A Kid At Heart

What a perfect ending to a wonderful vacation. Nicholas confirmed it for me when he said, “Today was our best day here at Atlantis.” We started the day the way we probably should have done all along...on the beach.

After we lounged around a little bit and had breakfast the kids and I put our suits on and headed to the beach. The ocean is basically right out our back door. Our room is on the first floor and it is at the end of the tower so all we have to do is walk off our patio, through some grass, and we are on the beach.
I LOVE the bonding and interaction between the kids when we vacation together :)

I might have had more fun in the ocean today than the kids…I know I was in it the longest. The kids were in it quite a bit too but they took a break to play in the sand while I continued to take advantage of the waves. Aspen only lasted through half of our adventure…she started to complain that she was cold and wanted a shower (it was cloudy AND rainy). Once Marc took her in, the boys and I resumed our fun. I felt more like a kid out there with them then a mom. We had such a blast together. We probably would have stayed out there all day (especially when the sky turned blue) but our bellies were rumbling. I made everyone eat a light lunch because we were going out to dinner. Tonight was the ONLY night I was able to make reservations some where. They said that Predator Lagoon would have a special menu this evening for New Years Eve. It ended up being NOTHING worth getting excited about. We were all so disappointed :(.

We should have left right when they sat us. I made a reservation for five and they sat us at a table for four (with no room for a fifth chair). I tried to start with a pina colada but the server informed us that there were no alcoholic beverages...no menus either. We ended up being served an assortment of Bahamian food, family style. It was awful, not because of what it was, but because of how long it had probably been sitting under the heat lamp. OK, I lied...I didn't care for the weird sausage, conch, or what they were trying to pass as rice. Aspen even complained to the server that she wanted steak...she didn't eat any of it :(. The rest of us at least found one thing we liked and tried to fill up on that. It was during dessert (if you call a basket of dry cookies dessert) that I noticed the couple next to us had a glass of wine and some sort of mixed drink...WTF. I was furious!

It gets even better. They brought us the bill, well part of it. It was over $50. When we asked our server what is was for, she said it was for the six beverages we ordered. It was EIGHT dollars a coke! Aspen had spilled hers and they actually charged us for a new one. And this wasn't bottled or canned pop either...it was fountain. We asked about the dinner and they said it would just show up on our hotel statement. I informed the hostest that we better not be charged for Aspen because: 1. She didn't eat anything. 2. She didn't even have her own seat.

I was already furious when we left...I had been looking forward to this dinner since we arrived. I thought it would be fun for the kids to enjoy a "fancy" night to celebrate New Years. Listening to Marc rage about the price (for what it was), the service, and the food the whole walk back REALLY got my blood boiling. It was ending our trip on a horrible note and he was swearing that we would NEVER come back.

After we got back to the room I decided to go back to the front desk and speak with a manager. I NEVER complain, but I had to get this off my chest. I told her I was sorry, but I didn't want to pay $200 for quite possibly the shittiest dinner I've ever had. I informed her that there were no signs around displaying the price and nothing that says drinks aren't included...let alone $8 each. The price wasn't really the point...we had a $250 dinner earlier this week and there was no complaining from either Marc or myself, it was now they tried to scam us for nothing. She told me that she couldn't do anything about it at the time because the restaurant was still too busy to take her call. She said she would call me back in a couple of hours after it slowed down. I told her that I would be waiting for her call and if I didn't hear from her by eleven I was gonna make my way back down there. I really hope it gets taken care of...I would love to come back here when Aspen is a little older so we can enjoy ALL that Atlantis has to offer.

No big plans for tonight. I don't like to get rid of the kids on New Years Eve...we've only done it once. I feel bad for dropping them off at a kids club until after midnight. One day soon they will probably tell me that is what they want to do. Better enjoy them while they "want" to be with us all the time :). We got some tootie patootie to drink while we watch the fireworks tonight. I hope they can make it (Aspen and Nicholas already look tired and we have a few hours to go). I'm sure Blake will make it...he NEVER gets tired :).

Of course he lasted until midnight...that's cake for Blake ;)~

Happy New Year Blake!!!

