David's 5 year check up

David turned FIVE in April. He went in for his yearly check-up and I am SO proud to report that he is a very healthy, growing boy!

"How did this happen?", said they receptionist at the doctor's office when we checked in. She has known David since he was days old. It was so sweet to know she was having some of the same feelings about David getting older as I was. I am still in shock that he is FIVE!

 

First thing's first- weight check.

 47lbs.; 90th percentile

Then a height check

45 1/2 inches, 70th percentile

Next was getting his blood pressure checked. He is always very interested in that part. 

I don't know what his blood pressure was, but they said it was good.

David actually looks forward wearing the gown for his check-ups. He's so funny.

Vision check! Passed with flying colors. 

 He did have to get two shots which he was NOT thrilled about. He tried to talk me and the doctor out of them, but it was no use. He got one in each leg and they were a little sore for a few days. Overall it was a great check-up and I'm thankful that David is growing up so healthy and strong.

Chief's 1st Birthday

Sorry these posts are out of chronological order. But, I'm just excited to be making some ground on playing catch up! 

On March 14th [Pie Day], our sweet boy, Chief, turned ONE! He is such a good dog and such a perfect addition to our family. He's a wonderful protector and playmate for David and Rachael, a goof ball most of the time, and just a great all around dog. He can play wild or he can sleep, whatever you want him to do. He wants to please and is a quick learner. We had our scary moment with him last Summer as he battled Parvo, so we hope this next year will be much less dramatic. 

The kids and I made him a "cake" and he could hardly wait to eat it. But, he was a very good boy and patronized us as we sang to him. 

Of course, my eat anything that's made of "dough" child just had to try some of it!

Chief loved it!

Sally really wanted to give it a try and was very confused when Chief was reluctant to share. 

He eventually did let her try a bite. She didn't like it. 

Happy 1st Birthday our sweet Chief Dog! We love you so much. Here's to many, MANY more birthdays.

Strawberry Pickin' 2015

Also this Spring the kids and I went to pick strawberries. The weather was perfect for it- slightly overcast and breezy. There were plenty of strawberries just ripe for the picking too. It didn't take us long to fill up our two buckets. 

They both got right to work picking the best looking strawberries.

As soon as they picked all we needed, they were ready to go! Why?!

So they could eat them! In the parking lot.

 

We made it home with these delicious strawberries and adding another year of continuing one of our favorite traditions. 

Snow Skiing in Utah

 Back in March we went snow skiing in Utah with Ma and Big Daddy. We had a wonderful time! David and Rachael were enrolled in ski school everyday. At first they were a little upset about not being in Mama and Daddy's ski school like they have been in years past. The school at the resort was really great though. They had lots of indoor activities for the kids to do when they weren't skiing and the outdoor ski area was just as great too. David and Rachael were in the same class, which worked out well. On the first day there was one other little boy in their class. But, after the first day it was just David and Rachael in the class!! It was awesome! Their teacher- Talya, the Tiger- liked working with them because they never whined or complained, were giving it their best effort, and clearly progressing with their skills each day. So, every morning as soon as they arrived Talya would inform the other teachers that her class was there and she would hurry them out the door before they could assign another kid to their group. The kids LOVED her! By the end of the week they were racing to get to ski school. 

Ski school was from 9am to 3pm. We would pick up the kids right on time and take them up on the big slopes until the lifts closed at 4pm. It was so much fun seeing their awesome skiing skills improve each day!

Rachael chowing off her incredible skills. It was hard to believe how well she was doing for a kid who turned 3 just a few months before.

David was so worried about being left! I was just amazed at his confidence in skiing that he was comfortable to ski [fast!] and yell at Ryan at the same time.

The face of a tired girl.

This one was tired at the end of the day too, he's just better at concealing it.

 

The four adults would ski all day together, which was really fun.

Gorgeous views.

An awesome mogul run that we did several times.

Cute little ones.

There was an ice skating rink at the resort, so of course the kids wanted to check it out.

Both kid's classes have Adventure Animals. These are stuffed animals that go home with a student each weekend or goes on any special trip a student may take. So, Mack the Monkey [from Rachael's class] and Fluffy the Squirrel [from David's class] joined us on the trip. I packed skis [pop sickle sticks] and some material to make a coat and hat for each of them. Ma helped me created the outfits. 

