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!

skate, climb, board, zip

There were a ton of fun sporty spice activities on the boat: an indoor ice rink, a 42 foot tall rock climbing wall, two rushing water flow riders, and a zip line between the upper decks. (plus tons of pools, a mini golf course, ping pong tables, and a basketball/volleyball court)
My favorite was definitely the flow rider (I want one of those at my house!) The photos still on my dad's camera but here are some videos of the flow rider and the rock climbing wall:
florider from LB on Vimeo.

zip zip from LB on Vimeo.

climb one from LB on Vimeo.

climb two from LB on Vimeo.

cruising

We are home from the cruise of a lifetime!  The boys were spoiled by all the fun stuff and all the fawning attention from our family and the cruise ship staff.  The Oasis of the Seas ship was like being on a floating mall, rec center, playground, beach boardwalk, and theaters. You can't forget the 18 pools!  It is huuuuge and Aiden's expression of "What the cool!" when seeing just a ship photograph was only magnified once he boarded the giant boat.  I will have happy memories of right when we boarded and the band was playing as KC beebopped down the promenade.  The meals alone make it worth it... aaah, even the kiddie food was decadent: french toast fingers encrusted with cinnamon sugar, double stacked grilled cheese, and cinnamon crunch cake were some of Aiden's favorites.  My favorites were the lobster, prime rib, and creamy gnocchi (not all in one day!).  The shows were kid friendly (and amazing!); front row for Hairspray (which appeared on the Tony awards while we were aboard), a diving show, ice skating show and aerial acrobatics show all up close and personal.  Aiden loved the diving show and kept turning to me excited saying "That's what I call action, Mom!"  J and I even snuck away from KC for the first time since he was born for an hour to see the Improv show (thanks to Lizzie especially and my folks for managing).  The boys enjoyed the Adventure Ocean which was overflowing with toys and even a toy bag to take to our room.  Aiden performed a little rockstar show for parents with his paper glitter guitar.  The Dreamworks partnership with the ship made for really fun parades and dance parties with the characters from Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, and Kung Foo Panda.  They even had a red carpet with the Madagascar characters before a 3D version of the new movie on the ship.  Aiden jumped the second highest in Kung Foo Panda training school at the Adventure Ocean.  We rode the florider boogie board, zipped across the line between the ships decks, climbed the giant 42 foot climbing wall, and even ice skated on the indoor rink.  When we weren't cruising we were exploring Labadee, Haiti, Falmouth, Jamaica, and Cozumel, Mexico.  More on those excursions soon... There are so many photos and mini memories that I will post soon.  Huge thanks to my folks for inviting us to celebrate and for all the great company and fun!  We cannot thank you enough!

happy father's day

What is something dad always says to you? 

Eat your no thank you bite

What makes dad happy? 

When I like onions and being lion

What makes dad sad? 

Nothing makes him sad actually but maybe when I don't do good things immediately

How does your dad make you laugh? 

When I dance and tell jokes but only the funny ones

What was your dad like as a child? 

He ran around a lot eating peanut butter

What is his favorite thing to do? 

Watch Cars 2 at the movie theater

What does your dad do when you’re not around?

Work but I forgot what he does to do philosophy

If your dad becomes famous, what will it be for?

Rockstar!

What is your dad really good at?

Playing Mario

What does your dad do for a job?

Profess?

What is your dad’s favorite food?

Steak

What makes you proud of your dad?

When he wins levels in Mario

If your dad were a cartoon character, who would he be?

Woody because I like Woody

What do you and your dad do together?

Go to the playground because it is fun

How are you and your dad the same?

We both got blue eyes

How are you and your dad different?

I have blond hair and he has brown hair

How do you know your dad loves you?

So he plays soccer with me and hugs me

What does your dad like most about your mom?

Because usually she makes dinner that he likes...usually. (He did say this unprompted I swear!)

Where is your dad’s favorite place to go?

