Bahamar

Since we got so busy with soccer this summer, we were not able to go on vacation in July like we typically do so we booked a quick trip for Thanksgiving instead. We pulled the girls out of school a few days early & headed to the Bahamas:

This was bright & early! We woke them up at 4:00 & were at the airport by 4:30 & on the plane by 6:00. We even saw a beautiful sunrise on our flight that morning:

We had a quick layover in Fort Lauderdale then we made it to the Bahamas early afternoon:

 Unfortunately, Sadie had one of her epic nose bleeds in the taxi on the way from our airport to the hotel. It was so bad we had to pull over on the side of the road:

That afternoon/evening we checked out the resort & got settled in. Unfortunately we learned that they had time change also so it was pitch dark by 5:30 so we had to wait until the next day to head out to play. The next morning, they were ready to go! It was cloudy but the resort was empty & the girls had the water park to themselves:

Bryan & I have been to this resort before a few years ago when it first opened but it wasn't as kid friendly, until now. We had heard that they opened their water park in July so we were excited to check it out with the girls. Thankfully we went before most people were out for Thanksgiving break so there was literally no lines. The girls could run around the whole park & ride any ride without any lines! It was amazing! Sadie had no hesitancy & rode every single ride there, even the one that went straight down:

Eventually we left the water park & headed to the pool where we discovered this:

We literally came here every single afternoon & treated ourselves to fresh fruit smoothies - they were delicious!

That first day was cloudy but thankfully we never really had rain until the evening. The next morning, we woke up & it was beautiful! This was my view from the gym:

We walked outside to go get brunch & the girls loved all of the decorations around the Sugar Factory:

We went & had a big brunch most mornings then we always started at the water park. This morning, we started at the Flow Rider. Sadie had already done this before but this was Sophie & Bryan's first time:

Since it was such a beautiful day, we left the water park & spent some time at the beach:

This was by far the calmest & clearest day we had so I am glad we were able to enjoy the beach! Sadie & Bryan took advantage of all of the water activities while Sophie splashed around & played in the sand:

We had to make 1 stop before making our way to the pool but this time, they hooked up the blender to the bike & we made Sadie work for her smoothie:

Isn't that cool?!

Back at the pool, the girls played, I did some online Christmas shopping, while Bryan napped!

Most nights we cleaned up & went to dinner but for some reason I didn't take any pictures at night? I have this one shot of the girls at the Italian restaurant with Bryan:

And we might have gotten a picture of Sophie inside the casino - she was excited when she saw this big number 8 because she is turning 8 in a few weeks:

We did carry on our vacation tradition of playing Farkel at dinner every night. It is a small game to travel with so I kept it in my purse & it is quick & easy to play. Plus it really makes time go by faster, especially when we are at a nice, long dinner:

For breakfast the next morning, we tried the buffet & look what we found:

Fresh fruit popsicles! They literally had a popsicle bar with at least 20 different flavors. We might have had 1, or 2, every single morning for breakfast!

Next stop, the water park where we met up with some family friends we had met at the pool the afternoon before. Sophie hung out with their youngest, Gabby, all day:

Sadie & Bryan ran around with the 2 older daughters & their father. Somehow Sadie convinced Bryan to go on every single ride with her, even the big one!

Thankfully that afternoon, the sun came back out & warmed the water up so I could finally get in again:

Another pretty afternoon, means another trip to the Daq shack:

For Sadie & I at least because Sophie discovered Bahamar Pops:

She spent the rest of the trip rotating her way through the popsicles & ice cream!

The next morning, we started at the beach because the girls wanted to get their hair braided:

It was so pretty outside, we took a few pictures to indulge mom, much to the girls' dismay:

Since it was our last day, we went back to the water park & met up with our friends again:

This time Sophie wanted to work for a smoothie, even though she didn't have one. Poor girls was not strong enough to do it so Sadie jumped back on & finished it off:

Then we spent our final afternoon at the family pool. The girls LOVED this pool & this is where we ended everyday. They had an aquarium underneath the waterfall that Sophie loved:

Then they had diving cliffs that they both jumped off of, at least 50 times while we were there! They had a small one & a larger one & they did both. Sadie even won a jumping/dance contest one afternoon:

We stayed at the pool much later our last night because we were having such a great time with our friends:

We ended up not even showering, cancelling our dinner reservations & just eating at the Noodle Shop. While we were out, we found this cute pink phone booth that I had to take pictures of:

The girls showered & put on their pajamas, then they went to our friends room for a late over:

We let them stay up pretty late since it was our last night. The next morning we headed to the airport & had another quick layover in Fort Lauderdale. This time, they found the airport playground to keep themselves entertained:

Before I wrap this up, I'll throw in another few pictures. First up, our resort at night:

I didn't take as many pictures of the resort itself, probably because we have already been there before. But it is new & beautiful. And with the addition of the water park, it was a great resort for kids. They even have a cove of flamingos that we enjoyed visiting:

In case you are wondering who won our Farkel tournament? That would be me, again! Let's just say my family thinks it is rigged since I always win but I am also the one who keeps track of our score:

Lastly, it was pretty dead when we flew in the week before Thanksgiving, but by Saturday & Sunday before Thanksgiving, it had gotten much more crowded. Not just with holiday travelers, but with college basketball teams also. Apparently they play a big tournament there every year so we saw a lot of really tall boys walking around:

It wasn't as long as our trips normally are, but it was the perfect getaway for a few days after our busy fall season. So thankful to spend some time away just the 4 of us!