Great Exuma, Bahamas

As we did last year, we enjoyed a work retreat with Tim's colleagues at an exotic location. This year, it was Great Exuma Island in the Bahamas.
Although we knew enough to get Rory a passport, we admittedly couldn't have placed Great Exuma on a map before making the trek to this island paradise. We were treated to gorgeous views, turquoise water, and the best kiddie pools Rory had ever seen.
Rory and her Mommy really spent the bulk of their time at the pool. (Wouldn't you?)
Rory and her Daddy ventured down to the beach a few times, but Rory would prompty declare "all done" and point Daddy back to the pool.
Yeah, this kid enjoyed her stay in the Bahamas.

A big part of the fun for Rory was that there were dozens of other kids her age at the pool each day. Andrew was her favorite pool companion.

Andrew and his Mommy would join the O'Hara girls for lunch most days.
Here, Rory plays with one of the older girls, Hannah, who took a special liking to Rory (and vice versa).
The other big attraction to the pool were the cool turtles ...
... and cabanas.
Unfortunately, with all that time in the hot Bahama sun, Rory experienced her first sunburn. Ouch! (She also came down with swimmer's ear on the last day.)
So, Rory had to content herself with a few hours each day in her room. Fortunately, the blinds facilitated endless games of "peek-a-boo".
When Daddy was holed up in seminars each morning, Rory and Mommy would lounge at the pool and the seaside grill.
The activity and sea air gave Rory a hearty appetite!
Fortunately, despite the work-related nature of the trip, Daddy was able to relax as well. (Who couldn't here?)
The highlight of the trip was a beach barbeque ... island music, fruity cocktails, grilled lobster, cool breezes, dozens of beach-crazy kids, a hundred fun-loving adults, and all the milk Rory could drink!
"Smile Rory!"
That we were traveling with lots of other families (with young kids) made the plane rides and layovers tolerable for the adults and fun for the kids ...
... but the real trick was bringing our carseat on the plane, as well as plenty of videos!

Family Beach 2008 Continued

The week at Emerald Isle was filled with family time on the beach ... here's the whole crew!
Although an ear infection limited Rory's enjoyment of the beach, she did get some baseball practice in with Uncle Allen.
Rory also flew a kite that her Opa Paul had given to her as a gift.
Rory got a little frustrated with her Daddy that he wouldn't let her fly the kite all by herself.
Fortunately, Mommy was always just a lounge chair away. Mommy just LOVES it when Rory snuggles her sandy, wet self into Mommy's lap.
Clay gave Rory lots of attention and play time on the beach.
Here, they make angels in the sand.
When we weren't soaking up the rays on the beach, Rory had fun indoor activities to keep her occupied.
Ahh, our little scholar could be found frequently hitting the books ...
... and practicing the guitar (that's Guitar Hero, Uncle Allen's favorite video game). Here's the video.
Rory helped Grandma decorate dessert, although Rory ate as many sprinkles as she applied to the Rice Krispy treats.
Here's Daddy's family as Rucker John's, a family favorite ...
... and here's Rory enjoying a corn dog, her new-found favorite.
The pool inspired feats of fearlessness in Rory. Fortunately, she had her Aunt Chelle and her Ducky (a gift from her Uncle Mike).
We only had one day of heavy rain, which fascinated Rory.
Here, Rory tries her hand at the umbrella.
While it rained, Rory took her parents to the aquarium, where she tried to take her nap "with the fishes".

Teacher's Pet

A post from Sarah: At home, Rory is exhibiting all the classic behavior of a child about to turn 2. "No, mommy, no!" and "No, daddy, no!" are the phrases we hear most often these days. At daycare, however, it's another story. As the oldest child in her classroom, Rory has apparently taken it upon herself to act as goody-two-shoes and mini teacher's aide -- not only scolding the other children for their misbehavior but also pointing out every infraction to her caregivers. Today, for instance, Rory reportedly caught her classmate Landon pulling something out of the trash can. First, she castigated him verbally ("No, Landon, no!"). Then, she picked up the offending piece of garbage herself and put it back in the can before dragging Landon over to her teacher Ms. Christina, presumably in the hopes that he would receive some suitable punishment. Ah, our very own little whistle-blower... only a matter of time before she's reporting Medicare fraud to the government, right?

Family Beach 2008

Rory, Sarah, and I have just returned from a week at the beach with Tim's extended family.
These shots are just a selection of the many images of fun that we enjoyed on this annual family excursion to Emerald Isle, NC.
In time, I'll post a few more pictures, videos, and stories. Unfortunately, I'm headed into a busy week at work and so don't have as much time for photo editing and blog posting as I would like.
Cute, ain't she? Yes, and strong and spirited and intelligent and scrappy and many other attributes not defined by her looks. :)