Monday, March 28, 2011

Spring Break 2011!

Spring break was a blast.
I have been trying to put this post together for awhile now,
but Blogger has been giving me issues when adding pictures, and let's face it,
no one wants to read a boring post about someones awesome vacation without seeing the pics.
You know I'm right.
I was finally forced to add them via Photobucket.
Let's see if it works.
Hang on, friends, there are LOTS of pics.

Boarding the boat!
Let the fun begin!!
Photobucket
The first thing we did was check out our rooms.
The boys shared a room, and Ryan and I had the adjoining room next door.
Perfect arrangement.
Preston and Trysten loved their balcony.
Check out T's bling.
He won it in the arcade on the boat promptly after boarding
and wore it every single day.
Awesome.
 Photobucket
The first 2 days were spent at sea,
so we took advantage of all the ship had to offer.
The pool was fantastic.
Ashylnn and Trysten were inseparable for the majority of the trip!
Photobucket
I kinda like her too. =)
Photobucket
Our little devil
Photobucket
I heart my brother and sister!
Photobucket
The kids also loved the ice skating rink.
Photobucket
Especially Carter who spent a lot of time on the ice...I mean REALLY on the ice.
             
Can't forget the in line skating.
That would be The Teenager in the Rangers hat and sunglasses.
Shocker.
I think they are permanently attached to his head lately.
Photobucket
Silly Carter!
Photobucket
Carter's in line skating skills closely resembled his ice skating skills.
Hey, at least the kid tried.
Best of all, he had fun!
           
Can't forget the rock wall which was T's personal favorite,
although we didn't get a pic of him on it.
Fail.
Photobucket
Remember the arcade I mentioned earlier?
It was on the very top of the ship along with a whole area dedicated to teenagers.
Photobucket
What would a cruise be without miniature golf?
How handsome are these 2!?
And how about that backdrop!
Photobucket
The kids spent A LOT of time hanging out
with Mimi and Grandaddy in their room.
My parents ate it up...so did the kids!
One of the best parts of the trip was seeing all the cousins bonding.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Every night we had the option to eat in the formal dining room,
but with 9 kids in tow, we decided not to subject all the innocent
guests to our crew of clowns night after night
and opted to eat at other places aboard the boat like Johnny Rockets.
Our first night in the formal dining room.
Photobucket
Father and son.
It was fun to see the boys all dressed up.
Photobucket
My sister and her sweet family.
Somehow I managed not to get one single pic of my brother's family all together.
Bad sister.
Photobucket
On the menu for our last night in the formal dining room...LOBSTER!!
Photobucket
Lobster just so happens to be Trysten's favorite thing to eat...with melted butter of course!
Eat up, boys!
Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Every night after dinner,
we'd rush back to the room for the boys to change
and to see what creation our stateroom attendant had made for us.
These aren't your average swans made out of towels, friends.
Prepare yourself.
Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Impressive, I know.

 Now, on to the ports!
Cozumel was our first stop, but we chose not to get off the boat.
The kids wanted to stay on and play, and with all the dangerous press that Mexico has received lately,
we decided to opt out since we had the kids.
It was beautiful though, and the weather was PERFECT.
Photobucket
Photobucket
The next day was The Grand Caymans,
and it did not disappoint!
I took a picture of our ship from the smaller tender that took us to land.
Check out the size of our ship compared to the 2 Carnival ships next to us!
Photobucket
The fam on the beautiful beach!
Photobucket
Sweet boys on the beach!
Photobucket
Photobucket
The boys after a $100 lunch.
Seriously.
$100.
Getting off the boat cost us over $300.
But....it was so worth it.
Austin, whatever you do, do NOT smile.
Photobucket
That night while we were getting ready for dinner,
these arrived at our door:
Photobucket
With this:
Damn I'm lucky.
The man is awesome.
PhotobucketThe next day was our last stop
JAMAICA
Let me start by saying that this place is crazy.
Photobucket
Where else can you see a donkey wearing this:
Photobucket
and this:
Photobucket
Yep.
Only in Jamaica, mon!

Checkout Bob Marley's long lost cousin on the right.
Love it.
Photobucket
Come back again, mon!
Photobucket
The last night on the boat,
we said goodbye to some of our favorites:
Herb, our waiter in the dining room, who was from Honduras
Photobucket
Fransisco, our stateroom attendant, who was from the Philippines
Photobucket
and Ash, our favorite bartender, who was from a small island between Australia and Madagascar
Photobucket

The next morning came early,
and the kids were not ready to leave.
We love you, Voyager of the Seas!
Photobucket
"Sea" you next time!
Photobucket
This is what our laundry room looked like after returning home from the cruise.
Totally worth it.
Photobucket

I cannot end this post without thanking my incredible parents.
Thank you both for such a fantastic trip full of memories to last a lifetime.
We are so blessed.
We love you, Mimi and Grandaddy!
Photobucket

10 comments:

Stacey said...

