Disney Cruise - Nassau

Breakfast of champions.

Just like Mr. Goodluck had promised, we woke up to beautiful calm seas. Our early-rising girls were quickly dressed and ready for action, so we were some of the first upstairs at Cabanas, the buffet on the pool deck. We ate and headed forward, hoping to watch the ship pull into our first port of call, Nassau, Bahamas! It was amazing to watch our huge ship aim for a slot between the breakers and slide into the port, then stop and spin in order to back into its parking space. Impressive! (Although apparently on the sailing after ours, something went wrong and the Dream bumped the dock on the way in, causing quite a bit of cosmetic damage! Oops!)

Contemplating life with coffee. (Spoiler alert - the coffee was meh.)

A windy sunrise!

Passing the lighthouse pulling into port.

Waiting for the pools to open.

We had already decided to stay on board in Nassau. The idea is that the ship will empty out and you'll have the place to yourselves, although more and more people are opting to skip Nassau excursions and I honestly couldn't tell a difference with the crowds. (Although side note, it never really felt that crowded on board. There were a few moments of craziness but for the most part, it wasn't unusual to be the only people waiting for an elevator or walking down the hallway.) Since we were already on the top deck, the girls took a quick paddle around the pools (there is a deeper one and a small kiddie Mickey pool) and then we decided to check out Goofy's Sports Deck and play some mini golf.

Hole in one?

Violet's new thing is making a peace sign in every picture!

Goofy Golfing Girls

Then it was time to quickly get dressed for our Frozen Meet and Greet! While there were always plenty of Disney characters and princesses around in the atrium, the girls were never interested in standing in line to meet anyone. But the Frozen princesses could only be accessed via (free) pre-booked tickets that gave you a specific time to show up. The princesses had a few minutes to talk to each visitor (our girls had a conversation about how sisters take care of each other) and then Anna suggested they all hold hands and make a "sister chain" for the picture. So cute! Violet is already skeptical - she informed me she knows that the characters are just people dressed up.

The sister chain!

We took the kids to kids club to play and then Matt and I checked out the ship's fitness area and hit the treadmills for a bit. It decided to pour buckets at this point of the day, so it's just as well the kids were at the club. We showered and decided to find something grown up to do while they were occupied. There was trivia happening at one of the pubs, and even though we showed up four questions late (and even though these were the most random trivia questions ever) we ended up winning, ha! The prize - two Disney Cruise Line luggage tags and bragging rights! Then it was time to get ready for our Halloween on the High Seas trick-or-treating party! We returned to the room, ordered the girls an early dinner through room service and got everyone showered. We were really hoping Annie would nap but no dice.

Let's get some candy!

Due to the previous rain showers, the trick-or-treating was moved from the pool deck to the atrium, and this was the only time I really felt overwhelmed by crowds. It was almost impossible to get through the hallways as everyone tried to get to the candy stations. But based on the candy haul the girls made, it was worth it! The kids were way more interested in their candy than the dancing characters inside. Then it was time to sail away!

We escaped the crowds for a few minutes!

So. Many. People.

"Moana" watching the Dream pull out of Nassau from our balcony.

A rainbow!

We headed to our show - a magic show this time - in the Walt Disney Theater, and then I decided to try a new tactic for dinner. Since Annie didn't take a nap, I'd just have to caffeine them up! So we headed to the pool deck (home of the free soda machines) and let them drink their fill while we watched the sunset. At this point, we were sailing on smooth seas, and I was so relieved that we weren't experiencing the wild rocking from the night before.

Ocean sunset!

Drink up, me heartys, yo ho!

The pool deck, so pretty at night!

Well, despite my best efforts, Annie could still not make it through dinner. Our wonderful serving team (you have the same waiters the whole trip, they rotate to all the different dining rooms with you) were so sweet and brought out extra tableclothes to serve as blankets. They also cut up the girls' food for them. Hello service! We ate at Animator's Palette, a very cool restaurant filled with giant tv screens that showed various Disney characters. Crush the Turtle from Finding Nemo showed up on ours and proceeded to have a personal conversation with Violet, asking her for her name (and when she was too shy to answer, he asked me!) and where she was from. We made it through dessert and then headed for bed, knowing that the next day we'd be heading to our private Disney island!

