Mid-September we had a Borton family get together in Galveston, TX. It's been in the plans for a long while, so it was something we were REALLY looking forward to! Plus, we'd have the whole family together, which is something that only happens about once a year. And this would be James, Brian, and Natalie's first time meeting sweet Hannah. So we were pumped for this vacation!
We decided to fly separately because we had two free tickets on one airline and another two free a separate airline. Grant flew with Drew and I had Jenna and Hannah. We both figured it would be no problem and even if it was tough, it would only be for a short period of time. Plus, did I mention it was FREE?!?! ;) We both had layovers in separate cities and then were to arrive a few hours apart. Drew and Grant's flights went well; however, Hannah was not the happiest on the flights. She did a decent amount of crying/screaming, but we survived! Jenna was wonderful and basically took care of herself on the planes and she was a huge help to me. When we arrived in Houston, I was so sick (did I mention I hate flying?) and nauseous that when we got to Mom's house, I went straight up to bed and slept for about 5 hours straight! I'm thinking I might have had a migraine. But by the next morning I was feeling great and ready for the trek to Galveston.
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| Grant with his new suitcase from B - all ready to board the plane. |
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| Grabbing breakfast before their early flight out of Dayton. |
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| Jenna, Hannah, and I made it through security. |
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| We also grabbed a bite to eat before boarding the plane. |
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| On the plane and ready to go! |
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| Grant too was excited for the flight. |
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| Hannah wide-eyed during the flight. |
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| Cathy, Natalie, and Brian flew in on Thursday morning, so we all met up at the ferry in Galveston. |
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| We brought some bread with us to feed the seagulls and even saw some dolphins in the water. |
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| Then we headed off to the resort. This is the view from our room. Mom rented the cabana on the far right (behind the trees) while we were there. It was so nice having shade, plus they give you unlimited fruit and water. So nice! Also we could just walk down some steps and walk straight across the street to the beach. Perfect! |
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| We borrowed this shade canopy from my sister and it was perfect for Hannah to rest while at the pool and the beach. |
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| We had a great time just catching up with family and relaxing in the pool. |
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| The kids LOVE the water and had so much fun swimming in the pool and at the beach. |
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| Time for some bedtime stories. |
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| They asked if Aunt Cathy would read to them. :) |
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| Hannah fast asleep in her crib. I love how she lays spread-eagle. |
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| One afternoon we came back up to the room so that Jenna and Grant would take naps. We laid Hannah on our bed and she ended up sleeping as well. |
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| Cathy was so sweet taking the kids out in the ocean even with a hurt hand that had to be kept out of the water. She didn't let that stop her and still was able to spend that time with the kids. |
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| Their favorite thing to do was be lifted out of the water as a wave approached. |
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| Hannah getting some snuggles with her Aunt Cathy. |
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| B also went out in the ocean with the kids. |
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| Doesn't this look so relaxing?! Makes me want to go back!! |
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| Hannah enjoying some shade in the cabana. |
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| Hannah also enjoyed being in the water and would get a huge smile on her face. |
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| Jenna lounging in the cabana with her orange juice and fruit tray. |
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| Swim time! |
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| I love this family picture of all of us! |
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| Uncle Brian walking to a nearby restaurant with the kids. I love how Grant's holding his hand. Precious! |
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| Going on a little extra walk with Hannah to get her to fall asleep before dinner. |
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| Jenna was SO tired! No naps, plus a lot of swimming in the sun makes for one tired kiddo! But she loved snuggling with Aunt Cathy! |
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| Eating out at a Greek restaurant with lots of laughs and good conversation. |
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| There was a big lounge chair right next to the cabana |
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| The kids enjoyed jumping into the pool. |
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| Jenna started getting creative with her jumps. :) |
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| Sweet little Hannah! |
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| Just can't get enough of her smiles |
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| Hannah and I both took a nap that day. :) |
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| More beach time |
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| Grant enjoyed chasing the seagulls. |
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| Hannah's first time in the ocean. |
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| She seemed to like the feel of the sand and water on her legs. |
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| I just love how she looks adoringly at Drew. |
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| The last night there we went to the Rainforest Cafe across the street
from the resort. I had never been before and was curious about it
myself, so we decided to go and Brian and Natalie joined us. The restaurant is decorated like the rainforest with animals all around. Every half hour there's a thunderstorm (minus the rain) and every so often the animals would move and make noises. |
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| Grant LOVED the gorillas that were near us. He kept looking around mesmerized by everything around him! |
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| Jenna also enjoyed the scenery and the animals, however, Hannah was not a fan of the thunderstorms. Her bottom lip would pucker up and she'd start to cry. Thankfully she was easily consoled! |
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| We even got a molten chocolate lava cake to share for dessert. The sparkler on top was quite exciting! |
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| They also have a ride there, so we all decided to give it a try. We were pleasantly surprised - it was a lot of fun. We got on the "boat" and floated throughout the jungle with animals all around us. The kids LOVED it and kept pointing out different animals they'd see. Well worth it! |
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| The girls are on the plane and ready to head home. (Oh sweet Hannah - what is up with your expression?! Haha!) |
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| Cathy hung out with Grant and Drew since her flight left around the same time as theirs. |
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| Such a sweet picture! |
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| As seems to be our curse with flying, Drew and Grant got stuck overnight in Chicago. It was a LONG day for them as you can see in the picture above. Poor Grant was exhausted, but at least he had Teddy with him to comfort him. :) |
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| The next day their initial flight was delayed quite a few hours, but eventually they made it home. |
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| Waiting outside the Dayton airport for the "girls" to pick them up! |
We had such a wonderful time with family!! We can't wait for the next time we're all together again! Thanks, B/Mom!!
