Day 329

Well, I really hate that I am in this picture. LOL It was a recovery day for me. Anyway, Hannah has had some separation issues since the trip. Last night she cried for no less than 2 hours at bedtime. Nap time today was just as bad. Tonight in an attempt to lessen the screaming we read a gazillion books. Then I rocked and sang her to sleep. It took a while because if she felt me move she would jerk up and say "NOOOO", but eventually she went to sleep and I was able to move her to bed. I know not and ideal thing to start and get into a habit of, but is beats all the crying and frustration.

Day 328

Caleb got a new bike today! He has been able to ride without training wheels since right after he turned 5, but he was afraid to take the step and take them off. For his 3rd birthday he got a 12in bike. For a while now he has been riding Josh's old 16 in bike. About two years ago when it wasn't getting used I took the tube out of the rear tire for Samantha's bike. I got frustrated and didn't get it put back together perfectly, so the chain was not tight. Apparently that made it hard to ride without the training wheels for him. He practiced and mastered riding AND getting started on Samantha's old bike. Last week we promised if he could get it done he would get a new bike. He did! I uploaded a pic from the store of him cruising around the store. We took the training wheels off when we got home and he took off. The seat is about an inch higher than the old bike, but it is as low as it goes. He will adjust quickly though. He had a blast riding today.

Day 327

Day 4...our final day at the Bahamas!

We had breakfast at the Hall of Waters today. It was a nice calming final breakfast. We got to sit and hear these huge fountains running. We got to see the fish and sting rays swim by, it was a nice change of pace for breakfast. We walked one last time through the dig.Josh got to play with a starfish.

Then off to the airport where we wait and wait and wait. Seriously, I am glad the line was not around the building this time, but the lines were annoying. First we check in..in the states it is do it yourself. Here, they have the do it yourself computers, but they have to do it for you. Ok, then they don't take your luggage, you have to take it to another line. You get your passports inspected AGAIN, then have to put ALL of your luggage on the belt to be screened as well as all the usual carry-on checks. Then you take your luggage and put it on the belt. Then you go wait in another line. This time for US Customs. After you wait they separate the line by US citizens and NON US citizens and you wait. Finally, you get through that and guess what? Another security check point. Just like the first! My guess is the first is the Bahamas screening and the second is the US screening. This one did require the shoes to come off, the first didn't. Finally get through all of those lines just to wait. Gates A-H......that is all. Gotta go the bathroom, only one for the whole airport, so guess what? You wait in line. Not only that there are bathroom "police" in there telling you HOW to stand in line, where you cannot pass if you are in line, AND what stall to go in. I am NOT exaggeratting! So by now it is noon and our plane leaves at 2:30. I walk around and look at their food...ain't gonna eat that!!!! Go into the gift shop to grab some snacks. I start to pick up a normal sized bag of goldfish...notice it is $8...EIGHT...so I put it back. Instead I bought a few bags of popcorn and some water. We go back and wait. I started getting nervous when every flight before ours ends up delayed....one as late as 9:30pm. Praise God ours boards and leaves early!!! I have never been so happy to be home!

Day 326

Day 3 of the Bahamas trip!

We started our day at the waterpark.

Spent some time on the lazy river and water slides. Then we found a cove tucked away in the newer section of the hotel complex. The kids got to swim in the ocean AND I got my wave crashing pics!

We went into town for a late lunch and a visit to the Straw Market. Well, we thought Senor Frogs would be ok since it was about 3pm. We were wrong, it was a big party. The kids were shocked and did not like being there. Samantha did start singing and dancing in her chair to the music while eating. Someone got Marc to join the conga line...the kids didn't know what to think of that. Next we hit the straw market...I got claustrophic and we left pretty quickly. We also had to check out the pirate shop. It was cool. We took a water taxi back to the hotel...much better than a car taxi! You could see the HUGE shells and stuff on the bottom of the ocean floor.

