A is for Apple, B is for Bear...N is for Nicaragua?!?

That's right, folks, Will, Everett and I had the AMAZING, WONDERFUL, FANTASTIC, AWESOME opportunity to take a little trip to Nicaragua - "the land of lakes and volcanoes". It was a dream trip and we are so thankful to Will's Aunt Wanda for inviting us to tag along. Everett had to get a passport for his first trip outside the United States (and he's only 9 months old!), and let us just say, it is darling. We left on Monday, the 14th, flew into Managua (the capital) and flew back home on Friday, the 18th. A whirlwind adventure, to be sure, but oh-so-cool and exciting.

We made our way down south with the purpose of Will providing Wanda with Spanish interpreting. Wanda and her husband, Larry, own a beautiful beach house on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. And since Wanda no habla espanol, she asked Will for help. Everett and I simply went along for the fun. By the way, Wanda and Larry are looking to sell the beach house, so if you know of anyone who might be interested in owning a fabulous piece of beach property in a beautiful country, send them our way (Did you like that plug Wanda?)!

So without further aideu, here's a photographic play-by-play of our week of fun and sun. We can't thank Wanda enough for her kindness and want to tell her again how much fun we had! Please let us know if you need our ("our" used very loosely) help again. And for anyone else out there who has need of a translator and you're willing to fly us somewhere cool - we're available!

Houston Airport: Everett wasted no time finding the ladies. These gals oohed and aahed over him enough to keep his attention for a good 5 minutes.

Our flight from Houston to Managua - he finally fell asleep and in his newly purchased NASA onesie, no less. (Note to self: Always pack TWO extra outfits in the diaper bag, not just one)

"To the beach house we go..."

"To the beach house we go..."

"High-ho the merry-oh, to the beach house we go!"

The front of their beach house

The a-maz-ing view from out the back "doors"

I love the coconut trees that line the pathway to the beach. And if you look closely, you'll notice the ocean in the distance.

The housekeeper, Juana. She's using a machete to cut us a coconut or two. Did you know that's what coconuts looked like when they're fresh? I sure didn't!

Yum, yum, coconut juice

One of the neighboring homes. Something like they're turning it into a small hotel and restuarant?

The neighbors' relaxation area. Cool thatch roof and hammocks, no? And not to mention the view!

Mom and Everett - our very own relaxation area. I'm sure Wanda's neighbors would be SO jealous of this hook up!

The next day we went to Masaya so we could peruse the market there and buy neat handicrafts. Will bought yet another hammock (current count: three. Current trees in yard: zero. Come to think of it, do we even have a yard?). We also bought a neat-o vase and a cool serving dish - both made of wood. All that shopping sure worked up our appetites, so we ate at the market cafe. The following is a photo of the BEST meal I've had in quite awhile. It was so delightful that I'm now salivating and lamenting the fact that 1) I'm not in Nicaragua and 2) I haven't really planned anything good for dinner.

Thin flank steak covered in chopped onions, tomatoes and green pepper served with a fried plantain and mozzarella cheese.

Enjoying said meal.

Everett did very well in the umbrella stroller. As long as he was fed, he was pretty much fine.

Everett lounging in our market spoils. Cool bracelets, huh?

The next day we did some more sight-seeing. We decided to be bold and visited one of the active volcanoes just south of Managua. Here's a picture of some of the dried molten rock:

Wanda barreling full steam ahead up the side of the volcano. To truly paint a picture, we had the radio blasting some 70's rock song and the road wasn't exactly what I'd call smooth.

Looking down into the middle of the volcano. It's active, but hasn't erupted in something like 10 or 20 years. It does, however, emit that wonderful sulfuric steam though.

One of the guides who told us some more info. Check out the cross in the background. The Catholic Spaniards made their way to this site, where they promptly put up the cross, baptized the volcano, and then named it "The Mouth of Hell".


Nothing says love like a photo of you and your sweetheart with sulfuric steam rising up around you.

Our family of three.

The view from our volcano to the mountain in the distance.

Everett and his great-aunt Wanda, with whom he had a great time riding in the front seat. I know, I'm a horrible mother, but it was easier to have him in our laps than to fuss with a third-world car seat.

"Everett, where do you think we should go next?"

"Laguna de Apoyo? That sounds like a great idea!"

Overlooking the thatch roof of one of the restaurants at the water's edge. Restaurant is a very relative term, as you will see below.

Ta-da! The restaurant.

We were a bit sketchy, but how can you go wrong with a bottled Coke? Hey, it was either that or a Fanta naranja.

One of the 9,678,345 stray dogs in Nicaragua.

A very male spider monkey. Trust me, it was definitely male.

Will enjoying every last bit of mango.

But all good things must come to an end. Here we are surviving the first of two flights home. Everett gobbled up the baby goldfish like a champ.

And so, one international trip, two countries, and four flights later, Everett received his wings:

Whew! Are you as tired as we were?!?!

