another Cruise post - Fun on the Ship!

There is so much fun to be had on a cruise ship. Activities galore. Here is a glimpse into some of the fun...

Chillaxin' on our balcony. A great place to get some fresh air and watch the water (which was one of Colby's favorite things to do.)
There were two golf cages on the ship. Everyone took some swings, but Kyle probably played golf the most (surprise, surprise!)
Scott played in two soccer tournaments.
Basketball on the sports-court. (Yep! That's Big-Dave helping Colby sink a ball!)
HUGE chess pieces! They boys have no idea how to play, but the pieces sure were fun to move around and mess up.
Shuffleboard was a FAVORITE! If Kyle wasn't playing in the kids club, he wanted to be golfing or playing shuffleboard. We all had a lot of fun playing together.
The pools and slide on this ship weren't quite as awesome as some of the other ships we've been on in the past, but still tons of fun! There is something super cool about playing in a pool on a ship that is in the middle of the ocean. Kind of a trip.
And last, a quick family photo. Colby isn't a fan of the camera these days, so it is virtually impossible to get him to sit still and look at the camera. We'll take three out of four!
Next post? Ports of Call! Roatan, Honduran - Beliz City, Beliz - Costa Maya, Mexico - Key West, Florida.

We've been back almost a week...

We've been home almost a week from our fun adventure. Vacations are funny...you save$ for months (sometimes years) for a big trip, prepare for months, pack for weeks, and then it's over in 7 days. THANKFULLY the memories last a life-time! Which is why we put ourselves through the craziness to begin with!

Last week we packed up the house (okay, at least that's what it felt like!) and took the boys with us on a cruise! This wasn't just any old cruise, the itinerary took us to two spots where Scott served his mission 10 years ago. To top off the awesomeness of it all, some of our favorite people joined us for the adventure. Scott's parents, my parents, and Dave and Melissa Madrishin (they are our friends-neighbors-adopted family.)

We have lots of fun pictures that I want to post over the next few days. Here are a few to get started!

What is one of the first five things that come to mind when you think cruise? I would argue that it is the awesome towel animals left in your stateroom during turn-down. A true cruise icon! I've seen the dog before, but a mouse and monkey are new to me.
There is something exhilarating about being a few hundred feet above the water on the top deck of a ginormous floating vessel, and then rock climbing a few more to ring the blasted bell! Looking out when you are up THAT high is pretty cool. Seeing nothing but water as far as the eye can see it quite the trip. And yes, my 59 year old mom made it all the way. Way TO GO Grandma Sandy!!

Summer's Palace Dining Room - Day 1
We were able to board this ship 'early'. General boarding begins at 2:00 PM, but because we have traveled Norwegian Cruise Lines before we were able to participate in their pre-boarding, which began at 11:00 AM. It was a fun perk. The lines were all but nothing getting on to the ship, it wasn't the usual cattle call that we've been in on previous cruises. (Kid you not, I will cruise NCL again for the pre-bording. The less chaos the better!) The only down side to pre-boarding was that the staterooms were not quite ready for occupants. (The poor room stewards only have about an hour to turn around the rooms from one week to the next, crazy.) We were able to store our stuff in a luggage room and cruise around the 'public areas of the ship.' One of the first places we headed??? To eat of course! Isn't that what cruises are known for?

Below is K-man enjoying his first cruise meal of the trip. Chicken nuggets and fries, the lunch of champions! (We had decided before hand that this was his vacation too, and we would let him eat whatever he wanted, or not eat if that was his choice, I just wasn't up for the fight the whole week. He ate nuggets and fries and chocolate milk at least 3/4 of the meals!)
Scott's parents. Monte and Sherry Pugmire. This was their first cruise. All smiles day one...success!My parents, Milt and Sandy Walters. Seasoned cruisers. Happy to be with their favorite daughter and son-in-law and two adorable grandsons!We were still at the port of Miami, so we'll give Melissa the pass for the cell phone today. After all she did leave her six children at home. I guess checking in on them to make sure the house hasn't burnt down yet is okay. (Their oldest is 20 yrs old, youngest 9, they were in good hands!)
And thus begins the journey. More fun to follow!

Belated Happy Halloween!

My excuse for the delayed pictures are legit. We celebrated Halloween on a cruise ship! I have so many fun pictures to put up on the blog, but will get to those in the next few days. For now...These fun pictures were taken on our Stateroom deck. I SO miss that beautiful blue water and warm weather. I'm already starting to save my pennies for our next big adventure!

Black Beans Anyone?

Yum Yum! Colby makes these look absolutely delish!He's been a bit of a finicky eater, but we've found something he absolutely devours. Black Beans!They make for pretty awesome diapers the next day too.

When big brother is away...

Colby LOVES that he has free reign of all the toys while Kyle is at school. No big brother telling him what he can/can't play with, persuading him off the trampoline because it's his turn, etc.

Colby's favorite spot? On the little trampoline with as many of Kyle's big toys as possible! Love it!

Week 1 down! Lots to go...

Kyle LOVES Kindergarten! He loves everything about it. FINALLY being able to ride the bus is WAY up there on the list. He loves his teacher, he loves that a bunch of his friends from the neighborhood are in his class, he loves all the fun things they do in class and PE, but most especially he loves RECESS! (Such a boy!)

Here are some of the cute pictures from K-man's first day of school last Monday...

My big boy all ready for his first day of Kindergarten!
In trying to be like of of his 'idols', he had to get a Tony Hawk backpack - just like BIG Kyle! (Our good friend's 13 year old son, Kyle)
And Tony Hawk skater shoes. (Really they are knock-offs, but don't tell him that!)
Heading off towards the bus stop!Kyle was the first one on the bus. Not because he was the first one to the bus stop, but because the other kids were nice enough to let his excited little self on first. Have I mentioned before how awesome all our neighbor kids are? He never even looked back.
And last but not least, he was all smiles getting off the bus in the afternoon. It was a GOOD day!
Hooray for elementary school! I am so excited for Kyle and this new adventure.

The day before the rest of his life

'Twas the night before starting Kindergarten, when all through our house,

Not a creature was stirring, not even a fly;

The backpack is sitting by the front door all ready to go,

In hopes that the school bus soon will be here;

Kyle is nestled all snug in his bed,

While visions of recess and friends dance in his head;

And I in my PJ's, and Scott in his too,

Are realising our K-man is growing up - WHEW!

So I'm not sure where that came from, but I couldn't resist. Moving on... Kyle starts Kindergarten tomorrow! Exciting stuff! We sat down with him for a few minutes and asked him some questions. I can't wait to compare his answers from today with his answers at the end of the school year.

What is your Teacher's name? - Miss Wagner

What are you most excited about starting Kindergarten? - to play at recess

What is your favorite color? - red

What is your favorite food? - bread with butter

What do you want to be when you grow up? - a dad...and a golfer

Who is your best friend? - The Madrishins, Big Kyle, Zack, and Jack-Jack

What is your favorite movie? - Baby Bach (Baby Einsteins)

What is your favorite thing to play? - Wipeout on the Wii

What is your favorite sport to play? - Golf

How tall do you think you are? - Ummmm...let me count...1,2,3,...like 20 inches.

Do you have any girlfriends? - Kayleigh, Ashley, and Abey

What is the best part about being 5 years old? - I get to go to Kindergarten

What was your favorite part of the summer? - Swimming at the hotel in New York

Those were HIS answers. Some of them surprised us and made us giggle, others not so much. Tomorrow should be a fun adventure!