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!