BACK TO GRAND CAYMAN

Well I've been in Cayman since Wednesday April 7th, 2010. Monette took Thursday off work, so I could be eased into babysitting mode. This is less of a description of my trip, and more of me just gushing about how cute and funny my nieces are.

They love to model. Here they are modeling the Canada shirts and hats that their Papa Tony sent to them.

And look at how cute Rio and Coco are just modeling their everyday clothes.

Here's a random picture of Jason taking a nap with baby Coco. You can see Shayana posing for the camera, pretending to sleep - what a clown!





Okay, I promise to actually tell some stories of my trip there.........




April 9: Friday was a long day. Jason and Monette both went to work. I had all 3 girls because Shayana has Easter week off from school. Playing with the kids consists of feeding them constantly, changing Coco and Rio's diapers and playing games with them. Some of the games we play together are telling funny stories about Monette and Auntie Marites, building block towers and knocking them down, Lil people, and dancing. Shay likes to make up stories about the pictures in the colouring books. Rio likes to play dress up, and playing peek-a-boo with Coco makes her giggle. Shay and Rio's most favourite thing to do is to go on the computer. That's why I was really impressed when neither of them went on the computer once that day. They were too busy having fun with their Auntie Lana!


These kids have so much energy. They love it when I become the tickle monster and chase them around the house. However, the tickle monster is getting old and tired these days, so instead of chasing them around, I sit in a chair and they have to run by me and I have to stay in the chair but be fast enough to grab them. I played this game at the end of the night, because we all end up sweaty and exhausted - a good time to take my shower and then go to sleep.


Feeding the 3 girls is also an adventure. Shay doesn't eat all that much. But Rio is another story. I feel like I'm always grabbing her some kind of snack - a yogurt, cut up fruit, toast with peanut butter and jam, cereal, etc. And since she feels she might die of hunger before I get the food to her, she'll grab a frozen waffle out of the freezer to tide her over. I couldn't believe she eats waffles frozen. But I quickly understood why. Pretty much instantaneously the waffle defrosts! That's something this Canadian could not grasp.

Baby Coco is so cute when she eats - which is often! I strip her down to her pampers, set her up in her high chair and let her have a go at it. She's VERY much into eating. Coco gets the food all over her body. After she's done I hose her down in the kitchen sink. If she's really dirty I take off her pampers and give her a bath in the sink (that's what her daddy does - smarter than carrying the dirty baby all the way to the bathtub).

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It's amazing how much Rio is like me. Being the second born she is used to watching how good her big sister is at all the sports they play. Like me, she'd rather just bring a book to sp0rting events (I bring a book when me, dad and Marites go to the driving range.)

Although once a week, besides swimming Rio does love going to an open gymnastics centre for toddlers. Here's a picture of her in her gymnastics outfit. Most kids just wear shorts and tshirts, but we have a fashion princess on our hands!

I received a warning from Monette and Jason. Always keep your bedroom door shut. There's a little thief in their house that goes by the name Coco. They told me the story of how she took the remote control for the tv. The parents looked over the entire house and came up with nothing. They asked the girls and Rio said "Oh, I know where it is." She saw Coco put it in the pocket of a bag, and then she put the bag in the bottom of the toy chest.....good luck finding that on your own!

April 10: Anyways on Saturday (Monette had left the night before for a couple days of shopping in Miami) me and Jason spent the day playing at the house. Then in the late afternoon took the girls to Camana Bay - an outdoor mall. We got them a snack at the Cafe del Sol and then the girls went to play in the water park, where water squirts up from the ground. They looked so cute in their matching swim suits. Then for dinner we went to the Hard Rock Cafe. The cruise ships weren't in town, so we pretty much had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Hard Rock is a great place to bring kids. The music is playing so loud that you can't hear the children yelling!

April 11: On Sunday we were home all day - they were all so happy when Monette came home from her trip and loved all the special things their mom had got them. Here's Shay modeling the new pair of jeans and red high heel shoes that Monette bought during the trip. Oops, had to remove the picture....Shay wasn't wearing a top in this picture!

