pretzels

We are in full on relax mode around here... There are a couple of reasons: A: We all have a bit of sick including J, who hardly ever gets sick, had a delirious fever he slept off for 19 hours.  B: We added to the list of bizzaro weather around here with a derecho last night.  It was a very high wind thunderstorm that seemingly took out more trees and caused more damage than the hurricane last year.  There is a huge tree through the house behind us  - a little too close for comfort - a very unexpected wake up call around 10pm.  I've never been more thankful for our generator (although it appears our phones are out, we do have the internet and power!).

The pretzel bakery in Lititiz was the last stop before the pestilence set in to our family - Good thing they didn't actually cook the pretzels they taught us to make ;)  Aiden looked up to the kids on the trip so much, and I wish and hope we didn't share germs with them.  (There will be more fun photos from my dad too) We are going to be lounge lizards for a while and hopefully we'll bounce back for the 4th!

choo

We headed to Pennsylvania Dutch Country for a quick visit with my folks (who are volunteering their time with different organizations throughout the week with more friends).  We took an awesome steam engine train ride, ate lunch in a rail car, took a tour in an Amish buggy, and visited a pretzel factory.  I have J to thank for finding this awesome motel where each room was a different rail car - a thoughtful husband to plan ahead so we didn't have to drive all in one day and he knows just what we would all find fun!  Unfortunately we squeaked that fun in just in time, because now poor J and Aiden are sleeping off some fevers and related ick (neither have been sick in a loooong time!), but last night ended with these snapshots.   (More coming when I get the shots from my dad)

The view on the right is from the tower behind Aiden in the photo on the left:

We stayed in the NYC car, which Aiden thought was so cool since he practically thinks of himself as the New York ultimate tourist:

folded favorites

The charms of cruising include the various towel animals that showed up in our room.  Big memories for little guys ;)

shows

I look back at the cruise and frequently think how lucky we were to have such great entertainment.  The shows were a treat for Aiden and Keaton cooperated by sleeping through most of them.  The diving, acrobatics, skating, comedy, and even the Broadway version of Hairspray were all top notch.  The Tony Awards even showed a live feed from our ship!

It was fun to get spiffed up a bit for our delicious, decadent dinners!  Here is the spiffiest of them all, Keaton Carter:

spiffy cruiser from LB on Vimeo.

breezy

We had an easy, breezy, beautiful morning hunting for critters to catch, playing cars on the patio, and reading in the hammock. KC was helping wipe down the tables and even helped swipe the ground ;). Aiden was a master lightning bug hunter and caught his first one in one swoop. My view of my little cuddly dimple dude on the hammock was the best, especially with my big guy cuddled up reading me a book.

play seum

We kicked off the week with a trip to use a LivingSocial coupon deal I had purchased months ago. We met up with our friends right near 8th in DC. The pizza shop area was Aiden's favorite. There was a moment when a bunny got loose and went running off in the very tricky to navigate spaces. There was even a tiny doorway where the kids could squeak though but I had to run through three rooms to get to them. I'd say KC liked this feature.

character

The ship was full of photo ops with the Dreamworks characters.  The boys both loved chasing down these funny guys.  The funniest moment was the huge lion Alex getting down to KC's level and he ran off wiping his hands with his all done sign.  He was excited again the next time we saw Alex on the red carpet for the 3D Madagascar movie.  We took a few Central Park (big park on board the ship!) strolls with some stops in the cafe and a couple bench sits along the way. It was KC's favorite place to wander.  The Little People celebrated their 50th birthday on board with a party for the Aquanauts (all kiddos 3-5 years).

parade

We caught two parades, a dance party, and a flash mob (which was funny because they'd actually had a dance class to prepare!) through the promenade on the ship.  I couldn't help but think that the dancers, acrobats, divers, and singers (talented people!) that were putting on the parade probably thought they were sorta a silly drag... but the fact that so many people came storming out with costumes made it fun. The confetti that shot out at the end was extra fun!

move it move it parade from LB on Vimeo.

zoom

The kid's programming included a chance to take over the basketball courts with these Power Wheels cars and four wheelers.  The first ride Aiden was pretty jerky with the gas pedal, making KC a bit fussy.  Once daddy took over to power KC's driving the fun began!  Aiden eventually got the hang of it and oh boy, were those little zoomers fun!

zoom from LB on Vimeo.

sports deck

The sports deck was a treat. When I took my impromtu turn on the rock wall, borrowing socks from my sister, I wasn't sure if I could manage to make it to the top. I literally fell the first step I took, but I hopped right back on and made it to the first bell. I wasn't sure if I could make it to the top bell, until I heard Aiden shout, "Go mom, go, you're winning!" Oh man, if my little boy thinks I'm winning, I better keep going - even though I'm kinda scared. I made it up all 42 feet to the top and I was too far to the left to reach the bell, but I eventually shimmied over and rang that highest bell!

