more than climbing...

While at the orthodontist with Morgan, I met Boni, the owner of the rock climbing wall in town and she invited me to come out and give it a try. So glad we did!

Here's the first of many various girls night out at Hangin' High! I love it... especially the feel good sore feeling! Truly a great work-out!

Last weekend I decided to bring the entire family for FAMILY DAY and show them the fun I was having with climbing! They had a great time! The kids were excited and even little Mia (22 months) kept pointing to the wall and learned how to say, "I climb".

I love the fact that it's MORE than just climbing. More than a challenge! It builds confidence, trust, communication & even problem solving. Learning to work together with people you know and some you don't know.

I signed the kids up for this month for the Ekulo Kidz Climbing Club and decided to pick them up from school and bring them to the wall. Our friends, the Morrisons decided to come out with us and let their boys try it too... we had the entire place to ourselves, it was awesome!

Later at dinner, I overheard my friend Amy say to Morgan, "You're a good climber" and Morgan's face lit up and said, "You saw me?"

Recalling that small moment from last night touches my heart and brings tears to my eyes. The way he phrased it with such a surprised expression of being recognized amongst the others. My son is growing up so quickly and I have found him becoming more reserved and quiet. He'll be 11 soon & already his voice is changing... maybe he's more conscious of that.

Since climbing, he has been talking non-stop about THE WALL and can't wait to go again. He's found more confidence in himself! To me, it's worth the time to take him back again and again!

As a mommy of 4, I try to make sure my time with each child is evenly distributed.... it's hard though... because some require MORE attention than others! Some personalities are much bigger than others. I'm so blessed to have good kids. Lots of prayer and lots of discipline, for sure!

"You saw me?"... yes, my son - I SEE YOU! And more importantly I hope you will always know that in your quiet strength you are growing into such an amazing young man! Mommy and Daddy love you so much! God loves you even more than we do... and that's a whole LOTA love! It reminds me of one of GOD's promises in Isaiah...

"Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed", says the Lord, who has compassion on you. Isaiah 54:10

My groovy little grinders!

Mia's 1st dental appointment and she did awesome! Almost 2 years old & 12 teeth - I would say it's time to get things looked at! There were some tears once the Doc came out with his strange lookin' glasses... but overall, I'm so very proud of my baby girl! Yeah!

** do you see her little hand saying "wait"... she was trying to figure out his eye gear!

Morgan has 4 more months with his braces (phase 1)... and he's done a great job keeping his teeth clean despite all the gear!

Ryan has a chipped baby tooth that he voiced he wanted it fixed (that's comin' out of his little wallet, thank you very much). He's a grinder and the sound of his teeth grinding at night makes me cringe!!! Surprisingly though... he had a great check up and keeping things clean!

... Dani, Dani, Dani! She's going to break our bank! My groovy little girl already has had fillings for a cavity... now she has a few more! PARENTS, IF YOU'RE NOT HELPING YOUR KIDS FLOSS... start doing it! We kinda dropped the ball on that! All Dani's cavities are in the crevices between her teeth!

... the X-ray's don't lie! My groovy girl will spend 1 day each week next month getting her teeth fixed and filled! 2 cavities at a time... yup - 8 new little cavities. They're small... but they're there! Errggghh!

Dr. Eusebio & Daniella

The big question is this... Happy Gas or No Happy Gas? She'll get the area numbed and worked on... and I believe my girl can handle all that without having to get the "gas". She thinks so too... but I don't want to traumatize my baby!

.

The savings would be $616 (yes, that's how much the Happy Gas will cost total when we're finally done). Daddy thinks the experience (w/out the gas) will make her remember to be more diligent with brushing! Now that's tough love!

I just love my gap-tooth smilin' girl!

Girls Trip to Thailand...

Updates on our Girls Trip to Thailand will be posted soon... as soon as I can catch up, I'll be writing more about our time in ChiangMai and our ONE NIGHT in Bangkok.

Thanks to my parents who watched my kiddos while I was away... and my sweet hubby for working so hard!!


5 mom's (1 daughter), 5 days, 2 cities & LOTS OF incredible memories! Photos and details to follow. Here's just a few more photos to share...

Loved all the colors and fabrics... splashes of color are now throughout my home, reminding me of my time in such a beautiful country!

Enjoyed a full day feeding, bathing and learning about rescued & aging Elephants at the Elephant Nature Park.


... more to come - Ziplining over the Rainforest... Flight of the Gibbons! We didn't see any monkeys while zipping along 18 platforms, 11 ziplines, 2 skybridges and 3 lowering cable stations - but we sure did hear them! Truly an amazing experience!

We took the night train from ChiangMai to Bangkok

Our last night in Bangkok we took a water taxi and explored the city view from the water!

The reality is this -

Here's the reality. I'm behind on my blog! There's a ton of photos to share & moments caught!

The reality is... we are enjoying our time with my parents & so happy that they are here with us. Wishing our time with them could be longer - yet thankful for the time we have with them!


Thanks to some really good friends & neighbors - we spent a fun filled day ON the water, IN the water & ABOVE the water on my Mom's birthday! Watching dolphins, jet-skiing, parachuting, banana boat riding and spending time as a family - what more could we ask for?

Dani & MomMom sharing a cool & refreshing island style drink!

... clearly Mo's life jacket needs to be upgraded to the adult size!


My sweet little island girls

up up and away...

My amazing parents... aren't they just so cute in this photo? LOVE THEM!

** thanks again for a GREAT day today **