We're gonna take a boat to the end of the world
All the way to the end of the world
Oh, and when the kids are old enough
We're gonna teach them to fly
- "You and Me" Dave Matthews
No matter what, we were together and we made memories. Memories of a baby crying and a little boy in awe of the ocean. We try all the time to take in these moments because soon this time in our life will slip away from us and our boys will be all grown up. Maybe with all Dean's crying, this vacation will be etched a little deeper in our memory and we'll be able to laugh about it when we are old.
It is truly the little things - the joy on Devon's face getting to have an ice cream cone for no other reason than "we're on vacation!" (right after eating dessert only 15 minutes earlier). The joy of waking up and heading down to a buffet of everything your heart desires for breakfast - from eggs and hashbrowns, to bagels with smoked salmon, to pancakes and waffles, to miso soup?! Yes, they truly had something for everyone on this cruise. At the breakfast buffet I spotted spicy vegetable curries (Firoze was happy), miso soup, baked beans (is this what the British spread on their toast?), mueslix, roasted tomatoes... whatever floats your boat! It was wonderful.
These were the little things that brought the joy to our vacation and here were a few more:
The sports court on the ship included a rock climbing wall!
Firoze wanted to prove all those stories from his childhood, like the one where he could climb the tallest coconut tree like a monkey!
And he totally proved himself. He made it to the top and rang the bell in about 60 seconds! He was the fastest and best climber out there. I was impressed! Who knew?!
One day, I looked out our window and saw this sight... another cruise ship literally passing so close that we could wave to the fellow passengers!
Our first stop was Labadee (Royal Caribbean's Private Island off the coast of Haiti)
The coastline was like a scene out of "Lost"...
The beach was one of the best I have ever been on. Everything was set up to make the beach easy and perfectly enjoyable. There was a full sidewalk running right through the beach - perfect for pushing a stroller. There were comfy beach chairs all set up. There were endless "Labadoozies"... fruity tall drinks that could be enjoyed as is or with a little something extra (wink, wink). There were kids play areas. There were food stalls. It was amazing!
Devon and I had the best time collecting shells together on the beach. He spent the rest of the cruise playing with his new "toys" as he spent hours examining every shell that we found.
Dean was thrilled to be on such a beautiful beach. (Can you feel the sarcasm?)
Even little Mister Grumpypants enjoyed the kids play area!
We chowed down on some barbeque jerk chicken on the beach. It was the perfect lunch... a little spicy, a little smoky with some sweet coleslaw and plantains to balance it out!
Later that night, this was the scene after the sun had set and we sailed away from the island. The scenery was spectacular and the island, the sky and the sea turned all shades of blue.
Devon was just happy to sit and play with his shells...
Our room attendant made us literally laugh out loud with his towel creations. This was one the best... a monkey that was swinging from the ceiling after we got back from dinner! Devon was so impressed!
Every day we would go to the pool and enjoy our favorite thing in the world... swimming and relaxing in the jacuzzi! It was the best part of our day.
Our next stop was Falmouth, Jamaica...
(My camera fogged up right over Devon's face, but he was being lifted off the ground by the stilt-walkers! He was half horrified/scared and half in amazement! We got beef patties and walked around the streets for a little bit before deciding that Jamaica was not our scene with two kids in tow, so we headed back to the ship for a little bit of this...
Devon got to golf for the first time. (And don't argue saying that mini-golf is not real golf, ok?)
And Dean laughed from the sidelines. Dean actually found this slightly amusing and was relatively calm while Devon was waving his "stick" wildly in the air.
Does this look like two pro golfers, or what? Ha!
Firoze even got to join in on a sunset game of soccer on the sports court.
One of the best things about the ship was the kid's club for Devon. I was so impressed! They even organized the cutest talent show for all the little kids on board and Devon performed a dance with the other 4-5 year olds. It made my day!
He was so good! He didn't freeze like some of the other kids. And when the MC interviewed him after their dance, he was so confident. It made my heart go pitter patter. There is nothing like the love you have for your child.
This was the other thing that brought a smile to my face...
The dessert buffet! Yes please!
And last, Firoze and I had to have a little stress relief from all that crying...
Casino Royale - Ding, Ding, Ding, Ching, Ching, Ching... Can you hear the sound?!!
I have to admit... it's a rush when you are watching that little white ball bounce around the roulette wheel and you are just hoping your number hits...
And on my last spin on the last night, I put it all out there... I went big and put it all ($12) on my lucky number 23 (Firoze's birthday) and my number came up...
And I left $500 richer!!!
So, we did it all... we laughed, we cried, we cruised!
P.S. The trip back to Atlanta was a nightmare that would make a grown man cry. I won't even GO there!
I loove that Firoze flew up that rock climbing wall! He's the Sri Lankan Spiderman! AND I looove that Devon was so brave at the talent show... he looked so cute & like he was having so much fun!
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