So usually on Tuesdays I have about an hour and 45 minutes of time inbetween dropping the kids off at Sonshine school and coming in to work at the church. Last week, I chose to hang out at Panera during that time with my friend Carrie. This week, I was determined to try something new. I went to my first ever kickboxing class, called “Ultimate Kickboxing Conditioning”. I have to admit - I was a little intimidated about going since I had never been to a kickboxing class. So I just stared in the windows at the beginning of class just watching and wondering if I should just go run my regular 3 miles instead. They had already started and there were others coming in late so I took the plunge. There were not enough punching bags for everyone so I shared with a nice girl who looked experienced. Apparently I was the only one in the class NOT experienced and when I looked around, EVERYONE was wearing gloves. Just call me bloody knuckles because that’s what happened. I definitely learned my lesson. I really did love the class though, even though I battered and bruised my hands. It was kind of like a mix between Boot Camp and kickboxing. They incorporated several boot camp moves with weights so I’m sure I’ll definitely be sore tomorrow. So if you ever decide to do kickboxing with a punching bag - WEAR GLOVES!

Yes, this is the long awaited post with a photo gallery of our cruise. I know I’ve been slacking getting the photos up but I needed a week of recovery to recover from vacation and get back to normal life like changing diapers, refereeing children and of course work. So here goes the trip… (click on pic or here to see photo gallery of ALL the photos!)

On May 24, Peter and I left to drive down to Houston. (Jason and Cindy flew down - we were driving down to pick them up - no comments of my fear of flying!!!) We of course stopped at Snuffers in Dallas and gorged ourselves on greasy fries and burgers. This was my first real meal off of the South Beach diet that I’d been on for 6 weeks. My body was in shock! But it was sooo good. We arrived in Houston an hour before Jason and Cindy’s flight came in so we were driving around killing time playing with our super sweet nav trying to find stuff. Instead of finding Walmart (which we were looking for), we saw the SUV in front of us hit a PUPPY. I shrieked and told Peter to pull over to see if the poor thing was hurt. He laid there with his paws up in the air stiff. I thought for sure he was gone but then he got up and staggered twice and then hid in some bushes. Me and my big animal heart got out of the car to go check on him and I coaxed him out of the bushes to check him over (no tags). He seemed okay - no visible damage except for a cut under the eye. So I carried him back to the car. Peter was just shaking his head. I told him that we couldn’t abandon the puppy on the road again for fear of him getting hit again. Peter must love me a lot because he got on the phone and started calling animal hospitals, etc. at 5:50 pm which were all about to close. He finally was referred to a wildlife rescue lady’s home number in Cady, TX. She kept saying “Now, how did you get my number again..?” Long story shorter… her daughter was actually driving down to Houston to visit a friend by the airport and so her friend met us at the airport to pick up the dog (Jason and Cindy got in the car and were like, “you know you can’t take a dog on the cruise right?”). Anyway, I felt so much better knowing that he was with someone instead of laying on the side of the road… I would have taken him home as our new pet if it were on the way home. Oh well. I hope he’s okay now.

Anyway, after we stayed the night in League City (ant infestation capital), we got up the next morning to set sail. We boarded about noon and were in our rooms by 1:30ish. Half of our luggage didn’t show up until after dinner so we only had a few clothes (and I had toiletries stuff to touch up!). We managed. I think it took us the whole week to find our way around the ship. We sailed Carnival Conquest this time and it was a much larger ship than Royal’s Rhapsody of the Seas (which doesn’t sail out of Galveston anymore but Voyager is starting too which is about the same size fyi).

First day at sea (Monday): we got up early and worked out! Yes, I know. We are crazy! We actually did this the second day at sea too. We took a spa tour the day before and learned all about the facilities so we were anxious to try it out. We spent some time trying out the waterslide and laying out in the sun. The first night was the first formal night so we ate lots of Lobster and attended the Captains reception party. Also, the first night was the first of many midnight gala buffets.

The second day (Tuesday) was pretty much like the first - more laying out in the sun and such. We also learned about the Carnival “teams” which we kept all week and competed in different events. We were all on the white team which explains some of the white paint on our faces photo and the electric slide competition. At the end of the week, our team had the most points so we won!! Nothing!! But it was fun anyway. We got Jason out of his “comfort zone” a few times. That was fun! We watched too much karaoke throughout the week which got real old real fast. Especially this one older lady that kept singing, “I love beer” over and over every day. It got so bad that Peter just left everytime she got on stage. Peter and I had a karaoke debut later on in the week but I’m not posting that video!

