Flashback Friday: First & Second Time at the Pool
Brina a little unsure about this whole “pool” idea
Today’s flashback Friday goes back about 10 years when the girls first were introduced to a pool. The first trip to the pool with the Greenville Mother’s of Multiples Club family party. We didn’t even have swimming suits for them yet so we took them in onesies and swimmer diapers. They were not to thrilled about the pool the first time around. Both were a little surprised and not overly excited about it. You would never know that now though!
The second time we went to a pool was about a week later with our friend Mike and Ashley. We had gotten the girls swimsuits in the meantime and they did a little better the second time around. Still not thrilled about it, but they tolerated it better.
Brina was a little surprised by the pool water.
Brina slowly getting used to the water on her feet while sitting in Daddy’s lap.
Brina standing up in the pool, still not sure about this whole pool thing.
Brina thinking about sitting down, but still disturbed by the pool.
Brina was very curious by all the other kids swimming around her. Why do they look like they are having so much fun!?
Karlie’s first dip into the pool. She was not happy!
Karlie’s thinking that maybe this isn’t too bad. Daddy seems to think it’s okay…
Jake sprinkled a little water over her head. She wasn’t entirely sure if she liked that.
Karlie sitting on Daddy’s lap talking with another twin. He wanted to know why she didn’t like playing in the pool, ha!
Karlie getting used to the water and she sits there for a minute.
Karlie looking at Mommy for help and confirmation that this pool thing was okay.
Karlie – “Can someone turn off the bright light overhead!” She was not a fan of the bright sunny day and if she was directly in the sun would just close her eyes and whimper. Poor baby girl.
Survived their first “pool swim” or should we say little dip! They were much more content to be back in the bassinet together.
Swimming at the pool was EXHAUSTING! They were out for a nap within a few minutes of drying off and getting into the bassinet. (Brina and Karlie)
Brina and Karlie got their cool new swimming suits and ready to go again. They think it’s funny now as they are at home sitting in the chair together….
Brina with Aunt Ashley at the pool. She is still not convinced that this is a good idea!
Mommy taking Brina and Karlie out into the pool. They were very intent on watching the pool water, like its going to get them or something.
Mommy with Karlie and Brina. They tolerated the pool better this time around with only a few tears. Thankfully it was a small quiet pool.
Brina all snuggled up in her dry towel. She is now ready for her nap.
Look at those pruney little tootsie toes! So cute!
Karlie is getting sleepy. Swimming is hard work Dad!
Hop, Skip, Jump, Play, Swing, and Braid
All the kids had various ways to go up and down the road before they could open their treasure box – including running, skipping, hopping on one foot, hopping on two feet, etc….
After breakfast every morning while the cousins were here the five kids got to open up an envelope with clues leading to that days treasure chest. Before opening the treasure chest for the day they were required to complete the tasks or solve the puzzles before locating the treasure chest. It was something fun that they looked forward to doing every morning. All the kids participating and had a blast completing the tasks assigned each morning. Every morning it was something different (sometimes it was a puzzle, scavenger hunt, physical activity, or something else).
They are almost to the finish line! Keep going! They all made it and received their goodies for the day.
Sweet girls drying off and doing some chalk drawings after a swim in the pool
Noah and Skipper! Skipper loved having all the kids running around and playing outside all week!
Aunt Mirm showing the girls a neat game!
Brina loves little kids! She was so sweet pushing her two little cousins in the swings. Too cute!
Aunt Mirm wanted to try a new type of hairdo and Karlie was her test subject…..needless to say Karlie was patient, but not overly impressed with the styling. She was a good sport about it though!
Brina undid her braids that Aunt Mirm had done. She loved having her snazzy crinkled hair that day!
Brina wanted me to take a picture of the back of her hair too!
Vacation: “Cruise Adventure” on Royal Caribbean’s Serenade of the Seas
Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas Cruise Ship (the back of the boat) As I reflect back over the cruise vacation we took on Royal Caribbean, Serenade of the Seas, I am thankful for the opportunity to experience a fun and relaxing trip full of new memories. Over the last several weeks I have been sharing tidbits about our time exploring the various Caribbean Islands, however, today I want to focus a little more about the actual ship we spent our evenings on together. We gave some facts regarding the ship in an earlier post but I want to share a little more about what we did on the cruise in this post.
