Jamaica

Jamaica, February 2012.
I hesitate to say it because it sounds so ridiculous, but this vacation was magical. It really was. It was so easy traveling with a 3-year-old and almost-5-year old. It was so fun to spend days together without the distractions of everyday life (though we really do love our everyday lives too). And, it was so neat to see the kids having so much fun and trying new things.

GETTING THERE IS HALF THE FUN
We drove to Chicago after church on Sunday and played a bit at a mall playground, had supper, and then went to our hotel and got to bed early for the flight the next day. The kids were troopers. They carried their own bags, stood patiently in long lines, diligently did their various activities on the plane, and did with only a tiny touch of sleep the entire long day of travel there and back. Anna has never gone totally without some sleep during the course of a day and she only got a few minutes on the shuttle but she did great.




OUR FIRST EVENING
We arrived at the resort in time to quickly put on our suits and swim for just a bit before dinner time. Then we got cleaned up and enjoyed dining by the water, watching our first Sesame Street Stage Show, and dancing on the stage following the show (the kids danced, Jon and I watched). This would become our tradition (ocean, pool, rest time, dinner, show). It was fantastic. The shows were different each night and the kids loved them. They weren't even all that into Sesame Street before the trip, but they totally got into the characters and rushed the stage with all the other kids. It was so fun.



Miscellaneous Fun
We had so much fun just playing on the beach, swimming, and going to the various events with the Sesame Street characters. There was Letter of the Day with Cookie Monster, Story Time with Elmo, Dancing with Zoe, Rubber Ducky Hunt with Ernie, etc. etc. We'd get the schedule for the day each morning via a little flyer at our door and the kids would pick one thing they wanted to make sure to do in between swimming and other things. It was the perfect balance of just relaxing and having entertaining things to do.

They also had kayaking, snorkeling trips etc., and one day Noah and I actually went on a boat out into the ocean, jumped out of the boat and snorkeled in open water. I LOVE to snorkel so to be able to share that love with Noah was THE number one highlight of the trip for me. To see his joy the first time he looked at real fish and coral under water and then to hear him say, "Mom, I see four Doris (from Nemo)" was just too much. I hung onto him the whole time lest he float away without my knowledge, but it was amazing to just be out there with him enjoying this hobby together, and watching him experience the "whole other world" under the sea for the first time.

While we were doing that, Jon and Anna were getting Anna's hair braided. We also did some kayaking and on their kayak ride Anna said to Jon, "this is like going to Lowe's in a boat" because going to Lowe's is something special that Jon and Anna sometimes do together just the two of them.



Noah was in a bad mood during this picture so it's just me, Jon, and Anna. It's really too bad because this would have been the perfect backdrop for a family picture. Oh well. Life is not perfect, and we will always have this picture to remind us of that.


Just goofing around one night.Vacation is such a great time to have the spaciousness of time to just let the kids dance and goof around and not need to be in a hurry to go here or there or do this or that. It was wonderful.


Meals were also nice because it was as if we were eating out every night but it was all families everywhere so if the kids were acting crazy at dinner we didn't have to feel bad because everyone there was in the same boat and totally understood. One of the best parts was not having to plan meals, cook, or clean up. What a shock to come home and not just walk into the kitchen to find food waiting.


Anna and I boogie down before the evening show starts. I look like I'm doing a super-stiff robot dance in this picture, but I really was cuttin' loose and having a ball. I LOVE to dance, but I hate to dance in front of people I know so the only place you'll find me dancing happily is someplace far, far away with only my immediate family.


Another glimpse of one of the stage shows. They really were fun. All of our videos have me in the background just screaming like I'm at a Madonna concert or something. And watching the kids rush the stage to show the characters their Abby or Elmo doll was adorable.




BEAUTY
I love the views we have in Elkhart County. I really do. I'm not being sarcastic. There is a lot of beauty here--fields of corn and beans, snow on the trees in the winter, freshly mowed grass, flowers, weeping cherry trees, etc., but I would be lying if I said I didn't also love looking at and hearing the ocean. This porch is where Jon and I would go to sit and read after the kids were in bed. It was the only entrance to our room so if the kids tried to sneak out we would see them. The view from our room was the beach and the water. It was nice especially for me, a "1" on the Enneagram. Not needing to judge what I see was so restful. I mean, you can't judge the natural beauty that God created, or I guess you can, but if you do try to, you will find nothing to judge so it's still restful. Thank you God for sand and ocean.


RANDOM SHOTS of VARIOUS THINGS
We ran to the beach with joy...


We clowned around and laughed a lot...


We played on the beach and made friends from Canada...


We crossed the lagoon by climbing across the floating objects...


PARADE NIGHT
Wednesday night instead of a stage show they had a parade with a Jamaican band. We got to be part of the parade, and it was really so much fun. They gave each of us an instrument to play and we marched around the resort to the stage area where they then performed some more. It was awesome. Below, Anna shows the band her Abby doll.




As the parade ended Burt bumped into Noah. He loves to tell this story. Anyway, Burt bumped into him and then bent down to say he was sorry and he posed for a pic with Noah. It was really cute and so fun to see how this mishap is one of Noah's best memories of the trip.


Anna with Abby Cadabby


Final show where Elmo pretended like he was going to fall off the stage. The kids love to talk about this too. It is so neat to see what they remember.


The parade is ending and after it's over Anna heads to the stage to imitate the dancers.



So much fun, so much quality time together, so much love, so wish vacation could last forever.



VACATION IS FOR THIS...




WATER SLIDES!!!
The water park really was a highlight. I love the ocean, but it was nice to have some other swimming and water entertainment options too. It was great. Noah our dare devil went on all the water slides that they had. Anna went on the smaller ones, and I went on all except one. Yes, even my 4 year old is more brave than I am.




HAVING FUN TOGETHER
To see the kids building these memories together was priceless. Here they are at the Egg Hunt with Ernie and Story Time with Elmo.




This pic not only shows Anna's new hair braids but showcases her picking her nose.


Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!


BACK HOME AGAIN
Tired, cuddled up with new friends, content. Thankful for a fun vacation but also thankful for a life that sounds fun to come home to also.