Bahamas!

We had a really fun quick trip to the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar resort in Nassau, Bahamas this past week!  We wanted to try this type of trip and were able to utilize Bob's miles and points from all of his travel to apply to the trip.  Our goals were to find a resort that was family-friendly and not too much travel time.  The Baha Mar had wonderful reviews, so we gave it a try!

Finley got taken to the Pooch Pad on Monday evening before they closed, which he seemed a little unsure about.  We got up bright and early on Tuesday morning (4:30am!) and were on the road to the airport before 5:00.  We had no problems getting our bags checked and through security, and our flight to Fort Lauderdale was on time!  We had a 2-hour layover there and got some lunch (pizza for Anna and Bob, and a meatball sub for Erin and me) and took it on to the plane to Nassau.  Between eating and filling out customs forms, the very short flight felt like no time at all!  We flew over a large island that looks to be mostly uninhabited and then landed in Nassau.  The airport is new and clean and we didn't have to wait long at all for immigration.  We did have a short wait at baggage claim, but we didn't mind.  There was a band playing near the immigration area!

Once we got our bags, we got in a taxi and had the girls' and my first experience riding in a car that drives on the left side of the road.  Between that and all of the traffic circles where they entered on the left instead of the right, it did seem really different!  It was about a 15-minute drive to the resort, and we passed many nice housing areas and shopping centers.  We got checked in and our room was ready early!  We had a really nice room in the West Tower on the 7th of 27 floors.  The Grand Hyatt had 2 towers, plus 2 other hotels were also a part of the resort.  We settled in and checked out the Club Lounge, which Bob had gotten access to with his points, and then suited up to see the pools and beach!  First, we went to the beach and were amazed at the calm, clear water.  The sand part wasn't very big, but there was some space to play in the sand.  There also was not any notable tide that we could tell.  The resort had a long dock that they own, and we enjoyed walking out on that and seeing boats pulling up there.  Bob and Anna got a kayak and took it for a spin!  Then we went on to the pools and tried a couple out before dinner.  We went to the lounge, which had salads, meats and cheeses, some appetizers, drinks, etc...and used that for our dinner.  The first night, the girls mostly ate tortilla chips and ham and cheese, but it was free!  Then it was back to our room for showers and bed.

The next day, Wednesday, we got up and went to the lounge for a yummy (more American) breakfast on the balcony, then off for a day of fun in the sun!



We had heard about a flamingo parade at 9:30, so we were sure to join in on that...they had 4 ambassador flamingos who were all about a year old walk around the property and then stop in a grassy area for a meet and greet.  It was super fun and a unique experience!  We also learned some neat facts, like flamingo eggs are not very big, the pink color is fully established after a year old and is due to beta carotene in their diets, and they hardly ever sit or lay down.



The rest of the morning was back and forth from the beach and pools.  They had large green foam mats and hard plastic orange rings anchored and floating in the ocean which we enjoyed floating on (or doing ballet, depending on who you are).  For lunch, we got burritos/burrito bowls/tacos at the El Jefe food truck right near the beach and flamingo area.  Then, more fun!  Anna and I took a short break in the room after lunch while Erin and Bob swam in one of the pools.  We brought snacks and drinks back down from the lounge and we all swam until dinner, and the kids got ice cream on the beach with lots of sprinkles!  Anna and I also tried the paddleboards and she did some snorkeling too.  This time, we got the kids burgers from the burger food truck and brought them to the lounge where Bob and I ate so everyone was happy.  We also learned that the lounge had desserts available from 7-8pm, so we made a second trip back there for some yummy treats!

Thursday was more of the same fun!  It did rain some this day, and while we were able to eat lunch mostly shielded from the rain by an umbrella (fish tacos for all but Erin, and she had mac and cheese)...then it started pouring so we raced back to the room and waited it out/had cookies and candy from the lounge.  Finally, it stopped raining so we went back out for more swimming.  We also visited the aviary and really enjoyed feeding the birds there.






Then it was back to the beach!  For dinner, I went and scoped out the lounge and saw that they were having shrimp lo mein and spring rolls...sent a picture back to the room, and that food was deemed worthy by the kids.  So, we all ate there and walked around the resort for awhile (especially enjoyed seeing the fountains up close and a band playing traditional music outside) before coming back for dessert.  It is important to note that Anna really liked the "rum punch" that they had in the lounge each night (without alcohol).

