A Jamaican Getaway

My husband and I took a kid-free trip in the Spring, and it was pure bliss (because having some alone time is hard to get sometimes!). We spent a week in Runaway Bay, surrounded by lush green mountains and blue skies and beautiful sunsets.

Runaway Bay is a town in Saint Ann Parish on the northern coast of Jamaica and is considered one of the most naturally beautiful places on the island. It’s also located 16 km west of Ocho Ríos. There, we stayed at the beautiful Grand Bahia Principe Jamaica.

When you walk into the grand lobby of the resort, you’re greeted with nothing but smiles from the resort staff. The service at this resort was nothing short of exceptional. They truly aim to please; especially when the first thing they hand you is a welcome drink.

The resort itself is family-friendly and I was actually surprised at how many children were at the resort (including many infants). Having said that, we hardly noticed they were even there. There were no screaming or crying kids, there are plenty of kid-friendly activities, and the resort is so big that we hardly ever saw them. I guess that can happen when your resort has 850 rooms.

There are a lot of activities to do at the resort; this includes windsurfing, tennis, snorkelling, catamaran, kayaks, and bicycles. You can also check out the shopping centre or the nightly entertainment. We really didn't do any of the resort activities; we really just had a relaxing vacation and spent a lot of time by the pool and on the gorgeous resort beach. To sit by the pool all day, for three days in a row was bliss I tell you. Pure bliss!

There are also plenty of things to do outside of the resort. We went on a tour to Ocho Ríos that included a botanical garden tour, a visit to a local flea market, a visit to Dunn’s River Falls. On this particular day we had a truly authentic Jamaican Beef Patty. You really haven't had a beef patty until you've had one in Jamaica. It was ah-mazing!

On our last full day there, we took a raft ride down Martha Brae River. It was so calm and romantic. A truly perfect way to end a perfect vacation.

The vacation itself came at a really good time for Doug and I. We are constantly striving to improve our relationship and I feel like this vacation really helped us communicate and get to know each other more as a couple. We really couldn't have asked for a better destination. I would truly recommend going to Jamaica if you ever get the chance. It's such an amazing country, the people are fantastic and the food is amazing.

A truly beautiful country.

Fall Family Photo's

Hey There! I have something awesome to show you; our fall family photo's. We get photo's done every year and had these done a couple of weeks ago. It's something really important to us as we grow as a family. This will be our third year using the very talented Charlotte. I'm really excited to share them as I am so happy with the way they turned out!

         

        

 

Aren't they just lovely? I absolutely order them and I can't wait to order prints for our new living room redesign (which will be posted of course). I really just love everything about them and I encourage you to take a look at Charlotte's work.

Thanks for visiting!

Five on Friday!

Hello friends! Happy Friday to you! I have a day off from work today so the day is already looking good. Let's get to it shall we?
{ONE} We had family photo's this past weekend at beautiful Paletta Mansion in Burlington. A full blog post will be done on this but here is a sneak peek. I am so happy how they turned out!

{TWO} I have been back in full swing with my blog and I think I have finally found a common scheduling ground with everything else I am doing, so I'm extremely happy that it seems to be working so far.
{THREE} I created an Everyday with Lisa Facebook Page. Please like and join the fun!
{FOUR} Monday was Thanksgiving and we had a wonderful time. We hosted Doug's Aunt Pat and his two cousins, Scott and Amber, for dinner on Sunday. I went all out with turkey, potatoes, carrots, my Nana's famous broccoli and cauliflower carousal, and of course, homemade gravy made from the drippings. I also made homemade apple crumble pie (recipe to be posted soon!). It was all so delicious.

{FIVE} We went for a small hike this week up to the Devil's Punch Bowl. Sounds awful, but it's a trail that leads you to one of the best vies of the city. I caught this cute picture of Doug and Eric while we were there.

How was your week? Be sure to link up with Lauren Elizabeth and Carolina Charm.

Have a wonderful weekend loves!

Hot Wheels Birthday Party

Eric turned four this past July and this year he had a Hot Wheels themed party. We had a racin' good time (see what I did there?).
It turned out really well; and though I used a lot of Pinspiration for this I made all the decorations on my own with the exception of the water bottle labels - I bought those from Etsy (whose shop no longer exists unfortunately). For the race cars I used for the food tent labels, I bought the clip art here. 
I'm super happy how it turned out and the birthday boy definitely had an awesome day. His three hour nap afterwards proved it.
Enjoy!

Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving :)

Starting Kindergarten

It's been about a month since Eric has started school and although it was a bumpy start, he seems to be really enjoying himself. I really thought I would be a crier but I actually didn't cry at all; I think I was just too excited for him. 
But in all honesty, he can stop growing any time now.
All the kids in his class are super cute though; and there's just something about little kids with their over-sized backpacks that just makes you smile. 
The first couple of weeks were slightly rough for Eric. Though he is fully potty trained (except at night), he really regressed when school started. Mostly with pooping in his underpants instead of the potty. He didn't ask for help, he was went in his underwear. Every time I asked him why, he really didn't have any answer. I know it takes a while for kids to adjust, but I really wasn't expecting it. Luckily he knows how to clean himself up and that I always send him with a change of clothes, because the teachers are not allowed to go into the bathroom with the children.
He's in the before and after care program too since Doug and I both commute for work. He really likes that part of the day because most of it is in the gym. They play games, do crafts, have snacks, and just the other day another kid gave him a couple of his Pokemon cards. He now wants to start collecting them (I'm not to excited about that).
All in all, full day Kindergarten is a good thing. He's learning, he's more interested in books, and he's making new friends, among other things. The only thing I don't like is how tired he is at the end of the day! I mean, he sometimes falls asleep on the couch right when he gets home, or will actually fall asleep on the five minute car ride home from the school. He's still a napper though; and not just because we like him to nap, but because he actually needs it. He's such a cranky boy when he's tried and doesn't get enough sleep. Naps definitely help that.
Having said that, I know he's going to make such great progress and take everything as it comes the best way he can. I plan to post regular updates on his school life not only for my own documentation, but since I also joined the school council, I want to share some of our projects and school improvement to give other parents idea's.
Thanks for sharing our journey with us!