Having A Conversation With Spencer

Putting up our Christmas Tree Dominica style

We are not getting a Christmas tree this year! The only little trees I've seen around here are not worth getting! So I found some good ideas on pinterest. Here are the Christmas ornaments we made. 

Nenji's and Rylan's ornaments

mine

Putting up the ornaments on our string tree. 

This was just REALLY cute, Spencer walked and wanted to sit in Nenji's lap. Rylan ran over and sat right down too. 

2013 Thanksgiving on Dominica

Nenji and Rylan's school had a Thanksgiving lunch. It was great! The kiddos did a little performance and then we had a feast! 

Nenji and his best buddy Owen.

Rylan and Ryder. Best buddies!

Love his hat!

More pictures of these silly boys!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Daddy and his baby.

Thanksgiving night with the LDS branch. 

Yummy!

Flying Kites and Huge Lemons

So the last time I went to Roseau, I bought the boys some kites! The other day was a nice windy day. PERFECT for kite flying. So we went to campus and tried our hand at flying kites. We got Rylan's kite up with the help of a student and then we soon got Nenji's kite up too! But as soon as I turned my back to take a picture and Nenji's kite had flown right into the gutter of a building! It took me a few minutes but I got the kite down and then his kite back up.

THEN, just as I got his kite up again and walked away to take a picture, their kites had gotten tangled up and Rylan had let his string GO! Oh my....so now we have Nenji holding onto his kite...then 20 feet up from his kite is Rylan's kite flying too!

(Like the sad little illustration below).

So, I had to reel in Nenji's kite, and then reel in Rylan's kite. But unfortunately Rylan's kite decided to go get tangled in a coconut tree! Aiyaiyai. I swear, that kite was just as naughty as RYLAN. Anyway, I had to cut the string and then it fell and almost hit a girl that was sitting at the only table near that tree. It was pretty embarrassing because she was watching the whole ordeal. I swear, that kite had a mind of it's own. 

So instead of calling it a day...I decided to get their kites back up again. SO I got Rylan's kite up and he was doing a really good job flying it. Then Nenji's kite decided to get tangled and so I had to untangle it. So it was a good 5 minutes before Nenji could fly his kite. SO...as soon as I get Nenji's kite back up, and I walked over to where my sweet little Spencer was waiting for me, RYLAN had let his string to again..this time the kite kept flying...and flying..and flying...we just watched it fly towards the ocean. And then it was gone.  Yup...that will be the last time I go kite flying. It was definitely more stressful than it was fun!

I'm not sure when this was...I think Nenji was trying to get his kite up and I don't know what Rylan is doing. I think his kite may have just flown away. 

So I have been deciding what else I want to do for my little bakery business. I finally decided that I wanted to make key lime pie. I've made it a few times since we've been here and it is sooooo yummy! So I went to look for some limes....unfortunately they're out of season but lemons are in...and look at the size of these lemons...they're so big they've mutated! Well, that's what I thought because the skin is super bumpy. 

Living A Dream!

So my sisters and I have ALWAYS talked about opening up a bakery shop! Our main concentration has always been cupcakes. But of course it's just been all talk! And it's always fun to imagine the possibilities. So just recently I purchase a kitchen aid mixer from a friend who was leaving the island. She is also the founder of a bakery business here in Dominica. She is a fantastic baker and made delicious pastry. When I bought the kitchen aid I also inherited her business!  I've been the proud owner of Benjamin House Bakery for about a month now but I've just preparing myself mentally to take on the task of baking for other people.

The cute little business logo.

(Stephanie, the lady who owned it before is the one who created this logo! Isn't she amazing!)

I am always baking. I love to bake cookies, cupcakes, cheesecakes, cakes...you name it I will try it! So Benjamin House Bakery specializes in cinnamon rolls! Today was my first sale day and it was such a rush! I got to sell my cinnamon rolls along side my friends Charlotte and Kasie who had a table of their own and who were selling banana cream pie.  

So last night as I was making the cinnamon rolls, my baking skills were definitely tested! I was up until 2 am baking! I've made cinnamon rolls before but just for my little family and they really have no choice but to eat it! But it was different this time! People were going to PAY to eat my baking! Yikes! 

Last night I made 6 batches of cinnamon rolls. About  70 cinnamon rolls! But I felt bad because the first batch of cinnamon rolls were HUGE! And then the 2nd batch were small and not that great looking. The 3rd batch I almost burnt, the 4th batch I under baked and had to throw out, the 5th batch came out decent, and then finally the 6th batch came out GREAT! LOL, so all of my cinnamon rolls were different sizes and consistency! Poor people who had to eat them! Of course I made sure they were tasty, but they sure were not that pretty!

