Happy Honduran Independence Day!

Another year has come and September is upon us.  September is the month of Honduran independence and the school always throws a huge celebration with different kinds of foods and performances from different grades.  Kiddos get to dress up and show off their Honduran culture.  I love it because my kids are stinking cute - and even more in their outfits.  Baby Owen also got to make his first appearance at school and all of the kids were super excited.

Along with the holiday comes our first four day weekend.  Luke and I were not sure if we were going to go anywhere but decided that we would regret it if we didn't.  So, we packed our bags (and Owen's) and headed to Lake Yajoa which is about three hours away.  The drive itself wasn't bad but because it was the holiday our three hour drive turned into more of a 4.5 hour adventure with different traffic stops along the way.  We did well and had a good sense of humor about it.  It also helped that Owen was a rock star and slept most of the way.

We ended up staying at the Hidden River Hotel which was nice but just had a weird vibe to it.  We were next to the brewery which was fun to go and try different kinds of beer.  After a couple samples, we went back to our signature rum and cokes and found that beer is still just not for us.  Our hotel had a nice pool and a great patio with some hammocks to hang out on and chill with baby O.

The lake was beautiful.  It was so nice to be around fresh water rather than just the Caribbean.  I know, I sound like a snob but sometimes a girl just needs a little fresh water!  We ended up taking a day trip to the famous falls in Honduras which is called Pulhapanzak Falls.  We had a great time and loved hiking around.  Luke actually took a separate trip and was able to hike behind the waterfall and had a great time.  Owen and I hung out at the top while different people continued to come and admire him.  He is getting a pretty big head (literally and figuratively).

We ended up cutting our trip short because Owen was not feeling well.  We were able to make it back at a decent hour and spent the next two days relaxing at home with the dogs.  You can't ask for anything better than that.

Overall, we had a fantastic holiday weekend and look forward to visiting the lake again.

Happy 3 Month Baby O!

I cannot believe that my baby boy is already 3 months old!  We have had lots of fun getting to know him and are loving everyday as he learns more and more things.

We went to the doctors and were told we have a healthy baby.  He is now 14.3 lbs. and growing.  He is really tall and can't fit in to the three month closed pants because he is too long for them.

He loves to be sung to which makes me believe that he is hard of hearing since neither Luke or myself are musically inclined.  :)

We also officially received Owen's passport and certificate of birth abroad.  Baby O is officially a registered American citizen which is a huge relief.  We bought our tickets home and are ready for Owen to meet all of our family and friends state side!

Here are some pictures to entertain you!

A New Start to a New Year

Well summer is over and it is the start of a new school year!  I am very excited about starting this new year with 30 new bright and smiling faces.

Last week I was able to get into the school and set up my classroom.  I was really excited because of Pinterest (aka teacher crack) and had a lot of really fun ideas for the classroom.  I had asked to have new tables ordered versus the old desks that we had last year.  The school also ordered me new chairs which were a lot nicer and really colorful.

Here are some photos around the room and soon it will be filled with more art from the kiddos.

Our carpet area

A view of the board from the back of the room

 Our supplies area/mailbox area

Our Flat Stanley board (so excited for it to get filled with his adventures)

Listening center

Computer center and some of the tables

The back wall which is now our calendar/math area

The back of the classroom

Our new behavior chart (thanks Pinterest)

Our classroom library - thanks for all the donations!

An example of our tables

As a last hurrah before school starts we flew out to Roatan to meet up with Jessica and David Horowitz to enjoy our last weekend of summer.  Tropical Storm Ernesto was in town and caused some really cool lightening strikes.  Luke was a champ and managed to snap a really great photo - even though he took about 2,000 total.

We took them to the two restaurants that everyone has to go to Roatan (Thai food and Gios).  Both were a huge success and Owen was a rock star.  His and aunt and uncle brought him some really cool shades that he rocked on the boat and I think we all appreciated how awesome he looked in them.

School is back and after meeting the kids I am so excited for this year!  I am transitioning from a mostly boy class to one that is mostly girls and I am going to be honest - it is much easier!  Although I have three new kiddos, I am super excited and love how nice all the kids in the class are to each other.  I still have to be a hard ass at the beginning of the year, but I am super excited for all of the fun things that I have planned for them!

Happy 4 years!

It is hard to believe that Luke and I have been married for 4 years.  We have had lots of adventures and been able to travel all over the world and now have a bouncing baby boy!  I can't believe in those four years we have been to 8 countries, lived in three, found jobs and have had our family grow.

Yaya and Bear were in town on the day so we had a baby sitter and were able to go to the movies and out to dinner.  We ended up seeing the new Johnny Depp movie and thought it was pretty good and went out for drinks afterward.

We also, in theme from last year decided to buy a table for ourselves as an anniversary present for one another.  We love it and are excited to add it to our collection!  :)

Martin Family Holiday

Since the arrival of Baby O we have been really lucky to have lots of visitors - and most recently, Yaya and Bear came down to visit.

We had a great time and spent the first half of their visit in La Ceiba.  Yaya and Bear had a great time with Owen and he had a lot of fun with them.  Owen's new favorite sleeping spot was on Bear's tummy and he let us know it.  :)  Yaya was also very excited about his red hair and had a lot of fun talking and reading to baby O.

After a couple nights in Ceiba - we headed to Roatan and had a great time exploring the island with Yaya and Bear.  Luke was able to convince them to go snorkeling and they handled it like a champ.  We also had a lot of fun just hanging out and drinking wine while looking at the tropical waters.  Not a bad life.

