The Great Pumpkin...Hunt

We took our annual visit to Carolyn's Country Cousin's pumpkin patch last weekend. It is by far one of my very favorite holiday traditions. The family that owns the farm has done an amazing job creating a little wonderland around the tradition of picking out your own pumpkin for Halloween. They had been advertising a ton this year and it was an absolutely perfect day so we weren't surprised to see a line stretching from the front gate all the way to the far edge of the parking lot. It moved quickly, though, and we were inside before we knew it.

We made an immediate bee-line to the miniature train ride since that's what the boys had been talking about for ages. We enjoyed a quick ride and drug the boys out of the gift shop that is strategically located at the entrance to the ride.

Next, we made our way to the tricycle racetrack. This is what Thomas had been most excited about, and to our shock and amazement, Andrew was actually able to keep up with him this year! Last year, he wasn't quite pedaling yet, so tried to push himself along with his feet which was not at all efficient. This year, he was keeping up with, and often passing, the other kids. They had a blast and we finally drug them away from that to get on the tractor to go pick out our pumpkins.

The fields were amazing...the pumpkins were so fresh and still connected to the vine. It really doesn't get any better. Andrew picked out a very pathetic looking little pumpkin about the size of a large grapfruit which then tapers into a wrinkled, rotted-looking bottom. But, it was his. We picked three more beautiful pumpkins before heading back on the tractor.

Thomas enjoyed this part up until he saw me picking little sticker buds off the back of his sleeve. He completely freaked and refused to walk any farther. He was miserable for the rest of the visit to the field, screaming and wailing his way through.

Once back at the farm, we spent some time at the playground until it became obvious we'd pushed it a little too far past lunch for Andrew. Christopher took him to the car while Thomas and I waited in line to pay for our pumpkins.

I have to say, they look pretty darn good on our front porch and flanking a cute yard sign I have in our front landscaping. Very festive!

It was a great family day!

Soaking Up the Final Hours

Friday was another very relaxing day hanging by the pool, reading, and soaking up the sun. Sal Joe and Fat Nicky were back, though neither wanted much to do with Thomas. My parents and brother went golfing so we didn't see them until close to lunch time. We brought the boys up to eat lunch at the villa, and I took another snoozer. The afternoon brought more pool time, which we soaked up every last minute of.

For our last night, we decided to try a restaurant at the resort next door. It was sports bar full of Yankees fans (make that LOUD Yankees fans), but the food was great. The boys were pretty good, until Andrew decided to start running laps around the 10 or so empty tables behind us. A very sweet, grandparent-like couple were amused the first few times, then started telling my dad that part of the benefit of growing old was that you didn't have to deal with "this" anymore. Point taken.

Friday night brought some crazy lightening, thunder and torrential rain. One of the resorts got off a nice show of fireworks before it fizzled out in the rain which we could see perfectly from our living room window. The boys enjoyed it for the most part, though Thomas was not thrilled about the thunder. I had to spend quite a bit of time soothing him to sleep that night, and promised that the thunder and lightening would be over by the next day.

Leave it to Mother Nature to make a liar out of me. The thunderstorms had fired up again around 4 or 5 a.m., just as we were waking up to head to the airport. It was storming pretty good all the way to the airport, which the boys really were not thrilled about. I was a little anxious about getting out of there, but luckily it all blew over by the time we were boarding our plane to leave.

The travel back home was another long and trying day. Most of the goodies and new movies we'd brought had been seen and the novelty was mostly worn off. We had one blow up with Andrew on the flight from Miami to Dallas, but a trip to the bathroom and a discussion about what was appropriate behavior on an airplane helped. We successfully kept track of and chased Andrew through airports in Chicago, New York, Aruba, Miami and Dallas. That's some serious mileage.

We were so happy to be home, the boys especially. Andrew's relief came in the form of him completely crashing in the car not to wake again until 6:30 the next morning. Thomas was a little more wound up, and we had a hard time getting him to go to bed at a decent hour. We would go back to Aruba in a heartbeat, either with kids or without. It was an amazing vacation and one that we feel so very fortunate to have had the opportunity to take! Thanks Mom and Dad, and Happy Birthday!

Shopping in Oranjestad (say that three times fast!)

