Shipboard Silliness-Family Cruise on the Pearl

I originally planned to go into detail about our cruise, but I've decided to just do photo postings with captions. It'll never get done otherwise. Out of sheer laziness I'm going to break it down into a few parts-by island & ship. This is some of our shipboard silliness.

Norwegian Pearl 8 days/7 nights Eastern Caribbean Cruise (ports in Samana Dominican Republic, St. Thomas, Tortola, skipped Great Stirrup Cay Bahamas due to Hurricane Tomas) Bon Voyage Miami


We were still playing Beetle Bop as the ship left port...the new rule instituted was that if someone saw a crazy color VW Bug on any of the islands they were the winner FOREVER! Rachel became the slugbug queen when we were on St.Thomas. She spotted a tie-dyed VW Bug with a Rastafarian Jesus painted on the hood. There is no topping that...EVER!!!


Swimming & Waterslide

Kids Club



Towel Animals (& Bob-Ben's class dog that had to go with us)



I am really scared for the teenage years.


We were so happy Grandma Cooper came (we did miss Grandpa thought)

Rachel figured out almost immediately that the ice cream machines pretty much ran 24/7 & had to have an ice cream cone after every meal, once we got back on the ship from port & after leaving the kids club @ 10pm every night!


Headed out to sea. Just ditched the kids at the kids club for the evening-woohoo (maybe that's why I look slightly possessed)
Sharkbait-the comedy jugglers(they were very funny). After seeing their show Ben wanted to go to clown college & become a juggler-thank heavens clown college has closed down!

I probably didn't have too much to worry about with clown college...
after the juggling lessons Ben was a little frustrated with his juggling abilities (as was I)


Waiting: for Mom...AGAIN!
Still waiting...


The arcade outside the kids club


Rob playing dodge ball


The kids cabin



Rock Climbing
Rob made it to the top (I started up, looked down & freaked-I am so afraid of heights that I don't know why I was thinking I could climb that wall without a problem. DUH).

Aunt Danelle rigging up for her climb


Fancy Dress Up Night-We were like sideshow freaks when we herded the kids anywhere. People had to ask me if they were all mine, which was followed by "bless your soul" or stop them to comment on how darling they were & that we had so many (I guess 4 kids make a huge family outside of Utah).


Lounging

2011 Goal

On a random note...I'm trying to write a book. It's slow going but my fabulous friend, Crystal, has inspired me to keep slogging along. My goal is to finish it this year (I have serious doubts that anything will actually come of it, but it's loads of fun doing it anyway)! I figure if I put this in writing I might actually follow through...maybe!

Cowphobia

Ice fishing=torture right? I still firmly believe that (despite Rob's best efforts to convince me otherwise). He has managed to brainwash most of the children into his way of thinking (Lauren finally announced this year that she does NOT like fishing-ice or off the boat & that she's NOT going out to freeze with dad this year).

I mean seriously, does this even resemble FUN? Not hardly!

To supplement our boring Saturday's while Rob is freezing with one or more of the children I have started taking the remaining kids to various playlands. This last Saturday we decided to hit Chick-fil-a. I'm not entirely selfless in taking the kids out (I've been reading a long series & I get to read while they play...mother of the year I know).

Back to Chick-fil-a...

Things were going well, I was enjoying myself and the kids were wearing themselves out. A win-win situation...until Hayden spied a worker dressed as a cow out in the drive thru lane. You'd think the cow had a chainsaw & was slaughtering the innocent people in their cars the way he was carrying on. After a great deal of cajoling I convinced him to stay.
"We go home. Scary cow..."

"You're safe. He's an outside cow. Go play."

Once the cow disappeared from sight he'd reluctantly wander back into the play-land where he remained until he caught sight of the terrifying bovine reappeared. This process was repeated every 5 minutes or so.

We entered the realm of horror when the cow came inside to see all the kids. Most of the children came running to hug the cow, poor Hayden was shaking in his socks. Literally shaking. There was no consoling him. The manager of the restaurant gave him a stuffed cow trying to ease his fear. Not happening.

Hayden knew that cow was coming for him. What would that be called-Cowphobia?

We made a hasty exit and I thought all would be well. Moving ahead to Wednesday night: in his bedtime prayer Hayden asked "bless that Mom will trip the dancing cow & kill it".

I'm flattered that he thinks I could take down the cow (said cow was over 6 feet tall) but I seriously think this should be one prayer that should go unanswered ...for my sake as well as the cow!

