Our vacation journal
We are home. It feels strange to be back. I have had to sit at my computer all day to catch up on photography stuff.
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We had the most amazing vacation. It was such a happy time for the four of us, and I am so glad we went.
Day one: Lincoln received his new company car, so we drove that. We put the kids seats on top of towels to protect the back seat. We left at 3 in the morning and drove to Myrtle Beach, SC. We knew nothing about Myrtle Beach, so we went to go explore the beach. Well, after about 10 minutes on the sand my kids where in the water. Natalia was in a cute little brown skirt and top from the gap, and Wyatt was dressed in some brand new clothes. (I thought we were going out to eat!) They had such a ball in those cold waves. I loved watching them. I soaked it all in, because I didn't have my camera. The sun was setting and Wyatt was picking up shells, and running through the water. Natalia kept falling each time a big wave would come, and she would get up laughing. I really enjoyed that day.
Day Two: We got up early (4:00) and drove to Orlando. We stayed at a HUMONGOUS Marriott...for FREE! Lincoln used his points to pay for all of our hotels. It was such a nice spot. We swam in the pool after enjoying a hamburger (kids shared) and tuna stackers (we shared) and four drinks that cost $50. Lincoln said "That's what fifty bucks looks like at the Marriott," as we walked away. I thought he was kidding. Then we went to Downtown Disney for Thanksgiving Dinner. We were not the only ones with this idea. We ate at Disney's Rain Forest Cafe, and had a great time. We walked in and out of a few shops, and the kids spent the Disney dollars they had earned. Yup...all of them.
Day Three: Walt Disney World! We had such a wonderful day. The kids loved the jungle cruise the most, and Natalia really thinks those animal were real! She loved the characters, and would ask to hug them as we walked by. There was always a huge line, so we never stopped. I knew there would be characters on the cruise to hug. We didn't have to wait in too many long lines, and discovered the fast passes really quickly. Those things are fabulous. Lincoln's favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride, where you have a gun and targets to shoot. I got a score of 13,000, and Lincoln's score was 250,000. I was really trying too! My favorite was the Pirates of the Caribbean....you know that little waterfall that make you go down....they don't warn you anymore...and they make you go down in the DARK! Natalia grabbed on to me to tightly, she pinched my skin under my jeans! I smiled. =) Oh it was such a good day!
All these pictures were taken with our point and shoot. I didn't take my camera, and sometimes I would be so sad that I didn't have it. Overall I am glad I didn't take it, because I never had to worry about it getting lost or stolen.
Day Four: We went to Sea World. I love Sea World! They have finally changed the Dolphin Show, and it was so amazing. It was like watching Circ De Soiel with Dolphins. They had a show with pets, mainly dogs and cats, and the funnest part of that show was watching Natalia! She would clap with all her heart after every trick, and then ask if she could pet them. She got to pet a sweet old dog at the end of the show. He kissed her face and she giggled happily. We got to feed and pet sting rays and dolphins. I loved petting the dolphins....but that may be because I have longer arms than the kids. For dinner we went back to Downtown Disney to eat the "best bread pudding on the planet", that Lincoln had tasted on a business trip. It was at as Irish restaurant, and it was the MOST delicious bread pudding on the planet! Yum, (I don't normally like bread pudding.)
Day Five:We drove to the Ship! The first time we spotted out cruise ship we were all a little shocked. It was so huge! We got on and found our state room. It seemed so small, but I emptied our suitcases into the drawers and closets - and it was just the perfect size. We only slept in there anyway. We found a buffet, sat on by the pool , and drank Bahama Mama's. Lincoln had to submit (finish it too) a paper, so the kids and I went up to the party on the top deck. As we sailed off, we waved to all working fishermen below us, and they waved back! Then we went to a fun magic show. That is when I started to feel the ship really moving. The curtains would sway on the stage, and Lincoln and I would just look at each other with raised eyebrows. We were so worried about Wyatt getting sea sick. He is always getting car sick, so we thought the cruise would be a similar puke fest. He actually only complained once the WHOLE time, and never got sick. THANK GOODNESS! This was the most I felt the ship moving, so we must have had rough seas that night.
