Playing in Destin

Well, this is the third and final post to get us caught up from our Memorial Day weekend festivities - and then of course we'll have to catch up on what has been happening in the ensuing weeks next time! :)  So, as if going to Belize wasn’t crazy enough, we also decided to liven up our lives a bit by flying back on Thursday from Belize and then packing up our kids Friday morning (less than 12 hours after getting home!) and driving up to Destin to rendezvous with our friends the Hicks family. It had been too long since we’d seen them, and now that they live in Chattanooga, a “meet in the kinda, sorta, middle” was doable!

Neither of us have ever been to the Destin area before, but a lady from church shared with us a place called Seacrest Beach Resort, which is a community of about 500 homes (a good majority of them appear to be rentals) with a 12,000 square foot pool and a golf cart that will pick you up at the house and take you over to the beach boardwalk!  Is that service or what??

The sand at the beach was white and like sugar - it was the fluffiest and softest sand that we've ever seen!  And the water was a clear, green color that was really fun to play in.  There was a bit of seaweed in the water, but for the most part it wasn't a problem.  The waves were just big enough for the kids to ride the boogie boards on, and even Kaleb got in the action this year.  He didn't seem to mind a bit when he'd fall off into the water - came up laughing and wanting more!

We had such a fun time catching up with the Hicks' - in fact, this may become an annual event! :)  The kids all got along swimmingly and had such fun together playing and running around.  We would go to the beach in the mornings, and then while the Z-boys were napping in the afternoon the rest would head off to the pool to play.

Seeing as the Z-boys had never actually driven anywhere on a long drive before, we were a bit apprehensive about how they'd do - but on the drive up they were fantastic!  We didn't even break out the portable DVD player - instead we read stories, colored, ate food, watched the license plates and even tried to rest (albeit not successfully!).  On the way back, after several days of slightly reduced sleep, increased sugar intake, and general letdown that we were going home caused the drive home to be not quite as fabulous as the drive up, but all-in-all it was still pretty positive.   Traffic was heavy on Memorial Day Monday of course, so the drive home took a bit longer than driving up there but we did keep the peace by having them watch an Animal Atlas DVD and of course Kaleb's favorite "Boz the Big Green Bear".

Kaleb's potty training is going amazingly well.  No real accidents to speak of, and our only difficulty (if one could even call it that) is in the "pooping" department.  He has gotten over his fear of pooping, thank goodness, but he still sometimes takes several trips to the bathroom before he can get his "business" taken care of.  The amazing news in all of this is that he has already started being able to go through his entire nap without a diaper!  To top even that, he's had one night where he woke up entirely dry!  This has yet to even happen in the world of the eldest Z child!!!!  Amazing!

Phrase of the week:  "Life's a bummer" - oh to be 5 - it's hard work.  When asked who he had learned that phrase from, he said "Daddy."  Daddy must have used the phrase when making Zachary do something that he didn't want to do! :)  Kaleb's phrase is "it's locked" with both hands firmly placed over his mouth as he refuses to eat something...usually broccoli lately.  Now, we have to take an unofficial poll here - Amy has never known kids that didn't like broccoli - in fact, some kids ONLY eat broccoli.  Our kids have always eaten an amazing variety of vegetables because Amy makes all of their baby food from Day 1, so has the gamut from kale to brussel sprouts etc.  So, this new "I no like broccoli, it's yucky" has stumped her.  She commented to a few friends that "how can this be, all kids like broccoli"  They looked at her as if she had lost her mind and said that no kids like broccoli.  So, is this true faithful readers?  Do your kids (or you growing up) like or hate broccoli?  Be honest now! :)

Happy Father's Day!

The Hicks & Zbaraschuks after a very fun weekend

Daddy enjoying some "cool" time under the sand!

The waves were small, but perfect for riding the boogie boards

Kaleb and Leah enjoying licking the beater

Ready to drive over to the beach

Mommy and Kaleb about to jump some waves

Googles were a godsend to keep the saltwater out of our eyes

Relaxing in the shade

Zachary, Leah and Kaleb jumping into the pool - the pool guard quickly put a stop to this, much to their disappointment

The Big 4-0 and Belize

As you know from last week's post - this has been a momentous month for Karis.....this was THE year – the year that Karis has crossed over into a new decade. He isn’t too pleased by this, but when queried as to what he’d like for his birthday, his only response was that he would like to have a trip. In light of the fact that he not only turned the big 4-0, but also finished his DPT (see the last post for those that missed this!), we packed up and off to Belize we went (with Johnsons in tow for their “baby-moon” as Baby Joey’s introduction to this world is quickly approaching). We’ve never been to Belize before, and it was a blast. We stayed at Coco Beach Resort (highly recommended for folks who like really nice accommodations, full kitchens, and fantastic pools (one complete with a water slide). Grandma stayed with the boys (full time party for the boys, full-time job for Grandma!), and they had a wonderful time going to the Science Center, playing nonstop and being pampered by Grandma.

