Take Me Back!

If I didn't have the pictures to prove it, I wouldn't believe that we really did go on a fabulous Caribbean cruise. Our tans have faded, those extra pounds packed on at the late-night buffet have been burned back off, and we've sunk back into our daily grind so that the memory of warm sunshine, swim suits, and alone time feels like a very distant memory. Besides the snow globe and twisty straw sippy cups that we brought home for the boys, these photos are our only souvenir of our once in a lifetime experience. So please excuse me for a minute while I revisit our pictures and take a little mental trip back to that great big boat, that beautiful blue water, and that week where I fell even deeper in love with my sweetheart...................ahhhh.


Bon Voyage!

It's always a little bittersweet to take a vacation without the kids because, although there is no one I'd rather be with than Aaron and our time alone is a treasure, I feel like I'm leaving a piece of my heart back home. Our trip simply wouldn't have been possible without the help of Nana and Papa Grover who generously stepped in for us and showered the boys with lots of love and attention--I don't even think the boys noticed we were gone!

The day that our ship set sail, Aaron's beloved Seahawks battled in a playoff game for a spot in the Super Bowl. While I sipped virgin pina coladas on the dockside, Aaron was down below, gripping the edge of his seat in anxiety over the outcome of the game. As the clock on the game wound down, Aaron and I met in our room to watch the conclusion of the game. The Seahawks won the game in a buzzer-beater play; to say that Aaron was ecstatic would be an understatement. I whispered a silent prayer of thanks--not because I care one bit about the silly ball game, but because I knew that the fate of our entire vacation rested on the outcome of that playoff game. 

Day 2: Princess Cays
Our boat docked at Princess Cays and we were taxied to a manmade version of heaven: a fine white sandy beach with crystal clear blue water, palm trees that swayed gently in the breeze, a blazing sunshine enjoyed from under the protection of a clamshell umbrella, and an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. After reading, napping, and sunbathing, Aaron and I kayaked but decided it felt a little too much like work and went back to relaxing under our umbrella.

Day 3: At Sea
Just because we weren't on shore doesn't mean we ran out of ways to entertain ourselves. In fact, Aaron contends that our "at sea" days were even more pleasant than our on shore days.

If you see me running, you can safely assume I'm chasing the ice-cream truck because I can't think of any other good reason to do something so monotonous and exhausting. Buuuut, I think I could get a little more enthusiastic about running if I had the amazing equipment that was in the ship's gym and I had this view to distract me. Aaron and I actually really enjoyed starting our mornings (I use the term "morning" loosely...we didn't actually rise until around 9) with a good workout. More proof that anything can be made fun if done together!

 It kind of goes without saying, but I'll mention it just for the sake of authenticity in my documentation...Aaron and I ate like kings. Kings who were training for a competitive food eating event. It is not an exaggeration to say that we consumed upwards of 20 plates of food per day....each! And we weren't even hungry--we just ate because we could!

I'm not much of a critic when it comes to movies or shows--I guess I'm easily entertained--but, honestly, the on-board performances were quite spectacular. It was such a treat to get ourselves cleaned up after spending the afternoon sunbathing by the pool and get dressed up fancy and have someplace to be...pretty fancy for us homebody folk!

Day 5: St. Thomas

Day 6: St. Maarten:
We probably should have done a little more homework before we set off exploring an unknown island in the middle of the Caribbean. If we had done some research, we would have learned that people in St. Maarten (at least the French people in St. Maarten) don't like to wear clothes. Like, any clothes. Naively, Aaron and I thought that if we parked ourselves on the Dutch side of the beach, we'd avoid the injury to our retinas when the age-ed, leather-y, flabby French nudists strolled down the beach sans swimsuit. Wow. That was a cultural education alright.

 My first macaron!

Aside from the French nudists, St. Maarten was exquisitely beautiful and Aaron and I could have chilled on that beach for days. Or years.

I hope Aaron won't be embarrassed by my effusive expressions of love, but I can't help it. I am just head over heals, madly in love with this man.

If you've made it through my travelogue this far, then I will reward you with a good laugh. During the formal night, I insisted that Aaron and I get our pictures taken professionally. He was very reluctant, but I thought the prints would make a great keepsake of our vacation together. I am not sure if our heads stretched or our bodies shrunk, but I don't think I'll be hanging these circus-mirror pictures above my mantel anytime soon:

When Aaron texted me a few months ago to announce that he'd booked a cruise--without any discussion or consultation whatsoever--I immediately felt reckless and guilty. How can we justify spending the money for something so frivolous when we could use the money on so many practical things instead? When I look at these pictures, I quickly realize that there is nothing at the store that we could buy that would be more valuable than the memories that we created together that week that we spent together cruising in the Caribbean. When it's all said and done, will I wish I had bought a new sofa, or will I wish that I had spent time and built new experiences with the one I love most. No question.

