A pirate party...

Eli decided he wanted a pirate party this year, well actually peter pan but the closest party stuff I could find here were pirates. And he also loved jake and the never land pirates at the time so that worked too. We had limited space in our apartment for our 9 party guests and their mommies but we made it work and I think the kids had fun. Eli has already told me a half dozen different themes he is planning for his next party!

Waiting for the guests to arrive

Bubble popping with swords

Luckily no one was injured in this game;)

Digging for treasure

Fay and Eden (we miss you).

Look what I found...

Shooting the pirates boats down with mini water guns

Piñata time

This piñata was so hard even the moms had trouble breaking it so I used my hands;)

Time to eat

Argh....

Thanks to all our friends who came.

Eli is 3!

I can't believe my baby is 3, where does the time go? Eli has brought so much happiness into our lives. His big warm smile melts my heart everyday. He is always willing to give me hugs and kisses which I will take because I know this won't last. He is full of energy and his silliness always makes me smile. He is our social bee and says hello to everyone we pass on the street or at the store. He loves planes, cars, dinosaurs and playing hide n seek. He's learning to write his name and has quite the vocabulary. Eli is turning into a very polite boy and almost always remembers to say thank you. He is very good at putting his dirty dishes away after eating too. He learned to swim about a month ago all on his own. He loves his big sister and wants to do everything she does.

This face <3

Beach dude

Love

Only in the last couple months has he started to enjoy crafts, now he wakes up and asks to make something first thing.

He swims laps now, and taught himself to swim lengths on his back.

His cheesy smile

My Sunbeam, Eli loves to go to primary!

Bikes, Boardwalk and the Beach.

The kids have been begging to get bikes since we moved to the Caribbean. There wasn't a very good selection in Statia and when we found out we were moving we decided to wait until we were in St. Maarten. So we set out to get the kids bikes and found some good island ones at a store in Marigot on the French side. Eli learned how to pedal very quickly and after a few months Krysten was riding without training wheels. What did we do in September when the temperature was in the 40's and humidity was over 80 percent? Well we rode inside the air conditioned apartment of course :)

They decided to switch bikes for the day...

Here she comes, she takes her bike riding very seriously.

Lincoln and Eli
yes, those are my hot pink pants in the background.

The Boardwalk in Downtown Philipsburg

In low season the Boardwalk isn't very busy so we take the kids down there often to bike ride, since there are not a lot of  safe sidewalks or any sidewalks close to where we live.

The kids love good ol' captain Morgan and ask every time we pass the statue for me to take a picture.

The Crew

Just soaking it all in, yes it really looks that beautiful.

Nothing like a quick cool off in the ocean in your clothes.

Cruise ships

At the end of the boardwalk is where the cruise ships dock, I had to pick something up inside the cruise ship docking grounds. It was pretty neat in there, and very high security, I had to where a visitors badge and leave my passport at the gate. There were a bunch of touristy shops.

In high season some days they will get 9 cruise ships in. Thats about 35,000 people in one day that come to St. Maarten.

And another one on the way back, I am really good at cutting his head off every time.

Beach days with our best buds...

This is Divi little Bay, we love it because its close to home, and they have showers to wash the sand off after.

The St. Maarten Zoo

After a couple of weeks of settling into our new apartment and new Island, as well as Monty heading back to school it was just me and the kiddos. I was excited to be on this new island that offeres a lot more to do than our little island of Statia. Luckily I am here with awesome friends who like to explore with us. One of the first things we did was buy a membership for the St. Maarten zoo. There are not a lot of public parks on the island, well actually there are none, except at the schools and the zoo. So that was one of our main attraction to go to the zoo, besides the animals of course. The zoo is not very large and the animals well lets just say don't expect a lot when you go and you will have a good time. I actually really like the zoo, and the kids love it and ask to go all the time so we make a trip there almost weekly. And if my kids are happy, I'm happy.

My zoo buddies, sometimes I feel like they belong here;)

Lots of turtles, you can walk right up to them and pick them up if you like.

Help, I've flipped over and can't get up.

These monkeys are hilarious and love to be fed, preferably with grapes.

Can't let one go to waste so he grabs it with his tail.

These vervet monkeys love green leaves.

Only picture I have but these Iguanas walk freely around the zoo, at first we were scared of them especially the kids, but they are harmless and sometimes too friendly when they want food.

Fluffy bunnies

Not sure if its a petting zoo but the animals don't seem to mind;)

My fav, the Toucan.

Love the look of this bird, no idea what it is called.

Hello pretty bird.

Lots of these macaws at the zoo.

If you come on a tour you get to have a parrot on your shoulder

The peacocks are everywhere as well.

Showing off for us.

They will come right up to you and eat out of your hand.

The Ocelot, they are neat looking cats.

Always up to play at the park...

Three three year olds...