On the cruise you get three waiters that serve you every night. Our waiters were Levi, Marco, and Nino. They were so fabulous, I wanted to sneak them in my suitcase. They cut the kids food, they would make mickey mouse ketchup for Talia, they did magic tricks for us, and they were just sweet as can be. We had a wonderful dinner, but we were unfortunate with our dinner time. We missed out on the good dinner times. Ours was at 8:00 pm. That is what time I put my kids to bed, and we usually eat dinner at 5:00. It took some creative snack times to get them used to this schedule, but Natalia still fell asleep at the table twice.
Day Six: Day two of the cruise....We got to the port in Nassau at 9:00 am. Before we left the ship we visited with Belle, Cinderella, and Snow White. The princesses loved Natalia, she would hug them, and then have a conversation practically nose to nose with them. Cute!
Anyway. We had prepaid for a shore excursion called Black Beard's Cove & String Ray Encounter. We got off the ship and walked to a boat. It took us to a little island, where there were a few huts and buildings, and many lounge chairs on the beach. We got to go in with the stingrays first. Part of the beach isolated, and they kept the stingrays in an enclosed area. It was so fun. The stingrays would swim right up to you. I was surprised because these stingrays had poky bumps down their spines, and more texture to their skin than they rays we met at sea world. The females were much much larger than the males. Lincoln and Wyatt swam with them, and Lincoln tried to teach Wyatt how to snorkel - but the waves were much too strong. The waves were a very bad part of the day. They kept knocking Natalia over, and her legs got so scratched. Wyatt's did too, the sand was so coarse, there was a lot of coral being washed ashore also. Then they had us line up women and children on one side, and the men on the other side facing us. The stingrays immediately began swimming down the center. They knew what was coming....SQUID! They came and dumped a big pile of squid in my hand. A sweet lady next to me held up Talia, and I held Wyatt. We all fed the stingrays and laughed as they sucked the squid from our fingers.
The excursion included a lunch....this was not provided by Disney. =( The island was so "breezy" that day they couldn't even get their grill to heat a precooked hamburger. The first windy day in the Bahamas? My goodness. There were so many disappointed quests, but my kids didn't care. They just chased birds. We went back to the empty beach, and played in the water and dug in the sand. There were shells every where, but Wyatt collected rocks. We bought Wyatt a necklace with a sharks' tooth, and Talia one with pink and blue shells.
That evening we went to the Hercules show, and to a terrific dinner. The kids both had colds so we went to bed.
Day seven: Day three on the cruise....We went to Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We loved it! There were two characters on the walk to the beach and they loved Natalia. Donald Duck picked her up and swung her around. Even when there was a long line of people waiting, Pluto took her by the hand and played ball with her. So cute again! There were TONS of people on the island. I didn't let that bother me, we still had a fantastic day. Lincoln went snorkeling, and the kids and I played in the water. Then we had a BBQ lunch that was delicious, and back to the beach for a NAP. Yup! Natalia fell asleep on the beach with me under and umbrella. Pure heaven! Lincoln and Wyatt went snorkeling, Wyatt laid with his face smashed up against a clear intertube, so he could see straight to the bottom of the ocean. Lincoln just pulled him around, until Wyatt actually fell asleep too! Then we laid in hammocks under some palm trees, and laughed when Lincoln did a flip out of his...not on purpose! It was a good day.
That evening we went to see the Golden Mickeys show on the ship, without the kids. We felt so guilty because they would have loved it. It was one of my favorite shows on the cruise. There was a pirate party on the ship that night. We bought hooks, earrings, and two toy daggers- and they gave us four bandannas covered with skulls. We looked great, but Talia fell asleep at the table. =) We were all tired anyway.
Day eight: Day four on the cruise - a day a sea. We went to see the new movie Enchanted, and swam in the Mickey Pool. We had a great seafood buffet for lunch, and we saw the Disney Dreams show. We ate our last delicious dinner. It was a totally enjoyable day.
