Six Weeks of Summer Vacation in 213 Pictures

Oh, blogging. How I’ve missed you! I’m shocked at how fast our summer vacation has gone by — even with our un-planned two week extension! I’m currently sitting in the passenger seat making out last drive back from Orlando to Fort Lauderdale this summer and I’m using the time to cull though my 20 thousand photos and blog about our fun summer adventures.

We had an AMAZING summer. Two Bahamas trips, two Orlando trips, one trip to North Carolina and LOTS of fun in south Florida. This is obviously going to be a massive picture share post, because I took way too many pictures (as usual).

Our first stop this summer was Bimini to celebrate my big 3-0. The trip was just so perfect. Flat seas, perfect weather, and perfect company. Here are just a few from our amazingly perfect vacay. Haha, a “few…”

After our Bimini trip, the fam drove up to Orlando for a few days to spend some time with Grandpa and Grandpa. We did a little Publix shopping (of course) and had a pizza night.

Kenzie also enjoyed some morning peek-a-boo in the hammock. Silly girl.

It was a short stay in Orlando, because it was time to drive back down south. My actual birthday was on the 18th. I woke up to the sweetest birthday present made by Maddie, spent the day in the pool and my parents threw me an amazing party. I blew out the candles with the two most perfect presents I could have ever imagined. So so so blessed. (Oh, and Scott let me take his picture too, WIN!)

And, there is better place to spend Father’s Day than on the boat and in the pool.

Speaking of pool, we did a whole lot of swimming this summer. Madison’s swimming skills are so impressive! She isn’t even four yet and she can swim the entire length of the pool. I’m so proud of her, and can’t wait to start Kenzie’s lessons when we get back to Costa Rica.

Summer fun wasn’t limited to the pool though. Here is a massive picture share of some other random summer memories.

But we were really craving some of that Bimini blue water, so back to the Bahamas we went! This time, I can’t say we had a perfect crossing or perfect weather, but even a bad day in Bimini is better than no day in Bimini. A few shares from our second trip of the summer.

And then, it was time to head to North Carolina to meet the newest addition to the Rogers family. No, no, not me! I became an Auntie to my third nephew, Everett. 

Less than 24 hours in North Carolina, and back to Florida we went. I missed my girls! Originally, we were supposed to head back to Costa Rica the next day but Scott ended up having to go to Mexico for a business trip, so the girls and I extended our stay so our summer fun could continue in the USA. A few more pics from the awesome memories we made. 

It was so fun, but it's also good to be home. Today, we went to visit the monkey lady, and I'm so eager to edit those pictures before the girls are up from their naps! Can't wait to blog those in a week or so (haha, sure). 

May Madness! (Or, Laziness. Not sure...)

It’s hard to believe that May has passed and June has begun. The family didn't really venture out to anywhere super interesting last month (with the exception of Sarchi which I will elaborate on later). Rainy season has begun, so we’ve been spending a lot of time at home. I told Scott that I will start to get out more once I get myself (and the girls) a pair of Hunter rain boots. It’s a necessity living in Costa Rica, right? :) 

In an effort to stick with my goals, I’m going to make this post picture-heavy as opposed to heavy on the words. Many of these will be repeaters of images I’ve already shared with a few other’s scattered in. 

Disclaimer: I'm three glasses of wine in. I can not be held accountable for my grammar in this post. 

Our trip to Florida was so much fun, but it was also nice to be "home." I still struggle with calling Costa Rica home. The truth is, I miss home every day. But, there are so many things that I love about this place too. The girls and I spend a lot of time at our community pool, so that had to be one of our first stops, of course. I bought some chalk while I was in the U.S. and Madison had fun coloring her wagon on the way to the pool. Poor girl only got to swim for probably 10 minutes, because I heard thunder almost immediately, so our pool trip was cut short. She still had fun though, and I managed to snap a couple cute shots. 

