As a Christmas present this year Ty's parents took the entire family on a vacation! They took us on a 7 day Caribbean Cruise! The grandparents on both sides even came with us! Even though I was still recovering from my surgery, this vacation was so much fun! In fact I think if anything it helped me feel better faster!
FEBRUARY 28 - TRAVEL DAY
The kids did so well with the trip to Texas. The girls were so excited to fly on a plane. Lily got a little nervous right before it took off, but after that they both did well! J slept thru most of it, but woke up as the plane began to land. He cried the entire 30 minutes that it took to land. I felt awful for anyone around us that may have been irritated by it. Because of my low iron, the plane ride was not good for me so I was exhausted and very light headed when we finally reached the hotel. Both sets of grandparents were at the hotel waiting for us when we got there! We made a short walk to a restaurant for dinner. I wish I could remember the name of it. But the food was good and the company was great! The girls were a little wild, but considering they sat in an airport, in a car, or on a plane all day it was understandable.
MARCH 1
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO TY!!! Ty turned 30 today! He also shares a birthday with his Grandpa Cook who was on the trip with us! They got to celebrate together this year! We started the day with a nice continental breakfast at the hotel and left around 11 on a shuttle bus to take us to the Port of Houston. When we arrived someone met us at the shuttle and took our bags for us to put on the ship. I made the mistake of giving them the bag with all my meds in it. I even thought about taking it but decided we didn't need it until later on so it would be fine. It was the LAST bag to show up in our room and it was the FIRST one we needed when we got on the ship. I was struggling and in a lot of pain and then even poor birthday boy Ty had a massive headache and no meds to help it with.
We walked thru security and stood in line for about 15-20 minutes to check in. After that they still hadn't started boarding the ship so the room was packed full of people and they were sending the rest of us outside to overflow tents. We sat there for an hour or so. Entertaining the children with junk food and Aunts, Uncles, and Grandparents the whole time. We were all very excited when they announced it was time to board! We waited another 30 minutes or so for our number to come up and we were off to stand in another rather fast moving line to board the cruise ship. The girls were beyond excited! They'd been waiting a long time for this 'boat ride!'
The FIRST thing Lily did when she got on the boat was try climbing the rail and going overboard. NOT JOKING! And the security guy just stood there not sure if he should stop her from climbing it or not! Gah! When we stepped onto the boat he had told us to go right and then changed his mind after we started to the right and had us go left. Lily hadn't gotten the memo and continued right. We noticed immediately and Ty headed back to find her. In just 30 seconds of being separated from us she had started climbing the rail and was bending over the top of it. I could just see the security guys face like he wasn't sure what to do with a lost girl who since she couldn't find her parents - and instead of freaking out - decided to climb the rail and look over the edge. Stopping her would have been a good idea! Anyway she didn't go overboard and got it out of her system at least so she didn't feel the need to do it the rest of the trip!
Security scanned our cards and took our pictures (this way no one could steal our card and get on the ship as us at the ports we were stopping at). And they escorted us to an elevator that would take us to our room. The room was actually roomier than I expected. There were 2 twin beds that we pushed together and to twin murphy beds above that. The girls slept up in the murphy beds and yes Lily did fall through the rail one night. We thought she'd land on our bed but since we had pushed the bed to one side to fit J's pack n play, she hit the edge of the bed and continued to the floor. At least the bed slowed her down because I'm pretty sure she went down head first! The rest of the trip she slept in the bed above us where we were sure she'd land on us if it happened again.
We immediately went to the deck to find some food. It was well into the afternoon and we hadn't eaten anything but junk food since breakfast. Gigi (Grandma LaPray) gave J a taste of her ice cream cone at one point and she didn't get any more of it after that. He thought it was his and insisted she give him ALL of it! lol!
That night after dinner (which was wonderful by the way) they brought Ty and his Grandpa Cook each a small cake and we sang to them! It was a long day of waiting but the ship finally left the port while we were eating.
Waiting in the tent.
Checking out the water temperature after eating lunch on the deck.