Atlantis

Sunny…Windy…Chilly…Crowded…Expensive…Fun.

If I had to explain our experience here at Atlantis in five words, those would be it. After experiencing not so perfect weather during my birthday here in the Bahamas and the current weather I am officially banning the Bahamas from my future November thru January itineraries. It’s nothing compared to Michigan but it is deceivingly unpleasant and disappointing. The skies are sunny but the wind is fierce. When the clouds come through it is quite cool.

That hasn’t stopped us from experiencing the wonderful water attractions though…which brings me to crowded and fun. We had a heck of a time finding a couple of lounge chairs on Monday by the kids play area. After the kids played there for awhile we made our way to the lazy river. It is by far the BEST lazy river I have ever been in. It is about a mile long journey full of tidal waves, rapids, caves, and slides. The boys stayed with Aspen and I during our first time around. During the second, I allowed them to split off and go to the Power Tower (Aspen isn’t tall enough). I regretted my decision the instant they were out of my sight. I explained a few rules before we departed:

1. Stay together

2. Get out when they saw Dad.

When Aspen and I got to Marc I tried to stay calm when I didn’t see the boys. I set Aspen down by Marc and paced the river while many different scenarios went through my head…Did they stick together, did they go around for a third time, did they get out at a different spot…were they scared…were they lost??? I was about to go into full panic mode after fifteen minutes with no sight of them and then I saw them…a sigh of relief doesn’t even come close to explaining how I felt. Seeing the huge smiles on their faces and hearing how AWESOME it was made all the anxiety disappear instantly. They seemed so impressed with themselves for their big boy accomplishments. I guess after our experience at Beaches two years ago I wasn’t expecting the resort to be so happening. We were at Beaches during this same week and it never felt overwhelmingly crowded. It is very obvious that this place is 100% booked. I tried to make some restaurant reservations on Monday morning and every non-buffet, non-café, non-bar is booked for the entire week…WTF. Thank goodness we are staying at The Reef…our room has a full kitchen. Unfortunately, the store was already closed when we arrived on Sunday and it was closed on Monday due to a British public holiday. We ventured over to the store last night though and we should be all set. We spent $112 (which could easily be spent on one meal here) on groceries. Food here is quite expensive…a gallon of milk is $8 (not organic either).

I think I will be cooking the rest of our dinners. I am very over $10 chicken fingers and $12 burgers. I had planned on us eating breakfast and lunch in the room every day and then having a nice dinner each night. We did get lucky on Monday evening. The front desk girl basically begged for a restaurant (off of the property) to give us a table. The food was great and we over looked the water but I don’t think it was worth the $250 it cost. I made home-made macaroni and cheese last night. It felt so nice just to stay in the comfort of our room after an exhausting day. We spent some time at the water and then we walked all over the resort sight-seeing. The resort truly is AMAZING.

It is 11AM right now and the kids have been up for a few hours already. They are still extremely content sitting on the couch playing their games and watching cartoons. I have to admit…I could probably take some lessons from them on learning how to just sit and relax. They are not the type to bug me from the moment they wake about when we’re going here or there…what we’re going to do next. It’s actually me that always wants to get out and DO something. I’m starting to wonder if it’s the great adventures that we embark on or if it’s just the family time and togetherness they enjoy on these vacations.

Goodbye Snow...

Actually, there were times during our travels today that I would have GLADLY welcomed the snow. What a traveling nightmare. Hmmmm….where do I begin?

Well I guess it really all started on Christmas Eve. I got a message (from a computer) on Thursday letting me know our flights on the 27th had been cancelled and if I had any questions to call. Well hell yeah I had questions! I called the airline and got it all worked out…we were going to depart a few hours later BUT they bumped us up to first class. I could live with that ;). But the big question for me was WHY didn’t they just do that automatically? Why didn’t they just put us on the next flight without making me stay on hold for ten minutes filled with anxiety while they worked it all out?

Soooo…a blizzard decides to visit Michigan last night (when our travels began). Our flight was supposed to leave at 6:30 AM so I booked a room by the airport so we wouldn’t have to start our day at 3AM. We decided to just stick with the plan even though our flight was moved to 8:30. It’s a good thing too…the roads were pretty bad last night; I can only imagine what they were like this morning.

