Hello pretty mamas in the Bahamas

As Craig already shared in the earlier post, Park broke in his new passport when we met up with my family in the Bahamas last month. While we didn't expect the kid to be so accommodating and patient during all the flights, long layovers and late nights, we were even more unprepared when Park took his flirting to a whole new level. I guess that's what happens when you're surrounded by pre-teens. On vacation. Wearing swimsuits.

We've noticed Park's ways with the ladies when we go out to eat or even take a few laps at the mall. But this experience was completely different. If the kid ever gets shy asking a girl out in the years to come, I'll be sure to share these two highlights from the trip as a way to boost his confidence: The first was an evening out to dinner with the entire family. The setting: a diner. (Sounds innocent enough, right?) All of a sudden, Park turns his head and swings his arm around the backside of the highchair where he leaves it. Posing. He very clearly says, "hi." (Which he's done maybe twice in all of his 15 months of life.) The kid has zoned in on two girls (probably around 9 and 11) trying to have a quiet dinner with their parents. Uh uh. Not that night. For the entire meal, he makes eyes at them, smiles, plays shy and waves. Fast forward later in the week when we're wheeling Park around the property in his stroller. All of a sudden, two teen girls are heading towards us in their swimsuits. Park sees them and follows them with his eyes as they walk past us. Then he gives his right arm a good pump or two. Nice. The kid doesn't even care that all of us could see him.

Aside from the flirting, the trip had a variety of highlights and challenges that come with traveling outside the U.S. and with a toddler. Just one of the challenges was sharing bedrooms. Luckily, we had a suite so that we wouldn't have to sit in the dark at 7 p.m. when we put him down for the night. Craig and I would lay there and play dead if we heard him stirring during the night. And waking up in the morning with his crib just feet from our bed was always entertaining - we would play "find Park hiding behind the bumper" over and over and over again. It also didn't help matters that his one-year molars decided to pick this week as the week to make their appearance. (In translation, all photos have his fingers in his mouth and his shirt covered in drool.)

As for the highlights, Park kicked back in the lazy river with Craig, witnessed a turtle and shark feeding (not at the same time), spent some quality time with the family from Kansas City, bellied up to more than one buffet and discovered the ocean for the very first time. Park also enjoyed the view from our room on the 11th floor - he would just sit at the glass doors and yell out whenever a "duck" (or bird) flew by. Kind of like when a pretty girl walked by, but without the arm pump.


Grandpa John, Mimi, cousins Kailey and Maisy


Those darn molars


Here fishy, fishy


One big tank