How fun and exciting! I didn't realize those cruise ships were that big, and they had so much stuff on them! Wow!

And umm...I'm a little jealous of you in that bathing suit! How the heck do you stay so skinny?

Impulsive Addict said...

Wow!! What an awesome Spring Break! I LOVED the wash cloth artwork! Great pics!

We've only been on one cruise. It was fun but I think I like just hangin' on a beach. Have you been before? What do you prefer?

Sara said...

First off - you and your brother look so much alike!! Same smile fo sho!

Such a cute family. Love that y'all did this all together. The cruise looks amazing. Would you go on another one?? I'm one of those peeps that has no interest in going on a cruise b/c I don't like the group activity/schedule thing when I'm on vacation, but I keep hearing how great these cruises are. Hmmmm.....

And yes, Cayman is EXPENSIVE. One of my best friends has a condo there and we get to go stay free. Somehow we still end up spending a couple thousand dollars even with a free place! It's crazy. But one of my favorite beaches for sure.

So glad y'all had such a good time! Loving T's bling. ha! And Ryan sending flowers??? Gag. :)

Dee Stephens said...

Yes, you do have a rockin' body. Even after three kids? I'm a jelly bean for sure!
I've only been on one cruise and wasn't a huge fan but I know Brad would probably love it.
I would love.love to do a Disney Cruise one day when we have kids.
I'm not surprised getting off the boat cost so much money. Those places tend to be tourist traps and hike up everything!
Glad to see you back blogging. Missed you :(

Carrie Darney said...

What a fabulous trip! I love the videos of sweet Carter skating...both of them. I especially love when the brothers came to rescue him from the ice. That is just so sweet!!

La said...

What an awesome trip! I feel refreshed.

Fantastic save, Carter!

Does Ryan have any single uncles? ;o}

merrilee said...

Great pics....love the towel animals. And, you look AWESOME in a bikini, girl. Damn, after 3 babies,too.

The Lenzers said...

dont u just love cruises?! it looks like a blast!!!

starnes family said...

Never been on a cruise. As much as I love to travel.....weird!

Great family pic on the beach.

Awesome recap!

whereismymind said...

I totally would have stowed-away had I known you were doing this... Awesome pics!

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Monday, March 28, 2011

Spring Break 2011!

Spring break was a blast.
I have been trying to put this post together for awhile now,
but Blogger has been giving me issues when adding pictures, and let's face it,
no one wants to read a boring post about someones awesome vacation without seeing the pics.
You know I'm right.
I was finally forced to add them via Photobucket.
Let's see if it works.
Hang on, friends, there are LOTS of pics.

Boarding the boat!
Let the fun begin!!
Photobucket
The first thing we did was check out our rooms.
The boys shared a room, and Ryan and I had the adjoining room next door.
Perfect arrangement.
Preston and Trysten loved their balcony.
Check out T's bling.
He won it in the arcade on the boat promptly after boarding
and wore it every single day.
Awesome.
 Photobucket
The first 2 days were spent at sea,
so we took advantage of all the ship had to offer.
The pool was fantastic.
Ashylnn and Trysten were inseparable for the majority of the trip!
Photobucket
I kinda like her too. =)
Photobucket
Our little devil
Photobucket
I heart my brother and sister!
Photobucket
The kids also loved the ice skating rink.
Photobucket
Especially Carter who spent a lot of time on the ice...I mean REALLY on the ice.
             
Can't forget the in line skating.
That would be The Teenager in the Rangers hat and sunglasses.
Shocker.
I think they are permanently attached to his head lately.
Photobucket
Silly Carter!
Photobucket
Carter's in line skating skills closely resembled his ice skating skills.
Hey, at least the kid tried.
Best of all, he had fun!
           
Can't forget the rock wall which was T's personal favorite,
although we didn't get a pic of him on it.
Fail.
Photobucket
Remember the arcade I mentioned earlier?
It was on the very top of the ship along with a whole area dedicated to teenagers.
Photobucket
What would a cruise be without miniature golf?
How handsome are these 2!?
And how about that backdrop!
Photobucket
The kids spent A LOT of time hanging out
with Mimi and Grandaddy in their room.
My parents ate it up...so did the kids!
One of the best parts of the trip was seeing all the cousins bonding.
Photobucket
Photobucket
Every night we had the option to eat in the formal dining room,
but with 9 kids in tow, we decided not to subject all the innocent
guests to our crew of clowns night after night
and opted to eat at other places aboard the boat like Johnny Rockets.
Our first night in the formal dining room.
Photobucket
Father and son.
It was fun to see the boys all dressed up.
Photobucket
My sister and her sweet family.
Somehow I managed not to get one single pic of my brother's family all together.
Bad sister.
Photobucket
On the menu for our last night in the formal dining room...LOBSTER!!
Photobucket
Lobster just so happens to be Trysten's favorite thing to eat...with melted butter of course!
Eat up, boys!
Photobucket

Photobucket

Photobucket
Every night after dinner,
we'd rush back to the room for the boys to change
and to see what creation our stateroom attendant had made for us.
These aren't your average swans made out of towels, friends.
Prepare yourself.
Photobucket

Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket
Impressive, I know.

 Now, on to the ports!
Cozumel was our first stop, but we chose not to get off the boat.
The kids wanted to stay on and play, and with all the dangerous press that Mexico has received lately,
we decided to opt out since we had the kids.
It was beautiful though, and the weather was PERFECT.
Photobucket
Photobucket
The next day was The Grand Caymans,
and it did not disappoint!
I took a picture of our ship from the smaller tender that took us to land.
Check out the size of our ship compared to the 2 Carnival ships next to us!
Photobucket
The fam on the beautiful beach!
Photobucket
Sweet boys on the beach!
Photobucket
Photobucket
The boys after a $100 lunch.
Seriously.
$100.
Getting off the boat cost us over $300.
But....it was so worth it.
Austin, whatever you do, do NOT smile.
Photobucket
That night while we were getting ready for dinner,
these arrived at our door:
Photobucket
With this:
Damn I'm lucky.
The man is awesome.
PhotobucketThe next day was our last stop
JAMAICA
Let me start by saying that this place is crazy.
Photobucket
Where else can you see a donkey wearing this:
Photobucket
and this:
Photobucket
Yep.
Only in Jamaica, mon!

Checkout Bob Marley's long lost cousin on the right.
Love it.
Photobucket
Come back again, mon!
Photobucket
The last night on the boat,
we said goodbye to some of our favorites:
Herb, our waiter in the dining room, who was from Honduras
Photobucket
Fransisco, our stateroom attendant, who was from the Philippines
Photobucket
and Ash, our favorite bartender, who was from a small island between Australia and Madagascar
Photobucket

The next morning came early,
and the kids were not ready to leave.
We love you, Voyager of the Seas!
Photobucket
"Sea" you next time!
Photobucket
This is what our laundry room looked like after returning home from the cruise.
Totally worth it.
Photobucket

I cannot end this post without thanking my incredible parents.
Thank you both for such a fantastic trip full of memories to last a lifetime.
We are so blessed.
We love you, Mimi and Grandaddy!
Photobucket

10 comments:

Stacey said...

How fun and exciting! I didn't realize those cruise ships were that big, and they had so much stuff on them! Wow!

And umm...I'm a little jealous of you in that bathing suit! How the heck do you stay so skinny?

Impulsive Addict said...

Wow!! What an awesome Spring Break! I LOVED the wash cloth artwork! Great pics!

We've only been on one cruise. It was fun but I think I like just hangin' on a beach. Have you been before? What do you prefer?

Sara said...

First off - you and your brother look so much alike!! Same smile fo sho!

Such a cute family. Love that y'all did this all together. The cruise looks amazing. Would you go on another one?? I'm one of those peeps that has no interest in going on a cruise b/c I don't like the group activity/schedule thing when I'm on vacation, but I keep hearing how great these cruises are. Hmmmm.....

And yes, Cayman is EXPENSIVE. One of my best friends has a condo there and we get to go stay free. Somehow we still end up spending a couple thousand dollars even with a free place! It's crazy. But one of my favorite beaches for sure.

So glad y'all had such a good time! Loving T's bling. ha! And Ryan sending flowers??? Gag. :)

Dee Stephens said...

Yes, you do have a rockin' body. Even after three kids? I'm a jelly bean for sure!
I've only been on one cruise and wasn't a huge fan but I know Brad would probably love it.
I would love.love to do a Disney Cruise one day when we have kids.
I'm not surprised getting off the boat cost so much money. Those places tend to be tourist traps and hike up everything!
Glad to see you back blogging. Missed you :(

Carrie Darney said...

What a fabulous trip! I love the videos of sweet Carter skating...both of them. I especially love when the brothers came to rescue him from the ice. That is just so sweet!!

La said...

What an awesome trip! I feel refreshed.

Fantastic save, Carter!

Does Ryan have any single uncles? ;o}

merrilee said...

Great pics....love the towel animals. And, you look AWESOME in a bikini, girl. Damn, after 3 babies,too.

The Lenzers said...

dont u just love cruises?! it looks like a blast!!!

starnes family said...

Never been on a cruise. As much as I love to travel.....weird!

Great family pic on the beach.

Awesome recap!

whereismymind said...

I totally would have stowed-away had I known you were doing this... Awesome pics!