Wedding and cruise

Saturday July 11th, we got up early and were on the road by 4:15 am to make the drive down to Cocoa Beach, Florida for my cousin Billy and his fiancee Nicole's wedding. We made great time due to the fabulous minivan which allowed Jenna to watch movies and Peyton to be changed and fed with me sitting next to her. We pulled into the Double Tree hotel around 12:30. That afternoon and evening we hung out with family, played briefly on the beach, and went swimming in the hotel pool.

Sunday morning I got ready with Kole and her two other bridesmaids. The wedding was on the beach that morning and included Billy's son Carter in the ceremony. It was so sweet how he was a big part of the ceremony and you can see that Kole loves Carter as her own boy.

Then we had the reception inside the hotel and it was one of the best brunch meals I have ever had the best parts were the eggs benedict and the french toast with bananas foster syrup...YUMMY!!! After the reception 60 of the 65 wedding guests loaded charter buses to head to the cruise ship where we set sail to the Caribbean on Freedom of the Seas, the largest ship at this time for Royal Caribbean. I unfortunately lost my camera and have had to rely on family to email me pictures. Here are some shots from the trip that folks have sent me.

Here's the whole group of 65...

The Carolina crew at the reception having a great time.

Jenna and her cousin Brianna playing as usual.

Peyton had way too much fun at the reception and decided to tap a quick cat nap!

This is how I spent most nights in the formal dining room with Peyton asleep in my arms.

Little Peyton decided to model her Great Aunt Kitty's sun hat.

This was our cruise ship...Freedom of the Seas. What a great ship and so much fun!

This was the water zone on the ship for kids. Jenna had the best time splashing through this area. You couldn't look away for one second or she was gone!

Here we are as a family in the tropical waters at Magen's Beach in St. Thomas. It was voted one of the top 10 most beautiful beaches by National Geographic and we completely agree!

Peyton laughing and splashing and Jenna with a grumpy look. For some reason our little Jenna doesn't like her picture taken these days.

Time to head back to the boat, but this sure was a little piece of paradise.

Busy. busy, buys!

So we are not only dealing with the stresses of normal life, but we are also getting ready to take a big trip as a family. On Saturday we are headed to Florida and then Sunday morning we will be a part of my cousin Billy and his fiancee Nicole's wedding on the beach. After the brunch reception (which has a fabulous menu planned) the majority of guest will board buses to head over to the cruise port and board Freedom of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean cruise ship. We will cruise for the next 7 days around the eastern Caribbean. I am so excited, yet anxious as both kids will be with us. I'll let you know how it goes and post pictures. Love to you all!!!

So I have already mentioned that Jenna has a kiddie pool to enjoy in the drive way as we do not have a neighborhood pool. The other week I was going to refill it for her. I got the hose unwound, placed in the pool and then went back to turn on the water. Much to my surprise I was greeted by a surprise I did not like...

This big guy was chillin' on the brick wall. Needless to say I did not turn on the water, did not put up the hose and we did not play in the pool. I think I was bothered more by the fact that the night before Josh had found a snake curled up in the corner of our top step leading from the garage into our laundry room. When he tried to kill it (because it wasn't a black snake) it went between the boards. Josh spent the next hour taking the steps apart trying to get it, but never found it. Our concern was that Jenna sits on the steps and walks around bare foot. A snake is not something we want to stepping on! So this was the second snake in 2 days and I DO NOT LIKE SNAKES!!!

Being the creative mommy we went inside and built a fort to play in. This entertained for a little bit until we went on to the next game.

Peyton is moving around in her own way and is so close to being able to crawl. It is quite comical to watch her play on her blanket. You cannot keep her in one place as she rolls to her belly and pumps her legs as fast as she can. She hasn't figured out the arms/hands piece to the equation and I don't plan on cluing her in as I like her being semi-immobile.

Peyton has also had her first exposure to rice cereal and green beans. She is still trying to figure out what the strange substance is that I keep putting in her mouth, but she likes sitting at the table and eating with everyone. Next we will try peas, then squash, then sweet potatoes. After the veggies we will move on to fruits. Such an exciting time for the little peanut!