We're Cruisin' Baby!

It finally happened! We got Clay on a cruise! Clay and Laura dropped the kids off with Nana and Papa..and off to Florida they went where they caught their boat and were off for a week to be together - yes, just the two of them! And let me tell you...it was Fabulous! A week of no cell phones, no kids, no flying, no cleaning, no cooking, all we had to worry about was each other and deciding what we were going to do next....the pool, the hot tub, the endless food supply, the games, the movies, the shows, etc. It was so nice just being together - laughing, having fun, relaxing, no stress - heaven, pure heaven. (the warm weather in November was also VERY nice!)

Clay and Laura ....KID-LESS

While on the cruise, we took advantage of the photographers on the ship. We had so many pictures taken we felt like celebrities by the end of the week. It was really hard to pick which ones to get...but these were our favorites. Man...I sure wish that tan lasted longer than a week!

Caribbean Snorkeling

One of the excursions we chose was snorkeling! We snorkeled in the port of St. Thomas. Some of our friends, Hans and Laurel, went on the exact same cruise 2 weeks before us- - quite the coincidence.... so they told us that this was an excellent excursion and they also let us borrow their underwater cameras!!! It was so much fun taking pictures of each other under the water...I think the pictures tell all!

Some Adult Adventures

We rented a scooter in the Bahamas - Nassau. It was fun riding around and seeing all the more remote areas of the island - we worked together trying to remember to drive on the left side of the street! We only messed us a few times, and we went down a one-way street the wrong way once...only once, so no worries...right?




We won a trophy...the coveted 'ship on a stick', actually we won 3 of them by the end of the trip! We won a scavenger hunt and were on a winning trivia team....YIPEE! Now...what do you do with these things once your home? Ebay? Cruise ship trophy for sale...anyone? Well, the boys sure love playing with them...another toy, just has a sharp point...hmmm.
























We enjoyed all the towel animals that our room steward left for us each night...the monkey was our favorite!

Clay's favorite past time on the boat was to search in restricted areas to try and get to the front of the ship.....he really wanted to be like Rose on Titanic and pretend like he was flying on the front of the ship.... just kidding about the Rose thing...but he did try everything in his power to get to the front of the ship...which is off limits to guests...and yes, Laura got roped into the detective work too...In the end it was a lot of fun trying to solve the puzzle.. we never quite made it to the front...but we got awful close.

We really enjoyed the waterslide on the boat! Clay was particularly good at making a big splash at the bottom. He could create such a big splash he would get people in the neighboring pool wet. However, by the last day, he was even making waves and splashing water over the side of the slide AS he went down - which would splash sleeping babies below and innocent bystanders walking by....it was great. Laura would wait and watch on the top to see if he hit anyone, she would then slide down and report...we make such a good team!


ALL chocolate BUFFET.....yum!!!

Paradise Parasailing

In St. Maarten we parasailed. It was soooo neat! It was Laura's first time... and she loved it! It was fun because we got to go together - side by side. I guess if one goes...we both go right? The view was gorgeous. We ran out of film when we got up...so we don't have too many pictures of the view - but believe us...it was breath taking.

New way of bathing....fully clothed

The other night, Preston decided that he wasn't quite done with his bath when he thought he was....however, he didn't decide this until after he had already gotten out of the bathtub, dried off and into PJs. It wasn't until he raced back into the bathroom to find his brother still enjoying the warm water that he decided to climb back in and soak in some more bubbles.....so, the next question you are probably asking yourself is where was the parent when all this was happening? Right behind him, just not fast enough! As soon as the elastic from the PJs hit his little waist, Preston's legs went into motion and he bee-lined for the bathroom (which is right across the hall). By the time mom got her feet under her and up, he was already into the bathroom, and by then it was just mere seconds before he was up and over the side. So, no matter how quick we get, those little legs just seems to be a little quicker..... especially when they are up to mischief! However, Preston has never climbed back in before, he usually just goes back in the bathroom to say hello to brother, or flush the toilet for fun...so when I discovered him back in the tub, I said, "What do you think you are doing?" He just looked up at me like "What? I'm taking a bath, what are you doing?" I couldn't stop laughing. I had to grab the camera and capture the moment! Classic.

Corn Maize

We've always heard about them, but never been to one...until now. Laura and the boys went with some friends from the squadron to a local corn maze. It was sooo much fun! We had a great time using our navigational skills to find our way through the corn, using our muscles to push the strollers through the rough paths, and then finally using our internal sense of direction by racing through the maze to see who could make it out first without the use of maps! We were laughing all the way. It was a rather cold and windy day, so we went all bundled up, but after pushing two kids for a while...Laura started sweating had to remove all the layers...whew. We never knew that you would get a work out at the corn maze! The boys had fun running through the corn, punching our cards, and yes - even eating some of the stray corn that was on the ground...Hey, when you are in the middle of a maze and not quite sure how long until you are going to get out - you will do just about anything to keep the kids happy... All in all..great experience, totally recommend it! **Word to the wise, if you do go and you take kids....take a jogging stroller! IT will save your life (and your arms!) we now know what not to do!

Soccer Time.....

Earlier in the year, CJ decided that he wanted to play soccer. (We are just now posting the picture because we just barely got it! CJ has been carrying it around and showing everyone...he is so proud of his "soccer picture" CRAZY, it only took what....6 months for us to get it! There was a little mix up with the picture people...but we finally got it, so here it is!) It was a special team for 3 and 4 year olds....they don't play any games, just start learning about the rules and how to handle the ball. It is a parent/child class where a parent goes with the child to practice. When we heard about the program, we were really excited that CJ barely made the cut off (He turned three in March and practice started in April) so we thought this would be an excellent opportunity for some Daddy and CJ time! Well...that's exactly what it turned out to be, CJ and Daddy time - forget about the rest of the kids on the team or the coach! His three year old attention span didn't last very long out on the field. CJ talks about wanting to play soccer, baseball, football, etc...but I think we will probably wait until next year before we try an organized team!