Carnival Fascination Cruise 2009

We just got back from a cruise with 16 other family members!! My dad and Susan gave all the adult children and their significant others a cruise last Christmas. My aunt and uncle and their best friends also went with us. We had a fabulous time and I can guarantee that the "Carnival Fascination" will never be the same after that crowd of 18 came through!!

We left out of Jacksonville last Monday, ported in Key West, FL, on Wednesday, and Nassau, Bahamas, on Thursday! We spent many nights at karaoke, shows, and watching the comedians. We also danced...A LOT! In Key West, Jarrod and I took a 28 mile jet ski ride around the island. We got to swim at the southernmost point of the United States and play. In Nassau, a big group of us went snorkeling where the best part was the catamaran ride back when the served RUM PUNCH! And last but not least, my step-brother, Bryan, proposed to his wonderful girlfriend, Leslie, while on the ship! So it looks like our next "family reunion" will be a wedding!! We all had a great time, laughing and relaxing...and the best part was...no kids!!

Thanks Dad and Susan for a great trip...can't wait to do it again in 2011!!

Arts and Crafts

For some reason the other day, I got the bright idea to redo the kid's playroom. I don't know why, but I rearranged it, put ALL the toys in the playroom (instead of all over the house) and then decided it needed some "art" on the wall. I'm definitely no artist by any stretch of the imagination, but I can trace and paint pretty well! I did actually draw the flowers and the basketball and baseball free hand, which for me, is a masterpiece! HA! I still want to put something on the back wall, but for now...here is the finished product....

My New Project

One of my New Year's resolutions was to take more pictures and to actually print them. So last week, I started a project that helped me achieve that. I created 20x30 collage posters from cvs.com. I made 3 total posters, one which had pictures of just MacKenzie, one of just Mason, and then one that had pictures of them together. The posters came in today and they turned out even better than I had expected! Each poster had about 20 pictures each on it, and all the pictures were in sepia, except for one in each poster. In MacKenzie's poster, I left a picture of the American flag in color; in Mason's poster, I left a picture of the Clemson flag in color; and then in the one with both of them, there's a picture of a perfect Lake Hartwell sunset that I left in color. Jarrod and I spent the night hanging and rearranging the posters. We finally decided they looked best going up our stairwell. Here's a few pictures of the pictures to give you an idea...

A Party-Filled Day!

Today, we had two parties to attend. First, MacKenzie and I attended our very first tea party together. Her friend, Morgan, had a tea party for her, MacKenzie, and Abby. These girls are all in class together and they are all very girlie!! They had a great time eating lunch and drinking "tea" (lemonade)! Then, we came home to get ready for a totally different kind of party...a MONSTER TRUCK party!! Our friends, Chris and Kimberly, had a birthday party for their little boy, Nathan, who turned 3 today! Kimberly and I were pregnant together for a short while and it's hard to believe that our two little guys are growing up so quick and are such good friends. All the kids had a great time jumping in the monster truck bouncy house and riding in the REAL monster truck. What a great and busy day!!
TEA PARTY...






MONSTER TRUCK PARTY...

MacKenzie's Field Trip to Splash Zone!

MacKenzie's class went to Splash Zone today for their field trip. I decided to use my lunch break to go with them...although I don't know if I'll do that again! At first MacKenzie was doing great, having fun with all her friends. But then she got really whiney and clingy to me. She didn't want me to go and then she wouldn't leave my side. Anyway, it was fun while it lasted...and I think I'll take the kids back. It was only $3/person! Cheap fun!!

Our Whirlwind 4th of July Weekend!

We started our 4th of July fun on Friday morning when the kids and I packed up the car early and headed to my aunt and uncle's lakehouse on Lake Hartwell. We spent a few hours with all the cousins, playing in the pool and having a good time. The kids were worn out, which was exactly what I wanted since we were heading to the beach that afternoon. We picked Jarrod up around 3:00 and off we went. We got to Myrtle Beach about 8:00 on Friday night, and the kids couldn't wait a single second to play on the beach. We didn't even put our bathing suits on, but that didn't stop them from having fun in the ocean. We spent the next fews days playing on the beach, building sand castles, playing in the lazy river, and then listening and dancing to good music. On Monday, before we headed back home we stopped by the aquarium where the kids enjoyed all the sea creatures. They are at the age where everything amazes them! Although it was a quick trip we had a great time with just the four of us!

So, What Have We Been Up To?

Not much actually! The past several weeks we have enjoyed the lazy days of summer. We spend as much time at the pool as possible, and when we're not there we're playing at the lake or playing outside. Summertime is by far my favorite time of the year, and I love doing anything that involves being outside or around any body of water! We did go to another Greenville Drive game when Jarrod's company had their summer picnic and family night. MacKenzie of course asked if we could sit behind the net after our last experience; so we were lucky enough to get seats right behind home plate. Also, MacKenzie and I enjoyed being "pampered" a few times by getting manicures and pedicures. She is definitely a girlie-girl and I know I'm creating a very high-maintenance little girl! I don't care though!!! I love having our girl time together while Mason and Jarrod have their boy time!!

July is shaping out to be a little busier with vacations to the beach, a CRUISE, and some parties! YAY SUMMERTIME!! And hopefully, I'll have more blog posts in July!!