Friday morning, I left early to attend Gramma Ambrosini's funeral in Charlotte, so I left the hotel at 5:30am and had no issues getting from Nassau to Atlanta, other than a short delay leaving because of a computer issue.  My short layover in Atlanta ended up being even shorter and I had to run from the E terminal to the very end of the C terminal, but I made it and there was even one person after me!  Whew!  So, I got to Charlotte just fine, rented a car, and went to the funeral and nice dinner after made by Kathy Summer.  Bob and the kids slept in a little bit, had breakfast, and swam some more, including another trip to the swim-up bar (a hit) and feeding the birds at the aviary again.  They had El Jefe for lunch again and then changed clothes and headed to the airport where they enjoyed Dunkin Donuts for National Donut Day before takeoff.  They too had no issues getting home, despite some heavy rain and thunderstorms in Fort Lauderdale during their layover.  They had pizza for dinner at the same place we had eaten on Tuesday.  We were able to work it so I returned the rental car to RDU and met them as they arrived at 9:40pm.  The girls were tired, but Erin had slept on the flight so she wasn't too bad.  Then, home to bed and picking Finley up the next morning!  He got a good report from the kennel and was exhausted all day after his bath!

So, we had a wonderful time and would definitely recommend the Baha Mar!  The resort was beautiful, really clean, not too crowded or loud, easy to get around, lots of fun activities, delicious food, and the staff was really excellent.  There were people everywhere to help, lifeguard, anything at all.  The 6 pools were amazing and all had their own specialty...one with the swim up bar/curved sitting nooks, one with rain showers/infinity edges overlooking the ocean, the one with two big fish/sea turtle/shark tanks and two high diving areas, a pool with zero entry, a circular pool with big covered seating in the middle, and one with curved fountain jets.  There was also a big pond with huge fish swimming in it!  We would definitely go back!  All of our pictures are HERE.

Trip to Boone

We had a really fun weekend in Boone!  We were there less than 2 full days, but we had a good time.  Correction:  Bob and I had a great time, Erin had a pretty good time, and Anna hated it.  It was pretty cold - mostly in the 40s - and was cloudy, so that's not her climate at all.  We rented a 1-bedroom cabin with a loft, and the girls had their first experience of sharing a bedroom in the two twin beds upstairs.  They did really well with that, so we are excited for them to share a room at the beach and on other vacations now!  We got there on Friday around 3:30 and checked out the cabin, and had fish and macaroni for dinner as it was a Friday in Lent.  We roasted marshmallows after dinner too.  Saturday, we attempted to find some easy hiking in the area and ended up at the Boone Greenway, which was basically like any other town greenway, but the loop did end at a really nice playground that the girls enjoyed.  We hit the tourist spot of the Mast General Store, which the girls enjoyed looking around at all the old-time stuff and toys (of course) and picking out penny candy.  We had lunch at Chick Fila, then back to the cabin for "rest time" (which only lasted 20 minutes), then Erin joined Daddy in the hot tub.  They both loved that!

We built another campfire and dragged Anna outside for a short time, then had hot dogs for dinner and took a little walk around the cabin.  We also spent time playing inside the cabin with their moose-themed tic-tac-toe sets, board games, and Disney trivia game that Anna managed to sniff out from under a coffee table.  Bob noticed that she managed to find the only Disney-related item in the cabin!

Today we mostly just got up and packed, then headed out and stopped for church in North Wilkesboro at what may be the smallest church I've ever been in, and also one of the longest Masses ever...even for Palm Sunday!  We got back fine, even though it rained the entire trip back.

A few more pictures are HERE.  The cabin was perfect, very clean and seemed to be pretty new.  It was in a little cluster of 4 cabins at the top of a small mountain, but the others were all vacant so nobody heard Anna screaming to go back inside.  We didn't get to do a whole lot because we weren't there very long, but it was lots of fun (for some of us), and was nice to try something new.  The girls both adamantly prefer the beach and kept asking to go there!  Poor Bob, he's outnumbered yet again.  We'll give it another shot when the weather is warmer, but overall, it was a fun time together!

Belated October

I realized that I've posted about the 2 most important happenings in October - Erin's birthday and Halloween - but did not update on the rest of the month!  As usual for us lately, we had a busy month.  Erin was tracked out of school for the first 3 weeks, so we had a really great time together.  We started it off with Anna's last dance class (that Erin got to attend too) on the 4th and a very fun outdoor family concert on the 5th, at which Erin really shook her tail feather.  We love watching her dance!

The next day, we had a fun baby shower for Sofia at our house coupled with an "emergency" vet visit for Bella's ruptured cyst.  Two weeks of oral and topical antibiotics (plus sporadic cone-wearing) later, she's as good as new.  Here are most of the shower attendees:



We sustained flu shots x 3 (Bob refuses to get one and I refuse to pay for Bella's) with minimal tears. Mommy and Daddy had their first-ever getaway to Niagara Falls from the 12th-14th.  Erin and Anna stayed with Grandma and Grandpa Ambrosini, to whom we are very grateful!  The girls did really well with them, and we had a great trip.  My only stipulation was that I did not want to go anywhere hot, so that's kind of how we ended up going north.  We had lots of fun and could definitely take another trip without kids; hopefully it will be sooner than 4 more years until the next one!