Day nine: We had to get off the ship!!!!! Boo hoo.. I didn't want to leave. We drove to South Carolina, and Wyatt got carsick. It is a funny story. I was driving, Lincoln was sleeping, and Wyatt told me he was going to be sick. I bumped Lincoln to wake him, and the news must of really startled him....because he grabbed a cup half full of sunflower seed shells, reached back to the back seat, and then he jumped. The jump caused all the shells to FLY all over the car. Somehow Lincoln was able to still save the back seat from vomit. I pulled over and Lincoln got out of the car with a limp in his walk. "I pulled my groin," he said. (HOW??) I had Wyatt get out of the car to get some fresh air. He paced around with his mouth wide open, breathing in and out. I was laughing so hard. End of funny puke story. We stayed at another Marriott that night. We walked around a mall before dinner, and Natalia sat on a SOUTHERN Santa's lap. It was funny to hear Santa with a southern drawl.
Day ten: Is not worth writing about, we got home. Back to reality. Cyrus was so happy to see us though!
-
We had the most amazing vacation. It was such a happy time for the four of us, and I am so glad we went.
Day one: Lincoln received his new company car, so we drove that. We put the kids seats on top of towels to protect the back seat. We left at 3 in the morning and drove to Myrtle Beach, SC. We knew nothing about Myrtle Beach, so we went to go explore the beach. Well, after about 10 minutes on the sand my kids where in the water. Natalia was in a cute little brown skirt and top from the gap, and Wyatt was dressed in some brand new clothes. (I thought we were going out to eat!) They had such a ball in those cold waves. I loved watching them. I soaked it all in, because I didn't have my camera. The sun was setting and Wyatt was picking up shells, and running through the water. Natalia kept falling each time a big wave would come, and she would get up laughing. I really enjoyed that day.
Day Two: We got up early (4:00) and drove to Orlando. We stayed at a HUMONGOUS Marriott...for FREE! Lincoln used his points to pay for all of our hotels. It was such a nice spot. We swam in the pool after enjoying a hamburger (kids shared) and tuna stackers (we shared) and four drinks that cost $50. Lincoln said "That's what fifty bucks looks like at the Marriott," as we walked away. I thought he was kidding. Then we went to Downtown Disney for Thanksgiving Dinner. We were not the only ones with this idea. We ate at Disney's Rain Forest Cafe, and had a great time. We walked in and out of a few shops, and the kids spent the Disney dollars they had earned. Yup...all of them.
Day Three: Walt Disney World! We had such a wonderful day. The kids loved the jungle cruise the most, and Natalia really thinks those animal were real! She loved the characters, and would ask to hug them as we walked by. There was always a huge line, so we never stopped. I knew there would be characters on the cruise to hug. We didn't have to wait in too many long lines, and discovered the fast passes really quickly. Those things are fabulous. Lincoln's favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride, where you have a gun and targets to shoot. I got a score of 13,000, and Lincoln's score was 250,000. I was really trying too! My favorite was the Pirates of the Caribbean....you know that little waterfall that make you go down....they don't warn you anymore...and they make you go down in the DARK! Natalia grabbed on to me to tightly, she pinched my skin under my jeans! I smiled. =) Oh it was such a good day!
All these pictures were taken with our point and shoot. I didn't take my camera, and sometimes I would be so sad that I didn't have it. Overall I am glad I didn't take it, because I never had to worry about it getting lost or stolen.
Day Four: We went to Sea World. I love Sea World! They have finally changed the Dolphin Show, and it was so amazing. It was like watching Circ De Soiel with Dolphins. They had a show with pets, mainly dogs and cats, and the funnest part of that show was watching Natalia! She would clap with all her heart after every trick, and then ask if she could pet them. She got to pet a sweet old dog at the end of the show. He kissed her face and she giggled happily. We got to feed and pet sting rays and dolphins. I loved petting the dolphins....but that may be because I have longer arms than the kids. For dinner we went back to Downtown Disney to eat the "best bread pudding on the planet", that Lincoln had tasted on a business trip. It was at as Irish restaurant, and it was the MOST delicious bread pudding on the planet! Yum, (I don't normally like bread pudding.)
