We're back!!

Wow! Long time no blog, huh? I have a reason though! We just returned this weekend from a week long cruise with our kids. That's right, folks. 7 days with 4 kids on a cruise ship. I'm not tired. I don't know what you are talking about. No really we had so much fun and I hope to recap it all here in the next few days. I'll start with the plane ride. We had to fly to Miami to get on the boat and I do believe that the kids were most excited about that. Emily flew on a plane when she was a baby. And obviously, Adiah flew on a plane last year but the other kids had not so they were pumped about that. Our flight left at 9:20am but we got there around 7:30 just so we could check in all of our bags (6!!) and schlep everyone and a stroller through security. It was fun times. But once on the plane the excitement began. It was a very non-eventful flight(thank you, Jesus) and Adiah did wonderful the whole time. No tears at all. Maybe because I kept sticking lollipops in her mouth but hey...you do what you gotta do, right? When we landed in Miami a downpour began which is not such a fun way to start vacation but once on the boat it didn't really matter. We spent the rest of the day getting acquainted with the ship, doing the muster drill, checking out our room, and going to dinner and meeting our table mates who were much to be desired. When they saw us coming with our four kids they promptly decided we were from the devil and were so rude to us. My kids acted WONDERFUL at dinner despite Adiah having missed her nap because of all of the travel but still. They were rude. So Brian went down and asked for a table change because they were literally sucking the life out of us and that wasn't going to work for a week. They were able to get us moved on night 3 so we only had to endure 2 nights of their loveliness. After that we hit the hay and got ready for the week ahead of us....

Brian and Adiah on the plane...notice the lollipop? That was one of many. And she was a sticky mess! She went back and forth between me and Brian. Mainly sat with him since daddy is her man, right now. I'm not complaining!!

Emily had a hard time with the pressure in her ears.

Before we took off...We sat right next to the wings of the plane. Natalie thought that we had the "best view ever". Hmm.

Speaking of views...we were at the very front of the ship because we got a family suite in order for us all to be in one room.

This was our view from our room....

Right when you walk in the room to the left was this little area where 2 of the kids slept.

And this was taken standing near one of the windows. Big for a cruise but not so big when 6 people were in it with all of our luggage!!

They were all less than impressed with the muster drill and the life jackets you have to wear when doing the drill. Natalie literally started to hyperventilate and have a claustrophobic type reaction when were all smooshed into lines with hundreds of other people. That was not so much fun.


However, Adiah thinks she must do everything we are doing too. So even though her child sized life jacket had not been delivered to us yet she insisted on wearing one and wouldn't take it off even after the drill was over!