I love it when we're cruisin' together

So, here's the run down of the cruise. I know that many of our blog followers are interested in the details as you contemplate a Disney cruise for your families. I'll start by saying I would highly recommend it. We had a great experience!

Here are some of the things I want to remember:

1. Gavin loved every detail of traveling on this vacation. Usually, parents dread a day of travel to and from a vacation destination with a toddler, but our travel days were lovely. From the rental car drive to Detroit (we originally planned to fly out of Grand Rapids, but changed flights due to bad weather) all the way to our destination, Gavin loved the little things. He loved riding in the "new car", riding on the bus from Alamo to the airport, helping with the plastic totes at security, riding on the "big jet plane" (a huge highlight as he looked at the "city" below and went into the clouds close to Grace and Grandpa), riding on the "tram" at Orlando airport to get our luggage, riding on the little bus to the hotel, staying at the hotel, riding on a "big bus" to Port Canaveral and FINALLY arriving at the big boat. He soaked in even the little things that we adults pay no attention to - like the tram ride, what adult cares about that? Gavin, he would have been completely happy riding that tram all day long (why did we spend thousands on this vacation again when we could have just gone to the airport?).

2. From the moment we arrived and dropped off our bags, everything was service, service and more service with Disney. They pay close attention to the little things to assure you don't have to lift a finger (except to eat excessively at their buffets and such and drink their Bahama Mamas). Our room was impeccably clean and tidy. Dining was a great experience (aside from a toddler with limited attention span at a sit-down restaurant). The nursery and kid's clubs were staffed with caring caretakers who made you feel very comfortable dropping off your most precious possession (aka Gavin). Comparing it to our Royal Caribbean cruise last year, the service and level of "stuff" on this boat was by far at a higher level. Granted the boat is only a year old, vs. 20+ years old last year...probably makes a difference in the experience.

3. Gavin at "daycare" was funny. He called the nursery and kids area (Oceaneers Club) "daycare" because that's what it is called on Toy Story 3. He's at the age now where he can easily recall and tell us about things. We brought him to the nursery twice - once for dinner so that the rest of us could have an adult evening, and one for a nap in the afternoon so that Brad and I could go act like kids and ride the water slide on the boat (see below for details on this). When we picked him up, we asked how it was at the day care. Here's his response:
Brad: "Gavin, how did you like the daycare?"
Gavin: "The girl tell me I can't see momma and dadda."
Me: "that's right, momma and dadda weren't there. What did you do at daycare?"
Gavin: "the girl ask me if I want to play with her. I said no, I no want to play." "I have to wait for the elevator, that's what the girl TELL me (emphasis on "tell" - no idea where this came from, they don't take the kids out of the nursery area)." "I take the red ball (probably from another kid) and I throw the blue ball (again, probably AT another kid)".
Not sure how this kid is going to do at preschool in the fall, it will be an adjustment!

4. Fun things on the boat - the Aqua Duck water slide for big kids (and the big kids at heart) was a blast! There was generally a long line, but it was worth it for the thrill. Gavin loved Nemo's reef splash pad and the Mickey pool (though the pool was crowded). More on Nemo's reef and "the incident" below. The adult area on the boat is heavenly. You'd never know you're on a ship full of primarily little kids when you enter the "18 and older" area. We spent an afternoon there while Shirley and Gavin napped/rested in the room. It was great - relaxed in the sun, enjoyed a couple adult beverages, lounged in the adults only pool. You can't even hear all of the commotion on the other 3/4 of the ship.

5. Evening shows - incredible! Broadway quality, fun, captivating, attention-grabbing even for an ants-in-his-pants toddler. The shows were some of my favorite things about the cruise. You would easily pay $75-$100 per person for a similar show on Broadway.

6. The Characters, oh the characters! They are just as I remember them as a child and now I get to see my child enjoying the pure delight of meeting these icons. I think I had just as much fun hugging and high-fiving them as Gavin did! Disney really does bring out the child in you!

