Vacation 2015, Day 2

We didn’t have to check out of the hotel until 11am so that left plenty of time for breakfast. Embassy Suites puts on a decent breakfast too, so that was nice.
Here’s the view from our room; can you find my family having breakfast down there?

Dakota decided the day was special enough that she needed to wear one of her “princess tiara’s”. She also had an extra one for Meme to wear.

I decided it was a special enough day that I needed a selfie with the hubs.

Once we all finished breakfast we went up to gather up our stuff. We were all back downstairs and ready to go just before 11am. The shuttle got us to the port right around 11:15 and we were all in awe at the size of the ship we were about to get on. The Independence of the Seas is a beast compared to the Grandeur!
After dropping off our bags we started to make our way inside when one of the workers pointed out an easier way for us to get in with the wheelchair…it was a sneaky way in that bypassed every single person in line, and there were hundreds of people in line waiting. We zipped in and got our cards made and then got in the next line to pass through security. Our first professional pictures of the trip were taken at this point:


Once we were on the ship we didn’t even know where to start. There was so much to see and so much going on! We walked around a bit and then made our way up to the Windjammer for lunch. Apparently everyone had the same idea because it was absolutely packed to the gills. We had our lunch and then went to see if our luggage had been delivered to our rooms…which it had. We then changed into our bathing suits and went to hang out at the pool.



While Tony stayed with the little kids, Landon and I did a little exploring.

Landon on the track:

Port at Fort Lauderdale:

The basketball court and rock wall: (there was also a Flo Rider and putt putt course up here; very cool teen area)

A view of the promenade from the elevator bank:

As we set sail I became obnoxiously tired (later figured out that it was the motion sickness pills I was taking) and decided to take a rest in our room. The kids needed a little downtime too and they were happy to sit and play with the iPads for a bit while I rested. Tony took a beer out onto the balcony and watched the water…

Our dinner time in the dining room was at 6pm each night. We were in the “Romeo and Juliet” dining room on deck 3. For some odd reason even though we booked our trip all together we were seated at two separate tables. They put my parents, Tony, Harper, Dakota and I at one table and everyone else at the other. We weren’t happy about it but we dealt with it.
They came around to each table that night taking pictures…













* I didn’t get pictures of everyone because of the way their portrait packages work. I bought the package deal which meant I got all the pictures they took of anyone in our party. So, if it was a family picture and one of the six of us was in it, we got the picture. But, if one of us wasn’t in the photo we didn’t get it. So, any pictures with just Jaron and LaTisha or my parents alone, or Kyle etc… I didn’t get copies of those. It’s a total bummer how they do the packages.
That evening we were all pretty worn out. There was a comedian that night but he wasn’t that great and my two littlest ones were too tired to care. Once the show was over for the night we headed back to our room for the rest of the evening.
This is how we divided up our rooms:

• Tony, myself and the two little kids had a balcony room on the 7th level. They shared a pull out couch which they thought was awesome!
• Zoe and Landon shared an interior state room on level 7, directly across the hall from our room.
• LaTisha and Jaron shared an interior state room on the 8th floor.
• Kyle had an interior state room on the 8th floor as well.
• Mema and Umpa had a balcony room identical to ours on the same floor as us.
• Meme and Papa had a junior suite on the 10th floor. They’ve always gotta outdo us peasants.

Soccer’s Out, Cross Country’s In

The last couple of weeks have been busy for Landon. Tryouts for sports began on August 12th and he decided to go out for the soccer team. There were only 22 spots available (although I don’t think they took 22 boys) on the JV team and despite his best effort, he didn’t make the team. He hasn’t played soccer in a few years though so he wasn’t feeling terribly confident going in and he certainly didn’t let it get him down when he didn’t make it.

When I picked him up on the final tryout day he just said “I didn’t make it so I think I’ll try cross country”. If that doesn’t speak volumes about this kids character and resolve to participate at school than I don’t know what does.

So, soccer tryouts ended on a Friday and by Tuesday we were headed to the track for cross country. (Cross country will accept anyone who wants to try it out, but I’m not sure how people are chosen to run the meets. This is all new to us.)

As we pulled up to the field Landon had a sudden surge of regret and began to have a bit of a panic about what was going to be expected of him. It didn’t help that there wasn’t anyone there that he recognized nor had he any idea what the coach looked like.

