St. Lucia

We spent the first week of the year in St. Lucia at the Coconut Bay resort with the whole family plus Beth, Don and the big twin cousins (Sean and Erin, who are now almost 10). It was pretty much a perfect trip.

The weather was warm, the food was good, we had two adjoining rooms and the kids all slept well in their own room, the lazy river was lazy, the waterslides were fun, Jacob's new favourite thing in the world is ziplining (there was a mini-course for little ones), Jacob's pirate obsession deepened with readings of Peter Pan and Swallows and Amazons plus a deep-sea fishing expedition, and all 3 kids improved their swimming with the help of the Swimming Family. The big cousins were spectacular - our guys followed them around from dawn to dusk and they never tired of the attention. Which left lots of adult time for us and Beth and Don.

Jacob thinks we should move to St. Lucia and if all the weeks would be like the last, it's hard to argue.

The whole gang at the restaurant.

Kate getting ready to go for a run. We arrived home at midnight on Saturday and the next morning she set a 20 second PB in a 5k race, in the cold. She's making it harder to mock her switch to a paleo lifestyle.

Cuddling with Aunt Beth

Happy twins. I asked if they mind being called "the twins". They rolled their eyes and said, "No not at all. We are twins."

Nothing like a cold beer on a hot day.

Lots of swimming.

Deep conversation between Zoë and Uncle Don

The kids really took to the whole concept of free drinks.

Don, Sean, Jacob and Kate on their deep-sea fishing trip. Jacob's captainish, far-away look-in-his-eye

And the zip-lining excursion.