iBonding

 

Steve Jobs won in the end.  He did change the way we listen to music, use the web, make phone calls, and, perhaps most importantly, how children fight.  As if it were an ad for Apple. our two kids are shown above sharing the ipad peacefully and mutually enjoying its wondrous, fun, and educational applications.  The photographs taken subsequently (and not shown for legal reasons) depict an altogether different outcome in which the iPad was lucky to escape with its battery intact.

furlough

 

 

 

 

 

 

So Charlie's Baby Jail is closed the cup match week and there is pretty much nowhere to put a nearly two year old during these dog days of summer when pretty much every sane Bermudian has left the island for calmer, slightly less sweltering climbs.  But not us.  We're here.  Trying to save both money and vacation days by staying on the island.  So Papa took time off to care for the scamp.  Which went pretty well.  We went to Rustico's and ran some errands and it was definitely good to get some "guy time" because his mother's milk addiction is harder to break than we thought so i don't get to spend too much time with him one on one.  He's a cheeky, cheeky guy who is stubborn as all heck (i.e. he is nearly 2 yrs old) and just a pretty fun dude to be around.

pooling

Papa tests his full coverage family health insurance policy.

Schuyler chills

Charlie spills

Eli and Schuyler enjoy lunch date and a movie in bed.

Charlie takes a nap the only way he seems to know how when we are not at home.

Schuyler obviously had an awful time at the Carpol's

sunday morning

 

 

 

 

 

 

naked bug

I am certain that:
(a) it is illegal to drive a vehicle naked; and
(b) we will see a photo much like the above from the aftermath of Charlie's 21st birthday party (let's just hope the vehicle is the same!)

clearwater beach

 

 

 

 

 

 

So we thought it would be fun to go somewhere other than the aquarium and the various playgrounds dotted around our neck of the woods.  Liz and I decided on Clearwater Beach and did some reconnaissance work on a joint day off while the kids were with their respective daytime parents.  For those of you not on the island or otherwise unfamiliar with Clearwater Beach, it is a lovely shallow water beach that holds a strange place in many Bermudians' hearts for two reasons: (1) For much of my lifetime, we were not allowed on this beach since it was part of the U.S. Naval Air Base on the island and separated from the rest of the island by large fences and men with (gasp!) guns thereby giving it the allure of the once forbidden and (2) an unlikely proximity to the airport landing strip.  Sitting on that beautiful beach is a serene and tranquil experience for all but 40 minutes of the day, during which various aircraft scream to a landing or take over over the bay.  It is incongruous at best.

The beach itself is also largely off the tourist radar which draws locals from the surrounding area in droves to its shores.   Lined with casuarinas and a park, it also has a much more Caymanian feel than the other Bermuda beaches.  So long story longer, we took the kids there and had a great time building sand castles with "poo poo platter" drip castles that Charlie quickly destroyed.  Schuyler made friends with one half of a set of girl twins her age in the water.   BBQ smoke flavoured the air and made us hungry.  Random kids started playing with all our digging equipment and buckets when we were in the water.  Two tired kids came home, pretended to eat and slunked off to dreamland.  These are the days when you really live in Bermuda.

lets go see the lemurs

 

 

les statues

 

 

les etoiles de mer

 

les singes

les phoques

 

Running on empty

The scamp

Thank God for video monitors! We happened to look at Charlie's
channel and noticed that he had no pajama bottoms and his bum appeared
to be bare. We went in and discovered that the sleeping scamp had
removed his pj pants and his diaper!

Dawn with Charlie

So we're trying to "break" Charlie. Again. This time the goal is to get him to sleep later than, say, 5am. Today it's a Sunday when, apparently, God rested. Which means either he didn't have kids or there is a Mrs God we don't know about from Scripture. Or maybe this is why God had Mary raise Jesus during the difficult years. Good plan, God!

This morning I had a great time with Charlie. Everyone else was still asleep so we got some rare one-on-one time. We looked for lizards with Magic on the porch (and found three). Then we named things in the garden ("arbre", "oiseau") and read a couple of easy vocab books. All of this reminded me that he knows a lot more than we give him credit for and that we must read to him more. We had a great morning. May there be many more.

mummy is away

 

 

Mama is away on a work trip and a much deserved break from the island and everything.  

busy

Getting the energy out!

Pulling carrots in Phil Martin's garden

Watching Thomas the Tank Engine

Seeing if T inherited his dad's architecture skills