The suite life of Jack and Laurie

I'm thinking two cross country trips in three months is enough to last a long time. Thankfully we made it without any lost luggage or children. The only thing I have yet to find is my waistline. So if you happen to be cruising Disney anytime soon, find our wonderful servers Jozsef and Tana and ask them as I'm sure they are to blame...

A little over a year ago we took our first cruise ever. We chose Disney, made certain we got a balcony since we didn't know how Jack would do with sea sickness and tested out the 4 night one to the Bahamas. It was such a hit with the kids (and Jack ended up being fine) that we decided on board that we had to book another one. We chose the western Caribbean itinerary this time because it was making stops in two of our favorite places, Cozumel and Grand Cayman. The ship also stopped in Key West which was nice to see and of course it made a stop at Castaway Cay, Disney's private island. Little did we know that this trip would make history since our ship got stuck in a storm causing us to have to dock at Castaway Cay overnight turning our 7 night cruise into an 8 night cruise. We didn't end up leaving Castaway Cay until the same time the next day. Trust me, there are worse places to be stranded. It was a logistical nightmare for Disney as many travelers missed flights that needed to be re booked. In addition you had 3,000 passengers waiting in Port Canaveral to board the next cruise that had to be dealt with. Our concierge happily took care of adjusting our rental car arrangement and we were happy to get another day on the ship. It also helped that we were upgraded to a suite for this cruise. Thank you very much Disney as you've now ruined us and now we'll never be able to cruise in any other room!

Key West highlights: So what do you do in a place that's not known for it's snorkeling or beaches? You rent an electric car. The kids loved it and it was a great way to get a taste of Key West without the complaining of sore feet.

Out our balcony we had a view of this small island off of Key West where we were told many celebrities keep second homes.



Connor and Jack with a little spare time on their hands...



From swimming and sliding to tea parties, pirate parties, and birthday parties to movies and magic shows to super sized Superbowl...



Oh boy do we miss our servers. These kind, patient young men took such awesome care of us during our cruise. They knew what drinks we liked, where the kids like to sit (Sage always has to sit next to me) and the types of food we'd probably like. They'd cut up the kids food and perform magic tricks for them. Dinners just aren't the same here at home. We LOVE and MISS Jozsef and Tana!!!



Cozumel: I was looking to try something we hadn't done in Cozumel before so we booked a Passion Island jeep excursion. We had a wonderful tour guide named Alex who guided us through the "jungles" of Cozumel (if you can call some private property alongside the ocean that) and then he put us on a small boat that took us out to this private island where you eat, play, and relax. On the way back we did see wild raccoons and a crocodile. Jack and I still laugh about that trip.



Jack guarding his favorite Mexican donuts!



We LOVE Grand Cayman. It has been close to ten years since Jack and I had been there. We were really excited to take the kids on the Stingray City excursion. This includes stopping at Coral Gardens to snorkel and then going to Stingray City to swim with the rays. Stingray City is actually a large sandbar out in the middle of the ocean where stingrays have been conditioned to come for food. (Thankfully we were not their food.) We had forgotten how beautiful the snorkeling is in Cayman. Not only are the fish amazing but the colorful coral sets Cayman apart from most places we've been to. I was so proud of Sage for wanting to come out in the deep ocean in her life preserver and floatie so I could snorkel. I was also very proud of Connor for getting out of the boat at Stingray City. He was very nervous yet still managed to get in the water. They told us if we kissed a stingray we'd have seven years of good luck. Connor alerted us he should be in good shape for the next 21 years!




Castaway Cay is Disney's private island. The water was a bit chillier than our last visit but the kids still had a blast. Ty was dying to go for a bike ride so we rented some cruisers and had a great time. Note to self: A long skirt is probably not the best bike riding attire. After rolling it up into a micro mini I can say 'muffin top' took on new meaning... It's also sad when your seven year old says "mom, I didn't even know you knew how to ride a bike". We'll blame that on Seattle weather for now but we now know what I'll be asking Santa for for Christmas this year.



Little did we know when we arrived in Castaway Cay this morning to such a beautiful day that a storm would be on it's way and we'd be stuck on the island! It was a rocky night at sea with the captain doing his best to prevent us from bumping into the pier on one side or the rock ledge on the other side of the ship. In the meantime two tie downs had bust in the middle of the night but luckily the ship was ok. Here are a couple photos from the evening we were supossed to leave and the next day while we sat stuck on Castaway Cay.