The Wedding! Part 2

The bridal par-tay! 

Then it was wedding time! We took so. many. pictures. before the ceremony. (Note to all brides, please take your pictures ahead of time. You can have a romantic "first look" and all that, but for the love of your bridal party, guests, and anyone under the age of six, get those pictures out of the way!) Virginia asked all her bridesmaid to choose a black dress that made them feel beautiful to wear in the wedding, and the boys all wore silly socks under those austere suits of theirs. The pictures will be beautiful but man, was it chilly! The temperature dropped 20 degrees overnight, into the low 50s. We would huddle in our hoodies, then throw everything off to smile for the cameras. Matt surprised me with a cup of coffee when we all reunited at the photo site - it's true love, people. We finally wrapped things up and boarded the trolley back to the church for more pictures, followed by a very special blessing from both fathers, before the guests finally arrived and it was showtime!

My beautiful mother and I, waiting backstage.

Funny story. In the room where we were waiting for go time, we had thoughtfully been provided with a basket of snacks. Annie picked a bag of popcorn and wandered around the room, munching. At this point it was about quarter to five on a no-nap day where she had spent the majority of her time being told to alternately get in the picture and smile or get out of the way. The other flower girl had a total meltdown and I was worried it would set my girls off but neither of them seemed to notice. Annie just kept munching that popcorn. Well, it was finally time to line up for the processional, and still Annie has that darned bag of popcorn! I tried taking it from her, only to have my fingers nearly bitten off. I tried getting her to eat faster. I tried asking if I could eat some for her. Even Virginia tried her best, to no avail. Well, the music started and as I took my turn to march into the church, I had to leave it all in Grandma's hands.

I reached the front of the sanctuary and turned just as the maid and matron of honor are also taking their places. The previously crying flower girl made her way with no tears in sight. Now all that was left was my girls, carrying their signs that read "Uncle Lukas..." and "here comes your bride!" From the foyer I hear a loud and insistent "No! MY popcorn!" I see Lee Anne throw her hands up and send them on their way, Annie clutching her sign in one hand and that bag of popcorn in the other! (Hey, at least the black and white bag color-coordinated!)

The ceremony proceeded without a hitch until there was just one last thing to do. After the pronouncement of husband and wife, the girls were supposed to flip around their signs to now read "Mr. Fortunato" and "Mrs. Fortunato" and follow the bride and groom out of the church. As the final blessing is being given, I glance to the pew where they have been parked with Grandma and Grandpa and Matt's dad points at Annie... totally and completely asleep, Minnie Mouse underwear flashing the world, practically snoring in her exhaustion! But not to fear, Grandpa also motions to Violet, who grins and holds up both signs, one in each hand. Perfectly on cue, she hopped into the aisle just when she was supposed to. We walked out of the church, straight onto the trolley, and hightailed it to the reception. (I did have Matt text his parents to confirm that they would bring Sleeping Beauty to the reception since she missed her trolley ride!) Then we just partied the night away!

Look who I bumped into in the lighthouse!

What a great place for a party!

The view from the top (and the spot of the proposal).

She finally woke up!

Wedding selfie!

You know it's a party when the Chick-fil-a cow shows up!

The Maine Event

Airport fun! Thanks Southwest for a patriotic send-off!

Every summer we try to get together with Matt's family. For years we would gather at the ancestral home in Peachtree City, which was terribly convenient for our little branch. But over time, we've become more bold. We've met up in Ohio to visit extended relatives, taken in Boston, gathered in Williamsburg, and this year we decided to venture even further afield, all the way to Maine. The last time Annie flew was before she could crawl, so this would be a big experience for both girls. We booked flights on July 4th, being the patriots that we are, and it was exciting to see all the families decked out in their red, white and blue. (Matt scoffed at my request that we all wear one of those colors but did allow me to pick out a blue shirt for him to put on. I thought we looked lovely!)

Hooray for the red, white and blue!

