Cruise, Day 2

We woke up early on the second day of our cruise (first full day).  I had booked a snorkel excursion through a private company.  We were going to take a boat to a shallow reef, snorkel and then take the boat back to a public beach.  

Unfortunately, they said it was too windy and they had to cancel.  Boo.  But, they suggested another company that would take us to a different part of the island on the other side where the wind isn't so bad.  So, we went with that.  As a note, always have a plan B ready.  We ended up paying about $20 more and the experience wasn't as great as I had hoped.  But, it was still fun and we all enjoyed it.

Here are the kids waiting to leave.  

After a 30 minute taxi ride, we pull up to Crystal Beach and it's what my Bahama dreams are made of.  Clear water, almost aquamarine and then blue.  Not too deep.  About 40 people all got taxied to this beach, so we were behind 40 people to get snorkel gear.  The kids headed for the water while we waited.

Then, David got the brilliant idea to just come back to the hut once everyone cleared out.  No point in wasting 30 minutes waiting in line when water like this is waiting.  So, we went swimming.

We got our gear and headed out.  There was about 1/4 of a mile of shallow water with rocks at the far end, so that's where we were headed.  It's a lot harder to snorkel from a beach.  The sand was getting in the flippers vs. jumping off a boat.  But, Noah was so scared to swim in the ocean, so this was perfect for him.  He wasn't scared at all.

We saw some fish.

Then, we went around these rocks and there were tons of little fish.  It was like swimming in an aquarium.  

Emily trying to touch them.

There wasn't a ton of fish, which was a little disappointing.  But, the kids didn't care.  They just thought it was neat to see everything so clear underwater.  Even the coral that you normally step on and never see was pretty.

We took a walk on the beach.  Ok, a plus to this beach is it was totally private.  Literally, the taxi turned down this dirt path and there was a couple of wild dogs that looked kind of like Cujo and then through a fenced area.  Part of me wondered if we were ever going to see light again.  But, all was well and this beach was a huge hit.  The other beach we were supposed to go to was right by a shopping district, so we could've never left our stuff out and went walking.  This beach was totally private.  Just the 40ish people who came there for the day.  Sooooo nice!

And you know there was wrestling on the beach...

What was the most bizarre is the pine trees on the other side of the beach.  I thought there would only be palm trees.  So strange.

The sand was so nice, almost clay like.

Then, low tide came and the water went out.  So in the middle of this 1/4 mile of water, came a little island.  We called it Kiki's Island as it was perfect for Noah and that's his nickname.  

Perfect for doing handstands.

And playing...

And finding treasures... 

I didn't realize that sand dollars are alive until I saw this and knew it was definitely not a shell.

David found this tiny curved bottle on the beach.  The kids wanted to put a message in it.  

Oh yes, and this is a stingray, maybe 7 feet away from us.  

Then, we went up to meet our taxi.  They come back and get you and Noah played in the sand some more.  I love his tan little beach body.

On the way back, there was a huge fire.  We were like, um, that's not our boat, right?  Luckily, it was just tires.

This is the view from our balcony.  The two boats in the distance are dry docked and getting make overs.  Well, I'm sure it's not called that, but whatever.

Then, it was elegant night on the ship.  So, we got a little dressed up and went to dinner.

Noah is full of silly faces.

Em's hair is so curly when there is some moisture in the air.  You would think we spent hours making ringlet curls.  

Then, we saw a PG comedy show and caught the tail end of Jurassic World.  They show movies out on the lido deck every night.  This turned out to be one of the kids' favorite things.

Next up Nassau!

Cruise, Day 1

We are home! Not having internet for 4 days on the cruise was fine. I thought I'd catch up on the blog when we got off the cruise, but somehow, we hit the ground running. At the end of the night, I had to unpack the backpack, repack it for the next day, set out 5 sets of clothes and by then, it was time for bed.

So, I'm left with a bunch of days to catch up on. I thought I'd do the cruise in one post, then Universal Studios in another, but that's too overwhelming and there is too much to write and show you. So, I'm going to start at the beginning.

