Post Vaca Update

Since returning home from our vacation the boys are playing ALL THINGS VIRGIN GORDA non-stop. If you ask them where they went on vacation they'll jubilantly exclaim: "Virgin Gorda Island!!!" If you ask them about the trip they'll tell you about all sorts of things that were important from their point-of-view... such as:

• "Lizards!" Kyle is proud to explain that he "touched one!" But the lizards are so fast, that despite the fact that both boys tried all week to "catch a lizard!", neither succeeded. And, in fact, only Kyle ever actually touched one. However, Owen will tell you proudly, that he was "this close!" [to touching one]! The boys spent a significant amount of their vacation time "looking for lizards!"
• "Vacation Trees! and polk-a-dots!" Palm trees are called "vacation trees" by the boys. They love them. And they love trying to climb them. Also, despite our best efforts, twinspeak is in full swing when it comes to the word 'coconuts'... no matter how many times we try to correct them to say "coconuts" both Kyle and Owen refer to coconuts as "polk-a-dots" when in each other's presence (and only when in each others presence).
• "Salty in the eyes!" Saltwater in the eyes was a constant theme.
• "Hermit crabs" The loved trying to catch hermit crabs... and unlike with the lizards, the boys were often successful at catching them. But, they got pinched by the hermit crabs' claws (some of these hermit crabs were absolutely huge) often enough to be a bit shy of them by the end of the week!
• "Pelicans" K & O loved watching the pelicans dive beak-first into the ocean for fish.
• "Goats! and chickens!" There were tons of wild goats and chickens all over the island. Regularly we'd see goats and chickens walking on the roads as we'd try to drive without hitting them. This was a very, very big deal for the boys... who loved looking out the windows for the goats and chickens.
• "No seat belts!" Of course there are no seat belt (let alone car seat!) laws on Virgin Gorda. The people there thought we were absolutely crazy for putting the boys in car seats. After a couple days we let it all go... and the boys were free to ride around with no buckles buckled. As you can imagine, this was huge for them. And they loved that!
• "Outside shower!" Our villa had two bathrooms, one attached to each of the bedrooms. The showers in both were outdoors, tucked in amongst beautiful boulder/rock gardens. Showering every evening in the "outside shower" was a highlight for the boys.
• "Huge fish!" All the snorkeling we did was a major highlight.
• "The ferry!" This was, perhaps the highlight of the trip for both Kyle and Owen... riding the ferry from Tortola to Virgin Gorda on the first day, and then back again at the end of our trip. Both boys told us the following (and I quote) numerous times throughout our trip and also have continued to repeat this numerous times since returning home: "I want to drive the ferry. When I am a big man I am going to drive the ferry. I will be the captain. Me and my brother. We will both be driving the ferry. We will be the captains." While in Virgin Gorda, while boarding the ferry, Owen asked the captain, "Is this your boat?" The man explained that it was not his boat, but he was the driver. Owen said, "I like your big boat!" And then Owen told the captain: "I want to drive your big boat!" The captain looked Owen in the eye and with complete sincerity said, "Little brother, I have a feeling one day you will own a boat much bigger than this one." It was a poignant moment for me, one that Owen will never remember, but one that I won't soon forget.

Since coming home the boys' play is almost 100% focused on playing-out the trip. They ride their tricycles and explain that they are "driving the rental car! to the villa!" They ride their scooters and shout out, "We're going to the villa!!!" The play with their toy planes constantly pretending that they are "going up in the sky! to San Juan!" and that they are "landing on the runway! at the Tortola airport!" Every object becomes a ferry. The ferry is "going so fast!" and it is always "going to Virgin Gorda!" Every playground is a ferry, and the boys are the captains. I am told to "sit! hold on tight! you're on the ferry mama! it is going so fast! this ferry is going to Virgin Gorda island! Mama, say 'good job captain!'" Of course I oblige it all. They walk along the pathway in front of our house and pretend they are "looking for lizards!" (just like they did on the path outside our villa), and that they are "looking for hermit crabs!" The jump onto the floor, pretending to dive into the swimming pool and the ocean. I think the boys had a good time! ;) People have often told us that it is a "waste" to take the boys on such vacations since "they won't even remember it." Oh, what hogwash! Of course they won't remember it. That's not the point.