It's rainy season here, so we spend a lot of time inside. Kenzie is at the age where she is starting to really show her personality (a.k.a. attitude). The girls fight over pretty much everything, and the truth is Madison and Mackenzie split the role of instigator about 50/50. But this is proof that Madison is growing up and has a sweet heart. When Kenzie gets hurt, she is genuinely sad and tries to comfort her. It's the sweetest thing ever. This was an after wipe-out hug that I managed to capture, followed by a super happy three year old with popcorn! <3

My big girl has been been loving her bike lately. She always wants to go for a ride around the neighborhood. Apparently we had a day with no rain, so out we went. Gosh, she is cute! 

I'm so very lucky to have made some amazing friends here in Costa Rica. Melissa invited us over the week we got back. It was my first trip to her house, about 30 minutes away. I'm thrilled to report I didn't get lost AND my car made it up the super steep hill to her home. She will deny such "steep" hill, but remember, I'm from flat Florida. I was legit concerned my car wouldn't make  it. She and her husband just laughed at me, and I have to admit I laughed too. She had this amazing orange wall with the yummiest light, so I had to take some photos on our play date. She is also an amazing photographer. You should check out her work. https://www.facebook.com/bebecitosfotos/ 

The next play date I went on was at my friend Lisa's house. She had this brilliant idea to to give the kids paint. In her living room. Hey -- at least I got some adorable photos out of it. 

Madison was the "VIP" at school our first week home. This means she got to bring home the class "pet," Isabella. We had fun with Isabella for a week, but I'm pretty sure she gave Kenzie Hand, Foot and Mouth disease, because it was going around her class the week prior. More on that later...

Remember the awesome photographer friend I mentioned above? Well, her son, Nic, turned 1 so we were invited back for a fun party! My trusty Hyundai made it up the hill again, and we had SO much fun at his fiesta. 

I remember when I shared this one I asked if you thought if they were playing or fighting? Notice picture 3. There is your answer. Most of the time, the answer is fighting! :(

Except here they were genuinely being nice to each other. They were watching Lion King on the iPad in my bathroom. Why? I have no flipping clue. But the light looked lovely so off to grab my camera. (I know, stop with the reflections! I can't help it people! My floors just do this!!!!)

So, Kenzie got Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. I blame Isabella, the class pet. Luckily, we had a super mild case, but I still kept her inside for almost one week because this sh*t spreads like the plague and I didn't want to infect any of our friends. 

Even though she was sick, she was still so smiley. <3

I managed to take her outside for her 18 month photos. The shoot didn't last long though, because a volcano erupted and there was ash everywhere. When we got home from this little photo shoot there was ash in her neck rolls LOL. 

Lots of rainy days in Costa Rica, (plus, tons of volcano ash) means we did a lot of baking, and cleaning. Haha (or should I say, jajaja). 

She was really itching to get outside and play. 

Saturday finally came around, and that meant it was time for our new tradition, breakfast at Taco Bar. OMG it's sooo good. Kenzie was clearly enjoying her Fresa drink. "Don't even think about taking this from me, Mom!"

Another fun thing we've been doing more is dancing. I figured out YouTube works on my AppleTV and I stream music all day. The girls LOVE putting their ballet outfits on and dancing. It's always the top country songs. I know, We are the definition of Gringo here. LOL. 

Ahh, it was FINALLY time for an adventure! We went to Sarchi,  a small town about 40 minutes from us, with the Bloomers. They hand paint these beautiful oxcarts. I want one! Maddie was obviously more impressed with her Pringles than anything else, but it was really a cool place and we had a lot of fun. 

After lunch in Sarchi, we went to a butterfly garden and met the biggest caterpillar ever. 

Scott went golfing that Sunday, so when he got home I made him go to Wal-Mart to buy the girls a trampoline. Kenzie was obviously happy about this decision. 

Maddie also had her first school show. It was so cute, they sang and danced and Maddie clearly wasn't on her best behavior. 

We've got a nice little morning routine going. I work out every morning (I do the 21 day fix workouts) and Kenzie plays while I'm exercising. She loves to "workout" too. The funniest thing is I always skip the yoga workout but somehow she knows how to do yoga. Totally confused, but at least it made an adorable photo. LOL

Some adorable morning shots. I think I might be in the market for a second twin bed soon...

We went back to Taco Bar last weekend and Maddie brought her camera. She's totally mine, obviously <3. 