On one of the nights there was a comedian that did the show. He needed a volunteer to help with his act and asked if anyone was interested. Leave it to Ty to be the one selected out of hundreds of kids jumping up and down in the main theater trying to get the comedien's attention. (I'm telling you it's the hair.) He was quite the hit.



I must admit I have over 300 photos from this trip so picking the ones that best tell the story is a bit difficult but I couldn't close without including some of the photos of the kids and the characters. This would definitely be the highlight to Sage's vacation. Next time though we'll be certain to buy the autograph books on the first day rather than the third. I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing when the gift shop workers and the photographers know you by name AND room number...



Countdown to the Disney Dream in May 2011!

It's the east coast Roddy's...

A couple weeks ago Jack accepted a new calling at church. Normally this would be no big deal but for this particular calling Jack really wanted his brother to participate when they set him apart. So with less than 24 hours notice James and Jaime were able to find someone to watch the kiddos and catch a flight from NYC to Seattle. Nothing like a last minute weekend getaway. This was their first trip out to see us since we'd moved here and hopefully won't be the last. We'll save all the good weather for when they return with the whole family... haha! We love you guys and sure do appreciate the effort you made to join us on this special day!




So we took James and Jaime to see Snoqualmie Falls and as a treat they got the kids each a dried up corn on the cob. Who knew you could take corn on the cob, place it in a bag in your microwave and pop it? We highly recommend it and the kids loved it!!! Good times...

Bye Bye 2009

So 2009 has come and gone and like always the holiday season already seems like a blur. We kicked off the season by hosting a holiday party. With close to 40 white elephant gifts being exchanged, you can only imagine the creativity that was unwrapped. Some of the favorite steals were the Snuggie, slap chop, and Marlo's beautiful hair bows. The ones that got the most laughs included the edible underwear, a Karma Sutra book, sausage with nuts, and some special lotions and potions... Next year I'll be better about capturing some of the fun on camera! Fun times!!!

I have to admit one of the highlights of this season (besides my annual Christmas prime rib dinner that I'm the only fan of) were the gifts that the boys made for me at school. Ty made a beautiful pine cone ornament that I'm tempted to duplicate next year in large quantities. I love it! Connor made this darling snowman decoration that was so creative made from a jar, holiday sock and some paint. It will be found in our house for many years to come.



I love watching the new traditions that spring up each year. Things like letters back to the kids from Santa, surprise after dinner gifts, and this year Ty added his own new tradition, feeding the reindeer. We always leave our cookies/caramels and milk for Santa but Ty was certain we needed to leave a snack for the reindeer (after all, they would be very tired from pulling all the stuff that would be dropped off at our house). So he gathered a bunch of bowls and cups, labeled them with each reindeer's name, and filled each one with 6 baby carrots before placing them in the backyard. He was very excited on Christmas morning to find that all the reindeer had partaken of his snack (with the exception of Donner whose bowl was still full). Oops! Tyler was certain this meant that Donner must have been sick and unable to make the trip but I assured him he must have just been full from all the other houses he had visited that left snacks out. Note to self: be more thorough next year about removing all traces of food...



So everyone who knows me well knows that I'm not a huge spender when it comes to Christmas or anything for that matter (with the exception of vacations). I hate to see waste which means I hate to buy things for the kids just to have more stuff for them to open. I try to think long term about what will keep their interest and also focus on the stuff that they repeatedly request. At the end of the day, the things they tell Santa on our annual photo with Santa are usually the things that must end up under the tree.

Well, I knew we were in trouble back in November when on vacation the kids bedroom at the resort included an xbox. Unlike Ty who could really care less about video games, Connor loves them. He received a plug n play as a gift years ago and has since collected a few others that we've tolerated. He seemed to get his fix from playing the Wii at his friends houses and has never really asked for his own. But this vacation changed all this and suddenly the Xbox took over his mind. All Connor talked about from this point forward was how he was going to ask Santa for an Xbox and a Lego star wars game. Of course I wasn't thrilled with this. I was so proud we had gone as long as we had without giving in to the video game consoles. I have no interest in watching my kids lay around the house playing video games every waking hour. It was much like the feeling I had for years about DVD players in cars. But 2009 marked a year of change for us and a game console was going to have to make it's debut or it would be a devastating day in the Roddy household on Christmas morning. The good news is that according to Ty, we're not going to have to worry about being accused of being the type of parents that spoil their kids rotten on Christmas as he insisted that this Christmas he "didn't get that much". I seem to remember him uttering these same words last year...