Monette had to go away for a few days on business in Chicago. It was okay for me, because they hired a babysitter for me, so I could take my naps. Isn't that funny?- a babysitter for the babysitter!

April 16, Friday: Well, today was the most busiest day of my vacation.....maybe even of my entire life! At one point of the day I had so many things going on all at once. I was making a soup and sandwich for Jason's lunch, I was trying to pat Coco back to sleep (she had stirred from her nap), there were 3 handymen in and around the house trying to fix things, and Jason was trying to give me directions on how and when to pay these men.......well, I burned the soup, Coco was left crying in the crib and Jason ended up having to write down all his instructions. I obviously am no good at multi-tasking! Thank goodness Grandma Venus showed up later that afternoon. We're so happy to have our mom here! Shay said mom was a better guest than me because she brought them a whole suitcase of gifts! What a little bum! You should see all the gifts mom brought them!..... so many dresses, shirts, pajamas, hair accessories, videos, colouring books, Dora watches and toys. I wish I had pictures, but I had no energy to get out the camera. Since I didn't get much of a nap on this crazy day, and Grandma Venus didn't really sleep the night before, we both fell asleep at 8pm......again! It's now midnight, but we have to be out of the house by 8am to watch Shayana play baseball. An auntie's work is never done!

Doesn't Shay look like a professional baseball player. Definitely did not get those skills from her Auntie Lana!

April 18, Sunday - What a great day. Beautiful!















April 18, Sunday: Monette, mom and I went to the Hyatt for a Sunday brunch.



















Hate to say it, but I had 4 plates of food! I know I'd never remember all the food, so I took pictures of everything I ate.

(Note to readers: the big plate of food with the bagel drowning in cream cheese belonged to my mom - I'm not that much of a piggy!) So yummy!












































Then we went home so I could take a nap - eating all that food was exhausting!

That night we invited Lauren and her children Carrie and Marky for dinner. We've known them since Monette and Jason first moved here. The kids treat each other like close cousins. Shay and Rio were really excited because we made a treasure hunt for Carrie & Marky. It's the first time that the girls got to hide the clues, instead of finding them. Carrie and Marky had helped the girls find the girls' treasure last time I was here, so they were ecstatic to have their own treasure hunt. Their treasures were outfits from Grandma Venus, which they loved. Those kids play so well together.

After they left, me and mom went for a short walk around the block. Mom is scared of all the wild animals in this tropical island, so she walked in the middle of the road, far from all the trees. I, on the other hand, am more afraid of cars running me over, so I stuck to the edge of the road. Then, all of a sudden, my mom tackled me! There, in the middle of the road, was a moving creature. Mom couldn't tell what it was at first, so she was in a panic because she thought it might be an iguana or some other creepy crawly animal. It actually turned out to be a crab that had lost its way from the ocean. I told her it was one of the children of the king crabs we had eaten at the buffet and it was coming to get revenge! We walked the rest of the way home laughing in the dark. Then when we were only a couple houses away from home, my mom tackled me again! There, on the side of the road, was a harmless garter snake. Mom was freaking out, but we managed to stumble home, laughing uncontrollably.
So, the moral of this story is to warn you to be careful walking in the dark in Cayman. You don't have to be scared of the stray crab, nor the tiny garter snake, nor the boogie man. Beware of the insane filipino woman who may tackle you at any moment!

April 23, Thursday - We all went to the beach after work. It was so perfect. The sun was shining but wasn't hot at all! Nothing but blue skies and bluer water. So calm, not a wave in the sea. First we all played together. I was the tickle shark and swam around trying to tickle the little girls. We played in the sea for less than an hour, until they got tired of the water. These locals just don't find it as thrilling as us tourists! Mom made us a delicious picnic dinner of pancit noodles and filipino beef steak (chicken for me). She even made us these sweet fried bananas wrapped up. Yummy! After that the kids played at the park, and me and mom went back in water to really enjoy the sea. We did my most favourite thing - lay back in the water and float away. I was so relaxed I think I almost fell asleep!

