Dominican Republic Paradise

We re-booked this Dominican trip 3 times and ended up delaying over one year due to Covid restrictions and we FINALLY MADE IT!   It was 100% worth the wait!  We had the absolute most amazing week at the Hyatt Ziva Punta Cana and we all can't wait to go back!!!  We soaked up all the sun, ate entirely too much, had all the drinks, laughed non-stop, had a blast, relaxed . . . you name it we did!  And best part, we did it all with some of our dearest friends/neighbors!  

I've been very anti Covid testing this past year but to travel internationally we were required to have a negative test (even though Tyler and I have been vaccinated) prior to returning!  Travel and the beach are the only two things that could convince me to test my entire family when we had ZERO symptoms!  We also had to mask up to travel once again!  Still all 100% worth it for a week in the DR!

Masked and SOOOO ready to go!!!

These two thought it was super special to sit together on the first leg of our flight!

De-boarding straight to the ocean air!!!  The kids thought that was pretty cool!

Checking in and taking our first mini beer shot!  Cheers to a great vacay!

Fruit juice for the kids and they were hooked with the first sip!

Balcony view!

Checked in and making the rounds!  Beach was first on our list!

We ate our first dinner at the resort and the kids headed straight to the kids movie on the lawn!  It was a camping theme!  You would think they would have been tired after a super early morning and a full day of travel, but they didn't want to miss any of the fun!

Now the dads seemed tired that first night lounging in the sports bar!

Best way to start each morning was with a little balcony time!

Harper had seen a picture of kids painting on the beach on facebook and she had been so excited for this activity for over a year! Lucky her, painting on the beach was our first morning!

She did amazing!  Look at that sunset!

The resort had a great waterpark!  Jackson was first to try the "wedgie" slide and it was the first time I've ever heard him say a ride was scary!  That didn't stop him from riding it multiple times!  He is definitely my thrill seeker!

These racing slides were a favorite as well!  I lost every single time!

All smiles all day long!

These floats sure were a hit!!

The virgin strawberry daiquiris were a HUGE hit as well with the kids!  This was Jackson's drink of choice and he had at least 8+ every day and a constant red mustache!  Harper started with daiquiris but ended with lots of mudslides.  And Mason's drink was mostly diet coke :)  

I couldn't believe Arrin and I showed up to breakfast the first morning in the same bathing suit top and all three of us wore pink!  No wonder we are all friends!

Tyler and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary while we were there!  Can't believe it has been 15 years!  We had a great day celebrating with the kids but we are definitely looking forward to a kid free trip later this summer.

Love this family of ours we've created during our 15 years of marriage!

Favorite family picture of the trip!

Hibachi night!

Loved the kids faces when they brought them each a plate of sushi!  No worries, us adults will eat it all!

Mason made sure to get every drop of ice-cream!  

While the kids were at the kids movie night, the adults snuck over to the adult side to their cocktail lounge!

Pretty impressive cocktails!

Lots of cousin love all week long!

The swim up bars weren't open due to Covid but you could still sit at the bar and enjoy your drinks!  So strange but what hasn't been strange this past year!

It didn't take long for the kids to know exactly what they wanted from the bar!  Harper has her friends covered and ordered three

I sure love these three so much!!!  So dang handsome and beautiful!

A little rain blew through quickly during dinner and set up for an amazing sunset!

We had the best day on a catamaran snorkel excursion through Hispaniola Aquatic Adventures!  Mase was in heaven.  He is my boat man and being on a boat in the ocean was a first for him.

The water was beautiful! 

So proud of our kid crew!  They all gave snorkeling a shot and loved it!  It might not have been all smiles at first but the kids powered through and ended up having a blast!  This was the best snorkeling I had ever done!  Lots of beautiful fish and coral and calm seas!

Priceless moments like this melted my heart!  These cousins sure love each other big!  It might have been a competition all week between Jackson and Mason to see who Ellis would say he liked more each day.

Such a great lunch on the boat!  We pulled up to a mobile boat kitchen and they served us all a lobster, steak and chicken lunch!

Mason even got in on the lobster eating!  Never turn down a good lobster!

Can't beat playing catch in this crystal clear water!

Mason's turn trying to win over Ellis for the day!

Tyler for the win bringing some roadies for the bus ride back to the resort!  Keepin the fun going!

Someone partied too hard on the boat . . .

After a long day on the boat we cleaned up quickly and headed to the evening events!  

Carnival night!

My favorite way to end the evening was to get in our pjs and head back to the beach to look at the stars and moon!  It was a full moon all week and the way the moon reflected off the ocean was incredible.  We also had the best view of Saturn and Jupiter!  The peacefulness of the ocean waves at night helped wind us all down!

All the employees were amazing and they became like family for the week!  They all live 3-4 hrs from the resort so they work 28 days on and 4 days off.  We got to know a few of them pretty well since our kids were involved in all the activities.  Tyler found out Armado played for the Dominican national basketball team and couldn't pass up the opportunity to play a morning pickup game!  Tyler got beat but it was a good game and fun to watch!

We all had to be tested for Covid within 72 hrs of our departure and test negative to re-enter the US.  First for all of us, except for Tyler.  The kids took it like champs and giggled their way through!  Definitely had to document this crazy adventure!  The things we do for a great vacation!

20 minutes later we all had negative tests in hand!

In celebration I went and got a massage . . . well it was actually a pre-bday massage but I celebrated a negative test as well.  Crazy hair and lines all over my forehead are signs of a great massage!

The kids kept plenty busy while I was relaxing!

I'll never pass up an opportunity to take family pictures on the beach!  These are memories I never want to forget!

Love these crazy boy cousins!  They may all have lots of energy and wrestle non-stop but their love for each other is so great to watch grow!

On our last full day the kids did a pizza making class at lunch and us parents all got a few hrs of adult time!  Win for all!

Mason collected coconuts ALL week!  Mostly little ones but he threw rocks up at a tree for hrs each day trying to get a big one down!  On the last afternoon Tyler helped him out and together they got this big one!  Happy boy with lots of coconut juice to drink!

The boys developed a love (or obsession) with pool while we were there!  We would hit up the sports lounge before the evening shows and play a few rounds with a daiquiri in hand!  

This was definitely a top vacation for the Miller family!  We are all ready to do it all over again!  So thankful for all our memories made and our friends/family that were able to join in the fun!