Setting Sail...

I realize that it has been two weeks since I last posted, but it has been hard getting back into the swing of things since returning from our vacation. Max and I took off for a week-long cruising adventure with Gram and PopPop aboard the Carnival Pride. We had the time of our life...the only thing that would have made it better was if Lucy and Daddy had joined us...hopefully we can convince them to join in the fun next time. A cruise is the absolute perfect family vacation...plenty of activities to keep the little ones entertained and lots of yummy food and alone time for the adults! Before the fun started, though, we had to do our safety drill...And eat dinner...yes, that is a napkin on Max's head. I can clean him up but he is still a goofball...

Being the social butterfly that he is, Max LOVED the kids camp...to the point that I had difficulty getting him to spend any alone time with us. Luckily there was a miniature golf course on the top deck of the ship, so we had one thing to bribe him with...
You may be wondering why there is a pirate golfing with PopPop...Max came home with a different "face" every time we picked him up from camp...one evening he was a bunny...which conveniently matched the bunny towel animal that awaited us in our room that evening. We had a different towel animal each night...including a frog, monkey hanging from the ceiling and a dog. Max was particularly fond of the dog since it fit in with the other animals in our cabin for the trip...We did manage to have some fun adventures off of the ship...including visiting an gator farm in Florida, browsing the streets of Nassau and visiting Atlantis in the Bahamas. And, yes, that is a real alligator Max is holding...his name is Brutus. And, his birthday is in June. Max asked.

Max and my dad are normally very close, but they were particularly tight during the trip...it was so great to see them bond...Max loved spending every minute with PopPop and listened intently as PopPop told him stories of his days in the Navy and explained different marine things to him.

The highlight of the trip, though, was the talent show. Max had been telling us all week that he was singing in the talent show. I thought it was a cute idea, but I just couldn't imagine him having the guts to follow through. He proved me wrong. Very wrong. I could not have been more proud of my little boy. He was the first one called up to perform. He jumped up, talked clearly when he was asked questions and then the real show began. He belted out the best version of "You are my sunshine" in front of 50 people. I literally had tears in my eyes...this has been the last song I sing to him every night since he was born before I leave his room. Then, his entire class performed a dance they had been practicing all week. Max led the class.
Mommy with her sunshine...

Between holding a real alligator, singing in public and hugging Funship Freddy every time he saw him, this trip seemed like a "coming of age" for Max. If you know Max, this picture sums it up...