Wings Over Houston/NASA

After we got off the ship we went directly to the Wings over Houston airshow with the Air Force Thunderbirds. It started late because of a torrential downpour but we still go to see all the cool stuff!

We also visited the beach and then NASA the next day. The kids were pooped when it was all said and done!

Cruise 2017

Our cruise left out of Galveston, Texas. We got to port in Roatan, Honduras where we held monkeys, sloths, and took the kids snorkeling for the first time. Abby and Wynn didn't love how hyper the monkeys were but I loved it! The snorkeling in Roatan was the best snorkeling I've ever seen. I didn't know there could be brightly colored coral so abundant and close to the surface. Both Sydney and Wynn did great and picked it right up. They even handled it super well when they got some water in their snorkels and didn't freak out or stand on the reef. We ported in Mahahual or Costa Maya Mexico and went to see the Dzibanche Mayan ruins. Its amazing how tall they were and quite a workout to climb all the way to the top. When we stopped at Cozumel, Andy and I went diving and the kid stayed on the boat with Vic and Maxine. We got to see sharks, turtle, ray, tons of fish, coral, lion fish (that the dive master kills since they are invasive) and a giant eel. Like 4 feet long and 8 inches wide... I was nervous about him when he came out of his hole even more than the sharks. We all had fun and got to do new things. Andy and I even got to try the surf rider on board. Other activities included ice skating, mini golf, trivia games, karoake, dance lessons, shows, kids club, themed meals, parades, swimming, water slides, and more. 

Sydney's favorite thing about the cruise was trying the water slide.

Wynn liked the kids club. They had a rock n roll party he was really excited about. They got to dance with the characters, have their face painted, and even get flashing rings.

Abby loved the kids club the most! She never wanted to leave and even though she missed lots of naps and got tired, she always perked up if we took her to the club!

Vic and Maxine celebrated their 43rd anniversary while on board too. It was really special to have them with us on the trip. We love cruising. There is something for everyone and are so grateful we were able to go.

Family Pictures

We had our family pictures taken this year while on the cruise at one of the formal nights. I didn't even mean to coordinate our outfits so it must have been meant to be! I hard a hard time choosing which spot on the ship to have them taken since there were so many options and finally decided on this staircase in the middle of the ship leading to the Royal Promenade. Abby's smile is funny in our family picture; she's been doing that more and more often lately, and it reminds me of when Sydney went through a similar phase when asked to smile for a picture when she was younger; she'd try to show all her teeth :). It fun to see them go through similar stages and grow up! 

PeeWee Football

The time has finally come and Wynn's dream of getting to play football has come true! Wynn had so much fun playing this year and turned out to be quite a tough kid! Within his first two weeks he'd gotten a black eye and knocked a tooth loose at practices. He didn't care however and kept playing hard. We were proud of how he bounced back after getting hurt and how hard he tried. His hard work paid off and he was happy with the few touchdowns he scored and the flags he got to pull this season. His last game was this Saturday and he is sad to have to wait a whole more year to play again!

Halloween

We finally got around to cutting our jack o lanterns the night before Halloween for family home evening. Andy started a tradition this year but again cutting his with power tools like he did last year. It is very messy but a lot faster! A plastic sheet draped over the dining room did the trick :).

We had an eventful Halloween, between all three kids having school parties, a parade, trick or treating, and a ward party... I didn't think we had time for anything else. Abby had a different plan in mind however and took us on a trip to ER after she fell at preschool and cut her lip. She got two stitches and handled it way better than I could have anticipated. She actually was happy in the end and said the blood on her costume and owie on her face made her a better pirate. She jumped right back into the swing of things after we left the ER and spent a couple of hours helping with other parties at school. WE had a good ward party and the kids went to bed all sugared up and exhausted!