A Sunday Psalm from under a Palm...

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again... God’s gifts of scenery, greenery, and family are all this gal needs to live happily. Whether on a mountain, in a park, or laying on a pristine beach-these places give my soul sweet serenity. And mixing the former with my family...(right now, my boys and a beach) creates a combo that for me, is better than coconut macroons and a cool glass of milk.

And b/c photo-ing all these things helps me remember my warm fuzzy feelings (as well as keep the far away fam up to date)...Here is our weekend recap brought to you from the lower right end of our North American map...

We all look so sleepy in most of these shots. Maybe it is too much sun, Cat in the Hat in the middle of the night, or we're just converging to the leisurely Caribbean pace, but come Wednesday, we are going to be crying to leave such a breathtaking place.

Me, Two Guys, and a Fish Fry

As you can probably tell by the lack of us doing anything too crazy, we are keeping things pretty low key. We'll occasionally throw out an idea, like jumping on plane "bachelorette style" to see a nearby island. But then we remember what it's like to take James somewhere as simple as the grocery store, and instead opt for another day in the sand, sea, and swimming pool. But all of this sun turns us into starvin marvins...So for the second time, we hit up a local hub at the fish fry.

John ordered the snapper along with other island essentials...Peas, rice, plantains, and mac and cheese.

Remember these critters?

Well, take away the shell and throw in some fresh onion, tomato, peppers, and lots of lime and you have the most beloved salad of the Bahamians.

This is my go-to pose of me stuffing my face when I want my taste-buds to remember something.

If you were wondering how the snapper tasted, this about sums it up.

This local guy asked to be in the picture. Little did he know he was going to be posted and blogged.

Only six days left of these spectacular sunsets:( This spot alone would make me move here in a minute.

Hey dad, forget your new diet plan. Just come chase James around for a week or two. Keeping up with this crazy grand kid will allow you to stop counting calories:)

A quick note to my nephew, Drew...I know this is late but I've been searching the sea for a shell collection to send you a birthday wish. I hope your, birthday, baptism, and bundt cake were the the best! I can't wait for you to show me all of your sick tricks on your Rip Stick. Love You! Aunt Jessica

Of course John is going to be James's favorite. How can I compete with a rock throwing super hero like my hubby...

And one last shout out to my bff who still hasn't had her baby:( Remember last Thursday when I said she was going to be induced. Well, she was, went into labor for two days, but the baby didn't come and she was sent home. Crazy Canadian hospitals! At least he will be a big healthy boy! But on a lighter note (sorry Kimme, no pun intended:) Check out this adorable painting she did for her little guy's nursery. You can see her design blog here.

Into the Blue...

Ahhh, the salty sea air...the waves...the wind blowing in your face...a toddler’s terrified warm embrace...A perfect day to be at sea...(I think I stole most of that from The Little Mermaid...I've obviously always wanted to use it:)

Since there are literally no sailboats for rent on this island we opted to take a trip on a catamaran. The small boat was surprisingly speedy and turned out to be a perfect way to see the island on the other side of the bay...

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The tall yellow building is where we stay.

I superimposed a shark in this photo to scare John. Can you spot it? He wasn't really amused with my little joke. Thanks to Jaws, he has a slight fear of dorsal fins.

All of this fun in the sun makes for a marvelous nap time. Perfect for rendezvousing on blogger....Soooooo, what is everyone up too? I am guessing the skies are sunny and blue... because no one is posting anything new.

(Err..sorry about making everything rhyme...Lately there's been enough Cat in the Hat to last a lifetime!)

Caribbean Ice-cream

Like sand through an hourglass, so are the seasons of our lives:)...

I spent one semester in college as a summer’s visiting student at BYU Hawaii. It was bliss. 5% of my time was spent in the books, and the other 95% was spent hiking the Hawaiian hills or at the beach. It was by far the best summer of my single life.

I would say this Bahamas sabbatical in the sand is just as good, if not better. I feel much more fulfilled at this point in my life as a mother and wifey. But because I am toting a tot there are a few ways it's different from my Laie days...

1) Every time we visit the beach we bring half of it back with us. Thanks to all the sand we track in, the broom is my new best friend.

2) Beach bags take five times as long to pack...Call me Mary Poppins with everything I have to throw in my purse...diapers, bottles, snacks, 2 different kinds of spf, hats, towels, toys, I could go on forever baby.

3) As sure as the sea tides... we rise early with the retirees. We never see the sun during nap time (1-3), and we have yet to stay out to see the 9 pm Bahamian band down the street. I'm happily growing accustomed to a slower paced schedule.

4) Laying on a towel in a two piece has been replaced with playing with squirt guns in the shallow end.

5) I get to run around with a hot hubby and a little lifeguard who are loads cuter than any surfer dudes from the North Shore.

So to my single sistah's who are all going to Spain this summer (Lindsey, Carolyn, Savannah, and friends). Live it up, laying out, working on your tan, and barreling through those beach books. All seasons of life are sublime just remember to enjoy your towel time;)

Watersliding at the Wyndham hotel down the road. Just the right speed for an adrenalin junkie like James.

My favorite shade of polish for the summer. I am calling it Gwen Stefani Strawberry.

Apparently my son needed some rum...or at least a cold one. He insisted on sitting at the bar and flirting with the nice bartender. She didn't seem to mind and even hooked him up with a free mango mixer.

Someday when James tell us, "mom and dad, you never take me anywhere!"...I will just send him to the bloggidy blog about the Bahamas and that he lived like a king during his diaper days. Thank you, dear camera for capturing James's memories that seem to be as fleeting as the fluffy white clouds over our beach (and kindly leaving out the mistakes I make daily as a mommy) XOXO, Jess

Thoughts on a Thursday...

1) Today Kimme is being induced with baby dos...(that ‘s # 2, not his name... I know it’s hard to tell these days;) I can’t wait for her birthing story to see if the second time is any easier. Pleeeeeeease let the report be positive! Then maybe I will take the preggo plunge:)

2) If you need a little motherhood motivation ...check out my mama’s thoughts on Maria. You will be inspired to climb mountains...or at least tackle your laundry mounds.J

3) Dear beach, why don’t you like my baby? It’s really not very nice of you to keep giving him itchy red bumps... especially since he adores you so much. He even woke up in the middle of the night, grabbed his bucket, and raced to the door. I am hoping that you will be kinder to him in the coming weeks.

4) Someone asked us if we just got here because we are so white. Nope, it is all Banana Boat 50, baby. Just trying to make my spf lovin’ papa proud. And if I really wanted a tan for a facebook profile pic I could just Picnik it in. All the Jersey Shore color minus the cancer:)

5) James is turning into a major daddy's boy here in the Bahamas. It's really sweet but I am kinda missing the little man all to myself. Not complaining...just saying.

6) We have less than two weeks of our vacation left here in the Bahamas:( So I better stop blogging and get back to the above before our holiday dwindles away. Happy Thursday.