Baja Cruise & Disneyland

Sunday, October 28: Drive to Los Angeles

Our trip began at 4:00am. The boys slept in the spare room so access to them was easy. We had initially planned on leaving at 3:00 (this is what we had told Maysen) and at 3:22am he came in to inform us that we had overslept. I told him we were not leaving until 4:00am and he went back to sleep.

Nate took the first round of driving with coffee thermos in hand. Luckily the boys fell back asleep (rare for Maysen!) and we 3 all woke up around 7:00. Nate had already crossed the Siskou’s and we were well on our way to Redding, CA by the time I took over driving at 7:30.

I attempted to drive but just was too unsuccessful with waking up enough to drive. Lately, I don’t know why, I just can’t drive without getting sleepy if I’m driving before 12:00/noon. It seems like we stopped frequently this trip and would just cap off the gas tank when we’d stop. The boys never re-napped but both Nate and I would cat nap. I finally drove the rest of the way clear through the grapevine (yikes!) and hauling 80mph through the straight shot freeway. Driving through L.A. proved to be quite the experience, even at 7:00pm on a Sunday night. I am reminded with this drive why I do not desire to live in the city.

We pulled up to the Holiday Inn at 7:30pm. We were upgraded to an Executive Suite (which I think meant we got a bathrobe), and we could not peel the kids out fast enough. I think all of our rear ends were glued to the seats.

We unloaded the Tahoe, made our way up to the 9^th floor, checked out the balcony and could see the “heated” pool was empty. Everyone grabbed swimming suits and headed down. I’m not sure what qualifies a pool as “heated” but whatever it is, it does not mean “heat”. It was freezing; even still, both Mase and Nate jumped in. Griff was pulled in by Nate but didn't last long. He found the warm outdoor shower and stood in that the rest of the time. Mase had learned how to dive at the lake this summer but really did a good job diving into the deep end.

Griff had enough and he and I went back up to the room and ordered room service for dinner, took showers, and waited for Nate and Mase to come back. Once everyone got full and warm, it was lights out and ready for vacation!

Monday, October 29: Sail Away!

We had our breakfast on the hotel’s rooftop restaurant which provides 360 degrees of panoramic views. This was such a great opportunity to teach them about pollution as they kept wondering what the “brown fog” was. Not used to that in Oregon! We had to wait until noon until our shuttle left and keeping the boys settled until then was quite the feat having just driven 14hrs the day before. Luckily it passed quickly and before we knew it, “Chris” from the Philippians was dropping us off at our cruise terminal.

We had been upgraded to V.I.P. status when we booked the cruise so we were able to go through the VIP boarding and it was a … BREEZE! We were on the ship within 10min. We quickly decided to check our room out and was MORE than surprised at what we found. Now, I had learned this ship had no “veranda staterooms” which is what we normally get so we can have a balcony. When booking, we had decided to save the money and just get a normal stateroom. We were given an option to upgrade to a “Guest Suite” and I’m so glad we did. This suite was larger than the hotel room we had stayed in the night before, and hands-down bigger than any other cruise accommodations we’d ever had. The couch pulled out into a queen sized bed for the boys and “living room” had a lot of space. Our bathroom was huge (by ship standards) and had a jetted tub!

The “emergency evacuation” brief was the most bizarre thing ever. We had to meet in the Paris Lounge, then we were shuttled up 2 flights of stairs and out to the deck. Then it was over. The boys were tired and hot and our bags still hadn't arrived. So, the boys went on the water slides in their …. Underwear. Yep! Ghetto’d it out, folks. They didn't care, we didn't care … and fun was had by all!

We signed up for early dining, and to my dismay, it’s “assigned”. I only dislike it because, especially with kids, I just want to eat and go. With assigned group seating we have to pretend to be interested in strangers sitting at your table, and usually you can count on our children to misbehave. You could tell right away we were grouped in the “people with kids” table because we were 10min late to dinner and we were escorted through the dining room to the very back … no, the VERY back by the kitchen and revolving door. The 2 other couples at the table had young kids, too. #1 have 2yr old Hunter and #2 have 4yr old Sophia. The boys loved Sophia and kept her entertained. 

Mase kept talking to Sophia’s mom about fun facts about him and how this was his “3^rd”cruise and how he can’t see without his glasses. What!?

Dinner was good – beef brisket. We caught up to everyone else pretty quick but I just hated the wading through tables because we were late and how when you say “oh, excuse me” no one scoots in so you say “hell with it” and plow over them, knocking them in the head with your elbow because your gut is NOT making it through behind their chair gracefully.

We wandered around up on deck after dinner to look at a beautiful full-moon lit sky. Men in Black 3 was on, and believe it or not, Griff lasted longer than Mase at watching the movie. 

