Family Time

On Friday night, my parents came up to stay the night. Saturday was an early morning football game and it just made it easier on all of us. I told Mason they were coming. He grabbed his steps and went to wait at the door looking for him. I knew when they pulled into the driveway. Mason started screaming NANA and banging on the window. This was followed by Gabby barking. In the picture, Gabby is jumping up and down. Michael is out of town and so we get some quality time together. After I gave Mason a bath the other night, we came downstairs to clean up and feed Gabby. I went to the direction of the kitchen and Mason ran to my room. When I went to find Mason he had found his paci and blanket. He climbed into our bed snuggled up. I could have left him there all night. As bedtime got closer I asked him if he wanted to go to his room and he said yes. So, we went and read to story and he slept in his bed. I love when Mason wants to hold my hands. He does it a lot. I just eat up these moments. It was hot Saturday, and we all went to the Razorback football game per the usually Saturday routine. My Mom and I got dropped off at the stadium on the way to our parking spot. I was grateful and so was my Mom. We took our time walking up to our seats. I snapped a this on our way to the seats. We left at halftime. It really was just too hot and the sun was wiping me out. Plus we were winning 35-0.On Saturday night, Mason asked to go fishing. So, on Sunday, we all headed over to Michael’s brother’s house to go fishing. The kids and boys went to the creek and I stayed back with my SIL and niece to get some baby loving. They caught several large fish. Everyone came back stinky, dirty and Mason was soaking wet. Mason decided to take a swim in the creek. Mason had a ton of fun. He ended up get a bath twice that day.

Week 14-Baby #2

 How far along? 14 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? No. It has been a lot warmer here in the last week. I desperately want Fall weather all of the time. Then I can spend my days in leggings and boots…scarves! I think that will be the best part of this pregnancy. 
Stretch marks? No-I keep praying for this answer to stay a no.
Sleep: I still have a pretty bad cough. So I am waking up once or twice to pee and 10 times to cough. I really need this cough to go away.
Best moment this week: I am hoping to feel some movement soon. I thought maybe I did one day this week, when Mason was elbowing my gut, but not 100% sure.  
Miss Anything? I am definitely missing a cocktail. Someone is going to have to start describing to me the taste of a good glass of wine.  
Movement: No movement yet, I don’t think.
Food cravings: This week was Oreos. Yup…almost finish an entire oreo container by myself. I also had it hidden from Mason and Michael…pregnant women don’t share well, or at least I don’t.   
Anything making you queasy or sick: I am improving daily. I cannot wait to get energy back and get over this cough. I think I could be really enjoying the 2nd trimester.
Feelings: Feelings. I don’t really have too many good or bad feelings from this week. Excitement to meet this new baby…Fear about my c-section. I am already thinking about that c-section.  
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I haven’t been crying this week. YAY! I think I am actually happier and feeling less emotional.   
Looking forward to: I have a doctor’s appointment this week!! I cannot wait to hear that heartbeat again! This early in pregnancy is so hard. You can’t feel the baby, and you go to the doctor once a month to hear the heartbeat. It can drive you crazy. Once I feel movement, I don’t mind the once a month visits. Thursday cannot come fast enough!

Confessional Friday

Let us do some much needed confessing. It will go great with my random thoughts from yesterday.

1. You know when you are pregnant (if you ever have been) then you start noticing random pregnant women everywhere. Well, this is especially difficult right now, because EVERY.SINGLE.PERSON I know is pregnant right now. It is crazy. I have at least 5 or 6 friends I know who are also pregnant. Some have not let the cat out of the bag yet, but I know…hehe. Most of these friends are due within a month of me. It is awesome!! I am loving every minute. Some it is there first, some second…it is so much fun to be pregnant with a bunch of people. When we were trying with Mason, I thought I would be pregnant with some of our friends, but since it took so darn long, I was pregnant alone. No biggie. Someone is making up for it this time around. I see lots of family vacations with friends to Disney in our future!!