Birthday parties are a big deal in Costa Rica (apparently) and we had so much fun at Eli's fifth birthday party last weekend. It was complete with a giant waterslide, and a complete spa with manis and pedis for the kids, massages, masks, etc. We had a blast!

Kenzie sported her red, white and blue on Memorial Day. I remember when Maddie wore this tutu dress. Gosh, they grow up so fast!!! How is Kenzie wearing this already???

My little princesses love to dress up and eat cake. Shocking, huh?

And, finally, May came to an end. I'm glad we ended on such a positive note -- my girls really do love each other. And my gosh, I love them too! 

To Grandmother’s House We Go - April Adventures 2 of 2.

You know the thought of traveling alone with two kids? Sounds fun, right? Yeah, I didn’t think so. That’s why we fully took advantage of Grandma’s return flight to Orlando and crashed her party by joining her on her flight. This was a completely last-minute trip home (our renter moved out and we needed to head back to prep the home for our new tenant) but we ended up making the most out of it. The girls and I stayed for almost 3 weeks, and Scott met us there toward the end of the trip. 

Let’s reminisce… 

The flight was great. Both girls were very behaved on the plane. Some jerk did move and accused Maddie of kicking his wife’s seat while I was trying to get Kenzie to sleep, but Grandma said he was full of it and just wanted to move to the seats with more room, and that Maddie did no such thing. Not sure who to believe here but I will side with family and say she was a perfect angel.  

We stayed in Orlando for a couple of days, and one of our first stops was Mary’s Nails for Madison’s first pedicure. We also, of course, hit up the neighborhood splash pad. Oh, and Target. <3

Next, we made the drive down to Fort Lauderdale to visit my parents and other family down there. This means we spent a LOT of time in Grammy and Pop Pop’s pool, the park, and with cousin Grayson. 

We also spent time with our friend Melissa and her daughter Summer. We made pudding. I would consider this one of my best ideas yet. It was a success, clearly. 

The Pompano Beach splash Pad was also on the agenda, of course. And this time, with snow cones :)

But, all fun things must come to an end, and it was time to head back to Orlando because DADDY WAS COMING! 

Did I say all fun things must come to an end? That’s a lie. We were in Orlando! That means it’s time for DISNEY!!! And, guess what our bonus was? Cousin Mason came with us!!! How awesome is it that the timing worked out perfectly that we got to sneak in a quick visit with Uncle Donnie and a weekend with Mason while we were in the U.S.??? They live in North Carolina so we don’t see them often. Mason made this particular Disney trip super special. It was his first time, and I took my job of documenting this special occurrence very seriously! I have way more pictures of him than of my own kids, but that’s OK. We will just have to go back later this summer. 

Playdates are one of my favorite things about visiting home. Not only do the kids get to see their old friends but I get to re-connect with mine. Here are a few highlights from our Orlando playdates. 

And then, the STOMACH BUG HIT US. I will spare the details, i’m so sorry but I didn’t get pictures, but it was BAD.  First Grandma, then me, then Scott, then Grandma and it ended with Maddie. I’m not sure how on earth Mackenzie was spared but I’m very thankful for that and that it is over. 

Before our trip came to an end, I had to take the girls to our old house. At first, Maddie wasn’t so sure about it. She didn’t understand why we were in there and didn’t understand why we could’t stay, but they did have fun running around in the empty house and of course I snapped a few pics. 

Mother’s Day came quick, and it was time to head back to the Pura Vida. But, there was some major, depressing, business in order that had to be done before I left. I had to send my camera in to get fixed. This is my third child. The thought of parting with her for almost a month made me sick. I held onto her as long as I could, but it needed to happen. I’m SO thankful to have amazing friends, one of who let me borrow his camera until mine is fixed. So, the 366 is continuing this month while I learn to get used to shooting with a different body. Thank you again, Gil, for your generosity. 

We made it home safe and sound, and I even got some cute pics in the airport of the kids. As you can see, I had some focus issues (getting used to a new camera is tough) but they are perfectly imperfect to me. 

Pura Vida!

Ashley 

April Adventures - Part 1 of 2.

