One of the perks of being a teacher is that I get to have a spring break! Another perk of having parents who are addicted to the beach means we get to travel...pretty often. Double score! I had one of the best spring breaks I've had in a long time. We left towards Galveston on Friday, March 16th. Mom and dad headed out around 3:30pm. Shae and Husdon came to pick up me and Zeke and we left close to 4pm. We were all so excited for this trip and had been anticipating it for quite some time. I was especially excited that Shae and Hudson were coming with us!! Shae and I have been best friends since 5th grade and I think this is the first pretty big trip that we have gone on together, aside from weekend getaways. The boys were actually pretty good for a 3 and 4 year old on a roadtrip. We only had to make a couple of potty stops...one being at the Texas state line. The boys had a great time playing around and stretching their legs.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
I felt like a kid on Christmas Eve trying to get some sleep that night. I was so stinkin ready to get on the ship. I woke up around 2am and I couldn't go back to sleep. I was so ready for everyone else to wake up. Finally, around 7am everyone started waking up and getting ready to head to Galveston. It was St. Patty's day so we all got dressed up in our green. We headed downstairs for some breakfast then hit the road. We put Tom & Jerry on for the boys and they were in a complete daze watching it as we made our way to Galveston. We were only a couple of ours out so it felt like we got there in no time at all. Once we pulled up and could see the boat we got super excited!! Mom likes to get there at least an hour before we are supposed to so we don't have to wait in long lines. I'm kinda glad about this becuase I couldn't imagine having to wait in a long line with an impatient 3 year old. Even though we were early, we've always been able to get on the ship early...don't steal our secret!!! Ha. We went through all of our checkpoints and were ready to board but first you get to take that cheesy picture in front of a backdrop with a cruise ship on it. It is our St. Patty's day pic. It actually turned out pretty cute. We also wanted to get one of just the boys, you know for their senior yearbook! :) Love them so much!
The boys were running and hopping up the ramp to get on the ship, they were so excited. I had them pose for a quick picture.
It's basically a no brainer what we did as soon as we got on the ship...headed to the Lido deck to eat!! We snagged a table and took shifts going to get food. Shae and I got plates for us and the boys and my parents sat with them, then they got their plate when we got back. Zeke remembered being on the ship from when he was 2 and wanted to go get an ice cream after he ate his lunch, so I took the boys to get one then we hung out while we waited to get into our stateroom.
Our rooms were supposed to be ready at 1:30pm, so of course we snuck into ours early to hang out on the balcony! All 3 of our cabins were next to each other. Shae and Hudson were in room 1042, Zeke and I in room 1038, and mom and dad in room 1034. Sagi, our steward, opened the partitions between our balconies...so we had one big balcony. It was pretty cool. They boys loved running between all the rooms. We hung out and enjoyed our cabins and balcony until the we had to be at our mustard station at 4pm. Zeke also snuck in a little nap.
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Sunday, March 18, 2012
Our first full day on the ship was a day at sea. We lounged around, hung out, and had FUN! The boys were dropped off at Camp Carnival after breakfast and were able to play until 12:45pm when they were picked up. The boys were hungry so we took them downstairs to the Lido deck for lunch. After lunch we decided to go for a swim in the pool. I got in first and got out within a seconds. I think it was the coldest water I have ever been in my entire life. Brrrrr! So Shae decided to get in. She toughed it out much longer than I did. She was in pain the first few minutes until she could adjust to the temperature of the water. The boys were jumping in to her and getting right back out becuase it was so cold. After a few minutes I decided to tough it out and try it again. Holy moose that is some cold water. The boys had fun but overall I think they liked playing in the shower outside of the pool where you rinse off better. It didn't feel as cold. After lunch we went back to our cabin for a nap. The boys had some fun activites that evening at Camp Carnival and I knew Zeke needed his sleep or he would never last late. I have always had a fairly hard time taking naps...put me on a ship and I am OUT!! I enjoyed naptime as well!! We took the boys back to Camp Carnival at 5pm for their Kids Celebration party. Our cabin is on the 10th floor and Camp Carnival is right above us on the 11th floor. After dropping off the boys, I ran back downstairs and got myself ready for our first dinner without kids!!! The one amazing thing about Camp Carnival is that they will feed the kids dinner so adults can enjoy dinner without them. If you have ever had a meal with a 3 year old, you know how nice it is to not have them at the table! Dinner was fabulous! After dinner we went to the 7:30pm and 8:30pm comedy shows. They were really funny! After the last show I went to go pick up Zeke. The boys had fun at their party. They were wearing crowns on their heads. We headed down to the Lido deck to get them an ice cream cone and a milk for bedtime. Nana and Papa were also down there getting a hot chocolate before heading off to another show on the ship, so Zekey got a quick picture with them. We headed back to our cabin to fill out our breakfast room service slip for the morning. The days we have excursions I like to have breakfast delivered to the room so we can sleep in a little longer. Then it was time to go to sleep. We would be in Progresso by the time we woke up the next morning. :)
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| Uh oh...it's already begun!! |
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| Nana and Papa looking nice tonight |
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| Yummy late night snack |
Today we are in Progresso!!!! We were all so ready to get off the ship and get on the beach. We had breakfast delivered to the room. Zeke ate his bowl of cereal while sitting out on the balcony watching all of the people get off the ship below.