2. Mason is finally able to catch a ball. Michael ruined him early with how he held his hands during catch and we have just now been able to break him of it. And this Mama squealed and cheered like no other last night after he caught the ball over and over and over. Each time getting a loud cheer from me. He would just smile ear to ear so proud! I am totally going to be THAT crazy Mama at T-Ball games and I don’t even care. Loud and Proud!! Video Proof is on my IG account…check it out.

3. I am a tad bit excited about HALLOWEEN next week. I put Mason in his costume this week to ensure it still fits and it does. My Mom bought it in April in Huntsville from the NASA location there. I cannot wait to take him Trick or Treating to at least a few houses. We have been working on him saying Trick or Treat and it comes out close…might just have him say BOO to everyone…He loves to scare people and get scared. We are dressing him up tonight for his school’s fall festival and I am going to take a million pictures. Tad Bit Excited.

4. Last one, I am more than ready to watch Arkansas actually win another game this year…tomorrow!!! WPS!!!

Random Thoughts

I have been sick this week, really since the Arkansas Alabama game. It started like I was losing my voice. I thought I just screamed too much at the game. Then it got worse and worse. I went to the doctor today, just to check on the hacking cough that is keeping my poor husband and I up at night. My doctor think it is my asthma acting up. This is good news and bad news. Good news, is that it isn’t worse like pneumonia, like my husband was thinking. Bad news, not a lot I can do about it. I cannot take prescription cough medicine and my inhaler needs to be taken only when absolutely necessary. Studies are in conclusion about effects of inhaled steroids on a fetus. One of the many joys of pregnancy is the restriction of medicines.

On a happy positive note. We got my new Jeep on Friday and I have been having tons of fun with all the new buttons. It has a ton of buttons. I am one who does not like to read manuals, but to just push and see what happens. Buttons, Buttons, everywhere. Don’t worry I only play with them while sitting in the garage, not driving 70mph down the interstate. This sweet boy has been extra mean this week. I think he is learning to act like a boy…Rough. Kicking is our new favorite thing when we don’t get our way. But from time to time I still catch him in a sweet moment or two. Like reading to himself, while eating cheerios.   And I love these moments. Snuggling with me. He knows when Mommy doesn’t feel 100%. I have decided Mason is like a Sour Patch Commercial. He hit Michael the other day and immediately hugged him and said I so sorry. He knows hitting is wrong, and he thinks sorry fixes everything he does wrong. The worst part is that it is hard not to smile at the hug and sorry. He is a big mess, but I am loving every single minute. Hopefully we can tame this new wild side, prior to baby #2 coming around.

Week 13-Baby #2

How far along? 13 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 2.5 lbs. (according to home scale)
Maternity clothes? No. I have probably 3 pairs of jeans I can still button, and I am loving leggings right now. That’s the best part of fall. I can throw on leggings and an oversized shirt and make it work.
Stretch marks? No-Lotion lotion lotion. I am more worried about it this time. I feel like my belly and other parts are expanding a lot faster than before.
Sleep: This last week has been horrible. I have to pee 3 times a night and on top of the constant bathroom breaks, I have had a horrible cough. The doctor think it is allergies, and told me take Benadryl so I am knocked out, until I start choking/coughing.
Best moment this week: I haven’t had an exciting new baby week. Been pretty boring, but I am very exciting about the fact that my husband bought me a new Jeep Grand Cherokee.  
Miss Anything? Nothing this week. I am realizing as my belly expands it is going to be very hard to place Mason in his crib for bedtime.  
Movement: No movement yet.
Food cravings: Pasta, carbs. Yes please! I could eat pasta of any kind daily, three times a day. It is soooo good. I am still wanting sweets. Chocolate for dessert please.  
Anything making you queasy or sick: I had a really good week, until Sunday. I waited too long to make myself some lunch. I immediately felt sick and had to take a nap to kind of get over it. I slept for an hour Sunday, and then was asleep by 8pm. 
Feelings: Nervous. Worried. I think it is going to be so difficult on Mason to adjust to not being the center of our world. Sharing is going to be difficult. It makes me sad to think about how he is going to feel. It will be good for him, but also so hard. 
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Emotional. Tears and crying. A lot. Stupid TV commercials and shows.   
Looking forward to: I am beyond ready for movement. I felt my first flutter with Mason at about 13 weeks. It felt like a flutter and it was different then anything else at that point. I remember calling a friend to ask about it and she said it sounded like I felt movement. Of course, I didn’t have that feeling again for 3 more weeks after that. I need that verification of there is something inside!

