the condo on 7 Mile Beach

The boys had a wonderful time playing in the pool & under the little cabanas on the beach of our condo. They made frequent trips to the water hose & ocean to get water & MORE water.



Supervising playtime...

Trevin loved the sand & got dangerously close to pouring it in his eyes...

View from our screened-in patio...

Beautiful!

Up next: Stingray City & Coral Gardens

our spot

This is where we are this week...a little piece of paradise...absolutely wonderful & breathtakingly beautiful!

Where: Grand Cayman Island - 2010 Travellers' Choice Award
With: sis & family(cousins Damion & Malia)
and grandparents(cooks/babysitters/helpers)
Why: for a break from the daily grind & to get a little ocean therapy, snorkeling, touring & enjoying the white sandy beaches....pure luxury (except for some sleepless nights...evidently, Trevin doesn't think his 'crib' is acceptable)
When: this week!

Here we are!

Well, I just found myself again...under a mountain of laundry & projects. Anyway, it's good to be back & we have lots to share. My post tonight will be about our big trip.

These pictures give you a glimpse into our exciting trip to Boise, Idaho to visit some very special people. We finally got to meet Malia. I will tell you - she is as sweet as she looks and that hair is real!! I was hoping she'd share some of it with Trevin, but she said 'no'. Oh well...my baby is still bald.

Trevin's first plane ride - an unforgettable one

New friends about the same age...Trevin & Trevor!

My crafty sister painted the letters on these shirts...aren't they great?

Benjamin picked out these "Texas orange" roses as his favorite in the beautiful rose garden

Sweet smile for Uncle Russell

Playing Thomas the Train UNO...Damion was the winner!

Hello little Malia!

a tired little boy on the early morning flight home

Thanks R&A for your gracious hospitality & fun times. What great memories.

our trip

Round Rock, TX to Wolf Point, MT

• 1 minivan
• 4 days at convention where we found rest for our souls despite the natural storms we experienced
• 5 tires - yes, we had a flat tire on the dirt road 5 miles from the farm (10pm in light rain & swarm of mosquitoes)
• 10 nights away from home
• 24.5 hours one way - not including stops
• 1660 miles one way
• countless happy memories & pictures

More to follow...

South Padre - Birding

We learned that South Padre is a crucial first landfall - a lifesaver for birds (ie warblers, tanagers, orioles, & thrushes) making a arduous cross-Gulf migration from Southern Mexico & Central America. We enjoyed bird watching at a nice Nature & Bird Center on the island. With 2 kids in tow - I didn't get many pictures.

My birdwatcher!

More Adventures

Benjamin couldn't have been happier playing minature golf on a fun course full of surprises. This one had bells & chimes that would play depending on where your ball went.

Fun in the sand at Cocoa Beach

He was completely content to stay here all day if we would have let him

Saturday night supper with a special buddy, Jesse. He and his parents happened to be in town for a little vacation too.

Magic Kingdom

There were plenty of things here to keep us busy for the day. Benjamin loved some of the rides - flying with Dumbo, a boat ride thru It's a Small World, a carousel ride, and an old steam train ride around the perimeter of the park - to name some. The play areas for the kids were fantastic - Pooh's playground had lots of tunnels and a treehouse and Donald Duck's boat had surprise water gysers. He loved exploring Tom Sawyer's island with us & he was even willing to venture thru the caverns & tunnels that were very dark. We had a perfect place to watch the 10pm fireworks, but after seeing the 9pm electric parade Benjamin started dozing off. So, we decided it had been a long enough day for all of us.

Benjamin posing with the popular couple

Meeting Tigger at the supper buffet. Notice the thrilled look on Benjamin's face!
He wasn't too sure about the characters at first.

Riding Dumbo with Daddy.

Carousels are fun & relaxing...

Animal Kingdom

Disclaimer: While we had a wonderful trip, I wouldn't recommend taking a 3 year old to FL just to go to Disney World. We really limited ourselves in doing only things that Benjamin would enjoy & appreciate, so there was a lot we skipped (and that was fine). Since Russell's conference was located on the Disney property, it was just so convenient for us to go for 2 days & check things out. We did have fun!

Animal Kingdom: I didn't get many pictures since Benjamin & I went alone. He loved seeing all the animals (it's been a while since we've been to a zoo), meeting Donald Duck, & watching an amazing bird show. We also saw part of an incredible Nemo musical/puppet show - until it got to "scary" for Benjamin. I had prepared myself for this and had chosen seats at the end of a row. Funny thing is - he loves talking about Nemo now. We hardly know anything about him, I guess I should find the story at the library! But he is an awfully cute fish.

The afternoon animal parade at the Animal Kingdom

This bird had at least a 6 foot wingspan and flew above us several times.

Golden crowned cranes

My cute chipmunk

Sunny Days in Florida

Russell had a conference in Orlando this last week, so Benjamin & I tagged along. We had a great trip (after the first day when there was rain, hail, winds & tornado warnings). More pictures to follow - but this is an overview of our adventures

Cocoa Beach - there is nothing like sitting on the beach listening & watching the waves

A great Lego store in Downtown Disney

We 3 spent one day at the Magic Kingdom. Benjamin's favorite activities included: riding on Dumbo with Daddy, riding on the boat thru It's a Small World, & watching the parade

Getting to meet Donald Duck on the day that he & I visited the Animal Kingdom. He can't stop talking about this!

San Antonio

This weekend we took a quick trip to San Antonio. We didn't have time to do too much, but we really enjoyed viewing the Alamo (at night), the Children's Museum, & a few walks along the Riverwalk.

the beautiful Alamo
The Riverwalk





Using foot pedals to make the crane move
Playing pilot

Shopping at HEB! Hmm...he knew just how to do it (except he tried to unload the entire bin of carrots into his cart; I don't think he's seen me do that yet)

Playing dentist

Water fun

Our hands

Montana!

We had a wonderful trip to Montana - good flights, a pleasant 4 hour car trip to the farm, 7 relaxing days on the farm with Russell's family, fantastic food & good visits.

Well, we did see some snow - OLD snow - by the parking lot at our hotel in Minot, ND

Outdoor activities included rides in the wagon

Benjamin and cousin Colter

Great-grandma Ruth with her wonderful pies & 8 great grandkids

What a mess - loads of toys for the kids


Pouring over tractor books with the cousins

A ride on the Grandpa Larry's JD tractor - what a thrill

Northeastern Montana

A ride on the 4 wheeler with Dadddy