Day Five:We drove to the Ship! The first time we spotted out cruise ship we were all a little shocked. It was so huge! We got on and found our state room. It seemed so small, but I emptied our suitcases into the drawers and closets - and it was just the perfect size. We only slept in there anyway. We found a buffet, sat on by the pool , and drank Bahama Mama's. Lincoln had to submit (finish it too) a paper, so the kids and I went up to the party on the top deck. As we sailed off, we waved to all working fishermen below us, and they waved back! Then we went to a fun magic show. That is when I started to feel the ship really moving. The curtains would sway on the stage, and Lincoln and I would just look at each other with raised eyebrows. We were so worried about Wyatt getting sea sick. He is always getting car sick, so we thought the cruise would be a similar puke fest. He actually only complained once the WHOLE time, and never got sick. THANK GOODNESS! This was the most I felt the ship moving, so we must have had rough seas that night.
On the cruise you get three waiters that serve you every night. Our waiters were Levi, Marco, and Nino. They were so fabulous, I wanted to sneak them in my suitcase. They cut the kids food, they would make mickey mouse ketchup for Talia, they did magic tricks for us, and they were just sweet as can be. We had a wonderful dinner, but we were unfortunate with our dinner time. We missed out on the good dinner times. Ours was at 8:00 pm. That is what time I put my kids to bed, and we usually eat dinner at 5:00. It took some creative snack times to get them used to this schedule, but Natalia still fell asleep at the table twice.
Day Six: Day two of the cruise....We got to the port in Nassau at 9:00 am. Before we left the ship we visited with Belle, Cinderella, and Snow White. The princesses loved Natalia, she would hug them, and then have a conversation practically nose to nose with them. Cute!
Anyway. We had prepaid for a shore excursion called Black Beard's Cove & String Ray Encounter. We got off the ship and walked to a boat. It took us to a little island, where there were a few huts and buildings, and many lounge chairs on the beach. We got to go in with the stingrays first. Part of the beach isolated, and they kept the stingrays in an enclosed area. It was so fun. The stingrays would swim right up to you. I was surprised because these stingrays had poky bumps down their spines, and more texture to their skin than they rays we met at sea world. The females were much much larger than the males. Lincoln and Wyatt swam with them, and Lincoln tried to teach Wyatt how to snorkel - but the waves were much too strong. The waves were a very bad part of the day. They kept knocking Natalia over, and her legs got so scratched. Wyatt's did too, the sand was so coarse, there was a lot of coral being washed ashore also. Then they had us line up women and children on one side, and the men on the other side facing us. The stingrays immediately began swimming down the center. They knew what was coming....SQUID! They came and dumped a big pile of squid in my hand. A sweet lady next to me held up Talia, and I held Wyatt. We all fed the stingrays and laughed as they sucked the squid from our fingers.The excursion included a lunch....this was not provided by Disney. =( The island was so "breezy" that day they couldn't even get their grill to heat a precooked hamburger. The first windy day in the Bahamas? My goodness. There were so many disappointed quests, but my kids didn't care. They just chased birds. We went back to the empty beach, and played in the water and dug in the sand. There were shells every where, but Wyatt collected rocks. We bought Wyatt a necklace with a sharks' tooth, and Talia one with pink and blue shells.
That evening we went to the Hercules show, and to a terrific dinner. The kids both had colds so we went to bed.
Day seven: Day three on the cruise....We went to Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. We loved it! There were two characters on the walk to the beach and they loved Natalia. Donald Duck picked her up and swung her around. Even when there was a long line of people waiting, Pluto took her by the hand and played ball with her. So cute again! There were TONS of people on the island. I didn't let that bother me, we still had a fantastic day. Lincoln went snorkeling, and the kids and I played in the water. Then we had a BBQ lunch that was delicious, and back to the beach for a NAP. Yup! Natalia fell asleep on the beach with me under and umbrella. Pure heaven! Lincoln and Wyatt went snorkeling, Wyatt laid with his face smashed up against a clear intertube, so he could see straight to the bottom of the ocean. Lincoln just pulled him around, until Wyatt actually fell asleep too! Then we laid in hammocks under some palm trees, and laughed when Lincoln did a flip out of his...not on purpose! It was a good day.
