Lauren's next adventure...cruise the Caribbean!
August 7-14, 2010
Carnival Liberty
Half Moon Cay, Bahamas--St. Thomas--San Juan, Puerto Rico--Grand Turk
Daddy, Mommy, Lauren, Aunt Kay and Allison!
We planned a summer vacation during the 1st week of school while Eric's office would be closed and enjoyed the entire week together! Besides the goal of a family vacation, it was also my plan to have one last hoorah before going back to work. Problem: cruise date came but no job is lined up! I'm in the process of looking for that perfect part-time ARNP position that will give me a chance to enjoy my career AND my baby and husband at the same time. We'll see what happens!
This was also a celebratory trip for Kaitlin and Allison! When we returned from our trip, they had only 1-1/2 days to get ready to move to Tallahassee to start FSU and Rush Week (for KK) and Cheerleader practice (for Allison).
So, with lots to celebrate and be happy about, we all set out for 7 days of pure sweet quality time together...and once again, Lauren was just along for the ride. :-)
Lauren was such a great traveler! We left PC at 7:30am with bunny in tow and she went down for a 45 minute nap after our stop in Orlando.
When we arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, it was time for a wardrobe change to get ready to board the ship! We took the Carnival Transportation bus to Miami...Lauren was definitely tired of being confined at this point and was ready to get down and roam on her own. Everything went really well with our air and ground travel except that Eric's hanging clothes were left in PC at the airport. No pants, suits or shoes.
"Getting excited! Let the picture-taking commence!"
After our VIP check-in (it was slightly awesome!!) bypassing the long lines, we made it to our room.
We booked a bigger room for us since we would have Lauren. Balcony with 3 chairs, King Bed, sitting area, changing closet (AKA Lauren's bedroom of darkness and quiet) and a full bath with tub.
The Nannies' room
Our first night at dinner.
"You mean that I get a piece of chocolate every night on my pillow. And I get to eat it? Yeah, this is going to be awesome!"
Morning of Day 2. Waiting for our turn to board the boat tender to the island.
Day 2: Half Moon Cay, Bahamas. This was an island owned by Carnival and the water and sand were beautiful! We played a lot in the warm water and sand. Lauren took a nap later in the afternoon when Eric took her for a stroll in Big Buggy. What's in the big back-pack? Our snorkeling gear!
Walking on the beach.
Our baby is a natural when it comes to beaches.
On one end, there was a kiddie area with 2 slides. We had fun going down the slides with Lauren. She loves anything like this. No fear whatsoever.
"Aunt Kay, it is such a pretty day! I love the Bahamas!"
The Daddy and his girl
Enjoying fruit at the island's buffet
Good bye, Bahamas. View of the island from our balcony
Night 2 before dinner
I was really surprised that there wasn't much for Lauren to eat at dinner. This, cuppled with the fact that LEB can't sit still for a 2 hour dinner, made us realize that we were going to have to split up for the remaining nights. "Anytime Dining" came in handy at this point. So, Eric and I would take LEB to the buffet while Kaitlin and Allison ate in the dining room. Then we would switch and let the girls get Lauren to bed while Eric and I ate in the dining room and then went out on the ship for a little while. Then we would switch again and the girls would stay out all...night...long. :-)
Lauren loved the towel animals!
Day 3: Day at Sea and ready for the pool!
"Yep, I'm definitely ready!"
Having fun at lunch
Mommy went to the Spa during naptime then we all met up again. It was heavenly...
Lauren's playground. I was super nervous about having a balcony, but once I realized that it was completely safe (no spindles, open areas) I was much more at ease.
Playing in the kiddie pool on the top deck
Can't you tell Lauren is having a blast?
Playing and pictures! What more could LEB ask for?
Formal Night. Eric's suits were back at the PC airport and he didn't want to rent a tuxedo on the ship, so it was just us girls who dressed for dinner. Lauren looked so cute!
Happy Sailor Baby!
Aunt Kay and Reny
"Yeah, she's my little sister..."
It's someone's 20th birthday! Happy Birthday, Allison!
Having a tub was so nice. It would have been hard to bath her in a shower for 7 nights!
"Yay, Allison! Happy Birthday! Party in my room!"