We had Erin's birthday celebration in Asheboro on the 20th, family/4th birthday portraits on the 21st, and back to school on the 22nd.  Daddy went camping on the 27th-28th and made it back in one piece.  It is always uncertain if that will happen with his man trips that involve hatchets, pocket knives, and bows and arrows!  Then we had a fun Halloween week to wrap up the month.

I'm trying to do some structured activities with Anna when I can work them in.  She is really interested in cooking projects and some crafts.  We made bird feeders, which was really just her eating peanut butter. 




So, all of these events, plus quality time with Cole, trips to the Y, library, parks, Bible Study, church, playing outside, helping out our neighbor friends, doctor appointments, chores, and errands filled up our month for sure!  Some house projects just never seem to get done because we have many more fun things to do.  Anyone want to paint Anna's room???  How about stain the deck?  We had a great one and are looking forward to the upcoming holidays!

Fort Wayne trip!

We just got back from a great trip to Fort Wayne! We are pretty pooped tonight, but here is a short recap:

Thursday 8/4 - left at 6am, got there around 6pm, no problems.
Friday 8/5 - to the lake, boat ride, swimming.
Saturday 8/6 - zoo, dinner with Dr. Katie, Fort Wayne "sightseeing"

Sunday 8/7 - church, back to the lake for the big family get-together, another boat ride and swimming, big dinner at the lake with everyone.

Monday 8/8 - left around 6:15am, got back around 7:30pm. We had a couple of construction delays and a little traffic, so it just took awhile longer, but the kids still did great.

All of our pictures are HERE. We had a terrific time, and the girls did great! I will try to write more after we get some rest...Bella also did great here at home with our pet sitter. It was a wonderful trip!

Easter at the Beach

We had a wonderful long weekend at the beach! We left here on Saturday morning headed to Holden Beach via the NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher. It was a long day in the car, but the kids did fine because we broke up the trip. We stopped at Carolina Beach to play at a town park and to have lunch at McDonalds (luckily Erin was able to choke down her nuggets and fries, even though she is a Chick Fila snob), then went to the aquarium. Erin was a little nervous at first because it was dark inside, but she did warm up a little. We'll have to go back again! From there, we took the ferry over to Southport, which took about 45 minutes (plus the 45 minute wait because we just missed the 1:45 ferry). It was neat, but both kids were super tired, so Anna slept and Erin sat and sucked her thumb. Then we drove about 45 more minutes to Holden Beach.

We had a fabulous time, perfect weather, and the kids loved the sand and ocean. Daddy reminisced about his childhood trips there. The only issue was with Erin and the pack and play. She was not having it and climbed out of it each time we tried, so we had to let her sleep on a big bed. Considering she sleeps in a crib at home, this was a big change. She was too excited to sleep much any of the 3 nights, but we got through. We had lots of fun on the beach and didn't really go anywhere else except church (para una misa hispanica) and to a yummy seafood restaurant on Monday night. Anna did wonderfully and managed to keep her normal sleeping and eating routine. All in all, it was a great time and so nice to get away! Bella went to the kennel, so it was nice to have a little break from her too. Now, the kids are recovering by taking naps and Bella has been bathed. So, we are back to normal again!

At the park at Carolina Beach:

Outside the aquarium:Beach bum #1 (who refused to wear her swimsuit):
Beach bums #2 & 3:

Beach!

We had a great time at Ocean Isle last weekend with Grandma F.! The girls did great and they both really enjoyed being out on the beach. Poor little Anna got either a little sun or wind burn on her cheeks, even though we only had her out in the shade or after dinner. I felt so bad, but she is back to normal now. Erin LOVED the ocean. We were surprised at how much she liked it! She walked right up to the water and started splashing around the first evening, but the following morning she was a little whiny. I think she got salt water in her eye. But every other time we went out, she loved it. The pool at the condo was closed, but we hardly had time to go anyway between naps, meals, and playing at the condo! We also didn't get a chance to break out Grandma's kiddie pool or kite, so those are on the schedule for next time. Erin loved the "tunnel" in Grandma and Grandpa's living room between the couch and chair, and she also loved all the books and toys Grandma had for her there. The balcony was a big hit with both of them too.

