Swimming with Whale Sharks

On our cruise we had the opportunity to swim with whale sharks.

After we arrived in Cozumel we took a ferry over to Playa del Carmen. Once there we took a nice little van ride over to Cancun and then got into a little speed boat to begin our journey. (Lots of traveling)

Every year from mid-May to mid-September Whale Sharks travel to where the Caribbean Sea meets the Gulf of Mexico. This is where we met our Whale Sharks.

We spent most of the day swimming with them.

Swim with Whale Sharks. Scratch that off the bucket list.

It was beyond amazing! They are beautiful creatures. Huge and serene. It was an amazing opportunity and very well worth it. If you are ever down near Cozumel/Cancun in the summer I highly suggest taking this opportunity.

I am including a really raw video! We basically jumped off the back of a moving boat to swim with these guys! Enjoy, it is pretty awesome! Such an adrenaline rush!

Here is a picture showing the size of this big guy

Allure of Seas

We were fortunate enough to take our second cruise (a delayed honeymoon) back in May.  The ship was huge. Beyond huge. It is the biggest cruise ship in the world but still it's a mind blowing site. Our route was the Western Caribbean. We basically went counter clockwise around Cuba. We went to Haiti, Jamaica, and  Cozumel Mexico.

We had a balcony room and being able to step out and stare at the ocean for me is one of the most amazing things about cruising. The ocean is so vast and beautiful!

Our first three days were basically spent catching up on sleep, wandering around the ship, and eating.

We did the very fancy 150 Central Park on our second night of the cruise. It was a 7 course meal which we did with the wine pairing (very generous pours). The food and wine were phenomenal. It was fun to be foodies.

Here is the menu from 150 Central Park

Labadee, Haiti was the perfect beach day. We got chairs on the beach under some palm trees and napped. We also did a little swimming and shopping.

Our boat view on the way to the beach

In Jamaica we ate some local food, shopped, and drank/ate a coconut. It was hot and humid and we just didn't feel like doing much!

Bo and I did a lot of other fun things! There is way too much to mention and way too many pictures. Here are a few of my favorites.

stay tuned... next blog entry is about our adventure with the whale sharks. 

Time Flies!!!

I can't believe I haven't posted all summer! Time flies when you are having fun and traveling. It was a crazy summer! I am working on a few blog posts to catch everyone up on our summer.

The big boys start school on Monday!

Stay Tuned.....

Slacking and Vacation!

I have been such a slacker! I apologize!

Bo and I are currently in Florida getting ready to head to the port in a few minutes and get on the Allure of the Seas. We will back in a week!

I will have more than few updates after we get home!

See you guys soon!

Easter

We dyed eggs as a family the day before Easter. Holden was the supervisor of the project. He was in his bouncy loudly chatting and directing us. Bo thought I should take pictures of the eggs in the grass as it would be a nice background so I obliged. I think our eggs turned out rather nice.

It was the perfect Saturday.

Here is a picture of their baskets.

Happy Easter from the Sutherland's

Celebrating Bo's Birthday!

On the 4th Bo turned 38! He was on shift for his birthday so we celebrated on the 7th! We did our special cake tradition for him. I bake a cake. Then we all go nuts decorating it. Here is the fun process in pictures.

Chubby Hubby Final Update!!!

The last photos from Chubby Hubby have been posted. Here are the final pictures of Bo's 28 day transformation. In 28 days he lost 31 pounds and lost 6 inches off his waist. He is feeling fantastic! Voting goes until April 16th. You can vote once a day per email address!

  Vote for Bo Here

3rd Quarter Awards! Jordan & Colby

Friday was the assembly for 3rd quarter awards and Jordan and Colby both got awards.

Jordan got awards for Dean's List and was also Student of the Month for January for Respect. Way to go Jordan!!!

Colby also got an award for Dean's List and was Student of the Month for March for Fairness! Way to go Colby!!!



Holden at 3 months

Here is Holden at 3 months old.

I can't believe it! Time is going by so fast.

I love this picture! He looks very relaxed :)

Here is another picture to show you how long he is!



Minimalist Running

I don't like New Years resolutions. I am the type of person to make goals all year round and work hard to achieve them. I don't need a new year to bring on change. However, this year I decided that one of my goals was to run 100 miles total. This is huge for me because I am not a runner. I have never been a runner. I thought this would be a good way to challenge myself.

I knew I was going to have to get new running shoes at some point because my old Nikes just were not making the cut anymore. I was hesitant to buy shoes while pregnant because I had heard your feet can change and didn't want to spend money on shoes that wouldn't end up fitting in the long run.

I finally bit the bullet and bought shoes. I decided on the New Balance 'Minimus 20' Running Shoe. It has 4mm of drop from the heel to toe and I thought this would be the perfect shoe to begin the minimalist running.

It is going to be a interesting journey!

Chubby Hubby Week 4 Update

This past Thursday brought Bo to week 4 in The Chubby Hubby Contest.

Bo lost another 6 pounds and 2 inches off his waist. He is down to 280 pounds for a total of 25 pounds lost and 6 inches off the waist! Way to go Bo!  His goal is to be down a total of 30 pounds at next weeks final weigh-in.  Here are some pictures of his progress! This is just proof of what hard work, good eating, exercise, and determination can get you in a month.  I am so proud of him! 

Here are some pictures of his progression weeks 1-4



Spring Break: Part 3

I just have so many favorite pictures from our Spring Break!

Holden loves cuddle time with his big brothers.

Holden's first time in a swing!

Out to dinner with Granny, Grand Dan, and Devon





Spring Break: Part 2

Here are a few more picture highlights from our Spring Break! We all went miniature golfing at Boomers. Granny and I managed to both score a hole-in-one on hole 17!  The boys got a JACKPOT on one of the arcade games and got a ton of tickets. The weather was perfect to be out in the California sun!

We took a trip to visit Great Granny Betty at Freedom Village. Great Granny is 97 years young. This was Holden's first time meeting her. She said he is a great chap and quite heavy.

Spring Break: Part 1

We enjoyed some time at the cabin. Grandpa, Bo, and the big boys worked on finding a permanent home for the swing and the even installed a baby swing for Holden.

Once we were down the mountain we enjoyed the rest of stay at Granny's house. I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting some of the extended family I had not met and showing off Holden. My great Aunt Marcia took the train down from Burbank and was able to spend the afternoon with us which was such treat.

Aunt April & Uncle Mat with Holden

The Boughey Siblings

Great Great Aunt Marcia & Holden