That evening we went to see the Golden Mickeys show on the ship, without the kids. We felt so guilty because they would have loved it. It was one of my favorite shows on the cruise. There was a pirate party on the ship that night. We bought hooks, earrings, and two toy daggers- and they gave us four bandannas covered with skulls. We looked great, but Talia fell asleep at the table. =) We were all tired anyway.
Day eight: Day four on the cruise - a day a sea. We went to see the new movie Enchanted, and swam in the Mickey Pool. We had a great seafood buffet for lunch, and we saw the Disney Dreams show. We ate our last delicious dinner. It was a totally enjoyable day.
Day nine: We had to get off the ship!!!!! Boo hoo.. I didn't want to leave. We drove to South Carolina, and Wyatt got carsick. It is a funny story. I was driving, Lincoln was sleeping, and Wyatt told me he was going to be sick. I bumped Lincoln to wake him, and the news must of really startled him....because he grabbed a cup half full of sunflower seed shells, reached back to the back seat, and then he jumped. The jump caused all the shells to FLY all over the car. Somehow Lincoln was able to still save the back seat from vomit. I pulled over and Lincoln got out of the car with a limp in his walk. "I pulled my groin," he said. (HOW??) I had Wyatt get out of the car to get some fresh air. He paced around with his mouth wide open, breathing in and out. I was laughing so hard. End of funny puke story. We stayed at another Marriott that night. We walked around a mall before dinner, and Natalia sat on a SOUTHERN Santa's lap. It was funny to hear Santa with a southern drawl.
Day ten: Is not worth writing about, we got home. Back to reality. Cyrus was so happy to see us though!
posted by Jeri at 8:55 PM
12 Comments:
Wow! Sounds like you had a fabulous time!! :D I loved how all the characters loved Natalia. Of course, she is so very sweet. Must take after her mother... ;)
I want to go on a Disney cruise! And I never thought I would've. What a fabulous trip. Seriously. I can't imagine how incredible it must have been for the kids! Leah loves Natalia and Snow White together.
Oh my goodness what a fun trip!! I just told Spencer we are going when Logan is just a little bit older. It sounds like a perfect family vacation. You all look so cute too! Thanks for sharing all about your fun filled days and I am sorry you had to come back to real life. That is rough but it always seems to happen.
I, too, have been checking everyday for the update! So glad to read it and soooo glad you had such a wonderful trip! Your family will always remember it! The pictures are great too. I LOVE the one of Wyatt ASLEEP on the tube!! SOO funny!!! I am also glad you are home and looking forward to actually seeing you! Geesh! It's been forever! :)
ps...no fair coming back looking so tan!! :)
OOHHHH I KNEW I WOULD LOVE THIS POST!! It made me so excited and happy for you! And so nostalgic!!! I want to go again. It sounds like you and your family had such a wonderful time. WAHOO for that - and those point and shoot pictures are GREAT!! I really like the one of Wyatt backlit by the sun in the water. VERY cool.
What a great trip! I love the pictures and the stories! The hammock one with Natalia is my favorite! Sounds like a dream vacation! Glad you had fun!
So great to read about your trip, I had trouble seeing the pictures though. :-( I'll keep trying to load them. What a great family excursion!
That looks like a blast! It was fun to read about every day. I promise to get in touch with you soon about pictures - it has just been so super crazy.
Oh my gosh. I'm going to have to read all this more thoroughly. But it looks like SO much fun and you guys did WAY more than we are doing. But I'm still all sorts of excited!
WOW!! I am so happy that you guys had such a great trip!! It sounded fabulous in every way!!:)
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