Day 8-The Last Day

 It was way too early when the alarm went off this morning! Yes...you read that right. We set the alarm so we wouldn’t miss the Dr. Seuss breakfast. We went early so we could get a good seat but of course they didn’t let us in until the exact start time so we entertained hangry children for nothing! Everything about the breakfast was bright and colorful and...well...Dr. Seuss! Thing 1 and 2 made an appearance along with The Cat In The Hat and Sam-I-Am. Ryker was terrified of the characters and the other boys were rolling their eyes in anticipation of their mother forcing them to have their picture taken with the silly characters! The menu was written in rhymes and the food was bright and colorful. And of course they had green eggs and ham! It was a fun morning!

Breakfast option

Sam-I-Am

Green Eggs and Ham

My Things!

Love this cute menu...except
we didn't quite know what we were ordering! 

Menu is set up like a book

We loved the creativity

Our table

One of the Things

Keeping and eye on Thing 2

"Help daddy! Here he comes!"

Another breakfast option

When we signed up for the cruise, Rob ordered “endless bubbles”, meaning unlimited soda from the bars. I initially didn’t order it since the cruise ship didn’t have my drink of choice, Diet Dr. Pepper. But after thinking about it, I decided I could handle Diet Coke for a bit. I have to say, I have enjoyed having a soda whenever I wanted it. Tragically, the ship ran out of Diet Coke today and I had to drink water...on the last day. I think it’s really cool they offer something like endless bubbles, but I wonder if they lose money from people trying to get their money’s worth of soda. I was offered free champagne by a group of ladies at the bar one time when I was getting my soda. I must have looked like I needed it!

When Daegon talked about his previous cruises, he raved about the towel animals. The animals are one thing I was really looking forward to on the cruise and I am NOT disappointed! Jayden also loves the towel animals and runs to our room everyday to see what Jomel left for us. One day, Jayden left a note for him asking him to rebuild the elephant that fell apart the day before. Jomel did that for him and even put Jayden’s sunglasses on the elephant. So cute!

We were pretty excited to find out today was towel animal day on the boat. The Lido deck was covered with towel and blanket animals. One of the activities was a towel animal folding demonstration. Then there was a cute little puppet show featuring towel animals. Jayden loves the towel animals so much we bought him the instruction book! I see major towel purchases in my future!

The elephant Jomel remade for Jayden

One of my favorites! 

This is one way to make Stingrays cute! 

So creative! 

Apparently blanket animals are a thing too!

The Lido Deck

Towel animal heaven!

Puppies!! 

Learning the tricks!

Towel animal lesson

Puppy progress

Getting it!

Towel elephant and boy elephant 

Cute girl with her towel animals

Towel animal theater

Practicing

Fun new hobby! 

I love how the dog poses are so varied

Daegon's Elephant

We had new animals everyday

So cute!

Lunch time brought about a luxury I’ve only dreamed about. A Chocolate Extravaganza!! One whole buffer line was chocolate desserts. There is a problem with so much chocolate though...the lines were impossibly long! The whole time! Instead of waiting in line for the chocolate fountains, I walked right up in the buffet line and had the most delicious piece of chocolate peanut butter cake. But it is a cool cruise tradition.

After a quick nap, we attended another concert by Eric and Andy. Eric went around the room and asked people what their favorite thing about the cruise was...much like mom used to ask us (and still does) while growing up. Trenton initially said the ice cream. Not surprised! But he also enjoyed Circle C (teen club) swimming and the food. Jayden said his favorite part was the towel animals and being with family. Daegon said his favorite part was playing the piano with Dominic for a bunch of drunk guys at the piano bar. 😂 Rob loved watching the boys have fun, Ryker’s continuous happy dance, the glass factory, and date night at Rhythms of the Night. My favorite part was the Rhythms of the Night excursion and seeing my kids have so much fun. Ryker’s happy dancing brought me so much joy! I also enjoyed having my whole family there!

The evening felt a little like we were just waiting around to be done with the cruise. We had dinner at the buffet. Kids were cranky pants! So tired and ready to get off the boat. But we went to the Lip Sync Final Battle because Daegon, Dominic, and Trenton were dancing in the show. The were off and on about if they were going to do it but finally decided they would. It was so fun to see them up on stage. Trenton was front and center...confident with his “whip and nay nay”! They were the filler entertainment while the contestants prepared for their final number. Great job guys!!

While waiting for the balloon drop, we had a final ice cream cone, purchased the last of our
cruise pictures, packed our bags, and caught one more comedy show. The party in the lounge was crazy in anticipation of the balloons dropping. The dancing and the cheering was at such a high level I didn’t think anyone would sleep after it was over. It was fun to watch all of the balloons fall from the top to the bottom of the shop. Is was a nice farewell!

#funsquad

Party!!

