Christmas Cruise!!! YAHOO!!!

Chris and I have been waiting many years to start this new Christmas tradition.  We were waiting for our youngest to be older, out of diapers/strollers, and a good swimmer--and that day has arrived!!!

We are so over the toy thing in our home.  I greatly dislike spending money on things that the kids forget about within a week.  I look at all the toys and video games in the stores and there is seriously not a single thing I want my kids to have.

Our kids LOVE looking through their scrapbooks of all the trips we have taken over the years.  We LOVE talking about, "Remember when we did _____________?"  Memories last WAY longer than toys so we are out to make LOTS more of those!

Chris and I just LOVED our cruise this past summer and wanted to see if our kids would like it too.  We opted for a shorter--4 day--cruise just to test it out.  We booked our Ensenada, Mexico cruise as soon as we got home from our Canada/New England cruise and counted down the days!  It finally came and it was AWESOME!!!

Our "Elf on the Shelf" (Buddy) was not going to be left out of this fun time so he found his way to our cabin on our boat!

The kids were so excited and amazed to see Buddy in our room!!!

We promised our kids that for the entire cruise they could eat whatever they wanted and whenever they wanted.  They had ice cream with every meal!!!  WOOHOO!!!

Ice cream 24 hours a day!!!

All passengers are required to head to their assigned "Muster Station" to learn what to do in case of emergency.  This freaked Max!  He was just sure we were going to hit an ice berg!

Waiting at our "Muster Station"

We ate every night in our assigned dining hall.  It was so much fun teaching our kids some "etiquette."  It was pretty formal most nights but Max can make anything fun:

We had the same dinner staff every night and I LOVED this because they learned all of my kids names and they always asked them about their days.  Every night the wait staff did a little performance for us.  They asked Ethan to join them on the first night and he got right up and danced without any hesitation!  He shocked the heck out of me!!!  And of course I didn't have my good video recorder on me so this was the best video I could get with my camera!!!  Go Ethan!  Way to rock the boat!!!

Jose, Ethan, & Duro rocking the boat!!!

And every night in our cabins we had a new "towel animal."  The kids LOVED this and couldn't wait to see what animal was in our room every night!!!

We had to rent 2 cabins and so we decided to have a "boy" cabin and a "girl" cabin.  So Carlie and I took the regular beds and Tatum took the bunk!  Max took the bunk in the "boy" cabin:) 

Tatum on her fold down bunk:)

So it was too cold for me to go swimming but that didn't stop these guys!!!  Chris was the "fun" parent that went in the water with them and I was just the photographer.  Cute kids in their cute new Christmas swim suits (REALLY good time to buy swimsuits online--BTW--super cheap:)

There was a massive water slide on our ship too.  The kids LOVED this!

The spiral stair case that lead to the slide!

The gianormous/fantastic slide!!!

First the slide, then the HOT TUB!!!

Catching some rays:)

We got off the boat for a day in Ensenada, Mexico.  You can buy "excursions" from the boat that will take you all over the city OR you can take your chance with a local taxi:)  We took our chance with a local and had a FABULOUS time--seriously laughing the whole way:)  I am pretty sure the mini-van we took was held together by only tape.  And our driver got us to the beach/Bufadora Blowhole in about 30 minutes--it is supposedly a 50 minute trip.  Our driver knew every back road/pot hole/road block in the city and drove really really fast:)  By some miracle, we all had working seat belts:)  But when you can pay $10 per person round trip verses $28 per person round trip, I would do it again!

All the seats were like this--there was tape holding the sliding door closed too!

  

Breath-taking views!

"La Bufadora"--the famous blow hole!

I did catch a video of the Blow Hole in action:

YAY!  I remembered to get myself in a picture!!!

Now I know that not everyone likes cruises but the Meekers LOVE LOVE LOVE them!  I seriously cannot recommend them enough!  On our boat they had places for our kids to go--Camp Carnival.  So Tatum got to go with the 6-8 year old and play games/make lots of fun crafts/learn songs to be in the Christmas show on the ship:)  Max & Ethan got to go with the 9-11 year olds and do older kid stuff like scavenger hunts and video games.  Carlie had her own "teen hang out."  They all had SOO much fun in their camps and made so many new friends.  Carlie texts/face times her cruise friends every day. 

**Funny Side Story**There were activities for the teens until 12:30 am every day.  So I "assumed" that Carlie would come right back to the cabin afterwards.  She did the first night, but the second night, I woke up at 1:30 am to see her bed EMPTY!!!  WHAT THE HECK?!  Of course I can't just call her because our cell phones don't get service out on sea!  So I jumped out of bed, threw on my glasses and a coat and set about looking for my missing 13 year old (in my PJs)!  The boat is the size of a small city and I can't think very clearly at 1:30 am so I am FREAKING out just a bit to say the least!  So coming up with no ideas of my own, I go to guest services and ask, "Where do I start looking for my missing 13 year old???"  "Go to the Lido Deck (where the food is 24 hours)."  And there she was, eating ice cream!  BUSTED!  I did my best not to make a scene but calmly told her it was time to come back to the cabin!!!  I told her if she did that again, I would NOT be as nice again AND I would leave my mouth guard in to embarrass her even more!!!  Let's just say, she was on time the next night:)  Oh the joys of teens and it's only just beginning:)

Chris and I got to enjoy time on the ship going to the shows, watching movies, reading, and hanging out!  So we were entertained, our kids were entrained, and everyone was fed well--maybe a little too well:)  Seriously, what more could you ask for???  Well, the kids were SUPER sad that the cruise was ONLY 4 days!  We all had such a fantastic time and no one got sea sick!  Max even said, "The cruise was SOO MUCH FUN!  I don't know why I was so worried that we would crash!"  So we have already picked our next cruise for next year--and it will be a full 7 days:)  WE LOVE CRUISING!!!