Oh, blogging, why must I always fall so behind? It’s been more than one month since my last post. The thought of going through one month’s worth of photos and writing about everything we’ve done over the past 5 weeks is beyond what my brain is capable of right now. So, with that being said, I’ve decided that I’m going to just play catch up and cover the highlights (which I’m sure is all anyone really cares about anyway). I will be better about blogging more frequently. I will be better about blogging more frequently. I will be better about blogging more frequently. 

Now, I LOVE photographing my kids. I genuinely do. But I’m not working much here and I felt the need to try something different, so I volunteered at Madison’s school to take pictures of their Sport Day. She has the sweetest little school that I love so much, I’m going to be really sad when we switch her next year (she’s already in the oldest class).  The kids had a blast running around, and I really had fun watching all the smiles and taking some pictures. 

One of the hardest things about moving here initially was feeling so lonely. I missed (well, I still miss) all of my friends back home a lot. Thankfully, I’ve started to meet some lovely moms here in Costa Rica, and I’ve been coordinating and going on play dates. We met a lovely family who also recently relocated from the US with two adorable little boys that are similar in age to Maddie and Kenzie. Maddie calls them “the bloomer boys.” We had them over a few weeks ago to go swimming. Unfortunately, our pool was closed that afternoon so I set up a hose, kiddie pool and water table in the garage. The kids had a blast and Lisa and I got to relax and chat a little. The kids had fun too. I think someone has a crush on the baby. 

Speaking of the baby, how stinking cute is she???

OK, they are both too cute for words. Madison has actually started to tolerate my camera! She even posed for me a couple weeks ago. Hey, it’s not perfect but it’s progress! 

As much as I don’t want to, I feel the need to share one of the most eventful and embarrassing things that has happened to me since being in Costa Rica. I got lost. Like, really lost. A few weeks ago, I had a shoot for a family who lives about 40 minutes from me. There is this lovely map app (and now I have Dora The Explorer songs in my head) called Waze that I use for EVERYTHING. It generally is pretty good but redirects you if there is traffic. There is a main highway called the 27 that I’ve taken to get to the area where my client lives, but Waze didn’t tell me to get on that highway. Without dragging on too much with every detail here, let’s put it this way. I drove in circles for more than an hour. There was a panic attack. There were tears, and there were plenty curse words. The clients were so understanding and trying to help me find my way, but Costa Rica roads aren’t always labeled and I had NO CLUE where I was. At one point, the father asked where I was and my answer was, “umm, I see large red and white poles.” That was seriously the only explanation I could give. My phone was minutes from dying when I miraculously ended up on the 27 and I knew how to get home from that point. I had to cancel on them that night because the light was almost gone and I needed to take my opportunity to go home since I knew where I was. Plus, I was so frazzled from the experience that I knew I wouldn’t be on my A game. I called them to profusely apologize and express my sincerest embarrassment, and their response was pretty much to not worry and Pura Vida. And this is one of the things I love about Costa Rica. Most people are SO nice and laid back! That night, I had a large glass (OK, glasses) of wine to recover from the stress. The next day, I got this message on my phone. Eff you, Waze. 

Grandma came to visit us, so, of course, we had to go on some more adventures! We headed to Arenal Volcano, which is our favorite place we’ve been so far! The drive was long, but so worth it and we can’t wait to go back. We also went back to La Paz Waterfall Gardens (our second favorite place!)  Here are a few highlights from those trips. 

Now, those who know me know I organize my photos in a very particular way. I have folders by year, month, then date with a short description of what's contained in the album. This makes blogging my photos a tad easier since I can just go through the folders in chronological order, pick my favorites, edit, blog stomp them, write about what we did and be done with it (gosh, it seems so easy when I put it like that but i'm on hour two of this post) . But,  since shortly after La Paz we headed on a plane to go back to the States, I have all of my photos from April 20 - May 8 on my laptop right now and haven't transferred them to my iMac. Since this is already a novel, I'll leave you with Part 1 of 2, and do a separate post about our US adventures shortly! It's going to be lots of fun -- airplane travel, sunrise photography mentoring sessions, splash pad adventures with friends, Disney, the stomach bug plague.... you don't want to miss it. 

