Vacation is over...literally

Today was my first official day back at work.  Boo.  Summer is officially over for our household.  I am blessed to have a job that allows me to be home with my kids for almost 10 weeks in the summer and blessed for the benefits that come with that job.  But it is certainly hard to go back in August.

My days are about to be filled with lesson plans, IEP's, paperwork, meetings, more paperwork and lots of students.  No more mornings at the playground or pool, crafts, projects or fighting the patch (except on the weekend).

Jed will be starting preschool next week.  He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays and he is really excited.  Julia is staying in her in-home daycare and will go to preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays when she turns two in October. 

Last week we went on an 8 day cruise with our family.  It was a blast!  I was nervous about having small children on a cruise, but it ended up working out perfectly.

The hardest part was getting there.  Two flights with a layover and a crabby cab driver to the hotel.  We were beat!  The cab driver tried to charge us extra because we didn't have car seats.  He was crazy.  Then the next day, trying to get onto the ship, all the computers crashed and we ended up sitting in line for 2 hours.   They didn't get the computers up and running until much later, so they let everyone on and did the paperwork by hand.

Finally on the ship!

 

Because of a tropical storm, we ended up with a different itinerary.  We had two full days at sea to start.  We did a little swimming in the morning, sent Jed to Camp Carnival (best thing ever!) and then picked him up for lunch and naps.  It was relaxing and wonderful.

 

It was a little windy!

Fun with Daddy!

We stuck to the kiddy pool.

 

The first night at sea was formal night.  We got all dolled up and took some pics and then ate a fancy dinner.  The kids were surprisingly well behaved (giving them any food they wanted didn't hurt!).

Fancy clothes!

Handsome boy!

Attempting a family photo.

She loves pasta!

So does he.

Brownies are good too.

 

On the second day at sea, I took the kids to a "Build a Bear" workshop at Camp Carnival and they each made a bear.  You may notice that for a LOT of the trip Julia doesn't have a patch.  We tried so hard and usually only got about an hour a day.  She wouldn't even be bribed with the binky.  I told her she could only keep her binky if she left on her patch.  She calmly handed me her binky out of her mouth and then ripped the patch off.  Little stinker.

Making a stuffed bear.

Fun!

 

That evening, we figured out that Jed could eat dinner at Camp Carnival and then stay and play.  They had tons of planned activities for the kids, and he really enjoyed being there.  Every night they painted the kids' faces.  It was so cute!

Ocean theme night.

Superhero night.

Pirate night (this was my favorite).

Animal night.

Circus night.

 

Our first stop was Aruba.  James and I were able to go explore the shops by ourselves because my awesome parents watched the kids for a few hours.

Going to hang with Grandma and Grandpa!

 

That evening, they watched the kids again so that we could go on a sunset cruise.  It was gorgeous.  Blue water, blue skies, a smooth sailing catamaran and adult beverages.  Heaven...

Kid free for the evening.

Our view.

Happy and relaxed.

 

We were able to stay at Aruba another day and so we all hit the beach.  The kids loved the water and the sand and had a blast.  I think they would have been content to spend everyday at the beach!

Fun in the sand.

She loved it too.

 

After the beach.

 

Exhausted.

 

We were able to have dinner every night together, which was nice.  We got to dress up a bit and just enjoy the company of our family.



Beautiful.

 

Towel animals every evening.  Kids loved it.

 

So fun.

 

Our next stop was Dominican Republic.  We went on a fun excursion that included a speed boat ride, beach stop and swimming in a natural pool at a sandbar.  Unfortunately, it rained a huge portion of the day, so it wasn't that enjoyable.  I didn't really have many good pics of our soggy selves.

Finally stopped raining for a few minutes.

 

The last stop was Grand Turk.  James and I were able to do a SNUBA excursion.  It was amazing!  We both now want to get our scuba certification.  The kids were swimming at the Margaritaville pool with my parents.  We joined them at the pool for a bit and then headed back to the boat.

 

The last day was at sea, and we hit the pool and had a nice dinner.  Just relaxing.





Sweet girl.

 

Swimming.

 

Posing for Mom.

 

Lunch in the room.

 

Just happy.

 

She is too.

 

Last night at dinner.

 

The trip home was a little stressful.  Again, two flights with a layover.  We also had to get off the ship at 8 am but our flight wasn't until noon.  So we had to corral 4 kids ages 4 and under for several hours in the airport.  We actually blocked off a section of chairs and I pulled out every activity I had (I made like 20 busy bags before the trip).  It worked for awhile.

 









Meltdown time.

 

Hanging in the airport with the family.

 

Still having a meltdown.

 

Getting tired.

After a long day of travel, we finally got home.  It was wonderful sleeping in our own room, in our own bed.  We got home Sunday evening, I had a conference to attend on Tuesday and started work on Wednesday.  So we hit the ground running as soon as vacation was over.

 

So literally, our vacation is over.  But it was sure fun while it lasted!