Hormones

Could someone come and help get my pregnancy hormones in check? Lets talk about crying on a dime. It is embarrassing. I feel like a big bag of unstable!!

I think this week, I have cried about 4 times. I received a sad email the other day at work and cried. It really was sad news about someone I work with and have traveled with, but it was just informative. I cried for a good 5 minutes about it. I am talking giant crocodile tears near sobbing…very ugly crying.

I went to a wedding the other day. I never ever cry at weddings. In fact, I am usually the awful one laughing at the criers. One of my close friends was a bridesmaid and I looked at her and she was crying.  Immediately I was crying. I refused to look at her the rest of the ceremony. Michael was like are you actually crying…yes dear, start poking fun at me now.

Commercials, TV Shows, you name it…I have cried during them in the last month. Crazy Crazy hormones. Get it in check! I keep saying this has to be a girl. I was never emotional with Mason. Ever. Michael had it so easy with Mason, I didn’t get moody, I didn’t have cravings, nothing. Easy. This pregnancy is completely different. I am a ticking time bomb of emotions waiting to explode. And we don’t know if it is anger or sadness that is going to come out. Please pray for my husband. 6 more months of this.

Early Pregnancy Thoughts

I am writing this today, the week I found out I am expecting baby #2, even though I know I will not post until I, at least hit the 12 weeks mark.

We were trying to get pregnant. I say trying because when you aren’t using any protection you are trying to get pregnant…okay okay…you may not be trying but you are definitely not trying NOT to get pregnant. I figured it would take a long time to get pregnant. Honestly, with Mason, it took 10 long horrible months. It was stressful and just awful. I started hating all women who said oops I got pregnant and we were only trying for a month. Seriously, don’t say those things to anyone. You don’t know if I woman is struggling with fertility, but all the ones I know (personally) hate to hear those things. It is a lot harder to get pregnant than not get pregnant. You can be excited, you can jump up and down…just respect what you say to other ladies. So, off of my soapbox.

Second time around, didn’t take nearly as long as the first time. Last week, I started feeling nauseous. I was talking to a good friend and I said, “Stress level HIGH! Vomit level Medium-High (just don't walk into the bathroom and everything stays in the stomach)! Back pain low! Headache...YES! I think I need a blood pressure check.” Then I told her I am making up symptoms in my head. I did that see, last time I was trying to get pregnant, for 10 months I drove my husband cray cray during the TWW. She asked when my best friend is due and I said a week, no way I am having symptoms. Don’t waste a test…Don’t waste a test. That’s what I kept saying to myself. I made it until the day before my monthly visitor was scheduled. Sunday. I decided to take a test while the hubby was golfing and Mason was sleeping. I kept saying this is silly it is going to say not pregnant. I get the digital ones. Those lines ones are horrible…is that a line or not!!!!

I didn’t have to wait long to see the results. That says pregnant. I immediately called my friend I had talked to the last week. Yes, not my husband. He was golfing. Trust me, one he didn’t care I told her first and two he would not have wanted me to call with that news on the golf course. Plus he was with his brother and we don’t like to tell people until 10 weeks or until we have had an ultrasound. Yes, I know I told my friend, but that doesn’t count. I had to tell someone. Plus Michael says it is my body and I can tell whoever I want. haha. Good husband. Unfortunately, my friend had been struggling with some pregnancy issues, but she squealed with me and helped me come up with a way to tell the hubby. I had plans to do that with Mason, but by the time I saw a positive pregnancy test I was just so excited I called him while he was driving to work.