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| Zekey checking out Progresso |
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| My most handsome baby boy |
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| LOVE THIS BOY!! |
We got our swimsuits on and met everyone in the hall around 8:15am to head down to our excursion group. We were headed to an all inclusive beach resort. When we got off the ship we checked in with the leader of the group and got our stickers and had to go sit to wait on the rest of the group to arrive. Once 9am rolled around we were able to get loaded up on the bus. Pulling out of the pier you get to really see the city of Progresso. I wasn't expecting it to look the way it did. When you travel you think everything will look beautiful...this was not the case. Our tour guide 'Missel' was awesome. He was very informative about the area and told us about things as we passed it. Our bus ride was 45 minutes. We were all so excited to get to the resort, which was really pretty. We walked inside and they gave us a wrist band stating that everything was all inclusive for us. The boys ran straight to the pool and jumped in the water. They had so much fun playing. Around 11:30am we went and grabbed lunch then headed down to the beach to collect some seashells for Zeke's school. The sand had tons of shells in it. I'm used to the beach in Alabama (which is gorgeous if you haven't ever been there) and this sand was a bit tough on my feet...but beautiful. I didn't get in the water, ocean or pool, but had a nice fun day in the sun.
Before we got on the boat we did a little shopping for a new toy. Zeke did not like that the toys in Mexico were not like the toys we have here. He had a really hard time finding something. He ended up with a snake and a sword water squirter. Shae was able to find some wrestling figures at one of the shops for Hudson. When we got on the ship the boys played with the wrestlers out on the balcony as we set sail for Cozumel.
Once we set sail it was time for a shower and a late afernoon nap. I was exhausted and Zekey needed some rest before heading to Camp Carnival for the evening. Gosh did that nap feel good!! I got up while Zeke was still sleeping to start getting ready for dinner. I got ready before Shae so I ran the boys down to the Lido deck to drop them off at dinner with Camp Carnival then I met everyone else in the dinning room. Once again our dinner was fantastic. After dinner I decided to go pick up Zeke and Hudson and let them play around on the ship, get some ice cream and go see the late night show. They had another party and decorated t-shirts. They always have so much fun. After the show we went to bed. We had to get ready for Cozumel in the morning. Yay!!!
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| Boys excited to tell us about their Under the Sea party |
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| Playing around on Lido |
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| Enjoying the show in the Rome Lounge |
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| Headed upstairs to bed and order our breakfast for the morning |
We are in Cozumel!!! Woot woot!!! I was most excited about this adventure. I've always had a good time in Cozumel. The roomservice knock on the door actually woke me up since my wake up call (Nana) forgot! Ha. I hopped out of bed and answered the door. Zeke immediately looked out the window because he knew it was another beach day. He was so excited to see another ship directly across from us on the pier. Hudson came over on the balcony and crawled in my spot in bed. I turned some cartoons on for the boys until they were ready to get up and eat some breakfast. Nana came out onto the balcony so Zeke went out with her to check out the other ship.
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Riding in the taxi to Paradise Beach   
First to the pool!!
