15 tooth on the loose

On this lovely leap day, Osten John officially sprouted his fang on his lower right side...happy happy day for sweet little man.

Osten with uncle Cory

lawn mowing with a view

While Cory and Joan were visiting, Cory helped Brad and Anders with the yard one day.  It does have the advantage of having a nice view...

one of osten's favorite haunts

Oftentimes, if Osten is missing when I'm hanging clothes on the line, I find him astride Caren's lawnmower.  I hope when he's old enough, he will still enjoy hours on the mower. 

sandy point with the Blomgren's

Last Sunday afternoon we enjoyed a day at Sandy Point with Cory and Joan.  It was a perfect day at the beach.

agfair

The Good Hope booth--Kindergarten display

bountiful fruits and veggies for sale

Senepol cattle on display

steel drum band entertaining

Osten and Aunt Joan enjoying the band

back to the land of the living

Finally back to the land of the living.  Osten was struck with the stomach flu on Thursday morning...Brad fell victim Friday evening, Kathryn and I Friday night and Anders on Saturday. 

I spent most of the day until 3:30pm sleeping on Saturday and the rest of the day laising around.  We are all feeling much better today.  The kids are picking up some wood from the carport and we are all heading to a benefit for a school in Haiti at noon. 

Feels great to feel good again!

Angel

Bright and early this morning, Osten woke up and was sick in his pack and play. He came into bed with me and slept for a while...woke up at 3:45am and got sick again. Brad kept him home today and I packed Kathryn, Anders and myself off to Good Hope. Shortly after pulling onto south shore road, I heard a flat tire. I pulled off to the side and flagged down a family from Good Hope. She called her husband and I told her I thought an angel stopped. She laughed and confided that her husband's name is indeed Angel. After they stopped 2 other GHS friends stopped to lend a hand. We are truly blessed.

greenflash at westend of island

When the Blomgren's were visiting we dined at Sandcastles and here are some photos:

I am using this definition from a website: at sunsets.com

A Sunset Spectacle: The Green Flash


Myth or Reality?

The "green flash" is the encore to Mother Nature's spectacular sunset lightshow. Myths, legends and disputes about its existence are many, but there is no doubt the green flash is real. There is also no doubt that the flash sometimes is not green.



What is the Green Flash?

Like the name says, it is a flash of green seen at the beginning of sunrise and at the end of sunset, just above the disk of the setting sun. It usually appears in a clear sky. The flash can also be blue, yellow, green or violet. Green, however, is the most common.



What Causes the Green Flash Effect?

The green flash has much in common with the ordinary, everyday red and orange sunsets. The same characteristics and conditions are shared by both. The setting sun doesn't just happen-behind the glowing colours, science is at work.



What the human eye sees during a sunset are bent light rays from a sun already down behind the horizon. The atmosphere is responsible for this bending. Therefore, what appears to be the tip of the sun sliding out of view is, in reality, an image created by these bent light rays.



A quirk of the atmosphere is that it scatters blue light more than any other colour of light. So, even though the blue light is "bent" the most, its scattering causes its colour to be diffused and spread across the sky. In this way, the warm glows of red and yellow remain to colour our sunsets, while the sky is blue.



During the average sunset, first the red vision of the sun vanishes and then the yellow, green, blue and violet. Blue and violet flashes are less common than green flashes because a haze in the air removes the violet and the blue, too, leaving the green flash as the last spurt of light visible on the "top" of the sun. If the air is very clear, a "violet flash" occurs.

casino

We started our day at Divi Casino where Cory played slots for a bit. We then went shopping and onto Rowdy Joes for lunch. After lunch we went to Cruzan Rum for a tour, picked up Osten from Stonehouse, to Annaly Farms for steaks, to Good Hope to pick up Anders and Kathryn and home for a final evening with the Blomgrens. A trip we will never forget. Thanks so much for coming!

sunrise at the eastern-most point of US

This morning-Brad, Cory, Joan, Kathryn, Osten and I saw the sunrise at the eastern-most point in the US--Point Udall. 

There were others there, but is was quite majestic.  The sun rose at about 6:45am.  We arrived at approximately 6:25am and stayed until about 6:50.  We then drove to IHOP in Sunny Isle and enjoyed a nice breakfast.  Osten enjoyed 1/2 and 1/2 and all enjoyed pancakes, sausage, eggs, bacon and crepes. 

a view of Buck Island from Point Udall in the dawn's early light

Karen, Brad, Osten and Kathryn waiting for the sun to come up

Kathryn enjoying the sunrise

Cory and Joan enjoying the sunrise

sun emerging

Happy birthday darling daddy

Happiest of birthday's to my wonderful daddy, Clarence Edward Blomgren Jr. We love you so much.

celebrating 50 years of marriage at First Lutheran Church in Butterfield, Minnesota

singing at Holy Trinity

Two weeks ago, the kids sang in church...lots of expression and great tone.  Way to go!

they are here!