A car pulled up beside us as I was trying to convince Landon to get out of the car and two boys about his age stepped out. I rolled down my window and asked them where the cross country team met up and they pointed towards a small group of kids forming near the concession stand. I didn’t do it to embarrass him but there were so many different groups on the field that we had no way of knowing which one was for cross country. After asking the boys where to go Landon reluctantly got out of the car. I told him that if it was awful he could call me and I’d come get him and then the two little kids and I headed to Target for a few things.

We hadn’t even made it to Target before Landon started calling/texting me that he wanted me to come back for him. Someone told him that they were running at least 3 miles a day and that was just enough to put him over the edge. I assured him that he could do it and that I’d be back to get him when practice was over…and then I quit answering my phone.

I worried that he’d be sitting in the parking lot when I returned to get him, a threat he made if I didn’t turn around and come get him, but I figured he’d be okay even if that was what he ended up doing. When I got back to the field I found him smiling albeit hot and tired. He’d had a great run and workout and was able to find a couple of familiar faces. It hadn’t been awful and he said he’d go back the next day so long as he could walk.

He was able to walk the next day and he was ready for more. The second day was tough as they ran about 6 miles, but he’d done his best and wasn’t last. He got in the car and said he was done with it but as we talked his mood lifted and he decided he would go back. Practice resumes Monday and he’ll be able to head to the track right after school in the afternoon. I can’t wait to see how this new sport pans out for him. I look forward to hearing about the trail runs and the friendships he’ll make and the experiences he’ll have.

I am super proud of that boy and I am hoping high school will be a great experience for him.

* I know I don’t post about him as often as the little kids but 1) he doesn’t want me posting about him and 2) he refuses to hang out with us most of the time because he’s 14 and that’s what it’s like to be 14. I try to respect the fact that he needs his autonomy and privacy but it sucks when I feel like I have to force him to do stuff with us.

It’s Almost Time…

School is just around the corner and we are doing our best to get excited about it. Yesterday Harper’s school invited everyone to come and see their classrooms and meet their teachers. They opened the doors between 1 and 2pm and man was that place a madhouse!

Harper was pretty nervous and wanted to be sure I wasn’t going to leave him and that I’d hold his hand the entire time we were there. He’s been asking me a lot lately what I would do if I lost him…I guess he is a bit fearful of all the new things coming up for him. (He’s not the only one!)

We entered the school with a huge mob of people and slowly made our way down to the Kindergarten wing. We found his classroom easy enough and when we walked in there were only a few other people in the room. The teacher had created a little search and find activity for the kids to do while they explored the room. The worksheet they were given had pictures of things like “trashcan” or “locker” or “class library” on it and there was little happy face next to each picture. Once they found the item there were to color in the happy face next to it. Harper absolutely loved it and was very eager to find everything on his list.

Once we’d found everything on the list he checked the room out a little more and then hopped from square to square on the colored rug in the room. (Any time we see one of those rugs he HAS to jump on it!)

The teacher did her best to introduce herself to him but he was shy and wanted to hide behind me for the most part. I think it’s going to be a great year and a fun class but it’s also going to be a huge adjustment for all of us.

Fingers crossed that this is a smooth transition for him (and me)!

Six Flags

My friend Lisa told me that this was the last week Six Flags was open during the week so we immediately made a plan to head there with the kids. We chose today as it was the only day this week that both of us were available, and boy did we have a good time!

We got to the park around 10:30am, right when they opened so that we could go to the little kid rides before hitting the water park. Lisa and her two were there a little before us so we caught up with them just as they were getting on the mini teacups. (Harper jumped on but Dakota stuck with me. She just wasn’t feeling it today I guess.)

They took a ride on the little train and then we all went into the Prop Warehouse to shoot balls at each other. The kids LOVE going in there, I just wish it was a little nicer/cleaner.

When poor Wyatt had had enough of the noise in the warehouse (he sat next to his momma with his hands over his ears the entire time we were in there, poor guy) we headed over to Sylvester’s Pounce and Bounce. Colin rode it the first time by himself as we had to make a pit stop in the restroom, but to my surprise, Harper jumped on with him when we got back.

Next up was the Great Race where Dakota and Harper each took a turn driving an antique car. They were in heaven driving those little cars around the tracks! They just thought that was THE coolest thing ever!




Once they’d both had their turns driving we walked over to the Carousel. Harper chose an ostrich and Dakota chose a horse.


By the time we got off the carousel it was just about noon so we grabbed a pizza and some lemonade for lunch. On our way to the water park we spotted Bugs Bunny and bribed the two older boys with promises of ice cream if they’d just let us take one good group picture…it worked.

