Monday, April 30, 2012

Spring Break :: The Caribe

On Wednesday we left one of our favorite vacay spots for another one...Orange Beach.  We couldn't check into our condo until after 3:00 pm so we visited the Smith's at their condo.  We quickly sunscreened up and hit the beach...

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...where these four [Mary Reese, Chambless, Owen & Banks] played for hours!  They played in the ocean...

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Dug a hole and jumped in...

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Rolled every monster truck we owned down the skim board ramp into the sand...

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Had a little Lillian's Pizza picnic...

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The adults devoured a couple of orders of their nachos...

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Let me tell you that there was not a piece of silverware or napkin in sight.  We could have cared less!

After he ate most of his pizza, Owen decided the birds needed a bite of crust...

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They played in the sand some more...

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...until it was time for us to check in our condo.

This trip we opted to stay at the Caribe.  Normally we stay on the beach but I didn't want to haul all the chairs and toys that go along with beach play for 3 days...so the bayside Caribe was a good alternative.  They have 3 outdoor pools all with amazing waterslides, a super long lazy river and an indoor pool in each building.  We found a great deal on VRBO and had a great renting experience!  This was the view from the balcony...

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Ono Island, the bay and the beach all from one balcony...amazing!  We hit the pools for a quick swim before showering up for the day.  Jody got a call from Dimetri [our rentor] saying he had a little gift for us...

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A key lime pie.  Nothing says beach vacation more to me than a key lime pie!

As soon as we unloaded our bags, the kids wanted to try out the pools...

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The pools were super fun. 

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Lots of waterslides, zero entry, waterfalls and a lazy river...

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...that went on forever and even had a little shaded hut...

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After a quick dip, we showered up to meet the Smith's at Cobalt for dinner on the patio.  We started off with some delicious oysters.  The rest of the dinner was amazing as well.  The setting is beautiful...it is one of my favorite spots.

Bright and early the next morning, Jody, Banks, Brandon, Alan and Sam went off on a deep sea fishing adventure.  A first for Banks and Sam.  Kate and Chambless came over to enjoy the Caribe's pools.  Owen and Chambless played monster trucks all day long...

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...while Mary Reese entertained herself on the slides...

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We ate picnic-style poolside while we waited on the fishermen to return.  They called us when they were heading back to the marina.  We loaded up to see what they caught.  The fishermen returning from a long day at sea...

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Everyone checking out the catch of the day...

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The two biggest fish...

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An amberjack and a black snapper [I think]

The fishermen [minus Alan] with their catches...

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Now that is a big fish...

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The fish waiting to be cleaned...

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The deckhand filleting the fish...

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The guys bagged up the fish for us to enjoy at home.  Then the hungry fishermen and their families headed to Tacky Jack's for fish tacos!

We spent the last day of our vacay lounging by the pools...

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...before showering up to enjoy our last seafood dinner.  Cosmo's was calling our name!

All  our fun in the sun wiped everyone out...

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Owen slept in his clothes every night.  By the time we got back from dinner, he was fast asleep.  We just tucked him into bed and never heard another peep out of him until morning.

Speaking of mornings...I really could get use to waking up to this view every morning...

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...but Spring Break was coming to an end.  It was time to head north.

I would be lying if I said Monday was a breeze.  It was super hard to get back into the school routine with homework and after school activities.  Only 19 more school days.  Bring on the lazy days of summer!

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Spring Break :: The Grand

The last week in April...finally it was our Spring Break.  Banks just finished 2 weeks of ARMT+ testing.  Mary Reese just completed her Farm to Me - Sap to Syrup project.  Mary Reese's school was hid hard by a nasty stomach bug the week before Spring Break.  It was so widespread that there was one class with only 3 out of 20 students one day.  Thankfully we were spared from it.  So, Spring Break could not have happened at a more perfect time [a little late for my tastes but glad to have a week schedule & routine free].

We started off our break at one of our all time favorite spots...

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The Grand in Point Clear

Before checking in, we hit Battles Wharf Market for some lunch...

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Chili Cheese Dogs around the table.  [Check out this post about the market and what they have to offer.]

We got checked in and settled into our room in the North Bay House.  I greased everyone down with a layer of sunscreen and we hit the pool!

This was my view Sunday - Wednesday...

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I read Can You Keep a Secret and Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella and State of the Onion by Julie Hyzy.  They were all perfect summer beach/pool reads and all checked out on the Kindle from the local public library.  [If you haven't used this method, you are missing out with over 4,000 books to choose from.]

Sunday and Monday were a little chilly for my taste but the weather was perfect by Tuesday.  We were lucky that several other families with children the same age also picked the Grand as their Spring Break destination...

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The crew...Harris Penley, William Penley, Banks, Owen, Put Webster and Mary Reese.  Mary Reese was a trooper being the only girl in the bunch but she held her own.  She did meet some new girlfriends...one of my sorority sisters was there with her two girls.

The kids got to do some of their favorite activities during our stay...

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We fed the ducks...

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...in our pajamas.

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They weren't as friendly as they have been in the past.  We finally got a few to eat from the water.

We enjoyed a fabulous breakfast at Heavenly Creations in downtown Fairhope.  Then we admired all the beautiful flowers on every street corner...

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Pictures just don't do them justice...

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Mary Reese and I treated ourselves to a new t-shirt...

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...from The Fairhope Store.  They have several styles and tons of colors to choose from.

The kids hit "craft time" any time it was offered.  They made bookmarks and picture frames.  They even went on two different scavenger hunts around the property.  We spent lots of time swimming and water sliding...

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...playing frisbee poolside...

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We even tried to ride big brother's skim board in the pool...

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...while he was playing a game of beach baseball.

Every day at 4:00, we joined the parade...

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...to the cannon firing ceremony...

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...and then onto tea time in the main lobby...

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Their cookies and scones are the best!

As always enjoyed our time at the Grand....

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We always look forward to our next visit.  On Wednesday morning, we packed the car and headed east to Orange Beach for the rest of the week...

Friday, April 20, 2012

Banks :: Student of the Month :: Commitment

I got a letter from one of the Enrichment Teachers at Banks's school letting us know he was nominated for Student of the Month in the Commitment category.  His school does the ceremony first thing in the morning before the kids are dismissed to their classrooms. 

The Thursday before Spring Break was the big day!  We didn't tell Banks he was nominated but he knew it immediately when he saw us standing in the back of the room.

He ended up being 1st Runner Up for the 3rd Grade...

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So proud of him!  He has been committed to being the best student he can be this year.

All the 3rd Grade nominees...

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The 1st runner up...

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...all smiles!

A picture with the parents...

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...with mom...

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...and dad...

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I can't believe he only has a few more weeks of 3rd Grade left!