day 2

DAY 2 - Nassau Bahamas

we ported at 7am in the Bahamas it was BEAUTIFUL! we headed to the windjammer for some breakfast.. which is a buffet and there is so much food its crazy.

getting off the ship was quicker then i expected. you just get in the elevator; hit the gangway button and get off and they scan your card and you get off. we checked out 2 towels to use at the beach. off the ship we were bombarded with tour guides trying to give us the 'best deal' or us to get our hair braided. we decided to not take a tour bus as we didn't want to go see all the houses and stuff. we grabbed a free map off the counter. nothing was open yet so we decided to walk to what was supposed to be a waterfall but wasn't on

apparently the slaves dug way way down in the stone 16 hours a day for 18 years.

it was called the queens staircase

not the waterfall i was expecting

there was a fort at the topwith a few booths of locals setting up souvineirs and what not. we didn't take the tour in the fort. 

we started to walk towards a beach but a local told us it was really gross and thought we shouldn't go(junkaroo beach) we got a taxi for 4$ each and drove us to cabbage beach, next to atlantis. Atlantis waterpark would have been really fun but it was quite expensive. Jordan and Melissa went and said they had lots of fun on the waterslides. We jumped in the waves and sat on the beach, we were only there for 4 hours so there wasn't much time to do anything.

the sand was beautiful and white

the water is crazy blue

it was really windy we got back in the taxi and he drove us downtown and we went to a few soivier shops, they had tons of iniapropriate salt a nd pepper shakers, they were really funny

 

WE went to the Del Sol store and bought some color changing shirts for the boys. By this point it was 1 and we had to be on the boat by 130 to leave by 2. we came back in and had to go through customs again to make sure you weren't bringing anything back you weren't supposed to.

WE got changed and went to wipeout again for fries and icecream. We went and checked out Central Park which has all the fancy resteraunts and pretty plants and gardens. Todd and Becky had a balcony that faced it. We then had a wonderful nap and ordered room service. WE ordered the raspberry cheesecake and they sent us a cheese plate, They had a football game playing on the bigscreens at the aqua theatre which was kinda annoying to listen to, We watched the diving show from our balcony which was pretty cool. 

our fun towel animal

the cheesecake was so worth the wait

Dinner was formal night. WE had beef tenderloin it was really good. so was the shrimp cocktail and the virgin pinacoladas

it felt so weird not paying for the food after we ate. we went and hung out in the hottub infinity pool in the solorium but it was quite cold out in the middle of the ocean, we got pizza from sorentos on the royal promade (highly recommend the California pizza) and went and played cards in the card room till 2;30am. the beds have memory foam it was pretty comfortable.

day 1

our trip started on the 11th (thursday night) we drove the van to Lethbridge to meet my mom and pick up a few more last minute things at Walmart. We needed to get FSA approved locks for our suit cases so that they didn't chop them off if they had to open them. As we were saying good bye to the boys in the van Ryker told blake to "get out of my van so i can go to Grammies.' That made leaving them a little easier when i did all the crying, haha. We then crammed 4 large and 4 carry ons plus 4 adults into Todd and Beckys Equinox, it was a little snug but the ride went by fast. We stayed at our aunt and uncles in Calgary, we got there around 11:30 and our flight left at 6:15am so we fell asleep until 3:30 and Monty dropped us off at the airport. We flew United from Calgary to Chicago where we had a 2 hour layover. The plane was tiny and there was a lot of turbulence taking off, the plane was so full we had to check out carryon underneath as all the overhead bins were full.We found our gate in Chicago, which wasn't too far away, and luckily didn't have to find out luggage as it was going straight to Fort Lauderdale. We had some deep dish pizza(when in rome i guess haha)

The handy charging station in chicago

and then flew to fort lauderdale. We stayed in the Red carpet Inn, which had a shuttle from the airport, it was really nice to not have to worry about a cab and all of our bags. We shared a room with Todd and Becky and just ate supper and breakfast at the attached restaurant. Every hour there is a shuttle from the hotel to the ship ports, which can get pretty crazy, they told us we were supposed to check in at 2:30 but we had to check out of the hotel at 11 so we just headed to the port. When they drop you off there is people standing on the sidewalk that you hand your previously tagged suitcases to and they make sure they are delivered to your room on your ship. It is best to tip these guys and make sure your suitcases are delivered in a timely manner. You go through metal detectors and get to the check in desk where they give you your id card and take your picture, we had signed and checked in previously online so it was a cinch to check in. then you walk up onto the ship.

