Orchard pictures

Ahhh life in a farming community....

I saw someone say on Facebook that now was the time to get family portraits done if they wanted to catch the orchards in full bloom.  She posted some pictures she had taken in past years and I thought they were just adorable.  I decided to pack up my little family to go out to the orchards and take our own (Med school budget means non-professional pictures).  I had Aaron pack a chair in the back of the car so I could set the camera on it.  We left the house and headed to the orchards when I thought- Hey!  My friend takes professional pictures, maybe we can borrow her tripod so I don't have to mess with angling the camera with just a chair!

I called Trisha and she said that they were about to leave to do the same thing!  She had us wait at the orchard so she could snap some pictures.  I love having friends who take pictures!!

These are us just messing around with my iPhone camera while we waited for the Wrights

Trisha did such a great job!!! Here are some of the pics she took:

Ha ha cute messy baby hair 

Ha ha we just all plopped down wherever on this one ;)  I love Matthew's arms.  That's just where and how he thought they should be

I decided if I ever want to lose weight, I just have to take family pictures first.  Any time I take family pics I lose weight right afterward.  It nice, but I look back and wish I had waited a few weeks before taking them. ha ha

 We're so cute ;)

Caleb and the stick. Love it.  I think he was sick or hungry or tired when we took these cause he isn't his usual smiley self.  Oh well, he's still adorable ;)

Thanks Trisha!!!!  You are awesome!!

Snorkeling Toucari Bay

Aaron is officially done with his 3rd semester of med school and we are on our two week staycation before 4th!  Here are a few pictures from our first snorkeling trip this break :)  Friday morning we met a few other couples at the med school's front gate and negotiated a taxi ride with "Mr. Brun" to and from Toucari Bay [TOO-coddy] (15 minutes north) for $7.00EC each, round trip (~$2.60US).  The water was clear and the jellies were definitely present, but not plentiful or aggressive enough to keep us away!   Good day!

 Megan putting on her son, Owen's, goggles :)

 This is a Smooth Trunk Fish

Balloon Fish

Caribbean Blue Tang (Dory's Caribbean cousin)

  

Cool sponge

 Owen, and his dad, Nate Russell, getting ready to dive

 The Dynamic Duo

 Blue/Grey Tang

The other Dynamic Duo 

Cool spikey vase sponge

Barrel Sponge

Aaron's head at Toucari 

Playing with the jellies

Megan Russell

Blue-Headed Wrasse

School of brown and blue Tang

Squirrel fishies

That is a piece of coral/sponge that I accidentally broke off.  As soon as I put it back down a bunch of fish came to check it out and eat little newly-exposed organisms that were invisible to me

Blue-Headed Wrasse

Coney Fish (Part of the Grouper family)

Pretty reef life (Blue-Headed Wrasse)

A little island under the sea...

 Those things that look like palm trees are called Feather Duster worms.  The top "flower" is the crown of a sea worm that lives in the tube and is both a feeding apparatus and a breathing gill.  If you wave your hand by it or touch it the worm reflexively withdraws into its tube