7. The beach - Castaway Cay was a blast! Because I work full time, I don't get the luxury of as much one-on-one time with Gavin as Brad does. While we were at Castaway Cay, Brad and Shirley went parasailing (which turned into a somewhat frightening experience for them). Gavin and I got to spend a couple of hours just the two of us playing at the beach. It was so much fun! We built sand creations and filled our little man-made pond/river with water over and over again. It was pure bliss soaking in all that my little boy enjoys! I think he spent 45 minutes running back and forth between the ocean, filling up his bucket, dumping it into the "pond", watching the water trickle back to the ocean, and doing it all over again. I contrast this to our Florida vacation last year where he mainly was interested in just running away from us on the beach. It was fun to see his heightened concentration this year. And his pride in his creations - last year in Florida he was more interested in demolishing our sand castles. This year, he wanted to help build and maintain them. I'm excited to see him enjoy more beach time in a couple months when we return to Florida for our annual trip.

8. Nemo's reef. So no vacation is complete without a little accident, right? Gavin was so looking forward to spending time at the splash pad, Nemo's reef, on the boat. He watched the videos online over and over again leading up to our trip - declaring his excitement for Nemo's Reef and Mr. Ray's slide. Well, day one of the cruise, Brad and Gavin headed to Nemo's Reef, first thing. Shirley and I stopped at guest services with a few questions and then met them up there. Gavin's second time going down Mr. Ray's slide (granted, it's a pretty small, age appropriate slide for toddlers), he come barreling down at a very rapid speed and crashes his face into another child's head. This child was definitely far enough away from the slide for Gavin to go, or so Brad thought, so he was given the "all clear" to head down the slide. Well, some bleeding gums later, Gavin was back at play...but it sent Brad and I into a panic as he continued to complain about his teeth and nose hurting. And here we are at sea with no dentist and limited health care access. Bad mom (and pharmacist) that I am, I didn't pack any children's pain reliever with me, so headed to the ship store to get some ibuprofen. I was questioned at length when buying it by the clerk, who I think was concerned he might have a fever (they, rightfully so, take those things very seriously on the cruise due to the risk of rapid spread of infectious disease). I told her it was just for some tooth pain...she continued counseling me about how they had Anbesol for kids if I wanted that. In rare form, I snipped at her and said I was a pharmacist and I had it covered. I feel bad about that, but just let me buy the ibuprofen already! Maybe I'm extra sensitive when it comes to protecting my kids, since I wasn't able to do this for Grace. I pretty much failed in protecting her. I take Gavin's health and well-being very seriously because I know what it feels like to not be able to protect. I'm sure I'm on the road to being too over-protective. So, we've been keeping an eye on his teeth - swelling is gone now, but I think it may have damaged his front tooth. It's possible it will turn brown...but there are much worse things in life, right? At least he is alive, that's the ultimate in worst thing in the world.

9. Back to more fun (we didn't let the tooth thing ruin our time) - I want to remember Gavin's fun little game each time we walked to our room. He would run down the hall, turning at each door, and exclaiming in a goofy voice "This is my room"...for about 50 rooms before we got ours. And there was a slight "kink" in the hallway along the walk to our room. Brad casually mentioned the kink one day and Gavin just though that word was so funny and continued to talk about the kink ("hink") throughout our days aboard. "We have to walk through the hink." "Here comes the hink." "Momma, hold my hand through the hink." It's probably one of those things where you had to be there to totally appreciate how funny and cute it was - I'm sure it sounds pretty "every day". But it sticks with me and I chuckle just thinking about it and his little dialect as he said it. And I know by documenting it on my blog, I'll think back on it in the years to come and smile! Ah, the very simple things can bring such pleasure!

10. I know that Grace was with us. We had a few butterfly experiences on the boat - and at times when you wouldn't expect to see a butterfly (like when we were at sea). One of them was so beautiful, a variety I've never seen before. It was brown and a bright coral orange color. A woman who was passing in front of us at the Mickey pool walked by holding a pair of shoes. And there was that little beautiful Grace butterfly perched peacefully on one of the shoes...breezing right by us. I love when I see butterflies!

11. Having Brad's mom Shirley along was spectacular! While she (as usual) refused to be in any photos, she really was with us! We all loved having her along to share in our memories!

12. I loved the boat's horn. A typical cruise ship has a pretty standard loud bellowing horn. The Dream had a horn that bellowed as well, but it had little tune to it - When you wish upon a star... Again, just a little detail by Disney that makes you go "huh, that's cute." Disney prides themselves on these moments...they all help add up to an exceptional overall experience!