Wednesday we arrived in Jamaica. We debated not getting off because we don’t like Jamaica - didn’t like it the first time and didn’t like the second time (sorry Monica!). But we got off since we’d been on the boat for two days already. We went on a catamaran/snorkeling tour. That was lots of fun! Then we headed down the street to pick up some Blue Mountain coffee and t-shirts and eat lunch at a famous establishment (which I was a fire helper girl).

Thursday we arrived in Grand Cayman. We opted to go to the beach for some r&r but ended up with a huge black storm cloud looming off in the distance over our ships. We swam and snorkeled a little and then it started to get windy and rainy. So we left early and went to go find some food and shopping. I actually bough nothing in Grand Cayman! But I hear if you want diamonds - that’s the place to go! We headed back to the ship and Cindy and I went down the waterslide about 20 times in a row because there was no line. It was awesome! We had our second formal night this evening. We went to the after dinner shows every night except one night. We pretty much enjoyed them - especially the comedy guy, Dean Gaines from Las Vegas. He was awesome! However, the regular show dancers were a little lacking in clothing - think Vegas.. or less. They had a top and bottom but it was all thong! Yikes! We also went to tea time twice during the cruise where they served us tons of desserts with our tea (like 8 different desserts). So yummy! This was also the night they had the grand gala buffet with huge ice sculptures and lavish foods. It was such a big deal that they opened up the buffet for only photos for an hour. Then we could eat it - heavenly desserts and pasta!

Friday we arrived in Cozumel and took a short cab ride to our dolphin excursion. It was AWESOME! We spent about 45 minutes to an hour in the water with a dolphin in groups of 8. We got to shake hands, kiss and ride the dolphin. Our dolphin was named Marina. She was great! Then we had guacamole and chips - SO GOOD (Cindy might disagree…or they didn’t agree with her). Then we spent a lot of time shopping on the strip. I was specifically looking for vanilla. I tried price haggling but they didn’t like me too well. I never got what I wanted. Oh well. But I did end up with 3 bottles. Love the stuff! This night on the ship we ate at The Pointe Supper Club. It was an extra $30 per person but it was worth every penny. It was a 2.5 hour dining experience. I had filet mingon and lobster. I also had a caesar salad which they made at the table and put real strips of anchovies in it - EWWWW! This was not the ground up version that is already in salad dressing. I just ate around them. The desserts were phenomenal. I forgot to mention that this was one of the nights I was sea sick. We had a little storm and the waves were a little choppy so I almost didn’t make it to dinner. Nothing a little drammamine wouldn’t fix though.
Saturday was a sea day. I literally slept until noon (after waking up at 9ish for a brief breakfast in bed bagels and fruit). Then we got up and they were having a chocolate buffet. I was so there! First we ate pizza (which we shouldn’t have done) and then we filled our plates with as much chocolate dessert as possible. I was so sick after that! But it was so good. I had to go back and sleep for another 2 hours just so I would feel better. The finale show on this night was all the karaoke winners that competed. It was interesting to say the least. Nothing like seeing your cruise director cross-dressing! I was ready to be home at this point. I missed the kids sooo much.

Sunday was an early riser. We had to be ready to get off the ship by 7 am but they didn’t call our deck until nearly 10:30. So we were just waiting in the hall with our luggage. Not fun! Especially if you’re overtired and ready to be home. We got Jason and Cindy barely to the airport and then we drove off into the sunset (after eating again at Snuffers again in Dallas of course). We met our good friends Emily and Steve and their two boys for an early dinner. We finally made it home and Oliver was not very excited to see me but he eventually warmed up. Molly was very excited to see us though. Thanks Oma and Opa for watching the kiddos!! And Sarah for housesitting!

Until next cruise…

[EDIT] OK, I’ve fixed the Firefox issue with the cruise pictures. All the photos should show up now. If only Apple would code toward standards instead of breaking everything…

-Peter

Manbabies

We’ve been quite busy lately so I though I’d share. In pretty big news, we got a new car. Yep - traded in the Durango for an Acadia. I love it. It has just about everything I wanted in a car - the 2nd row bucket seats won me over and Molly is thrilled that she can now watch a movie in the car after all these years. I’m sure Oliver will love it too once he can be turned around.

At the end of last month, we had family photos done by Freckle Face Photography (aka Kerri Tindle) and they turned out BEAUTIFUL! Great job Kerri - we love them!

Molly just wrapped up her gymnastics session and had her M&M Olympic show. She did a great job. Next up…t-ball!

Oliver celebrated his 1 year old birthday on Sunday with our family (although he really doesn’t turn 1 until Wednesday). Carrie Cutshall helped me make his cakes - she did a GREAT job! He loved the cake and overall had a great time. I don’t have the good messy face pics yet because my camera card crashed during that part so I’m waiting for those from Peter’s sister. Despite his good time, he currently is on antibiotics for an ear infection so hopefully he’ll feel better soon.