The pictures from our first day were from my camera, but the second day was all phone pics since we were getting on the boat.

So, here's the story about our first day on the cruise as told through my real camera.

We got on the boat about 12:45, but cabins weren't ready until 1:30.  So, we ate some lunch.  Once we got our cabin, I got everything unpacked.  I would've preferred to live out of a suitcase since it was only 4 days, but with 5 people and super tight quarters, there was no way.  then, we hit the pool.  The kids found the water slide and hot tub.  This is the children's hot tub.

David was enjoying some sun.

This is the room.  Where Ben is sitting made up to a bed and then there was a bed that pulled out from under our king.  Noah slept on that since he's light and the mattresses are usually not the best.

I've been on two cruises, but couldn't afford a balcony on either.  David's sister said it was the way to go, and it was really only $300 more.  Worth every penny.  David and I would sit out here every morning while the kids slept and watch the ocean.  We'd go out at night and watch the starts and the water.  Noah liked sitting with me at night out there.  It was so peaceful and is my happy place.

That night, we walked to our dining area and got a view of the ship.  They always have early seating and late seating where you sit at a table of 8.  But, most ships now have any time seating and you can go anytime between 5:45 and 9.  And you only sit with your party.  Much better.  I mean, I can talk to anyone, but I don't feel like making small talk with some strangers.  I want to talk to my family.

Before dinner, we stopped by the photo area and I took a picture of the pictures they took when we boarded.  Emily was so funny. We straightened her hair before we left on Friday night.  She woke up on Sunday, looked in the mirror and said, "Wait, what?"  She was all confused because her hair was curling up.  Welcome to humidity! 

He told us to put our hands up.  I don't think this is what he meant.  Ben looks like he's under arrest.

So, this was our dining hall.  We found out quickly that it's best to get there early, which works great for us.  By the time we left, there was a huge wait.  We gave the kids a whole speech about how they need to behave and not act like monkeys.  It kind of worked.

How pretty is the view from the dining room?

Noah was more interested in looking at the mermaid statues they had all over the dining room.  

That kid....

We got dessert in the dining room.  All the food was very good, but their chocolate melting cake is to die for.  I will dream of it until our next cruise.  But, that didn't stop the kids from hitting up "Swirls" every night and usually once a day too.  Ice cream and fro yo cones!  Em was having hot cocoa that night I think.

We had an early excursion scheduled for the next morning, so we turned in early.  But, only after the kids ran around the pool for a bit.  There were hardly any kids on the boat.  Maybe 50 or so that we would guess.  It was Spring Break for college kids, so there were lots of them around.

It was a great first day on the boat!

I'm Sailing Away

We are adjusting to ship life perfectly.

More on Thursday when we return.

Florida Vacation, Day 1 and 2 ish

Vacation started off a little differently than normal. We always leave first thing in the morning, so it was so strange to be leaving for the airport at 7:30 at night. We got to see my Mom which was great. Sometimes, we are pass each other on the highway. She brought her cute little dog Tammy up and Rocko was in heaven. He's neutered, but boys will be boys.

We got to the airport.  We tried a new thing where each kid has their own carry on.  It makes it easy that each kid has their clothes in the carry on and then the little duffle that goes with it has all their stuff for the plane.  It's a good idea and definitely had some pros and cons.  Pros was skipping check in and baggage claim.  Pro was our luggage didn't get lost or damaged.  We had two pieces of luggage ruined after checking it in one year.  Cons were having 4 bags in overhead compartments.  Con, taking all that out with three tired kids at 3 AM and getting them to roll it down the aisle.  

Noah was really the only one who slept well on the plane.  The rest of us were little to no sleep.