Though we mostly hung out around the condo and beach, we also went to church and had a quick outing to Calabash and went out to eat on Sunday night. So, it was a nice mini-vacation for us...our only one this year! We packed heavy, but our "t-rex" was up for the luggage challenge. Bob even managed to make an extra spot in back so I could go back and help calm Anna down when she needed it.

Here are a couple of pictures...we didn't take very many, and I can only get the landscape ones to look right on the blog, so see our Picasa site for the rest. We can't wait to go back again soon! Thanks for everything, Grandma!

Wedding and Vacation!

We have had such a great week - Uncle Dale and Aunt Maria's wedding was last Saturday, and it was so beautiful and perfect! We are so happy for them...and jealous that they are in Italy right now! Everything went great, and Maria was so calm the whole day. Erin and Ansley were precious in their coordinating dresses that Grandma A. made them, and Logan did such a great job as ring bearer.

Sunday, we went out to North Myrtle Beach with most of my (Gina's) family from Indiana. We had a wonderful time, and Erin LOVED the beach! She was so happy to sit under the umbrella and play with toys or just watch the waves and people. She also liked being in the ocean, as well as the pool and lazy river at the condo. We had such a great time seeing everybody and hanging out at the beach. Erin practiced her crawling skills and impressed everyone with her tricks, as well as her 4 new teeth on top!

Bob picked Bella up today, and she had a stellar report card from the kennel. So I'd say that vacation was a success all around!

Pictures are posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/bob.callaway/DaleAndMariaWeddingBeach2009

Boston 2008

We had such a wonderful time in Boston this weekend with Tom and Pam. It was a busy 3 days, but we got a lot done and had a great time. We got there around noon on Saturday and had lunch with them at a delicious Mexican place in Arlington called Zocalo that was in walking distance. Bob and Tom worked on Tom’s car all afternoon with some success, and Gina hung out with Pam. We had dinner at a local pizza place called Za that specializes in unique and local foods. It was really good too.

Their house is absolutely gorgeous and Pam’s garden is really magnificent! If you are wondering what all she is growing, the short answer is everything. It’s really amazing. We got to sample some of the yummy items from the garden. There are a few pictures of it, along with all our other pictures from the weekend, HERE.

Sunday, we went to St. Agnes church (also in walking distance) with Pam, which was really nice and took less than an hour. After church, Bob, Tom, and I headed downtown Boston via the bus stop (again, in walking distance from their house – I am very jealous of the proximity of so many amenities in the area) and the T subway. We hit some historical sights on the Freedom Trail, had lunch at this huge place called Faneuil Hall, which was like a big tourist area. From there, we took the subway to Fenway for the Red Sox/White Sox game at 1:30. Sadly, the Red Sox lost 4-2, but we had such a great time and had really good seats, despite being right under the Jumbotron so we couldn’t watch it. The Red Sox had a small rally in the last inning, but it wasn't enough to win. Tom and I got seriously sunburned, but somehow Bob escaped it.

After the game, we started out on foot because the subway was a madhouse – people literally lined up along the street outside of the subway entrance. We got a nice walking tour of MIT and walked across the Charles River. However, due to time constraints and a little whining from me, we took the subway from MIT to Harvard where we met Pam for dinner at Legal Sea Foods, which was also super delicious.

Today, Tom, Bob, and I went to Lexington and Concord and saw some more Revolutionary War sights. After that, we went to eat lunch with them at this place in Arlington called Not Your Average Joe’s. Then, sadly, it was time to leave, and we got back to Raleigh around 6pm with no problems.

Also mixed in there were a few runs to Auto Zone and Walgreens and a couple of tours around Arlington. We also went to “The Dunkin”, aka Dunkin Donuts, which seems to be the equivalent of Starbucks in Seattle or California…people are nuts about it. Bob also got to play Tom’s cool new PS3, though I won’t incriminate him by saying which games he was playing (and loved).

We had such a great time and can’t wait to go back soon! The weather was literally perfect – highs around 80 and lows in the 60’s. It was really hard to come back from that! Many thanks to Tom and Pam for having us and we can’t wait to go back and see more very soon!

Ocean Isle 2008

We had such a great time at the beach this week (Ocean Isle, NC)...we got to play in the ocean and the pool, saw Bob's mom's and John's new condo, had excursions to Fort Fisher and the Oak Island lighthouse, and Bob had quite an adventure on the deep sea fishing trip. Let's just say that he's not going to quit his day job to become a fisherman!

We didn't take many pictures ourselves, but HERE are ours and some that my parents took. They are out of order, don't have captions, and some need to be rotated, but I wanted to get them posted now and will fix them up soon. Bella overcame her hunger strike for the first half of the week with the help of doctored dog food and started to enjoy herself after we let her up on the couch. Of course, we all had fun playing with Logan too.