Vacation!

We are back from vacation!  It was a wonderful time with family - we truly enjoyed every minute.  I was nervous about taking Julia with her contact/patches, but it ended up being easier than I thought.  But more on that later...

We started vacation with a 5 hour drive to Springfield, MO.  We did have to stop for a super leaky diaper, but overall the kids handled the drive well.  We stopped in at the biggest Bass Pro in the country.  Jed had a blast looking at all the animals, especially the turtles and fish.  We bought a few things in the catalogue outlet portion of the store.  We ate at Hemingway's at Bass Pro.  The meal was crazy hectic with both kids starting to meltdown - but we survived.

Bass Pro in Springfield!

We then drove to our vacation spot - Stillwaters Resort in Branson, MO.  It was right on Lake Taneycomo and had a marina, 3 pools and a playground!

The next day we visited Silver Dollar City. 

Getting ready for a busy day!  This is the last patch of vacation  :(

Jed rode the "frogs" but didn't really want to ride anything else.  James had to "ride" with him.  I don't know what was more enjoyable, the look on Jed's face or watching my husband cram himself into a toddler ride!  He also enjoyed the huge ball pit with the "bang bangs" that shot the foam balls. 

Let's go!

While Jed napped in the stroller, Julia decided to shop for accessories.  After all, a girl can never have too many accessories!

Is skunk my look?  It is an animal print...

That afternoon, after coming back to the condo from Silver Dollar City - I realized Julia's contact was gone.  I could have sworn I checked her eye when we took her out of the car seat and it was there.  But we searched the entire floor and couldn't find it anywhere.  I had my two minutes of tears and proclaimed that I wasn't upset about the contact - just upset that we can't seem to find one that stays in.  After my two minute meltdown, I realized there was nothing I could do and decided to just enjoy the rest of my vacation.  All in all, it ended up being an easy week because we didn't have a contact so we couldn't patch.  I didn't have to take it in and out for swimming or anything.  I guess that is a silver lining to a lost contact.

The next day we had fun at the the marina and swam in the lake.

Jed is under the hat - I promise!

See!  Told you he was there.

 Jed went for a ride on the wave runner (don't worry, it was really slow). 

Getting ready to ride!

Headed out for some fun.

All finished.

Julia stayed with grandma in the condo.  When we got back from the marina, Jed was so tired that he fell asleep during lunch!  He was one tired boy.

Sandwich, chips, and a nap.

Later that afternoon we hit the pool.  Jed LOVED the pool and had a blast.

Fountain!

Playing in the water.

Splish, Splash!

Can I sit on it?

Under the water fall!

Lets go under again!

A little waterlogged, but still swimming!

Julia napped (which seemed to be her favorite thing to do on vacation).

Can't sleep without a lovey (AKA burp rag).

On Saturday we visited the Branson Hatchery.  Jed was able to see millions of trout in all stages of growth.  He loved feeding the fish and walking along the tanks. 

My boys.

Headed to the hatchery!

Feeding the fish.  See them splash?

I wish I could touch them.

I need more fish food!  (yes, that is Julia's sunglasses case that we used to hold the fish food- came in handy!)

Eat fishies!

Julia slept, as usual.

She was thrilled with the hatchery.

More swimming in the afternoon and then a yummy dinner with the family.  Jed tried the slide, but wasn't really thrilled.

I tried to get a good photo - but this is it.  Jed and James coming out of the slide.

Not a fan of the slide.

Jed and his cousin Elliott had a blast building forts in the condo.  Staying with my sister and her two kids was fun, but made nap time for them a little difficult.

Where's Jed?

Right here!

 

And then we had to drive home.  Jed and Julia slept most of the way, but Jed was really crabby.  So we let him watch Bubble Guppies over and over.

So thankful I have a Kindle Fire.

My view of Julia during the drive.

Overall, a great vacation.  We made amazing memories as a family.  Jed had a blast and seemed to truly enjoy every moment.  His favorite souvenir - his "bang bang" from Silver Dollar City. 

I hope he realizes I ran through 3 parking lots, in the rain, to get this "bang bang" for him.

Now that we are home, it is back to laundry, dishes, cooking and doctor appointments.  I have an eye appointment this week to pick up my contacts and glasses, Julia has a pediatrician appointment and an appointment with MOSpin with MO School for the Blind.  Next week she has eye and ear appointments at Children's.  We also need to get another contact - so hopefully Dr. H ordered one when we called. 

We had Julia's IFSP meeting before vacation with her OT and case manager.  They are both really pleased with her progress.  Her new goals mainly surround feeding (using a sippy cup, straw, and self feeding) and fine motor skills.  She is caught up with gross motor and will probably walk in a few short months (no, no, no...my baby cannot be big enough to walk!).  She will continue to receive OT once a month.

Summer is almost over.  But it certainly has been fun!  Next year we are going on a cruise - can't imagine what that will be like with a 3 year old and an almost 2 year old!