I NEVER (well hardly ever) watch the news (it’s just too depressing) so I felt dumb for not knowing about the recent terrorist incident when my girlfriend informed me AS we made our way to Detroit. Great…now security is going to be even MORE of a bother. The inconvenience tried to begin right when we checked in; the lady informed me that the airlines wanted their guests to arrive 3 to 3 ½ hours before their departures….ummm NO. I wasn’t going to even arrive TWO hours early. I HATE sitting at the airport waiting…waiting…waiting, ESPECIALLY with kids.

I must say, I was very happy with my decision. Checking in was smooth sailing. We arrived at the airport a little before 7 and we were at the gate by 7:15 :). I felt even better about my decision when they announced that our flight was delayed 30 minutes. However, I did make a very BAD decision; I chose NOT to feed the kids breakfast there and wait until our layover in Charlotte. I had good reasoning at the time…the boys ate a bowl of dry cereal on the way from the hotel to the airport and Aspen…well Aspen DOESN’T EAT PERIOD. Why buy her McDonald's when she is just going to take one bite…I DID get her some chocolate milk though ;).

By the time we arrived in Charlotte we were ALL starving. We didn’t arrive until noon AND we missed our connecting flight. Our plane in Detroit experienced some technical issues after it was de-iced. We didn’t end up taking off until 10:30 :(. From then on it was rush, rush, rush. The airline wouldn’t inform ANYONE of their next departures. They only told us ALL to see an attendant once we arrived in Charlotte. Getting off of that plane was fun…everyone wanted to race to the podium.

Once we got to the attendant, she informed us that we had to go “outside” the terminal to the main ticketing area…sigh. Once we got there, NOBODY wanted to work…they just wanted to continue chatting with each other. Someone finally helped us and then appeared bothered and questioned WHY we came all the way to the main ticketing area when we had already been reassigned to the 1:15 flight…I wanted to SCREAM. U.S. Airways has officially taken the title away from NWA for being the WORST airline (in my opinion). We got our new tickets and made our way through security AGAIN. Luckily, the process was still going smoothly.

We no longer had the comfort of first class and by the looks of things we were lucky to even get on that flight. The standby list was ridiculous. Our seats were all over the place too. Marc was put in first class. Blake, Nicholas, and I were in row 6, and Aspen was in row 8. The attendant had some guy in row 8 switch with me so I could be with Aspen. Then Marc switched with him so he could be with the boys. But our bellies were full (with Pizza Hut) and we were finally on our way so all was well. Thank goodness my kids are used to traveling…they were AMAZING. I think their behavior was better than my own ;).

Everything went smoothly after that. Thankfully, our luggage made the trip with us. The guy helping us with our bags slipped us through security so we didn’t have to wait in the long lines. Marc treated us to a Hummer limo ride. The kids thought it was so cool…they were a little confused about the famous aspect though. Nicholas thought it was the driver that was famous…Marc had to explain to him that we were famous today because we were the passengers ;). The kids ooooed and ahhhed once they saw Atlantis in the distance. When we checked in we were upgraded from the one bedroom suite to the deluxe one bedroom ;). So here we are…all cozy and content in our beautiful room at the amazing Atlantis Resort. We didn’t do much once we arrived. We walked around the property a bit and got some food and ice cream. I think my favorite part might be the marina. Some of those yachts are amazing. I also LOVE the atmosphere of the Cove. The boys are pretty impressed with all the “fanciness” as well. I know how lucky I am to be able to enjoy these amazing experiences with my beautiful family.

Merry Christmas

I LOVE the magic of Christmas morning. I feel such happiness making my children's dreams come true. For me, it all begins with those pitter patters downs the stairs. I can actually hear the excitement in their footsteps. Then I get to hear the squeals and, “Mom, he came…he came.” Then come the “hurry ups” and “come ons” while they try to patiently wait for me to brush my teeth and wash my face. That’s the rule though…they MUST wait for Marc and I before they can run out and get started. After all, I don’t want to miss a thing ;). Stockings first…they are always eager to see what kind of hidden goodies were left behind. It’s mostly candy and they LOVE that they get to dig right in. We don’t worry much about breakfast on Christmas morning. I usually just bake a can of cinnamon rolls and they aren’t that much better than candy if you think about it.