The seventh day of our cruise was the only full day we were at sea. Every other day of the trip we were visiting an island in the Caribbean. Ever day was packed full of a variety of activities. There were a lot of fun things to do on the ship, here are just a few:
- Breakfast – you could chose to have it delivered to your room, eat at the Windjammer (buffet) or eat a sit down meal at Reflections. We did a mix of the Windjammer and Reflections throughout the week depending on the activities for the day.
- Every day evening after dinner we would have a new schedule of the next day’s events, information and activities so we could plan out our day on the boat or if we were going onto an island.
- Morning Activities where available throughout the morning and at various locations on the ship (here is a sample of some activities)
- Brain Teasers & Trivia
- Sabbath Service
- Early Morning Stretch
- Abdominal Conditioning
- Indoor Cycling
- Adult Mini Golf Tournament
- Yoga
- Walk for Wishes
- Napkin Folding
- Movie in the Cinema
- Acupuncture Seminar
- View from the Top
- Royal Bingo
- 3 Minute Makeup Seminar
- Secrets to a Flatter Stomach Seminar
- Cake Decorating
- Interview with Olympic Gymnast Lance Ringland
- Swimming
- Rock Climbing Wall
- Shopping
- And More….
- Afternoon Activities (here is a sampling)
- Music (Hot Spice – Calypso Sounds)
- Backstage Tour of the Theater
- Towel Folding Demonstration
- Ice Carving
- Movie in the Cinema
- Slot Tournament
- Men’s Belly Flop Contest
- Informal Bridge
- Learn to Swing
- 3-on-3 Basketball
- Name that Movie Tune
- Blackjack Tournament
- Scrapbooking Workshop
- Detox for Health & Weight Loss Seminar
- Pool Volleyball Crew vs Guests
- Belly Dance Class
- Gotta Dance Class
- Royal Poker Tournament
- Wine Tasting
- Adult Volleyball Tournament
- Core Conditioning Pilates
- Learn to Salsa
- Royal Bingo
- Adult Speed Climbing Competition
- And More…
- They had a variety of Evening Activities to keep everyone entertained as well
- Farewell Movie Night
- Showtime
- Star Bridge Dance
- Mambo Caliente
- Royal Poker Tournament
- Jazz Cabaret
- Paradise Lotto Draw
- Adult Karaoke
- On Board Shopping Deals
- And Much MORE
Our days were busy both on and off the ship. There was always something to do. We had fun, met a lot of wonderful people and created new memories. We look forward to having the opportunity to cruise again in the future. It was great not having to cook or clean the whole week! On a side note, they had food available when you wanted it pretty much 24 hours a day! It was nice because you could eat when it fit into your schedule!
Here is a quick introduction of a few key crew members aboard the ship. The Captain of our cruise ship was Captain Michel Claveau who started his career as a diver. Marc Walker was our Cruise Director from Weymouth, England started out in the entertainment industry as a DJ (22 years ago) then went on to juggle, unicyclist, then onto TV and Radio. Marc has been with the Royal Caribbean family since the late 1990’s and has served on 20 of Royal Caribbean’s 22 ships. Sanjay Dumar was our Hotel Director from Mumbai, India. Marco Marzocchi was our Chief Engineer from Genova, Italy. Cristiana Maruntelu was our Loyalty & Cruise Sales Manager from Romania. Alistair Burnett was our Food & Beverage Manager from the United Kingdom. Noel was our waiter and Janet our head waitress. They did a fabulous job serving, singing, and creating a pleasant atmosphere during dinner every night we were on the ship. I will add that the meals were amazing! We met a lot of other wonderful people aboard the ship. The staff was from all over the world and we enjoyed getting to know several of them during our stay on the ship.
We spent some time in the late afternoon on the last day packing. We were sad to pack but excited to continue our trip home and see the girls. Jake and I walked around the ship on the last night snapping a few more pictures and video clips to show the girls. They always have a lot of questions about the BIG boat! If we could Jake and I would have just keep on cruising! It was a wonderful experience again traveling with Royal Caribbean. We will be sharing a few pictures on board the ship in a post later this week!
A Vacation To Remember series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