 
Checking out the beach
 
Nacho break
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Dinner time was quickly approaching. I got ready for dinner then took the boys downstairs to meet the Camp Carnival staff on the Lido deck. Tonight the boys were having grilled cheese, fried mozzarella, carrots, potato wedges, orange slices and a churro. Sounds good to me! They are always so good about being dropped off. I met my parents and Shae in the dining hall after dropping off the boys. There is a large table of women right behind us and we try to get there and order before they do so we can get out of there quicker. Success!! I tried to get finished with dinner as quick as I could because I wanted to take Zeke to the Seaside Theater to watch the movie Annie. He really likes that movie and I thought he would enjoy watching it with me. When I went to go pick him up Hudson wanted to come too so I got both of the boys. They had a Caribbean pirate party while the adults were at dinner. They looked so cute dressed up with face paint and a bandanna on their heads. We first went down to Lido to grab a cup of milk for the boys to have while we were watching the movie. 8pm is late for Zeke so I knew he would be tired and would want his milk. Then we staked out a great spot outside to watch the movie under the stars. While the movie was playing Nana and Papa walked by below to go grab a hot chocolate. Nana came to sit with us for a while to watch the movie. The boys enjoyed the movie. Then it was time for bed. My little ZekeyPants was tired. We got back to the room and all washed up and went to sleep. I've got to tell you, I sleep like a baby on a cruise ship...I think I sleep like a baby anyway for that matter.
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| My little pirate |
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| Pirate Hudson |
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| Nana joined the boys for the movie |
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| Watching Annie |
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Today is our last full day on the ship. :( Boo! However it is a Sea Day so there is some fun to be had. We started the morning off on the Lido deck for breakfast. I am so boring and always just have cereal but my son likes to eat pancakes, fruit, and cereal. We enjoyed our breakfast and just hanging out talking. Papa came down and ate with us. After breakfast we took the boys to Camp Carnival to play. I went down to my room and first things first...I need to pack! I'm so sad. Somehow I did a better job packing our bags better this time, including our new stuff we bought, then I did on the way there. Go me!!! I only brought one small suitcase and Zeke has a tiny suitcase so we didn't really have that much to put away. After I packed I hung out on the balcony for a while. I love sitting out there listening to the waves. It's so peaceful. I went down to Promenade level to get a couple of last minute things in one of the stores on the ship. It was time to pick up the boys from Camp Carnival. We went to lunch on Lido then just hung out around the ship until it was time for a much needed nap for everyone. The boys were going to have a farewell party tonight at Camp Carnival and I didn't want Zeke being cranky. I could really get used to these naps!! I slept for a little bit then I got up to get ready for dinner. This is the first cruise we have taken where we have eaten early dinner, usually we eat the late dinner. Early is nice because you are able to see more shows and stuff after you dinner is done but it kinda stinks because you have to get ready so early. Anyway, I got ready then got Zeke ready after he woke up. Once again I dropped the boys off on Lido with Camp Carnival for dinner. Tonight they were having hot dogs, cheeseburgers, corn on the cob, pepperoni pizza, cheese pizza, french fries, fruit cocktail, and Jell-O. Now that's a meal!!! I enjoyed my last night of steak and a baked potato. It was super yummy!! When it was dessert time, Rick brought me a dessert and everyone sang happy birthday to me since it was almost my birthday. It was really yummy...and nice! After dinner we headed to the Rio Lounge for the last night of comedy shows. The guest comedians were both really funny and I enjoyed getting to hang out in there. That was the only event I went to all week where Zeke wasn't with me, so it was nice to have some 'me' time on the ship and hang out. After the show I went to go pick up the boys. I took Zeke for one last trip to the Lido deck for an ice cream cone. We enjoyed sitting there laughing and having a good 'ol time. Eventually it was time to head to bed. We fell right asleep and had a great nights sleep on our last night.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
BOOOOOOOOOOO....today we have to leave the ship. When we woke up, Zeke went out onto the balcony to enjoy it for one last time. He wouldn't move or talk he just said "mommy, I'm trying to relax." Ha.
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| Spending time on the balcony before we have to leave our room. It was a good trip. |
We had to be out of our cabin by 8:30am...so guess where we headed. You're right, the Lido deck to eat breakfast!!! Nana and Papa saved a table while Shae the boys and I grabbed some food. I got cereal, of course, and Zeke had a pancake. After we ate we had to wait around until our departure number was called to get off the ship. While we were waiting I had Zeke call his daddy since he hadn't talked to him in several days. He enjoyed getting to hear from him. They finally called our number and we headed down the the 3rd floor to exit the ship. We got off, went through customs, and got our car in about an hour. Once we loaded everything up in the car we had to say goodbye to Shae and Hudson. They were headed back home and Zeke and I were on our way to San Antonio with my parents for some more spring break fun.
