A little taste of Paradise!

Caribbean Cruise: March 3-10, 2012

Joe and I were so lucky to be able to go on a cruise to celebrate our 10th anniversary. The girls were safe at home being watched by Nonna, Grandpa, Grama Mary, and Rick and Jaclyn. It sounds like they had a great week as well – spoiled by grandparents and playing with friends!

Joe and I had the most amazing vacation. We truly had a dream vacations. We had some much needed time together, we made new friends, and we went on some great adventures. The ship we cruised on – Oasis of the Seas (Royal Caribbean) is the world’s largest cruise ship. When we pulled up to the port and saw the size, we were amazed, Joe said, “Well, I guess it’s go big or go home!” We were on the ship for 7 days and still were not able to do all the activities available, guess that is just another reason to cruise again! I took about 500 pictures. We visited 3 countries (Haiti, Jamaica, and Mexico – Cozumel), and saw 3 bodies of water (Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, and Atlantic Ocean)

Some highlights from the week:

Cruise, Day 1 – at sea· We board the ship about Noon, deport about 5pm
· We wander the ship for a few hours just to get acquainted with what is available
· Joe and I started out our vacation with couple hot stone massages. Wow was that wonderful and oh so relaxing
· We saw” Oasis of Dreams” Aqua Show – diving, acrobats, dancing

Cruise, Day 2 – At sea· I check out the running track – yup, a running track!
· We go to a shopping class to learn how to shop in the ports – get some great coupons and Joe even gets a free bag from Del Sol
· Time on the deck enjoying sun and Margarita’s
· Joe plays Bingo to try to win us an executive suite (misses out by one number)
· I get my hair done for Formal night
· We get all dress up for Formal Dinner (Joe was in a suit and tie for the first time in about 10 years)
· Quote from the captain during his welcome: “I know 4 languages, Norwegian, English, American and Canadian. I am working on Australian, but I haven’t quite got the accent.”
· We try to see “Hairspray” – It ended up being postponed after they had to stop the show 3 times due to technical difficulties!

Cruise, Day 3 – Labardee, Haiti· We got up early this day to see the sunrise which was beautiful! It was very windy, but still very nice. We were surprised by how fast the sun moved. We also got to see the boat dock which was quite amazing as well.
· We got to talk to the girls. We had some technical difficulties with the phones- we couldn’t call out, but we could text, and we were able to receive calls- so, my mom called us, so we could chat with the girls!
· Royal Caribbean owns the peninsula of Haiti that we were visiting, so everything is catered to us. It had a beautiful beach area, along with some fun activities.
· We went on the roller coaster – we were able to see some great views, but it wasn’t as exciting as we thought it would be
· We went Jet Skiing- this was very fun, and much different than jet skiing on the lake!
· Sandbar Island: Took a small boat to a “sand” island. We had a fabulous time here. Met some great new friends who we continued to spend more time with throughout the week. We both drank too much (we were drinking native beer – 5.65 proof), and we got sunburned here as well – even with 50 proof sunscreen).

Cruise, Day 4 – Falmouth, Jamaica· Our excursion leaves first thing after we port - We went to Ocho Rios, Jamaica for Snorkeling and climbing Dunn River Falls (no pictures yet since I have to get these developed as they are on the waterproof cameras). Some quotes for the day: the bus driver: “ the only snow I’ve seen is in my refrigerator,” the tour guide: “ (in Jamaica) we don’t have problems, we only have situations”
· Back on the boat- after dinner we go to “Quest – an adult scavenger hunt. “ What a fun time we had. It started out with 3 games based on “minute to win it.” I volunteered to participate, and I won! I had to swing my balls to knock over water bottles, sorry – I don’t have pictures of this one! Then, the scavenger hunt begins – the room is divided into 9 teams, and our team wins! We had a great time.

Cruise, Day 5 – At sea· Joe entered a belly flop contest with 2 other guys we had been hanging out with – Chase and Klaus. Only 7 guys enter. Joe is last, and, well, he didn’t really belly flop – oops. Too bad they didn’t get a practice run, cuz for the finale he did an awesome flop! Chase, however, the smallest guy by far, takes the trophy!
· Pool time
· Mini golf – yup there was mini golf on the boat!
· Formal Night

Cruise, Day 6- Cozumel, Mexico
· ATV : Mayan Ruins, we get very sandy!
· SHOPPING!! Joe bought me a beautiful pair of diamond earrings which we got an AWESOME deal on!
· We try to talk to the girls, but the phones don’t work, have to settle for a few text messages! At least we know all is going well!

