Wednesday night was the candlelight carol service at my school. It was held in our lovely courtyard. My class looks out on the lovely courtyard with some trees and a pretty fountain in the middle. There were beautiful Christmas lights across the courtyard and through the trees. The school concert band, choir and of course steel band all performed interspersed with carols sung by all. The highlight was the alto sax solo by one of the 6th formers (seniors) during "Have your self a merry little Christmas". Apparently he was the young musician of the year for the Cayman Islands last year. It was so good, he did an encore after the concert while we were waiting for the big raffle draw to take place. Unfortunately we didn't win any of the prizes in the big raffle. (The grand prize was $25,000!!) The trombone section in the band has quite a few women it too.
A side effect of the Madden's visit in November is that Ellie now believes all babies are Madeleine. Madeleine had just turned 1 and Ellie and Alex really enjoyed having a little one around. Alex was so gentle with her and followed her around helping her. Every time Ellie sees a picture of a baby she says "Madeleine". Even when she sees baby pictures of herself around the house, she insists it is Madeleine and won't believe us that it is actually her.
Today at school we only had a half day of classes. We then had a wonderful Christmas lunch in the canteen. Each tutor group had a table to decorate and enjoy lunch together. Afterwards the year 11 students put on a Panto in the hall for all. The tradition is they poke fun at the teachers. I guess since I am new I got of relatively lightly as they don't know me very well yet. It was very funny and the younger kids loved seeing the year 11's making fun of the teachers. Tomorrow we only have a half day and no classes. There is the big talent show and then mass before we break for the holidays. We are all looking forward to our break and the students don't realize that the teachers having been counting down the days more closely than them.
Tonight was the Christmas concert at Montessori for Alex and Ellie. There was a huge crowd watching, I never imagined there could be that many cars parked out in front for a small school. The kids all sat in chairs out on the patio with lights and a beautiful tree, with a packed audience of parents, grandparents and others crowded around, standing room only several rows deep. Alex and Ellie had their best Christmas outfits on and school provided jingle bells for their wrist and lovely angel tinsel halos for their heads. Ellie's class of two year olds was first singing their ABC's. Then Alex's class of the three year olds and the other class of four year olds came out in their little parade and took their places. They all sang a great collection of Christmas classics and did a wonderful job for a group of such young kids. The genius of the concert was it was very short. Lots of kids waving to their parents in the audience, some good singing and then before anyone could get distracted or grumpy we were done and on our way. The secret to a outstanding little kid performance is brevity! Afterwards we all went to see the amazing Christmas light display again. The kids just love wandering around all the lights, Santa's (except Ellie who is scared of any kind of Santa, even a mechanical one singing Christmas carols), reindeer, trains, polar bears and snowmen. We even ran into two of Alex's classmates, obviously the lights were the thing to do after the concert, and they were running all over with Ellie chasing after them trying to keep up.
This afternoon while watching the movie "Cars" (yes it is still Alex's fav) Alex said he wanted a Mack truck like in the movie. We told him we could put it in his request for Santa to bring to him on Christmas. He insisted that it had to be bought in the store and was not convinced that Santa could get him one. Sunday, the 20th, we are off early to Minnesota to soak up a cold and hopefully a white Christmas. The kids are all excited about singing their carols to Grandma, Grandpa, tata Tam and uncle Brad. The kids are also delighted to be going on an airplane again and keep asking when we are going to pack and dragging their little wheelie bags around the house and putting their essentials in. We hope everyone has enjoyed their Christmas build up and have a fantastic holiday. As Alex loves to say while his little reindeer Ellie follows him around, "Ho, Ho, Ho! Meeeeeerrrrry Christmas!!"
Love Eric, Emma, Alex, and Ellie
Having fun in Brisbane!
December 18, 2009
December 14, 2009
Merry Christmas
Hello all,
I realize it has been a long time since we have posted so I will try to catch up. Life has been very busy here on tiny Grand Cayman.