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| Smiling real big before we got off the ship even though we were all bummed! |
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| Headed to the car after 5 nights of fun on the Carnival Triumph |
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| Zeke catching a ride |
Once we got in the car with Nana and Papa we headed to San Antonio for a couple of days. If you have ever been on a road trip with me you know the first thing I do before we even leave the parking lot is...fall asleep!!!! I just can't help it! I put a movie on for Zeke and I was out! Luckily he was too!! We had a great nap. We woke up just a few minutes before we got to the Outlet mall in San Marcos, TX. I took Zeke into GapKids and let him pick out what he wanted. He is at the age where he actually cares what he is wearing and has an opinion. I ended up getting him 4 pair of shorts, 5 t-shirts, 2 pair of flip flops, a puzzle, and a hoodie. He picked out everything except the hoodie. After we got him some clothes we just walked around until we eventually ran into Nana and Papa. We were only there for a couple of hours then we hit the road to the hotel in San Antonio. We got checked in and then headed to the Riverwalk for dinner. We ate at a Mexican restaurant then went for a river boat tour, which was fun. It was neat learning about the history of the area. After our tour we walked over to the Alamo and checked out that area for a while. On our way back to the car we stopped at Ben and Jerry's for an ice cream. By the time we were done we were all so worn out from our cruise we were ready to head back to the hotel. We decided to get in the hot tub...which was freezing cold. We were too cold to hang out in it so we went to bed to rest up for the next day.
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| Boat tour on Riverwalk |
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| Zekey in front of the Alamo |
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| Zekey and Papa in front of the Alamo |
Friday, March 23, 2012
Today we are headed to Sea World! I don't know if I am more excited or if Zeke is. This will be only my 2nd time to go. My fist time was when I was a senior in high school. I went with a group of DECA students to Orlando my senior year and Sea World was one of our stops. We arrived at Sea World around 9:30am and headed to the entrance of the park to wait in line. We took a couple of pictures out front while we waited for the park to open at 10am.
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| Zekey is excited to go see Shamu |
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| Papa and Nana are too!! |
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| Me too!!
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As soon as the gates opened Nana and Papa headed to the Walrus/Sea Lion stadium for the show and Zeke and I went to go rent a stroller. We headed toward the show afterwards. Zeke wanted a snack so he got some cotton candy then some popcorn. I've got to say it was some of the best popcorn I have ever had. Yum!! The show was fantastic!!! It is amazing how they have 'lines' and know the script. We all really enjoyed that. After the show we went to go look at the Sea Lions and Seals. Zeke loved looking down at them.
When we left that area of the park we saw a kiddie roller coaster, The Shamu Express. As you know I am a huge roller coaster fanatic! Zeke was tall enough to go on this ride and he was excited about it. He first rode it with Nana, then with me...over an over and over again!! He eventually got comfortable enough to hold his hands in the air during the ride. I was so proud of him!!!
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| There's a chance I might be a little overly excited here!! |
We pretty much show hopped while we were there. The next show we went to go see was the Shamu show. Nana and Papa went to go save seats while Zeke and I stopped to play at the splash pad. He had so much fun running around in the water. After about 40 minutes of playing around it was time to go to the show and were glad they saved seats, it was full.
Can you say incredible?!?! The wales were amazing. We sat in the splash zone and Zeke thought them splashing everyone was the greatest thing of all time. He laughed and laughed. It was very cute!!
