the time has come.

We have been so busy the last few days and we haven't had a chance to update the blog.  We are actually on our way home.  The process went way faster than expected so we stayed in Ma juro extra time to spend time with our families.  We love the island so much and leaving was one of the saddest experiences of our life.  Of course it is filled with love so the sadness so is mixed with happiness too.

We are in Honolulu and are leaving for home in a little bit.  We arrive Friday and will be so excited to see our families and friends and introduce everyone to sweet Lucia.

Our blog will not  be done when we get home.  Matt took some amazing photos of our last day that I want to share! So keep reading!

We spent the day at Waikiki yesterday at one of our favorite restaurants, Dukes.  Matt & I went there on the way to get Esmé, then the three of us went there to get Lucia.  Now the 4 of us celebrated there yesterday so we just need to plan a trip back with the 5 of us so we can share it with Max!

More soon. 

(Us at Dukes!)  Deanna - it's the same owner as Jakes in Del Mar!!

another day in Majuro

We spent some more time with Lucia's birthmother today, Kate's already a wreck thinking about leaving : (   We also stopped by Esme's Auntie's house last night.  Tomorrow night Esme's extended RMI family will stop by for a visit.

Took some more island life photos today. Between my camera and our iphones, we've taken nearly 2000. On the Pacific side of Rita (nearby neighborhood)  People race small outrigger canoes at low tide. They go crazy fast and it's fun to watch.  I'd like to find out how they make them.

It rained HARD this morning for about a half hour. That ought to help (a little) with the drought. The northern atolls have been hit harder.  I sat next to a USGOVT dept of interior guy on the flight here.  He and others were assessing the situation and trying to help create a plan.  Most everyone here gets their water from large basins that collect rain from the roofs. Lack of fresh water leads to disease and is a real problem in the developing world.

On a lighter note… we placed Lucia in a seatbelt. It was just in the parking lot but she seamed to get a kick out of all of us looking and laughing with her.   Posted a lil' video…enjoy!

On the road again.

We rented a car again and went back out to Laura Beach.  It was very busy Saturday with lots of families and buses of kids (schools are out now) - so barbecue season begins.  It smelled awesome!  I don't think I've seen a Marshallese person wear a swimsuit (a luxury I guess) they wear clothes and usually bring a dry pair for afterwards.

Stopped at the "peace memorial" for the lives lost in the War in the South Pacific on both sides. It's a large monument and park, really peaceful and pretty. It would be a great place to meditate or reflect on life.

We also stopped at "mile 17". It's a beautiful piece of land about half way between the ends of the island. There is a house you can rent with a big wooden deck and a fantastic view.  The architecture and surroundings remind me of northern Minnesota (replace the pines with palms).  The kids were wiped out for the ride home and both slept for a while in the car.  Nice thing about no car seats is Esmé laying down and getting pretty comfy in the back seat.  As we were getting close to home Lucia woke up and was crying.  Kate pulled down the mirror and starting bouncing Lucia in front of it while whistling to her (yes, again no car seats).  Anyway, while doing that Lucia starting laughing! A lot!  It was really her first full laugh and of course was adorable.  (Esmé even woke up from hearing it and starting laughing at the cuteness as well). 

It rains a few times a day, but very briefly, then back to hot hot hot. As a result, you can see some awesome rainbows arched end to end over the lagoon.  I only caught the tail end by the time I got my camera, but it was cool.

You see a lot of small and big fish on the island. Friday we saw a huge Swordfish in the back of truck being cut up and packed in ice.  As expected, Swordfish was on the menu that night.  We've also seen big tuna being hauled in the back of a pick-up.  You see a lot of big coolers on the island, but not big enough!  Seafood is easy to get, very fresh and tasty.

Oh - we've heard from a few people that have had trouble with posting comments. Maybe mostly from ipads.  Bummer.  But when we print the blog for Lucia's baby book we will have to print the emails too!  We have heard so many nice things from all of you and we appreciate it so much!  Even if we don't reply right away we are reading them and love hearing from home both on the blog and email.

Both girls are still doing great and are just sweethearts.  We are some lucky parents.

a graduation with a little reef fish on the side

We went to a family kindergarten graduation.  It started 57 minutes late, for those of you who don't know... That's referred to as "island time" ; )  super cute kids watched by a super sweaty audience. The elementary school was a single hallway with rooms on each side.  I'm not sure where they all would fit?

I did a little snorkeling at Eneko, The coral reefs are pretty close to shore at low tide.  They are also hard and sharp as my feet and lower legs can attest.

Lucia has been sleeping well in restaurants as of late. I had the reef fish (red snapper) special for lunch yesterday.  Esme kept touching the fishes eye and wanted to eat my fish as soon as it appeared.

We've also had a beautiful full moon the last few days, the photo doesn't do it justice.

clams, boats and some walking around

We toured a clam farm yesterday, they also grow some native coral (it's everywhere) in the tanks. Pretty amazing creatures.  Today we went back out to Eneko Island.  One of our favorite activities here! 

A couple of days ago we went to WAM where they make RMI outrigger canoes. They build small models all the way up to full size canoes.  They help employ/train young adults in a 6 month program. There are not a lot of good economic opportunities in Majuro or anywhere in RMI.

We've also done a lot of walking around and shopping in dark, hot and poorly ventilated general stores.  You can get everything from nearly expired food to wildly outdated and very expensive electronics.  I saw an older Norelco electric razor in a yellowed package for only $289.00 USD.  We have discovered pre-made canned coffee (usually from somewhere in South East Asia)…not too bad, who needs Starbucks!

I'm able to sneak away for a bit every now and then and photograph life around the island.  - matt

a little family time

We spent Saturday afternoon with Esme's birth mother and family.  The kids had a lot of fun playing, even though they didn't speak each others language.  Fun is universal and needs little translation.  We had KLG (KFC) chicken at the shore and when it starter to rain a little, we went to our bungalow to give them gifts we had brought with us. They were very grateful to spend the afternoon with us and get to know Esme.

On sunday we went to the end of the island (Rita) at low tide and walked to a nearby island and back.  A few hours later we returned at high tide and shot some more photos.  See below.

We also gave Lucia's birth mother a ride home to Rita and met more of her extended family. The conditions were worse than I expected, and I hadn't expected much.  Brothers, sisters, nieces, nephews and in-laws just kept coming out of the little sea side shanty.  Everyone was so excited happy to see us and Lucia again!  After spending some time more people came out and gave us handicraft gifts (flowers and necklaces) they seem like a loving tight knit group of good people.  Our hearts ached as we drive away, it's not going to be easy saying goodbye.  - matt