One on one time

When I think back on the past year and all of the crazy changes we made in our life, I mostly worry about Bradley. As a mom I worry about how he's adjusting to our "new med school" life. Things are quite different for him- in a year we moved out of the only house he's ever known into my parent's house in Kansas for a semester while Jordan was in Florida completing the MERP program. He had to learn new rules at his grandparent's house, get potty trained, and become a big brother! Then he left his daycare, friends, grandparents/aunts/cousins/uncles etc when we moved to St. Maarten. Even two months in he is still asking when we can go to Dollar Tree, Walmart or Pretty Prairie. We are now on a much, much stricter budget than before so we can't just go to the toy store, but what we can do is have more quality time together. 
I've been noticing quite the jealousy from Brad when it comes to his baby brother. I know that's normal, but breaks my heart! I've been trying to come up with time where I can have personal one on one time with my big boy. 

I noticed Bradley would become very frustrated with me at the pool when I had to hold the baby. He would act out and splash water on his brother. I was beginning to think that I wouldn't be able to take both boys to the pool by myself..it just became too hectic. Until I realized that noon was the best time to go. I could get Ian down for a nap in the stroller under the shade and then have arms-free, special, one on one time with Bradley. I noticed how much we both needed that!! The rest of the afternoon goes so much smoother! I try to do that at least twice a week.

Block II + Anse Marcel

 Whew! The past week was a whirlwind, and I'm glad it's over. It was Block II week which means Jordan stayed at school extra late studying every night. We admire his dedication, but miss him!! By Friday you could definitely tell Bradley needed some time with Dad. Jordan took a little break Friday evening to join us for the school movie night to watch "The Good Dinosaur." This Monday was the Block II exam and we celebrated with a pizza afterwards. 

Tuesday morning Jordan woke up extra early to check his scores. He declared Tuesday as FAMILY DAY in celebration of his great grades. Whoo-hoo! Bradley still wanted to go to pre-school because it was "train day" so while he was at school from 9-11am we mapped out our day. Unfortunately the place we usually rent a car from by our apartment was booked so we had to rent from a place by the airport for $57.00. Boo. We have officially hit that "we need a car" stage. All donations welcome ;) The goal is to buy a car by the end of the semester. 

We didn't have a clear plan of what we wanted to do so we just started driving to the French side. Originally we were following signs to go to Grand Case beach, but somehow we passed it (roads are super narrow) and ended up driving on this winding road that turned into a mountain! I'm so glad Jordan was driving. Next thing we knew we were at the beautiful Anse Marcel beach. Don't ask me how to pronounce it..I think it's "Ann-say Mar-cell" but I probably sound really Kansan when I say it :)

We hung out near the Anse Marcel Resort, which looked amazing. I kept saying, "I would totally bring Marlene here!" It seemed like a more "private" beach. When we went out in the water it actually felt like a wave pool. We just bobbed around..it was awesome. At one point Ian was getting fussy so Jordan took him back up to our towel. It was great because I was able to be out in the water with Bradley by myself and enjoy some hands free time! I'm usually always holding or wearing the baby so it was a nice little break to be with my big boy in the water.

As we were getting ready to leave the beach, Jordan suddenly noticed...his wedding ring. GONE. No where to be found. We spent a good 30min searching around, but no luck. It's either out in the Caribbean or buried in the sand :( Bummer. Maybe for our anniversary in June we'll get it replaced at a duty free jewelry store on the island :)

Since we were on the french side already we decided to stop by Sarafina's for a post-beach snack. They were out of chocolate macaroons again, but I got a chocolate mousse cake that was delicious as well.

We ended our day together grocery shopping. It was a nice day.

follow me on instagram: alliemarshall627

Bradley's Preschool Valentine's Day party

The first week we were on the island Bradley kept asking me when he was going to daycare, or when he was going to see his friends. It broke my heart because I didn't know what to tell him. His little friendships at his daycare is what he has known (almost) daily since he was 2 months old. Luckily I saw a post on the Spouses Organization for a preschool Tuesdays and Thursdays for kids aged 2-4. Sign us up! I didn't care what the cost was I knew that Bradley needed to be there. 

Bradley's 1st day of preschool

Preschool has been great for him. Every week is  different theme and he's always so proud of his crafts. He is very sentimental and doesn't like to throw anything away!!

This week after class on Thursday was their little Valentine's Day party. I was so excited for his 1st actual "class party" that I had visions of going all out and being that "pinterest mom" however...I'm very limited on craft resources here on the island. Luckily I was able to borrow some construction paper and we brought tons of stickers. This is what I came up with:

The kids were able to do a card exchange and frost cookies. Bradley enjoyed himself and is still cherishing his Valentines from all his friends. Thanks Miss Christel!!

