TS Ana

As long as this clears out before I head to the airport on Thursday.

Happy Anniversary Matty!  Thank YOU for the beauTIFUL flowers !

We ALL ate some cheesecake for you! 

Gabriela and Zavi on the prairies 

GABRIELA Dora Meralus Van Geest-deGroot officially became a Canadian citizen in late June. . . just in time for some Canadian weather on the prairies! 

no joke...it was like 10 degrees! Thanks Jennifer, Will, & Zavi for sharing your Canadian gear : ) 

and thank you Zavi for your entertaining us while Gabriela combed your hair and feed you and hugged you till you couldn't breathe.  

How WONDERFUL to see you Lauri, Sam, TiJo!  Thanks for sharing your tent etc. and LOVE with us! 

Haiti and "The Dangerous Dozen"

The dangerous dozen: The 12 most dangerous countries for Americans to visit

Woohoo!! Haiti made another list!! This article talks about the 12 most dangerous countries for Americans to visit. Thank goodness I'm not American! I guess it could be worse though - Haiti could be in among the elite group in the Axis of Evil.

Here are some other possibilities of lists I've dreamed up:

"The Ferocious Five": The five countries where you are most likely to get dengue fever (Haiti, Nicaragua, Congo, Cambodia and Mali).

"The Tropical Ten": The ten tropical countries most likely to get devastated by a hurricane (Haiti, Honduras, Cuba, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, St.Kitts and Barbados).

There's also the "Coup d'Etat Four" which includes such infamous members as our dear Haiti, surprising new edition Honduras, long-time member Libya, and added with the hopeful lobbying of their Miami-based diaspora community - Cuba.

Of course, who can forget the "Styrofoam Seven." Haiti, along with China, Vietnam, Mexico, South Africa, Egypt and yes, surprising, the USA, have the highest rates of styrofoam waste in the world.

There you have it folks. Haiti, yet again on another oh-so-encouraging list. There's one more list Haiti is on. In fact, Haiti is the only member. It's called "The Punching Bag One."

Summer: Part 1

Part One of the G.E.M Summer Adventures 2009 has now come to an end. Matt and Gabriela had a fabulous time in St.Catharines with family and friends. The weather wasn’t the best, but it was great to catch up, relax a little and, most importantly, eat strawberries.

The transition to Part Two was great fun as well. The three of us spent the weekend in Toronto – riding the streetcar, visiting Kensington Market, walking around downtown, eating Vietnamese soup and, Gabriela’s highlight, visiting as many parks as we could. If Canada only consisted of parks and splash-pads, Gabriela would be more than thrilled to make this her full time home.

Part Two involves being apart for part of the next few months. E and G are staying in Canada with visits to Toronto, Winnipeg, Fargo (ND), Kitchener, Sarnia and probably a few other locations. This will include visits to family and friends, teaching pre-natal yoga, eating strawberries and all other local bounty, dance camp for G, and, of course, the parks. Matt is back at work in Haiti.

Summer Photos

G LOVES this. There is both sheer terror and pure joy on her face!! AGAIN PAPA, AGAIN.

Summer Photos

Gabriela and Grandpa getting all wet, and loving it!

Summer Photos

In the hammock with cousins Grayson and Isabel.

Summer Photos

Gabriela turned three last week! We had a little party in St.Catharines with some friends (left to right: Grayson, Sam, Audrey, Zion, Jacoba Charlotte, Isabel, Gabriela and Zekijah). We had a G.E.M. party in Toronto on the weekend as well!

Summer Photos

Gabriela LOVES parks, swings, running, slides . . .

Summer Photos

With Zion, Jacoba and Zekijah on the Beach in Port Dalhousie.

I know I know...but Matt did it with Gigi on his shoulders : ) 

Gabou's absolutely FAVOURITE food (rice & bean sauce) from Kay Edith's (restaurant) in Dezam.  She just looks mad b/c i am photographing this sacred moment.  sorry G.  

Me and Peupisi and our growing babies ! Our due dates are a week apart !