Emma has been busy looking for a job and looks like she is close to getting a position to start with a new firm early next year. Nothing is certain yet but things are looking good. Along side the job search we have had lots of visitors during November. First were our good friends the Maddens from Oman. They are in Senegal now but had been in the States because Sean was undergoing medical treatment. He was unable to come down but Kim came down for week with Abi and Madeleine. Abi is three days older than Alex and they were best friends back in Muscat. We haven't seen them in almost a year and half, yet Alex and Abi picked up as if they had just seen each other the day before. Ellie had a blast playing with a big kids as she wasn't walking the last time she had seen Abi. While I was at work everyone else had a great time enjoying the sites of the Caymans. One day my cousin Melanie and her daughter Tricia were in town for a day on a cruise. Emma and Kim picked them up and they spent the day at Rum Point, a wonderful beach on the north side. The cruise ships are not in town for long and they were back on the ship by the time I was done at work so missed them. There were also trips to the beach and the Turtle farm which the kids just loved. The highlight was the trip out to Stingray city. There is a shallow area out in the north sound where stingrays congregate. You can get in the water and the stingrays swim all around and you can feed and touch them. Everyone had a fabulous time and i was quite jealous being at work all day.
A few days after the Maddens left, Emma's parents came into town for a couple week visit. We had fun hanging out, enjoying the beach and enjoying the kids' first batch of Christmas presents. The kids are still enjoying Montessori and swimming in the pool and at the beach. We also still make lots of visits to the airport and the airport park to watch the planes. While all our visitors were here Alex and Ellie slept in our bedroom with us. Alex has a single mattress and Ellie slept in her cot. After Emma's parents left we put Alex's mattress back in the kids room where our visitors had been sleeping. We decided that Ellie was getting too big for her cot so put her in a bed. The other bed in the kids room is a queen size bed. We offered Alex the big bed but he wanted to stay in his mattress as Nana had just brought him a single bed size Cars blanket and matching pillow case. He was more than happy to let little Ellie have the queen bed. So now Ellie has more bed per size of person than anyone else in the house. She loves her new bed but only sleeps in a tiny corner of the bed on the side next to Alex's bed. Alex is still getting up at various times in the night and coming upstairs and crawling into bed with us. Ellie has done this only a couple times but now has started getting up and going into Latha's room and getting into bed with her. One morning I came down and Ellie had gotten out of her bed and wandered into the living room and was sound asleep on the sofa!
Alex and Ellie have really been enjoying the Christmas season. They helped put up the tree and just love watching the lights on our tree. While decorating the tree we put on lots of beads. They are Mardi Gras beads I got in New Orleans back in 1998 when I went to Mardi Gras with OJ. Ellie just loves the cheap, tacky beads and plays with them all the time. She keeps holding them in her hands and saying "Thank you daddy for my beads". As I told her, I am more than happy to make the sacrifice to go back to Mardi Gras to get her more if she wants. It is hard to keep them on the tree as she takes them off to wear them and play with them. They both enjoy Christmas music and can now sing along. We watch the Disney Christmas DVD's. Sadly for us there are only a few of the old classic Christmas programs that the kids like. They enjoy the Gumby Christmas, Tom and Jerry and the Grinch. None of the others like Rudolph or Frosty, when we try to get them to watch they aren't interested. They are really enjoying the Dora Christmas special. I wish I could say we were enjoying them but after a few dozens times we have had enough. We have been to see Santa a few times. This year Alex doesn't cry and will sit with Santa but Ellie is still terrified of the big man in red. We have also enjoyed driving around and looking at all the Christmas lights. Unlike in Oman, a lot of houses here go overboard with the Christmas lights. There is one house which beats anything you have ever seen in any TV show or movie. I am sure it is a good marker for planes on final approach to the airport. You can park and wander around the front lawn to see all the lights. It is very amazing and the kids just love it.
I go on Christmas break next Friday, the 18th and then on Sunday we fly to Minneapolis to spend Christmas at my sister, Tamara's house. My parents will also be down and my brother OJ and wife Songul will also be coming out. It will be nice to see the family and for the kids to experience American Christmas, with all the trimmings including what seems like will be bitter Christmas cold and hopefully some snow. Hopefully we will be able to stay more current on the blog. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday and hope to see a lot more of you next year.
Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.....
Love Eric, Emma, Alex and Ellie
I realize it has been a long time since we have posted so I will try to catch up. Life has been very busy here on tiny Grand Cayman.