I got his lovely reaction on video this time. Last time, he asked me how I knew…duh honey the pregnancy test that says pregnant is a pretty good giveaway. This time I got a shocked face and him saying really! Michael and I are both very excited to have a new bundle join out family come April 2015.

I will say I am glad I wasn’t making up symptoms. I will say I don’t remember being nauseous this early with Mason, even though, I was super sick for 22 weeks with him. Maybe this means the sickness won’t last as long this time. I think my nausea started at about week 10 and went until week 22. I am at week 4 and it is daily and it is on and off ALL day! I am also exhausted. Always. Naptime daily please? I wish. I am having lower back pain and a little cramping. Both are symptoms I did not have before. Boo.

We have decided once again to not find out what we are having. This will drive me crazy again, but it is so fun not knowing too. I am hoping for a little girl this time. When I ask Mason do you want a bubba or sister he always says sissy. Yay! He is right there with me. Michael says for me he hopes it is a girl. I have just always wanted one of each. I have also been talking to my belly and telling it to not grow a penis.

Big Purchases

We are in the process of a bunch of big purchases. We bought a new computer last week. It has been a stressful month. My computer died. We had it for a long time, at least 5 years. We had replaced the battery once, and even with the newer battery after about a year you could not use it longer than 30 minutes before it would die. Then I am pretty sure it got a virus. It was past due. We are money conscious and hate spending a lot of money, but we are about to spend a lot. Last week, I got an email from Best Buy about one day sale. They had a Dell listed for $375. What. No way. I told Michael heck, if it only last two years if would be better then spending $1000. I have been using it for a week and love it. When I brought it home, Michael said, did they give you the wrong one…this is nice!

Now on to the big purchase #2. We need a new car. This has been stressful. Michael changed jobs, and his new job didn’t come with a company car. It is very sad. We have had no car payments for 4+ years and it is hard to make a decision. One there are a ton of vehicles on the market and to get what we want we have to pay a lot more than 4 years ago. We want a new SUV for our expanding family. Two car seats and a dog, along with all the baby stuff needs to fit. We already drive a Highlander. I love it. I don’t really want to have two of the same car, even though the new Highlanders are great. I think we are leaning towards a new Jeep Grand Cherokee. I used to drive a Grand Cherokee while I was in college and loved it. I rarely had problems with it and always felt safe. They have made some much needed improvements in the 2014 models, so I think we have decided. Here is my problem. Finding the exact one we want. I want blue or red, and overland or summit. It has been almost impossible to find what we want. Fingers are crossed we find it by this weekend. Michael is tired of driving his Mom’s Tahoe, which he says is too big.   via Jeep.com

Did I mention I need new tires on my Highlander before winter? I have needed them for awhile now, but keep putting it off. I am switching cars with my Mom this weekend and she is going to take them to my favorite tire place in my hometown. That’s really why it has taken me so long to get it done. I wanted to take it home and let the one tire place I trust take care of my tires. Is that bad? Drive an hour just to get new tires. Oh well, it is worth it.

All of this money spending is sending us into convulsions. We have the money, we just really hate spending it. This is why we had hand me down furniture for years. Last year was the first time Michael and I had purchased living room furniture ourselves. We have been together for 8 years. If it works why get a new one. We splurge from time to time, but mostly on clothes (big spending) and things for Mason. It is hard to realize we have to have a car payment again, and insurance, and pay for gas again. Sad. Oh Well. I am excited about driving a Jeep again. Keep your fingers crossed for us to find what we want by this weekend. We need to do some checking off of our to dos list!!

