SURPRISE!!!

What a wonderfully spectacular weekend! On Friday as we were shutting down the house and preparing for bed a car pulled up.  My first thought was that it was Fedex (my hubby was supposed to be shipping me something) but then I realized it was a bit to late for a delivery.  My next thought was that it was a lost shuttle (there has been a shuttle circling the neighborhood dropping off visiting international sports players the last couple of days). As I was opening the gate to tell them that they have the wrong house Kenric walked around the van.  It took my brain several seconds (which felt like minutes) to register who it was.  I couldn't grasp that this was real and he was really standing in front of me. Once it all came together I leaped into his arms and didn't want to let him go. He really surprised me (which he can't normally do... he always ends up telling me or giving away all surprises before he actually carries them out).  Score now: Kenric 1 Christina...

The kids were really happy to see him.  Nathaniel couldn't believe it was real either... he said "daddy daddy" more times than I can count and he keep a huge grin plastered on his face.  He wouldn't let daddy out of his sight the rest of the night... even slept snuggled up with him.

Kenric and the happiest baby ever to see daddy (even though it's hard to tell here lol)

We didn't do much the rest of the weekend as we were just happy that Kenric was here with us.  We ran little errands like running to the grocery store, getting the boys haircuts and salvaging our fruit trees.

On Saturday we happened to look out the window and noticed that our banana tree had fallen over.  Kenric chopped off the bushel (is it a bushel of bananas?) to salvage the fruit and we spent the rest of the weekend eating the most deliciously sweet bananas.  It's hard to explain but eating bananas right off the tree is extraordinarily better than any banana that can be bought at the grocery story. We've been eating fruit salad, bananas and mangos with whipped cream, and frozen bananas. I tried to find pudding and vanilla wafers to make banana pudding but I could not find pudding :-(  If anyone can think of any other recipes that involve bananas we would love to have them.

Fallen banana tree

Salvaged bananas

As far as recipes go I have been learning to cook traditional Jamaican dishes.  Today Ms Cicelin taught me a Jamaican staple of rice and peas (well actually just the peas because I didn't have the rice). It's basically like cooking beans as we all know how, slowly cooking for hours on the stove.  The secret ingredient is that the beans are cooking in coconut milk.  Once the beans are nearly finished fresh thyme and scallops are added and then salted to taste.  Oh my goodness.  No more canned beans for me lol.  When I get home I am going to make a ton of beans like this and just freeze them.  Since I didn't have any rice I chopped up a jerk chicken and let the chicken cook down with the beans.  I threw it on a tortilla shell added some cheese and the kids devoured their "burrito".  My Jamaica fruit man, as I call him, happened to stopped by and gave me many more recipes to try.  I learned today that he is actually a chef and not just a chef but the personal chef of  a Jamaican entertainer (whose name I cannot remember right now).  He promised to come back on Sunday to cook for us and I am thrilled at the possibility.  Ms Cicelin promised to bake us one of her famous coconut cakes.  At least we will eat well the rest of our visit.

Kenric left this morning.  It wasn't as devastating as it was the last time.  Maybe it's because I know that the next time he comes in just 4 short weeks (3 weeks and 3 days to be exact) that he will be coming to pick us up to take us home. Until then...

Averie wanted everyone to see that she lost her two front teeth... look like we know what she wants for Christmas