Before I head out though, is there anything specifically you're interested in reading about (who even reads this)? Would anyone enjoy some tips and tricks about photography, editing, camera gear, organizing photos, etc.? I certainly don't have all the answers and I might not do everything right, but what I do works for me and it may work for others. Let me know if you'd like info on anything photography related, and I'd be happy to write a blog post about it! 

Pura Vida!

Ashley 

Adventures With Grammy (and More)!

Hola! It’s been a few weeks since I’ve managed to find the time to blog. It’s been crazy busy and this task always seems so overwhelming to me. It forces me to go through all my photos since my last post, edit and resize them. At least a few hours. Sometimes, it’s the last thing I want to do. But, I know I’m going to be glad I kept this thing going after our delegation ends. So here it goes let’s reflect back on three week’s worth of Rogers family fun! Hope the kids plan on napping for at least two hours...

Maddie got sick for the first time since living here. Like, sick enough to go to the doctor. Poor girl threw up twice in one night, once in her bed, and then once in ours. It turns out her Asthma is back, and she was coughing so much in her sleep (from the smokey air here) that it was causing her to vomit. She now takes two inhaler meds a day again (just like when she was little). The first week or so was a challenge because she hated wearing the spacer, but now she is a champ and when she coughs she asks for her medicine. 

The idea of finding a doctor here scared me a bit at first. It is really a struggle because mi Espanol es no bueno. I’ve been taking lessons and I can get by (and sometimes surprise myself with how much I do actually understand) but a phone conversation to attempt to make an appointment is just super intimidating. One of my lovely friends here, Melissa, told me about her kids’ amazing english-speaking pediatrician, and suggested I text her to make an appointment. WHAT? Doctors let you text them here? Ummm. It’s uhhh-mazing. Within about an hour of my first text around 7:30 a.m. I was all set with a same-day appointment to go see her. And we LOVED her. She was so nice, and took great care of my little girl without pushing the automatic antibiotic script. And, she was spot on with her diagnosis and meds because Maddie is as good as new with the inhalers. 

Our new pediatrician’s office doesn’t have a bad view, either. While we were at the doctor, Maddie was waiting patiently for her grammy to come visit. We were really excited because Grammy was on a flight from Florida to come see us that same day. Her timing couldn’t have been more perfect!

Grammy visited during Semana Santa, or Holy Week. I was raised Catholic so was familiar with Holy Week but they do it a lot different in Costa Rica than they do in the U.S. Holy Week in Costa Rica is like Christmas and Christmas Eve. The city pretty much shuts down. From what we understood, most businesses are closed. I even think bus service stopped for a few days (and public transportation is huge here!). School was closed for the entire week, so I would have had both girls by myself for the entire week. Now, I know that doesn’t sound too terrible, since my girls are obviously little angels, but it was definitely nice to have my mom here to help — we all missed her and were ready for some new Costa Rica adventures! 

Our first stop - Los Suenos. It’s a super nice resort/community near Jaco Beach. We were so lucky that a friend of my parent’s had a place there and let us stay. Since it was Semana Santa, EVERYTHING was either sold out or super expensive. We stayed at a beautiful house on the top of the mountain with a private beach and pool for the residents. It was so lovely and relaxing.  The girls had a BLAST swimming in the pool. They aren’t huge fans of the beach right now though. The crashing waves scare Kenzie a bit. But we didn’t complain because the pool was just as beautiful. Look how much fun these kids had!

Next, we went to La Paz Waterfall Gardens. This was an AMMMMAZING little place about an hour from us. The kids had so much fun checking out the butterflies, monkeys, frogs, birds and bulls. Then, we started our hike up to the waterfalls. It was just breathtaking. I’ve never seen anything like this. This was 100% my favorite adventure so far. I can’t wait to go back!

We were pretty low key for the remainder of the week. Mostly because everything was closed for Semana Santa. We hung around the house and pool. Did some baking for the Easter Bunny, and just really enjoyed Grammy’s company. We were so sad when Thursday rolled around so quick and Grammy was leaving the next day, so a photoshoot with the girls and their Gram was a must. And I LOVE how it turned out. These girls are so lucky to have their Grammy. (And their Grandma, who comes in a few weeks too!)