We got to David's parents house and crashed.  David, Noah and I slept for about 3 hours.  Ben and Emily slept for 5.  After coffee and a cheese danish, would I do a red eye again with three small kids?  Maybe.  Pro:  itwas nice to have a full day here and a little nap and we were all good.   Pro:  not having to entertain kids on a plane for 4 hours.  Electronics are only so good until the batteries die.  Con:  We were all exhausted when the plane landed.  Literally, if we would've told Ben to lie down in the airport and sleep, he would've no problem.  He just couldn't sleep well sitting up.  We had neck pillows but still.  We were also 3 rows for the back of the plane.  The flight attendants opened about 27 cans of soda back there.  Then, someone went #2 in the bathroom and mixed with the overpowering toilet air freshener, it was like a smelling salt just to make sure you weren't sleeping.  

Would I do it again?  It's like labor...you don't remember how bad it was after the fact.  :)

We took a walk around David's old neighborhood.  Emily liked the palm trees.

He told the kids when he was 14, he used to do pull ups on this super tall branch of this tree. It's the tall branch at the top of the photo, about 20 feet above David's head.

Then, we checked in to our hotel and got ready.  We were meeting David's friend Michele from college for dinner.

We went to this awesome Brazilian steakhouse.  The waiters come around with skewers of meat and slice of what you like, sirloin, filet mignon, ribs, chicken, sausage...you name it.  It was super good.

You have these little placecards that you turn to green if you want the waiter to come by with more meat, and you turn to red when you are done.  Noah, our big steak eater, ate more than his share and was done.

The kids were getting restless, so I took them outside.

Emily took pictures of herself.  Shocker.

Here's David and his friend Michele.

Three generations of Galeana's.

David and I.

Out little family.

Then, we went for ice cream.  Yeah, crazy.  But the dessert isn't included in that expensive restaurant and the kids wanted a cone.  Ben got it all over his nose.  This makes the third time they've ever had McDonald's!

Tomorrow, we head to the cruise ship to start our Bahama cruise.  I'll try to do a little update before we set sail.  Then, it's no wifi or phones for 4 days.  YEA!

Around Our House

We leave for vacation tomorrow night! What? How can that be? But, it's here. The time went super fast. It's so weird to leave at 7:30 at night for a vacation. Hoping the redeye is good to us. I know the kids will sleep, but David and I? Who am I kidding? I'll sleep! David, who knows?

Here's a recap on what's been happening around here:

Emily's friend Ellie came by for a super quick visit. Her family was up here for the day and they stopped by for about 15 minutes. It was so great to see her, but super short. These girls became friends in Kindergarten!

Then, the underwater camera has been a huge hit.

Here's Emily and her friend, Alissa.

Here's Ben.  This camera must really make freckles stand out because in person, Ben looks like he has maybe two.  

His hair looks black here and it so is not.  This was prior to the haircuts last weekend.  Gina's Beauty Parlor was officially open and everybody in the house had a turn in my chair.

David sinking.

I love this one of Em.  

And Noah taking a selfie.

Notice no underwater photos of me?  That would mean I have to get my hair wet.  No, thanks.  :)

The sixth grade kids are doing some buddy teaming with the 1st grade kids.  Emily actually wanted to be with Noah.  Probably because the last time, she got some girl that she said was a huge pain and acted like she knew everything.  Noah is a safe bet.  So, they got to read together at school.  Noah's teacher posted this picture on Facebook.

All the grades are turned in at school for third quarter already. I'm proud to say that Emily and Ben got all A'x again. They've gotten all A's the entire year. The kids are kind of playing these last few days at school. Emily has an all day field trip tomorrow at the park. Ben is watching a movie in class. Noah said his belly hurt today and hurt all last night. I thought, oh no, here we go. The flu is going around like crazy. But, he made a miraculous recovery about 5 minutes after David left with Emily and Ben for school. I was going to take him to school, but thought, whatever. He needs a mental health day. Every 6 year old needs one, right? HA! We played several games of Memory and he whipped me every time.

Ok, so that's kind of a round up of what's going on around here. You'll next hear from me in two days when we are in Florida. That is if I'm not sleeping all day recovering for the flight.