1st Day of School

Today is Hunter and Jordan's first day of school. They were both excited about a new school year. Hunter is now a third grader. He knows his teacher from last year so we all hope this will make things easier. Jordan is in 1st grade. This morning he wanted to know if first grade was hard. I told him he was going to learn fun stuff like how to read and math. The boys refer to the first day of school as rule day. I think that is so fitting.

The boys walking to get in the car.

Jordan Loses His First Tooth

Jordan lost his first tooth (one of his bottom front teeth). He started working on this tooth during our Bermuda trip. And it finally came out! The tooth fairy found her way to our house. Jordan was so excited to find his loot. The first tooth brings more money than other teeth. We are very excited for Jordan.

Sunset on the Lake

Chris took this wonderful picture on Lake Murray the other day. It turned out so well I wanted to share it. We are all trying to get ready for school to start. We had such a fun and relaxing summer; we hate to see it end.

Bermuda

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We just arrived back from our week in Bermuda. My first cousin, Laura, and her family lives there. We enjoyed spending time with them and experiencing Bermuda. We stayed very busy so I'm sure Laura and her family need a vacation after our vacation.


This was Hunter and Jordan's first trip outside the US. They were so excited about getting their first stamp in their passports. They did excellent on the 2 1/2 hour flight.


We took Laura, Thomas and Anna letterboxing. This was their first time letterboxing and they had a blast. We are at St George in the graveyard of the oldest continuously operating Anglican church in the Western hemisphere. Thomas is holding the letterbox. We found 4 letterboxes during our trip. These were our first international letterboxes.

In the pictures above, Laura, Chris, Hunter, Jordan, Thomas and Anna are sitting on the steps of St. Peter's church. The inside was beautiful. On display under glass were some signatures, I read the first as Elizabeth Phillip. I was trying to figure out who she was when Laura said was Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip. I felt so dumb. Prince Charles and Diana's signatures were also in the church. As always, you can click on the picture to made it bigger.



On Tuesday night, we went on a boat ride with some of Laura and Sean's friends. They had 3 kids so with Laura's 2 kids and ours, we had a total of 7 kids and 6 adults. They took us on a lovely tour of Bermuda. Then we anchored and ate the delicious supper Laura had prepared. Completely throwing the "no swimming until 30 minutes after you eat" rule out the window, we swam. The water was 15 feet deep and you could still see the bottom. There was even a rainbow.

After the sunset, we waited to see the glowworms. Laura had told us how amazing it was to watch to glowworms. So we planed our trip during the time the glowworms are active. The glowworm produces bioluminescent displays when they mate. During the months of June through September, between two and three nights after a full moon, 56 minutes after sunset, this illuminated mating ritual occurs. (It is true. I could not make this up) It starts with the females spiraling to the surface emitting a pulsating green luminescence as they release an egg mass. The male, glowing as well, does a zig zag dance until he encounters these eggs, darts around in the mass causing an even brighter glow. He then dies and sinks to the bottom of the sea. I guess since she is done with him there is no use keeping him around. :) So there were hundreds of poofs of glowing egg that looked like circles and then these glowing zig zaping males attach them. The "show" lasted about 10 minutes and then completely stopped.

More Highlights from Bermuda

Ok, I know no one will believe this but I really tried (and failed) to limit the number of pictures I put on the blog about Bermuda. These are a few of our favorite things we did.

The Beaches

We loved looking at the amazing beaches of Bermuda. The clear turquoise water, pink sand, and rock formations in the water are unlike anyplace place in the world.

Chaplin Bay

Laura took us to all the best beaches in Bermuda. We went to Horseshoe Bay, Jobson's Cove, Coral Beach and Chaplin Bay to name a few. She was a wonderful tour guide.