Annie had been asking every morning if we were going to Maine today, so it was a relief to finally be able to say yes! And thanks to Southwest, we all had snacks at the airport and wifi on the plane, so the girls did great on the plane. We had a brief connection in Baltimore, finally landed in New Hampshire, hopped in our rental car and drove through scenery that Violet insisted looked just like Georgia, until we finally pulled into Ogunquit. Just stepping out of the car, you could smell the salty air. It was still warm, but the temperature would fluctuate wildly over the week were were there. You could change your outfit three times a day and still not be dressed appropriately the next hour.

Finally taking a nap.

We landed, settled into our rental house, had dinner and headed to the beach, just a short walk down the street, to watch fireworks over the ocean. Ah, the perfect distance from the noise to finally cure my kids of their fear of fireworks! The girls were dying to get their feet wet in the freezing surf, then it was to bed with everyone.

Princess in the garden.

The next day was determined to be a beach day. The girls stayed busy in the morning, running around the lush garden yard that came with our house. The grass was so thick and green, the flowers so beautiful. I did some outdoor yoga on the porch before we headed out - my first time doing yoga outside. It felt wonderful, although my balance was so off without a fixed point to look at... the clouds would drift by overhead and my body would slowly drift with them, ha!

Looks pretty, doesn't it? It was so. cold.

We suited up and walked to the beach. Oh, the wind was so cold. The water was ice. Even in the sun, it was hardly bearable without a clothes or a blanket. We braved it for a couple hours and the kids didn't seem to notice, but it was a relief to head home. Of course, once a couple blocks out of the sea breeze, the sun made things nice enough to run in the sprinklers, a perfect compromise.

Not quite the beach, but no complaints.

After a rest, we headed out to the nearby town of York to see the Cape Neddick Lighthouse. The surrounding area is all giant rocks that the kids had fun clambering over (while I tried not to freak out too much). It was a beautiful Maine view, all white and red roofed and blue skied. At the visitors center, there was an adorable little old man who painted pictures of the lighthouse, and you could buy prints where he would write your name on the little sailboat in the foreground. Such a sweet little souvenir!

The Nubble Light

Greg and Lauren and the view.

You would think all that excitement - outdoor yoga, beach day, sprinklers, the lighthouse, rock walk - would be enough. But this family wanted more. We stopped for dinner on the harbor at Barnacle Billy's, landing a prime table on the outdoor patio with a perfect view of the boats, the bridge that opened and closed for passing sailboats, and one uninvited guest. A rather bold seagull took one look at our table and decided we were the suckers who were going to leave him dinner. The girls thought it was hilarious and worked to perfect their seagull call. For all its chilly start, the day ended beautifully.

Meanwhile, in Ogunquit...

The diners.

And the seagull.

Did the beach ever warm up? And what about lobster? Isn't Maine all about lobster? Find out here.

For the Birds

Last night Annie was in particular rare form. There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth and not even Matt the Baby Whisperer could get her down without a fight. The adults collapsed on the couch around nine too exhausted to even talk to each other, and I was asleep before we got halfway through the episode of whatever we were watching.

So it was with certain dread that I woke up to Annie's frantic screaming. Again. This child has GOT to sleep through the night. But on this particular evening, she was nuts. Wailing, thrashing, throwing herself out of our arms. I tried holding her, Matt tried picking her up, girlfriend was insane.

Sometimes taking her outside will calm her down, snap her out of her crazy and get her to stop screaming long enough to listen to our soothing, zen-like voices desperately bargaining her back to dreamland. So Matt decided to give it a shot. He opened the door and stepped outside...

... just as two winged shapes darted inside and start fluttering black wings in circles over my head. I froze as my brain took an extra 20 seconds to process what had just happened. Bats? Some belated Halloween joke gone awry? Not a minute later Matt cautiously opened the door again, holding a now mercifully silent Annie. "Did a bird just fly in here?" he asked, sounding just as gobsmacked as I'm sure I looked, with my mouth hanging open, frozen in the foyer.

So apparently two birds had taken up residence in the lovely burlap wreath on my door and Matt opening the door scared them enough that the poor things flew into the house. But there wasn't even time to think that process through, because before either of us could formulate a plan for how to evict these nighttime visitors, our cat took matters into his own paws. And jaws. One bird down. I grabbed Annie and took her to our hopefully bird-free bedroom while Matt chased Gus, who quickly let go of the bird. Bird flew off. Gus got locked in the bathroom. Tiny feathers rained down like an old-school pillow fight scene.

