• Travel & Vacation: Swimming Pool Fun on Daniel’s Island

    We got to try out a few hotel pools this summer with all our travel adventures.  The one in the pictures below we visited more then once and the girls love it.  The Hampton Inn on Daniel’s Island, SC (actually the only hotel on Daniel’s Island) was one of the girls favorites I think because we went to it several times over the summer and it was really close to everything.

    Brina and Karlie swimming in their “favorite” hotel pool!

      The pool usually had some shade any time you were in it plus it was relatively quiet during the day.

    Brina Bee swimming in the pool.

    The girls did really well in the pools and ocean this summer.  When it was just Mommy and the girls swimming I made sure the girls wore floaties or their life jackets as an extra precaution.  When Jake was with us they could go without the floaties or life jackets because each of us could spot one of the girls.  You really cannot be too safe when it comes to swimming pools.

    Karlie showing off under water

    Love this picture of Karlie and the pool.  As you can see from the picture we were literally the only ones in the pool at this time.  The girls would swims for hours.  We had a blast swimming and playing.

    Brina smiling at me under water

    Cute shot of Brina under water.  She did great swimming, splashing and playing in the pool.  I was thrilled to see her willing to take off her life jacket and floaties for a few minutes too.  She loves the water!

    Karlie ready to jump

    Karlie would wait to make sure I was looking before jumping.  She loved jumping off the side of the pool into the water.  The cannon ball was her favorite because it did a big splash.

    Brina playing in the swimming pool!

    Brina had a blast swimming and diving under the water.  She thought it was funny that she could see under water better than Mommy.

    Karlie in mid air

    Karlie’s face in this picture makes me smile.  She loved jumping, diving, cannon balling into the pool.

    Brina getting ready to jump

    Love her little tongue sticking out as she contemplates the best way to jump on her unsuspecting noodle.    Brina’s favorite way to jump into the pool was to target her noodle and jump in on it.

    Karlie holding her breath under water

    Karlie wears her goggles almost the entire time she is in the pool.  She loves being able to see “clearly” under water.  One time she even found another kids diving stick for them!  The goggles are on a little off center  in this picture but the girls did really well putting them on by themselves.

    Brina laughing at her noodle.

    Sometimes it is the simplest things in life that are so funny.  Even though we were really busy filling our days with activities it was wonderful to have play time were we could relax, play and just have a blast together.

    Karlie in mid jump.....her target is her blue noodle

    Karlie loves jumping into the pool.  I was surprised at how high she was able to get on some of her jumps.  Thankful for this time together and seeing my girls growing up.

    Pretty Brina Bee holding her breath under water in the pool

    It takes talent learning how to hold your breath under water.  I think over the last several months the girls have become water bugs.  They love swimming!

    Karlie having fun at the pool

    The girls could play all day at the pool.  After several hours of swimming and several layers of sunblock Mommy decided we better head in so Daddy wasn’t waiting on us.  The girls loved swimming in the pool and going on adventures.  Most of our activities were simple (swimming in the pool, playing in the park, etc…) yet they were enjoyable for everyone.  We made a lot of fun memories together this year.  Thankful for my camera Jake gave me for Christmas because I can take it with me in the pool, ocean, or rain and not worry about the camera being ruined.  The girls loved that I could take the camera into the pool with us!

    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!

  • Vacation: Swimming with the Turtles in Barbados

    Swimming with the turtles was an incredible experience! This guy was so close several times I could have reached out and touched him!

    On our sixth day of the cruise we had the opportunity to visit Bridgetown, Barbados.  Today was one of my favorites because we were able to relax together as a family and we were able to experience some amazing new adventures for the first time.  Like many of the other Caribbean Islands we had visited on our trip Barbados was a plantation culture, cultivating primarily tobacco, cotton, and sugar cane.  The English settled Barbados after the Arawaks were gone with the primary agriculture crop being sugar cane.  They built an amazing defense system of 26 forts along the coast of Barbados.  Barbados gained their independence from Britian in 1966, however, the British influence remains evident.  There are a lot of great activities to enjoy while on the island of Barbados from touring the wildlife reserve to seeing the home of the Green Monkey to snorkeling with turtles, sting rays and more in one of the great locations around the island to shopping or relaxing at the beach. Barbados had beautiful turquoise blue Caribbean Island water that you could look down and see to the bottom of the ocean floor.  It was a great place to swim, snorkel, and see all kinds of neat sea life.

    We had a more relaxing day planned in Barbados.  It was our day to spend at the beach swimming, jet skiing, snorkeling, relaxing, and more. I didn’t learn as much history about Barbados since we basically took at taxi ride from the boat to Blue Monkey beach (which is not on the tourist map if you go to Barbados but I highly recommend the beach).    Jake, Amber and I swam out a little further from the swimming area and had the opportunity to swim with turtles, sting rays and a variety of other fish.  It was such a neat experience looking down or beside you and seeing a turtle or sting ray swimming right next to you.  There were several times I could have reached out and touched the turtle.  I am thankful for the water camera we had (thanks honey) with us so we could share these pictures with Brina and Karlie.  We have had fresh water turtles at home before but to swim with one in the ocean was a memory that I will never forget.  I do have to admit the swim out to see the turtles, sting rays and fish was easier then the swim back to the beach.  If you decide to go to Blue Monkey Beach and swim out a little further to snorkel on your own I recommend you take at least one or two other people for additional fun and to have someone to swim with you.

    It was nice spending time swimming and relaxing at the beach for several hours.  Another activity we did while were were at the beach was ride on jet ski’s.  We had three jet ski’s with Lee and Becky, Josh and Amber, and Dad and I riding on a jet ski.  After being out for only a few minutes we looked over to see Amber hanging off the jet ski quickly followed by her and Josh crashing, it was an interesting to watch.  We found out that flipping a jet ski in the ocean was not a simple task, but we managed to get it back upright.  It took us a little bit to figure out how to steer with the waves and not crash but by the end I think everyone had a better handle on it.  I think Lee and Becky were the only ones that didn’t crash their jet ski.  Dad and I felt the jet ski tipping over one time and bailed off so we didn’t have to flip it back over in the water.  We had fun racing each other.  You can get the jet ski’s going pretty quick.  Bouncing off the waves, feeling the wind in your hair, and the spray of the water hitting your face was a lot of fun.  I was surprised at how much I enjoyed speeding across the ocean on a jet ski.  Having an opportunity to experience the adventure with family made it even more memorable.

    If you ever have a chance to go to Barbados check out Blue Monkey Beach and what it has to offer.  The jet ski’s were a little more expensive but we only had to paid $5 to rent a snorkel mask to swim out to the turtles and sting rays.  Here are a few facts about the beautiful island of Barbados:

    • Capital: Bridgetown
    • Population: 254,000
    • Climate: Temperature 75F to 90F year round, typically 8+ hours of sunshine a day
    • Geography: Caribbean Island – 21 miles x 14 miles.  Barbados on the West & South have the calm Caribbean sea and beaches.  On the East is rugged cliffs and the Atlantic Ocean
    • Language: English (with a broad dialect)
    • Currency: Barbados Dollar (US $1 = BDS $2)
    • Time: GMT (no daylight savings time in Barbados)

    A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed.  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.  Go with a good attitude and looking 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!

    Fact information received from Barbados.org