Life has been very busy lately and more than a bit overwhelming. I feel pulled in a hundred different directions. When things get this way it's hard for me to stop and just relax. The other day my 5 year old took care of mommy. She invited me to a tea party. She even made her own invitations. The dress was formal, but I persuaded her to just let me wear a pretty apron. :)
She made the tea herself-lukewarm mint green tea (our favorite). We even had snacks (nutri-grain bars she had cut up). Her table was all pretty and classical music was playing in the background. I sat still...relaxed...and had such a nice time with her. It warmed my heart to know she did this just for me. What a special little girl. What a special time.
The kitchen again! Behind the fireplace is the dining room. The doorway to the right is the mudroom.
My wonderful pantry! My favorite room in the house. LOL!
One of the upstairs bathrooms. All 4 look basically the same.
My bathroom...all mine!!!! No more sharing! Woohoo!
(Mary walking to the new house)
This first week of our trip was spent in south Belize in Placencia. We loved our lodge and enjoyed getting to know the locals who worked there. Our time was spent by the pool, on the beach, sailing, picking up shells and fishing. We went into the little village a couple of times for dinner and once for a soccer game.
Mark did lots of fishing here. In fact, he fished in a tournament. Although he didn't win, he did catch the 3 fish-tarpon, bone fish and permit. His dream was to fly fish and catch a permit. Check that one off the dream list. The girls and I enjoyed exploring the little town, meeting the people and just 'hanging out'. One of our days there we went on a boat trip. After an hour ride we stopped at a private island where we were able to snorkel in the Caribbean. It was unbelievable! Not only did we get to swim/snorkel over the barrier reef (the world's second largest), we saw all sorts of coral-red, fan, brain-and tons of fish whose colors seemed to almost glow. It was like another world. Emma barely picked her head up out of the water. After doing this for an hour we came back on the beach where our guide had prepared lunch (always my favorite). Next we were back in the boat for another ride to a reserve where we saw several manatee. These animals are so beautiful-definitely my favorites. We stopped at another island. This one had literally been split by a hurricane a few years ago. From here we moved on to the 'aquarium'. This is just a spot in the Caribbean, near the barrier reef where the water is shallow (about 5-6 feet). Here we were able to snorkel with huge sting rays! There were tons of them, along with all kinds of fish. Emma was scared at first but overcame her fears and jumped in.
She walked around the beach with us, holding my hand and even wrapping her arm around me at times. When it was time for us to board the boat and go back to the lodge, she hugged me and begged me to take her with us. When she was 3 weeks old her mother abandoned her. A lady named Mary and her husband are raising her-their own children are grown. If I could have figured out a way to bring her back at that moment, I would have. 