 

Tuesday, October 30, 2012: Catalina Island

Morning came too early. We were all sleeping so well; I think the boys slept in until 8:00. I was DEAD to the world, so Nate took the boys to breakfast. They brought me breakfast in bed (cinnamon roll and cereal). It was then time to get ready to tender off the boat and onto Catalina Island.

Weather was perfect today! About 75 with a bit of a breeze. Mase was having a bit of an attitude problem with demanding to go here and there so while he sat out Griff went and got in the sand. When Mase joined him, he went full speed ahead and got totally soaked from the waist down, and of course the fine sand was everywhere, which leads to immediate whining. We decided we were going to rent a golf cart to tour the island. This was a blast! The golf cart lady told me there were 2 places to take Mase to get cleaned up. The first shower house had salt water to use, which makes chafing worse. Off to the second place. We get there, and I leave with both boys while Nate drives around. The showers are closed for the morning. We decided to walk to the nearby restrooms and I would just do what I could to get the sand off. First, he’s wearing Griffin’s underwear (Nate unpacked). He strips in the bathroom and he decided he needed better rinsing and climbed up on to the sink. Got the rest of the clothes wet. Griffins climbing under stalls. This was not working. I sent Mase out to the golf cart in nothing but those tight underwear. I have to pull a tourist-move and go get a new outfit for Mase. Every store I walked into sold hoodies and dresses but no little boy shorts and t-shirts.

Finally we struck it rich and $30 later for a ho-hum Hanes t-shirt and shorts, we were made. While waiting for Nate to pick us up I ran into Couple #3 from the dinner table. Feeling the need to explain what was happening, I got “Well we thought we saw Maysen and we wondered why he was in the golf cart with underwear on”. Oh my.

The tour of Catalina was so pretty. It was quiet and we had fun driving the carts around. We had a quaint lunch and ice cream and tendered back.

Mandatory quiet time was then established for the next 30min. The boys were quiet and pooped, Nate and I had a quick nap and then we were off to the pool! The sun felt amazing. The boys went down the water slide repeatedly, screaming the whole way down with glee. Watching us pull away from Catalina with the sun in the distance was priceless.

We got dried/cleaned up and ready for dinner but first a quick stop at put-put golf which Griff had been dying to play. He chucks that ball like he’s playing with a baseball. Dinner time we decided to for-go the “elegant night” and we hit the buffet and did it on our own time. The evening show was a dance/singing act that the boys really liked! Griff did fall asleep at the end of it, but we had promised him Arcade time at the end of it, so he piped right up “Game time?” when the music ended.

We came back to the room and Nate hit up the casino. The boys and I watched Happy Feet 2 and ordered room service for dessert. Special mommy/boy time. Perfect day! Looking forward to tomorrow. 

October 31: Halloween & Ensenada!

I think this going 100mph is catching up with all of us. We were all able to sleep in until 9:45am. We woke up already in port at Ensenada! We have 13hrs here and we were planning on taking a cab to Estero Beach. We left the ship around 11:00 and right away boarded a shuttle that announced they would take us to the middle of town for $3 round trip. Once aboard, the kind sexy Spanish woman told of an excursion that would take us 20mi to the “real” Mexican markets, not the Americanized shopping that awaited us downtown. She was right. Once we got downtown we were surrounded by McDonalds, Subway, and Starbucks. The same excursion through Carnival would cost us $29, but they were offering it for $15/person. We were sold and we moved to another bus and we were off! I should make a side note that Mase made his first purchase of the Mexican experience. A man selling bracelets with names on them got $4 out of Mase for a purple bracelet with the name …. “Natalie”….for his girlfriend, of course.

Our tour guide was named “Alex” and he did a good job of getting everyone loosened up. “Kate” was a cute blonde that was with her rough and tough friend, Cindy. Alex paid her special attention and I wondered if Alex really had a family back home. He sort of appeared to be the family man looking type, if there is such a thing.

We arrived at our destination and was surprised to find they charge one peso to use the bathroom. You pay, and are given your wad of toilet paper. The woman in the bathroom was handing out towels for tips. The boys did have an eye-opener on the trip as we passed shacks and kids selling produce on the side of the road.

The little street was filled with vendors on both sides of the street. Alex walked us down the street past all the vendors to La Belforda, the blowhole. It was spouting nicely today, but the boys were soon disinterested and ready to spend their money! As soon as we hit the street again, we were harassed by the vendors. I understand they have to make their living, but it was annoying! We ate lunch at Hanna Banana’s, Mase got his picture with a yellow Boa Constrictor. We wanted to buy the boys some cowboy boots. We got them down from $450 to $150. It amazes me how ballooned the prices are. We found more than we needed and the boys were proud of their finds. Mase got a guitar, Griff a suction cup bow and arrow, and they both found accordions.

On our ride back to the ship, Alex made his moves on Kate, which she kept telling him “no”. It was interesting to watch.

Once back on board the boys tore into their new toys. Accordions galore! We fed the sea gulls parts of our Chex Mix and they were flying pretty close and we made quite the stir up! They were flying all over right by our room. The guy next door got quite the pictures! They were our "flying Willards!" 