MARCH 2
Today we spent a lot of the day in one swimming pool or another. The pool water was pretty cool... too cold for me and J that's for sure. The girls didn't seem to notice though even with the wind blowing making it feel even cooler. Ty, J and I found a not so hot, hot tub to sit in while the girls played in a little kiddie pool with a tiny slide in it. Ty's parents sat by and read a book and watched the girls play. All in all it was a nice relaxing day full of swimming, cards, and lots of food (the girls favorite thing the entire trip was virgin pina coladas! They drank several of them a day! lol)
We saw a beautiful sunset on our way to the dining room for dinner that night.
He loved the hard rolls we had for dinner!
Uncle Ryan being silly!
Lily was so exhausted she just about fell asleep in her food. Her Grandma Cook saved her and put her in J's stroller. Our kind waiter got an extra table cloth out and put it over her as a blanket. It was so sweet of him!
MARCH 3
Today we docked in Cozumel, Mexico. Our plan was to just wander around downtown Cozumel, do some shopping, and eat some Mexican food. Just before we left we found out Ty's siblings and his mom were going to go to a beach and snorkel a little before going shopping. Ty loves snorkeling so we decided to join them. The beach had a lot of floating blow up toys that the girls could play on for free. They really enjoyed it. Crystal even went down the slide once but I didn't get a picture and couldn't talk her into doing it again. lol.
When we got back on the ship we fed the girls dinner at the buffet and then let them go to the Pelican Room (room where we could drop the girls off for a lot of fun planned children's activities). Dinner in the dining room tended to be long and tiring for them so we thought they'd have more fun in the Pelican Room, and they definitely did! They had a Pirate Night and even got their faces painted!
The slide Crystal went down but wouldn't do it again for the camera. haha. It was pretty steep and scary.
He was falling asleep and instead of leaning back would lean forward and put his face in the water. lol. We let him sleep on a beach chair after we took the picture. haha.
Downtown Cozumel!
Crystal HAD to have one of these lamps! She didn't want one of the pretty pink ones though. She chose a plain white one no matter how hard I tried to change her mind.
Exhausted and thirsty, we stopped here for a cold limeade before we headed back to the ship. I tried the papaya... bad idea. It was DISGUSTING. There was definitely something wrong with it. Ty's limeade was good though. The girls shared a Melon drink that was pretty good also.
Heading back on board.
He was too tired to use his hands I guess. Haha.
Yep. Every night we went on the deck for ice cream before bed. Even J got to have one.
Pretty Pirates eating ice cream!
Our souvenirs from our day in Cozumel, Mexico.
MARCH 4
Today we docked in Roatan, Honduras. Its a small island off the coast of Honduras. We heard that it had the best snorkeling, but we had to get a taxi to the other side of the island to get to the good stuff. I had done research beforehand and found a beach resort that we could get into for the best price. It was a bit of a walk along the beach to get near the reef, but it was well worth the walk. This was my first experience snorkeling and it was amazing. According to everyone else it really was great snorkeling (I didn't have anything to compare it to, so I'm taking their word for it). Ty even found a conch but there was something living in it so he put it back. I panicked about 2 minutes into the coral because I was sure we were going to get lost in it and not be able to find our way out. It was right up towards the surface of the water and like a maze! I began to get quite claustrophobic so I just stopped and watched for a while. I saw some amazing fish. Ty finally realized I had stopped and came back to me. He made one more trip to the edge of the reef where the water dropped to nothing... yes i saw this 'cliff' and panicked again. I am apparently afraid of heights even under water. haha. We got back just in time for us to pack up and leave. Apparently while we were gone, the girls and the rest of the family got to see a real monkey! Sad I missed it!
We played on the beach with the kids until everyone else came back from snorkeling. Then they watched our kids so we could go! So thankful for awesome family for helping us out with the kids while we were on this trip! The girls made some pretty neat sand castles and loved the warm water:
The water was even warm enough for J. And he LOVED the texture of the sand!
Heading back through the port after a long day at the beach everyone was pretty tired! We shopped in the port for a little bit and headed back to the ship:
Our cruise ship!
