Life's A Beach

Ahhhh...vacation! Time away to relax and enjoy every minute together. Where did we go...where else, but the BEACH! I must admit...we are a bunch of big beach bums! When deciding on where to go, as we knew we wanted to get away during the month of March, we pondered numerous places, but every choice seemed to center around the beach. We had though seriously about a trip to the Carolinas or Florida, but thought the temp. wouldn't have been warm enough to really enjoy time in the water, and after having the time of our lives at Beaches, Boscobel in Dec. 2009, we couldn't resist but to check over and over again for availability at Beaches, Turks and Caicos.

With one additional passport in hand...we were off...but not without the charming luck of our sweet Zachary. How is it that the cutest little man ever can be the bearer of such bad travel luck. (By car or air over the past 10 months, every get-a-way scheduled has been more than eventful...and this one was no exception.) An hour and a half delay in Chattanooga due to severe storms in Atlanta caused a late arrival for our connection.

We made it to our connecting gate with just minutes to spare (not sure where that luck came from), for had we missed this flight, our vacation would have delayed by a day (as Delta has only one flight a day in the Turks).

Nevertheless...we arrived in PARADISE...as scheduled...and I do mean paradise. Hands down, this was the most beautiful beach we have ever experienced. (Pic from my iPhone)

We had perfect weather, with not a drop of rain during the entire 7 day/6 night trip.

Both Riley and Zach were ready to venture out to check out the entire resort!

Walkway connecting the various villages of the resort.

We stayed in the Caribbean Village, perhaps the oldest section of the resort, but still very impressive.

Our suite was in the green building ahead on the right.

The Italian Village pool...one of 4 pools on the resort.

"Barefoot by the Sea"...one of 16 restaurants on the resort. The food at this one was not our favorite, but the atmosphere was the best.

A pathway that we ventured down many times a day...this beautiful walkway led to Pirates Island (waterpark) and "Bobby Dees"...an old time diner, complete with black and white checked floor, late hours, and the best ice cream shop!

(And the buggy...the best $40 we spent on this trip, since we chose not to travel with a stroller. We rented this from Camp Sesame...and it saved a couple of backs, shoulders and temper tantrums...even though in this trip, it seems Riley won a free ticket out. Zach couldn't have been more thrilled with our investment, as it was just like riding in his Radio Flyer wagon that he got for Christmas, which he LOVES!)

Our days were perfect...aside from the few melt downs of a two and a half year old and from a 10 month old - who is way to addicted to his swing for nap time.

We truly are raising beach bums...and if VW would build a plant in the Caribbean...we wouldn't think twice about moving! Riley loved the beach more this trip than ever before and Zach instantly fell in love (except for day two, when he rubbed sand in his eyes). The two could play for hours together, sharing the same water hole and beach toys.

Zach's first walk on the beach.

Riley dancing with joy!

Zachary...the one who rarely puts anything in his mouth...had a hard time understanding that no matter how much you eat of the sand...it doesn't get to tasting any better.

With each day that passed, Riley and Zachary grew more brave and comfortable around the surf. Riley truly made me nervous with her love of the water and "body surfing along the coast". She loved going out the chest deep water and swimming with me.

Mornings by the beach, followed by a morning nap for Zach somewhere...in our room, on a lounge chair...as long as Daddy was nearby, all was good. (Daddy was quite the baby whisperer during nap time with our Little Skipper, as he desperately missed his swing, car seat, and crib.)

Pirate Island was the place to be in the afternoon. This was the coolest kids water park ever, with sprinklers, fountains, pirate ship and slides, a lazy river, and even a surfing pool. It was incredible!

Riley didn't care much for the lazy river, as she didn't like the 3 waterfalls along the route. Zach and Daddy on the other hand, couldn't get enough. Zach would get way excited when passing the pounding water of the waterfalls and open his mouth like a little fish to try and drink it.

Probably Zachary's favorite spot on the island. The crab sprinkler.

Riley's one and only favorite slide. She tried out a few others on day 1, but would only come back to this one. There were little millipedes around the pirate ship, which she became squeamish about as the week progressed.

Did someone say PIZZA??? Why is it that vacation hot spots, always seem to nail their recipe for pizza? One food that is hard to resist, especially when baked in a brick oven pit. Riley, okay...all of us had many slices of the delicious thin crusted specialty. Zach...he was a bit of a sneak...

always trying to convince his big sister to give him a sample of what she was having!

Besides water time, there was the infamous character breakfast. Riley loved it, Zach would have been happier without all the commotion and characters rubbing his sweet little head. He just wasn't sure about any of the fun-loving characters...at least not when up-close and personal.

Riley sure did have a thing for Grover during this trip.

But only Elmo could wipe away the tears of a mini-meltdown over I don't remember what. Dora and Diego rule our Little Sweet Pea's world right now, but Elmo will always have a special place in her heart.

Not even Abby could charm a smile from our sweet boy.

An afternoon nap for all, was followed by a night at the French Village for the Sesame Street Show. It didn't take long for Riley to feel right at home perched on the main stage step to be as close to the action as possible.

Zachary was mesmerized by the singing.

Maybe next time, he will feel better about being at center stage with Riley.

One night there was a parade...

Another night a beach party...with dancing for the kids on the big stage.

This vacation was action packed.

Riley fell in love with "red drinks"...virgin daiquiris, "with cherries please". I would be lying if I said she only had a dozen maraschino cherries a day...who knew she loved them so much.

Did someone say "daiquiri"?

And there was another first...cotton candy! (Yes...we broke all kinds of rules this week...including the food pyramid! That's what vacation is all about...at least for kids!)

Zachary...he was our little Superman all week. At least he thought he was...he had a ball in our room checking out everything...from the many dresser drawers, to the closet, from the trash cans to the walk-in shower with just a curtain that he could crawl right into.

Then, there were the curtains. Very new for him, as we don't have curtains in our home...just blinds. Peek-a-boo took on a whole new meaning for him.

He absolutely loved playing and cruising around his crib, but wasn't too fond of sleeping in it!

There was dinner and a movie...

and buggy rides with ice cream cones.

Baking cookies with Cookie Monster...


And a good night story and tuck-in too.

I managed to twist everyone's arm for some family pics...

Because all took quickly, our week in paradise had to come to an end...

and I never want to forget the memories we had on our first family vacation as a family of four.

This was one vacation that will go down in the books as the best yet...and we can't wait to take the kids back to Beaches Turks and Caicos when they are a few years older. They will fall in love all over again! (Maybe by then, the airport will be in better condition for the increase in tourism hitting the island. Call for warning before booking your trip!)