Costumes were donned and the Ninja’s came out! We went to dinner and opted for pizza instead of formal dining. It was then time for trick-or-treating scavenger hunt and the boys had a lot of fun! On more than one occasion we were asked if the boys were twins. They’re looking more alike the older they get.

Then it was time for much needed quite time! The boys went to Camp Carnival while Nate and I enjoyed a movie to ourselves. I also started laundry – as tomorrow is an all-day day at sea and most people will be using the washer/dryer I’m sure. As I’m typing this, the boys came home and the whirlwind has returned. Tomorrow should be interesting … but looks like they have lots of activities planned. Then it’ll be on to Disney!!! 

 Disneyland for the rest of the trip!

We got back to Holiday Inn to pick our car up. I took the boys inside to potty and when we came outside Nate had the Tahoe waiting for us. However, the Tahoe looked like it had been dive-bombed by sap bombs. We had parked the car under a tree to prevent scorching it! But now it was covered front to back in sap. Luckily there was a full-service car wash nearby and that was a neat experience. You give them the keys and they take it from you and return it to you it completely clean. 

We checked into our Disney Hotel, the Grand Californian. What a place! It looks like a lodge and it is amazing! Our room had bunk beds and our balcony's view was the monorail.





Every afternoon we would walk off the park and into our Disney hotel for swimming. It was so nice being right in the park! In the afternoons when the heat would get to us, we would come back and swim in one of the 3 pools.

Lego Store

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We filled our days with Disneyland over the next 3 days. Nate enjoyed watching me freak out on Grizzly River Rapid Ride. 

I will leave you with this story of our departing of the Grand Californian. We were to leave at 3:00am. Nate called down to bellhop for service. Ring, ring, ring. No answer. Finally he walked out the door and looked down at the desk and yelled "hello?" they assured us someone would come and help. After 10min and no help, Nate strapped all of our luggage (mind you was 4 pieces) together by the latches and rolled out the door like a train. Not to mention he wasn't all that happy so it was more like a bull dragging luggage down the hallway to the elevator. Then valet didn't have our car waiting like they said. By the time we walked 2 sleeping boys down to the Tahoe and drove away it was nearly 4:00am. Back to zzzzzz I went. I have vague memories of gas station and slamming of doors. My eyes opened up at 7:30.

I looked around and the scenery was not familiar. We weren't on the interstate like I knew we'd supposed to be at. There were cows, and grass farmland. Then I looked over to Nate and I saw this man in blue sunglasses like something Betty White should be wearing. His face said, "Don't mess with me and if you say a word about my glasses I will punch you in the throat." Well, here:

At the gas station he had dropped and broke his sunglasses. This was the "best option" at the gas station so he went with it. I laughed for a great while. It ended the vacation on a great note ... even if it was at Nate's expense. Another great vacation and memories in the books!

The eye exam.

I remember once upon a time, I thought having a retainer was the coolest thing in the world. Of course now I feel blessed that I didn't need braces and even proudly say "No, these are my 'real' teeth" when asked about my smile. But you could not convince me of this when I was 10. So, instead my sister and I (who was also wickedly blessed with straight teeth) took metal paper clips, straightened them out as best we could, hooked the back and wore them around stating we had retainers. But what about the snazzy little case you put them in at night when you didn't wear them?

We had that angle covered too. We just put our metal friends in our ear plug case. That's right folks; where we 'lacked' in great teeth we made up for in crappy ears. Three sets of tubes in our ears made swimming a hot and sexy thing - bundles of wax protruding from our ear canals, many times with tangled up wads of hair mixed in. So, what we got out of the deal were nice clear cases - perfect for our beloved retainers.

I was sent back to this blast from the past when asking myself "Where did he get this!?" Lets rewind 14 days ago ....

This past summer I had noticed Maysen doing a weird squinting thing with his face. He never noticed it and I found myself starting to call him out when he did it. Driving by "Eyeland Optical", a small-town 1940s craftman-style house transformed into an optical shop, prompted me to think, "Maysen is starting 2nd grade, maybe I should have his eyes checked." An appointment was made for 3 weeks in the future and in the meantime, Maysen started hounding me about wanting glasses. Anticipating a long drive to pick up Griffin from grandma's in Myrtle Point, I caved in and let Maysen get a pair of blue reading glasses (with fancy old-lady fake diamonds on the side) from BiMart. They were the lowest magnification you could find, and he wore them with pride as he read during the long drive.

Then I started to notice he was wearing them around the house. Then he snuck them to school. In the trash those glasses went and in time for our eye appointment.

Dr Merritt was a bubbly, bright, tiny, curly-haired woman who was more than accommodating with Maysen's first-time curiosity. Initially I had explained to Dr Merritt about the weird squinting episodes and the recent fascination with having glasses; of course this came with concern of him fibbing on his exam, despite our talk of honesty beforehand.

