Grand Bahama Island

What a great end to the summer! We thoroughly enjoyed our family trip the the Bahamas, and we feel very lucky that Hurricane Irene didn’t come through until a few days after we left.

We had a LONG trip out with a 4.5 hour flight to North Carolina, a 6 hour layover, and then a <2 hour hop over to the island.

Aiden felt left out without a hot chocolate cup of his own, so we got an extra cup and filled it with water. He was thrilled.

We had a great little balcony facing the channel. The island is full of channels that were originally used to transport lumber.

We got a lot of ice cream. It was humid, which Isaac adjusted to much more quickly than I did. The moderate California weather has completely spoiled me.

The public beach was never crowded. We never saw more than a dozen people at any beach, actually… maybe because a giant hurricane was working its way toward us?

Aiden was a great traveller. He was good on most of our flights, he was happy to be pushed around in his stroller, and we stayed close enough to the beach that we easily got back for his afternoon nap every day, so he was peaceable for all our outings.

I remember reading about a conch shell in Lord of the Flies, but not only did I not know how to say it, I had never had it. I was missing out—it’s good.

Aiden loved our balcony.

We went snorkeling over a coral reef, which was AWESOME.

This is the Ghost Ship from Pirates of the Caribbean. It was docked maybe a third of a mile from our hotel.

We took an island tour that included a walk through Garden of the Groves, which was beautiful.

I was really bad about making sure I was in some pictures. Here’s one of the few to prove I was actually there, lol.

We had a lot of fun, and it was a very relaxing way to end the summer before another crazy school year starts up. Hope everyone had a beautiful summer as well!

One To Start

17 Months Old and the Toddler Dilemma

Aiden is 17 months old now! He is just starting to make more of an effort to communicate, which makes us all very happy. He is trying to say “please,” which he also signs fairly regularly now. He is still trying to say “flower” and mostly says “ball,” but I hear him make attempts at words more often, and even though they don’t sound clear, I can tell he is trying more.

He is fascinated with trying to figure out how things work. He loves to play with buckles, attempt to put on his own shoes, put his sippy cups in drink holders, and try things over and over to see how they function.

He is finally getting a little taller, but he is still so skinny, we are having quite a time with his pants. He wears a lot of 9 month pants still, but they are getting short (seen below, accentuated by elastic), but he has many 12 mo. pants that fall right down because he’s so thin. We are glad that it is summer and he mostly wears shorts anyway.

Not a great picture, but this is the cheeser smile he’s been giving me lately…

Now for the toddler dilemma… Aiden has reached the stage where he wants to be Mr. Independent. He’s so cute, and I want him to learn to do things like feed himself on his own, but oh my, what a mess he makes…

Okay, I love how he opens his mouth huge for every bite.

He was coloring nicely and didn’t want my help, and before I knew it, he colored the grout. This is AFTER I scrubbed it. Ideas for cleaning red crayon out of grout?

He’s such a cute little stinker though. He has his four front teeth on top and three front teeth on the bottom but gained a bottom molar.

Anyway, I can’t believe he goes into Nursery next month, leaving me to actually listen to my classes at church sometimes… maybe.

Here’s a video of him eating… it’s clear what a funny kid he can be.

On The Lake

Aiden was having fun by the end, but the first hour he wasn’t too sure about the boat… or the life vest, which we took it off for awhile, and he was much happier.

We took turns tubing…

Dad, Mom, Mandy and Isaac took turns driving the boat.

It was a great day on the water… but a word to the parents out there: Do not focus your sunscreen efforts only on your family and neglect yourself… you may end up roasted.

Vacationing in Tahoe

We took a trip up to Tahoe for almost a week, and we enjoyed some family time at the cabin, at the beach, and on the lake.

Don’t mind the picture dump… or the fact that nothing is edited. Cursed computer problems.

Sticks make great toys. Did you know the stick has been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame? Amazing.

Nice try, sweetheart…

He loved the hole Grandpa dug for him.

At Virginia City, one-time capital of Nevada…

At Mormon Station, Genoa, NV… Aiden was elated to run around the park.

Mom & Dad rented a boat on the lake for a few hours, which was a blast. Aiden didn’t like to be wet, so he snuggled me for a long time at the beginning while he adjusted, but he ended up having fun. We rode around the lake and went tubing. More to come on this…