We stayed slope side which was great for getting the kids to ski school in the mornings, it was a very short walk. There were several restaurants for us to chose from in the village as well.

On Wednesday afternoon of our trip we were making our final run down the mountain for the day. Rachael was getting tired and fell when she was trying to keep up with David and Ryan. Ma and I were skiing behind them to block other skiers from getting too close or in case one of them needed help. Rachael fell, so I skied down to her. Her right leg was folded up under her and she was crying for help. I was in such a hurry to help her that as soon as I kind of got stopped next to her I reached down to start getting her untangled. I wasn't stable but I needed to get her unstuck. I was trying to reach down and straighten out her leg when all of a sudden I fell on her! I yelled for Ma who was still up the hill a bit from us. She skied right down and began to help us, but then she FELL TOO! It was a 3 generation pile up right there on the side of the mountain. Big Daddy was able to get to us and help us get untangled, but Ma was in pain. Her ankle was broken. Ryan and I skied with kids while Big Daddy stayed with Ma and waited for ski patrol to come help. Ma went to the doctor and got a lovely boot and crutches.  

Minus the broken ankle is was an incredibly fun week. 

I just love that the kids have the chance to experience such awesome things like snow skiing out West.

Cruising with Mickey

For the kid's Spring Break this year we went on a six day, five night Disney cruise!! 

It was so much fun!!

 I have a ton of pictures, so hang on to your seat. 

We had told the kids that there was such a thing as going on a cruise with all the Disney characters, but not that we were going any time soon. We used it to our advantage to "encourage" good behavior for several months before we were scheduled to leave. Then the night before we left we gave the kids a box full of Disney items that could be used on a cruise ship or airplane ride- goggles, bathing suit, coloring books, water shoes, underwater cameras, sunglasses, etc. On the bottom there was a picture of the cruise ship with the words "We're going on THIS ship tomorrow!" The kids were in shock, I think. They didn't know what to do. We had talked about it so much and now it was going to happen! They were happily speechless and wanted to try out some of the items immediately. 

Early the next morning [before the sun was up], we left for the airport! The kids love to fly and this flight was short and easy for them. 

We were EXCITED!!

 After the short flight, we took a car service to the ship. The kids always love an adventure, so they were excited about this part of the journey too.

 

One moment Rachael was playing and laughing [above] and the next thing we know...

Mama and Daddy were ready for a vacation!

It took awhile for us to get on the ship, about an hour and a half of sitting and waiting. But, that was to keep it from being chaotic and crazy. It was very organized so that everyone got to enjoy their entrance onto the ship. They announced each and every family as they came aboard.   

David got a little tired of the waiting, though.

Happy to be going to our room!

The ship had several 'Kids Only' play rooms. The only time parents were allowed in was prior to the ship being underway. So, we went to check it out! It was really cool. It had a big slide, lots of things to do and places to play. The kids loved it.

They each got special wrist bands that they would use to enter and exit the club area or if they were to ever get lost on the ship the wrists band could be scanned by the staff and it would tell them our room number. The rule of the ship was that no child under 13 could exit the kid's only sections without an adult who knew their specific password [that we chose]. I loved the security and they loved the fun they had in the kid's only room. This, however, would be the ONLY time they were in this room. We were too busy having fun together as a family!!

After checking that section out we changed into our bathing suits and off to the pool we went! The ship had three pool, but this one was our favorite.

The kids wanted to go down the slide first thing.

Rachael's first time down she got turned around at the bottom and bumped her head on the side of the slide.

That was her one and only time down the slide AND she ended up with a huge bruise on her forehead which would stay for the entire trip and in every picture. 

After our swim we got ready the first big party on the ship- getting underway and really starting the vacation!

First, we took in the views.

Let the show begin!

Gotta get a better seat so they can see Mickey and the gang!

We were ON VA-CA-TIOOOON!!!

Our room was great! The kids had a bunk bed. They rotated who got the top bed. Each night our "Host" [aka housekeeper] created cute little towel animals, which of course David and Rachael loved. 

The first day was at sea. We got to just hang out by the pool, go for walks around the deck, play some games, and eat ice cream!!