"Maysen can you read the small line on the bottom of the chart?"

"No."

"Can you read the second to the last line?"

"No."

"What line can you read?"

"I can see the E. That is all." This, let me point out to all of you, is 20/200. Basically the bigger the second number, the worse your eyesight is. 20/200 is legally blind.

Skeptical with my arms folded I piped up "Maysen, remember you need to be very honest." She went on through the battery of "Is number 1 better, orrrrr number 2? Threee .... or ..... Four". This seemed to last forever. He was tested five different times in different eyes - front ways, backwards, sideways. She brought out the old school books and tested him for depth perception. She even built him a pair of glasses on a bulky, heavy, and awkward metal frame. She walked him around the office and to a picture window and had him look across the street. When she lifted the glasses, he squinted.

The outcome was this veteran of 25+yrs saying, "Your kiddo is 20/200 in one eye and 20/80 in the other. At this point I can't get him to perfect 20/20 even with glasses. We'll have to do exercises with his eyes and hopefully by next year we can."

*$(&$#&**(@ .... 'HUH?" I was still totally skeptical. I was reassured by her statements of "This isn't my first rodeo with kids who want glasses. I not only mapped his eyesight, but I was paying attention to what he was doing. There is no way he could have outsmarted this exam."

So, he picked out glasses like a kid in a candy store. The only disappointment was the realization that they were going to take "FOREVER" to come in ... 4 days.

Three days go by and every night we had the same talk. "They'll be in on Wednesday." And yet during these days, my mind was reeling. How was it he could read and be on track at school? How was it that he went up and down our stairs 4 times a day without falling? Gosh, he's able to tumble making Pre-Team in gymnastics and doing flips on the trampoline all with no depth perception? Something was not adding up.

"You know, Mase. The reason I took those reading glasses away from you is because if you wear glasses when you aren't supposed to, your eyes will go crossed and you could go blind."

"............................................................. really?"

"Yep."

"Does that go for all glasses?"

"If you aren't supposed to wear them, then yes. Is there something we need to talk about? I'm not going to be upset if you're honest with me."

Then it happened. It was as if I was watching the scene from The Goonies when Chunk is spilling his guts to the Fratellis with his hand in the blender. Maysen came into the kitchen blubbering away.

"....and .... and .... *sniffle* .... I juuuuuuuust wannnnnnted glassssssessssss......"

*blink* "What!?"

"I lied on my eye test! I could really see all the stuff!"

"The whole thing!?"

"You said you wouldn't get mad!"

And there it was. The confession. He had cheated on his eye exam to get glasses. Talk about wind getting ripped from your sail. I was upset, sick, deflated, disappointed, defeated. How could my little boy be so selfish and inconsiderate?

"There's no way. I'm 100% confident that he didn't cheat on that test, he couldn't have!" was Dr Merritt's response when I stopped by the office the next day to pick up Maysen's glasses. I think the wind left her sail, too. She'd spent just about an hour and a half trying to adequately assess his eyes, and she was sure it wasn't so. A piece of me hoped it wasn't so. That piece was saying, "Maybe you scared him with the whole cross eyed/blind thing that he wants nothing to do with glasses at all, despite needing them." Oye.

I took the glasses with me from the office and went to the school. As the class exited the room toward the library, Mase and I stayed back. I handed the glasses to him. He put them on and immediately took them off.

"Why'd you take them off?"

"Because I don't want my eyes to go crossed."

"Well, can you see? I need you to be very honest with me. Can you see what's written on the marker board?"

".....sort of. Not really. Actually, not at all."

That confirmed it. There was now no mistake, he didn't need glasses. What lesson is in order here? Humiliation to a degree is key here, but how far do you go? We've told everyone about this poor boy's eyesight: Family, friends, teachers, his new gymnastics coaches.

The following day, Maysen had to meet with Mrs. Medina. She, after all, had gone through the trouble of moving him to the front of the class and had given him hand-outs to follow along in class. He had to confess his lies to her and apologize making a solemn promise never to lie to her.

Then I met with Dr Merritt for my own contact lens fitting. I had to break it to her that Maysen had in fact cheated on his exam and he could not see at all out of his glasses. Her confidence withered away and the realization that she had been duped started to set in. Still a bit skeptical, she decided to re-test him the following week.

Over the weekend Maysen worked hard on an apology letter to Dr Merritt and even bought her a bag of almonds (her favorite) as a peace offering. Dr Merritt was very stoic, forgiving Mase for his lie. She told me she would refund everything - from the co-pay to the glasses because he had her fooled, she felt responsibility for not catching on. The last person on earth that is responsible for this is her! The re-test showed ... shocker ... that Maysen had 20/20 vision in both eyes.

However ....

There was evidence that his eyes were strained. She had asked him if his eyes every felt tired after school and when he said "Yes" he looked over the mondo eye tester with his own eyes wide as silver-dollars and proclaimed "THEY DO SOMETIMES, MOM!"