In Belize, we did a lot of “hurry up and relax” but we also took a day where we flew over to the mainland (we stayed on the island of Ambergris Caye) to visit the Xunantunich (Stone Lady) Mayan ruins and then drift down the river on a cave-tubing adventure (very fun!). On that day, our guide showed us how delectable termites are (as he showed us how to eat them by sticking his finger onto a tree that was swarming with termites and then popping them into his mouth, he told us that they taste like minty carrots.....no thanks!!!)  The next day we went snorkeling at Shark Ray alley where we saw tons of nurse sharks prior to getting into the water (they dispersed when we actually got into the water, which was probably a good thing for avoiding a full panic attack by the ladies) and HUGE sting rays.  We saw lots of really cool coral and bright fish and even a moray eel as well. One of the highlights of our trip was to charter a plane and fly over the Blue Hole – one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. It was truly amazing and beautiful – such an amazing world that God has created for us to explore!

The folks in Belize speak English, and were incredibly friendly and polite.  The weather was warm and windy while we were there, but the wind did a nice job of keeping us cool.  One highlight of the trip was when Kent invited Karis to come learn how to wind-surf (one of Kent's hobbies).  Apparently you CAN teach an old dog new tricks because by the end of his training session, Karis had the hang of it (at least enough to have a fun time going back and forth on the waves in the ocean!).

On the home front, Zachary sweet-talked Grandma into letting him get up early in the morning by climbing into bed with her, snuggling for a few minutes (who can resist that!) and then stating "Grandma, please read to me, I need to learn new things!"  Wow - who can argue with that?  The boys had a great time, and in fact were so "into" Grandma that they called Amy and Miss Jennifer "Grandma" the rest of the week after life returned to normal! :)

Soon, very soon, we'll have the final post from the Memorial Day weekend, which was a trip to Destin to visit the Hicks!  Very whirl-windish of us, but VERY fun! :)

Kelli, Amy, Karis and Kent snorkeling in Shark Ray Alley

Kelli, Kent and Karis as we 'toured' the San Pedro city - there are only three streets!

The Blue Hole - isn't this picture just amazing?

The men getting ready for their cave tubing experience - the headlamps were for when we were completely underground - it was PITCH black when we turned off the lights!

Standing on top of the Mayan temple - both of us were afraid to get much closer to the edge as we were 130 feet high - it was a long drop!

Kent, Karis and Amy standing on the steps of the temple

Karis flying out of the short but FAST waterslide!

Ahh - what resort is complete without a  hammock!  We enjoyed a very nice rest on these hammocks, listening to the waves and enjoying the nice breeze.

There are three big sting rays under Karis in this picture - amazing!

Celebrating Dr. Zbaraschuk!

For some this is a big news – while some of our other friends and family are already “in the know” – but Karis is now officially Dr. Zbaraschuk now that he has completed his Doctorate of Physical Therapy (this means that he has a DPT, not a PHD for those that are wondering). He informed Amy that only she needs to call him Dr. Z – everyone else can continue calling him Karis! J He started the program about 2 years ago, and wasn’t sure that he would continue – he was just going to “test out a class or two.” He had staying power though and managed to juggle two very active little boys, managing a household, and keeping a wife happy – all the while taking online night classes. It was an interesting learning experience and he’s thankful that he has crossed the finish line. We’re so proud of him!

We promise that we'll have more of an update soon for the vacations that we've taken over the past few weeks (Belize and Destin, Florida for those that don't know), but sadly we've been kind of swamped since getting back and so the updates are slow in coming, but they'll come, we promise!)

One more note that we'll add is that a few weeks ago (since our last post), Karis went out early in the morning for his Sabbath morning bike ride, and noticed a very large 'dog' walking between two homes, just two houses down from us. Upon taking a second look, he realized that it wasn't a dog, but a black BEAR! Apparently after talking to the neighbor whose home the bear had been walking by, we now know that this bear lives in a nearby large park, and has been seen on numerous occasions walking in our neighborhood late at night! We're not sure if we should be wowed, or scared!?

Dr. Zbaraschuk - not in cap and gown with diploma, but a close second - on the beach in Belize to celebrate!