We ate lunch poolside and then took the kids back for a nap. The tv in the room had a channel that played Disney movies all the time. When they would wake up we would all watch whatever was on as we snuggled in our bed. We had a great first day just being a family. 

The second day we woke up in Cozumel, Mexico. We went on an excursion to this place where we got to interact with a dolphin!

Gorgeous lagoons

After visiting with the dolphins we went for a walk down the beach and found an ocean-side restaurant.

 

 We tried to go for a swim in the water, but it was really cold and the current was very strong. We decided to hang out on the beach before going back to the boat. David found this comfy hammock.

Back to the boat!

We LOVED our experience in Cozumel!

The next day was at sea again. We loved hanging out at the pool.

After nap time we went walking around the ship "exploring".
 

As we came around the corner of a hallway there was GOOFY!! He was so nice and asked [in Goofy's way] if David and Rachael wanted to walk with him to his photo session. The kids [and I!] were so excited.
 

 

Goofy being, well, goofy. 
 

 

 

 That night was-- Pirate Night!!
Our host left bandannas in our room for us to wear.

The kid's menus that night were in the shape of a pirate hat. Arrgh!

The kids discovered the Mickey bar!

The chocolate really helped with David's pirate look.

Party on the upper deck followed by fireworks!!



 


The next day we woke up at Castaway Cay, Disney Cruise Line's private island in the Bahamas.

There was an awesome double water slide that dropped you right into the ocean! David and Ryan went on it too many times to count.

Rachael just wanted to swim.

A little fun as we watched the sun set from the ship that night.

 

Our last full day was at sea again. Many of the characters that David and Rachael were hoping to meet were available for pictures that day. But first a little shuffle board...

And be silly.


 



Minnie Mouse that morning!

Cinderella and Rapunzel in the afternoon!

That evening was "dress up" night.

After watching a show in the theater we went to a dance party with Goofy!!

The last morning on the ship we got to meet Elsa and Anna!!

Saying goodbye to the fun pool.

 

One more photo-op. 

Pure sweetness.

I do have a few suggestions for people who may go on a cruise any time soon. Most of these I found on Pinterest, and they were very helpful.

I packed an inexpensive fabric shoe holder, one hanger and three pipe cleaners. I tied the shoe holder to the hanger with the pipe cleaners. There was a small hook on the wall just outside the bathroom to hang it on. I used this to stay organized and have all the necessary items out in open view and easily accessed at all times. Since the rooms are small you can either put things in the drawers or under the bed. We used the drawers for our clothes and put our empty bags under the bed. But, what about sunscreen? Water shoes? Goggles? Rachael's hair ties? Essential Oils? Band Aids? Swim Ear Drops? We didn't have to search for these things, they were right there. 

There is only ONE outlet in the room, in the "desk" area, which happens to be in the kid's sleeping area. I am SO glad I brought this power strip. I was able to charge my camera battery, plug my phone in when it was running the sound machine app, have a nightlight [also a Pinterest tip I would highly recommend] for the kids because the room can get really dark at night with the blackout curtains.

Finally, because the ship is so big and overwhelming and because I am worrier, especial when it comes to my kids, I came up with a quick, fun way to teach the kids our room number just in case they needed to know it for any reason. Our room number was 2504. I put it to the tune of The Farmer in the Dell. 

Twenty-five 0 Four, Twenty-five 0 Four

That is our room number

Twenty-five 0 Four. 

I would sing it when we got close to our room so David and Rachael would begin to look at the numbers next to the doors and they were soon able to find our room with no help. I also sang it when we were leaving the room so it would be in their heads as we were going out. It took no time at all and they both knew the song and would start singing it as we walked down the hallway. We also reviewed with them several times that if they were to get separated from us to find an employee of the ship [they all wore bright blue shirts] and ask for help.

What a fantastic family vacation! We enjoyed each moment to the fullest for sure. The thing I loved about the trip the most was that as soon as we left the first port we had NO cell service! It was a glorious gift. There was no need to check your phone for messages, or facebook, or instagram, or email. Our phones were completely usless [except for the sound machine app I used or nap and bedtime]. We were able to focus completely on our family with no distractions at all! It was perfect.