She then held up two little lenses and had him put them over his eyes. "Do you see better with these? Do your eyes feel better?"

"YES! Things are bigger but very clear ..... I SWEAR MOM! I'M NOT LYING".

As a kid, I suffered terrible headaches. I can remember coming home from 3rd grade and instead of going for that after school snack, I always went for aspirin. They sent me to an opthalmologist to see if there was any sort of tumor in my eye causing the headaches. It was then that they realized my eyes were severely strained causing the headaches (along with massively thick, long hair). As Maysen's reading, homework, etc get more intense, it's likely he could follow in the same direction as I did as a kid.

The end result was that he got a pair of glasses with a very slight prescription that will ease eye strain. They're perfect in the sense that his vision is perfect 20/20 whether he wears the glasses or not. But, if he wears them, his eyes will be more rested.

"You mean I can wear them all day and not go blind?"

The smile on his face was priceless; like a kid who was just told that cookies are now considered a breakfast food.

I have one happy kid who had to learn a hard and humiliating lesson. I hope it sticks and wards off any other wild ideas when he's 16 .... or I'm in trouble.

We’re just going to ignore the fact that I’ve been MIA for the last 8 months (or so…) and pick up where we left off, Mkay? Good.

Mr White Willy Jangles

As if one little teeny dog wasn’t enough, Nate decided to fall in love with Mr Bo Jangles and hound me for another little one. For his 35^th birthday in March we decided to get little Bo a brother. Meet White “Willy” Jangles.

He is now almost 6 months old, Bo is almost 9 months old and they are polar opposites. Bo is very smart and patient. When Bo walks it’s like he’s prancing like a pony, so delicate and small. He’s only about 3lbs total and very petite. He will wait to be picked up and when he takes bites from you he’s very gentle.

Willy is a clumsy oaf, bounding around every turn like a very miniature white lab. He’s very soft like cotton and his tummy always seems to be fat and warm. He likes to find sticks from just about anywhere, and he’s very much a Momma’s Boy. He’s rowdy and rough, but he’s sweet. We’re very happy with our two new boys.

We took them on the boat for the first time (will have to read 2012 First Boat Experience … soon to come). At first you could see they were like “What the Hell!?” and as if on que, Willy took a dump right under the captains chair. Luckily their terds are like tootsie rolls and they were pitched over the side like pieces of bread for the ducks. Ok, bad analogy but you get the jist …

Soon they were basking in the sun on the co-captains chair and sitting “Chinese-Eyed” in the sun. When they got a bit warm, signaled by their tongues hanging out and looks of panic, we threw them in the lake tied to a rope and it’s a sight to watch them swim! Nate looks like he’s Chihuahua-fishing with his line in the water tied to a dog, but after a minute we pull them in and they’re cooled off. They do, however, get a bit nervous when we’re going “bat outta hell” fast … they get a bit panicked when that kicks in, but overall they tolerate it well.

Bay is getting along with them very well. They gravitate toward her. You can tell her face is like “Oh for the love of God….” And they’re all, “YIIIPPPPEEEEEE!!”. She is, after all, almost 13, so who can blame her? I know that if I’m all jacked up in a nursing home at 85yrs old the thought of two 3yr olds looking to climb all over my like a jungle gym is enough to make me wanna hang myself in my closet with my wet Depend. 

Nate's Second Broken Elbow in a Decade

I know. Really? His first broken elbow is a nice story about how he saved poor baby Maysen's life by not falling on him when Bailey came and tripped Nate. He braced his arm for the full impact and broke his elbow. Nice story.

So whats his good story this time? Skating Party. He was giving me flack for not going out and skating around. The guy with the apple/nut falling from the tree -- remember him? Well, he taught me that the bigger you are, the harder you fall and at my dainty size, I was NOT going to fall gracelfully "when" (notice, not "if") I fell. It was a mere few minutes later that he came whipping off the rink and down like a ton of bricks. Immediately I knew we had a repeat. 

"No, really, I just need ice, I'm not going to the doctor." 

"Thank you for making me go to the doctor, these drugs are great!"

"I think it's looking pretty good, don't you?", this after 2 weeks of recovery. Yuck.

Luckily he's fine now and didn't lose much range of motion like he did before. 

Don't Worry Mom, They're Clean

You wonder "How does she know they're clean?" Because when I saw that their Ninja game and been paused because the latest Bakugan cartoon had come on the following occured:

Me: Mase? What is on your head?

              My Ninja cap.

Me: No. They're your under wear and that's gross. 

              No it's not. They're clean.

How do you know? 

*pulls the crotch part to his nose from where he'd pushed it off to the side and .... whiffs* 

              They're clean. 

Yeah. That's pretty much what I do every laundry day ... come over some time. Keep reading. More to come. 

New Addition to our Family...