Maddie has been getting to the stage where I think naps are about to go. This is REALLY hard on me, especially on the weekends. I had to do a little bribing to get her to nap — I told her the Easter Bunny would deliver some eggs early if she rested, and it worked like a charm! Speaking of the Easter Bunny, we dyed some eggs and I will never dye a white egg again. My eggs this year were stunning. 

Easter Sunday we woke up and streamed Church service from the living room, then got ready to go to a fun Easter brunch and a local Hipico Club. When I signed up, I thought it was a club like a golf course club, or a beach club, or something fancy. Apparently, it was a horse racing club. I was a little shocked when we pulled in but we ended up having a lot of fun. There was a petting zoo, easter egg hunt, yummy food and great company. 

And no Easter would be complete without pictures of my kids in their bunny gear. Say Carrot! 

Ahh, Semana Santa was over. Maddie went back to school and she was excited because she really loves school! Kenz and I took it easy around the house in the mornings. Did some puzzles in the playroom, played in the shower (this kid has got to stop gagging herself!) and played in her big sister’s bed. Maddie also managed to make it into one of my daily photos one afternoon. Gosh, I love these crazy little girls. 

Ohhh, and Kenzie started swimming lessons with her best friend Saloman. She LOVES them. Hahahah (or, should I say jajajaja like a true Costa Rican :). 

At least it is safe to say they were happy when the lesson was over. Ha. And so this this blog post. Chow! 

Home Is Where Your Heart Is

Hello from the air! Right now I’m somewhere between Florida and Costa Rica on an airplane. Kenzie is snoring in her Tula and Daddy is entertaining Maddie, so figured this would be a good time to blog about the fun week we’ve had! 

Scott had a business trip in the U.S., so it was a great excuse for a little bonus trip for us to see family and friends. The trip was short, but so good (for the most part). 

Getting here was quite the challenge though. 

Let’s start with getting to the U.S. from Costa Rica. The pups came with us for this trip. Jet Blue has a “Jet With Your Pet” option. It’s only $100 per dog. Both dogs have flown Jet With Your Pet once (on two separate flights since we took one in December and one in January) to get to Costa Rica and we had no issues at all. For some reason though, the lovely agents in Costa Rica told us we couldn’t bring our dogs home. They claimed they were “too big.” Our dogs are 5 and 9 and less than 15 lbs each, so it isn’t like they are puppies and grew at all since the last flew with Jet Blue. Being in an airport with two less-than-perfect kids arguing with the Jet Blue agents for over an hour (which included both yelling and crying) ended with an exception to let us bring our dogs home, and a little “we better never see these dogs again” lecture. So, pups are going to spend the rest of our delegation in the US, getting spoiled by their grandmas and grandpas. We will miss them for sure, but we travel back so much they likely won’t miss us too much.  

So on the plane we went. And, things didn’t really get any better. A delay. You can imagine my excitement. Two kids, two dogs, one delay. It sucked – a lot. Especially since our delay was on the actual airplane. The kids were confined and they were not too thrilled about it. Something about the radars going out was the cause. After about one hour though, we finally got in the air. Success – or so we thought. 

Flight was OK. The girls are pretty good travelers, and we didn’t hear a peep from either dog. But when we landed in Florida, the pilot came on the intercom. Crap – that’s not a good sign. Oh goodie. They don’t have a gate for us. It’s going be at least another hour. Fun. Oh. Freaking. Joy. 

We finally got off that plane around 8:30 p.m. That’s when stuff started to improve. Grammy and Pop Pop picked us up and had chicken nuggets for the kids. So my kids finally had food and were happy little travelers. The girls were SO excited to see their Grammy and Pop Pop, and their toys. My mom’s house was immaculate when we walked in, and within five minutes it looked like toys threw up everywhere. I don’t know how my kids manage to make such a mess in such a short time period. 

(Sorry for all the words, I promise I have some photos in here!)

We got up really early the next morning to drive to Orlando to see Grandma and Grandpa.  We took it easy the first day/night.  I got a pedicure (alone) and I went to Publix! Ahh, I finally felt at home! The kids were legit excited about Publix too. Maddie knew she would get a cookie and a balloon. <3

Wednesday was not so fun, but super productive. It was our “we are in the US lets go to every doctor we know” day. Kenzie had her first dentist appointment and her 15 month checkup. She got an A+ for both visits. She must have had a growth spurt because she is now in the 95 percentile for height, when she was in the 34th percentile at her one year checkup. She might be tall like her daddy! 

