Fun
Travel & Vacation: Swimming with the Stingrays, Grand Cayman Island
Our family holding a stingray, what a neat experience! He was a slippery guy!
After arriving at Grand Cayman Island and exploring a little bit we had a relaxing boat ride out to the reef. My Mom found a really AWESOME tour where we went on a boat out to a reef and swam with STINGRAYS!!! We could see the stingrays in the water even before the boat had anchored.
Pretty much any time you were looking down you could see a stingray swimming by. The stingrays were HUGE, most were several feet wide. It was pretty common for them to swim right underneath you and take you feet out from under you or you would feel one brushing up against you as they swam by. It was a really neat experience! Brina was a little scared at first because they were so big but she did warm up to them and even touched them several times. Karlie absolutely loved it and would giggle whenever one came next to her. This is one of my favorite activities we did on the trip!
This guy took the feet right out from under me while swimming. Can you see his little eye? I think his looking right at me, probably wondering why I didn’t hand him some food! Our guide was hand feeding them while we were in the water swimming with them.
This one’s coming right at Karlie (you can see her reaching her hand out to pet it as it glides by)!
Two stingrays swimming side by side right in front of me. The girls were absolutely fascinated at how clear the water was in Grand Cayman! They loved being able to look down and see everything, including fish, stingrays, and even people!
Brina up close and petting one of the stingrays. Glad she got to touch it but most of the time she was more content staying a safer distance away from them.
Stingray! The stingrays were a dark gray on the top with white and speckled gray on the under sides. Beautiful creatures, so cool watching them glide gracefully through the water!
Silly Karlie girl! This picture was taken underneath the water and looking up at Karlie. She is holding her nose and breathing through the snorkel. She has a grand time swimming around looking at the fish and stingrays. We even saw a HUGE fish, several feet long but wasn’t able to snap a picture in time!
Large stingray swimming by
Little Sis had an absolute BLAST swimming with the stingrays! Karlie LOVED it and probably could have stayed in even longer if she could!
Another huge one swam right under me, they literally rub up against you and take your feet out from underneath you! Such a cool experience!
Travel & Vacation: Wish You Were Here at Grand Cayman Island
Jojo & our tour boat for the day! The boat was named “Big John” and it had “Wish you were here” written on the back!
Once on Grand Cayman Island our tour guide Mario took us out on his boat “Big John” to swim with the stingrays! It was a beautiful trip out to the reef. The water was pretty and we got to see a lot of neat houses along the Grand Cayman canal. There was even a dolphin swimming around the docks as we were loading up the boat. Of course, I didn’t get my camera out in time to get a picture but the kids super excited to see a dolphin swimming right beside us as we were heading out.
Beautiful and peaceful in the docks at Grand Cayman
Brina and Karlie ready for the boat ride out to the stingrays
Beautiful house along the canal going out to the ocean near Grand Cayman
Cute row of houses along the Grand Cayman Canal
Watching a sailboat as we head out to the reef
B & B hanging out together on the boat ride….wide blowing through their hair.
Passing another boat coming from the reef
The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Explore with a good attitude, look for fun, and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Visiting Grand Cayman Island
Look Out Grand Cayman…..ready or not here we come!!! All 15 of us riding the ferry boat over to Grand Cayman Island!
Our first stop on the cruise was Grand Cayman Island! The kids were so excited to visit Grand Cayman and were really looking forward to exploring and swimming. Our ship did not dock on the island so we had to take a ferry boat over to the island. We arrived at Grand Cayman a little early so everyone had some time to shop, relax, and explore before we headed out on our tour.
Karlie and Brina are ready to go swimming!
Zach’s ready to go too! Relaxing on the boat ride over!
We made it to Grand Cayman Island! Where should we go first?
Hey Brina and Karlie, have you seen any pirates on the island yet? 🙂
Brina and Karlie hanging out on Grand Cayman Island! Their favorite store was the candy store! They had giant sized gummy teddy bears, a huge box of nerds, and more (we didn’t buy anything but it was cool to see some of the neat stuff they had in the store).
Hanging out with my favorite chickies!
Busy Grand Cayman street. Did you know that there are over 600 banks on the little Grand Cayman Island? Guess it is a popular place to have an “off-shore” bank account!
We found a great spot on a balcony to hang out for a few minutes together before going on the tour. You can see our ship from Grand Cayman Island, it is the one in the middle.
Dad and Jojo talking on the balcony. That huge boat on the left….yup that’s the one we went cruising on for a week!