So, although Ty may not admit he had a great Christmas, I feel pretty confident it was pretty good. Especially since he has yet to tell me something he asked for that he didn't get. Some of his favorite gifts were his telescope (which sadly was missing a piece so couldn't be set up and since the piece has to come from some warehouse in Mexico, we expect it to arrive just in time for next Christmas), a skateboard which he has now already tested at the skate park and we are certain the next Tony Hawk is named Ty Roddy, his Lego Space Police building set which within a few hours he had completely put both space ships together, and a remote control car.



It's not hard to tell what Connor's favorite gifts were being that every photo I had of him opening up any gift other than the Xbox or Lego Star wars game included a look of "next".



Can I admit how much I love shopping for Sage. She LOVES her doll house! I'm amazed at how much time she spends playing with this house, moving her barbies from room to room. I love listening to the conversations that take place between the barbies. Thank goodness Jack surprised me and her with the Princess and the Frog doll because the scream that came out of her mouth as she unwrapped this gift was priceless. I was sad to see that she didn't have much interest for her dress up chest which was such a huge hit last year. She claimed that this year's dresses were "itchy".



Jack doesn't realize it yet but I believe his favorite gift will be his wet/dry vac. Right now he'd tell you it's his drum set. (Yes, I too believed he was going through a mid-life crisis when he mentioned he wanted some drums until I started playing them and have now realized he is not the only closet drummer in our home.) The beauty is he can hook up his ipod, puts on the headphones and play along in peace.



You should also start to notice a new and improved me when I figure out how to use Photoshop which I got for Christmas... ha! Hopefully it won't end up like my camera whose instruction manual has yet to be read, two years later...



Cheers until next Christmas. Here's to a happy and healthy 2010!

The things that make me thankful this holiday season...

Taken at Beaches Nov. 09

Santa Clause is coming to town...

And just like that Thanksgiving is a blur and the rush of the holiday season is upon us. Highlights of Thanksgiving included cooking a 23 lb turkey, listening to the tender things that come out of your children's mouths as they verbalize the things they are thankful for, and hanging out with friends.

Next up, that special trip to Bellevue Square to pay that special person a visit. This year we went the Saturday evening after Thanksgiving. We were pleasantly surprised to find only three families ahead of us and because it was Santa's first weekend, in addition to the special suckers, the kids each got these darling soft, plush, stuffed animals which were quite the hit! Our days of tears are sadly just a distant memory. On this trip it was all business. There was a mission at hand and that was to tell Santa exactly what was hoped for. Santa payed particularly close attention to what each of them had to say. We learned our lesson last year when we made the mistake of paying a visit to Santa less than a week before Christmas. Suddenly all the things I had originally thought the kids wanted for Christmas had changed. I could hear random, unknown gifts being requested. I started to imagine sad faces on Christmas morning. This is not what you want happening with less then a week to go. But in their minds, nothing is final until you sit on his lap and tell him.

Since it's more hassle than it's worth to scan the one we bought which was by far the nicest photo, my shots will have to do. (We're big fans of supporting the cause and purchasing our one $19 5x7, which about kills me every year but gotta keep Santa in business...and my scrapbook looking consistent!)




Ty realized there was something he forgot to mention to Santa that he found at Costco just moments after sitting on his lap. So he decided to use money from his piggy bank for this early treat for himself.



Now rewind a couple months back, and the scene is Jack and three kids at Costco debating on new ornaments for our tree. Mind you, I had no idea we needed new ornaments but apparently Jack thought differently. Next thing I knew, the troops had arrived home with enough ornaments in every size imaginable to decorate four trees. When I asked Jack why he bought so many, he explained that they couldn't settle on one color theme and the boys felt pretty confident I'd prefer the ones they chose over the ones he had. So, long story short, we went out and purchased a Charlie Brown tree for the living room (also referred to as the boys' tree)...



Our cute Sage in front of the other tree. Its tradition that we decorate the house Thanksgiving weekend.



A random photo that was taken of Connor at the Ward Christmas breakfast this past weekend. I had no idea he had posed this way until my friend forwarded it on to me. Silly boy!