We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2019 full of love and wonder!
This Christmas after some plans fell through, we found ourselves on the beach once more trading snow and cold for sand and sunsets. They moved the annual Pig Roast celebration from Almendros Beach because it was devoid of trees after Maria to Playa Lala. Playa Lala was once just “the beach behind the old Econo” and has now become a popular destination especially with all the little kiosk bars right nearby.
The 3 of us getting into the Christmas Spirit
Playa Lala on Christmas
Driftwood tree
Another unusual tree
Breaking out the Coquito at sunset
What a beautiful sunset it was! Almost watercolor
Britton and Aeden away from the crowd
My silly sweety -my favorite Christmas present ever!
Also, the Newstory about us aired in Colorado on Christmas Eve. Check out more of the story here if you haven’t yet seen it, or watch the video below!
Now that we have Baby Aeden with us we are A, B and C (Aeden, Britton and Cassie)! So we thought we would make it as easy as A, B and C to say Happy Holidays and Felicidades from our home to yours! 🙂 Here are a few photos and a short video from our life recently in Puerto Rico. It has been speeding right along. I can’t believe Aeden is already 3 months old and almost sleeping through the night! Now I might have time to actually blog a little more again.
The beauty never ceases to amaze me!
Lots of yard work even in winter -Baby Aeden is lulled to sleep by the sounds of the mower haha
Cool abandoned airplane I saw off the road in Aguadilla looks like it should be in Lost
This banana tree was just asking to be photographed in this light. Gorgeous!
So was this monstera! One of my favorites in the flower bouquets and arrangements we sell
We took a little holiday photoshoot at the finca with our little Santa Baby
So cute!
Mommy’s kissing Santa!
My most precious gift!
Afterward he was tuckered out!
Check out how long this banana flower goes (with Elsa from the Farmer’s Market)
Always lots of Holiday Cheer around here (haha)
Watch out! It’s pica pica season!! eek this stuff is painfully itchy
My big boy can almost keep his head up by himself. He is growing so fast!
These prayer/blessing/curse candles are definitely a “thing” here
Close up of the “velas“
Campaign to try to prevent people from shooting guns in the air whilst celebrating the holidays -“ni una bala mas al aire” means “not even one bullet more in the air!”
He can be such a guy smiley when he wants to be. My little flower child
He IS awesome like Daddy!
Awesome Daddy trying out the Moby wrap
News Anchor Jeremy Hubbard visited us here in PR a bit ago. For those of you in Colorado, stay tuned to Fox 31 in Denver for a couple of news stories about us that should air this week and in January!
Fun times with friends
Pretty turkey boy
I think we have more than enough lemon grass -sheesh! Poor Britton was all scratched up after this!
I’m pretty sure Aeden is going to be an astronaut! lol
Oh, I love this little guy so!
Sunset over Tres Palmas
Aeden’s 3 month update video complete with turkey photobomb!
Coquito means little coconut and it is the traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink. Sometimes compared to eggnog, coquito is not only the rum transport of choice this time of year, but also a common gift. Many stores have decorative bottles and pretty much everyone has a secret ingredient (everything from eggs to Nutella) in the version they make. Unlike eggnog which is commonly just purchased at a store in the states, most coquito is homemade.
Coquito Ingredients
I have had coquito before but never made it. I asked our neighbors Israel and Millie about it and they said we should make some together. Britton, Aeden and I spent an afternoon making this delicious, creamy goodness together. Check it out:
The recipe is pretty simple:
One can condensed milk
One can evaporated milk
One can coconut cream (usually Coco Lopez brand)
1-2 tablespoons vanilla
Ground cinnamon (nutmeg and cloves are also great) to taste
1/2 cup more or less of rum
Mix, refrigerate and serve or bottle and give to friends
We have a lot to be thankful for this year. So many changes have occurred. This time last year we were just getting the electricity working again after two months without! Things were starting to come back to life, but the shock waves were still pulsing.
Walking on a “beach” this time last year (2017)
Beach sunset with Baby Aeden this year
In the year that followed we continued to clean up from the mess of the hurricane and then I became pregnant for the first time ever after many years of trying! It was a wonderful gift but also very taxing on me, and Britton. He had to take care of the whole property and also help me. During this time, Britton’s father became sick and died and that was very hard on us because we are so far from the rest of the family. Additionally we started the flower business and continued to push forward.
My sweet baby!
When Baby Aeden was born right around the anniversary of Hurricane Maria, we experienced a sigh of relief that was short lived. Only 5 days after he was born I became very sick and was hospitalized for nearly 2 weeks out of the first 3 of his life. In a very short period of time I came to understand how precious and yet fragile life really is. I am so grateful to still be here in this realm with these two loves: Britton and Aeden.
Britton and Aeden at the beach
We spent Thanksgiving with our friends Missy and Ben and their family as well as other great friends who have helped us through this very tough year. We are so grateful to them. I don’t know how we could have managed that without them.
Thanksgiving dinner
Delicious food on fancy china!
Baby’s got to eat too!
A visit to a neighbor’s tortoise
So beautiful!
Climbing palm trees!
Baby hanging with the big kids
I love Thanksgiving because it gives us the opportunity to step back and reflect on what we are truly thankful for in our lives: our family, our friends, and our beautiful, precious and fleeting lives. Our life is full of thanks!
PS: Baby Aeden is now over 2 months old and doing great!
What a beautiful sunset it was! Almost watercolor
Britton and Aeden away from the crowd
