St. Lucia

We just had the most amazing family vacation! 10 days of tropical weather & family bonding. What more could you ask for?

We started off by flying in to Miami & staying one night there. We spent the day at South Beach & it was absolutely beautiful. It must be a popular spring break destination because it was busy. The boys even spent some time playing football on the beach. At one point, Sean accidentally de-pants Zach while he was going for a "Hail Mary" touchdown. He was pretty embarrassed. But while eating dinner there, we noticed outside 20+ cop cars all surrounding the area. A bunch of people were going out to see what was going on. So of course I asked & it turns out they stopped someone for a traffic violation & he ended up having someone in his trunk that was tied up with duck tape & he was trying to kidnap him. You just don't see things like that!?!?!

The next morning we flew bright & early in to St. Lucia. While there we did a number of excursions. First we went on a whale watching excursion. We didn't see any whales, but saw a ton of dolphins. It was pretty cool because they swim right along the boat (& faster). Another day we took an island tour, where we got to see a fish market, a light house, waterfalls, snorkeling, a black-sand beach, & the inside of a volcano. (Bachelor Fans - we even saw the spot where Vienna wrote "I Love You" on Jake's chest) We were offered to take the mud bath, but we opted out. While in the volcano, it smelt just like sulfa. We laughed at Sean, telling Jim, "Dad, even when you don't shower you smell better than this!"

Another day we enjoyed horseback riding. Part of it was on top of a cliff & the view was amazing. Another part was along the beach. This was Lauryn's favorite thing. But I tell you, after 2 hours on a horse... my bottom was ready to be done!

We all loved the zip lining though. We got to do 11 cable lines, with the longest being 950 ft. & the highest being 450 ft. over the Rain Forest. All the kids had quite a good time experiencing this. At one point Sean said, "This is the bestest thing I have ever done in my whole life!" (you know, the whole 7 years of it!)

Besides excursions, we had a blast just laying out in the sun, playing on the beach, enjoying the water park at the resort (& lazy river), the entertainment, and most of all, the time we spent together!

***The music comes straight from the island. This song was played constantly & the people there love it. Couldn't have our blog posted without it!***

Wrapping it up...

Lately it has been so hard for me to find the time to get my blogs updated. I feel like I am never finding the time to get on facebook either. It's shocking when all of a sudden you take the time to catch up & find out so much is new with your friends! Sometimes I feel like I just rush through blogs so that I can just keep things updated. It's the times that I can really sit down & process my thoughts that I remember why I started doing this in the first place! It's fun to go back & remember special times spent together as a family. Since I never find the time to scrapbook anymore either, I imagine one day I'll use these blogs as my time table when I do scrap again. I sometimes fear that when my kids are all grown up & out of the house, I'll be hit hard with boredom! It will hit fast, that's for sure. Jim & I won't know what to do with our time, as right now we are in the lifestyle of eating quick meals & rushing out the door to get to one or multiple kids activities. Although I complain, I thoroughly enjoy this time in our lives! I love watching my kids play sports & even more so, love watching them excel at things they put their minds to. We are just in the process of wrapping up basketball. Sean finished up his season undefeated. (well, first game was tied) We're really not suppose to keep track of score, but everyone knows each kid does! Lauryn's team just finished up their season last weekend. They came in 3rd place at the State tournament. We had a blast watching them play the #1 seed team & beat them. These girls came a long way since the first game of the season. Lauryn became a rebound champion. And she has found a new love for the game. I love how sports can add so much confidence in these children. Zach also finished up basketball this weekend. He played his State tournament as well. Saturday they played a couple rough games, but ended up having a great game Sunday morning. It was nice to see them finish up the 6 month season with a win. The whole team was on today & they played really well. Here's Lauryn's team, after winning 3rd place (2 teammates were missing)

And if you click on this link, you can see Zach's 4th grade traveling basketball team that made it in the papers for winning 1st place at a tournament a couple weeks back. It was awesome because they played 5th graders & still won!

http://www.pressnews.com/articles/2010/03/04/champlin-dayton_press/sports/dc_rebel4thgradebbb.img

And the most wonderful thing about sports is that as soon as you are starting to get tired of one, it is on to the next... We have closed out the basketball seasons, but look on to softball & baseball. Lauryn is playing slow pitch through school and fast pitch through the city this year. Zach is going out for the traveling baseball team. And Sean will be playing baseball as well. My only concern right now is whether or not this weather is going to cooperate with us. I dread those cold or wet evenings, trying to watch the kids play. But we all know that baseball season means spring time is here & summer is just around the corner! And who can complain about a day like today! (Sunday)

Sean turns 7!

Well, it's already been over a week ago, but Sean turned 7. It's funny that I still think of him as being my "baby". When Lauryn & Zach turned 7, I thought they were SO grown up. I think I will always just try to hold on to their youth. Sean had a great 7 year birthday though. We had some friends go to Grand Slam to play laser tag. The next night we went to see Footloose at the Chanhassen dinner theater. It was excellent! Then we also had our family party. It was a weekend all about Sean! He had a great time, and really enjoyed spending time with friends & family. Sean, with his group of friends at Grand Slam

The kids at Footloose. We took Sean's cousin, Logan, with us.