Cory & Joan landed safely and are exploring St. Croix. Yesterday they went snorkeling, out to lunch at Rainbow Beach Rhythm's Cafe and then to the Whim museum.

Last night we checked out Art Thursday in Christiansted. Today, Brad, Cory and Joan are heading to Buck Island for snorkeling and beach time and tonight we are planning on watching the sunset in Frederiksted.

happy Valentines Day!

Here is Kathryn with her first Valentines box that was created in our Kindergarten classroom...lovely work, Kathryn Grace!  She received several Valentines from friends.

carambola lover

Osten and his carambola from The Stonehouse Preschool



Yummy-ness



yeah for fruits of the Caribbean!

farewell Whitney

Another music legend gone.

Tooth fairy on call once again

Today I went into the classroom to prepare for the week ahead. Brad took the kids to Fort Frederik so I could have some solitude. Upon returning to the classroom, Brad asked Kathryn if he could wiggle her tooth. She agreed and out came tooth number 2. Tooth was pulled out in the same classroom as tooth number 1. I hope the others can come out in another location!

date night

Last night Brad and I slipped away thanks to Haley to celebrate Valentines Day. We went out to eat at a sweet little bistro called Salud. Mussels, baked Brussels sprouts, super fresh mahimahi, steak, wine, bread and time together was incredible. After dinner, we went to the theater to see the play, the color purple. Very well done with some great singing. We got back home at about 11:30 pm which was way past our bedtime. The kids had fun and so did we. Date nights are special.

Wow wow

One of baby Osten's favorite phrases is "wow wow". When playing cars, seeing our neighbor dog Ruby, the light turning on, a fan turning on at daycare; he is amazed. Athena, one of Osten's excellent caregivers got quite a kick out of his vocalizations. He is starting to make more comments about his world. Last night, Kathryn was watching the Backyardigans and he sang along to the theme song. We were singing a muppets Christmas song Mememememememe and he sang along. Ruby & Mama are the other words that I have deciphered from his long ramblings and vocalizations. He is a charm and a gem.

14 tooth on the loose

Osten is sporting 2 lovely top fang teeth along with his front 4 upper, lower and first molars. His sweet little grin is getting more charming every day.

100 th day of school

Today was our 100 day of school at Good Hope. Our class celebrated with pj day, a beach walk, number writing, treats and a movie...Spy Kids. It was quite a fun day and we partied hard. Tonight I took a dip and so far have swam 210 laps in 2012. My goal is to get 3660 laps for the year so I better pick up the pace.

scenes from everyday life on campus

view from playground...6th grade eats their lunch in the shelter

iguana right outside our small play area outside the Rockefeller Building

iguana (affectionately named iggy by our class) crossing the road outside our classroom

Tooth fairy cometh

This morning, my friend Rita pulled out Kathryn's first tooth. Kathryn's head is on the pillow and she is dreaming of a visit from a winged creature this evening.

teeth ready to be pulled--new ones growing behind

Ms. Bicette working her magic with Charlie watching the action

with her tooth necklace and her new hook bracelet

what happened to St. Croix on Kathryn's 6th birthday

I've been avoiding this subject, but it has been a large part of island life for the past few weeks.  I am using photos from a fellow Tamarind Mom's blog.  There is going to be a mass of people leaving the island and I don't know what the outcome will be...

an overhead photo of the refinery

kicks

Osten and Anders are the proud owners of new kicks.  Anders has a new pair of sandals and Osten now has airwalks and another pair of sandals for use at the Stonehouse Preschool.

Here is Osten and his new shoes...quite proud I must say.

Osten and his airwalks...he started running around the shoestore once he had them on his feet

where the ocean melts into the sky

Today is a lovely caribbean day.  The days are already noticably warmer than they were just a week ago.  I think the winter is over.  I was sitting out on the balcony just a few minutes ago and noticed how the ocean and the sky met and you couldn't tell where one started and the other ended. 

Quite magical.

weird reptile

Last night when we got in from our moonlit swim, Kathryn announced that she was seeing a large lizard on the ceiling.  We have had a few anole on the ceiling, so I didn't think much of it.  Went into our bedroom and found this right above where I sleep

I have no idea what kind of animal this is, but I have to say, I slept with one eye open as it slightly creeped me out.  Brad got him down and brought him outside.  He was slow moving and seemed friendly enough.  Maybe we can have someone identify in the near future.

Moonlit swim

This was my 1st night doing laps in a couple weeks due to my bronchitis. It was absolutely magical swimming in the moonlight. The pool was glowing.

photos of our adventure north/Brad's 39th birthday

Anders and I in the airport in St. Croix waiting for our flight--WOWED by television

Osten snacking on Dad's lap on flight to Miami

Kathryn drawing while friend Isabella is sitting right ahead--flight from St. Croix to Miami

overwhelmed by all the people in Chicago at the airport...beautiful decorations