On Thursday, we decided to tackle some shopping and get out and see the island at bit. We walked along the beach to a resort that we'd learned the night before had a pretty good breakfast buffet. We had a nice breakfast, then walked around a new, partially under-construction shopping area. There didn't end up being much there, nor much that was open that early. We decided to head "downtown" and jumped in a couple of cabs.

Downtown Oranjestad was interesting. One side of the street was lined with individual vendors in glorified tents selling all kinds of cheap tourist crap. Almost every vendor had the same stuff, so we quickly tired of that. We crossed the street to find and interesting dichotomy of shopping choices...there were either very high end, Beverly Hills-like shops (Tommy Hillfiger, Feregamo, Yves Saint Laurent) or more cheasy tourist crap. We did find the boys some cute t-shirts but the trip was otherwise a bust. We had lunch downtown at Iguana Joes, and I probably had the best steak quesadilla I've ever had in my life. Yum!

We decided to get the kids back to the resort while the rest of the family enjoyed a drink at the notorious Carlos and Charlie's (the last place Natalie Holloway was seen alive). A little morbid if you ask me.

Back at the resort, Christopher took Thomas down to the pool. I napped and tried to get Andrew to do the same (fat chance). We followed about 20 minutes later.

Thursday night we had dinner at a great local restaurant that featured outdoor seating along a vine covered stone wall, and a short distance away, smaller tables the circled a small swimming pool. It was such a pretty restaurant, and probably the nicest we've ever taken the boys to. They did really well, though, and we got to each in relative peace. I stayed back with the boys again while the rest of the family partied it up back downtown at Carlos and Charlie's. This was truly okay with me :)

Shuffleboard and Sunset Cruises

On Wednesday, the boys joined a shuffleboard tournament with Daddy and Grammy which ended up just being them. They got a quick lesson then they mostly just goofed around. It was unbearably hot, so we made an immediate bee-line for the pool. We spent most of the late morning and afternoon there. Andrew crashed on one of the lawn chairs and napped for more than two hours. It was a sorely needed nap so I was more than relieved he finally gave in! Thomas made a new friend, a 3-year-old from Boston named Anthony. They had a long-running joke going about different kinds of cake - fascinating! "You're a boonie cake!" "You're an elephant cake!"

Christopher, Joe, Julie and I went on a beautiful cocktail sunset cruise Wednesday evening. Mom and Dad watched the boys for us, which was very sweet, and we had an amazing time! The ship departed from the Radisson Hotel, just a little distance down the beach from our resort. They had a great beach side bar where we waited and had a cocktail. A small motor boat came and picked us up and took us out to a large antique sailboat that looked like an old pirate ship. We had a wonderful two-hour cruise up and down the beach, with an open bar and music. Christopher and I met a really sweet couple visiting from Boston on their honeymoon. It was their fifth or sixth time in Aruba, so they had some great restaurant suggestions. There were several other honeymooner's on the ship, and it was a very romantic night.

One fun fact about the boat was that it was used in an episode of The Bachelor (The "Charlie" season)and featured a hammock that hung out over the end of the bow. One couple actually was brave enough to venture out there, but I stayed firmly planted on the deck. The sunset was breathtaking and we got some great photos. Joe and Julie clicked with an older couple on the ship that invited them to dinner. I was a little uneasy about it, but had met the couple and although a little different, seemed innocent enough. They luckily made it back safe and sound and even had some great stories to tell.

There's a Reason They Call it Paradise

I was so consumed by the beauty of Aruba, I didn't get to finish sharing our experiences! I'll try to summarize our final few days over the next several posts...

We did spend part of one afternoon at the beach. The resort had these great primitive tables that looked to be carved from the trunk of a palm tree, which were then topped with adorable thatched umbrellas. They provided a great amount of shade which was needed. The boys got to play with their sand toys (purchased at the gift shop), and I floated very peacefully on my raft in the ocean. They had a nice-sized swim area roped off so you didn't drift too far away :)

By early afternoon, it was too hot to hang out on the beach any more, so we made our way back to the pool and finished our afternoon there. Thomas made some interesting friends - Sal Joe, a 6-year-old from Staten Island and Fat Nicky, Sal Joe's cousin from Queens. They were only two of many East Coast natives we met all week. Everyone was so nice, but at times we felt like we were talking to characters from a television show :)

Tuesday was my night for dinner so once we were all cleaned up everyone congregated in our villa for taco bar and margaritas. Yum!