SANTA!!!

So I can't remember the last time I had a picture with my kids on Santa's lap!  Our ward had an awesome Christmas party this past Friday night and I just HAD to take this opportunity!  My kids are such good sports!  I'm sure they are all on the "Nice" list:)

Thanksgiving 2013--Rocky Point

For years and years we have been told how awesome Rocky Point, Mexico is by all of our friends and relatives.  So this year, we decided to find out for ourselves.  We were NOT disappointed!

It was my turn to entertain my parents for Thanksgiving as my sister was with her in-laws so we decided to rent a condo in Mexico for the long weekend.  So we packed up all our food and gear and headed out for Mexico.  Golfing, swimming, eating yummy food, riding 4 wheelers--SOOO MUCH FUN!!!

Mini-Golf Course right outside our condo

My mom brought these HUGE gingerbread men for the kids to decorate:)

Sweet

Pretty

Cute

What?!  Never a dull moment with this kid:)

View from our condo

We were walking distance from the beach.  The boys swam every day.  Tatum collected 3 huge bags of sea shells and everyone else just enjoyed hanging out in the PERFECT weather:)

My little shell-collector:)

This was the COOLEST shell Tatum found all weekend:)

These birds were HUGE and all over the ocean--I hate birds!  

This is what I wanted to do all weekend!  It's been years since I've been on a 4 wheeler!  I loved being in this small town where 4 wheelers are allowed on the roads--kinda like Deming, NM:)  Of course the sand dunes was where all the best 4 wheeling was!

Tatum LOVED 4-wheeling (almost more than me:)

We also rented a Rhino to ride around in:)

Ouch!  The blister from pushing the accelerator button:)  My hands have gotten too soft over the years of city living:)

Just a funny family side note.  If you have ever seen my dad's hands, you know they are MASSIVE!  He has farmed pretty much his whole life.  He can lift bails of hay with no gloves and my husband likes to tell everyone how he takes things out of the oven with NO oven mitt--true:)  Well, he had a wedding ring that he physically could not take off for many, many years.  The ring finally gave out a few years ago and broke off.  My mom really hated that my dad had no ring BUT you can't just walk into a store a buy a size 17 ring!  Well, we found a guy in Mexico that sized a ring just for my dad!!!  This guy ran all over town to each of his stores to find this ring for my dad--and he delivered!!!  He didn't exactly have a size 17 but he found a size 14 and then stretched it.  Yay!  My dad finally has a ring again!!!

We had a lot of fun walking around town shopping.  The locals there are wheelers and dealers for sure.  My kids were a little freaked out about everyone trying to sell you something.  Tatum was asked her name so many times that started telling everyone it was "Lupita."  She looks like a "Lupita" right?  Ethan got his traditional keychain (he gets one every where we go), Carlie and Tatum bought cute 

jewelry, and Max…well he just HAD to have a Luchador mask.  So now he is officially Maxwell Libre!!!  

We seriously had the BEST Thanksgiving ever!  We are going to try and make this a tradition--at least on my Thanksgiving years!  

 

Tatum's Solo:)

Tatum is still too young to do any auditions--you have to be 8:)  There is a LOT of music and singing in our home on a daily basis and this girl makes herself heard!

A couple weeks ago our ward music chair person asked if Tatum would sing a thanksgiving song in sacrament meeting.  She remembered her singing in a primary program a couple years ago and wanted to hear her again.  So I said to Tatum, "Sis. Bowman wants you to sing a song next week in church, do you want to?"  She paused a moment then said, "Wait!  Does she know how old I am?"  I respond, "Yes, she does.  Do you want someone to sing with you?"  Then in true sassy Tatum form she says, "No…I got this."  And she did an amazing job!  Soo proud of you Tatum Jane!!!

Audition time:)

November has been CRAZY!!!  Right now my kids are getting ready for upcoming auditions!!!  Exciting times:)  We found the most perfect song for my Max.  It is a song from the broadway "The Addams Family."  This song just fits Max's personality perfectly--the jealous little brother who doesn't want his big sister to have a boyfriend:)  I am just so proud of this little guy and how BRAVE he is to do this:)

Halloween 2013

We had 2 Halloweens again this year!  Our ward does a "Trunk or Treat" and then our kids go "Trick or Treating" around our neighborhood.  All of these equals WAY TOO MUCH CANDY!!!

This year, I told the kids I would not be buying them new costumes.  They had to use what they had and come up with their own original costume.  Carlie decided this year that she is too old for dressing up so she walked around with the kids while I stayed home to hand out candy--and I REALLY liked this!  

Tatum did NOT want to be cute this year.  So here she is as a "Dead Prom Queen"

Ethan is a "Biker Skeleton Zombie"

Max put a LOT of thought into this.  He was a "Cowboy Zombie that drowned in a lake"

Max & his BFF Michael who was an "Enderman"

Ethan & his BFF Michael as a "Skeleton Zombie"

Cute kiddos ready for some candy!!!