Week 12-Baby #2

How far along? 11 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs.
Maternity clothes? No. But not too much longer and I will definitely want to.
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness and applying lotion like it is going out of style.
Sleep: I think my uterus is finally starting to move up. I have only been waking once to pee, so sleep has been a lot better. Can someone remind Fall that it is not Spring and storms nightly are really killing my sleep. 
Best moment this week: Mason pointing to my belly and saying baby. Also when my niece was over he kept trying to hold her and carry her. He was so sweet and cute. I let him hold her while sitting next to me. 
Miss Anything? Fish and booze. I want to drink and eat fish constantly. Restricting the fish has been hard. 
Movement: No movement yet.
Food cravings: I crave a lot right now. Sweets mostly. I could eat chocolate for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: I had three whole days of feeling great. Sunday evening I started feeling bad again. Boo. I think I am heading in the right direction.
Feelings: I am excited and nervous. After I spent some time holding a baby while trying to gain control of my crazy toddler, I realized that two kids are going to be a big change.   
Gender: Not finding out. Yay for surprises!
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel like I have been less moody this week. I should let Michael write this answer.  
Looking forward to: A lot. A lot I can’t talk about yet, but I am so excited about sharing this experience with many people.

Weekend Review

We had a fun busy weekend. On Friday night, Michael’s brother and SIL came over with their two girls. It was nice. I always love when they come over. Mason and his cousin are a little less than a year apart and they wear each other out. They squeal and run and sometimes play a little too rough together. Our other niece is 4 months old. Since I have been so sick lately I haven’t felt like getting out of the house, therefore I haven’t seen her in forever. I needed some two kid practice. I might need to borrow her and get some more practice. I will say I still have the sleep touch. I got her to go to sleep even with the screaming toddlers running around.

Nothing beats a sleeping baby. Nothing. It is the sweetest thing ever. I think she is such a pretty little baby, and I am not just saying that as a proud aunt. Mason having a snack before his cousin came over. He has been making this face now when I take his picture. Everyone in this family was excited about visitors. How do they know someone is coming over? How? It is amazing. She kept going to the door like this and barking like crazy. On Saturday, Football day!! We went to the game as always. It was my first home game this year. My brother, who lives in TN, came into town and went to the game with us. It was great. Nana stayed back and watched Mason for us and we went to the cold and wet stadium. The game!!!! OMG that game was crazy!! My voice is shot and I may have gotten a cold, but it was worth every minute. Alabama should have fallen to us. A&M should have fallen to us. It gives me hope. We have a good team, they just need some more work.  Sunday, Lazy day. We ran to Walmart and to return some clothes. Other than that, Mason and I snuggled. I was exhausted. Saturday took a lot of out my pregnant body. I love snuggle days. I have one last picture to share. You probably saw this if you follow me on IG. Mason and his bestie at school last week. They are super buddies. I just about started to cry when I saw this picture. Hormones. I hope these two continue their love of each other. Mason and him are going to become big brothers together next year and I am hoping those two are besties too.

Check back tomorrow for my 12 week bumpdate post.

Mason 21 Months

I completely missed his 20 month post. Oops. I have been so very sick that just making it through my workday has been hard enough. I am feeling a little better slowly but surely this first trimester will end and I will be back on my game.

Weight: We have not been to the doctor since September, when he needed to visit his allergist. He was weighing about the same at 28lbs. I feel like he has grown recently and might weigh closer to 30lbs.

Height: The allergist measured his height at a little over 35” I cannot wait to see if he will be over 36” or at 36” at his two year appointment, which will be the next time we HAVE to go to the doctor, even though, we probably will need to get a flu shot this month. 

Eats: Ranch, mustard, ketchup. If I put anything on top of my food, Mason insists that he needs this too. He is still our little piglet, but he is starving when we gets home from school and needs a snack, which is making dinner not as enjoyable. 

