Relaxing

There was no shortage of things to do but it was also nice just to spend a little time hanging out together.

Eating and eating and eating!

Dinner on the cruise was quite an affair. Every night we would get cleaned up (one night we got all dressed up) and go the dining room. Our waiter would put the menu in front of you and your napkin in your lap if you weren't fast enough! The choices were awesome and we had lots of fun trying new things. We had assigned tables but with so many of us we got two tables all to ourselves! It was such a treat not to have to think about, plan, prepare or clean up after meals for 5 whole days!! Truly a vacation for any mom! As if that wasn't enough there was always a 24 hour sandwich and pizza bar for snacking in between meals! Most nights the serving staff performed in some way. Camryn really enjoyed getting into their little shows.

Cozumel

Our favorite stop was Cozumel, Mexico. There we spent the day snorkeling, hanging out on the beach, and enjoying the amazingly clear water! The girls loved seeing and swimming with all the fish. That day happened to be June 12, which was Camryn's 7th birthday so we let her fill her "life's dream to kiss a dolphin" - her words, not mine! Here are a few pictures of our fantastic day.

Eleven and counting

This weekend we celebrated Cali's birthday. She got spoiled rotten! On her birthday Mom took her lunch at school from Steak-n-Shake then Papa took everyone out for pizza that night. She got her requested remote control helicopter from Grandma and Grandpa, a gift card from Target from Uncle Dustin and Aunt Lynn, some new CD's from Aunt Reesha and Uncle Brandon, Harry Potter movies and birthstone jewelry from Grandma and Papa and her own digital camera from Mom and Dad. (She has started teaching Mom how to use the video feature on the camera so maybe video clips will be added to our blog in the near future!) We grilled and had everyone over on Saturday to help celebrate and hang out in the back yard. Oh yeah, there was ice cream cake too - another request from the birthday girl!

A clear view

Cayden had noticed she had trouble reading the hymn numbers at church so we took her to see Dr. Hasson. He is quickly becoming our family optometrist. Cayden makes number four in our house to wear glasses or contacts. She picked out these frames herself. The only requirement on her part - they had to be purple!

Piano Recital

Cayden had a piano recital. She played her piece wonderfully and from memory. It was great to hear how much progress each one of the kids had made since the last recital.

Biking for a cause!

Carsyn participated in a trike-a-thon at preschool to help raise money for St. Judes Children's Hospital. It was a huge success. The school raised just over $12,000! And of course the kids had a great time riding!