Jordan exploring the beach

Tour of the Forts of Bermuda

Laura and I joked that we toured the Forts of Bermuda while Sean and Chris toured the rums. We think they had the best tours. Chris' favorite was Black Seal made in Bermuda. Strangely enough I have no picture of Sean and Chris' tour but I have plenty of the Forts. First we toured Fort St. Catherine which is located in St George. They had mannequins displaying solders through out the fort. There was a display of soldiers playing cards and drinking rum. Apparently they also toured the rums because there was a mannequin passed out on the floor with a bottle of rum. Can you believe they made a display of that? It was very funny.

Jordan, Thomas and Hunter at Fort St Catherine

The next fort on our tour was Fort Scaur which is on the other side of the island. So we traveled the entire colony of Bermuda in one day. Fort Scaur had the most beautiful view of the island. Since the island is curved, you could see the area of the island that Laura and Sean live on from there. We had a picnic lunch here. Pasta salad, anyone?

Jordan walking in Fort Scaur

On the last day of our trip, we toured Fort Hamilton. Again there was a breathtaking view of Bermuda. We saw a cruise docking into port in Hamilton.

Kim, Chris, Hunter and Jordan at Fort Hamilton

Also at Fort Hamilton , there was a cool Moat Garden. The moat around the fort which is now dry is a beautiful path with gorgeous tropical plants on both sides. It was also cool walking down the dark halls inside the fort.

Thomas, Hunter, Anna and Jordan crossing the "moat" to enter the garden

The Spa

Laura and I spent the most wonderful day alone at the Spa. I had never spent the whole day at a Spa before and it was like a slice of heaven. I had a 60 minute massage and Laura had a facial. Then we ate lunch outside with another wonderful view of Bermuda. Then we went inside and swam. The waterfall at the pool would massage your neck and back. Laura and I were able to sit and talk for hours without any interruptions. When we were at the Spa, Sean and Chris took the kids to Crystal Caves. Since I had the camera, Chris didn't take pictures but this was Hunter's favorite part of the vacation. We were told that they cooked hotdogs and did "man things." I think they worked on their Rum Tour some more.

Laura enjoying herself at the spa

Hunter riding the scooter

Hunter loved riding on the scooter with Sean. Thomas was nice enough to let Hunter ride since he does not live in Bermuda. After the tour of Crystal Caves, this was the highlight of Hunter's vacation.

Sean and Hunter taking off for Thomas' birthday party

Shore Leave

Laura's family named their house Shore Leave. What a fitting name for the home of two Naval Officers. We enjoyed hanging around their house and spending time with them. You can read more about their adventures on their blog. The kids had the great time playing. I'm so glad they got a chance to know each other better. The weather was strange during our trip. It rained almost every night. Thankfully the rain never stopped us from doing what we had planned.

The view of Bailey's Bay from Laura's home.
It was over casted most of our vacation which
was a blessing because it was not so hot.

Thomas' Birthday Party

During our visit, Thomas had his 8th birthday party. The boys were so excited about his party. How many little boys are lucky enough to have their birthday party on a beach in Bermuda. Well, I guess it makes it easier if you live in Bermuda. A total of 10 kids were at his party. After cake and ice cream, everyone headed to the beach. Everyone, including me, enjoyed playing in the sand and surf.

Hunter and Jordan on the beach at Thomas' birthday party

After the party, we changed and ate at Coral Beach. The food was delicious and the view was amazing.

Laura and Kim at Coral Beach
This was the view from our table.

Sommerset Bridge

Sommerset Bridge is the world's smallest drawbridge. Hunter and I went on the bridge and we could stand with one leg on one side of the bridge and one on the other. I think the sign behind us is funny. What is prohibited... fishing for swimmers????

The Bristow's at Sommerset Bridge

Gibb Hill Lighthouse

The boys climbed to the top of the lighthouse. It was a very windy day. Chris even lost his hat.

Hunter at the top of the lighthouse

View from the Lighthouse

Flying

The boys loved flying! The only time they had been on an airplane before this trip was a trip to DC. They loved watching the planes take off. Hunter loved looking out of the window at the clouds. They were so good on the plane.

Bermuda from the air