Watching the balloon drop

I’m grateful to my family for making this cruise happen. It was an amazing opportunity and I enjoyed it so much! I’m not ready to return to reality, but this week off makes life at home so much easier to face. And I missed my own bed! It was definitely a vacation we will never forget!

Until next time…

Day 7- At Sea

We were able to sleep in a little today! I’m finding it surprisingly difficult to sleep on this ship. Shouldn’t it be soothing? Like a waterbed or being rocked to sleep? I keep waking up a lot. And hearing noises. And feel like I’m moving all the time! 🙄 😂Thank goodness for naptime!

This cruise has taught me things I didn’t know about my kids (and other family members😉). And I’ve seen my kids do actually have some skills to help them survive life. Trenton made a new friend on this cruise. I was afraid he would be nervous to go to activities alone but he was brave and confident. I am proud of all of them. Jayden has been getting up each morning and heading to breakfast alone, not afraid of being by himself. He goes to get things for me and Ryker and offers without being asked. I thought for sure he would be shy and nervous but he is having a great time! Daegon has been trying new foods and pretty much takes care of himself. He has also been meeting new people and making friends. Dominic is helping push him out of his comfort zone.

We had a Linus and the blanket situation this morning. Ryker prefers one particular texture and weight of blanket. The $2.50 piece of fleece blanket from Walmart. He has one in particular that is orange camouflage and he won’t part with it. Ever! Well, we went to see the Dr. Seuss and friends parade and right at the moment it was starting, he threw his sippy cup on the tile and it sprayed water ALL over the floor. Lee, the cruise director, had just started the chanting of “Dr. Seuss is on the loose!” and was moving our way. I saw the life of the Cat In The Hat flash before my eyes as I imagined him slipping in the water and sprawling awkwardly on the floor. I jumped into action and grabbed the closest thing I could find to mop up the water. I didn’t even think as I grabbed the orange fleece blanket from the stroller and mopped up the floor. The chanting continued and grew louder as Ryker wailed at my use of the blanket. I quickly shoved the blanket under the stroller and whisked Ryker out of the way as the parade turned and exited the other way. I had soiled the beloved blanket for no reason! I looked at Ryker’s sad face and started chanting the Dr. Seuss on the loose phrase and joined the parade as Rob sprinted for the laundry room. I would like to say this is the end of the story and we went about our Dr. Seuss day but that is not what happened. The story time started and Ryker started crying and wailing louder and louder so we left and went back to the room so he could cry in private. For two hours the child cried for his blanket. Order was only restored when the blanket was safely in is arms again. Whew! It was stressful! Friends...if you happen to see an orange camouflage fleece blanket at Walmart, think of this mama’s sanity and grab it for us!

Start the parade!

Lee kicking off the Dr. Seuss Story Time

The BLANKET! 

Speaking of Lee...This is my first cruise so I am learning the ways of the water life. I am loving his much energy Lee has and how much people like him. He is everywhere! And keeps everything going. He and his Fun Squad are great!! He must be so busy but it would be fun to be able to help people relax and have a good time!

Tonight was elegant night so we dressed up for Eric’s concert and dinner in the Gold Pearl afterwards. The concert was perfectly imperfect! As usual! I love the brotherly banter between Eric and Andy. I love that Eric doesn’t try too hard to impress everyone...he’s real. I love that they involve the audience. I love that even though we were all dressed up, it was informal. Like conversation among friends with some songs thrown in.

Before the concert

Concert...the lights were BAD! 

The dining room!

Swinging the napkins to Uptown Funk-
T was ready to leave! 

We ended up going to the dining room after the concert because I felt like the boys needed to experience fine dining and learn some fancy etiquette. Besides, the food options at the burger grill were getting a little old for me. And I wanted to order from a special dessert menu. Even Trenton dressed up! He fought me about it and then decided not to go but showed up looking like a million bucks! And he only tried to play the glasses by running his finger along the top of the glass one time. The food was delicious! Desert was amazing! The waiters and some guests (ahem...Eric!) even danced in the aisles to Uptown Funk while everyone swung their napkins around in the air. It was a fun time!

Dressed up for dinner! 

After dinner, we caught the Epic Rock Show and sang and clapped along with Ryker until his tummy was so upset from bouncing. It was my favorite show of the week in the Spectacular Theater, but that also could have been because of the great music choices.

We rounded off the evening with an ice cream cone on the way back to the room for bedtime!

Epic Rock Pre-show

Enjoying the show! 

Until next time....

Day 6-Puerta Vallarta Tour

Morning started early with a bus tour of Puerta Vallarta. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had heard good and bad things about the city from friends and family members so I went into it with an open mind. Daegon and I joined the rest of the group and Rob kept the other kids so we could enjoy the tour. Our fun and knowledgeable guide Raphael started by asking us to call him Rafa (Rah-fey) and gave us a little sticker with his name on it so we could stay together. Our bus driver Andres (aka La Cora) was amazingly skilled at driving through the tiny one-way streets. I learned so much about Mexico and Puerta Vallarta from this tour! I’m so happy I was able to go!