We couldn’t believe how empty the water park was. Such a change from the last time we were there!

And, here they are enjoying that ice cream we promised:

The kids were pretty wiped out when we left the park (it was about 2:30pm) and my two were nearly silent the entire ride home. We hadn’t even gotten 5 minutes away though before Dakota was asking if we could go back! She told me she’d had so much fun she didn’t want to go home!
I wish school wasn’t starting yet, but alas, it is. I’m so glad we’ve been able to have so much fun with these adorable kids and their sweet mama this summer!

Vacation 2015, Day 1

Packing for any vacation can be tough but packing for a cruise might be the hardest thing I’ve ever packed for. It’s daunting because you don’t want to WAY over do it, but then you certainly don’t want to be wearing dirty stuff because you under did it either. I just couldn’t decide what was the right amount of stuff for myself or the kids and I ended up packing way more than any of us needed.

We ended up with quite a few bags to check and we brought a few bags on board the plane with us as well. We were still under our limit by a lot so I figured I hadn’t WAY over done it!

We had a van come and pick all of us up at our house around 9:45am. (Brandon dropped Zoe off at the airport.) Dottie and Mike came to our house so they could ride with us to the airport. Our flight wasn’t scheduled to leave until around noon, but since we were a big group (8 total) with a lot of different things going on (two young kids, and Umpa in a wheelchair) we wanted to give ourselves plenty of time to check in and get where we needed to be.

We got through check in and security without any hiccups and then had some time to find lunch before our plane boarded. (There was such a frenzy of last minute activity that none of us had really eaten anything for breakfast and lunch at 11am was just what the doctor ordered!) We ate slices of pizza and sandwiches with chips and water picnic style in the middle of the airport…we had to eat quickly though because before we knew it they were calling our plane to board.

Since Mike was in a wheelchair, he and Mema got to board first. The rest of us had “B” boarding passes but because we had two littles with us we were able to board between the A and B sections. As soon as we got on the plane, Harper saw Mema and Umpa and decided to sit with them. I saw a couple seats right after that and grabbed them for Dakota and I thinking Tony and the big kids would grab the seats behind me. It didn’t work out as I’d thought it would and Tony ended up on the end of a row two rows behind me with two other people while Zoe and Landon got some seats together a little further back. It wasn’t the best situation, but it was okay.

Since I ended up sitting with Dakota (like there could have been a different way!?) she’s the only one I have pictures of on that flight.

I brought the kids’ iPads for the flight and thankfully it kept Dakota busy for most of the 2 hour flight.

Tony loaded Frozen on Dakota’s iPad and she was just as happy as could be to sit and watch that. When she got tired of it she switched to some games and then back to the movie again. I was able to read a little bit while she played. Tony loaded Harper iPad with Big Hero Six and that was a HUGE hit with Harper. He must have watched bits and pieces of that movie at least a dozen times throughout our travels.

All the activity wore poor Kota out and when we finally landed and were waiting for our luggage, she zonked out.

These two were excited to be in Ft. Lauderdale though!

When we landed it was bright and sunny but as we headed out for the hotel shuttle to pick us up, it was pouring rain. (We only missed my family flying in by about 20 minutes! They caught the hotel shuttle right after we did!) We stayed at the Embassy Suites in Ft. Lauderdale. It was a great hotel and the kids just loved it! (The orchids are real, the lemon tree was not.)

Harper and Dakota loved watching the elevators from our room. They stood behind that chair talking and watching people for the longest time.

We ran back down to the lobby to greet my parents, sister, brother and nephew as they arrived (in the pouring rain). Once they got their stuff put away they came to get us…

We walked around chatting and going room to room for no particular reason until someone mentioned that there were complimentary drinks in the bar. Since it was raining we decided to go ahead and eat dinner at the hotel’s restaurant and drink our complimentary “Bahama Mama’s”.

It was a terrific beginning to our vacation (except when Jaron misplaced his wallet and then after a FRANTIC hour long search found it in his hotel room on a table under a suit case that someone had accidentally placed on top of it AND the moments spent looking around for Kyle’s misplaced (new) camera, which we also found). We didn’t stay up too late that night as we were all pooped from the travel but the two littlest one’s sure had a hard time getting to sleep that night. (They slept together on the pull out in our room while Zoe stayed with Mema & Umpa in their room and Landon had the couch in Meme & Papa’s room. Tisha, Jaron and Kyle had their own room as well.)