What he is enjoying: This little boy is such a mess! He is loving rough housing. He loves BALLS. Wants to take said balls everywhere…to school, to the bath, inside, outside, it does not matter as long as he has a ball in his hand. It is cute until you are napping and a ball get thrown into your face. He still is loving Gabby and Mommy and Daddy. Every morning he lays in bed and sings songs and says our names. It is cute. He is also enjoying Nana and Papaw after spending 8 days with them, he asks about them often.  

Teeth: 16 teeth. I need to double check this count. He pretty much has all of the front teeth, just missing 2yr molars. I am not reaching back there to check on those. I will come out missing a finger. 

Talking: He is such a little talker. He struggles with several letters, but I can understand most of what he says. Sometimes it is a guessing game, but luckily Mason will say Yeah or No to our answers. He will say I love you, I miss you, and Talk to you later. It is cute hearing him say bye to Nana and Papaw. He talks about baby a lot. If you ask him where something is he will point and say Right There. Names are getting easier for him, which is good. He still tries to repeat everything you say. 

What’s new this month? We love football! If you put him in a Razorback shirt, he immediately says Woooo Pig…Adorable! Makes this a Proud Mama. He really loves all things sports, but football being on TV a lot has gotten his attention. Let it go. Please make that song stop! For the love of all things good, if my child could find a new song to sing, it would make me happy. He sings it as soon as he wakes up, he asks for it on TV, he even has hand motions to go with the music. The other day he got in trouble for hitting me. He went to time out and we always make him give a hug and say sorry, which is cute. After time out he came over to give me a hug, but instead of saying I so sorry he said Let it Go. Really child! Let it go. This is the generation of letting things go apparently. Of course, we laughed about it and he hasn’t done it again, but wow. Let it go Mom…no biggie.

He has been super snuggly with me lately. I think he knows I don’t feel the best. I will take all the extra snuggles and kisses I can get.  My Mom sent me this picture on vacation telling me he knew how to pull the cookie apart and lick the inside out. I told her he had never had a sandwich cookie and I don’t know how he knew to do that. Some things are just born knowledge. Buckets are fun to play in, until you get inside and cannot figure out how to get back out without falling over. Mason at the Nature Center in Fort Smith. He loved touching all the stuffed animals. My favorite picture of all times. Another from when my Mom had Mason. After nap time, Gabby was so excited to go get her brother that she jumped up and gave him a big huge sloppy kiss. This just proves Gabby’s love for Mason. Gabby always goes with us in the mornings or after nap to wake up Mason. Most of the time she walks in sniffs him and leaves. Mason is always calling for her and asking about Gabby. When he says her name it comes out more sounding like Bobby than Gabby, but Gabby knows it is her name and comes to him (most of the time).

Baby #2 - Week 11

Let’s talk about Baby #2.

I found out I was pregnant right at the 4 week mark. I was already sick. I called my mom and told her I thought I was pregnant. She said you always think you are pregnant. Yes Yes Mom this is true, but if I am not pregnant why have I wanted to vomit everyday for the last few days. So, while Michael was out playing golf and Mason was napping I took a test and sure enough it said pregnant. I was shocked, but mostly excited. I couldn’t wait to tell Michael, but I did wait until he came home.