Not Quite the Reaction We Expected

We like to take our kids on mystery vacations. We make grand plans and then spring the destination on them. This year we surprised the kids with a cruise.

We managed to get passports for everyone without raising suspicion & when it came time to pack we told them we were going to see grandma (I NEVER said we were going to St. George to see grandma-I'm pretty sneaky).

We met grandma at the airport in Salt Lake, had a layover in Atlanta (where Rob was they human jungle gym) & stayed overnight in Miami-not once did my kids ask what was going on (and yes my children are usually sharp). We got into the cruise terminal & decided to reveal the big surprise.

Me: "Guess what we're doing today kids..."

No answer...

Me: "we're going on a cruise-yeah!!"

Lauren burst into tears muttering something about the Titanic & hurricanes & dying.

Rachel looked panicked after seeing Lauren's reaction.

Hayden was just happy to bounce around.

Ben (with hands on hips & head cocked sideways): "are you telling me we AREN'T going to St. George?" Heavy sigh.

Not quite the reaction we expected when telling them we were headed to the Eastern Caribbean.

Ah well live & learn! I'll post more details & pictures soon (like once my head stops spinning from the holidays).



- Why am I up so late blogging from my iPhone?

A Fun Summer, Even With the Sweatiness

If I am being honest, I am not the biggest fan of summer. I never have liked the heat. I am one of the hottest people I know-and I'm not talking "ooh baby she's hot", it's more of the "that poor woman has sprung a geyser in her armpits" kind of hot.

Too much information, I know. But this is the biggest reason summer is not even close to my favorite season (it ties for third with winter). However, as I look back through my pictures we did have a fun summer...even with the sweatiness! I think a big part of it was we spent a ton of time at the lakes & up the canyons this year so maybe it wasn't as hot as it could have been?! Whatever the reason, it was a great summer! Here is my 2010 summer recap:

Fun with Friends
Bridal Veil Falls

Cascade Springs

No Hayden isn't taking a leak in the springs...but it looked like he was!

Camping


Fishing, Boating & Tubing

Swimming Lessons

Lauren

Ben

Rachel

The Bean Museum


More Swimming



Scooters/Bikes
More Fishing

Daniel's first time out on the party barge

Ghosts of Halloween Past

My dad has ALWAYS questioned my sanity when it comes to Halloween. This is the holiday he hates the very most, and I absolutely love it! The ironic part is that he gets bent out of shape if I don't dress my kids up and bring them trick-or-treating to his house!

For years now I have tried to make our costumes (I will admit that there were some costumes held together primarily by hot glue). I typically try to do a family theme & I have done this since Rob & I first got married!

I don't have pictures to post from 1997-1999 since they are glued into a scrapbook & I didn't want to try to mess with scanning them. They really weren't anything too monumental (hippies, Red Riding Hood & the Wold in Granny's clothes, a princess & prince). But here are some ghosts of Halloween past...

2000 we went as Woody & Jessie from Toy Story. I'm about 1/2 way through my pregnancy with Lauren...can you tell?

2001 Since Lauren was only 6 months old we opted out of Halloween.

2002 Wizards & a Unicorn

2003 Ben was 1 month old, so Lauren was the only one in costume that year

2004 We re-did Toy Story with more characters!

2005 We're off to see the Wizard...

2006 Alice in Wonderland. I'm wondering how Rob & Rachel didn't make it into the pictures. He was a card like Ben & Rachel was the White Rabbit.

2007 I was VERY pregnant with Hayden so we have zero pictures of that year. Lauren was a witch & Ben was a frog & Rachel was a unicorn(I totally cheated & bought/borrowed the costumes)

2008 Surrender the Booty (yes I am a ship)

2 costumes in one year? Rob & I at a How to Host a Murder Date night...do you like my nose & lip piercings? YIKES!!!

2009 The Force was strong with us, it was. Star Wars

Poor Lauren got the H1N1 flu & had to stay home from trick-or-treating...

What will 2010 bring? We have been chasing MANY options this season, some far wilder than even I could have imagined. Out of character, I have copped out & bought most of the costumes this year and we do NOT have a family theme (I do have a good reason which I will reveal AFTER Halloween...and no I am NOT pregnant although that does seem to be the recurring theme of the years I slack off). I'm going to have to make up for my slovenly ways in 2011!