Stroll to Maho

We didn't end up renting a car this past weekend for our "family day" so I knew we needed to go somewhere within walking distance. We thought about taking the school shuttle to Maho, but they only shuttle emergencies before 6pm. So we just decided to venture on our own. It was about a 30minute walk on the inside of the golf course. We started walking through Mullet Bay Beach as a shortcut, but walking through sand with Ian in the Ergo and Bradley walking was not happening. As soon as we made it into Maho we went to the drugstore for a huge bottle of water! We were drenched in sweat, but the walk itself was not bad at all.

When we first arrived on the island on New Years Eve we stayed in a hotel in Maho called Alegria, but didn't have a chance to actually explore. Because we went on a Sunday some shops were closed, but we were still able to go into a few stores. I didn't buy anything, because most of the shops were for souvenirs, but it was nice to actually feel like I was shopping. We ate lunch at Cheri's Cafe and it was fine. I liked being able to sit outside and people watch, BUT it was really expensive. Every place we've eaten on the island is expensive, even if you're ordering the cheapest thing. 

Afterwards we went over to Maho beach. It is a really tourist-y beach..it's right by the airport where all the airplanes fly over, so it was pretty crowded. We walked over to an area (that we probably weren't supposed to be in) by one of the resorts that was a lot less crowded. The waves were crazy big..Jordan took Bradley out for maybe five minutes and decided it was a no go. I hung out with Ian.

Before our trek home we stopped by the Maho Market for a few groceries that we haven't been able to find in Cupecoy and headed home. Poor Bradley was so tired, but he was such a trooper. We went straight to our complex's pool when we made it back home. We were so hot, it felt amazing! 

The friendly island

St. Maarten is nicknamed "The friendly island" and rightfully so! We have been here 5 weeks now, but I have yet to run into a rude person..whether it be other classmates, faculty, neighbors, spouses, etc. Everyone has been so welcoming. If it wasn't for the Spouses Organization I know I would feel very lonely and isolated.

Mr. Serious doesn't give out many smiles so I'm happy when I catch some on camera!

In the past week here are a few of the gracious gestures I've encountered:

• A spouse donated baby toys to Ian that her boys had grown out of
• A spouse offered to take me to the grocery store because she knew we don't have a vehicle
• 2 male students helped me up 2 stairs with the stroller. (I usually carry it, but was thankful for the help!)
• Anytime we are on campus waiting for Jordan, for whatever reason, his classmates always greet us and give Bradley fist bumps or high fives.

These are just a few examples of the reasons we are really enjoying ourselves on the island. I LOVE the community feel! I don't think I would have felt this way at a stateside school.

Last Thursday one of the spouses hosted a pool get together at her complex in Maho..it was awesome! The pool was great, as well as the company. If you know me personally, you know that I am quite the introvert. Whenever I'm invited to something I always second guess myself, for fear of judgement or some other crazy reasoning. Lately I've just been putting myself "out there" and attending everything, because I know if I don't then I will just go stir crazy! Every time I worry, but always end up enjoying myself. It's a great feeling.

I guess the moral of this blog post is that we are really settling in and feeling "at home" in St. Maarten, the friendly island :)

Carousel + Simpson Bay

Earlier in the week I went with the Spouses Organization to a playgroup at Kimsha Beach in Simpson Bay. As soon as I got out of my friend Jackie's car I said, "omg it's so pretty!" Seriously..I felt like I was walking into a screensaver. It is such a BLUE beach, soft sand..sailboats in the distance..beautiful. We enjoyed ourselves for 2.5 hours at the beach and even got a complimentary drink from Buccaneers Beach Bar. It was a great day!

As soon as we left I knew I wanted to bring Jordan back to that beach so I anxiously waited until the weekend. Saturday morning we left at 8am to rent a car and do our bi-weekly large grocery trip at Cost-U-Less and the Grande Marche. Groceries are quite a bit more expensive here, but I've been working on really meal planning and not letting anything go to waste. We finished grocery shopping and took Bradley to his "surprise." Jackie had told me about Carousel a fun little place with gelato and a carousel over the water. I was excited to surprise Bradley. He loved it! We each got a scoop of gelato and then I rode with the 2 boys on the Carousel. I even got some smiles out of Mr. Serious Ian on the ride! It was a very affordable little outing..gelato was $4 for 1 scoop or $6 for 2 scoops and the ride was $2 per kid. 

Afterwards we went to Kimsha beach as a family and stayed until sunset. It was awesome. 

I've decided that I really like Simpson Bay! There are a lot of nice restaurants and shops, and of course the scenery is lovely. I can't wait to explore there more!

**As a sidenote for anyone interested: Jordan did GREAT on his 1st block exams. He even got 3 100% out of 7 tests. He's doing very well, and is really in his element here. We are so proud of him!