Jake and I had a little getaway for some great fun together. He missed one day of school, but the weather was so perfect and with his siblings in school made it easy for Jim to have just John tagging along :) We headed to the jacuzzi first thing, and Jake was more than happy to go back and forth from pool to hot tub!
Morning view from our balcony. Such a peaceful view and the sounds of the ocean are so rejuvenating.
Jake filling up for the day! I love how he wore his beach pajamas, it was so fun to see his excitement.
Off to boogie board! We spent hours just playing in the warm water, it was fun to have just Jacob to ride with, we raced and encouraged each other and pointed out fish jumping.
Off to explore the wild part of the island.
Not a soul in sight
Lots of little birds looking for food
Houses across the waterway
Jake found a hermit crab
He brought it in to shore and really wanted to take it home haha
Jacob is very talkative, wants to share anything and everything. Loves telling stories, sharing facts and is so excited about adventures.
Squirrel at a table next to ours.
Coconut shrimp and tuna steak for lunch
We toured the USS North Carolina Battleship.
The scope of everything inside this ship was overwhelming. SO many different parts- ironing service, doctor, shoe service, showers, kitchens, beds, not to mention the war prep and storage belowdecks. Endless pipes and metal. Endless ladders.
Great idea for Thanksgiving!!
They had some incredible stories about the ship placed around. Quite the place to tour. Going to where the gunners sit was crazy, I would be SO claustrophobic in there if someone was firing on the ship. I have renewed respect for sailors!
Diana waiting for Nicole's volleyball game to finish. She does not like waiting. haha
Nicole's team got 2nd in the tourney and she got some great experience this season. Most of the girls on her rec league team were very good. Since her school team is mostly beginners it was great to have the variety.
Her school team won! Nicole made the winning serve, she was nervous but took a deep breath and nailed it!
The girls were so thrilled!
I made them cupcakes to celebrate and somehow Nicole told them I'd bake them cupcakes whenever they win. Thankfully they've only won once more. And now their cheer at the beginning of the game is "Will win for cupcakes!"
A cake I made for a 50th birthday.
Nicole hardly ever misses a serve now, such a change in one year!
She puts herself in the right place to get the ball, again such a change from the hesitance she had last year.
Diana's grade had a fun day with different themed rooms teaching them. It was like instagram ideas were everywhere, so cute and fun.
Grateful for these teachers willing to work and put such a fun day together.
Mike had to dab. Of course.
Goalies play the whole game. Since Mike is the backup goalie and our goalie hasn't been injured, he actually plays offense or mid.
Cookies for Nicole's bday party favors.
We don't do parties for each kid for each birthday, but for Nicole we've noticed this is a major way for her to bond with her friends which is really important for her, so we do it. I can't believe she is 13 now!!
Pin the tail on the cheetah.
Sack hop races.
We made dirt for dessert!
Wish bracelets we made. 7 beads are woven into a regular braid and you make a wish before you tie it on.
Animal charades.
Diana after eating her "dirt" pudding.
The temple is finally done!
Definitely have outtakes of family pics.
Nicole's school team won a second volleyball game. More cupcakes.
A good friend had surgery so I made her a get well cake :)
The temple had a week long open house. They had information on all the materials inside the temple and where they are from.
After the tour, visitors went back to the room with a Christus statue, the building material information, and feedback cards. I played the piano for three different hour-long shifts. It was a very special way to contribute, and the Steinway piano they rented was incredible. So easy to play, beautifully tuned and with a gorgeous sound.
Cleaned out my sprinkle cupboard. I can't fit them all anywhere. But I can't get myself to part with any.
Nicole's birthday cake!
A police officer visited Katy's class. She's the girl in green with the hair falling out of her braid lol. Such wispy, curly hair!
Johnny boy eating his lasagna.
For Nicole's birthday she let me braid her hair. It is SO thick and gorgeous, I wish I could do her hair every day!
We had a half day of school and went straight to the open house when there wasn't a long line.