Thursday was SO MUCH FUN. We went to the most magical place on earth – that’s right, DISNEY! Grandma came with us to help me manage the two girls on my own while Scott was working, and my bestie Heidi met us there with her two sweet girls. It was such a fun day, and the smiles that came out of the kids were so priceless!  

On Friday, we stopped to visit Scott’s grandma (GG). The girls were so happy to see her! We then got Chick-Fil-A (HEAVEN) and started our drive down.

When we got to my parent’s house I was finally reunited with my sweet little nephew, Grayson. He got so big since the last time I saw him. I also got to see my sissy finally. One of the hardest parts about living in Costa Rica is missing my family. 

Cloudy Saturday came around, but despite the yucky weather we still went on the boat. That was a “must do” on this trip. Another part of our lives that we miss so much living away. It was Grayson’s first time on the boat, and he did so good! Isn’t he the cutest?

It was also nice because I got the chance to catch up with an “old friend,” Melissa. I put that in quotes because she’s actually a new friend. We met when I was living in South Florida late last year. She and her sweet baby girl, Summer, came out on the boat with us and we had so much fun. The kids enjoyed each other’s company – and sippy cups. LOL

Melissa is an AMAZING photographer and let me borrow this too cute Mercedes for Grayson’s 6 month photos that I did on Saturday evening. I mean, how cute is this kid and that car? Thanks again, Melissa! This completely made this photo shoot! If you’re in South Florida and need a photographer definitely check out Melissa Ashley Photography! 

Scott just accused me of writing a book, so I guess I’ll wrap it up with a wish that my flight back to Costa Rica goes more smoothly than my flight here. We already started with another hour delay (in the plane on the runway again) leaving Florida because of some restriction of flying over Cuba. Here’s to an open gate when we land, a speedy trip through customs and immigration, a traffic-free drive home and a cold cervesa in the fridge for us when we walk in the door.

Update: All went well. And that cold beer was really good!

Maybe I Take Too Many Pictures

Well, two weeks flew by! 

It’s been a really busy couple of weeks for us! I’ve been taking an AMAZING class through Clickin’ Moms called Mastering Natural Light Indoors, which explains why most of my pictures from the past two weeks have been inside. But, we have also been venturing out! Scott was kind enough to skip his weekly golf outing TWO weekends in a row so we could have some fun family time! We went to POAS Volcano and this adorable little dairy farm —both just about an hour from our place.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I’ll leave you with about 48 of them and stop blabbing. Enjoy! 

Once Upon a Time There Was a Little Princess Named Madison

Today, we have a very special guest blogger. Madison. I'm doing this for a few reasons. One, because I am behind on blogging (shocker) and can't get motivated to start this post and, second, because last week Madison sat on my lap while I was editing and started telling me what was going on in all of my photos and I about peed my pants. So, ladies and gentlemen, let's get this party started. 

I was camping with Kenzie in your curtains because we invited you in our tent. That's what I wanted for a story. Once upon a time there was a little girl named Madison. Mom, can I see the airplane picture???

Oh my goodness. What are me doing? I know what we're doing!!! WE ARE MAKING COOKIES! We are making cookies! For the scurity guardians (security guards...)!

I'm eatin watermelon. We got the watermelon. We picked watermelon at the lemonade stand! Right mom? I'm pickin carrots. Ohh. I remember that! I ate those at school! My friends ate them too. Do you know who else is in my class? Claudia. She's my friend and I miss her! 

This is a big, big, salad. A salad? Is it a salad, mommy? I don't like salad. When i'm grown up I'm going to like salad. But right now, I don't like salad. 

I'm eatin ice cream! Ice cream, now! Maybe I can ask daddy if he can get me a yummy snack of ice cream. Daddy, can I have a yummy snack? We don't have an ice cream cones though, we only have strawberry ice cream. 

I'm watching TV. I am watchin TV. Yes, I'm watchin TV.