Our first stop was The Malecon. We had a couple of photo opportunities along the ocean. There was a statue of a sea horse, which is the symbol of Puerta Vallarta. 

Sea horse statue 

Dolphin statue 

There was also a statue of two entwined dolphins to symbolize Puerta Vallarta’s sister city Santa Barbara.
After checking out the ocean, we walked across the street to a little park area where music was playing and we had a view of an old church. As our guide was talking to us, a flock of birds suddenly took of and circled above us. At least fifty birds! I immediately recognized how cool that was and how lucky we were to be standing there at that moment...but then I realized we were probably large poop targets.  😂 Fortunately we escaped unscathed!
We walked up the hill a block and had the opportunity to look inside the church. The old architecture and colors were breathtaking! I bought a hand-beaded hummingbird from a lady on the steps and it is my favorite color...teal!

Rafe (our guide) AKA "Bruno Mars"  😂

Cool painted letters

Can't pass up this photo op...along
with a million other people! 

Small outdoor stage 

The Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe with
beautiful cut-out banners

Inside the church

We boarded the bus a few blocks down the road and drove to a spot with souvenirs, the beach, and a place called Mosaic Park. The park is still in progress and there were some ladies working on the benches. The parts already done were stunning! So beautiful! And crafted by hand one piece at a time! I had the opportunity to experience the bathrooms I have heard so much about. Let’s just say I have a very LONG grateful list today! We only had 20 minutes so we grabbed some water at OXXO and headed back to the bus. OXXO is the Mexican equivalent of our Maverik stores or 7-11. But there weren’t very many products I recognized in there. We were able to try some new things. Our guide said Puerta Vallarta has over 300 OXXO’s and you can find one every two or three blocks.

Columns at Mosaic Park

Mosaic wall

Beach at the end of the park 

My favorite bench in the world

Couldn't resist taking a pic-I want to make this! 

Ladies creating Mosaic walls and benches

The "nice" bathroom is downstairs-said Mom!

You can pay to use toilet paper! 

Next, we toured the streets near some mansions. Our tour guide told us it was the Beverly Hills of Puerta Vallarta. And that he lives there. “Mi casa es tu casa” he said. He was pretty funny! We stopped at a restaurant in that area called El Set for a photo op off a terrace. The view was beautiful and I understand why it is a stop on the tour.

Made him pose for this pic!

The views!! 

While we were touring, Rafe talked about schools in Mexico and the differences between public school and private school. He pointed some out to us. One school has shards of glass all along the top of the fences. The glass made me wonder if the glass was there to keep the kids in or intruders out.  😕 

We stopped at a place called Children’s Island. It is like a park with a river. And he said there were iguanas but we didn’t see any. There were lots of little shops. Ashton used his awesome bartering skills to buy me a cute frog I fell in love with for my back wall. ️ I probably said “no thank you” twenty times. So many people selling things!
As we traveled to our final destination of the tequila distillery, I saw some interesting things. Many of the buildings had big metal tanks on the top of them. Mom told me there were to gather water from the rain or they could be filled up by trucks to provide water to that home or facility. Another thing to add to my grateful list!


We passed a cactus plantation! The whole idea of intentionally planting a cactus is so bizarre to me since they naturally grow all over the place back home. I guess it was pretty in a different way.


The iron work! Wow! Fancy bars and intricate railings were everywhere in the area of La Playa Grande where we stopped at the tequila distillery. What is that saying about putting a tuxedo on a pig? It’s still a pig. Pretty iron bars don’t disguise the fact that that the walls are covered in graffiti. We saw some very run down areas but the decorative ironwork and architecture can be seen everywhere. Amazing! It’s surprising to see bars on windows and doors that have swirls and patterns.


We ended our tour at the tequila distillery. A guy named Daniel was the host of the sampling presentation. He was funny and energetic. I’ve never had tequila so I had a little taste of coconut tequila, lime tequila, almond tequila, and tequila that had been aging in a barrel for three years. Let’s just say it is also the LAST time I will be having tequila! 😂The distillery had a little area for eating from a limited menu. We had quesadillas and Diet Coke. Very good and just enough food. And the service was very fast!

Tequila lesson!

Eating area

Authentic Mexican Food

The ride back to the boat seemed fast. Although it felt like a very long day, I enjoyed it and learned a lot about Puerta Vallarta.


I was able to take a short nap while Rob took care of the boys. I took Ryker for a cheeseburger and fries. We watched Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again while we were eating. Trenton and Rob joined us. We spent the rest of the evening walking the ship so Ryker would be tired for bedtime. We walked the entire length of the ship three times and Rykie was still going strong. Teri took a turn walking him and he crashed hard when they got back. I love that backpack leash SO much!! It makes life easy!

The backpack leash!

Until next time...