Carnival Cruise- Part 3

Our last port was Nassau, Bahamas. We have been here before too. Last time we were here, we just spent all day on this beach, outside of Atlantis, trying to find a cheap way to get into the water slides. So this time, we made our husbands take us on the Water Slides at Atlantis.  It was kind of expensive, but so worth it. We didn't get very many pics because we were in water again, and we didn't have very much time. We had like 3.5 hours to get our money's worth. We went on all the water slides. They were so awesome! My favorite was the ABYSS. You went down this dark water slide and ended in this awesome cave. The cave was so cool, it almost felt like heaven/paradise. We also went on this cool slide that went through the shark exhibit/tank and another tube ride through the shark tank. It was cool. We also went to the private beach there for about 20 minutes and that was the best! I loved the sand and the water. The water was so cool to swim in. Wish we could've stayed longer. The funny thing is on these islands or countries, the people there are so relaxed and are always telling us not to worry, but they are always running slow and behind schedule and the CRUISE BOAT DOES NOT WAIT FOR YOU! We saw a couple miss the boat and it was not pretty! So we had to get back to the boat after a nice day at the water slides. I would love to do those slides again someday, and we were thinking about how much the kids would love them, but so pricey to do as a family. One day we will take our kids on a cruise, when the littlest one is a little older. For now we were enjoying the less stressful time. So good for me and Matt to have this time alone! 

We had dinner again that night and went to another comedy show! Then we were off to our rooms to pack and get ready for the traveling day home. It was such a nice trip and so needed every year. It was hard to leave, knowing we had to go back to cold weather and our own REAL LIVES! I was excited to see my kids though and give them kisses. But I was not excited about having to clean house and make meals for everyone.

It was so good to see the kids after a whole day of traveling. They had decorated our house for Valentines and made us cookies and showed us all their CRAFTS they had done with Aunt EM. Em is a CRAFT QUEEN. She loves them and the kids love doing them with her. They were sad to see her go the next day. Casen asked Em if she would live with us. So cute! Corey was actually in St. George with her soccer team for a tournament, when we got home. So we did not get to see her for a couple more day! We were sad we missed  her games. She went down with Chad and Lynley, Valentines Night, and stayed through the holiday weekend. She had so much fun! She even got a Yellow Card in one of her games. I was actually proud of her aggressiveness, but everyone said it was so unnecessary! So funny! Em did so good babysitting. I had such a good time knowing Em was with my kids and that they were in good hands. She is going to be the best mom someday! She makes me look like a boring mom! She Rocks! Can't wait till next year. Maybe Em can come with us next year. She deserves a break!

Carnival Cruise- Part 2

The next port we stopped at was Jamaica. I was so sad because I just forgot to take pics here.We got a few pics on the dock and then afterwards we ended up going to Dunns River Falls, a really cool waterfall hike. And I guess because it was in water, I didn't bring my camera and just forgot to take pics. It was so cool. You strip down to your bathing suit and water socks and hike through these falls with guides and big groups. Really cool. They took some cool pics of us, but they were a little pricy to buy. We had the coolest guide too. His name was PRINCE and he was a lot of fun! He had us chanting #1 cheers. It was fun! We got super wet and got to swim in the falls a little bit. Pretty cool! Then we just headed back to the town to shop a little and then headed back to the boat.They do not give you a ton of time at the ports and everything just takes so long to do, that you run out of time! We found a few gifts for the kids in Jamaica and then headed back to eat on the boat. We were starving!

That night again, we just had dinner together and went to another comedy show! Loving the adult time and the time with Matt. We did the ropes course and the water slides on the 2nd BOAT DAY too. They were on our boat, the CARNIVAL BREEZE. That was fun! We kept thinking, at times, that it would be fun to have the kids there, like on the water slides and the ropes course and dancing, but then there were times that we were glad we didn't have them, like dinnertime and bedtime. I was so exhausted at the end of every day, that it was so nice to have that break of not having to put kids to bed. And getting ready for dinner at night, was nice too. I had like 2 hours to shower, relax, get ready and watch the Jodi Arias case on TV. Me and Matt both got into that. Crazy story! I never have that much time to myself to get ready, so it was a treat!

We also played games at night with everyone, which was fun! We had our own special table we played at. And we drank their amazing hot chocolate and ate their awesome ice cream cones too. Even though I would have rather been out at the dance parties on the deck, the games were fun! One night I did go out there alone, took a 15 minute break from games, and danced by myself. And then 2nd dancing night, I made Katie go with me and we danced for like 30 minutes. I could seriously dance all night long. I love it. This was another time I wished I had my kids because they love to dance too and they would've been on the dance floor all night too. But the games were actually really fun! Funny as always and definitely adult only content. This was the first night I really felt old on the dance floor. So many young kids out there dancing. But I Still love it! Just wish Matt would come out and enjoy it with me! Still having fun! Loving the warm weather and the dressing up and not having to make our own meals. Feel like a princess!

Carnival Cruise- Part 1

We flew out on a Saturday night and got caught in a pretty yucky snowstorm in SLC on the way to the airport. It felt so good to be getting out of town. My sister Em was watching the kids, so I knew they would be fine. But I was having a little anxiety about leaving them for 8 days. Right as we were leaving, Casen had gotten a fever and so I was worried that my other kids were going to be sick and that Em would have to deal with it all week. Cade was also just getting over his sickness that he had had all week. I guess they were fine for the most part. It must have been all those prayers I said to keep them safe and healthy while I was gone. I knew I needed the break, but it is always hard to leave the little ones. But Em is so on top of things, she did awesome. They loved having her.

We had a red eye that night, which always sucks because sleeping on an airplane and in an airport is terrible. I knew we would all be zombies that first night on the cruise. We finally made it to the cruise port and were able to get on the boat. We roamed the boat, had some lunch and found our rooms. We actually got balconies this time, which was awesome and so worth it. We were neighbors with Mandy/ Reg and Toph/Brit. It was fun that we were so close together. Made it easier to find each other!

The first day on the boat, we had a day at sea. I think we slept in, ate some breakfast, and then actually went and worked out at the gym. This was the first cruise I have ever gone on that we worked out on the boat. It actually felt good because we were eating a lot of food and needed something to help digest it. Then we just layed out and lounged all day....also eating in between. I think that first night, was also one of our FANCY NIGHTS to dress up for dinner. So that is always fun! I love the dinners because at home, we never get the chance to have a 2 hour dinner with adults....actually enjoying your every bite and having good adult conversation. It is so fun!

That next morning, we stopped in Grand Turks. Mandy and Regan went scuba diving with a tour. So the rest of us, just got off on the island and we ended up taking a 1.5 hour tour of the island and then headed to the beach afterwards. It was a lot of fun. I think my most favorite part is swimming in that beautiful blue water. I love it. I was just wishing we had goggles so I could see what I was swimming with. We ended up not renting snorkel  gear because there was not a lot to see on the beach that we were at. But it was a nice day. After we got back on the boat, we had a nice meal, laid out some more, and waited for dinner again. The boys, once again, were eating so much, I knew they were tire of food by DAY 3 or 4. We had to keep reminding them to slow it down! I think we went to a comedy show this night too. So funny! The comedy shows were great on this cruise. The other entertainment, not so great!