Peter and I leave for our cruise with Jason and Cindy this weekend. We are so excited and ready for a break. We are visiting Montego Bay, Jamaica, Cayman Islands and Cozumel, Mexico. Basically, it’s the same route as 2 years ago but we’re sailing with Carnival this time instead of Royal. I’m sure I’ll post pics when we return.

To my mom:
Happy Mother’s Day! I can’t imagine my life without you. You have helped me through the rough patches and have always been a shoulder to cry on. And you have been there for me when all I needed was a smile to get through the day. And don’t forget all the fun times we had just laughing at what life throws our way. It must have been tough raising 3 girls but you had no problem. I envy you and I just hope and pray I can be as good of mom as you are and have been to us. Thank you for everything. Thank you for raising us in the church and setting a good example for us. You deserve so much more than just a day to celebrate you. I love you mommy! Happy mother’s day!
Love,
Kimberly

We attended Peter’s uncle’s wedding not too long ago and Peter’s mom brought down the cutest little vest/tie set. He was adorable! We are practicing for aunt Heidi’s wedding in October - both Molly and Oliver (and Peter and I) will be in the wedding party. We are very excited!

Oliver is officially walking now - everywhere. He’s been walking about 7-8 steps in the past two weeks but in the past week he has taken off in long stretches arcoss the living room. He and Molly have a great time chasing each other. I do have a video but I’m so bad at posting those (and lazy).

We went to the zoo with Chrissey, Katie and all the small children. Oliver loved the CATS…I mean baby tigers. He got a little too close but what a great shot! We had a good time. Here are some pics. And you must be wondering what Chrissey is doing practicing yoga/gymnastics by the water. Well let me tell you. While feeding the ducks, Ashlyn just busted out in tears crying hysterically. Then she pointed to her sippy cup in the water. Shortly after she started crying, Molly starts bawling and says that she accidentally knocked it in the water. So instead of listening to all the crying, Chrissey sprung into action and saved the day for Ashlyn! What a supermom! If the table were turned, the cup would have become a duck’s sippy cup. But maybe it’s because I don’t think my body can contort like that.

Yes, bunnies! I’m not kidding. We have 6 baby bunnies who have been born in our backyard. They are about 4” long and SOOO cute. I have NO IDEA what to do with them. Who says you have to live out in the country to experience wildlife?!! Molly found their nest today when she STEPPED on it and the bunnies squealed in pain. She burst out in tears thinking she might have killed something. (At this point, she had no idea what they were – all she saw was 6 little things scatter across the yard). So I go running out (after Katie calls me hysterically from outside). Sure enough, 6 little bunnies along the fence line. But no momma rabbit anywhere. Maybe she was out foraging. Who knows. We’ve seen momma rabbit around in the past 2 years leaving little bunny presents in our yard but didn’t think anything of it. I guess she’s our little pet rabbit - and very low maintenance at that! So anyway back to the story. I picked up the one that Molly stepped on to make sure that it wasn’t hurt and I think it was okay but it wasn’t moving very much (I think mostly it was scared). But then I wondered since I touched it if the momma rabbit would abandon it. So we called my mom who has raised bunnies and she said it was okay to pick them up. She highly recommended that we gather the 6 bunnies from along the fence line and put them back in their nest so momma rabbit can find them. So we did that and now we’re just waiting to see if momma returns. Hope so otherwise we’ll have a bunch of dead bunnies on our hands and that is too sad! It’s like the Easter every child has dreamt about (not the dead bunny part - but baby bunnies in general!) Good thing Peter didn’t mow because you can’t even tell there is a bunny nest out there. They dug a hole in the ground and then covered it back up with grass. Smart! No wonder Molly stepped on them. The photo doesn’t do a good job about showing the size. I should have held it in my hand to show you. Oh well. I’m sure they had enough trauma today (and then it rained so I hope they didn’t drown!)

Molly is learning how to clean up the environment this week at Pre-K. She told me that they went around school and picked up the trash on the ground and threw it away. So she is really into picking up any and every piece of trash that she sees now wherever we are at. Obviously this delays us sometimes but nonetheless she is learning a valuable lesson. So yesterday, I was picking up Oliver from Katie’s apartment and she followed me inside but had to pick up all the trash in the parking lot first. She threw it away and on the way out, she had a sucker in her mouth. She finished the sucker and then promptly threw the sucker stick on the ground. Lesson learned? Not really. I couldn’t help but find it funny and ironic.

By the way, I’m not sure I’ll be updating Molly’s blog anymore. It seems pointless since I don’t have one for Oliver and it saves people less time just to come to one blog.