Baby Shower for 4!

The two pregnant women!!

The Hostess's with the Mostess's.

Their AMAZING cupcakes! They were so good too!!

Cute Lexi.

Chug-a-lug. Lexi won.

Pin the baby on the belly..

Lexi and I were so lucky to have our girlfriends all give us a baby shower! What a fun thing for two mom's who already have one little kid running around, to have a 2nd baby shower! Lauren & Maria put it all together and did all the cute decorations & helped make some delicious food! It was so much fun! (I am especially excited for the ultimate gift they all gave us...a massage at LaLuna resort! Can it get any better??) Thanks so much you guys!!

My latest craving..

Sweet Italy, originally uploaded by Casey McDaniel.

I call this my "Sweet Italy." I ate it about a week ago and ever since then whenever I think about it, I want it. It is so fresh, simple, organic and delicious. It tastes soooo good to me! If you decide you want to try it, all you need is:

1- Big, juicy, red tomato
1- Block of FRESH, "Whole Milk Mozzarella Cheese" (I get the "Polly-o" kind here in Grenada)
1- Fresh Basil leaf (we picked this little guy from our garden)
- A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste

And Viola! A delicate, masterpiece ready to be savored slowly.

Just for Fun!

The other day, Lexi, Maria, Lauren & I went out to play around with some maternity pictures. It was all for fun and so Lexi and I could have something to remember our pregnancy's by. Here are a couple from the ladies! Thanks so much gals!

I love this one!

The goofball, Gabe doing the dragon face. ha!

Grenada's J'ouvert Carnival!

Carnival, originally uploaded by Casey McDaniel.

On August 10th, I went for my first time, with Matt & Josh (fellow photog buddies) to J'ouvert for Grenada's carnival! We left at 4am so we could get a good spot to take our pictures, since the party goes through the night and the "parade" starts around 6am. It was pretty wild seeing people with paint smeared all over them along with the guys called "Jab Jab," who covered themselves in motor oil. Let's just say, once is enough for me.
(I have posted more pictures on my photoblog at www.caseymcdanielphotography.blogspot.com)

Random days on an island.

20 weeks! I feel like I am getting way too big way too fast. And, I am only half way there! And,...this is where the sidewalk ends.

Sometimes, the families that I take pictures of, like to send me home with all types of yummy fruit! This particular day, I had gone to check out someone's home to get a feel for where I would like to take their pictures. They had this incredible garden and all different types of flowers that I have never even seen! The Mother grabbed a grocery bag and told Gabe & I start picking these "Star fruits" or else they would just go bad. So we came home with two bags of fruit! This is how the fruit looks after you cut it. It comes out in these beautiful little stars! Pretty yummy too!

One Saturday, we decided to go to a new beach we had never gone to before, and drive 30 min. to LaSagasse (La-Sa-jess). It was so much fun!! There were these little waves that were continuously rolling in, so we rented some boogie boards and let Gabe have a go! I was surprised that she kept on doing it, even after the water would splash up in her face. She has always hated it in the past when water gets in her face. Least to say, I was a proud mama hen!

WATCH OUT! Here they come.

This is my new little venue for bringing in some moola. I like to make earrings when I just have one of those days and don't know what to do, so I had some friends bring back down a little rack I bought and decided to try and sell these in the hair salon next to our apartment. Our landlord owns the salon, so I thought it might work. :) Keep your fingers crossed,...and your toes,...and your eyes.

And that's it for randomness in Grenada.

Little Buddha!

Well, here it is. The Buddha belly. Due the New Year!

From the beginning of this pregnancy, I have had a good case of morning, afternoon, and sometimes evening sickness. ha! It has pretty much gone away by now and I am doing much better and not as tired, thank goodness!
This pregnancy has been very different than when I was pregnant with Gabe. I had been exercising with Gabe and didn't get sick until I was in my 2nd trimester. This one, has been completely opposite! I haven't done ANY exercising the entire pregnancy and I am really missing it. I think I have just been too tired and sick to go workout. Kind of sad, so I am hoping that now the sickness is gone, I will be able to workout again. :) It has also been harder this time around to sit in front of a computer. I don't know if it is the screens changing quickly or what, but it would always make me nauseous until now. Yahoo! Now I can check your blogs again and be in touch with the rest of the world.
We are really excited to add onto our little family and for Gabe to have another sibling!

Study Buddies.

Yesterday, was a stressful day for Ren. He was preparing for a midterm today and was of course studying all day. Close to bedtime, Gabe suddenly grabbed my arm and whispered something to me. I leaned down to hear what she was saying better and caught word of this,.."Look at the table Mom. I am going to make Daddy laugh really hard." then she snickered and ran away. I looked up to see the table looking like that picture above and almost started laughing. I then, told Ren he had better laugh his head off when he walked into the kitchen. ha!
Later, did I find out why she had really set all those little people and toys up....she told Daddy it was so her little toys could study with him and help him study for his test. How cute is that? I can't help but smile, at how precise she set them all up too...you can see a little group of small animals up front, in a semi circle, all peering intently at Daddy's homework. haha! What a little angel!

Birthday Fun!

Our "secret" parking spot..

Playing in the water

My two loves.

Getting the Cake ready!

Mmmmm...

Last Sat, was my birthday. It started out with Renny's famous whole wheat pancakes, made from scratch...then we hit the beach. We had a fun time swimming and just enjoying our time together as a family. We then rented a movie, of course, and went home to eat dessert. Ren made a delicious funfetti cake! It was a wonderful birthday!!

Time in Utah

Staying in our own apartment for the first two weeks!

Walking Sampson

View from up the street

Aunt Carrie chasing the kids

We were lucky enough to stay in some of our family's apartments, while they were gone to Italy for two weeks, when we first got to Utah. It was so nice at times, having our own place to come home to at the end of the day. We also got to take care of their Great Dane, Sampson.
We quickly found out that the kids had a new favorite ride at Grandma's house...riding behind the lawnmower! Even Uncle Alvin had to give it whirl and pull them around, since they wouldn't seem to get off! ha!

Girls Trip To Park City!

We went on a Girls ONLY trip at the very end of May, up to Park City! It was so much fun just hanging out and shopping around. We got to stay in the beautiful "Westgate Resort & Spa" and loved every minute of it! (P.S. They even give a discount if you are a Utah resident).
And, yes, this is Nicki's signature pose in all of her pictures. Don't ask me why.