13. Okay, this post is getting long, so I'll end with one last cute moment I want to remember. One day, I was getting ready quickly in the morning. I changed in the bathroom into a bright pink sundress. When I came out, Gavin looked at me and said with wide eyes "Momma, you look like a princess." It melted my heart! I certainly didn't look like a princess (no makeup, hair in a quick ponytail), but to Gavin, I was a princess.

To wrap up and to benefit those of you possibly planning a Disney Cruise, I say go for it! It was a perfect mix of Disney "stuff" and also relaxation. There are a ton of activities planned for kids as well as adults - we were busy from sun up to well past sun down. If you're interested, I saved copies of the daily activities brochure I can share so you can get a taste of a typical day. If your kids are a little older - fully potty trained and not taking naps any longer - they will get the most out of it. But even for little ones, it's great. And if they are used to daycare, they will do very well acclimating to the Oceaneer's club (it's like day camp) that they can check into for anywhere from 30 minutes to the entire day. Very professional counselors and staff - and trustworthy. This cruise was much better than our Royal Caribbean cruise for many reasons, so go for it if you have kids.

Here's a video of our photos (too many to post individually). Caution, it has music...



And here's a link to photos with captions in case you prefer this viewing option.

Cruise Teaser

We're back from the cruise (as of a couple hours ago), and because I'm still in vacation mode, I'm posting just a "teaser" quickly. More to come on the cruise (INCREDIBLE!!!). I just loved the pillow on our bed, so I thought this would set the stage for the larger blog post to come soon! Disney's attention to detail is impeccable!

Cruise Bound!

A quick post today as we prepare to head out for our Disney Cruise! After a weather scare last night, we've rerouted our flights through Detroit instead of Baltimore, so it should be smooth sailing!

Last weekend we played in the snow, this weekend we'll play in the sun, pool and sand! I have to say I'm very excited. It's a big step to normalcy to be taking this vacation and it feels good. Certainly, I'd trade the vacation a gazillion times over if we just had Grace with us. I went to visit her in the midst of a snow storm yesterday...gosh I wish she were here to go on this trip with us. All of the Disney Princesses and fun little girls have is missed - in fact it's like a dagger through my heart to not have those experiences. For now, we'll dwell in the excitement of her brother enjoying all of the Disney heroes. And enjoy our time with Shirley. We all really need this vacation!

So, we're off soon. If I'm able on the ship, I'll try to post some photos. Otherwise, stay tuned next weekend for the update! And pray for us that our crew/captain make wiser decisions than the tragedy in Italy. I suppose we have Buzz Lightyear and others to keep us safe!

Christmas Day

One final post to wrap up my Christmas blogging - Christmas day! Gavin had an absolute blast with Christmas this year - the lead up all the way through the big day. We started the day prepping food for later, as we hosted the Clarks at our house for the first time ever. We even made a turkey, which I was nervous about. It turned out great!

Here's Gavin first thing in the morning (after sleeping in until 9:30am!) checking out his and Grace's stockings.


Gifts, gifts, and more gifts. Santa sure was good to Gavin this year! Here he is opening the most coveted gift of all, James from Thomas the Tank Engine. He's only been talking about Santa bringing him James for about two months now. So glad the big guy delivered on this one :)

Cool cuttable food for his kitchen.

A couple gifts for Grace - solar powered butterfly lights for her tree at the cemetery.

And butterfly home decor for our house (sorry, the glare is bad).

A last minute ask from Santa - a garden gnome. He ended up being Gavin's favorite gift. He is made of plastic resin, but Gavin insists on snuggling with him when he wakes up from a nap and in the morning. The gnome also eats meals with us. Ever since seeing the movie Gnomeo and Juliet, Gavin really likes gnomes. Now he has his own Lions Gnomeo.

A gift for Momma...oh-la-la!

And one for Dadda - double oh-la-la (Socks, so exciting! Granted they are "fancy" socks!)

Toddler in a bag...sorry, had to include this one because it is just so darn cute!

