We spent a fun and relaxing week in Grand Cayman over the kids Fall Break. I am so thankful that they love to travel and are so good at it (for the most part).
Here are the highlights in the form of A LOT of pictures and video:
The kids entertained themselves for quite some time during our layover in Ft. Lauderdale by pushing a water bottle across the table trying to get as close to the edge without falling off.
It was a chilly fall day when we left Nashville but it was a gorgeous 75 when we landed in Georgetown.
Playing with the rooster and baby chicks while we waited for Daddy to get our rental car.
Roger was excited about driving because in Grand Cayman, they drive on the left side of the road. Everything in the car was reversed too so we had quite a few laughs when Roger would mean to use his turn signal but instead, would turn on the windshield wipers.
We loved our condo for the week. It had enough space for everyone, plus a kitchen, screened in patio, sand toys and everything else we could possibly need.
It was also a thirty second walk to the beach or the pool!
We spent our first full day exploring the entire island by car. Anywhere with a sign warning of danger seems to beckon my crazy crew.
Rowan brought his notebook to keep track of any interesting information that he might learn while exploring.
Lovers Wall
The Blow Holes were a huge favorite. We had a blast and ended up getting soaked!
There were flat rocks of all sizes perfect for building towers.
We had the most delicious lunch at a little local place called Big Tree BBQ.
It was basically tables under a big tree with a guy grilling in the background. The food was SO good though.
We kept driving to the tip of the island called Rum Point
Coco found a sign she liked.
We stopped at Dairy Queen on our way back....
...and spent the rest of the day at the beach.
Roger and the boys cooked us several delicious grilled meals.
Wednesday morning was our big boat tour adventure.
The kids had a blast riding up high as we headed towards Sting Ray City.
When we got out of the boat at Sting Ray City, there were tons of sting rays circling around us in the water. They were all super friendly. You can see Cruz in the back of the picture sitting on the edge of the boat. He wasn't ready to come in right away.
You could tell that the sting rays knew our guide and were very comfortable around him.
Our very brave Cruzy didn't stay on the edge of the boat for long. He joined us in the water and even pet the sting ray. He didn't want to give it a kiss though... Roger was the only one brave enough for that!
He was so proud of himself! I was beyond proud of him too. He is so brave.
The next stop on our boat trip was called Starfish point.
The starfish were surprisingly strong when they suctioned themselves to your hands! It was a unique feeling.
Captain Mario let all three kids drive the boat at one point or another.
Our final stop on the boat tour was snorkeling. The kids had been practicing in the pool with their snorkels all summer long so they were ready! It was a really good thing they had been practicing because the ocean was choppy and the water was deep.
The kids were ridiculously brave. I was so proud of them. Roger put together a video of our snorkeling adventures. This was our first time using the go pro and our first time in a long time snorkeling so the video is kind of jerky. The kids brightly colored snorkels made them easy to pick out of the group. Rowan's is yellow/blue, Cruz's is orange/blue and Cora's is purple/green.
When we got back we went to downtown Georgetown and did a little shopping. The kids each picked a small souvenir. Cora chose this pretty doll, Rowan picked a Grand Cayman sting ray magnet for his locker at school and Cruzy got an orange glass sting ray.
The boys also got their first real watch... Daddy got one too.
These were their watch model faces. Ha.
The sunsets were gorgeous!
Our final day was a leisurely beach day! Roger and the boys built a giant sand castle.
We did some snorkeling in the shallower, calmer waters near our condo.
Cora made herself some new friends, as she usually does. I love this about Cora. The boys have built in friends with each other. I used to feel bad that Cora doesn't have a built in buddy in a sister but it turns out, she has the best personality for her situation. She will go out and make a new friend any time we somewhere new. I hope she always continues to be bold, friendly and open to meeting new people.
The boys got the chance to go parasailing while Cora and I watched from the boat.
Rowan is so fearless. He's always up for an adventure. He reminds me a lot of his daddy in that aspect.
Parasailing video by Roger. :)
We finished our trip with a nice Italian dinner on the water.
The food was delicious, the company was the best and the sunset was gorgeous.
We came back with grateful hearts and full "buckets."