I have to admit when I held Griffin in the hospital just hours after he was born, I remember thinking, "This cannot be the last time I hold a newborn. I'm not done with babies."

And then the fighting came. The reminder of sleepless nights. The potty training. The poop seemingly EVERYWHERE.

With time ... and lots of it .... most of that went away. I felt somewhat human again. And although my bathrooms always have a 'boy urine' smell to them, I realize that it will likely always remain that way unless I have my own child-free special room and bathroom built for me like Clair Huxtable did in The Cosby show.

Life has it's own routine now. We have the two boys who have a schedule which includes their own beds, alarm clocks, private quarters upstairs, and for the most part can feed themselves scraps for survival if need be.

Then there are the pets. We have 2 independent cats who somewhat come and go as they please. Bailey, the 11yr old Basset Hound stricken with Addison's Disease, finally is stable and runs on her own clock as well. Between the daily prednisone pills and $90/mo steroid injects ions, she sleeps mainly all day in her basket in the closet hidden away from the children. I spend most of the day envious of her.

So, with life so seemingly stable, why would I sabotage that? Would there really be anything out there that would be that worth to me? Definitely:

Mr. "Bo" Jangles

Pure Bred Chihuahua

8 weeks old

Will only get to ~5lbs full-grown

A year ago, you would have never been able to convince me that I'd own a Chihuahua, for 3 pre-conceived reasons, mainly; They're yappy, I don't want to buy dog clothes, and I will not carry a purse to accommodate carrying a dog inside. 

The more I told myself that I shouldn't prejudge, I started to soften. First of all, look at those ears! Then I learned that he was litter box trained. True, I didn't want a newborn baby, but I could have a different sort of baby that would want to snuggle all the time without all the other crap you put up with for 9mo of pregnancy. 

So. I got Mr "Bo" Jangles for my Christmas present last weekend. He's not yappy; in one week I haven't heard one peep from him. Ok, so I bought him a jacket to wear outside BUT - he doesn't like it so I don't pressure him. Therefore, I still consider this to be a clotheless dog. I don't have a doggy-compartment purse and still do not plan on buying one. I just carry him in his blankie ...

So far he's been a great fit for our family. Bailey has new life and spunk again, I get my baby fix, the boys are learning how to be soft and gentle, and I even see head-kisses coming from Nate as he tells Bo what a pretty baby boy he is. The cats don't get why we have a rat in the house, but they don't seem to mind.

Now all I have to do is convince Nate that the ball-swelling related to getting the Mr Vas D's snipped is no biggie. Peas to the groin, baby! 

Magic Happens on Ships

We had waited for a long time to tell the boys we were taking them on a Disney Cruise. The time finally came and it was really exciting. It took Maysen awhile for it to really sink in, but once it did it he was bouncing off the walls. I started to write the following post in a journal form, but realizing it would literally be about 200 pages long, decided I'd shorten it up and mainly include photos. At the end of the post will be a link to view all of the photos from the trip. Enjoy (I know we did!)

Having packed the night before, once we told the boys about our secret trip, we only had to load up the Tahoe and do the final packing. Amazingly the boys went to sleep up in the play room and at 4:00am we were on the road. Maysen stayed awake the entire 14hr drive to LA where our ship was docked. Amazingly, the trip went really well. Thank goodness for in-car DVD players! We also had endless supply of snacks, crayons, and coloring books.

We rolled to a stop at the DoubleTree by Hilton in San Pedro, CA around 7:00pm. We toured the hotel while we waited for our entirely-too-expensive room-service (but who cares, we're on vacation and too tired to get back into the dreaded Tahoe and go anywhere else) and we were all in bed by 9:00pm ready for the big day ahead.

We'd enjoyed our morning with breakfast buffet and a stroll along the marina looking a million dollar sail boats and yachts. Finally the time had come and  the hotel shuttle took us directly to the ship around noon. It was a whirlwind! Our bags were unloaded and we were hustled into the terminal where our check-in process literally only took about 20min. There were Disney characters there to greet the guests and already the spirit of Disney filled the air.

Family names were announced as each family entered the ship. The boys had seen pictures of the Disney Wonder but seeing in "real life" was something surreal to them. They looked like orphan Annie at Daddy Warbucks' house the first time.

The staterooms were not going to be ready until 2:00pm so with a few hours to kill we walked around the ship, hit up Beach Blanket Buffet restaurant, and got ready to swim! That's one of the great tips I had gotten online was to wear swimming suits on board so that while you wait for your room, you can swim!

This was one of the 3 pools on board and the most kid-friendly, the Mickey Pool. It's only 2.5ft deep at the deepest part so we were able to really let the kids run free without worry of incidences. It was also the perfect temperature and even the hot tubs on deck were kid-friendly - not too hot. All of the kids loved the freedom.