I really feel like “Santa” did well this year. None of them really got any odds or ends. We kept the gifts to a minimum BUT, the gifts they got were AWESOME. The boys got something they didn’t even ask for which made it extra special…iTouches. I have to give Marc the credit because it was his idea. I think they are really going to be good for the boys. I like how they can purchase games, movies, and music for just a couple bucks. We do this thing where they get a dollar for every 100% they get on a test, whether it be in spelling, math, social studies, or whatever. You can’t get much for a dollar these days so they just tuck them away in their piggy banks and save. They don’t really get to feel the gratification for “earning” something. But now they can spend it right away if they want. Just hand their money to their dad (the banker) and buy an app or two. They also don’t have to worry if they don’t like the game because it came at only a small price when compared to a $30 DS game that they saved for, only to find out it stinks. The boys also got what they “wished” for. Nicholas wanted some remote control spy gear. He says that now he can spy on us and know what’s going on when he’s in trouble upstairs. Blake wanted a microscope. That boy LOVES science. Aspen got her Molly doll, of course ;). She has been looking forward to her since June. I think I was more excited about that gift than any other this year. I couldn’t wait to see her light up. She got lots of Molly accessories as well, including: a bed, dresser, and LOTS of clothes.I got Marc a few new suits per his request and the each of the kids picked out a dress shirt to go with them. I can’t wait to see how he looks in them. Marc got me a new jacket, the new Super Mario game, and a wine refrigerator. Blake also colored a beautiful picture at school for us and wrapped it all by himself. Jaimee, our sitter, had the kids make us adorable ornaments too. Even Jasmine and Oreo got presents this year. I think we ALL made out quite well this year :). The only thing that could make Christmas more enjoyable would be if we were able to stay home for the day. Even though the morning flows a lot smoother now that we do “Christmas” the night before…I still hate dragging the kids away from all their gifts early in the afternoon. That’s just one of the many reasons why divorces suck…you have to spread yourself out over all the holidays. Christmas happens to be the only one that Marc’s dad gets so we can’t really back out. I just wish it could be a little later…getting to Jackson by 2 is a bit much I think.

Twas the Night Before Christmas...

And Heather was stirring ALL through the house :)
Christmas Eve is a VERY busy day for me. It's my night of the year to cook a big family dinner. We pretty much celebrate Christmas this evening too. It just got to be to much to open presents with everyone on Christmas morning and then rush out of the house to make it to Jackson by early afternoon. So, a few years ago I started the tradition of opening all our gifts the night before and only opening from Santa on Christmas morning. Well, Marc and I kinda exchange in the morning as well.

I always cook a yummy prime rib and turkey breast for my grandma, Rick, Becky, Amber, and Garnett. I am starting to wonder if the day of cooking is worth all the chaos and effort though. I feel like I am in the kitchen for hours only to sit down to enjoy it for thirty minutes. Hmmm...maybe I should think about take out next year...AND disposable silverware ;).

I always enjoy the gift exchange though. I was really excited to watch my grandma open hers this year...we got her family a Wii. I got a few sets of PINK lounge wear...I LOVE all of it, and some spa goodies. The kids made out well, of course. I may actually be looking forward to the days when the boys don't believe in Santa anymore. I am ready to take credit for all the "cool" stuff. Compared to the jolly guy, Marc and I are lame gift givers ;). They always get a pair of jammies from us to wear the night before Christmas...those was their "Day 7" gifts.

Festival of Trees

I am so pround to say that we have tried so many new things this Christmas :) Last night, we traveled over to Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. They have their Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World exhibition displayed for the season. All the trees and decorations were beautiful. We all had fun picking out our favorites. I was, however, a bit disappointed that the sleigh rides were already sold out.

They had a craft room set up downstairs for the kids. They got to make scrolls and flower vase pictures. Marc is much more artistic than I am and seems to enjoy doing those kind of activities with the kids. We finished off the evening with dinner at the Melting Pot across the street.