Christmas with the Clarks. Only one photo taken, as it was all happening so fast. Huge contrast between the Gavin and Clark Christmas gatherings - the Gavin's open one gift at a time, spending at least 5 minutes discussing each gift (even the small ones). The Clarks rip through everything in about 15 minutes total. So, one photo. I did get some video of the cousins opening their iPod Touches...so excited about them!

Gavin had a blast hanging with his cousins, as usual, for the day. He really thrives on the energy and has so much fun. Christmas was very different this year without Mark there. His presence was missed greatly. Brad, Gavin and I visited Grace and Mark in their respective cemeteries on Christmas eve. We got about 2 inches of snow the night before, so we made both Grace and Mark a little 2ish foot snowman, complete with carrot noses. It was fun to make them, even though they melted within hours. I know they both were celebrating up in heaven together. And looking down on all of us as we worked the best we could to make our Christmas a good one, all the while missing them so, so much.


Modeling his new Buzz PJs (he also got Woody). He wouldn't take them off for the rest of the evening.


That wraps up Christmas 2011. All in all, a very nice few days.

Happy New Year to all of our blog followers! 2011 was bittersweet for us - many wonderful moments. Priceless last memories with Mark. Welcoming our daughter into our lives, even if it was just for a glimpse. I'm hoping 2012 will be more on the sweet side, with less of the bitter.

Christmas with MaeMe and BaPa

We celebrated Christmas with my family a few days before Christmas. Uncle Dude (aka Tim) had to work Christmas weekend, so we bumped our annual get-together up a few days. Here's a summary of the night's events...

Trains, trains and more trains. Did I mention Gavin got a TON of trains for Christmas? Ton is an understatement. He has literally a whole room full of Thomas tracks and various Thomas trains. It's incredible!

Squeezes for BaPa before bed.

So, our cruise is right around the corner. We all got Mickey shirts for Christmas to take with us! My shirt is a throw back to the early 90's. My first Disney experience was Disneyland when I was in third grade - my mom found the tee-shirt I'm wearing below stowed away in the archives. The 35th anniversary tee in a girls size XL...so, it fits a bit more snugly now than when I was a child. I was just amazed I could squeeze my flabby post-baby body into it at all (though I am back to my pre-pregnancy weight as of a few weeks ago, yippy!). Oh, and the ears...aren't they great! I'm excited to bring them on our cruise for Gavin's first Disney experience!

Coach shoes...for all of us gals! Thanks Dad!

Showing off his new jammies and robe, made specially by MaeMe!

And not photoed here - some tributes to our angel who is spending her first Christmas in heaven. Everyone got her a special ornament for her tree at the cemetery. It makes me proud that our family continues to talk about Grace and include her in our family traditions even though she is not here with us. It makes me feel very honored when others think enough of her to include her...even in very simple ways. It's hard to believe that one year ago, at our Christmas gathering in 2010, we were sharing the great news of our expanding family. Having no idea what lied ahead.

Last year for Christmas, my parents bought Gavin a wagon with two seats. I remember opening it thinking how fun it would be to fill that wagon with our two children that following summer. Instead, we walked around the neighborhood this summer with one seat unoccupied. I dreamed last Christmas of how different the following year's get-together would be. Another little one crowding my parents' living room. At the time, we didn't know the gender of our little one, so my visions were mixed between another boy or our first little girl. Cute little Christmas outfits. Instead, I now try to avoid looking at the cute little girl clothes in the stores (particularly the adorable dresses this time of year) because it brings me to tears - and not in a "safe" place where people know why I'm in tears. Instead, it is in a very vulnerable place where people have no idea. Instead, it is easier to just avoid it all together.

So, we've done other things to honor Grace this holiday season. Santa brought a couple gifts for her to our house. And we donated the gifts that we would have bought for her, had she lived, to the Angel Tree. I wasn't able to buy any baby girl clothing, though, to donate. Maybe I'll be okay with it next year, just not this year. We opted for toys instead. I do hope that the little girls out there enjoying those toys are blessed with Grace's presence. I'm sure that they are enjoying them, so that makes me happy and proud.

Overall, a very nice day spent with the Gavin family celebrating Christmas!

Cookies

THE annual Christmas cookie baking extravaganza...

Eating raw dough- this is definitely my child! No raw eggs in this recipe, so eat on Gavin!

Professional decorator

Disgustingly sugary