For my upcoming birthday, they were super sweet and bought Luke and I a package to swim with the dolphins.  We spent half and hour with a trainer and a dolphin and got to watch them do tricks and pet them.  Our dolphin's name was Bailey and was very playful.  It was fun to pet her and watch her swim around. 

The second half of the tour was snorkeling with about 20 dolphins in the enclosure.  It was really fun but the only thing that we wish we could have improved was the visibility.  You would swim around and them all the sudden have three dolphins underneath you.  It was amazing to see what powerful swimmers they are and cool to see them swim around with each other.  

Sadly, Yaya and Bear had to leave almost as soon as they got here but it was a great holiday!  We can't wait to see them at Christmas time!

Baby O hits the 2 month mark!

Sorry it has been awhile since I have updated.  We have been pretty busy.  :)

Owen has reached two months and we couldn't be happier.  He is starting to be a lot more interactive and having a great time playing with all of us.  Some of his favorite games include standing on our stomachs and listening to his dad's really high pitched voice.  He also doesn't mind being cheered on with whatever he does.

His head control is getting a lot better and he has started to try his Bumbo chair a little more (only with our hands right there) but he enjoys it a lot.

Along with two months comes his vaccinations.  Poor baby handled it like a champ but Luke and I had never heard him cry like that before.  He hasn't had any side effects which is a relief for us.

We made it to the embassy and applied for his Report of Birth Abroad and his Passport.  I won't go into the details but it was an adventure and we should be receiving his documents in 3-4 weeks!  It feels really good to have all of the paper work done and to know that Owen will be set for Christmas when we fly back home.  I know a lot of people stateside who are really excited to meet him.  :)

Copan Ruinas and Family Adventures

We have been busy over here in the Martin Martin household!  The move is finished and we still love the new place.  Luke, Owen and I are often just sitting on the patio in our new hammock hanging out in the late afternoons.

Hammock time!

For my parent's last hurrah, we decided that it would be fun to visit the city Copan Ruinas and check out the Maya ruins there along with Macaw Mountain (since Poppy is obsessed with Macaws).  We are very thankful to have a car and were able to drive there in about 5 hours.  Owen was a champ and slept the whole time.  We are very thankful to have a baby who enjoys sleeping in the car - makes our road trips much easier.

We loved the city right from when we pulled in with the cobblestone streets.  It was very colonial and just felt very safe.  Sadly, a lot of places you visit in Honduras you will find yourself looking over your shoulder, but here I felt completely at peace which was nice.  We stayed at a hotel called Terramaya and couldn't have been happier.  If we ever go back we will be sure to stay there again.  It was a small hotel (only 6 rooms) and the staff/feel of the place was great. We were also able to check out some of the fun restaurants and loved the one that made their own cheese.

 Walking to lunch

 Chill-axing with dad in the hotel

The first day we went to the Maya ruins (apparently you are supposed to say Maya versus Mayan because Mayan refers to the language).  Nonny insisted we get a tour guide and it was totally worth it, we learned a lot and he was really patient with us and baby O (who again was a rock star in the front pack).  The ruins were great and we had a lot of fun walking around and checking out all of the different buildings and sculptures.  I really liked the ball court (mostly because of the movie El Dorado).  The ruins are also popular because of the Macaw population there.  It was fun to see the giant red birds hanging out. 

The next day we headed up to Macaw Mountain where we got to see all the birds.  Poppy was in heaven but feeling under the weather.  It was nice to walk around in the shade and actually feel cool.  We did think it was interesting the MM seemed to be much more crowded than the ruins, but it made sense when you saw all the kiddos walking around.  The best part of the hike was at the end where you could hold all different kinds of birds.  The only one that you weren't allowed to hold was the Toucan because apparently they are mean.  We had a lot of fun holding the different birds and then went on our way.

After Copan we stayed in San Pedro Sula for a night before saying goodbye to my parents.  We were planning on hitting up the embassy the next day but we received an email from our friend who told us that the embassy would be closed for two weeks (for no apparent reason).  We were very thankful that she let us know so we didn't spend all day waiting for nothing. 

 We were all very sad when my parents and pretty scared when we got home realizing we were on our own with baby O.  However, he was a champ and took it easy on us.  Owen is fabulous and almost two months old which is hard to believe.  We had a doctor's appointment and he is now 8 lbs. 10 ounces and 21 inches long.  He still has a large head but his body is finally catching up to it.  We went and got his passport photos taken and they are pretty cute.  Well, I am bias and think all of his photos are awesome.

We also went and checked out the Dole walking path that is right next to our house.  Erika had mentioned it last year as a place she would sometimes go running.  We walked over and flashed our Dole ID and were able to get in no problem.  We walked around and had a great time with baby O.    The next day we were a little braver and decided to take the dogs with us, again, no problem and the dogs got to run around off leash in the park.  We have been doing that daily now in the afternoon and trying to walk at least two miles a day.  It is nice for us, the dogs and Owen.  Hopefully we will be able to talk to the guard about letting Loli (our nanny) be able to take Owen over there if she wants.

Happy 4th of July!

Sorry for the long post but I think that is bringing you up to date!  :)  We are excited for Luke's parents to be here soon and after that Jessica and David are heading down.  Anyway, love you all and I will post soon!  Cheers.