Cruise Day 7 – At sea· Breakfast in bed!
· Pool time
· Joe went to the “Captains Corner” to learn more about how the ship works while Andrea spent more time by the pool!
· Zip line – yup there was a zip line on the boat!
· “Frozen in Time” – Ice Show
· Comedy show, Line of the night, “wasn’t it nice of Royal Caribbean to take us to 3 of the top 10 most dangerous countries in the world, and 2 of them are in the top 5”

We had so much fun! The food was great, the night life was fun (especially with the help of our new and younger friends) – thanks Jenny, Chase, Jay, Angela, Zach, MattJo, Klaus, and Darling for letting us hang out with your group! It was also fun to meet Kim, Russ, Karen and Boone. We initially dined with 2 gentlemen from Israel who were very difficult to communicate with, however, they stopped coming and we invited that 2 gentlemen at the table next to us to join us. They were from Miami and were fun to dine with! Thanks to all for such great memories. This is one vacation that we will never forgot!!! We hope to be able to cruise again soon.

Happy 2nd Birthday Amber!!

It is hard to believe, but it is true...Amber turns 2 today!

Amber at 2:

*She loves her big sister. Her big sister is her guide to life. We have to remind Leah that Amber is taking in everything that Leah is doing. Leah is fantastic to Amber and is doing a fabulous job as big sister.
*She loves to “olor”- Color.
*She loves to help cook . In fact, she helped to make her birthday pancakes!!
*She loves to sing – her fav songs to sing and act out: “Baby BumbleBee,” “Wheels on the Bus,” “Baby Turtle,” and “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
*She plays xbox Kinect “Just Dance” and actually tries to follow the steps!
*she is still a good sleeper and eater.
*Doesn’t really like the snow, but due to the winter we have had, has really not had a lot of time to adjust to snow!
*She has been dealing with a double ear in infection for more than 1 month (she is on her 4th antibiotic) – rechecks in 3 days, possible visit to see an ENT in her future.
*She is taking swimming lessons for the first time with Mommy. She can blow bubbles in the water now and is working on her underwater zooms, backfloat, tiger paddles, kicks, and monkey cheeks!
*She loves her baths, has to brush her own teeth, doesn’t like her hair combed or fixed(unless it is done for her at daycare), is getting better at getting her nails clipped, loves to have her nails painted (but doesn’t like to sit still during the process).
*Says “beep beep” when she wants you to move.
*Good at saying “pease”, sometimes says “tank you.”
*When you ask her if she is 2, usually she says “no!”

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY LEAH!!

Leah 1 month old
Leah 7 years old (bonus - at school today it is Hat Day, and it is the 100th day of school!)

Leah at 7:

*Smart
*Loveable
*Great big sister!
*Loves to sing and dance
*Energetic
*Does well in school, but is distracted easily (she always wants to know what is going on around her)
*Reading is becoming more independent
*Does well in math, but thinks it is hard!
*Great in spelling
*Still loves Taylor Swift
*Watches mostly Disney Channel programs
*Social, loves to be around other people and kids – and really doesn’t like to play by herself
*Still can whine with the best of them (a trait Joe and I are both anxious for her to outgrow)
*Still is afraid to get close to people in costume, but she is trying to be more brave…because she wants to go to Disney World!
*Still working on correcting her vision (which is much better than it was originally). Right now she is getting a drop put in her strong (left) eye 3 days in a row each week which keeps her left eye constantly dilated which makes her have to use her right eye. If you look closely at the pictures from the birthday party, you can see it! We check back with the pediatric ophthalmologist the second week in March to see if it is working. She is currently seeing about 20/40 in her right eye with her glasses which isn’t too bad, but we are working on making it 20/20!
*Likes to do crafts
*Stubborn
*Participates in swimming, gymnastics, dance, soccer, t-ball, skating – she likes everything she tries and wants to keep doing each one. We are on a 2 activity limit, right now she is in Dance and Swimming!
*Did I mention, she is a WONDERFUL big sister! We really are quite lucky at how well she treats her little sister

*****

I was able to take today off of work. I pretended in the morning as if I was going to work - routine stayed the same. I was able to surprise Leah at school for lunch. It was so much fun. She gave me the biggest smile and hug. So worth it!! :)

2/4/12 Party Day!!!

We had Leah and Amber’s Birthday parties on Saturday 2/4/12. It was a little early, but the day that worked the best!

The day started out with Leah’s “friends” party. This party was from 11-2. She had 13 friends come to her party – Bailey, Morgan, Kaylee, Delila, Thea, Vivian, Katie, Rachel, Samantha, Haley, Riley, Kaylee, and Michael (yep, 1 boy – 2 more were invited, but couldn’t make it)! The kids played – drums, Xbox Kinect (Wipeout and Just Dance), and with anything they found interesting in the kids’ toy area. We had a craft – of course! The kids got to decorate their canvas bag with foam shapes and letters. This was a bit chaotic, and I could have organized it much better – THANK YOU to Tiffanie and Sara for helping me get through this one. The kids all made some great bags. I was amazed at their creativity. Joe put together lunch (with the help of Dan)- Papa Murphy’s pizza. The kids ate (with only 3 spills – not too bad). Then it was piñata time. We held this activity in the garage – did not know where in the house it would be safe. They really got into this one – screaming “now” when the child who was swinging should try to hit the piñata. “Now” eventually changed to “whack it!” which was pretty amusing considering 13 kids were screaming it! The chaos hit once again when Michael made the final swing to break most of the candy loose. Joe helped empty the rest. Thanks Dan for helping the little kids with their turn – brave man! Of course, no birthday party is complete without cake and presents which were the next activities. More playing followed until parents came to pick up their child – some of which pretended to hide! It was absolutely crazy at our house, but I think the kids had a good time. They didn’t want to leave, so I took that as a good sign.