Water Bottle Treats
The girls love it when I put something special in their lunches! One of their favorite surprises in their lunch box is when I make a water bottle container full goodies. The one pictured above was done on their last day of school last year as a way to celebrate the special day with them. Since they were in the same class last year I just sent one to share. This one is full of chocolate and vanilla oreos, but you could put anything in the water bottle container (fruit, veggies, crackers, etc…). I was super excited to hear they ended up sharing the cookies with their friends sitting next to them at lunch! 🙂
It is super easy to do and the kids will love it! Take two empty water bottles and cut the bottles in half (I pinched the bottle together and used scissors to cut the bottle in half). Wash out the bottles and make sure they are dry before filling with the treat. After putting the food into both halves of the bottle, push the two bottles together, and place a piece of decorative tape around the middle to hold the two bottles together. Write a note to your little one, put a hole punch in the middle, and tie it on with a ribbon. Stick it in their lunch box and wait to hear how excited they were when they opened up their lunch box!
Space by Twin Sisters
The girls really love to listen to music whether we are in the car, at home, or even sometimes outside! One of their favorite groups to listen to is Twin Sisters. The music CD listed above is on Space by Twin Sisters and is part of their Science Series. Every night as the girls are going to sleep they get to listen to one CD.
Before doing this they would keep each other up talking. With the music it helps give them some quiet time as they go to sleep and typically one or both are asleep before the music ends. The CD goes through a variety of fun songs about the space including astronauts, jobs, satellites, and more.
I love the fact that the girls are not only listening to music in the car or at home but that the music teaches them about specific topics like space. It says that the music is for ages 4 to 9 years old, but even younger or older kids will enjoy the cheerful music on the CD. Here are the songs on the CD:
- When I Grow Up
- Many Jobs To Choose From
- It’s Called Cooperation
- I’m Feeling Light As A Feather
- Can We Live In Space?
- You’re An Astronaut
- Famous Astronauts
- Stepping Out In Space With The MMU
- What Is A Satellite
- Heroes Of Our Time
- Space Colonies
- I’ll Be An Astronaut Medley
Intentional Living: Weekly Goals
Last week was crazy busy with doctor appointments, activities, and everything else. Jake was out of town again for a couple days so packing and unpacking for him done as well. Thankfully this week we’ll be spending extra time together since he doesn’t need to travel for work. Hopefully, we’ll get in some extra quality family time too! This week will be different than normal because our schedule is switched up a little bit, but I still plan to set some goals and have fun with it! We’ll be spending some extra time with extended family members too this week! 🙂
Last week’s goals
Family Goals
- Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls – we got started but were not able to finish it this week, it may take us a little longer because it is a bigger book. The girls are loving it!
Lunch Boxes & Book Bags packed the night beforeDaily School Activities & Homework CompletedAttend After School ActivitiesPlan one special Activity with the FamilyFinish going over our 2013 goalsDoctor Appointments
Personal Goals
Exercise at least 5 days this weekDrink 8 glasses of water each dayStart with my new YouVersion plan(s)- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp – made a little progress
- Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan- going through this book with a group of friends so not quite down yet
Home Management Goals
All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one dayWeekly Dinner Menu planned out for the weekPay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
Work on ideas for upcoming blog postsKeep up with the day to day items that need my attention
Ministry Goals
Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or LunchWrite and Send Out Community Group EmailEmail a meeting notes from Alms & Legs Ministry Team meeting
Financial Goals
For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry. – wrapped up week 3 of this goal (WooHoo!!!) 🙂- Payoff the Van – made another payment
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses – didn’t make any headway this week but at least we’re holding steady
My goals for the upcoming week
Family Goals
- Read On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder to the girls
- Read the first book of the Imagination Station set Voyage with the Vikings by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker to the girls
- Spend quality time with my family and extended family
- Take extra pictures so we can remember our time together
- Plan a special activity
- Play at least one game
Personal Goals
- Exercise at least 5 days this week
- Drink 8 glasses of water each day
- Continue reading my YouVersion plan(s)
- Finish reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp
- Finish reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan
Home Management Goals
- All laundry for the week washed, folded, and put away in one day
- Pay all upcoming bills
Business Goals
- Work on ideas for upcoming blog posts
Ministry Goals
- Meet a friend or family member for Breakfast or Lunch
Financial Goals
- For my January Grocery Budget I am replacing my typical Groceries $40 for 4 with my Life Simplified: No Grocery Shopping in order to use up some extra items in my fridge, freezer, and pantry.
- Payoff the Van
- Emergency Fund – save 3 months worth of living expenses
I think it is important to share and encourage each other as we seek to improve our lives and the lives of those around us. I want to live intentionally not just hope all my dreams and goals come true. When I focus on small steps of improvement I am able to see results as I get closer to my goals. Some weeks I get closer to the goals I have in my life and other weeks a take a few steps back (life happens, emergencies occur, people get sick). Once the goals are written down and shared it provides a guideline for what I aim to accomplish this week.
Why Share My Goals?