How far along? 11 Weeks
Total weight gain/loss: 3 lbs.
Maternity clothes? No. But trust me the bump is way bigger at this point than the last time. So I expect spandex is in my future. 
Stretch marks? No-Thank goodness.
Sleep: I have been sleeping a lot and hard. I wake up at least one time a night, but sometimes twice or more, to pee, so that is disturbing my sleep. Bedtime falls right after I put Mason to sleep, which is 8pm. Yikes. 
Best moment this week: I had to have an ultrasound this week. I was worried about some cramping so they had me come in for a heartbeat check, but instead of a just a heartbeat, I got to see my blob. 
Miss Anything? This is going to sound weird, or not, but I smelled Michael’s beer on Friday, from holding it, and I wanted to take a drink SOOOOO bad. 
Movement: No movement yet, and that is by far the worst part of the first trimester. No reassurance about the baby growing.
Food cravings: I crave a lot right now. Sweets mostly. I really like chocolate bars with the rice crispy in them. I also see food on TV and then want it whatever it is. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: I have been super sick with this pregnancy. I thought I was sick with Mason throwing up until 22 weeks, but this time nothing is helping. The Zofran doesn’t help and they gave me Phenergan but that just knocks me out. I usually wake up feeling dizzy and still sick.
Feelings: I am very excited about baby #2. I am getting Mason excited too. If you ask him if he wants a brother or sister he always says sissy. It is cute. He will also point to my belly if you ask him where a baby is. Adorable.   
Gender: We are not going to find out what we are having again. I so want to know, but I had that the last time too and I enjoyed finding out in the operating room.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: Michael says I have been moody. People have been annoying me easily. So I hide in my room and sleep. It makes it easier when you take a nap everyday.  
Looking forward to: Feeling the baby move for the first time. It will be the first of many movements to come. I want Mason to be able to feel the baby. I think it will help him understand more about the baby.

St. Thomas Vacation Part 3

Here it is, the third and final installment from our kid free vacation. The last day was probably the one thing I was looking forward to the MOST. When we decided on St. Thomas, I began researching things to do there. We had been there once before and remember hearing different things while there and since we came back. Going to the British Virgin Islands. I heard if you bring your passport it is the one thing that you must do when visiting St. Thomas. We all knew this prior to going this time and we all brought our passports. We booked the trip through the hotel and it was scheduled for Friday. We had to be up early and leave the hotel at 6:30AM returning after 5:00PM. Long day, but it was completely worth it. I will say it is probably the most touristy thing we did, but it was fun. We went to 3 different locations. It was a motor boat trip and it took us about an hour and a half to get to the first location. Virgin Gorda. We were going to the Baths National Park.  Enjoying the beautiful views from the boat. Even though it was a long boat ride, we had great views of several different islands. I want one of these houses. Yes please. Retirement!On the boat ride to Virgin Gorda, they provided fruit and a little breakfast, along with drinks in these awesome sippy cups. I took this picture of Michael to show Mason. Mommy and Daddy can drink from sippy cups too. It is smart on a moving boat. Maybe I will get my Dad some of these for his boat.We arrived at Virgin Gorda marina. Our boat captain took all of our passports and checked us in while we took a short cab ride to the hike. It is a 1.5 mile hike in and out of the Baths. This is the one thing I saw pictures of online and wanted to see in person so bad. It did not let me down.The beach at the Baths. The water was clear. I feel like I have said that a lot. But everywhere we went had beautiful beach and waters. The Baths are famous for the rock formations. These granite rocks are completely random. They don’t know where they came from or how they got into these positions, but probably related to the plates shifting. After we left this spot, I walked the rest of the trail barefoot. The trail was sand, dirt and big rocks. I think several people tried this method, and I heard a few ouches. I told Michael, they must not be from the south. Haha. We, in the south, don’t mind no shoes. I walk around my yard and even on the sidewalks in our neighborhood without shoes. It was nice.  Saying good-bye to our little beach swim spot. Continuing into the rock/cave. While walking through this part of the hike the water level came to about my knee. Our guide said the water was higher than normal. She said it typically will hit her ankles. I didn’t mind the water. This is the most famous, and most photographed part of the Baths. Not sure why. I found several cool areas to take pictures. The most photographed area, minus the people. After our hike, we jumped back on the boat and headed about 20 minutes away to Marina Cay. This tiny island, has a restaurant on it and that is it. No one was there except us. I bet in the busy season this place has more people but it was nice. The views were great. After lunch we went to a snorkel spot just across from the restaurant. It had the BEST coral EVER!!! We all agreed the coral was the best we had seen of all the snorkel spot on this trip. The fish, well, it got to a point where all the fish started to look the same, but we had a lot of fish sighting.