Emma has been busy looking for a job and looks like she is close to getting a position to start with a new firm early next year. Nothing is certain yet but things are looking good. Along side the job search we have had lots of visitors during November. First were our good friends the Maddens from Oman. They are in Senegal now but had been in the States because Sean was undergoing medical treatment. He was unable to come down but Kim came down for week with Abi and Madeleine. Abi is three days older than Alex and they were best friends back in Muscat. We haven't seen them in almost a year and half, yet Alex and Abi picked up as if they had just seen each other the day before. Ellie had a blast playing with a big kids as she wasn't walking the last time she had seen Abi. While I was at work everyone else had a great time enjoying the sites of the Caymans. One day my cousin Melanie and her daughter Tricia were in town for a day on a cruise. Emma and Kim picked them up and they spent the day at Rum Point, a wonderful beach on the north side. The cruise ships are not in town for long and they were back on the ship by the time I was done at work so missed them. There were also trips to the beach and the Turtle farm which the kids just loved. The highlight was the trip out to Stingray city. There is a shallow area out in the north sound where stingrays congregate. You can get in the water and the stingrays swim all around and you can feed and touch them. Everyone had a fabulous time and i was quite jealous being at work all day.
A few days after the Maddens left, Emma's parents came into town for a couple week visit. We had fun hanging out, enjoying the beach and enjoying the kids' first batch of Christmas presents. The kids are still enjoying Montessori and swimming in the pool and at the beach. We also still make lots of visits to the airport and the airport park to watch the planes. While all our visitors were here Alex and Ellie slept in our bedroom with us. Alex has a single mattress and Ellie slept in her cot. After Emma's parents left we put Alex's mattress back in the kids room where our visitors had been sleeping. We decided that Ellie was getting too big for her cot so put her in a bed. The other bed in the kids room is a queen size bed. We offered Alex the big bed but he wanted to stay in his mattress as Nana had just brought him a single bed size Cars blanket and matching pillow case. He was more than happy to let little Ellie have the queen bed. So now Ellie has more bed per size of person than anyone else in the house. She loves her new bed but only sleeps in a tiny corner of the bed on the side next to Alex's bed. Alex is still getting up at various times in the night and coming upstairs and crawling into bed with us. Ellie has done this only a couple times but now has started getting up and going into Latha's room and getting into bed with her. One morning I came down and Ellie had gotten out of her bed and wandered into the living room and was sound asleep on the sofa!
Alex and Ellie have really been enjoying the Christmas season. They helped put up the tree and just love watching the lights on our tree. While decorating the tree we put on lots of beads. They are Mardi Gras beads I got in New Orleans back in 1998 when I went to Mardi Gras with OJ. Ellie just loves the cheap, tacky beads and plays with them all the time. She keeps holding them in her hands and saying "Thank you daddy for my beads". As I told her, I am more than happy to make the sacrifice to go back to Mardi Gras to get her more if she wants. It is hard to keep them on the tree as she takes them off to wear them and play with them. They both enjoy Christmas music and can now sing along. We watch the Disney Christmas DVD's. Sadly for us there are only a few of the old classic Christmas programs that the kids like. They enjoy the Gumby Christmas, Tom and Jerry and the Grinch. None of the others like Rudolph or Frosty, when we try to get them to watch they aren't interested. They are really enjoying the Dora Christmas special. I wish I could say we were enjoying them but after a few dozens times we have had enough. We have been to see Santa a few times. This year Alex doesn't cry and will sit with Santa but Ellie is still terrified of the big man in red. We have also enjoyed driving around and looking at all the Christmas lights. Unlike in Oman, a lot of houses here go overboard with the Christmas lights. There is one house which beats anything you have ever seen in any TV show or movie. I am sure it is a good marker for planes on final approach to the airport. You can park and wander around the front lawn to see all the lights. It is very amazing and the kids just love it.
I go on Christmas break next Friday, the 18th and then on Sunday we fly to Minneapolis to spend Christmas at my sister, Tamara's house. My parents will also be down and my brother OJ and wife Songul will also be coming out. It will be nice to see the family and for the kids to experience American Christmas, with all the trimmings including what seems like will be bitter Christmas cold and hopefully some snow. Hopefully we will be able to stay more current on the blog. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday and hope to see a lot more of you next year.
Merry Christmas and a wonderful new year.....
Love Eric, Emma, Alex and Ellie
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