After the sale there there was a guy who had pre-ordered but I accidentally sold his order! I felt so bad so I came straight home and made a 7th batch! I took pictures of the 7th batch and they turned out BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I took pictures of my first batch so that you could all see how much I improved over night...literally! But when I come back to the states, and you feel like eating a cinnamon roll, you know who to ask! :)

Yeast! I use tremble at the thought of using this stuff! Now I'm a pro..kind of!

My kitchen aide mixer! I've ALWAYS wanted one! Funny I had to come all the way to Dominica to finally get one!

My beautiful dough after 1 hour of rising. 

Roll it out and spread the butter and pat on the cinnamon sugar mixture!

Now roll it up!

Cut it into equal pieces. 

Let it rise for about 15-30 minutes. 

Bake for 20 minutes and spread the delicious sweet cream cheese all over! 

Finger licking good!

Rylan did it again

Lol, so my Rylan has made me laugh so hard again. He refused to take his nap today. So he and I are hanging out. He's watching Cars and he says, "hey! Lightening has a girlfriend! I used to have a girlfriend!"
m: "Oh yeah? Then what happened?"
Ry: Then I moved to Dominica and that's it!
lol, I love this kiddo.

Funny Things They Say

Sometimes Rylan and Nenji say the FUNNIEST things! I laugh so hard that I cry sometimes. I just love it. Here are a few things that they've said that brightens up my day every time I think of it. 

Me: "Boys go put your toys away".

Rylan: "Yes, sir!"

Nenji: "NO! Not yes sir! Say 'yes, man!'".

Me: "No, it's not man, it's ma'am".

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Rylan has been pretty sneaky lately. One day I found him hiding in his room behind the big arm chair eating a pack of gummies! Every time I hear the cabinet doors open I see him trying to sneak off with a pack of gummies. 

Side note: Fi Dan likes to make up silly songs or sayings. For some reason we like saying this one and it's about Spencer: "Spencey Wencey was a bear, Spencey Wencey had no hair". It makes NO sense but we just like to say it because it rhymes! 

Ok, so one day Rylan tried sneaking off with a pack of gummy snacks and I caught him. I told him he couldn't have it and he'd have to wait until dinner. So he walks off and I hear him saying:

Ry: Meany mommy was a bear, Meany mommy had no hair, Meanny mommy just say 'no, no, no'!

Oh my goddness, I was laughing so dang hard!!! I felt kinda bad that he thinks I always say no, but hey, I'm his mama and he can't have gummy snacks right before dinner!

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For some reason Rylan HATES my enchiladas. Every time I've made them he's literally had a cow. He picks at the corn, the beans...and eats just the tortilla. I haven't made my enchiladas in a long time but they look similiar to the picture below. One day I heard this conversation between the boys:

R: "Nenji, you're making me REALLY mad! You better stop it before I call you something mean!"

N: I don't care...(keeps banging the toy)

R: Fine! Then I will call you something mean...like...mommy's enchiladas! You're yucky like mommy's enchiladas! You better stop that you mommy's enchilada!!!

Ouch! I didn't realize he hated my enchiladas that much! Haha, I laughed so hard. So whenever he's being difficult, I call him my little Enchilada now. 

I KNOW there are a gazillion other sayings that they've said but I just can't remember! When I do I will have to post them! :)

Mommy, I am NOT tired!

Everyday after Nenji and Rylan come home, they eat lunch and then take a nap. Lately it seems like they just can't nap! Sometimes I let them stay up. When it gets to be about 2 pm and they haven't taken their naps, their eyes are heavy and if I ask them if they're tired they say, "No! Look at my eyes. They are big!" And then they open their eyes really big. On this day Nenji and Ry insisted they they were NOT tired and begged to stay up. So I let them. Around 2:30, Nenji come to me and said, "Mommy, Rylan fell asleep while we were watching a movie". LOL, and here he is. My poor baby. As soon as I put him down on his bed for a nap, he sprang back up and said he's not tired anymore. Oh dear....it'll be a very sad day for me when they really are done with their naps!

All about Spencer

Here are just some random pictures of Spencer because he's SO dang cute! He's doing yoga in the first few, in the next set he's standing up on his own playing ninja, and the last couple are of him pretending to call someone. I just love this kid! :)

Photo shoot with the boys

The boys have learned to keep themselves busy here. We watch a lot of Netflix, they draw a lot, we do a lot of art projects, they play with their toys...and then we just get super bored sometimes. On this day Nenji wanted to take pictures. So we had a photo shoot. Nenji is actually pretty good at taking pictures. Here are some that we took. 

Nenji wanted to take pictures of me and Spencer. He told us what kind of faces to make.

Weird face!

Silly face!

Ok, mommy, just do a nice face. 

This is my favorite one he took!

Now the boys' turn. 

Crazy face

Silly face

handsome face

super hero poses

more super hero poses

LOVE THEM!

My favorite one of them.