White Snow vs. White Sand

This year for Christmas my mom and step dad made the trip out! So exciting. They've been here before for Christmas and we did this busy trip from one island to another and when we were in Bacolod we were trying to show off the things we loved. It was very go go go. Very fun but very busy. This time I wanted them to kind of get a glimpse of what life is like here for us day to day, relax a little bit and enjoy the company. We have two weeks here in the Philippines before finishing their stay with 1 week in Thailand. We've been doing some Christmas shopping, swimming at the pool here in the subdivision, lighting off fireworks and chilling out. These last few days we took them south a little bit to Punta Bulata. I really wanted to take them to a beach and last time they were here we did the famous Boracay and the beautiful Bohol and so I really wanted to show them something different. I also did not want to do a lot of travelling since they just got off that awful plane ride a week prior and we were going to do a fair bit of travelling in Thailand so Punta Bulata seemed like the perfect choice. Plus the fact that we would most likely have an amazing white sand beach all to ourselves is always enticing. There isn't a whole lot as far as shopping goes but we were able to stay busy exploring the beach, swimming, reading, suntanning and eating. I was able to go for a nice run down the beach one morning while the sun was rising, so peaceful! Oh and did I mention 'amazing white sand beach all to ourselves?'

All three of my kids love swimming. Both Brayden and Sydney have just started swimming on their own without life jackets for pretty amazing distances and so it was perfect for them to practice and gain more confidence. They did this by jumping into the deep end and swimming back, getting thrown into the middle of the pool and swimming back to the edge and putting on the snorkel and masks and putting around the perimeter. I am so proud of them and how amazing they have become. Brayden can swim more then the length of the pool on his own now and Sydney is not too far behind him! Maddy putts around with her water wings on refusing to be left behind. She is just too cute following behind squealing with delight.

We had the perfect weather. The sun was hot, we had a little rain late on our last afternoon which lightened up so we could light off our fireworks on the beach which were AMAZING! Even the staff of the hotel all applauded after the big show. The kids also lit up some sparklers and roman candles shooting out across the water. The sun was back in full forces the next morning as we walked out and explored the beach during low tide. We discovered so many treasures and played around in our own little touch pool.

The evenings were pretty relaxing. The sunsets were amazing and Ryan's newest supply of fireworks proved to be successful, some that would put Lethbridge fireworks to shame (not that it takes a lot to do that). The kids played with their sparklers and Ryan also bought some torches which the kids loved. They were like sticks that burned down changing colour the further down they burned then at the end they would spit out sparkler type lights. We had a few boxes of real fireworks that lit up the sky with amazing colours and loud booms and a few rockets launched from the sand flying across the ocean. It was so much fun and I know the kids loved it!

Such a great weekend. I know the kids had a great time. They couldn't stop talking about how much they love Punta Bulata, the swimming pool and they were all smiles the whole weekend. From the moment they woke up in the morning until bed time they were running around outside enjoying themselves. The resort laid a lot of grass since the last time we were there and it was so nice for them to be able to run from the soft green grass to the soft white sand or the nice cool water. Our room also joined right up to the pool so there wasn't far to go. I've noticed that when my kids are happy and burning off their energy it sure makes my job a whole lot easier!