April 25, Saturday - Another great weekend day. Watched Rio do her swimming class just down the road from their house. Monette made nachos for lunch. We left the girls with their daddy, and Monette and I spent the afternoon out on the town, running errands and shopping. It's nice to spend time with my big sister. For dinner we all went to this great outdoor bar/restaurant with a pool next to it. We ordered our food (I got a yummy mahi-mahi burger), then swam while our food was being prepared, then out of the pool to enjoy our meal.

May 2, Saturday - In the late afternoon Monette stayed home with crying, teething Coco and sleeping Rio. Jason, Shayana and I went downtown to watch the Batabanoo Parade. In this parade people dress in Carribean festival wear and dance around to different Carribean music. There were steel drum bands playing too. There were hundreds of people watching, cheering and dancing along to the music. It was so fun to be part of the action. Kinda different from the parades we have at home. Sorry, still no pictures - now the camera is out of batteries.

May 3, Sunday - What a wonderful day! Monette, Rio and I took Shayana to church, where she was part of the opening procession. The visiting priest gave the most uplifting serman about how to now be scared of change because God is always there to support you.

Monette and I took the sermon to heart. We dropped the girls off at home to be watched by Jason. We then CHANGED from hard working mother and auntie to 2 ladies of leisure and luxury. We headed off to the Ritz Carlton.














First we went to their covered outdoor restaurant for lunch.
It's right on the water and you're surrounded by palm trees and the beautiful hotel.

























































































Even the iguanas like to eat here! See if you can spot the family of grey iguanas on the rocks. There's 5 of them.















After lunch we strolled around inside the Ritz. Monette insisted on buying me a couple of things. I had to let her - I always obey my big sister!
I got a manicure set and a matching gadget that hangs your purse on tables.

Since I got those lovely treasures, I thought it was only fair to do a treasure hunt for the girls when we got home. I do them once a week. I think I'm making them too easy. They know that if they can't find the clue all they have to do is give their Auntie Lana 2 kisses and I'll give them an extra clue. So now, they give the room a quick look over before running to me to give me a kisses. The girls know they have me wrapped around their fingers! I'm gonna have to change the rules! Here's a few pictures of the girls with some of their treasures. There is a couple of pictures of them in the matching Tinkerbell tank tops I got them. And here's a picture of Rio with the puzzles I got for her. And this last picture of Rio is one in a dress I got her.

Aaaahhhh! Another day in paradise!

Mother's Day in Cayman......or should I say Auntie's Day!





















May 9, Sunday. For Mother's Day we went to the Ritz Carlton for their breakfast buffet. Jason had to miss his hockey practice and was a little worried that his teammates would be mad at him. No worries! 3 of his teammates were at the buffet too! Glad to know that these men have their priorities straight.

The breakfast was so good that I forgot to take pictures! I didn't remember until I was finishing my last plate of food. But check out all the freshly made juices that they served. Yum!

Saturday, May 16 - I had a great day today. First we watched Shay play a roller hockey game. We headed for lunch at Coconut Joe's where we ate outside, on the 7 mile beach. After that Jason, Rio and Coco took me to Camana Bay to get my hair cut at the salon my sister uses. I got it cut a little shorter than I usually do, but I really like it. I told the hairdresser that in Canada my hair is really straight (here it's really curly). So she used a straightener to show me what it would look like when I go home. I really enjoyed being spoiled at the hair salon. While I was there, Jason, Rio and Coco waited for me at this gigantic outdoor place where water spits out of the ground, up 20 or 30 feet in the air and onto the people underneath it. I've been to Camana Bay many times, but have never seen this place. They had closed it down for a squash tournament while I was here. Then we were all tired from the long week, so the grown ups and Coco all took a nap. Thanks goodness Shay and Rio have each other to keep entertained. Then we headed to the beach for a little floating in the Carribean Ocean. We grabbed dinner from a restaurant right on the beach that serves you your food on picnic tables right in the sand. We ordered our food and then waited in the ocean while they prepared it! How often can you do that?

Well, I'm leaving here tomorrow. The 6 weeks here went by so fast. Usually when I leave here I miss the girls so much, but this time I won't have a chance to. They're coming to Vancouver in July. Oh, it's hard being me - doing all this travelling is so tiring! ;-)