Last Evening

It is hard to believe our time in paradise is over for this year.  We enjoyed relaxing and playing in beautiful Anguilla.  Making memories that will last a lifetime.  

We will be back next year!

Worn Out

We spent the majority of the day on Shoal Bay East.  It was beautiful and by far the most gorgeous beach ever.  We walked the beach, floated in the clear water, flew our kite, and had fun playing.  All the activity wiped out the children.  Reed was out before we made it to the main road, and Ryland and Ridley weren't far behind. 

Exploring Meads Bay

We walked to the end of Meads Bay this evening to explore the rocky cliff and cove.  Miss Ridley was in a very independent mood, so she led the way.  I love the sweet little footprints that she left behind.

When we reached the end of the beach, we waded through a bit of water around a rock. There was a small little cove under the huge cliff with a small private beach.  It was gorgeous.  On the way back, I caught Ryland and Reed making sure Ridley made it safely back to the beach.  They are great protectors.

The view down Meads Bay from our residence. 

Trying Different Things

We spent the morning on Shoal Bay West.  We walked the beach and explored the villas that look out to St. Martin.  We weren't fans of the rocky beach or rough green water, but we did find a delicious Italian place.  We enjoyed pizza and calamari on the beach and took some pictures.  

Once again, we tried to get Ridley to wear the bonnet Lizee made.  She wasn't interested, but Reed was in a silly mood.  He put it on without hesitation.  When Ridley saw this she decided that it must not be that bad.  She put it on and smiled from ear to ear and then quickly yanked it back off.  Drama!

Starfish

Right off Meads Bay there are underwater treasures.  This is one of those moments that will be a  lifelong memory and story.  Several starfish were spotted while snorkeling, and John Chris brought one up for us to take a closer look.  We all were amazed.  

Relaxing with a view

I enjoyed a relaxing massage with an amazing view at the Viceroy.  It was nice to step away for an hour and slip away into a truly stress free place.

Perfection

Today was a big shift.  Ridley was happy and fun to be around, after a few rough days.  Not a great picture of me, but it is a great one of her smiling.  

We played on the beach all day, enjoying the sand and water.  Pure relaxing perfection!

Boat Race

We had an absolute treat today.  We had a front row seat to the 5th annual Solaire Cup Boat Race.  We lounged on the shore of Meads Bay while all the sail boats arrived to prep for the race.

Eleven boats lined up down the beach at their assigned spots. Ryland and Reed walked down to take a look at all the contenders and laugh at the silly boat names.  They played with local children that came over with their families for the day long event.  There were several food vendors set up with live music on the center stage.  It was a great big party!

Sonic was the winning crew, and we were seated at their post.  Super cool to cheer them on at the end of the race, and to watch the interaction with the losing teams.  There was a good bit of trash talking.

What a beautiful view this evening - a rare clear sunset as the boats sail away.

Getting There

The old saying "getting there is half the fun" does not apply to traveling to Anguilla with three small children and all your junk for a 10 day stay.  In fact, it isn't fun at all.  We were up at 2:00 AM to head to the airport for our very early flight.  The children were troopers even on a limited night of sleep.  We enjoyed watching planes in Miami.

Exhaustion caught up with this crew before landing in St. Martin.  A couple of kicked drinks later, John Chris and I were done with flying.

We arrived in Anguilla late afternoon by charter boat.  We were all excited to ride this speedboat across to Anguilla.  GB Express did a fabulous job of starting our vacation with the laid back attitude we needed.  As we approached the island, the sweet smell once again welcomed us to paradise.  We had arrived, and it was worth the day of travel.

Another Day in Paradise

We could just stay here.  Everyone is having a great time, and I love being disconnected from technology.  Sitting in the shade of the beach umbrella with Ridley, I watch as my boys play and have a blast.  I am in paradise.

After a full day of playing and swimming, we all dressed up a little bit to go out for dinner.  I jumped at the chance to take a few pictures of my family looking so handsome and pretty.

We enjoyed out last dinner at Viceroy, which is absolutely gorgeous!  Reed didn't make it very long tonight.  He fell asleep with the first bite of food.  John Chris had to wake him to make sure he chewed.

Ryland and I sat in these cool chairs and gazed out at the night view of Meads Bay.  

Adventure

We have been talking Reed into going on a boat ride since we arrived in Anguilla.  He wouldn't even consider it a few days ago, but he finally decided to go for it.  Junior took us for a ride in his glass bottom, and we saw turtles, starfish, and tons of fish. 

The boys enjoyed snorkeling along the cliff.  Reed quickly picked up on how to snorkel, and he had so much fun with the big boys.

Ryland loved the snorkeling!

After a beautiful morning on the boat and snorkeling, we spent the rest of the day at the beach.  It is absolutely gorgeous.

High Maintenance

We have learned one thing about our little Miss Ridley.  She doesn't like to be hot!  If we are out on the beach, she wanted to be in the cool water.  Her favorite place to nap was in the master bedroom with the air conditioner on 60 and without clothes.  She is a precious little drama queen.

Making Memories

Our villa was right on the beach, so we only had a few steps off the patio to our chairs in the sand.  It was a wonderful view that we often stopped to admire.

The kitchen sink was the perfect size for Ridley, and since there wasn't a bath tub, Ridley enjoyed baths in the sink on vacation.

One night we were craving sushi, so we explored one of CuisinArt's restaurants. The ambiance was very swanky, and the boys made the wait staff very nervous.  We tried explaining that they are accustomed to eating sushi and can handle the extra dishes and chopsticks. 

Ridley thinks she is big now, and she loves to sit in highchairs.  

Another Great Day

We brought Ridley a little pool to keep cool in under the umbrella.  It was perfect for her and myself or her and two brothers.

I love all the smiles.

We stopped in at the post office to mail a few postcards to our friends and family back home in the states. 

Ryland was the photographer during our grocery stop.  Who needs heads?

Where is Reed?  He is camouflaged and very happy.  

Ridley sat in a highchair for the first time tonight at Oliver's.  We had their amazing stingray and had a beautiful view of the ocean below.