There is so much from the past month that I need to record, but I'm going to do it a bit out of order so that I can do the huge report on our awesome cruise now. My parents took our ENTIRE family--babies and all--on a cruise to Alaska last week. It was such a blast! Our group totalled 24, and it didn't take long for the other passengers to notice "the big Mormon group." Grandma and Grandpa King got a room for each of their kids to share with their families, and then a penthouse suite for themselves so we could have a gathering place of our very own where we could all fit. Boy, was it incredible!!!
A serious highlight for Steven was to fly to our ship on an airplane. He was
soooo excited to get on the plane! It was his first time that he could remember flying (and his first time in his own seat), and it was Rebecca's first time to fly. Thankfully, our flight was barely over 2 hours, and our kids were happy and sweet both ways.
We left out of Seattle, and our ports of call were Juneau, the Hubbard Glacier (staying on the ship, of course),
Sitka,
Ketchikan, and Victoria (Canada). I loved how unique and beautiful each stop was.
Ketchikan and Victoria are tied for my favorite port. We didn't go crazy with shore excursions because we really wanted to focus on having our whole family together, but we did do a few things:
- In Juneau we took a bus ride to the Mendenhall Glacier and were able to go to a museum and learn all about how glaciers are formed, what makes them blue (it's the only color from the color spectrum that is able to pass through the ice), and what kinds of wildlife live on/around them. We also took a ride up a mountain and got an incredible view of the city. Alaska is so beautiful! A few people in our group took a helicopter ride and landed on the glacier. They had a blast!
- In Sitka we took a semi-sub ride and saw lots of ocean life. They also had some sea stars, etc. up on the deck that we could all hold (Steven went crazy!). We even had cookies with kelp jam on them, and it tasted really good!
- In Ketchikan we split up into several groups. Adam went salmon fishing with Wayne, Nathan, and Tyler. Alison and I went trick-or-treating for jewelry--they gave us tons of vouchers for free pendants, necklaces, etc. We loved it!!! The two of us also went with my kids to a lumberjack show. Steven kept pointing at the men with orange helmets and chainsaws and saying, "Daddy, Daddy!" I think he thinks that any time he sees a guy with a chainsaw, Adam is hiding under the helmet. A highlight of the day for me was winning my first raffle, EVER! I won a 5 carat midnight sapphire!!! I couldn't believe I had actually won something like that--truly, it has never happened before. I also had a voucher for a free 1 carat one, and Cheralyn suggested that I set them in necklaces or rings for Rebecca and I to match. Love it! :) This was kind of a cool winning day for me. The ship had a karaoke competition and I won! Of course, the prize wasn't as cool as a midnight sapphire--it was a bottle of champagne. Seriously? Why is it just always assumed that that is going to be the most loved gift? Soooo many people don't drink (not just Mormons). Still, it was fun, especially since Adam has never really seen me perform. When we went to dinner that evening, it was a special dining room night. The waiters were dressed up as chefs, and there were paper chef hats for all of us. Appetizers, salads, and desserts were presented with dancing and music. It was so much fun! Dinner usually took at least an hour and a half each night, and this was the only night that Steven sat down and was happy through the entire meal. He really loved the show. :)
- Our last night we went to Victoria and visited the Buchard Gardens. We docked an hour late, so we were only able to be there for about an hour and a half, but it was still amazing. We will have to go back someday, though because we didn't realize until the last 5 minutes of our visit that the "Sunken Garden" there is a place Adam has seen lots of pictures of and always wanted to visit.
Of course, the main purpose of this trip was to have our whole family together again. It was so wonderful! I love that our family is so close. Ever since we got home Steven has been asking for each cousin. Thank goodness we have some family movies to show him!
When we left the ship some people went straight to the airport, and some went downtown to Pike's Place in Seattle. We had about 5 hours before our flight, so we went to the Pike's Place market, and it was really great to get a little extra tag-on to the end of our trip. We were there with Alison,
Goecker-i and Kings.
This was the first cruise for all of us but my parents, and we are all dying to do another one. Here are some of my highlights:
- Midnight snacks (from 11-midnight, and always something yummy)
- Singing old family songs like "Jesus Tender Shepherd, Hear Us" with my entire family
- Watching an incredible musical put on by my nieces (with original songs--those girls are amazing!!!)
- Will belting and singing his heart of to "8 Days a Week" in the karaoke competition, and Wayne letting loose with "La Bamba" (Thanks for not making me do it alone, guys!)
- Having an entire week with Adam and the kids where he didn't work and I didn't cook or clean :) :) :)
- Seeing my kids adore and be adored by cousins, uncles, aunts, parents, and grandparents. What an incredible trip! Thank you Mom and Dad!!!!!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXO
*I don't have pictures of everyone on my camera, but I will get some soon! :)
We had such a wonderful time for July 4th!!! (Yes, I know it was weeks ago--such is life.) We got to see both families--is there a holiday we don't??? Lucky us! The 4th fell on a Sunday this year, so my parents' ward did a breakfast picnic/party on Saturday morning. They had a little parade where all the Primary kids got to decorate their bikes to look patriotic, then ride around the park path. My mom pulled out her little car and put some flags on it for Steven to ride. Adam pretty much pushed him the whole time, and he had a total blast!!! It was really cute. We watched fireworks up at the Kings' on Sunday night. Steven did not enjoy the ones in the sky, but he loved all the sparklers on the ground. We are so blessed to enjoy the freedoms this country affords us--namely, the freedom to choose what church to go to; also, the freedom to raise our families the way we want. God bless the USA!!!
