Grand Cayman Islands!!

 I'm so thankful that Mark and I had the opportunity to go on a trip together this summer to the Grand Cayman Islands!

 We stayed at the Marriott on the 7 mile beach. The sand is silky smooth and the water is so calm and the perfect temperature. Our hotel is the darker yellowish color behind Mark and this is the beach we were able to enjoy while there! Amazing!

 At a shopping center that was within walking distance from our hotel there was a lookout tower that we could have a 365 degree view of the area. The area of the island we were on was only 1 mile apart...so we could see both sides of the ocean. The lookout had a tile mural of the ocean the whole length of the 4 flights of stairs...it was amazing all the work that went into the tiny 1 x 1 tile mosaic.

 We also visited a sea turtle conservation. The adult sea turtles were over 500 pounds! And we were able to hold the 1-3 year olds. :) It was a fun experience.

 We stayed in a touristy area and I really enjoy seeing the areas we visit and experience more of the island life (although the Cayman Islands are very "American"). So we rented a car for a day and set out to see the rest of the island and eat at a few food shacks! This day was the high light of the trip for me. The above picture was taken at a famous jerk chicken stand...and it was delicious!

 Mark had a adventure with driving on the opposite side of the road and car. But he quickly got the hang of it and did a excellent job of getting us around. The drive was beautiful and was mostly along the ocean coast.

 We ended up at a place called Starfish point to do some snorkeling and it was fantastic! It was very secluded and lots of starfish around. :)

 The water was perfect and we laid in the shallows for awhile and just enjoyed the beauty.

 And one day we did a jet ski tour out to the middle of the ocean to Sting Ray Alley. We literally rode a jet ski out about 4.5 miles to where there is a sand bar and were able to swim with large sting rays! The pictures with the disposable camera are terrible but at least captured the experience. :)

We were able to hold and kiss the sting rays. They are super curious and come right up to you looking for squid to eat. It was such a amazing experience!

Thankful for such a amazing experience, trip and time with Mark!

Celebrating Isabelle Turning 4!

 We celebrated Isabelle turning 4 with family on the day of her birthday. She was pretty shy about having all eyes on her but still managed to open up her gifts. :)

 She wouldn't blow out her candles so all the other kids helped out.

 When the party was done and everyone was gone she got into enjoying her gifts! She put on the outfit that Grandma R gave and told me that she was going to wear it every single day. And got on her new bike that Grandma B gave. She loves it!

Showlow - Part 2

 Day 2 we headed to a different lake. This lake was great because it had a sidewalk walk way around the lake which was about 1.5 miles long. The boys headed out (with exception of Mark of course who has no interest in fishing :)) on the boat again and the rest of us took a walk and did some exploring.

 Love this picture of all of us girls!

And Cadence and Janae decided to go out towards the end of the day for just a ride around the lake.

 Ms. Muscles wanted to help dad with the ice chest for lunch. She is super strong!

 These last few pictures were taken on the last evening there. It was a great time away and I'm thankful for the memories that were made and the generosity of my parents.

Family Trip to Showlow!

 For our family trip this year we stayed a long weekend at a wonderful cabin (really a super nice house!) that was located right on a golf course. In the evenings we enjoyed a walk along the course. The kids had so much fun rolling down the hills and exploring.

 The 1st day we went to the lake and Dylan was so excited to go fishing! Jon brought his fishing boat and the boys spent the day on the lake and we stayed on shore and did some exploring and crawdad finding. :)

 We had a great time just relaxing and I had fun watching the girls get their hands dirty exploring.

 And the boys returned home with a fistful of fish! I love this picture capturing Jake's reaction! 

Then Janae, Cadence and I took a turn and went out on the boat. Isabelle was mad...you can't really see in the picture but she was so upset, had her arms crossed and head down. She wouldn't even look up at me...it was so funny.

 It was Cadence's first time fishing, Jon had found a spot where the fish were biting good so we headed over there. She was a bit timid with the process but she did great and in just about 15 minutes had her first fish on the line! She of course wanted to be no where near the fish when she got it on the boat and just about fell over trying to get away!!

 By the end of fishing which only lasted about a hour before the girls were done fishing, Cadence caught 3 fish and had 2 that got away. That's the kind of fishing that's fun!