2009 Caribbean Cruise

We just got back from our second cruise on Royal Caribbean's Monarch of the Seas. It was a four night cruise that stopped in CocoCay and Nassau. The weather was unbelievable. We went snorkeling on CocoCay and had a blast. Of course, cruising is the only way to vacation (we think). Here are a few pictures to remind us that we are, at times, sane adults and not crazy, flustered parents.
This is us after snorkeling. Too bad we don't have pictures of us in our sweet snorkeling gear. If you look close, however, you can still see the mask lines on Shaunna's face. Also, you can't see it, but she did get stung by a jellyfish on the side of her neck. She can affirm what they say about vinegar easing the sting. Unfortunately (or fortunately) she did not test any other remedies.
Here we are for the formal night. (Thanks for the dress, Chellene!)

And here's another self-portrait taken the last night. We were looking for some salsa, but we were not blessed with latin dancing every night like the last cruise we took.
We did, however, do some karaoke instead. This is John and Luke, one of the guests from our dining room table, hamming it up to "Get Down Tonight." John wanted to sing "Sexual Healing" as well, but he did not get the chance. Too bad.
This is our entire dining table (#466). It was the best table ever! Not only did we have a great time eating dinner together every night, but we actually formed a group (called Prohibition, since we are Mormon and the other couples are Seventh Day Adventist) that won the trivia game where we all got Royal Caribbean highlighters and keychains.
Here's John trying to fish with conch slop on Nassau. In spite of such delicious (!) bait, the fish were just not interested. Look how blue the water is, though.
And in a totally unrelated incident, look how cute Priya and--who was that masked baby?--are dressing up the other day. Auralee thought the mask was so becoming, she insisted on wearing it around the house all morning and was happy to allow me to snap these pictures.

Wayne's new camera

Wayne came to visit last week with his new camera. So we went to the park and the beach for some photo ops. It's a nice camera. See? Anyway, here's how the kids are growing.

Christmas 2008

If you should happen to check the blog before you receive our Christmas card, then you'll see what we're sending you. Here is our family Christmas portrait, along with individual shots of the kids.

Bad words

The other night Shaunna was away doing churchy duties. Joe and I were washing the dishes (mostly making bubbles and splashing.) Out of curiosity I asked, "Hey Joe, do you want me to teach you some bad words?" He looked as me quizzically at first then responded firmly, "No." I pressed, "why not?" "Because I might say them when I'm mad."

I learn so much from my chillies. They are close to the spirit and goodness.

Joe the Avatar

So shaunna made this costume of Ang the Avatar. Joe loves it! I shaved his head for it. Poor guy had razor burn but it was worth it.

Halloween

Here are the childrens' Halloween costumes this year. If you don't know who the Avatar is, see the earlier post about meditation.
Joe is Aang, the last Avatar, Priya is Cinderella, and Auralee is a fairy. Also included are the kids' pumpkins.

Be careful what you wish for

I don't have a picture for this, but I had to post, so you can use your imagination. Monday is my laundry day. I usually do around seven (7) batches and it takes me all day to wash, dry, fold, and put away. Most of you reading this know exactly what I mean. Well, it was the end of the laundry day tonight at about 9:15 p.m. The kids had been in bed for about an hour and a half and I had just finished folding the last batch, placing it in the laundry basket, and setting the basket next to the couch. I sat down at the computer to check my email when suddenly, I heard a sound as if water was being poured out on a towel or the carpet. I looked around to discover Joseph, fully asleep, peeing on my freshly cleaned and folded laundry. If only I'd had the foresight to grab the camera. All I could do was watch in shock as he finished his toilette (that kid has an amazingly large bladder), help him pull up his pants, and put him back in bed. Then I dumped the load of laundry back in the washer and started the cycle again.

I'd been wishing for him to get up and take himself to the bathroom in the middle of the night. So I guess I should be more careful of what I wish for.
=Shaunna