna made - everyone
~Seeing the ships everyday passing the canal - everyone
~Awesome school/church community - everyone
So many things. Panama was only suppose to be a 6 month adventure that turned into multiple years we will forever and ever cherish.
(my small group of ladies who have been so supportive, caring, loving, such a precious time having the strength of woman who care about our kids and who made me laugh)
(A special good-bye to Mr. John who was has been like an Uncle to the kids since pretty much our first days in Panama. He stopped by the night before we left to rile up the kids like usual and to help set off one more firesworks show. The kids will miss freezing in the freezer at the bagel shop and special french toast)
(Daisy our helper who was my right hand lady and oh will I miss her...)
(our life is back down to 12 suitcases, two computer bags and two backpacks. It is strange but we must love this simple life ;- )
There are so many other pictures I could add, so many more smiling faces but it is time to sign off this chapter. It has been a fascinating journey and so thankful for the opportunity. We learned a lot about our family, our selves and the trials and joys of expat living while in Panama and look forward to the interesting stories that lay ahead.
Thank you for your support in our sometimes crazy life :- )
Until next time.
all our love
Jody. Trent. Em. East. Ev