Next up: Leah and Amber’s “family” party. This party started at 3:30. We did a quick turn around of the house in preparation for close friends and family to celebrate Leah, age 7, and Amber, age 2.

We had lots of attendees for this party. So happy that so many were able to make it to celebrate the girls’ birthdays. That is very special! We had – Nonna, Grandpa, Grama Mary, Aunt Linda, Uncle Steve, Aunt Tiffanie, Uncle Dan, (cousin) Thea, (cousin) Delila, Aunt Pat, Aunt Karen, (cousin) Chris and Cherice, (cousin) Nikki, (cousin) Emilee, Sara, Mike, Michael, Joshua, Jaclyn, Rick, Kaylee, Kurtis and Kaysee. The girls were so excited! Amber was most excited about “my berday cake!” What a very special day. Thanks to everyone for coming!!
THANK YOU Sara, Dan, Tiffanie, and Jaci for helping out during the parties!

1/20/12 Just Dance Kids

Leah got "Just Dance Kids" for the Kinect for Christmas. Well, the Xbox decided to die, so Joe had to send it to Microsoft to get it fixed. Finally, Leah was able to test it out last Friday. She had so much fun. She has asked to play it everyday since! I am amazed at how good Leah can follow along! Amber even got into it! We were surprised that the game even picked her up and gave her a score. Yup, she even managed to score some points.

Check out the short video I captured: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5a7NWbRZ6o&context=C389ca55ADOEgsToPDskJlZkk8dJttk6WPFhqi8alx

January 16, 2012

So, I decided to take off January 16 (Martin Luther King Day) since Leah had the day off. My mom and I took Leah, Amber and Michael to the Mall of America. The kids started out on the rides. As always, they had a blast on the rides. Amber even went on the kiddie roller coaster for the first time (she loved it)! They got their faces painted. I took my eyes off of Amber briefly after she had her ladybug painted on her cheek (before it was dry), only to turn back to discover that she had already smeared hers!! Leah and Michael both loved their faces- and looked super cute! We ate lunch at the American Girl Store. Yes, Michael was hesitant at first, but he did come along. I think he even enjoyed it! He told me later that the food was good, and that he would eat there again! Leah always loves going to the American Girl Store. She even talked me into getting Julie's ears pierced while we were there! Amber played along as well. We had brought her bitty baby. After watching her sister with her doll, it didn't take Amber long to get the hang of trying to feed her doll at lunch. We really had a nice lunch. Then, it was off to Lego Land (Michael's request). They all had some fun playing Legos. Then, a few more rides before we started to head home! What a fun day we had.

We brought Michael home, and, of course, HAD to stop in to see baby Joshua. He is so darn cute. Leah and Amber both loved him up. Amber has already claimed him as "mine."

1/7/12 Adventure Park

Leah, Amber and I met up with our friends Rebecca, Vivian and Derek on Saturday for lunch and Adventure Park. We had a fun afternoon! Leah and Vivian don't see each other often (they met 2 years ago in dance/gymnastics class). When they do get together, they are just hyper crazy. It is fun to watch them play. Amber and Derek even played some together, and I am sure they will play more together as they get older.

While at Adventure Park, Leah and Vivian ran off to do their own thing most of the time. They even got a few quarters out of us. Leah came back to me, and- all by herself - she had played the claw machine with the stuffed animals and actually got a stuffed animal! I was impressed because I usually have trouble with those things! Although, I was able to get one out as well (for Vivian)!

I stuck around Amber most of the time, but one moment she manages to "lose" me. I was looking all over for her, when I looked up and saw that she was in the climbing apparatus all by herself. I refuse to believe that she was able to do that all by herself because she is my "baby." But, she is a climber, and I should not be surprised. So, of course, I ran to get my camera. But, remember, how I mentioned we thought Joe was able to fix the camera. Well, I went to turn the camera on, and all that would happen was the lens would open/shut about 3-4 times then the camera would turn off. So, needless to say, I did not get any pictures of that moment, but again, the iphone came in handy, so I was able to get a few photos of the afternoon!

I can not be without a camera, so I went to the store after we left Adventure Park, only to find that it would be about the same price to get a new camera as it would be to get my camera fixed. So, I ended up with a new camera - and early birthday presents! Thanks Mom!!!