Summer Getaway!!

I haven't posted in forever because I haven't taken any pictures in forever (sorry, Mom). The hiatus has ended, though, because the camera came out again last week...for our Carribbean cruise!!!  We went with Ben's entire family and had a blast. We got home yesterday, after being delayed for a night in Puerto Rico due to Hurricane Irene, and Ben and I are dreading returning to real life tomorrow, i.e. back to work.

Here's the rundown of the itinerary:

1. Monday- At Sea. We ate a lot of food, mini golfed, climbed the rock wall, and generally explored the ship.
2. Tuesday- Barbados. We went snorkeling (a first for me) and saw sunken ships and swam with sea turtles. I think sea turtles are the coolest thing ever, so it was awesome to have them swim around so close I could touch them! The we went to a different beach for a swim and the water was so beautiful and clear.
3. Wednesday- St. Lucia. This was the most beautiful of all of the islands we visited, in my opinion. We started the day with a whale watching trip that ended up to be a very hot boat ride. The day improved with an open air 4x4 jeep tour with a funny tour guide which included a walk in the rainforest and a swim stop at another beautiful beach.
4. Thursday- Antigua- We did a canopy and challenge tour that included 12 zip lines and 9 rope challenges. The longest zip line was called the screamer: it was 330 feet long and 300 feet above the ground. Sadly, there are no pictures of this because cameras were not allowed and I wasn't about to spend $30 on the photos that they tried to sell us there :)
5. Friday- St. Maarten. We took kayaks to a reef where we snorkeled and saw squid and a lobster. I decided that I absolutely love snorkeling and now want to try scuba. No pictures because we didn't want the camera to fall out of the kayak.
6. Saturday- St. Croix. The entire family spent the day at the beach. Bethany had been waiting all week to build sand castles, and she got her wish! No pictures because I forgot the camera.

On the way to the airport

Waiting for the plane

Juggling kids at the airport is...fun?

Becca stayed awake for the entire 4 1/2 hour flight and fell asleep on the way to baggage claim.

The food was amazing and we got pretty much whatever we wanted. Here is Bethany eating chocolate banana bread and chocolate milk for breakfast.

We had the same waiter for dinner every night. His name was Ravi and he loved Becca SO much.

Becca took advantage of the free toy lending program.

She thinks she's a big girl lounging all by herself.

The rock wall. As Ben so kindly pointed out right before I started climbing, "We're already 13 stories up anyway!"

The boys were going to be a team for the dodgeball competition, but it got rained out. They didn't let that stop them.

Bethany splashing in the puddles

Becca being generally noisy. She was a handful during the trip. Much like Bethany on our Colorado vacation two years ago, Becca was needy and clingy and wanted Mommy ONLY during the entire trip. She is lucky she's cute :)

Luke hanging out with Grandma. He was so good on the trip.

Bethany couldn't stand being left out of the fun. About a second after I took this picture, she slipped and fell straight on her butt. It would be a lie to say I didn't laugh.

Dressed up for the first of two formal dinners.

Jeff and Kira on the way to snorkel in Barbados.

Happy to be on vacation!

After exploring the shipwrecks

The beautiful beach in Barbados

Our ship! Serenade of the Seas

This looks like a postcard

In St. Lucia waiting to board the whale watching boat

The boat was crowded and we were sitting in a covered area...it was HOT.

Becca was tired and sweaty, but she loved the breeze!

Bethany and her daddy watching from the front of the baot

Becca finally passed out and slept in Ben's arms for about an hour

St. Lucia was SO pretty.

We took a 4x4 tour and had the best views of the island

Breadfruit

Bananas (duh)

A giant fern. I can't remember the name, but the tour guide thought they were really cool.

Spiky leaves.

Ficas Americanus...grows around a tree, takes it's shape, and then kills the tree inside.

This caterpillar was huge!

We returned back to our room most nights to find fun towel animals. Besides this bunny, we also had a swan, a bat, and a pillow tents for the toy dinosaurs.

Becca petting the bunny

The ship had a kid's program that Bethany loved. She would go there every night after dinner and stay until almost 10:00. One night, she came back dressed as "Super Bethany!"

In Antigua waiting to start the canopy tour.

In the airport on the way home (the second time). Becca plopped herself in Kyle's lap while he was trying to play cards. The girls believe that their uncles exist purely for their own entertainment.

Becca looking devious before boarding the plane.

We had so much fun and are sad that it is over. Bethany told me that she wants to live on the big giant boat :)