Joe-bear

Even though I could not have been more ready to sail away for a week of alone time with my sweetheart, my mommy heart still heart a little bit thinking about being apart from my littles for an entire week. Just before we left, I snuck away with Joey for some quick one-on-one time. After running a few errands together we shared a dessert at Kneaders. I just adore this little boy. He is as adorable as they come, ridiculously smart, very loyal, and a little mischievous. What a combination! Joey is a one in a million and I love him to bits.

Sledding

So, I am a winter weenie and didn't want to actually physically go outside in the snow myself, but I'm still an awesome mom and wanted my kids to be able to go sledding...so I supervised from the warmth of my car. So fun! Our neighborhood park turned into a sledding hotspot and all the kids' friends raced down the slopes together.

Christmas Day!

I don't even know what time it was when Hank and Max woke up. I just know that when I got out of bed at 7:00, they had all of the gifts sorted, stacked, and ready to go! I felt like our gift-opening experience this year was actually very laid back; the kids were very patient about waiting their turn, so I got to enjoy watching the kids' faces as they opened their gifts. The favorites this year were: an Adidas jacket and Legos for Hank, a pitching machine and Legos for Max, more Legos for Ben (there should be a discount for buying so many!), playdoh for Joey, and a kiddie piano for Rocky. 

I replaced Aaron's circa 1988 snow gear with new snow pants and coat, and he surprised me with a big girl purse that I've fallen in love with. 

Aaron put his new snow suit to good use and took the boys out to play in the snow in what has been our first and only real snow of the winter!

I can't feel sad about Christmas being over because I am really feeling so lucky and blessed everyday. It is a very special treat to get to give and receive gifts, but truly I feel that same spirit of happiness and joy that is so tangible during Christmas, every time our family is together. The presents are just a really fun bonus;)

Christmas Part V: Activities

Looking back on these pictures (and I only documented a portion), I really can't believe that we managed to squeeze this many activities into 25 days! I will feel like all of the planning, pack-muling, and fun-facilitating was worth it if, when the boys are grown, they are filled with magical memories of Christmastime. 

Elf on the Shelf:

Donald visited our house again this year, reporting back to the North Pole each night on our behavior. I really don't like to play up the Santa aspect of Christmas too much, but I do love the feeling of magic and excitement that Donald brings with him as he appears in crazy locations in our house each morning.

Lights:

One of our favorite family Christmas activities is seeing Christmas lights. This year we checked out a couple different displays, including this amazing "tree of life."

Reindeer:

I think the kids all left our visit to Santa's reindeer feeling a little perplexed. If the idea of eight flying reindeer pulling a sleigh around the world was hard to swallow before, seeing these two small, tired, pretty lifeless reindeer didn't make the story any more plausible. 

Temple Square:

We lucked out and chose a night to visit Temple Square that wasn't completely frigid. Aside from the lights, which are spectacular, the kids think it's fun to visit the city at nighttime. On the way home we stopped for donuts.

Santa: 

I think this is a first: no screamers! We were able to walk right up, give Santa our Christmas lists, snap a quick picture, and be on our way. It was funny to watch Ben and Joey interact with Santa. They didn't even question who this bearded stranger was; they just inherently understood that if they wanted to get presents, they had to tell the man in the red suit. So they did!

Bouncy Place:

Not all of our December activities have something to do with Christmas--sometimes we just need to burn off some of that Christmas break energy. By the time we left the bouncy place, after meeting up with our cousins, the boys were hot and sweaty...and happy!

Happy Birthday to Me!

My boys sure do know how to make a girl feel special. Without any help or coaching whatsoever, Hank and Max treated me to this fancy breakfast in bed:

My special day was actually just an ordinary Sunday, but it will probably stand out as an all time favorite. I felt lavished by love and affection from my boys (in the form of singing, homemade cards, and lots of hugs and kisses) and so many birthday wishes from friends near and far. It was so sweet to reflect on the great friendships I've cultivated over 33 years of life. I felt like I smiled all day long.

You want to know something? I feel better--physically, emotionally, spiritually--at 33 than I did at 23! Maybe this getting older stuff isn't so bad! That self-awareness and self-acceptance that eluded me at 23, now just seems beautifully natural at 33. While I feel consumed with my role as a mother, it's through motherhood that I've come to fully understand my identity. I'm not just living life, I'm breathing it in and inhaling it. I'm in a good place. 

Ferris Wheel

I'm always on the lookout for easy, cheap ways to entertain the kids so when the kids were getting restless towards the end of Christmas break, we met Aaron at Scheels to take a ride on the Ferris wheel. I didn't expect the ride to be so thrilling, but when Ben squealed with excitement and rocked our cart every time he spied Aaron down below, I felt a tiny bit squeamish.