View of Roatan from the ship:
Lily trying out the camera (i had to help a little. lol)!
Crystal practicing her photography skills!
Our dinner entertainment was wonderful! J loved dancing to it!
Our souvenirs from the port in Roatan, Honduras! (yes i had to buy a watch. lol. I left mine at home and our phones didn't work so I wasn't carrying it around. I hated not knowing what time it was!)
I actually don't remember for sure what day this was, but one night on the ship we watched a magician show. It was a pretty good show and the girls enjoyed it also (though Crystal was a little concerned when a sword went through the girl and she appeared to be dead. Ty had to remind her that it was all fake).
Oh yeah and something else awesome happened today! Before we left the ship, J took his first real steps! Yup that's right J took his first steps on a rocking boat! Haha!
MARCH 5
Today we anchored off the coast of Belize City, Belize and took a tender to the small port. Today it was just our little family. Ty's parents and his siblings when ziplining and cave tubing. I'm kind of glad I had the excuse of small children so I didn't have to go because it sounds a little scary, but it looked like they had a blast!
The one thing I wanted to do while on this cruise was see some Mayan Ruins! So today we decided to take a taxi to Altun Ha. At first we had a hard time finding a taxi that would take us for the price we were able to pay, but just when I thought we would end up spending the day in the port a taxi driver approached us and accepted our offer. YAY! It was a 45 minute drive in a pretty warm car on a VERY bumpy road. Someone described it as potholes connected by asphalt which after experiencing it I fully agree. Haha. This time I tried to take some pictures during the drive. I wish I had taken more in Roatan of how people live there (not so much different than here other than they don't have the luxury of a dryer so their laundry was often hanging in front of the house... so thankful for the luxuries we have here). So I tried to take more pictures here of the scenery and some houses, but it wasn't easy. Haha.
Tender to Port:
Taxi: (it was a bit warm if you can't tell)
There's a big house back there... hard to see. But definitely owned by an American.
Everything was very lush and green. Beautiful!
This was our taxi driver, Alma's house. Haha. We passed it on our way to the ruins.
He stopped and told me to take a picture of this tree. It is apparently a common tree in Belize but I can't remember the name of it. Wish I could...
We had to explain to Crystal that we were going to see rock houses that people used to live in long ago because when we told her we were going to see ruins she was very concerned as to why we would go see ruined houses and why would someone ruin them? lol. So now she calls this the place with the Rock Houses.
Most of the ruins haven't been unburied yet.
Spice Tree. The leaves really do smell like a spice of some sort. Our guide (and our taxi driver :)) told us they used to make the spice to trade.
He climbed up and picked some leaves off the ground so we could smell it.
Family photo op. It was VERY hot and humid and the girls were feeling it.
Jade Head
Yep they found dirt to play in... and it was even in the shade. haha.
This tree has rapped itself around a Palm Tree and is killing it. Its called a Strangler Fig. Once the Palm Tree completely dies and decomposes the tree is left hollow for animals to live in.
The guide said once the Strangler Fig starts up the Palm Tree, its a death sentence for the poor Palm Tree.
Crystal was upset by this and kicked the tree. This is her just after kicking it.
Yep. We are gonna climb that...
See the little windows/peep holes?
More heads!
Crystal wanted to go inside. This opening was the only 'inside' she could find. She was a little upset I wouldn't let her climb up there.
Heading up the stairs to the top of the Ruin.
Those little legs did pretty well on those steep tall steps!
Most the way up looking down! Almost there! Unfortunately Crystal looked down too. She was over 3/4 the way up at the time and wanted to immediately climb back down!!! Haha! It was so funny because all she wanted to do the entire time we were there was climb to the top of it! I took her hand and made her walk the rest of the way up. I know I'm a mean mom!
I told her to just sit down when she got to the top trying to calm her down and help her feel more secure. But she was mad at me because she was still sitting too close to the edge (a good 5 ft away!).
Ty convinced her to walk to the middle and stand by the alter (no human sacrifices on this alter though. no worries).