After snorkeling we headed to party. Well the boat partied, and I enjoyed my water. We went to Jost Van Dyke Island. This island is famous for the Soggy Dollar bar, where the original painkiller was created. They were handing out painkillers like they were going out of style on the boat. I learned on a lake trip painkillers are great but they can also make you sick. We went to the bar, bought some shirts and the boys enjoyed some ice cold beers. It was wonderful. We watched the party from the beach. I can image this place is crazy in the high season. I enjoyed the calm beach.

Sea Creatures we saw on this trip:

Sting Rays, Eagle Rays, Sea Turtles, Squids, Barracuda, Trumpet Fish, Crab, Parrot Fish, Porcupine Fish, Lion Fish, Angel Fish, BlowFish, yellowtail snapper, blue runner, butterfly fish, sergeant major, moray eel, flounder, scrawled filefish, squirrelfish, triggerfish, wrasse, and octopus. 

St. Thomas Vacation Part 2

Are you ready for beautiful picture overload? Part 2 & 3 will have tons of pictures. I am breaking these up just for myself to remember several items. Tomorrow will be about going to the British Virgin Islands. The second half of our trip was spent on boats, pretty much. We decided to take a sailboat trip one of the day with Hollywood Joe. He was a very interested person. His boat/sailing trip is Treazzure Sailing Adventures. Michael and I truly enjoyed being out on the water and the snorkeling. I think I enjoyed the lunch prepared by Hollywood Joe as my favorite meal on the entire trip. He is a chef for sure. He made chicken, grilled corn, caesar salad and garlic bread. It was so good to eat, and he is welcome to come to the states anytime and cook for me again. Hiding my slowly expanding midsection. The waters of our second spot was so clear. It was much more shallow than the first and we saw some amazing fish. I didn’t snorkel here as much as the boys. Us girls wanted to enjoy the relaxation and view. Along with the hammock. Snorkeling these waters was wonderful! Look how clear the water at our lunch spot was. We shared part of our lunch with the fish and they would come quickly and fight over the food. It was fun to see these fish. My Hottie, looking tan and refreshed. Hammock time. It was awesome. The sailboat we spent the day on, was just as beautiful as the scenery. We really liked the hammock. The hammock got rocking pretty good when we were going back. I thought it was going to throw us into the water. It was a fun little ride. I didn’t get any pictures of our third snorkel spot. Storm clouds rolled in and we had a scary situation arise. While snorkeling we got caught in a rip tide/current. The girls were definitely not strong enough swimmers to get out of the current. The sailboat had a dinghy and we knew they would come get us. One of the boys decided to swim to the boat to let them know we needed help and Michael stayed with us girls. We had just talked about why they bring a dinghy with them on these trips, for situations like this. We tried to swim and we would not go anywhere. Looking down the coral was not changing. Michael finally said to save our energy and float. We were moving pretty fast and by the time the dinghy got to us, we were in open ocean. I was more worried about another boat coming in the storm and not seeing us. In the process of floating Michael and Mattie got stung by a jellyfish. It was a crazy experience and a weird story we will never forget. We knew we were never in real danger, meaning, we knew the dinghy would come and get us. I just didn’t know if we would make it to the island across the way before the dinghy made it to us. We were moving at about 10 mph. I had brought out a swimming noodle with me, and everyone made fun of me for taking it each time, but then they were happy I had it when we needed a rest from trying to swim against the current.

After we got back from our sailing adventure. We stopped at Red Hook Marina area for a little happy hour and dinner. We went to the Caribbean Saloon, and they had Jager Bingo. I love a good game of Bingo. My Granny used to take me to play Bingo with her when I was little. Chris won 3 of the 4 games we played. Cheater. HAHA. Not really, but because he won he paid for our dinner and drinks. He won $40 in gift certificates to the place, which perfectly covered our dinner.  It was a great way to end a long adventurous day. We crashed early this night.