- To keep me accountable
- To share a piece of my life with you as I strive to be a better Child of God, Wife, Mom, Friend, Homemaker, Entrepreneur and the many other roles I have each week
- To have my goals consistently written down so I can gauge progress more accurately
- Create healthy habits in my life
- To encourage you to share your goals with me as you continue to grown and learn
How did you do this week on your goals? Feel free to share or link to your list of weekly goals.
The picture above is one that I created for my own purposes, however, The “SMART” acronym was originally coined 30 years ago by Peter Drucker in his classic work, Management by Results.
Travel & Vacation: Kennedy Space Center (part 2)
We got to hear, Bob Springer, an astronaut that has been in space more than once speak and take a picture with him afterward! The girls were very excited to meet someone who has actually gone into space!
I shared a little bit about our trip to Kennedy Space Center earlier today. Here is a little bit more about what we did during our adventure. Thankful for the opportunity to spend some time in Florida, tour Kennedy Space Center, and spend some time catching up with our friends too.
Live feed of them docking! So neat to watch it before it is posted to the public.
After talking with an astronaut for a few minutes the girls wanted a picture in front of the live feed so they took a seat on the edge of the stage.
Two little chickies are ready in their 3D glasses for the NASA show!
Pausing for a moment to relax while waiting for our food. Karlie is processing it all and so THRILLED to be finally exploring Kennedy Space Center!
Having a BLAST at Kennedy Space Center!
Brina having fun and enjoying her Icee treat!
Travel & Vacation: Kennedy Space Center
Karlie has had a fascination with anything space related for several years now. She loves to talk about rockets, planets, astronauts, and more! Back when the girls were in preschool (more than 3 years ago) she received a Chic-Fil-A Kids Meal from school and inside it was a coupon for Kennedy Space Center. She asked if she could hang the coupon up on the refrigerator so maybe sometime when we go to Kennedy Space Center we can use it. The coupon was on the refrigerator for a long time (even after it expired). We did get a great deal online for a food package while at Kennedy Space Center (buy one get one free coupon) which covered all our food and snacks for the day.
A few months ago we made it to Kennedy Space Center. I still remember the day we told her we got tickets and were going to Florida. I think she jumped up and down, clapping, and giggling for several minutes. She was over joyed and immediately counting down the days until we would leave for Florida.
Our whole family had a blast exploring Kennedy Space Center. It was really neat to see all the history and learn so much about space, rockets, and everything else we could soak in that day. We arrived at Kennedy Space Center a few minutes before it opened and left as they were closing the gates. It was a neat experience!
We are getting closer!
Starting to see some cool stuff – United States Astronaut Hall of Fame
Karlie is on-the- edge-of-her-seat excited her dream to visit Kennedy Space Center is coming true!
We made it!
Daddy and girls strolling on into Kennedy Space Center, so cute seeing the girls excited and holding hands.
They look so tiny next to the base of this rocket!
Daddy and the girls trying it out!
Karlie is soooo excited and has looked forward to going to Kennedy Space Center for YEARS!
Sweet Brina had a grand time. Even though rockets are more of Karlie’s love she had a lot of fun exploring the area with us.
Dogs Are Kids Too
Skipper climbing into the jungle gym
Our dog is one of our “furry four legged” kids. She loves to be in the middle of the action whenever the kids are outside. I am not sure when it began, but our dog Skipper decided one day, with the encouragement of the kids to climb up the jungle gym ladder. She has gone down the slide a few times too.
Many times when you see the kids playing on or around the jungle gym you will also see Skipper up in it as well. Occasionally, she’ll even sleep up there during the day or at night even when the kids are not outside, see my Skipper’s New Dog House post. She climbs up and down the ladder by herself without assistance from anyone and rarely with any encouragement.
Skipper loves to play in the jungle gym with the kids and when there is a bunch of kids it can get a little crowded with a black lab in the mix too. If she doesn’t want to go down the slide she’ll come back down using the ladder. It is hilarious watching her go up and down, but she is pleased with herself for doing it and the kids love it! Thankful for a dog who loves playing with the kids.
Skipper hanging out with the kids in the jungle gym
Would You Rather Hold A Scorpion, Spider, or Snake?
Karlie was so excited to hold a scorpion!
I was going back over some pictures from a few months ago and came across these…..pictures from the Critter Keeper event we attended. The girls are fascinated by animals, bugs, and any other kind of wildlife. I love animals too, but I like to keep a safe distance between myself and certain critters like large scorpions, spiders, and snakes! One of the biggest highlights for them was being able to hold, touch, and learn more about a variety of different animals. They LOVED it!
That’s one big spider!
Do you see the huge yellow and white snake? Yikes! Can you find Brina and Karlie in this picture?
So proud of her “I held a Scorpion!” sticker