The square of ruins from the top of the pyramid.
Awful family pic. lol.
Another of the ruins!
Tree line behind the ruins
The alter at the top of the pyramid
Back down the steps on the other side (I actually had to carry lily. These steps proved to be too steep for her. It was quite the task considering my low iron due to my blood transfusion a few weeks before. Haha. I'm glad we both made it ok!)
From the bottom looking up the stairs we just descended from.
The AC worked better on the way home but they were still pretty hot and tired
Yep dirty window and a shy man with a boa constrictor (really he didn't want us to see it cuz we didn't stop to pay him to look at it so he walked off the road). I totally missed the picture and Crystal cried cuz she didn't see the snake. Good thing our neighbor has plenty that she can see whenever she wants. haha.
Crystal with her new "belize" purse
Lily with her new favorite doll.
Crystal's Photography:
On the drive home Crystal played with my camera as entertainment. These are the pictures and video that she took.
The Hundred Year Old House:
This house is only feet from the ocean. Just the road we were on separates it from the water. Belize in the past 100 years has been hit by, I believe, 3 serious hurricanes that have pretty much destroyed the city. But this house has stood through it all! It looks like its in rough shape but from the clothes line out front you can see people still live there. It really mostly just needs a good paint job!
Belize Souvenirs!
Back on the ship:
I'm an awful mom for taking this picture, but Lily wasn't paying attention (as usual) and hit her head on the edge of the rail while walking by. It really was rather funny. She hit it hard enough that she fell to the ground but immediately proclaimed "I'm okay!" HAHA. But then she cried and I felt bad.
We found a little nook to sit in and to contain the girls a little while they got some energy out!
Dinner was wonderful as usual!
This was dessert. It actually wasn't as good as it looked unfortunately. My 2 favorite desserts were available every night. They were the Creme Brulee and the New York Cheesecake. I wish I had asked for both every night we were there! haha!
After dinner snack!!!! Ice cream time!
J missed out tonight because he fell asleep.
MARCH 6
I didn't take many pictures today. I wasn't feeling great and actually spent the afternoon in the room while J took a nap. The girls played in the Pelican Room and Ty took them swimming for a bit, but it started raining and cooling off outside so they didn't swim long. We ate more food and drank more pina coladas, strawberry daiquiris, and soda. Haha. It was all in all a WONDERFULLY RELAXING day!
It was formal night tonight in the dining room and the girls wanted to go to dinner with us so we got them all dolled up again and ready for dinner. We had wonderful entertainment again tonight and Ty got up and danced with the girls to keep them happy just a little longer while they waited for dessert. The best part about dinner tonight was the Escargot they had for an appetizer. I wasn't brave enough to order snail, but Ty did and I regretted it because Ty let me have a taste and I thought it tasted a lot like smoked oysters (which I rather enjoy!). The amazing part is it was the ONLY thing we could get J to eat! He LOVED it! We tried giving him his Mac and Cheese (the best Mac and Cheese you have ever tasted.. seriously mac n cheese will never be the same again after this trip) but he refused to eat it. He ate 5 or 6 pieces of Escargot though! Haha! He seriously thought it was great! He has expensive taste!
Eating Snail. Haha.
Dancing to the live music!
We exhausted her again!
Group Picture!
This is the look on Mom's face while she's talking about how she can't believe there is only one day left of our trip! It was just so devastating to think about!
We watched these two perform several times throughout the week but i finally decided I should take some pictures of it. They aren't good pictures, but I did my best. Crystal LOVED watching these guys. They really fascinated her. Their acrobatics really were amazing! There is one part where they take their shirt off like they are stripping but there is another shirt underneath as in the next picture. But one day we stopped to watch and they were in street clothes. There was NO SHIRT underneath when they 'stripped'! Haha! Its also the time Crystal got to give one of them a high five. What did I just expose my child to? haha.