The flowrider was a bit tricky, and the first time I tried to make it on my knees I biffed but recovered. When the attendant suggested I put my arms up I thought she was nuts, but I went for it. I think next time I'm going to schedule a time to do the flow rider over and over again until I can surf - I checked and it would be over $80,000 to get one in my house, so that's not gonna happen ;) It's fun to do new things that take you out of your comfort zone... things you can't train for in the car pool line.

argh!

To the left is Aiden before and after a day on the open water of the Baltimore Inner Harbor pretending to be a pirate and vowing to never take a bath again with the other pirate adventurers. Poor KC was feverish, so J and Aiden set out on a big pirate adventure without me and KC (supposed to be a daddy day part two).  He came home with a eye patch and a cutlass which he used to knock at the door.  He stomped in to greet KC and I, who were very happy to see them and hear about the fun.  J took video snips which made my day ;)

golfing minis

Our cruising days were just as fun as the port days in my opinion.  KC was the biggest hazard on the cruise ship mini golf course. It was a bit toasty while we waddled around that course, but it was a neat course overlooking the wide open ocean.

artomatic

The first half week of at-home-back-to-reality summer included a fun day baking with a playdate, a visit to the Creature Teacher (where Aiden was very impressed by the South American Cavy and KC was impressed with the sound of his own squawking so I got to stand in the hall with him), and the TGIF highlight, a trip to Artomatic for a mobile making kids' workshop. Artomatic would be great with a glass of wine, which they do provide for you to peruse the ten story abandoned office building chock full of art. The range of art was really interesting from $5,000 oils to spray painted toys glued together. The Peep diorama contest was definitely Aiden's favorite. My favorite was this illustrator that had cool line drawings of robots and monsters. For the kids' workshop, the artist taught the kids about mobile dynamics and showed them how to make their own. Then he invited them to play in his mobile garden by tapping them with their noses.

boardwalk

The ship has a boardwalk area complete with a full carousel.  They hosted some kiddie events with balloon and face paint artists.  Aiden was transformed into a lion during the Circus Festival!

boardwalk from LB on Vimeo.

cozumel

Cozumel, Mexico was another cruise stop.  In the morning we cruised into the main town area for some shopping and wandering before it got too hot.  The International Pigeon Hunter terrorized some poor Mexican pigeons (who must have heard from the New York City pigeons about the crazy bushy haired kid that has perfected the sneak attack).  KC somehow knows that maracas are for shaking and giant Knex statues are for climbing ;)

rays

The Everybody Loves Rays excursion in Mexico had a good marketing scheme where they tried to help you ignore that these poor rays weren't probably interested in interacting with your squirmy four year old.  I like to think that the rays are good sports and well fed, and maybe have a decent life.  I was supposed to be on an "observer ticket" but it was a bust and way too hot for the baby anyway, so KC and I wandered around the ship while half our crew pet and fed the rays.  This is probably for the best because I don't want Aiden to pick up on my squirmy-ness around slimy guys.  Aiden sure was one lucky kid with a whole batch of new experiences.

jamaica

We split up the fun in Jamaica. J and I stayed with the baby to explore/shop Falmouth, while the strong arm crowd wrestled Aiden up Dunn's River Falls. We owe them a big thanks for giving him an experience not many four year olds have had...for a reason. There were many areas where, as Aiden says, "I'm not high enough!" and plenty of slippery climbing spots as you traverse the waterfall. There was a point were you can bail, but I guess Aiden said "no way, no how!" when asked if he wanted to quit. Huge thanks for taking Aiden up that waterfall! He's still chanting, "I love Jamaica!"

laba daba doo

The first stop the cruise made was in the Royal Caribbean owned area called Labadee which is officially part of Haiti (although you are blocked off from the mainland).  It is essentially a beach resort complete with an artisan village. They hosted a beach BBQ and a kid's play area.  The splash pad was a hit.  The live music from our lounge chairs was a bonus.  The fruity drinks were an extra bonus - Labadabajuicy doozee.

happy cups

We got over our cruise withdrawal with some extra time to spend in Florida with my family.  We had a little time to celebrate with fun cupcakes my creative aunt made for my sister's birthday and father's day!  Thanks for having us!  Happy Birthday Lizo!  Cheers to a great year ahead!