Eric and I came back from being out on the boat and found the nannies slackin' after LEB went to sleep. :-)
Day 4: Good morning, St. Thomas USVI!
Snorkeling gear all packed and we're ready to hit the road!
Lauren shopping
We rented a Jeep for the day and beach-hopped up until it was time to board the ship again. This was by far my most favorite day of the entire trip! We had cell phone service and used our I-Phones as a map. It was great!
Getting ready to go swimming. One last swig...
Megen's Bay. So beautiful and calm. Warm water, beautiful skies and nice people.
We stayed here for almost 2 hours swimming, playing and eating pizza for lunch.
I have wanted to do this for a long time now...paddle board! Kaitlin and Allison went first. They saw a sea turtle close to the surface.
And we went while the girls played with LEB. It was so relaxing (for me...not so much for tall Eric). I loved it!
"Hey, guys! Where are we going next?!!"
Diaper change and swim suit change after a dirty diaper. "this...is...soooo...embarrassing!"
Such a sweet baby. You can barely see her top 2 teeth coming in.
We stopped at picked up fresh, homemade milkshakes at a nearby dairy.
Absolutely beautiful scenery
Next stop: Tutu Beach
More snorkeling and swimming
And our 3rd beach was Sapphire Beach.
The loves of my life...
Daddy-Daughter moment looking out over the water at St. John
Back on the boat and watching St. Thomas as went pulled away. Definitely a place we'd like to return for a visit.
Naked baby on the loose! Seeing these pictures makes me wish I had put a pair of shoes on this child.
Her walking is improving so much! I think it's safe to say, too, that she has her "sea legs".
We were on the 7th floor. Lauren climbed 5 stories continuously, without stopping, while Eric followed her. She is one tough, energetic little baby!
On the Balcony Before Dinner
"Aunt Kay, what's in your purse? I'm going to plunder, okay?!"
"Quack, quack!"
Lauren's sleeping quarters
Day 5: San Juan, Puerto Rico. Kaitlin and Allison decided to have a morning at the spa followed by a taxi ride to a local beach while we 3 went on a VERY long tour of El Yunque Rainforest. Sweet Lauren and bunny took a nap during the 1-1/2 hour ride to the rainforest.
Walking around the welcome center.
Classic Lauren stance right now: Belly out, butt out, one or both hands up. Remind you of anyone? Must be a Tricia gene passed down!
LAURA MOORE: if you're reading this, this is the exact spot where we received your text message saying "It's a girl!" We were so excited to have phone service so we could receive your exciting news!
"Dada, let's go that way."
El Yunque...I'm ready to go back to the ship. You've driven me crazy with all of this riding...
"I guess I'll just go back to sleep."
"Good bye, San Juan"
Day 6: We spent the morning playing in the kiddie pool and then off the ship to Grand Turk!
We rented a car again and went to 2 beaches. There wasn't a defined map or road system, so we had no idea where we were except surrounded by beautiful landscapes.
Ready to take on the water!
Calm, warm, clear water. Perfect for LEB.
At this particular beach, we never saw another person, boat or car. Very cool (but I have to admit, Kaitlin and I were a little afraid).
We had a delicious lunch at The Bohio Resort
Taking it easy
13 month old feet in the sand
Scuba KK and Awison
Chillaxin'
There were free roaming donkey's, long-horned cows, and horses.
Night 6 on the balcony
The Liberty had a big screen TV outside by the pool. At night, they played movies.
Day 7: last day. Lauren was people watching while she ate breakfast
Ready for the pool!
At lunch, she cheered for everybody that walked out of the dining room.
"Dada, I'm going to miss all of this pretty blue water..."
Build-a-Bear. We made a St. Jude bear. Lauren didn't understand why she had to put the guardian angel and wish-upon-a-star in the bear. Definitely didn't want to.
Last night for dinner...pictures of course.
48 hours after this photo, my little sister became a resident of Tallahassee and a student at FSU!
Good sleeping...
Sunrise from our balcony in Miami
As Kenny would say, "Eric became the pack mule."
"Hey, Aunt Kay! I'm back here!"
This trip definitely lived up to all of our expectations (except the toddler food crisis. I never would have seen that coming) and I think we would all 4 say that we had a blast all week. Lots of memories and good times for the memory book, for sure!
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