Day 1- sail day
we checked in before they were done cleaning the rooms, they start at the back of the ship and we were actually the last room at the back of the ship except the stateroom with the balcony, so our room was clean. Every day they gave you a "cruise compass" which is a schedule. they also have a touch screen on the walls by the elevator where you can see what is going on all over the ship .

the view from our balcony

the aqua theater on the back of the ship

finally getting to our room down the long hallway

Jordan and Mellisa had a balcony facing the ocean- the other ships looked tiny next to ours

it looked like a mall inside

starbucks on the ship(not complimentary)

christmas decorations but still didn't feel like christmas

checking out the casino

this is the boardwalk view from our room

we walked and explored the ship we started at the top (level 16) there is a level 17 but its for "gold members" we ate lunch at Wipeout cafe which has burgers and hotdogs and fries. and the best softserve strawberry icecream! Blake got the "unlimited soda package" and we just shared. They give you a cup with a chip in it and there are special pop machines through out the ship with 180 different options to choose from from pop and lemonade and juice. our favorite was vanilla barqs and peach sprite and cherry mountain dew. it was around 6$ a day but you can get pop from any bar or resteraunt for free if you show them your card as well.

blake and his cup

we used My time dining and booked everything before hand online. we were on deck 5 in the Silk lounge.

You can make a reservation before hand or you can just show up and wait to be seated. They had prime rib, and it was really good. we unpacked all of our stuff and bought a few things on the main deck at the store. LIke a lanyard to keep our cards in. If anyone ever wants to borrow ours and not spent the 10$ just let me know! we hung out in the whirpool in the solorium which was our favorite place because its 16+ and on the front of the ship. The pools aren't heated, just warmed by the sun so it was colder at night. we headed to bed early after a long day.

ONE.

So im not gonna lie this post started out really selfish and turned depressing really fast. it was all about me and the traumatic day 1 year ago was for me, grieving the pregnancy i didn't get to finish and having a preemie and the hardship it was on me and the reminder of all that his birthday brought to mind.. but thats not what this was about... so i started over !

today turned out alot better then i expected. i have struggled with depression since Jarons birth, its difficult for me to express and sometimes I stew on things a little too long, a week ago i had a pity party for me, but today was ALL about Jaron.. and i'm glad i could get it together long enough to do that...
My baby is 1... WHAT!? how did this happen..
Jaron weighs in at a whopping 19 pounds. he is a solid boy. not very tall and not very chubby just solid. He enjoys eating, he will eat until i stop giving him food. for his birthday breakfast i decided to make him sprinkle pancakes, turns out this is the only thing out of every food i've ever given him he doesn't like... i hope this isnt a start of the fight i have with Ryker daily to eat the food i give him.
Its almost like he grew up over night. last night i couldn't sleep so i got up and held Jaron while he slept.. he looked so peaceful.. like there was no way he was turning 1 in less then 12 hours... and when we woke up this morning it was like he just grew up. hes talking more and walking with his walker. he is crawling on his hands and knees more often as well instead of just army crawling everywhere.
we had a good day, the weather was okay here, i was hoping for it to be warmer out side so we could do some smashcake photos but those will have to wait.
we are going to do a combined party for Blake and Jaron next week and hopefully the weather will be nice :)
I am so excited for Jaron and how far he has come. he is a fighter and that deserves a celebration on his own! He is doing so much better then we ever thought possible, and we hope that this continues. He is so smart, and although he isn't quite at the milestones that other full term babies are at, I am the typical mom who thinks their kid is a genious and take a million pictures everytime he does something new.
Becky made cake balls for Jaron tonight to enjoy, and he loved them!

Happy birthday Jaron!

  WE SURE DO LOVE YOU!

15 things no mother would ever say

1. Of course you can sit on your brother !
2. Ahhh..I feel so rested and relaxed and put together !
3.Please join me while I'm using the bathroom, the more the merrier!
4.I think I got too much sleep last night
5.I really enjoy taking my 2 kids under 2 grocery shopping with me
6.I can understand you so much better when you're whining
7.Yes, please go ahead and make an even bigger mess I love picking up every bodies things !
8.My floors! They're so clean!
9.Please lick the toilet seat !
10.That temper tantrum you just had totally changed my mind, we will totally do it your way!
11.My life hasn't changed at all since having children!
12.Of course you can play in the cat litter while you're at it try out the dog food !
13.You can never have too much sugar
14. Oh goodie a Dora marathon!
15.I love the soothing sound of Lego being dumped on the floor.