Seasons of Grace: I'M BACK!!!!!!......Maybe???

No one said I was any good at this blogging thing so I'm glad I've been able to live up to their expectations. ;) I know I've been pretty MIA since we left Grenada for the summer. However, we are back on this little island and I reckon I should catch everyone up on what's going on in our lives. So, here it goes!! :)

We have made it through midterms!! Hallelujah!! That means just a few short weeks left before we get to go home for Christmas. :) Matt did really good on all his tests. There was one class he was rather frustrated with, however. He didn't make the score he was hoping for and it kind of had him in a funk for a couple of days. I know he beats himself up too much if he doesn't get an A. I think he's coming to terms with being alright with anything lower than that. Matt has done SOOOO well this year. I know he's itching to start applying everything they are learning in the classroom. I can tell he get's pretty excited when they go to the farm (aka, the vet clinic where they not only have your house pets but also horses, cows, goats, and whatever other larger animals). The other day, they learned how to bandage a horses leg. He was excited to tell E and I about it when he got home. :) Since we are half way through his third term, I can say that we are *almost* half way through our stay here in Grenada. After his finals in December, I know that I can officially say that for sure. ;) Until then, I'm just happy to know he is doing so well and enjoying life here!!

As for E and I, life has changed quite a bit from this time last year. First of all, E is actually here and not still growing in my tummy haha!! I have looked at several pictures of this time last year and then today. Here's a few for your enjoyment. :)

*Here I am at 7 months pregnant on our 1 year anniversary*

*Here we are just a couple weeks ago. E is just over 10 months now!! Wow!!*

*Such a beauty!! Her eyes are so gorgeous. Love this little girl!!*

*And one more just because she's just so darn cute!! ;)*

Our daily schedule is has become somewhat of a routine. E is such a great sleeper. She sleeps from 7:30pm-7:30am. Its awesome!! There have only been a few times where she wakes up. Those moments have been because she's teething, I believe. She is crawling and pulling up on *everything*. Such a little cruiser!! She enjoys trying to get into the fridge when dad or I open it. ;) It seems like a game to her. We made a choice before she was born to not give her any sweet stuff (like ice cream, cookies, chocolate, etc) before she is two years old. I feel these first few years of life are very important in her nutrition and don't think filling her with tons of sugar is the right way to go for us. There will be plenty of time for that when she is bit older. :) With all the fresh fruit and veggies we have here, it's hard to not give her a more healthier option. I already make everything from scratch. Why would I change her diet?? :) Haha!! She is a good eater. Just about whatever we are eating, we give to her also. She is still getting formula on a regular basis but she also enjoys some yogurt with daddy, bananas, rice, mangoes, applesauce, potatoes, noodles, and anything else we try. It's funny to watch her facial expressions when she tries something for the first time. :) She is quite the ham and has such a personality. I know it sounds cliche but she truly shines so much light into our lives every day. How can you get upset when that little smile is staring up at you?? :)

I started teaching at a local study downtown. This was a complete God opportunity and I'm SO thankful for it!! I am teaching two days a week. Thursdays I teach a class of 9-10 year olds ballet. There are twenty one students in that class!! Talk about overload!! Hahaha!! It's been great fun though. They are great kids and I think they enjoy having a "white" teacher. ;) My favorite part about the entire class is at the end. After I give an ending exercise, they all run up and surround me in a hug. It's so precious!! Several of them hold on for longer and say "This might take a while. I just need a hug." :) Just warms my heart!! The second class I teach is the highest level, ages high school and up. There are only about twelve students in that class. I also teach that same level pointe on Fridays. On top of these classes, I am teaching two others. On Mondays, I teach a class of 3-5 year olds. These are kids of students who are attending SGU. Just this past week, they all got pink leotards with matching pink skirts and leg warmers. Oh my gracious, they are so cute!! I think they are having fun. We've only met a few times but I think they are doing well for never taking a dance class before now. I also have a boy in that class!! Yippee!!!! :) He's the oldest so I'm trying to make sure he really enjoys it. And then on Tuesdays I teach a private lesson to another students child. She's also never taken a dance class before but she is doing very well. I know how boring the basics can be for learning dance so I'm trying to make both of these classes enjoyable. Hopefully they all will return to the states and want to continue dancing. That's my goal. ;) I'm very proud of each of them and how hard they are all working. It's so nice to have a creative outlet here!! Now you know I DO more than just go to the beach and pool. ;)

One more thing before I leave you. This past Monday was our second wedding anniversary. Matt made arrangements for us to have a night "away" on Saturday. Our friends, John and Nicole, watched E for us over night. All day Saturday we spent at this really nice hotel called Grenada Grand. They have a gorgeous pool with two waterfalls. We relaxed, swam, drank some bloody mary's, and ate a yummy lunch all while soaking up some sun and much needed time together.

We checked into the place we were staying, Maca Bana, around 3:00 that afternoon. Maca Bana is right around the corner from our house, past the airport. Its a resort with private villas. Our villa was at the top of the hill and over looked St. George's and the whole east side of the island. Oh my!! Was it spectacular!! At 4, Matt had requested a massage for me. The lady showed up right before then and set up her table on the back balcony. It was so relaxing!! We then ate dinner at The Aquarium Restaurant which was at the bottom of the hill. I got the lobster and Matt got the tuna. Tasty tasty!! For dessert, we shared a death my chocolate cake and drank mimosas on the balcony back at our villa. On Sunday after checking out, we came home to hang out. It started out as a very overcast and cloudy day. I was NOT complaining about that!!! Sometimes you just need a break from the heat. :) Matt wanted to get some cleaning done (I wasn't going to complain!!) and I wanted to paint my nails. For dinner that night, we ate at a little French bistro called Le Chateau. We had a great time together!!