Sunday, August 26, 2012

Bay Rouge-Caribbean Day 2

Packing for a week in the Caribbean is easy peasy lemon squeezy.

You'll need hats,

sunglasses,

and swimming suits...as many as you own, and then go buy a few more!

If your skin is translucent like little Henry, then you'll need quarts of sunscreen and a rash guard to help keep the sun from turning you into a toasted marshmallow!

And above all don't forget lots and lots of diapers and even more swim diapers.

In fact an entire suitcase filled with diapers would be great! That's what Olivia and Henry brought to the Caribbean.

If you don't have enough room for sand toys, don't worry you can pick them up anywhere on the island.

It's important to note that the life of a beach baby can be exhausting. So pace yourself and beware of snuggling with Nana...before you know it she will have you snoozing on a lounge chair.

or bathing in your own private bath tub on the beach

waiting for the waves to fill it up again and again.

If you want to become an expert in snorkeling...pack goggles, fins, and snorkel...because the Caribbean waters are filled with magical sights just below the surface.

The snorkeling adventurers saw Sting Rays, jelly fish, barracuda,


octopus, and all sorts of colorful fish. But not me...I can't seem to get the whole snorkel thing to work. I'm usually either swallowing sea water or snorting it up my nose.

You will not need to pack anything if you want to do some deep sea diving.

Just find a rock jetting out into the beautiful blue waters and dive right in like Bob.

or see how far you can jump like Chet,

or do whatever Cass is doing when she enters the water.

You can cannonball or

show us how to perfect the nose plug like Dione. Although sadly there are no photos to prove it, I even got into the diving game and I haven't done that in years.

Dean shows us all up by doing a dead man dive.

Don't worry about packing anything for building sandcastles,

you'll just need beach babies to help you with that.

The Caribbean comes complete with parental swim teachers imploring the babies to "kick, kick, kick" on the very first swim lesson.

Sand...glorious sand

the Caribbean is filled with sand.

so leave your own sand at home.

But above all, pack your giggles

and your smiles...because you are going to have the time of your life!

And remember what I said about sand?

It still...always tastes yucky!




Sunday, August 19, 2012

Summer VayCay-Day 1

I'll admit when we began throwing around family vacation destinations...travelling all the way to the Caribbean seemed a bit crazy. Especially for the Mom and Dad of two under two year olds! It has been over four years since the whole "fam damily" went on vacation together, so this needed to be something deliriously fun for all of us. In upcoming posts I'll share a few of the things we learned while on summer vacation.

For instance...what happens when babies

meet the beach

for the very first time...

absolute delight!

Palm trees on vacation are always a good sign.

The toddler stance is adorable...and altogether gone too quickly.


It is surprising how easy all those Type A personalities in the family can relax in the hot summer sun.

On Day One of a beach vacation, it is very important that you use extra caution and not get sunburned. Basically we dipped the babies in sunscreen every two hours. Not to mention any names, but Bob...ahem...could have used the same dipping.


Don't be surprised if you see pigs running loose on the beach in the Caribbean.

Building a pool for your kids on the beach requires lots of water

and lots of patience.

But the payoff is enormous.


Babies love crawling in

and out of their own personal beach pool

that is just the right size.

Eating sand...

is yucky every time you try it!

A little hidden beach called Happy Bay is just a short hike from Friar's Bay Beach. A naked French man suntanning by himself on Happy Bay...




can even make the snorkel gang pack up and leave. And I seriously did not realize monsieur was still visible in this photo when I took it. Let's play Where's Waldo...I mean Where's Pierre?

Day One is pretty much summed up in this sibling photo. And yes Chet...Dione somehow got your hair "Biebered" rather than the normal straight down comb.