Although the title sounds like a Lifetime movie, our Christmas vacation this year was far from it! We spent 3 days in Disney world, 4 days (to include Christmas Eve and Christmas Day) on a Carnival cruise, and 3 fabulous days in beautiful Miami Beach! It was a much needed break for all of us, and a chance to make some great memories together!
Here are my top 5 favorite moments:
1. Sitting with Connor and Aiden waiting on the Jingle Jungle parade at the Animal Kingdom watching them make a total mess of their faces from their Mickey Mouse ice creams! Note: Susanna and Steven were riding Expedition Everest during this favorite moment!
2. Seeing the looks on the kid's faces when we arrived at the port to board the cruise. They were so excited and could not believe how big the boat was! Connor said, "I want to go on that boat castle!"
3. Riding around Key West in the electric car that we rented!
4. Going for a 3 mile run on the track on the top of the ship. Steven went to mingle with the Veterans in one of the bars and the kids were all checked into Camp Carnival, so I had an hour to myself before the Captain's Dinner! The Carribean band was playing and all I could see around me was the gorgeous crystal blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It felt good to work off some of the calories in advance from Chocolate Melting Cake that I was planning on splurging on at dinner!
5. Miami, Miami, Miami!! The last two days of the trip were by far my favorite. Disney and the cruise were tons of fun, but still a little hectic in terms of managing the kids and making decisions about where to eat and what to do next, but when we got to Miami it was all about the relaxation! Steven chose a great hotel right on the beach. The weather was warm (mid 80s) and sunny. It was hard to remember that it was only a few days after Christmas as I was sitting on the beach tanning and drinking margaritas!
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| My #1 favorite moment! |
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| Great picture of Steven and I...but terrible face on all 3 kids! Lol! |
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| Steven took the kids on their first Splash Mountain ride! |
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| Love this one! |
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| The first and last night that the kids joined up for dinner in the dining room on the cruise! |
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| Key West! |
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| They are enjoying a late night ice cream snack after partying down in Camp Carnival (and decorating their own shirts!) |
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| On the beach in Key West! |
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| Aiden was on his way back up to the slide! |
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| The kids loved the towel animals! |
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| At port in Cozumel on Christmas Eve! |
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| The water was amazing there! |
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| On the beach in Cozumel! |
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| My #3 favorite moment! |
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| Susanna with her new do! |
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| Christmas Eve in Playa Mia, Mexico! |
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| My beach baby! |
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| They had the best time ever on the paddle boats and kayaks!! |
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| Such a wonderful day in Playa Mia, Mexico! |
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| Another late night ice cream snack! |
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| Only my daughter would ask for and be so excited about an electric pencil sharpener. |
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| Opening presents Christmas morning! |
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| The kids were so excited that Santa was able to find their room on the ship! |
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| Chirstmas Day 2011! |
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| Sus and Aiden with the Carnival dancers! |
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| Santa stopped for a break on Carnival Destiny on his way back to the North Pole! |
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| Yes, this is called "Hog Heaven"...watching Thursday Night Football on a gigantic tv in a hottub in the middle of the ocean!! |
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| I love this little boy! |
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| Not sure who this little girl is...looking like she is half grown! |
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| Susanna playing in the waves at Miami Beach! |
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| Doesn't look like the day after Christmas does it? |
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| We had such a nice time on the beach in Miami. I was laying on my chair dreaming of being the person who rents the chairs and umbrellas on the beach so I would never have to leave! |
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| This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip! I call it "Four Little Birds" named after my favorite Bob Marly song Three Little Birds!! |
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| Susannna and Connor playing in the water! |