Two birds, loose in the house. We reacted, even as our brains tried to process what was happening. We walked around, flicking lights, clapping hands, hoping to scare them into giving away their location. I cleaned poop off the interior front door. There was no sign of our invaders. Then suddenly, a black shadow whirling overhead. One was upstairs. Matt shooed it into the bonus room, opened the window, did a crazy blanket flapping dance, and the bird escaped. One down, one to go.

We started checking under furniture, on top of bookshelves. Was it the bird Gus attacked? Was it injured? Should we let Gus out to finish the job? These were the desperate questions of the severely sleep deprived, over-adrenilinated parents who could not even fathom what was happening. "One day this will be funny," I remember remarking. This wasn't that day. Not yet.

Upstairs, Matt suddenly ducked as wings thudded past. He rapidly closed doors, narrowing the bird's options. I was suddenly very thankful Annie wasn't up in her bed yet, as the bird took the only escape route left, the one that led straight into her whirring ceiling fan. Oops. Stunned bird, on the ground. Matt wasted no time throwing a blanket over it, scooping it up and tossing it out the window, where it landed on the roof. And stayed there. A brief debate followed: was it dead? Injured? Going to be there when we woke up? The feathers continued to drift down like snow. We decided we didn't really care; it was over.

And then at 3:30 Violet came downstairs to announce she had just thrown up all over her bed. The fun never stops around here!

Conquering the Slide!

All summer long, I have been waiting for Violet to be brave enough to tackle our pool slide by herself. And today was the day! So proud of this girl!

Also proud of this girl for finally succumbing to a nap poolside. I actually got to lay in a beach chair and read a book at the pool! Will wonders never cease?! Clearly it's a sign that summer is almost over and it's time to go back to work!

Am I Ready?

Some strange things have been happening in the Loughman household this summer. Our baby girl has decided she is ready to grow up, and this mama is not prepared.

To start with, Annie speaks in complete sentences now. It's the funniest, most disconcerting thing. It's so odd to be able to communicate with her now, and I'm still surprised every time a fully formed thought pops out of her mouth.

Annie is also obsessed with the potty (although as of press time, this interest seems to be waning a bit). I got so tired of lifting her on and off the toilet that I went a dug up Violet's old potty. She spent a good hour sitting down, standing up, looking inside, closing and opening the lid, and announcing to everyone in earshot that it was "Annie potty!" Then at one point she sat down and... she peed!

And as exciting as it was, I am not ready to potty train this summer. I don't want to dedicate the time, or laundry, that it takes, not in these remaining few weeks of freedom. Plus I'm not convinced she's actually ready. And while she did pee again the next day, already her interest appears to be fading and I'm honestly relieved. Still, it was fun while it lasted.

Who's ready to potty?!

Then Matt decided to take the plunge and convert Annie's crib into a toddler bed. I have no idea how old Violet was when we took this step, and I'm fairly certain it was way past Annie's current 21 months. But nevertheless, the crib is gone. I was off for a girls night out when we went to the toddler bed, so Matt was in charge of bedtime. He's so much better at getting Annie to bed anyway. Plus it was a no-nap day, so I figured it wouldn't be too hard. There were plenty of incredulous comments from my fellow toddler mamas once I posted our intentions, and I had my own doubts, but I also had a karaoke night to go to, so I peaced out.

Plotting her midnight escape route....

Sure enough, he sent me a picture proving his bedtime prowess while I returned my hearty congratulations and officially tendered my bedtime resignation. Matt can rule as King of Bedtime as long as he wants.

Snug in her bed... for now!

Ah, but what did my mama ears hear at 4 a.m.? The sounds of a little toddler, out of her bed and calling from the top of the stairs. I poked the King of Bedtime in the back and once more, peaced out. He got her back to bed and we were good to go until the following morning.

The jury is still out on whether this new bed will work. I'm thinking of paying Violet to intercept Annie when she wakes up, or just teaching Annie to wander into Violet's room if she's feeling lonely in the wee hours of the night. Or I'm gonna slap the side of the crib back on until she's four years old, who knows.

All I know is, I'm happy for the King of Bedtime to take over whenever he wants!

Girls Night Out!

Sleepover

Building a sleepover fort!

