Our Lucaya Resort, Grand Bahama Island

Well, we did it! We took our very first family vacation. It was quite a journey and a lot of fun, but of course I don't have much time or space to remark on every single detail of the trip. I will try to give you some insight into our amazing time without boring you to death!

Scott planned our entire trip, including the departure which was to take place early Wednesday November 12th. We strategized on how to pack as much stuff as possible for as little money since now you are required on most airlines to pay per checked bag, and this left us carrying on 2 duffel bags, a small suitcase and three backpacks. You can imagine how much work it was to lug all this stuff to the airport, as well as our checked bags and the girls, but we did it with great success. We even managed to board the flight on time and get the girls quietly settled into our assigned seats.

But as you know, nothing ever goes exactly as planned! One hour into sitting on the plane (did I mention it did not take off yet at this point?!) we were told to deplane and find a new flight. Later, the flight was canceled all together and after waiting another hour (during which time Jaden ran so many circles around the terminal I lost count!) we were given the option of flying to Texas, then Florida, then Bahamas or we could go home and start all over again the next morning on a flight at the same time as our originally scheduled departure. So guess what we chose? Haha, if you think we were taking these two squirmy, restless "carry-ons" halfway across the country and back, then you must be crazy! We had to go home for the night, but not before Scott treated all of us to a delicious lunch at the Cheesecake factory!

Leaving on Friday morning worked out just as planned and the girls were little angels for the duration of our two flights. We arrived in Freeport, Bahamas mid-afternoon and ate at a lovely little restaurant known as La Med situated right across the street from our resort in a marketplace. I didn't care that evening when bedtime fell upon us all around 8:30pm--vacation had finally begun!

Most of our 8 days in the Bahamas were spent at the pools and beach at our resort, but we did take several excursions. Scott had done some research and found out about a national park on the island complete with a gorgeous beach and a "welcome mat" which was supposed to be a long stretch of beach where there were little tide pools and where the water was very shallow for a large area. However, by the time we arrived at the beach, we marveled at not only it's beauty, but the fact that it must've been high tide (it wasn't supposed to be!) and there was little place for the girls to play that didn't involve getting into the ocean. Sienna and I stayed at the edge of the beach, but Jaden and Scott had a wonderful time splashing in the shallow clear-blue water. While I have to admit I had grumbled a bit over having to push a stroller on these wooden slats (somewhat like a bridge) for half a mile on the way there, I was in awe at the beauty of our surroundings once we got to our destination! Scott's research into Grand Bahama Island truly paid off.

Our second excursion was on a glass-bottom boat for a 90-minute tour of the Atlantic ocean. We saw many beautiful, color fish and coral as well as a small shipwreck and a few reef sharks (scary!). Jaden loved feeding the yellow-tailed snapper and I enjoyed seeing our resort from the water. Sienna thought the ride was so relaxing that she even fell asleep! It was a great idea to take the kids out on the boat because it was so enjoyable for anyone, any age.

Some other highlights from our wonderful trip included a song that the girls keep having me sing to them about bugs...It goes something like, "I showed her my roachie, I showed her my centipede, I showed her my spider; She jumped!" We heard the song on our first day at the pool and couldn't stop laughing at the lyrics for the rest of the trip. The locals were impressed a few days into our trip when we were dancing to their beloved "bugs song" at the marketplace and one guy commented that we must've been visiting for a long time to have heard and fallen in love with that tune. Even more exciting were some milestones of Sienna's--she said one of her first words on Monday November 17th. As we were going to our hotel room after breakfast she dropped her cup on the ground and clearly uttered "Uh oh!" She repeated herself many times that day and throughout the rest of the trip. Also, she gave Mommy and Daddy a real treat on the last day of our trip--her first steps were officially on Bahamian soil on the morning of Thursday November 20th! We have been waiting for this moment for a long time and what a wonderful gift she gave us both to be able to witness her first steps that day! Jaden did many cute things as well--from always wanting to pose for photos at the pretend airplane at one of the resort restaurants to playing in the water fountain at the marketplace each day. Both of the girls gave Scott and I plenty to smile about on our vacation and we hope that this marks the first of many family trips for years to come!