Oh my goodness. What is this? Do you know what this is? Is it.. a.. tortilla? Is it a CUPCAKE??? Is it a cupcake?? 

Folks, we've lost our guest blogger to Paw Patrol. So I'm going to take over until I can bribe her to get back over here and help me finish this thing. I wanted to take a nice, beautiful portrait of Maddie on her first day of school. Fail...

Oh good, Maddie is back. "Kenzie is sitting on the table." 

Ohh, I'm playing kick the ball! 

Ohh. That reminds me. Let's put our heads together and think. Well, maybe that's me and mommy in my bed watchin on the daddy computer. We were watching the daddy video. I think that's what!

Upside down Kenzie! She's upside down. And that's her stinky, stinky, little tiny butt!

Is she on the railing?

You can take a turn, and then I get it back! Makin cookies!

That's me jumping on the bed! Like this!!!! Heheheh. Like this, that's me jumping on the bed, like this. Jump a jump a jump a jump... (She is now jumping on my bed!)

Parque. Let's go to the park! We went to the park. We went on the swing! We played on the slide. And then we played soccer!

Airplane! Oh, those are the big fans! Can we go to the park now? 

That's when. When I was takin my nap we went on an adventure! Like Dora the Explorer! Turn to the next page...

That's bread... No, that's a COOKIE! Kenzie Bear is eatin a cookie!

I don't know what she's doing. She's not being a good girl. 

No, I want to see the airplane!

Kenzie is carrying my lunchbox. 

Kenzie is climbin. I don't think she's allowed to climb. I don't know about that. Is she a big girl, or a baby? Why is she climbing on herself? 

Kenzie is feeding the doggies!!! We finished the story!!! Yay!!!!! We finished the story! We finished, we finished. We finished the story. Yay ya ya ya ya ya we finished the story, yeah yeah we finished the story! 

A Little Catch Up

Both of my girls are sleeping and I am enjoying a nice iced coffee, in hopes that the caffeine boost will give me enough energy to write this blog post. 

Update: It is now 8:30 p.m.— the two girls napping thing didn’t last too long. Kenzie woke up almost as soon as I typed “both girls are sleeping.” Good thing she is cute and a happy riser. I’ve snuck in her room a few times this week to snap some wakeup pictures. She’s always so smiley after a nice nap.

I’ve kind of been avoiding this post because, the truth is, nothing super exciting has been happing around here over the past week or so. It’s been a lot of relaxing at the house with a little bit of venturing out here and there. We’ve got a nice little routine down though, we’ve made a few friends and we’ve gone to a few new places. 

One thing I want to start with is I noticed I somehow missed blogging an entire week or so of images. Here are a few that you might have missed from a few weeks ago. 

We spent a lot of time at the pool…

Set up the bounce house…

Pouted when mommy tried to take pictures before 8 a.m…

Played dress up…

Hung out in the playroom….

Played a little more…

Snuggled with Pop Pop…

Camped out in dog carriers?

OK, now I’m on track and caught up, but I'm not feeling particularly creative with my words, so, for consistency, I'll keep going in the manner I started. Simple captions :)

We went to the park. 

And played hard. And Mommy obviously had a thing for sun flares on a least a couple evenings. 

We went to the mall so we can open a bank account (and left without a bank account).  At least we got cake and got to play at the playground!

I realized Kenzie has hair, and I got a little excited about it. 

Scott bought me beautiful flowers and I took some Macro images. OK, that's a lie, I bought them myself at the grocery store. They were about $8 and were dead the next day. :(

The girls did some fighting -- and I got one of my most favorite images to date! <3

We practiced our Spanish.

I played hide and seek with the two worst hiders ever :)

Did some bike riding. 

I love this one too <3. 

Yes, this is cheesy central, but I seriously love it LOL. 

Selfie time! (Finally!)

Oh hi there, Kenzie Bear!

I now know how to get Madison to brush her hair. Obviously, I will cut it off if she doesn't brush it. 

I forced my child to play in good light :).

We left the house and had a playdate with a new friend (for Maddie and for Mommy!). Can you tell these are children of photographers? Always refuse to look at the camera. :)

That's all for now! See, we haven't really been up to much around here! :)