Violet has been begging for a sleep-over. When she turned four, we had her friend from school Emma spend the night because she couldn't make the party, but that's been it. During our roadtrip, the sisters got to sleep in the same bed, which was fun. And she's been promised a spend-the-night with her friend Taylor that just hasn't been scheduled.

I remember the first slumber party I went to. I was in first grade and I went to a classmate's house. Her name was Mandy. We ate pizza and Mandy was slightly appalled that I ate the crust. (I didn't know it was a culinary taboo... in fact, I went through a phase where I only ate the pizza crust. I believe I wisely kept this information to myself that night.) I don't remember much else from that night, and I don't recall a flood of slumber parties as a result. Most of my spend-the-nights were a direct result of my parents going out of town and needing a place to put me. Eventually in high school, once I was old enough to drive, the overnights took off in earnest. But enough about me...

So the neighborhood boys sleep over all. the. time. And why shouldn't they? They're the same age, they live next door and can conveniently walk over, their parents are lovely, trustworthy people who are just fine getting rid of a kid or two for the night. And poor Violet has to watch all this. The bed-headed boys trudging home, pillow under the arm, sleepy grins on faces, whispered plans of their next great night already in the works. Violet's been asking a lot, but it finally reached a fever pitch one night at dinner. I knew Matt and I needed to be on the same page about co-ed sleepovers, but more importantly, the entire tribe needed to be on the same page.

Now I'm no helicopter parent. And I'm not a free-range parent either. I fall fairly in the middle. Perhaps a common-sense parent? A do-your-best parent? We decided that a sleepover with the boys, in the playroom, would be okay. And I know it's not the decision every parent would make. But you take the information you have and make the best decision you can. The kids are young enough (for now), I know their families and values, we're practically co-parenting together, and honestly I like the fact that the boys were willing to accept Violet into their little crew.

Happy crew!

They ate popcorn, watched a movie, played with flashlights, giggled a lot, and finally fell asleep at 10:30. They were up early (stupid garbage truck and your 7 a.m. pick-up), but happy.

Funny side note. Annie had fun crawling around the fort and sleeping bags before I finally took her to bed. Once we were in her room, she put her blanket on the floor and announced "Annie bed." And she insisted on sleeping on the floor next to her bed! I had to send Matt up later to transfer her to the crib! Sweet girl, she wants to be just like the big kids!

No Thank You

Don't let this innocent look fool you. Ever since summer has officially started, Annie has decided to celebrate by refusing to sleep through the night. Every night, she wakes up, stands up and starts screaming. I have no idea what time this happens, because I steadfastly refuse to look at the clock before I stumble up the stairs. And no quick pat on the back will satisfy this friend. She points to the rocking chair. "Rock! Rock!" Which is a whole lot better than what she says some nights: "Downstairs!" she insists. If you don't comply, she lets loose with some bloodcurdling screams. One night I was so tired, I kept falling asleep with her on my shoulder, both of us threatening to tumble out of the chair. I don't think that's happened since those 4 a.m. nursing sessions when the girls were infants. Another night, I was so desperate to lay back down, I actually let her sleep in our bed. (No kids in our bed is the only thing we said we'd never do pre-kids that we've actually stuck to.)

Thank goodness it's summer, and I can afford to lose some sleep in the middle of the night. Still, it totally sucks, seeing as this was never a problem before. I ran into one of Annie's daycare teachers the other day and told her I was sending Annie back. It's like she has just now figured out that mommy exists 24 hours a day, and therefore she needs me 24 hours a day. I know it's just a phase, but I really hope it's a short one!

When she's not waking up in the middle of the night, Annie can be pretty awesome. Her vocabulary is growing by the day and she's starting to string together sentences. She recently started saying "no thank you". Annie, would you like some milk? "No tan too." Annie, it's nap time. "No tan too."

One of her favorite foods right now is hummus. She calls it "sup" because she's trying to say "dip". Although half the time, she uses her fingers more than the crackers I provide! 

In fact, we're reaching that frustrating stage where Annie is trying to communicate far more than we can actually understand. She knows what she wants, she tells us emphatically, and we just don't get it. Sorry, kid. Keep trying to make us understand. We'll end up on the same page one of these days!