Just around the corner from the Mickey Pool is a 24hr self-serve ice cream station. Nate and I agreed early on that this would be the boys' vacation as well and that meant that the kids got to eat whatever, whenever, and stayed up however long they wanted. It was a blast! I think this was Griffin's 3rd ice cream cone (most of them melted before the "cone" part).

Oceaneer's Lab/Club = Parental Heaven. Club was open from 9:00am - midnight daily. Child to Counselor ratio was about 1 counselor per 4 kids. Each child registered with Oceaneer's Club/Lab wore a bracelet attached to arm/ankle. They were scanned upon check in and parents carried a "wave phone" (ship-issued cell phone) around with them so that they could be notified at any second if the children wanted to leave, had an issue, whatever.

The lab part of the Oceaneer's Club contained kid-friendly computers, video games (monitored), science projects, bean bags for making forts, craft station, and much more I can't think of.

Craft Station. Nate and I utilized Oceaneer's Club daily for at least an hour or two so that he and I could have our adult time. At our dinner service, the boys were always served first usually within about 15 minutes and then taken to Oceaneer's Club so that Nate and I could eat dinner kid-free if we chose. There were a few nights the kids stayed with us through the whole dinner service, but mostly they wanted to be at Club.

The "club" part of the Oceaneer's Club consisted of barrel slides, dress-up closet, stage for dancing/acting/plays, more computers, games, etc etc etc.

The first full day/night was at Sea and also, of course, HALLOWEEN! Having had 2 very stimulated full days, the boys were a bit strung out by the afternoon and the thought of wearing these moustaches were about too much for them. Maysen bawled his eyes out before leaving the room and the tears had wet the moustache and smeared black all over. WE WILL HAVE FUN PEOPLE!!!

We shortened the trick or treating line (hallways of hundreds of people didn't thrill me) and once they'd had a full bag of candy we hit the quiet deck outside and relaxed in the 85F breeze while they stuffed candy down themselves.

The Halloween Deck party was a great hit though! We had a ton of fun watching everyone in their costumes dance away, play games, and party away enjoying Halloween at Sea!

Emma was our Assistant Server. She made sure that we had full drinks, the kids had ketchup shaped in the form of Mickey Mouse and other creatures. She entertained us throughout dinner service with making paper animals (she made frogs and even a Transformer!). On the last night she did a magic show for the boys that included making marshmellows disappear. Griffin had that figured out - he just kept snagging them out of her bowl!

Leo was our Head Server and he was amazing as well. He would get on the kids level and he was so gentle, sweet, and thoughtful. He would cut the boys' food for them when it arrived and would send extra dessert to our stateroom for the boys to eat later.

This is an example of the dinner we got every single night. We had 5-course meals and this example was beef tenderloin, Williams potato (that's the pear shaped thing, it's potato!), and steamed veggies. We always got an appetizer, soup, salad, entree, and dessert. The food was amazing. There was a separate kid-friendly menu that was just as yummy! Even the broccoli was Mickey-shaped!

On the last evening of the cruise, the dining crew sang Maysen "Happy Birthday". The chef had made him a birthday cake and he was thrilled. He felt really special. (This was at no charge to us!)

On Day 3 of our cruise we stayed in Puerto Vallerta, Mexico. We had pre-booked an excursion on a pirate ship. (Above). It was a 2hr ride out to a private beach where we boogie-boarded, swam, the pirates led the kids on a real "in the sand" buried treasure, we kayaked, and just relaxed. During our ride out to the beach, we had a pod of dolphins that swam with the boat. You could look down and see them right there, about a foot under the water. It was so refreshing seeing them in their natural habitat!

The island was a private ecological beach, so there wasn't much domestication which was refreshing. There were no manufactured homes, only man-built huts. Reminded me very much of the movie Nim's Island.

The 2hr trip to the beach and back was a bit long. It was hot, and the canvas that they strapped to the top to keep everyone out of the sun made a breeze impossible. They filled the ride with a sword fight, dance competitions, and fun stuff for the kids (tattoos and scars) but it was a bit long in the heat. Griffin even incidentally grabbed the first "fruit smoothie" he could find (they were passing them around the ship) and sucked it down! That is, until I noticed it was a white one and none of the other kids had a white one.  Yep. It was a pina colada! He had sucked down about half of it, not realizing that it was actually the man's who was sitting beside me. Oops! Needless to say we understood as he quietly passed out about 20min later on the bench and remained asleep the rest of the trip. It was OK, he needed the nap ....

That night we left Puerto Vallarta, the cute pirates, and pina coladas behind. The next morning we were in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico for 2 days. We chose not to do much in Cabo but remained on the ship and took in shows and events the ship was offering. The pools were amazingly quiet so we took advantage!

Watching the parasailers was breathtaking from our balcony. We sat watching them and the sunset.

Cabo Night #1 was Pirate-Themed. The boys (minus Griff) went impromptu and dressed up. Nate had the best time. The boys got pirate guns and enjoyed walking around the ship shooting folks. They were great sports.