MARCH 7
The girls spent a lot of the day in the Pelican Room where they once again had face painting! This time they were Tigers! I spent a lot of the day packing our things and just relaxing. A counselor from the Pelican room called us concerned about Lily because she had started coughing. We finally had to go get them and couldn't let Lily go back because of it. I felt bad because that night they were having a Pajama Party and I had already told them about it. Lily's cough wasn't because of sickness. The air was drying up and cooling off the farther North we traveled. The weather had cooled enough that we needed a jacket while outside! Lily has a narrow airway and the drastic change in weather wasn't good for her. Its hard to convince people of this though, so we just kept her with us for dinner. Ty managed to sneak Crystal out so she could go to he PJ party without Lily really noticing too much. She enjoyed spending the evening with us though so all ended well.
The back of the ship! Look at trail it leaves behind it!
Dinner Entertainment!
This is ridiculously impossible to make out, but its our dessert. Baked Alaska. They couldn't really set it on fire so they used fake candles. They had a parade and brought the Baked Alaska's all out putting on quite the show. Then everyone on our table ordered Creme Brulee. LOL. He got us all some Baked Alaska also. Two desserts tonight!
Uncle Todd and Aunt Brooke! Our wonderful waiter is in the background. He really was a wonderful guy. The people who work on these ships spend months (like 10 months sometimes) away from their families (much of which include small children). It really is sad, but they have such a good attitude and feel blessed to have a job. What an eye opener for me. We really do have it good. Ty's schedule is a little annoying at times but at least we get to see him every day!
Uncle Ryan and his boyfriend Tim. And the waiter in the background again. haha.
Everyone at the other table!
LILY'S GOOFY FACE
HER TIGER FACE
Lily played the Lying Game with us and Uncle Todd and Aunt Brooke. We didn't guess right once. We weren't very good at this game at all. Haha.
PELICAN ROOM PICTURES
OUR ROOM
Eating snacks in bed! Yep almost every night!
Lily and Crystal switched beds halfway through the week when - as I mentioned before - Lily fell through the rail and landed on the ground. Youchy.
MARCH 8
Leaving the ship was sad. We had such a wonderful time. It really was a perfect vacation. We had exhausting days, but 2 days on the ship to relax and recover before the trek home and joining reality again. I always feel like I need a vacation after my vacation and this seemed to do just that!
Getting off the ship and going back to the US. I was promptly asked to put my camera away after taking this picture... oops. They also asked Ty all the questions about the kids when going thru customs. I was sweating cuz Ty doesn't do dates very well. Haha. Then he totally said the wrong birthday for Crystal! I laughed a little but the guy didn't even crack a smile. I'm so glad they didn't freak out and take her! I was laughing about it all the way out the door though. But partly from nerves maybe?
On the bus back to the airport.
Space Cow at the airport!
We then spent a good 5 hours waiting for our plane. Wishing I had been able to play a little cards or something but everyone was a little grumpy and on edge so we watched movies and sat around instead. I know makes sense...
Cowboy boot!
The most of Texas we were gonna see today! :D
Chilling and watching a movie.
They were pretty good in the airport, but Lily had had it by the time we got on the plane. And then due to no fault of her own she spilled a 44 oz drink immediately after boarding the plane (the flight attendant moved a McDonald's drink onto the tray in front of her for her to knock over while trying to help us.. not her fault either just an accident). They really aren't equipped for such spills so the floor under Ty and Crystal (Lily ended up moving next to me) was soaked for the entire ride. Our bags under the seat got a little wet also. Just glad the people behind them didn't really need the space or theirs would have been wet and sticky too. I felt like the flight attendant hated us after that, but oh well. Lily slept the entire flight and J slept most of it. He woke up again for the 30 minute decent and cried the whole time again. We were on a smaller plane so I really felt bad this time. At least it was full of people with other kids, so I hope they understood.
We got home late that night and when we woke for church the next morning I was actually sick! I still felt like I was rocking and it was giving me an upset stomach! I spent the day in bed and the girls weren't really acting themselves either. We were all feeling much better when Monday rolled around and things weren't rocking quite as much! I couldn't believe we didn't get sea sick until we LEFT the sea! Haha!
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