On Saturday, Jim had been out of town all week and I'd juggled the soccer practices, parent teacher conferences, school games, rec league games, and was playing piano for the open house. Right before one of the last soccer games the kids sent me a sweet text. I had to chuckle about their willingness to help me "almost" anytime.
Jim got home and wanted another cake to celebrate Nicole's birthday since he'd missed it. So lucky girl got another one!
Seafood dinner of course!
Happy 13th!
Diana made a goal to join the family band and has been practicing any instrument she can find.
Birthday cake for one of Jim's employees
I had fun learning a new technique!
More cakes going to Jim's referral sources...
A last minute game for Mike's school team was the third game in as many days. The best two players and goalie couldn't make it. And the main coach. They had tied this team earlier in the week and now were facing them with a depleted team.
But this was awesome for Mike who got to play goalie the whole hardfought game! They won 9-6. So many many many shots on goal!! He did so awesome and it was wonderful for his teammates to learn to trust him more. The coach actually let Mike play a little as goalie in one of the games the next week which he hadn't done all season. So glad he got a chance to show his stuff!!
One night I'd been at Nature park for Mike's school game, Jake's rec practice and finally Mike's rec practice. It was just a LONG day! But as the kids ran around playing tag having a grand time, I watched the moon as the sun set and enjoyed the peace of such beauty.
More cakes to referral sources...
Raleigh skyline
I scorekeep or line judge most home games and it's fun to see the girls work hard. Nicole is an integral part of her school team and they are all friends which I love to see!
Another 50th birthday cake. This was a huge cake and inside was layers of vanilla bean cake, strawberries and cream, cake, chocolate ganache, cake, strawberries and cream and cake. I really wanted a bite of this cake!!
We took a walk before General Conference and the kids found tadpoles!
A few treats to keep our stamina up!
For Marian and Nicole's birthday, we surprised them (and Kaitlin and Kiersten) with a girls trip to Orlando. Jim and I had planned this with Brandon in April and kept it secret until we had them open a present with the trip details. It was SOOO fun to surprise them!
First day was Sea World
We fed stingrays and shrieked when the slimy sucker mouth got the little fish.
In the splash zone of the dolphin show!
Marian, Nicole and Kaitlin in the back of the Atlantis ride!
Me, Nicole, Kaitlin and Kiersten
Marian and Nicole went on the 200 foot drop, constantly feeling airborne, endless ride called Mako! Best aunt ever.
The killer whale show was being worked on so they put on a short informational show in a side tank. It was just as cool to me as the regular show.
The orcas came SO close and we didn't have to be in the soak zone :)
Walking home was fun each day. We stopped by Walgreens and got ice cream since it was a 1-2 mile walk each day.
Day two was the Aquatica water park. Nicole and I got to do a ton of rides, convinced Kaitlin to do a bunch as well, and even got Kiersten to do a ride!
Beautiful cousins being fun on the way back to our hotel.
Popcorn, Hot Chocolate and Studio C
Third day was a DREAM. Discovery Cove has free delicious breakfast, lunch and snacks. A session with a dolphin where you learn about, play with, feed, and ride with a dolphin. This dolphin is Acai, over 40 years old.
I loved every second with such a powerful, sleek and playful creature.
We fed birds in their aviary and these white birds had the sharpest claws!!
Nicole's head made a great perch.
At an animal encounter, they brought out an armadillo. Because the sloth had been at a wedding earlier in the day. Haha, totally want Nicole to have a sloth at her wedding lol.
After snorkeling with hundreds of amazing fish and across the glass from sharks in the chilly Grand Reef, we ate lunch and went to the warm lazy river.
Marmoset is sleeping on the bamboo, hard to see.
When everyone else went back in the late afternoon for one more snorkel, I took a nap in the shade of a palm tree. It was SO peaceful and such a great ending to a fun vacation with my sister and nieces. This bird was waiting for me to magically make food appear and feed it. No such luck! But we had a wonderful trip together and I'm so grateful to Jim and Brandon for making such a fun surprise trip possible!
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