I also may have failed to mention some shenanigans that took place Monday evening - I wasn't there, but I know it involved my husband falling down stairs at the Marriott casino a couple of hotels down and a lively game of cards that went well into the early hours of the morning. As usual, I was the responsible party sleeping snug in my bed :)

Sunshine and Waterslide Bliss

Our last two days have been such a blast...Aruba, and the resort where we are staying, are heavenly!

The weather here is a bit hotter and more humid than I'd anticipated. It's been primarily in the 90s and so humid our windows in our villa are regularly covered with condensation. We are just over 12 degrees from the Equator so the sun is also pretty intense. We've all been getting our fill of sun and are trying to take breaks every so often to get out of the sun and avoid getting fried so early in our vacation.

We've spent most of our time so far at the pool and the beach. We are staying at the Marriott Surf Club which is part of the Marriott Vacation Club worldwide resorts. You have to be an owner or guest of an owner to stay here, and the accommodations are first class. The pool is amazing...it has two main areas with a lazy river in between. The boys definitely prefer the side with the water slide, water fall, spray pool and lots of room to swim. We bought water wings our first day here and Andrew has especially taken to the water. He even started jumping into the pool all by himself yesterday - with no one there to catch him. He loves to dunk his head in, get a mouth full of water, then spit it out either on the side of the pool or on Mommy' head...nice!

We visited the local grocery store Monday to stock up on food for breakfast, lunch and a couple of dinners we'd planned to eat in. The produce was so fresh, and the prices were only slightly higher than in the U.S. I spent about the same amount I would have for a week of groceries, though I only bought dinner for one night plus breakfast and lunch items. They had most of the items you'd find in American grocery stores, with some exceptions, but you could usually find a good alternate option even if it isn't the brand you're used to. They also had an entire isle of Asian and Dutch items which I found really interesting.

DH has fallen in love with the local beer here, Balashi. I tried it when we had dinner out Sunday night and it is pretty good. I'd compare it to a Heineken. I think he has single-handedly drank a couple of cases in his first few days here :)

We'll be going out to eat tonight and Friday night, then we split dinner the rest of the nights up by couple. It's been a great way to save money, and more convenient with the kids. They do pretty well eating out, but it would have been pushing it to eat out more than a few times.

There is so much to do here, it can be difficult to prioritize and choose what you want to spend your money on. We took the boys to the children's area here at the resort and Thomas painted a t-shirt while Andrew played with all of the balls. They have great activities for kids of just about any age. They break up the activities in a magazine the hotel provided when we first got here by ages...my kids fall under the miniMAZE activities which are appropriate for ages 2-4. Thomas could probably do some of the kidsMAZE activities which are for ages 5 and up, but it's been easier to keep the boys together. Tonight is movie night, where they'll be showing Shark Tale outside by the pool. They have other arts and crafts activities, a kids day camp, and indoor movies. They do an excellent job catering to kids, providing parents with a break if necessary, or fun things to do with your kids.

Lots more excitement to follow!

Aruba - Day One

The drive to our hotel presented a little bit different Aruba than I'd expected to see...a port with sparsely stacked containers, public beaches lined with low trees, boarded up hotels, and as we got closer to our resort, Taco Bell, McDonalds and Pizza Hut with outdoor play areas.

The boys were fascinated by everything we passed...and the funny Carribean music that sang something about bananas. We pointed out the beaches, and Andrew immediately announced the second he saw McDonalds. Thomas keeps confusing our trip to this beach with the one where his Nanna and Boss live in Florida. I'm not sure how many tens of times I've explained that they are at a different beach and that it's pretty far from where we are.

When we pulled up to the resort it was like we were entering a totally different reality. A boulevard driveway lined with palm trees led up to a 10 story peach colored, sprawling resort. Our taxi took us to the main circle drive where several bellmen were immediately there to unload our bags onto luggage carts and extent a warm "welcome to Aruba." What a relief...I felt pure thrill flood my body.

