More Cozumel Pics

Picture overload...

but I don't want to forget these memories.

 We took advantage of all the photo props.

Fun times!

Landon asked me just this morning when we're going back on the cruise ship!  :)

Swimming with Dolphins

While we were in Cozumel, we got to swim with the dolphins.  My dad and Brittney went scuba diving while we swam with the dolphins.  It was neat to share experiences once we met back up with each other. 

These dolphins were so gentle and absolutely beautiful.

 

 I have to admit that I was a tab bit nervous...anything that involves large bodies of water usually makes my nerves stand on end.  Despite my nerves I had a great time and it was definitely an experience to remember.

 We each got to ride on a dolphin and they go so fast that it felt like your head was under water the entire time.

 This picture of mom riding on the dolphin makes me smile.  She looks like she is having a blast!

 Landon was afraid to get in the water at first and I was worried that we had made a bad choice by choosing this excursion, but he warmed up after he touched a dolphin.

Sweet picture.

We also ate lunch on the deck overlooking the dolphin area.

Beautiful view.

We met up with dad and Brittney when we finished and they had a great time on their dive.  They got to explore 80 feet under water!  What an experience!

Progreso

Wednesday morning we arrived in Progreso.

Ready to go explore!

We went to the Mayan ruins and here you were able to touch the ruins and climb on them.  It was very interesting to hear about the history here.

Here we are standing in front of Xlacah Cenote--a sinkhole.  It is crystal clear freshwater, which you can't really tell by the picture, but it is.  :)  The Yucatan has underground waterways and sinkholes that stretch for miles and miles.  One side of the sinkhole is shallow, as in three inches shallow. There are many rocks which provide a natural path to the mid part of the pool which is entirely walkable at around 5′ depth. Then, the other side of the sinkhole is deeeeep.  Around 140 feet deep and it leads to some tunnels that connect to other cenotes all over the Yucatan.  Pretty neat!

You could go swimming in the sinkhole if you chose to.  We did not, however, we did see one person in the sinkhole.

Can you see that temple behind us?  That’s the Temple of the Seven Dolls . And during the first equinox, the sun can be seen in the temple corridor, like an architectural calendar.  At this point it was super hot and Landon needed a lift from dad.

After we left the ruins, we went to a Mexican rodeo.  They put on a nice show full of singing, dancing, and roping.  When the rodeo was over we headed back to the ship--we were worn out!

Before dinner, we were invited to a special event for previous cruisers where we were served unlimited beverages and hors d'oeuvres.  Landon was pooped after our day in Progreso so he took little siesta on my lap.

Later that evening Landon went to Camp Carnvial to enjoy some pirate fun!  When we picked him up he had his face painted like a pirate.  :)

Landon loved returning to our room each night to see what kind of towel animal our steward created.

Definitely a full day and we headed to bed because our stop the next day was Cozumel.

Formal Night

Day 2 was a 'Sea Day' so we enjoyed the day hanging out on the ship.  We ate a yummy breakfast, did some shopping, ate ice cream, played bingo, ate more food, Landon played at Camp Carnival, and we ate more food.  Our 2nd day on the cruise was formal night, so we all got dressed up and went to dinner and a show.

 Mom and Dad at dinner.

 Landon was so silly the entire trip and it was so hard to get him to cooperate for pictures. 

 Aunt Charley

 Aunt Brittney

 David and Landon

 Our little family.

 Landon kept himself entertained during dinner with my camera.  He took tons of pictures of everyone and some of them actually turned out really well.  :)

 Landon wanted to drink out of a fancy glass, too!

 This is Christopher--he was one of our wonderful waiters.  Him and Landon became buddies.  Christopher has a seven year old little boy back home and he told us that he missed him so much. :(  I bet it is so hard working on a cruise ship and not being able to see your family for months at a time.

 After dinner, we went to the 'Welcome' show and it was wonderful!  All of the shows were so amazing with lots of background and costume changes.

David and me at the show.

Vacation

This year for Christmas we went on a cruise with my parents and sisters and it was the absolute best vacation!  I love cruises for so many reasons and I'm convinced they're the best way to vacation!  We had a blast!

Here we are just before boarding the ship!

Mom had our room decorated for Landon and she had some sweet treats waiting for him, too!  At this point, I'm pretty sure Landon didn't know all the fun that was in store for him over the next few days.

 After dropping off our bags in our rooms, we headed up to the deck to watch the ship depart from Galveston.

 Mom and dad enjoying a fruity beverage.

 Silly boy loves his Aunt Britt.

After the ship departed, we walked around the ship and got Landon signed up for Camp Carnival.  By the time we finished signing him up for Camp Carnival, it was time for dinner.  I think dinner time was one of my favorite parts of each day.  It's always so fancy, and you can eat as much as you want.  And I love how the waiters cater to your every want.  There were several times that David ordered 2 entrees and I ordered 2 desserts!  :)

I will update our other days on the ship throughout the week! :)

Logan

 Happy Birthday!

 Our sweet little Logan would have been 5 years old today.

His short little life made a huge impact on our lives and our hearts, and we can't wait until the day that we get to see and hold him again.  What a beautiful day that will be.  I can't wait!

Love and miss you, sweet boy.

Jesus is the Reason

This sweet boy brings so much joy and happiness to our lives.  I'm just not sure what we even did before we were blessed with him.

 We went to a Christmas party a few weekends ago and on the way to the party Landon asked, "Mom, are we going to Jesus' birthday party?" 

 Our Elf on the Shelf is back this year and Landon is enjoying finding him each morning.  The Elf has forgotten to go to the North Pole a few times (oops!) and remained in the same spot for more than a day.  We've definitely got to be on top of those things as he gets older.  For now it's pretty easy to play off our mistakes.  :)

 We've been busy making candy and some of our other favorite holiday treats lately.  I'm hoping that our next visit to the dentist will be a good one after all the sweets we've consumed the past couple of weeks.  The scale may not like me as much either.  :/

 Cheese!

I'm definitely looking forward to some quality time with this little guy during our much needed holiday break!