Logan's birthday was just 11 days before Sean's. So our waitress (which was a niece of a family friend's) brought them both out Sundae's with a birthday candle.

Sean's all smiles at his family party!

Braces!

Lauryn got her braces on yesterday! She said her mouth was sore last night, but she's excited for the outcome in 2 years. She started off with pink bands which totally surprised me. She had gone through a stage of hating pink after many years of it being her favorite color as a "little girl". I guess she is growing up?!?

Welcome Edward Robert Booth!

Jim's younger sister just had her 1st baby... Edward Robert Booth was born on Wednesday... weighing 7lbs. 14 oz. & 19 3/4 in. long... Congratulations to Suzie & Jason! We can't wait to meet him.

An Eventful Night...

Well, I have to admit... I am a fair-weather Vikings Fan! I enjoyed following the wins through the season when the boys talked about the games... But for the most part, Lauryn & I had our shopping time during every game. Yet, last night we watched the game with friends & had a great time. Although the loss was a bummer, it was fun to hang out with friends & indulge in way too much food. Here is the family, all decked out in our Vikings apparel.

But the excitement during the game came when we decided it was time for Sean to lose his two front teeth that have been dangling for over a month. On Christmas break, the dentist told me he thought they would fall out within a week & yet there they still were. So, we got out the floss & talked him in to it. I think he only did it because he didn't want to back down in front of friends! So he let our friend James pull out the first tooth. Then he let our friend Jen pull out the second one. Jen got video of it & it was hilarious. Anyway, the tooth fairy was very generous since he was so brave & lost two at the same time. But he sure looks cute with his tooth-less smile!

Zach through the Years....

Boy, another lapse in blogging. It sure has been awhile. And all of a sudden it occurred to me that for Sean's birthday, I posted pictures of him through all the years. I remember it being so much fun to go through all those old pictures & reminisce about how much he has grown. So I decided to dig through Zach's old photos & post each year for him too. I know we celebrated his birthday over a month ago, but since time goes by so fast, it still just feels like yesterday to me. Anyway, it's been a blast watching this little guy grow up. So often Jim & I marvel at the little things he does. We are so proud of him & love who he has become! Enjoy the photos through the years...

Zach at 1 year... Boy he had a LOT of energy!

Zach at 2 years... Oh, those cheeks!

Zach at 3 years... Always smiling:)

Zach at 4 years... Loved to make a mess!

Zach at 5 years... Chose to go to Build a Bear for his birthday.

Zach at 6 years... Happy-go-lucky!

Zach at 7 years... Missing those 2 front teeth...

Zach at 8 years... Went to Krispy Kremes after a slumber party...

Zach at 9 years... Him & Libby are the best of friends!

Zach at 10... Perfect in every way???

Aaahhh... Finally a chance to update my blog (& get through emails & Facebook). Things have been busy around here! It started with a nice Thanksgiving; going to my Aunt & Uncle's house. They have a Christmas tree farm, so we always take hay rides through the fields & cut down our trees. It's a fun tradition! Here's a picture of part of our group (some aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings, nieces, nephews...)

We've also been really busy with basketball & swim meets. Zach made the traveling basketball team, so every weekend we are driving an hour here or there to watch him play tournaments all weekend long. Then we're also trying to get Sean to his basketball games (near home) & Lauryn to her swim meets. It's been such a blast to watch them play & compete. We've also been fortunate to meet some great friends on their teams. Here are a few pictures of them enjoying their winter sports:

Last weekend was such a wonderful weekend. All of Jim's siblings came to visit & were all here at one time. It's been 3 years since they were all together at the same time. One sibling flew in from CO, one from NC, one from WI, one from NE, and then he has one sister who lives here with his Mom. Jim's Mom turned 75 this year, so we planned a surprise birthday party for her. Even one of her siblings & a niece came to come celebrate with us! Then on Saturday we had a baby shower for Jim's sister who is expecting her first. We also celebrated the Collins Family Christmas. The kids enjoyed every minute they had to spend time with their cousins that they don't get the chance to see all the time.

Jim's Mom & siblings

6 of the 10 cousins on the Collins side

Then, while we had all our family here, we celebrated Zach's 10th birthday. I can not believe he is 10 already! Zach has become quite the little adult & grown up so much. He is almost as tall as me & weighs about the same as I do. He is growing like a weed! He is enthusiastic about everything he does, so he was so excited to have his cousin John here to celebrate with him. Here's a great picture of the two (& yes, they are the SAME age!):

Now it is time to relax & enjoy the holiday season. I am done with all my Christmas shopping & all my wrapping. The kids are done with school for the holiday's & so we plan to do some baking, more traveling basketball, and spending time with friends & family. Merry Christmas!

Family photos

So I took the kids out today to get some pictures for our Christmas cards. What a great day for it! We really had a good time and some of the pictures turned out pretty good. Here are some of my favorites: