Cruising Together :)

Tim said if I don't change my most recent post my friends are going to stop checking my blog. :) I'm sure you are tired of looking at my 'trim and fit' friend. . . .so. . .Are you ready for some Watson family Florida/cruising Highlights??!?! We went on a Caribbean cruise with the entire Watson Clan. With our four little ones there is plenty of quiet do nothing in your ‘smaller than a closet' stateroom. If you’re interested here are our trip highlights . . .
DAY 1
After approximately 10 hours of being either in the airport or on an airplane we finally arrived in Florida. Can you image flying with 4 children 4 and under?? It is as rough as you can imagine. . . .YIKES! . . . Pretty much a complete nightmare! I wish I was exaggerating. We are still determining whether or not we like those four little rug rats. Although they just about killed us on this little excursion they sure look darling in their semi matching outfits and their Roller Bags of Fun!

DAY 2
I almost felt as if we were in the ghetto when we arrived at our hotel in Miami Beach, FL (maybe it was the ghetto). Regardless, we stayed at the most dumpy, Whisky Tango, don’t go out alone Hotel in Miami. On a more positive note it had a great swimming pool that the children couldn't get enough of and immediate access to the beach. What more could I ask for?? I love it that Max was willing and excited to take fun underwater pictures. It only took about two minutes, but it sure made me smile.

DAY 3
I scream ~ You scream ~ We all scream For Ice Cream! Who doesn’t love Ice Cream? Good thing the Carnival has them available 24 hours a day. Today we loaded up on our cruise ship. The only way I can think to describe the loading process was literally like herding cattle. Back to the ice cream . . . the kiddos had at least five cones in the first hour. I’m pretty sure I had at least seven. I am just a little bit regretting writing the “Trim and Fit” post. Maybe I should have waited until after the cruise. Anyway, I’ve sworn off Ice Cream all together . . . the overload on ice cream totally made me sick. I suppose moderation would have been a good thing. . . I’ve decided I better find something else to do for the next 7 days besides EAT ice cream!

DAY 4
We discovered that the swimming pools are not exactly what we expected aboard this sweet little Carnival ship. They are pretty small, a little deep, and full of salt water. Who knew? That combination didn’t sit very well with the Tim and Shauna Watson Kiddos. The sting of the salt hurts their little eyes and I think ‘Whisky Tango’ almost drown twice. She is pretty sure that she is invincible and just jumps right in with a big smile on her face. Thank goodness the few times it happened I had a close eye on her and was near by. We did discover a mildly warm chlorinated hot tub and the kids have declared, “We must go swimming there every day.” So we do! Happy Swimming!

DAY 5
Is there ever time for just Mom and Dad? Well . . . kind of . . . maybe not at the same time. . . . Today we did discover Camp Carnival. It is a little camp for kids age 2-5. Yes, we tried to fudge on Jacqualynn Grace’s age, but were quickly discovered and she was not welcomed to participate in the program - rules state only children 2 and over can participate… and yeah, they check with the birth certificates on file! We took the three boys up to Camp Carnival today were they made Bob the builder tool belts and created little fishes to take home. They love the camp and I loved the gym located next door. I think we’ll do that for the rest of the trip. I’ve got to work on those 5lbs I’ve already gained. It’s not from the fabulous food because it really isn’t that fabulous . . . I suppose eating is what you do on a cruise ship . . . eat . . . eat . . . and eat some more. I know I’ll regret it when I get back, but it still doesn’t stop me from ordering 3 desserts at the dinner, and sneaking up for a late night hot chocolate or that morning hot chocolate, or that treat at lunch. . . I suppose you’re getting the idea. I’m just doing what I’m good at . . . EATING! Grandma and Grandpa have been great about taking the kids for us, but Tim still isn’t feeling quite up to par. He took Grandma up on having Jacqualynn in her room tonight and tucking the kids into bed and then headed to bed himself. Poor Timmy!

DAY 6
Who wouldn’t fall in love with the Carnival Towel creations (The house keeping crew folds towels to look like animals)? The kids run into our stateroom every night to see what creation is awaiting them. Some nights it is a bulldog, other nights a sting ray, or elephant, it is always something different. The boys take turns giving the towel creation loves and kisses then proceed to destroy their cuddly little friend. I guess that is boys for you. The towel animals are pretty stinking cute. The kids love them so much that we even picked up the Carnival Towel Creation book to make them at home. Thanks dad you think of everything.

DAY 7
Today the ship ported in San Juan. I don’t know what the heck there is to see or do in San Juan, but we made a pretty fun discovery. Today I discovered the souvenir I just thought I couldn’t live without. There was a little shop called Del Sol. In the shade these little souvenirs (t-shirt, hair clip, fingernail polish, sunglasses, watches, etc) are one color and in the sun another color. Honestly it’s silly . . . and it makes me chuckle that this is the one souvenir I just thought I had to have. It puts a big cheesy smile right on my face so I suppose it’s worth it. I just knew my little boys would be tickled to watch their toenails go from blue to green. So I loaded up on polish . . . blue/green for the boys. . . .Sparkle/pink for the girls. It’s fun and mommy knows best ~ the boys L*O*V*E* love it!

DAY 8

I would have never guessed that a dollar would have brought so much darn good fun and laughter. We discovered this little pigeon park tucked way away at the top of a really big hill. The trek up the hill felt especially big with the Caribbean heat, but it was well worth it. The boys chased what felt like hundreds of little pigeons for hundreds of minutes or at least it felt like hundreds of minutes. It probably wasn’t that long, but I’m telling you with this heat you need a big glass of ice water and a swimming pool to be a happy camper. It was good fun and all the bird food you could hand out for only $1. I’m sure it’s the best one dollar I’ve spent on this trip . . . I know it is hard to believe but it was really that much fun.

DAY 9

We couldn't get off the ship without playing one more round of miniture golf. The little ones would beg to take the 'pretty elevator' up to the eleventh floor inorder to practice their swing. I wouldn't consider their round of golf exactly like a typical round of miniture golf. It happened a little more like this. . . everyone would drop their ball at once and start a swingin'. Tim and I had to be extra careful or we would end up with a club in our face. There was big smiles this evening and the little ones kept asking if we could miniture golf someday in Utah.

DAY 10

HOME SWEET HOME!

Well you never really appreciate something until it is over. During our day of travel to get back to the house we had a lot of time to think about this vacation....all the work.... all the fun... and all the sick time for Tim! At the end of the day we had some pretty great times and want to thank everyone for making this happen. We might not get on another cruise boat for the next few years, but we will the memories from this trip to last a lifetime.