Monkeying Around in Roatan

Our first cruise destination was Roatan, Honduras, where we spent the morning hiking in the rain forest, risking our lives on an Indiana Jones-style rope bridge which crossed a current- and crocodile-filled river, and playing with macaws and spider monkeys in a lush, tropical paradise called Gumbalimba Park.   The adults had just as much fun as the kids, and we're currently thinking about getting a pet monkey.  Maybe this one...

Marin wasn't sure at first, but she quickly warmed up to the little guy.

What a gorgeous corner of globe!

The gang in front of a waterfall.

Into a pirate's cave...lots of pirate action around this area, too.

Debby, Avonlea, and Jeff

Jon said, "Gay, you're doing great!"  Mom just replied, "I'm doing okay, not great."  :)

Liam and his bird

The big moment when Jeff and Avonlea held a spider monkey.

Yup, this is the one Jon really liked.

My Dad was holding Ellery when a monkey jumped on his shoulder.  They can be a little vicious naughty, so he was trying to keep Ellery from grabbing a tail or foot.

Too late. The girl loved every minute of it and went directly for a toe.

Debby  looks like a natural, like she always totes a monkey on her shoulder.  Can you tell she's a teacher?  "Class, turn to page 46 in your German textbooks."

This may be one of the top five moments in this dude's life.  Jeff loves monkeys, and we love Jeff.  It was a pretty incredible moment to see him be able to cross this off his bucket list.  :)

Look at the joy on this girl's face.  Did I mention that she loves animals?

A quick cuddle with Grandma and Grandpa, and then it's back to running around the park.

By the end of the morning, everyone was ready for a nap, including little Avonlea.

Honduras Beach Bums

 After spending our morning in the rain forest, it was time to hit the beach for lunch and an afternoon filled with shiny fish, powdery white sand sprinkled with coconut trees, and warm splashes of water.  We loaded our bus, and off we went.

Lunch was first on the agenda when we reached Tabyana Beach.

 The next couple of hours were devoted to the beach!

By the end of the afternoon, everyone was exhausted from sun and swimming, and fell asleep on the way back to the ship with dreams of soft Caribbean breezes and swimsuits full of sand.

The Ship

The Crew

Cruisin' the Caribbean

We rolled back into town last night from our Spring Break Caribbean cruise that we enjoyed with my parents, Debby, Jeff, and Avonlea.  It was hard to find the motivation to get out of bed this morning and go back to work, but we all managed to do it.  I have lots of laundry to fold, suitcases to unpack, a house to clean, and pictures to sift through.  Until I get a handle on the home front, I'll post just a couple of the professional pictures we have of our time on the ship.  It was a pretty spectacular week packed full of great memories!

  

Ellery's Visit to the Hospital

 Our little Ellie had to have an advanced hearing test today, called an ABR, at Children's Medical Center because when we took her to the ENT earlier this year, the doctor thought something might be going on with her right ear .  We had good news--Ellery may have the best hearing in our house--perfect in both ears.  It only took about an hour from beginning to end, but because she had to be completely still during the procedure, she needed general anesthesia.  That was the worst part.  They gave her some "happy juice" just before the nurse wheeled her to the testing room, and that stuff really worked.  As if about to leave for Willie Wonka's Chocolate Factory, a giddy, smiley girl left us, but an hour later, there were no smiles to be seen from this little one.  A thrashing, angry, Incredible Hulk-like child, ripping out her IV,  returned to us.  Thanks to PBS kids, a box of apple juice, and time our sweet Ellery was back.  And for the rest of the day, she was pretty much back to normal. 

The effects of happy juice...
(I begged the doctor to sell me a gallon, but apparently there are rules against that.)

First Soccer Game

...And so it begins. 

Liam has been waiting and waiting for this day for over a month.  He's on the Green Team, and he picked "5" as his number.  Jon has been practicing with him in the backyard this week and buying him all types of soccer gear.  Despite suffering several tear-filled injuries on he field, a Daddy-induced cool-down which involved a little break from the game, and his sister's repeated temper tantrums, he loved it! 

A Very Irish Evening

What's the first weekend in March without a trip to the North Texas Irish Festival?  It was time for my kiddos to embrace their Irish-side, and they had no problem finding it.  Liam was feeling the music in every dance move, and the girls clapped their little hands to all the jigs and reels.  The Irish stew was as good as always, and the people-watch is never disappointing.  As always, it was a great night to be Irish!