We went into the main lobby while my dad got everyone checked in. We took the boys over to the "Kids Check In" which was a cute thatched-roof stand with brightly colored tie-dyed t-shirts and lettering. The nice young woman behind the stand immediately handed me a magazine with information on kids activities and explained all that the resort would be doing through the week. She then asked the boys their favorite colors and proceeded to make a balloon fish and rod/reel connected with a piece of green curly ribbon - I'd never seen anything cuter!

Thomas enjoyed his until he decided it was "broken" because the rod had gotten twisted and wasn't hanging the same way it had been when she first gave it to him. Andrew was wandering all over the lobby and at one point decided to let the breeze carry his balloon animal across the floor right behind several people that were checking in. Suddenly we heard a loud "BANG!" and I realized we'd had a balloon casualty. I ran over to where I'd heard the noise and found Andrew's balloon fish with only half of his tail and lips. The two men standing right in front of the mangled balloon figure turned around laughing and one said "Don't worry, I have another pair of swim trunks I can change into." I was laughing so hard I was crying. The nice lady at the Kids Check-In happily fixed Andrew's balloon and it was finally time to go to our villa.

The rooms were a bit anti-climactic since we've stayed in a Marriott resort before in Palm Springs. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful resort. We gawked at the beautiful pools, waterslide and lazy river on our walk to the building where our elevators were. Light sherbet colors, ceramic tile floors and granite accents definitely made you feel like you were in a luxurious place. Our villa has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a living area and full kitchen. We have two balconies, though we've gone to great lengths to block the access to the one off the boys' room. This had DH pretty nervous, but we just slid the pull out couch in front of it and pulled the drapes closed to avoid any temptation. The balconies are safe, with narrow iron slats, but we'd never even take a chance. I'd wished there was some kind of pole that we could just put at the top of the sliding glass door so they could have light in their room, but there wasn't one available.

The master suite has a king-size bed, soaking tub and sink, then separate area for the stool, stand up shower and a second sink. We truly felt pampered.

We put clothes away and got settled in then immediately changed for the pool. The pool here is amazing...there are several areas to accomodate both adults and families. We stayed in the family area that featured a zero-depth entrance and was close to the swim up bar (but not so close it was inappropriate for the kids). The boys were absolutely in heaven. I purchased some water wings and a pair of goggles and they had a blast. We all had a couple of drinks while we watched the boys swim, then decided to walk on the beach.

We walked along the smooth sidewalk the short distance to the beach and the ocean. The sun was just beginning to set and cast a warm orange glow on everything - it was etheral and surreal. There was a restaurant just past the resort and we made plans to come back for dinner. Once on the beach, the boys were fascinated by the sand and the water. Andrew ran along the water, finally entering and sitting down in the shallow water. We took lots of pictures and just enjoyed the peaceful, relaxing environment.

When we'd had enough of our short visit to the beach, we headed upstairs to get cleaned up for dinner. I have never been more excited to shave my legs and wash my face! It felt amazing.

The restaurant was very warm and relaxing, with soft cushioned teak armchairs, blue wine glasses and yellow linens. It was just the perfect balance of luxury and casual dining. We had a great dinner, enjoying the local beer - Balashi - and the boys were thrilled to find they had Macaroni and Cheese! They both devoured their meals and were finished before any of us ever got our food! I had the Grouper Beure Blanc and DH got the Mahi. Everything was delicious! The boys hung out with us for quite a while, then Andrew began his laps around the restaurant again. The wait staff were incredibly attentive, and understanding. DH finally took the boys upstairs for bed while I waited with my family for our bill.

We will definitely only be eating out a couple of times - $90 later (including tip but not drinks since my dad paid for those) I made my way to the gift shop to find some minimal groceries to get us through the next morning. Another $45 later I had milk, eggs, butter, yogurt, cereal, saltine crackers, four more cans of Balashi, o.j. and apple juice. Yikes! We'll be hitting the local grocery store tomorrow to stock up for the rest of the week and I'm really hoping it's a little more reasonable there.

My family came and hung out in our villa until about 10 p.m. at which point we all finally crashed. What an amazing first day - I can't wait to see what the rest of the week will bring.

Biggest lesson of the last few days: Kids truly are resilient and are pretty good at taking just about anything thrown at them. Don't be afraid of traveling to non-traditional places - the kids will adjust. Aruba is fabulous for families!