We had made reservations for the kids at the kids club for the night. :) Marc and I got to hang out and spend some time in the casino. Very cool!

Day 325

Day Two of the Bahamas trip! This is going to be a picture overload. We started our day with a boat trip to a private island. All started out great...cool because it was windy. Well...the ocean was VERY rough! Marc and Josh went to a different level on the boat. I stayed up top because Samantha wanted to. Well, that boat rocked and rocked and rocked. Samantha was afraid it would tip over. The wind blew so hard that people and chairs were being blown around. Samantha's chair flipped over once. I about kissed the ground when we got to the island. I felt so horrible I had to just lay on the deck for a while. After I recovered enough to move we headed to the beach. Yes, MORE rough water. These waves were intense. Rocks/coral that weighed more than Caleb would roll in with the wave and then roll right back out. They tried to play in ankle deep water, but it was still knocking them over. Then we had some lunch and tried snorkling. LOL The water was so rough that all the experienced snorklers saw nothing but sand rushing around them. That was enough for me to not even attempt. Marc and Josh didn't feel that way. Well, they got out there and nearly didn't make it back in. I was about to go in after them. Samantha started to get scared, so I took her to a place far enough away from the water and started in. Marc pretty much made it in then turned his back on Josh and he started heading back out. A wave crashed in and pretty much put him in my arms. I jerked him up to keep him from hitting the rocks I was standing on and that was the end of the water! We tried some beach volleyball...that was funny. Then we walked along some rocks and found some "living creatures." Finally we stood about at the water line and watched as the waves brought in stuff around our feet.

Time to get back on the dreaded boat. I had been praying for calmer seas and a smoother ride. Praise God, He answered that prayer. We had a much nicer ride and I got some decent pics.

Then we went for a dinner buffet...it included a chocolate fountain. HA

After dinner we walked around some more. We went back to the beach and tried to get some pics of the waves crashing over the rocks. Didn't work so I took a video. It was awesome!!!! (it will be at the end of this post)...a side note about this pic...during the video we were standing on the pillar to the right of the waterway.

Before we went up to the room we sat around a table in a lobby area and had a lot of laughs. We laughed so hard we cried. It was just great!!!!

Here is the video of the raging seas!

Day 324

Day One of the Bahamas trip. We started out after the bus picked up Caleb for school. The airport was no fun, but when is it ever fun???? Walking, waiting, more waiting, then more walking, more waiting. Why have you go to one terminal for check in and then another for your flight? If I would have known that I would have parked at the terminal for the flight, not check in! It didn't make for a fun walk back. This first picture was taken around 8:30 am. LOL

We finally arrived in the Bahamas and got through customs. Marc was at the airport with some of his coworkers and a limo. 12 people squeezed into the limo and we were off...through Nassau craziness! If you ever go to the Bahamas be prepared for crazy driving and lots of honking. Luckily the limo was too big to do all the weaving around traffic. Only once did we get in a near head-on collision. We made it safely to the hotel and walked around some. We had an early dinner near the marina. Lots of yachts there...the kids decided we needed one of those instead of a house. LOL We walked through the dig (the underground city of Atlantis)...the kids loved it. There was a sting ray/manta ray that had a wider wing span than Yao Ming.

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Then we headed to the beach. The water was way too rough to swim in. That equals not happy kids, but they got over it.

We went to the lagoon and the water was calmer. Josh found something that we thought was a jellyfish, but it didn't sting him. They (J, S, and a couple other kids) found a bunch of them.

We decided to go to the waterpark for a while. Josh and Marc did the Leap of Faith

Samantha and I stuck to the tube rides and the challenger slide...I always won that one. Then we hit the pool.

We did some more sightseeing at night. It was awesome!!!!! Day two coming soon.

Day 323

Today I have spent a lot of time getting things together. That many of us (# of passports) are going on a trip. We will be back Sunday. I will update my blog then with a picture from each day.