After we watched the incredible Shamu show we went to go ride the water ride. It was Nana's big idea. I'm typically not a fan of any water rides...I just don't like being wet for the rest of the day. Usually when we ride a water ride everyone else is dry and I am drenched...no fun! However Zeke really wanted to ride it and he was tall enough so of course we had to do it. We got on and buckled up and were really excited as we started going down the river thing. Of course I am the first one on the innertube to get wet...really wet. Zeke was cracking up laughing having a great time...then we came to the waterfall...we all got it!!! If you know my mom you know that she doesn't like to get her hair messed up. Well it was flat as a pancake to her head after we went under the waterfall. I have to admit that it was hilarious!! When we got off Zeke wanted to ride it again, so I took him on it one more time. As we were getting on the innertube a lady getting off leaned down to Zeke and said in his ear "you better watch out, the waterfall is really scary." Jerk. Even though we had just gotten off the ride and Zeke knew what was coming, he was terrified because this lady told him that. He had a death grip on my arm and cried the whole way. I was so upset with her...what was the point in that?!?! Needless to say we didn't ride it again. We popped in on a snake exhibit after we left the ride and then to the next building over to see the penguin exhibit. This was my favorite part!! They have a belt like in the airport that you just stand on and it takes you by the penguins. Well we went behind that when we first got there and I let Zeke sit on the wall checking them out as he ate an ice cream we picked up on the way. When he was done we went on the belt to see everything. This was so cool!! We walked around the building for a little bit looking at all the exhibits of penguins. On our way out, there was a real penguin just walking around the gift shop. It was literally right in front of us. Super cool!!!!
We came back around to the kiddie park. Zeke wanted to ride some rides so I took him while Nana and Papa went to go look around. He had so much fun riding everything. He is finally at the height where he can do that, which I am excited about. I want him to love rides as much as I do. We were there riding for quite some time. Nana and Papa were going to go to the next show to save us a seat while we were having fun.
The last show we went to go see was a 4D movie. I didn't really know much about what it was. We went into the theater, grabbed our 4D glasses, and picked a seat. The movie started and it was pretty cool. The seats in front of us had water sprayers and an air one as well. At different parts during the movie it would spray water on you or cold air. It was really funny and everyone screamed each time it happened. Zeke of course thought this was hilarious!
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| We are ready for the 4D movie! |
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| Papa and Nana look ready too |
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| Silly faces |
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| Fishy faces
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We headed towards the entrance to leave and none of us wanted to go. We all had such an amazing day at Sea World. It was also the best time to go...no crowds...no lines...and in the 80s. Perfect!!! My little boy played hard today from 10am-6pm nonstop. I knew he was going to be tired. I'm not kiddin you, as soon as we started driving away he fell asleep in the car. What a precious little angel!
We decided to snack at Sea World and eat a bigger dinner that night. On our way back to the hotel we stopped at Salt Grass Steakhouse to eat. Boy did we eat up a storm! I have always loved their fillets and was excited to get one. Zeke loved the bread. We enjoyed a nice dinner before heading back to the hotel for the night where we all crashed because we were so exhausted.
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| Chowing down on some bread |
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| His new thing is cutting the bread up for everyone...he always gets the biggest piece! |
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Today we get on the road towards Frisco. I love Frisco and miss not living there anymore. When we got to Frisco we went straight to our favorite place to eat, Babe's Chicken House. Can you say YUMMY!?!?! We first discovered Babe's in Roanoke, Texas in 1997 when we moved to Keller, TX. I think my mom read an article about it in the paper when we lived there so of course we had to try it out. We would drive out to Roanoke and eat at Babe's often. Every time we go to Texas we stop at Babe's...at least once. Sometimes we even go every single day we are in town. Yes, it's that good!!! Rick was not there. If you've been there, you know who I'm talking about. Zeke is not a fan of Rick. He really creeps him out...big time!! We enjoyed our dinner. Once we were done eating we headed to the hotel. Guess what the first thing we did was...you betcha...hot tub!!! This hot tub was perfect!! Nice and toasty. I took shifts with my dad swimming in the pool with Zeke. He loves the water and was having a great time. After an hour or so of swimming we got out. Mom and I headed to Allen to the outlet mall to pick up a few more things for Zeke at Gap Kids then went to the Coach store. I got a couple of purses, a wristlet, and a pair of sunglasses. I was very excited about my purchase! :) We closed the outlet mall down and had to head back to the hotel. We were so tired when we got back and went to sleep. It is our last night in a hotel. I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed the next night!!
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Today we finally head for home. We have had such a wonderful vacation...but sometimes you just want to be home. I am so worn out I need a vacation from my vacation! We stopped at a rest stop in Texas to potty. Zeke played around on the playground and we took a couple of the pictures below to send to his dad. We got home, unloaded the car, and lounged around the house until bed time...which was 8pm for me!! I will always remember the good times we had on this trip. I just love vacations and it was super special that Shae and Hudson were able to come with us. I am glad that Zeke's health is good enough to where Dr. K released us to go on such a great trip. Now we just need my baby boy to get better so we can go on many, many more!!!!
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