Drivin', Cruisin', Drivin'...

Last year, Rob and I decided we wanted go on one last family vacation before Tyson goes on his mission.  Josh will probably leave on his mission about six months before Ty gets home, so we know it will be a long time until our family is all together again.  We decided on a cruise.  I'm not gonna lie, our decision was mostly based on the fact that a wide variety of delicious food would be available to our teenage boys on a continual basis, and that they could eat to their little heart's content, all day, every day.  And they did.  (We all did!)

We kept this trip a surprise until Christmas day.  Everyone had a present under the tree with a new pair of flip-flops and a "ticket" to the cruise inside.  The kids were really excited and Lauren was so happy she cried.  It was a fun Christmas present for them and they were all surprised.

We decided to drive to California, which was an adventure all it's own.  We were crammed in pretty tight with all our bags.  No wiggle room, for sure! The food free-for-all started when we pulled out of the driveway.  We took lots of treats for the ride (and a couple of gallons of milk, too.  We can't leave the house without our precious milk and a couple of sippie cups!)

Coop wearing mom's sunglasses and
a little chocolate

Ty starting in on the treats.  We're
probably not even out of the neighborhood
at this point!

Thinking of a whole week of vacation.  This is a look of
pure bliss.



Ty in the lazy river at the condo in Vegas. 
We stayed here for a night on the way
to California.

Goodbye, Long Beach!

She was a brave girl.  The water was
freezing cold!

The first night at dinner.  Notice how the girls are smiling
sweetly and the boys are giving me goofy looks.  This
is an ongoing problem with them whenever I pull out
the camera!

Cooper and Caden both fell asleep waiting
for dinner to be served the first night.

Kamryn and one of our little towel pals.

Our first stop was Catalina Island



Caden and Cooper were in chocolate milk
heaven every night at dinner.  We had an
awesome waiter.  I wanted to take him home
with me.  He took good care of us!

Kam and her fancy purse she bought on
the ship to take to our formal dinner.

I snapped this picture of Lauren looking
out the window in the dining room.  Just
watching the waves.

Lauren's fancy purse

Josh looking good at the formal dinner

Our waiter handed Kamryn the kid's menu and she asked
him for the grown-up menu.  She ordered two meals, steak 
and lobster.  That kid ate every bite.  It was so funny!

Trading in the sippie cup for a goblet tonight!

Poor little Cooper had the hardest time staying awake
through dinner.  All that chocolate milk just put him
right to sleep.

The kids loved coming back to the rooms at night to
see what little creatures were waiting for them.

More goofy looks

More towel pals

More swimming



More eating

the ship

I was sad after  our next stop,Ensenada.
 I wanted to be able to help all
of the mom's that were holding their babies and trying to
sell gum and necklaces or just begging for money. 
It was so sad.  We did what we could, but
I wanted to just take some of those babies and little kids
home with me.  Lauren and Kamryn had a hard time seeing
 that too.

The kids with their souvenirs from Encinada.  They all
earned their own money for these little treasures.  I'm not
sure what these ponchos are actually called, but we
are going with "Mexican hoodies".

Little guy, big guy

A little mini-golf on the ship

We stayed in St. George on the way home
from California.  I was too lazy to zoom in
when I took this pic, but those little dots
in the pool are Kam, Zack, and Lauren.

The kids spent most of the day relaxing in the hot tub
that was on the deck of our condo.  They would have eaten
breakfast, lunch, and dinner in there if I would have let them!

My little guys relaxing on the couch after a long day
in the hot tub.

On the road again.  Seven well-rested kids, one tired dad,
and one exhausted mamma.

We had a great time.  It was one of those vacations that is lots of fun, but not all that relaxing for mom, if you know what I mean.  At least I got lots of exercise chasing the little guys around the boat.  My whole goal that week was to keep Cooper from going overboard. So, I hope the kids will have some awesome memories of this vacation, and now I need a vacation of my own!