Our Famous Friends: John and Liz Taylor

Two Saturdays ago, lucky for us, we got to visit with John, Liz, Kylie and Hunter Taylor. The Taylors used to live here, but moved their little family to Houston just over a year ago. And while were sure it was a good move for them and their family, we sure do miss them!! Kylie is a cute girl - so full of energy. And baby Hunter is an absolute DOLL. Soooo cuddly! Here are some pics of their short visit. Thanks again for stopping by to see us John and Liz! We will definitely beat down your door next time we're in Houston. :-)

Liz and the kiddies

Kylie

Hunter

This is Kylie's form of smiling. I wonder where she learned that?

Natalie and Liz

Will and John

Yum, Twizzlers!

And little Hunter, snug as a bug in a rug!

A Blog Will Be Forthcoming...

Hi Friends!
Well, we have sooooo much to blog about, but unfortunately our computer is having Internet issues. We should be up and running by the end of the week and then you should expect to read blogs about the following:

1) A visit from our friends, John and Liz Taylor
2) Our visit to Nicarauga!!!
3) General Everett cuteness

So, hold tight, be patient and you will be rewarded!!

Who's That Movie Star?

Everett must have heard his Aunt Paula and I discussing how big sunglasses are so "in" right now.

Oh yeah, work it Everett!

The camera loves ya kid!

"Friend"ly Visits

Last week we were very lucky to have not one, but two visits from two of my dear BYU friends. First came Heidi, Thomas and Reagan. Reagan and Everett had met before, but that was before Everett became so mobile. This visit was much more fun - for both parties. We began the week by going outlet shopping. Both Reagan and Everett scored some cute p.j.s and Everett crawled away with some great onesies. After an exhausting day of shopping and strolling, we spent Tuesday just chilling and letting the boys nap. But before they could nap, they had to play of course!

Reagan: Excited to play, oblivious to Everett's presence.

Reagan giving Everett the once-over.

You can just see the hesitation in that glance.

Little does Reagan know, Everett doesn't take no for an answer.

Who in this picture looks like they're having the most fun??

On Wednesday we all piled into the car, and along w/Auntie Paula, we trekked up to Lake Lanier Islands Beach & Waterpark. It was hot, hot, hot and although we didn't ride any rides, it was fun to see the boys in their swimming trunks getting wet. Besides, it was definitely more fun having two little tykes in swimmer diapers and swim trunks, along with the constant re-application of sunscreen, than just Everett and I by our lonesomes!

Everett hasn't quite got a handle on the whole sippy cup thing.

The real baby Einstein

Everett's starting on his own "bear" face early.

Uh-oh, he's going for it!

My personal favorite pic of the lot. So much expression in one little face!

Mrs. Movie Star mom with Mr. Reagan

Everett is one of three things: tired, depressed or checking out his pudgy tummy.

Reagan and his blanket.

I like a man who's not afraid to bring his blanket in to a waterpark.

My friend Cat, whirled into town on Friday and we got a chance to explore a bit on Saturday. We started off by having lunch at The Varsity, which incidentally I just discovered is the world's largest drive-in restaurant. How bout them apples? Afterwards we hit Centennial Olympic Park and the CNN Center, where we took the tour (and yes, I gave Cat behind-the-scenes info that the regular tour guide didn't tell her, since I am the resident expert on the CNN Studio Tour, thank you very much.)

It's somewhat ironic to me that there's a "Saved" billboard in the background since at the time this picture was taken there was a street preacher standing to my right screaming about being saved and knowing Jesus.

It didn't matter that these folks were getting wet. It was still practically 150 degrees outside with 100% humidity. No amount of frolicking in streams of water helps.

A view of inside the CNN Center from atop the seven story escalator, which the the tallest free-standing escalator in North America. (Again, how bout them apples?)

Thanks for stopping through the ATL Cat! And may this be incentive to you all: The next time you're in Atlanta, be sure to let me know and just like Heidi and Cat, I'll treat you to a good time!

Happy Birthday Will!!!

Today is Will's (a.k.a. Dad) 26th birthday. Yahooooooo!!!! Everett and I have a fun-filled day full of fantastically fruitful follies. Well, maybe not THAT fun, but it will definitely be a day to remember.

And for those of you who are quick on your math/numbers feet (that would NOT be me), that means Will was born on the 8th day of the 8th month in the year 1980. Just imagine how cool it will be when he has his 88th birthday!! I'm already planning the festivities, and trust me, you are all invited.

A special birthday message from Everett:

We love you Will!!!!!

A Possible Career Choice

We think Everett may have a future career in marketing. What do you think? Check out that product placement! (For those of you who don't know, BB&T is a bank.)

And now for a look at some of the other shots we took before we got that one:

As Homer Simpson would say, "Doh!"

My Buddy and Me

Among other names I have for Everett, one of the most frequently used is "my buddy". As a child of the 80's, My Buddy and Kid Sister dolls were all the rage. Ok, maybe not all the rage, but the commerical jingle could really get stuck in my head.

My buddy, my buddy, wherever I go, heeee goes. My buddy, my buddy, my buddy and me!

Since Everett goes just about everywhere I go, he is the model my buddy. And since I've managed to post just about zero pics of me, and since I know I like seeing pictures of my friends on their blogs, I figured I was overdue.

And so, here we are, my buddy and me:

What's up with the thumb in the mouth? He's just started doing that.

Man, I'm always surprised at how straight AND dark my hair is.

He's too cute! Luckily for me, and as evidenced above, he loves to be loved.