New York to see the Statue of Liberty

And a favorite father son moment on the cruise - one of my all time favorite daddy moments:
yellow sub from LB on Vimeo.

my dad

Happy Father's Day to my dad! The best Cruisemaster, Robot, and Dadooo I know and appreciate! So glad we get to celebrate together.

bubbles

Everyone has a blast with bubbles!

biking bonanza

We are going to keep biking in whatever flat spot we can find.  We have a good fit on the bike and nice firm tires ready for some summer cruising.

brothers

These brothers are mastering the art of what's yours is mine and what is mine is yours...  We have declared that all books and toys belong to everyone in our family.  Aiden has figured out fair trades to get what he'd like, which so far works out.  KC likes the game of handing you things, which works to Aiden's advantage.  The best giggles come from brothers.

monday monster

This three eyed, one tooth monster had a case of the Mondays!  Hope you have a good start to the week and no one tries to dress you in a three eyed monster suit ;)  (Note: He did like stomping around at first, but they make these costumes for subzero temps so he overheated quickly...)

ducks

I took the boys to the beach on my own for the first time earlier this month. This gaggle of ducks were watched over carefully by their mama, and even though I only had two in my gaggle I felt like I had to keep up. There are life guards (3 of them for two swimmers!) and a swim vest for the big boy when he wanted to take a dip. Luckily, it worked out well and we were there for over two hours plus the walk there. Daddy met us there while we were cooling/drying off with a game of mega checkers.

packed

The last day of school included not just a school family picnic, but also a dual birthday party followed by a BBQ at another spot. The birthday had a huuuge water slide and another huuuge bouncy house. The double piñatas were full of jewels and candy. Aiden collected enough to share with his friends at the next party. The bug bites (on my face) were worth the beautiful day enjoying the sun.

Check out the giant slide in action:
http://vimeo.com/43708520

slide! from LB on Vimeo.

end of the year

The end of the year celebrations are just winding down and it was quite the week of excitement. Kick off was pizza and pajama day, then science experiment day (Aiden made a water bottle magnifier), then water day, then talent game day (where Aiden showed off his saxoflute tunes), then family picnic day.

Aiden's school is getting ready for an exciting 50th anniversary year. I'm making good use of my photoshop to help them out... The newest save the date poster was out in the sunshine to greet us at the family picnic.

The bags are packed and the Caribbean is waiting for us - hear we come! But not to worry, I've scheduled a bunch of blog posts to show up ;)

thumbs up

TGIF!  The little guy can recognize a dessert quicker than he can get his thumbs up waving around!

electric

During our off-the-mall museum tour this past weekend, the Woodrow Wilson house was hosting an electric car rally. Turns out Wilson had one of the first electric cars back in the 1920s.  I wonder if Aiden's first car will be electric?!  I also snuck in a shot of KC's static hair at the playground.  We are just eating up all this perfect weather around here!  The best treat this past weekend was realizing we were so close to a DC area Shake Shack (without the NYC 30 minute wait!) - perfect burgers and they delivered an even tastier pb shake!

They Might Be Giants has this song on one of Aiden's favorite CDs that gets stuck in my head every time I hear it - check it out:

sheep

While we were visiting the Textile Museums' fiber fest, we got a chance to meet a Sheep named Cloud. KC was very excited to give her a pat. Then we got to see her get her yearly hair cut.  Then there were two llamas that also had little trims (they were not fans of the haircut so they just did a little).  The fleeces were on display and so soft!

anniversary

Eight years since the hydrangeas were carried toward the wisteria covered pergola just as the roses were starting to bloom for the season....today we pulled over to plop the boys in front of a huge hydrangea in our neighborhood.

Eight years since we used to linger in restaurants trying out all the different quesos we could find... Today we shared the queso with our big boys who also ate salmon, asparagus, and roasted red peppers.

Eight years since I said I do... Today I would say it all over again.

environment

This was a festival focusing on the environment and good health. The turnout was low, but it made for a low key afternoon. Aiden loved the kiddy games all using some sort of recyclable. His favorite was watching the flood plain demos, which he thought was a big game because they let him place his own house in the tank before they released the water. He now wants to create his own "flood tub" at home. I was amazed at how much of DC is over a flood plain! Aiden was also drawn to this trainer doing a demo of his boot camp in a drill sergeant voice - he did leg lifts and kept at it for a long time! KC mastered throwing the ball into the recycled cans, stared down the orange eyed owl, and ran away from the big fire truck and huge tall bottle cap towers. I think both the boys got a kick out of running on the big football field although we kept getting turf dirt in our shoes ;). We learned about a middle school science project to improve the watershed and checked out animals they are trying to protect. The Wildlife federation had Aiden guessing on whether their fur was a cheetah, jaquar or leopard - turns out it was a very soft leopard! Late lunch at the Cactus Cantina with tortilla dough balls to play with topped off the day. What's better than mixing yummy brunch food with Mexican food?!