Book Recommendations: Our New Favorite Books – Mr. Magee Series

The boys reading. 

I discovered the Mr. Magee series when I stumbled across the book Learning to Ski with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen. I was looking for a book to get Alex excited about skiing and it seemed perfect.  The book is beautiful—both the rhymes and the illustrations are amazing. It quickly became one of Alex’s favorite books.

I decided to look to see what other Mr. Magee books there were and bought the only other two in the series:

• A Camping Spree with Mr. Magee
• Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee

Reading on the boat in Bermuda. 

Reading on the plane. 

Reading on a lazy Sunday morning. 

Bermuda – Our Last Day in Paradise

For our last day in Bermuda, we decided to go back to Horseshoe Bay Beach—right to “our” cove. It was, once again, simply gorgeous. We built sandcastles, jumped in the waves, chased fish in the water, swam, relaxed, laughed, loved—it was a perfect way to end an amazing vacation.

Andy and Alex checking out a parrot fish. 

Towards the end of our time at the beach, Alex wandered over to the waves. I think he fell in love with the ocean. 

We had an afternoon flight back to city the next day, so were able to spend the morning at the pool. Only a few hours after this photo, Andy and I were digging a parking spot out of snow and ice. 

Writing these blog posts about Bermuda makes me both happy and sad—happy that I had a chance to have four days with my boys, and sad that the vacation is over. I came back to NY feeling refreshed, connected and more in love with my family, and grateful. We loved Bermuda, and, weather permitting, it is only a two-hour direct flight from our home, so we hope that one day we will be back. 

Bermuda – A Day Trip to the City

The hotel that we stayed at is pretty secluded—there are not a lot of other activities around besides the hotel and beach. They do, however, have another Fairmont in the city of Hamilton, and run a ferry boat to and from the two sister hotels several times a day. For our second day in Bermuda, we decided to take the boat to the city and check it out. 

Getting ready to board the ferry. 

Alex loved the boat ride. Our captain took us on a bit of a tour throughout the island as well. 

Hanging out in Hamilton. 

Sightseeing with Alex in one of our favorite items—the Ergo. 

While in the city, we stopped at a beautiful church (Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity). Across from this church was a grocery store, where we were able to stock up on small items, as food at our hotel was incredibly expensive (a positive aspect, though, is that kids under five eat free). This stop saved us so much money in miscellaneous food items. 

The light was simply stunning. 

The hotel had an impressive Koi pond. 

At the Fairmont in the city, they have a moongate, which, according to tradition, you should walk through with your true love.

 

Of course, I had to walk through with my loves. 

Alex added his own little twist in his attempt to climb it.

Alex loved throwing rocks into the water.

Back on the boat with my (much cheaper) pop. Notice Alex’s sunglasses—he would only keep them on for seconds at a time, but insisted on putting them on himself.

We got back to our hotel right before a huge rain storm hit. 

Bermuda – A Day at the Beach

The first full day in Bermuda, we decided to hit the beach. The weather was unseasonably warm this year (mid-70s), so even though the locals were not swimming, for us (coming from negative temps and snow), it was most definitely warm enough. And, a bonus was we felt as if we had our own private beach.

No one but us. 

Alex loved transporting water back to the beach.  

As Alex calls it, we were just “relaxing”. 

We went to the Fairmont Southampton beach first and then decided to check out the public beach next door. We should have gone straight to this beach—it is called Horseshoe Bay Beach and is one of the most spectacular beaches I have ever seen. 

Right off to the side of this beach is a little cove that was completely protected from the wind, so there were no waves. It was a perfect place for Alex to play in the sand and water. Plus, the water was surrounded by rocks, which attracted some gorgeous fish. 

We are chasing a parrot fish. 

We ended the day with a nap, some reading and then swimming in the pool. This may have been the most perfect day of my life (and this coming from someone who usually is not a fan of the beach). 

Jumping into the water. He can be a little more adventurous than I like sometimes.