Because it was pirate night, they had a pirate party out on Deck 9. It was filled with dancing, music, a buffet of pirate foods, and finally Mickey Mouse zip-lined across the deck from above. It was amazing! After he landed, there was a magical fireworks show. Disney is the only cruise line allowed to have fireworks on board and we were right where they were lighting them off. Griffin just laid with his head on my shoulder as we listened to Disney music softly in the background watching these wonderful fireworks against the warm, dark sky.

Triton, one of 3 of the restaurants we ate in for all 3 meals. Every night we ate in a different pre-assigned restaurant. However, Emma & Leo went with us to every restaurant so we had them every night. There was Triton, Parrot Cay, and Animator's Palate. Animator's Palate was a neat restaurant that started out black and white, and as the dinner service continued the pictures on the walls that were once black and white were now filling in with color; the paint brushes (beams) changed colors, and by the end of the service, the whole restaurant was alive with color.

Elevators looking out over main lobby, Deck 3.

Main lobby, Deck 3. Mickey and Minnie were out greeting guests.

Giant port hole seats. It was fun to sit and watch the ocean as we cruised at around 20 knots, usually. We were waiting for our show to start at 6:15pm. We had amazing entertainment shows each night. We had comedian/ventriloquist who was really funny. They were able to pull off Toy Story: The Musical which brilliant how they were able to assemble all 3 plots together into a musical. Disney Dreams was a play that was performed on the last night. It was set up where Peter Pan visits a little girl who wants to fly. Throughout the night they visit her dreams (Lion King, Aladdin, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast) with songs and dancing, and Peter Pan who really flew on stage and into the audience. The kids loved it.

Of course all the excitement and entertainment led to exhausted and irritable children. We had to have the "Be Grateful, not Spoiled" speech a few times but in the end the boys did great. About every other day we had to have a "down" day which still seemed to be filled with fun. In the afternoon we'd take in a movie at the Buena Vista Theatre on board where they played up to date movies such as Cars 2 in 3D, Reel Steel, and Nate and I even snuck off to see The Help (which I bawled my eyes out).

I just think this picture is incredibly cute. Goofy napkin hat courtesy of Emma.

We attempted a few of these and this one turned out relatively good. Everyone we asked to take our picture was extremely intimidated  by our camera. It's like "You just point and shoot".

Our character breakfast morning came after our long day on the pirate ship. It started at 9:45am and Griffin was so tired he barely moved when we tried to wake him. Feeling sorry for him (who are we kidding, I wanted more sleep) Griffin and I stayed in bed, cuddled, and snored together while Nate and Mase went down to Character Breakfast. Nate admitted he ordered the Mickey waffles with Mase and Leo was nice enough to bring Nate a kiddy plate. He even cut his waffle for him. Leo was a character!

Of course there was a multitude of character meet and greets. Griffin thought Minnie was so pretty in her princess dress ... he even kissed her nose.

Stitch was a huge hit the last 2 days of the cruise. Why? I don't know. The boys haven't seen Lilo and Stitch the movie, ever! However, the boys insisted on getting Stitch stuffed animals and seeing him was a huge highlight.

We were lucky to also have an amazing Room Attendant, Dom. He would come and fix our room up twice a day; morning and night. We're talking I'd be horrified that anyone saw our room the way it was, but he'd come in and make it look new again. At night he would come and turn the beds down, make the boys' bunk beds up, and leave us little treats. He would make us a different towel creature every night and the boys couldn't wait to get back to the room to see what he had left. I took their t-shrits down to guest services and they had all the characters sign them. What a fabulous souvenir.

We are all still feeling a bit like this! What a fun time we had. We were checking out of customs and Mase kept looking back at the ship. He was quiet and without being prompted said, "Thank you so much for this vacation. It was a blast!" That made the trip all worth it. 

We officially left LA at 10:00am and arrived back in Oregon at our home 14hrs later around 1:00am. Just as we were crossing the Oregon border I felt my throat start to get sore. Sure enough we all ended up with colds within the next day or two. Welcome to Oregon! 

We had the trip of a lifetime. I'm sure the boys will remember this for years to come. I can't wait to do it again. The spirit of Disney filled the ship and everyone in it. It is a very different experience than what you get at the Disney Parks in CA and FL, yet just as amazing. 

The night we told the boys of this surprise, they slept on the couch up in the playroom. We woke them up at 4:00am and everything was left as-is upstairs. When we returned, the boys stumbled back upstairs in a haze and laid in the mess left the week before. Moments later, Maysen stood at the top stair.

"Mom? Dad? Could you come up here and tuck is in?" 

"No. It's so late buddy, just go to sleep."

"But I want you to tuck us in to complete the trip circle. Then it will be like our trip was all a big dream."

That's what it felt like. A dream. I want to go to sleep and go back!

If you didn't get enough pics (Ha!) then you can view the whole set here.