Back to Great Exuma!

We couldn't wait to go back to Great Exuma. I was counting down the days like a kid waiting for Christmas morning. We got this summer trip in right before heading back to school. Finally we arrived!!

When this is your backyard what else is there to do but just sit all day and relax on the beach. We woke up late, ate breakfast and played in the water, then came in to take a little nap and back out as the sun was setting to go for walks and play some more. Doug found a little reef and took the kids to snorkel. Matt yelled "shark" and swam as fast as he could but it was actually a huge barracuda!

We were super excited when the Forbes arrived! After a day of hanging out at our beach we were off! We didn't let them relax much. The next day we rented a boat and were off to explore. Our first stop was starfish beach, one of my favorites, but unlike in the past we had to search really hard for starfish! Mr. Matt and Jackson finally found a few. Marlie and Emma enjoyed just playing in the sand.

Then it was off to Chat 'N' Chill for lunch and to hang out with the stingrays. Everyone loved the stingrays but the girls were more brave than the boys!

Afterwards we went on a hike to the Atlantic which included a bit of climbing and a quick swim along the trail. I love this view of the ocean as you come over the hill. We were the one ones there and the ocean on this side of the island is strong and powerful. The sounds of the waves crashing and the kids laughing was perfect!

The next day we decided to let Captain Robert take us on his big boat on a tour of the Exumas. We always love this day trip and were so excited to take the Forbes with us. First stop was the iguanas. This is not my favorite stop but the kids love it!

Robert got us to the sandbar before any other tours so we had it all to ourselves! THIS is my favorite part of the trip. The kids found lots of sand dollars and cool shells!

Then it was off to thunderball grotto to snorkel! It feels like you're swimming in an aquarium with fish! And you can't have a trip without some sort of drama right? Well the tide was high so the areas to get in and out of the grotto were slightly blocked. Doug decided to shove all of us under the grotto to get out the backside. Problem is he left me, the worst swimmer of the group with all the kids on the other side and the current was strong. Anyway with the help of CJ, our guide, we all made it fine...just slight traumatized! LOL!

Off next to see the swimming pigs. Again the girls were brave and jumped right in. This was the first time we've done this excursion and they let us out of the boat to get in the water with the pigs. I decided there was a reason they didn't in the past so I stayed on board! :) Sort of funny that these pigs live on an island in the Exumas that I'd give my right arm to live on!

 After a nice lunch at Staniel Cay Yacht Club we swam with the sharks! The kids all did great!

What an amazing day!  

So we kinda rested the last day the Forbes were with us. We decided to go into town to visit the craft market. We found this along the way. We might need to get on ancestry.com to see if Mr.Matt has family members here!

Then it was off to one of our other favorite places, Santana's! Marlie and I couldn't wait to have some lobster!

Back to play at home. There were baseball and soccer games on the beach and sand castle building too. We attempted some fun family pictures!

We ended the night with a nice walk on the beach. We weren't on the side of the island to catch a sunset but managed to take in this beautiful sight!

The Forbes headed back to Houston a day earlier than us. The house seemed so empty when they left. We were going to take it easy but at the last minute decided to explore a spot a family we had met at Chat 'N' Chill told us about.  And I'm glad we did. It was a sandbar but the tide was up so it was covered in about 2 feet of water. The kids snorkeled and found so many sand dollars.  I can't wait to go back to this spot next time!

It is SO hard leaving this place every time. Can't wait to come back. Thank you Karrie and Matt for coming with us. We had so much fun with y'all and Matt and Marlie enjoyed having Jackson and Emma there too! So many wonderful memories!