Iowa, Days 4 & 5

Wednesday was a low key day, spent mostly around Grandpa and Grandma's house.  We did go visit another Great Grandma in Hubbard.

And we did visit two parks and the antique carousel in Story City later in the afternoon.

Thursday was another adventure to Living History Farms near Des Moines.  We met up with Emily's great Aunt Marcia and Uncle Jim to see how life used to be before Iowa was a state up until the 1900s.
We watched them make lunch and farm, but the highlight for Emily (of course) was the farm animals!

Mall of America

When Tuesday rolled around, Emily and I journeyed to visit my high school friends Beth and Mickey.  Along with Mickey's three kids we went to the Mall of America in Minneapolis to have fun at Nickelodeon Universe.

Collecting more flattened pennies!

Iowa, Days 1 & 2

On the 18th, Emily and I made our annual journey back to Iowa.  The next day we went to visit her Great Grandma Goodman in Winterset, and all of us joined Great Uncle Ron in visiting the Madison County Fair.  Emily's highlight of the day was watching a wrestling act!  But we also looked at the animals, had a good lunch and ice cream, and spent some time in this exploration tent where Emily really enjoyed "milking" the wooden cow.

On the 20th, Grandpa and Grandma treated us to a day at the Science Center in Des Moines.  Emily had a lot of fun looking around and experimenting with things such as bubbles, rockets, air, and much more!

Mid Summer

Another summer is flying by, but we are trying to make the best of each and every day.  Most mornings are lazy ones usually spent in the backyard, then a bike ride with Gerda to wear her out.  It makes the rest of the day more relaxing.  The afternoons are for outings and errands around town.  Last Sunday we made it to Pettit Lake and then drove on into Stanley for dinner.

She's had play dates with friends, is working hard on activities to complete the library's reading summer program, and has gone skating and swimming a few times in the last two weeks.  

Hopefully the last part of summer doesn't go by as fast as the first half!  We have a lot more on our summer (sand) bucket list!

Day in Orlando

We were off the ship by 7 AM Saturday morning, and on the bus to Orlando International Airport.  We had booked a room at the Hyatt, there at the airport, because our flights out weren't until Sunday morning and from our previous trip we knew how convenient it was to just stay there.  We dropped off our bags, picked up a rental car, and took off to spend the day on International Drive.

First thing there was a walk through of the Sea Life Aquarium.

Then there was a trip on the Orlando Eye, a 400 foot observation wheel.  

 She looks sad, right?  She was.  She had bumped her upper lip on a play structure in the aquarium and it was swollen at this point.

But after a nap and some lunch, she was ready to go again.  Next on the agenda was Wonder Works, which looks as if it was upside down on the street.  

The inside was part children's science museum, part arcade.

Emily even convinced me to go on a rope's course with her, one that went two stories into the air... Most kids were in tears at the top, but Emily looked like she was part monkey as she scurried about the course (for the record, I could not wait to get down!).   By the time we were done at Wonder Works, it was time for dinner, to return the car, and hit the sack for an early flight.  It was a fabulous, wonderful, amazing vacation and we were all sad to get back to reality.  

Castaway Cay, Bahamas

After two days in different ports, Thursday was another day at sea.  Friday was the day I always enjoy the most on the Disney Caribbean cruises - it was the day on the Disney private island called Castaway Cay.  It's my favorite because it's beautiful, never crowded, the water is warm and clear, and it is always the most relaxing day of all.

 When we were here the first time and Emily was three, we let her go on Pelican Plunge and it scared the daylights out of her.  It was one of our worst parenting moments, and she has feared this slide ever since.  But, this time, she loved it!

After some time in the water and a BBQ lunch, Emily and I grabbed some bikes and rode to the other side of the island.  

part of the "bike path" is an old runway

But, it was hot, and we preferred the water, so it wasn't long before we returned the bikes and went swimming some more.  The day ended way to fast, and it was back to the ship for dinner. 

Saint Thomas

On Wednesday, our port of call was Saint Thomas, one of the U.S. Virgin Islands

Our excursion for the day on the island was to go visit an aquarium called Coral World.  The first creatures to greet us were the iguanas hanging around waiting for something to eat.  The aquarium didn't keep most of its animals in tanks.  Instead, they had built viewing areas down into the ocean around the coral reef that was there.  Emily loved the touch tanks where she was able to feel a ray, urchins, sea stars, urchins, and sea cucumbers.

They also had some lorikeets.  Another family passed along their cup of nectar to us, so we were able to get up close and personal with a few of them.  The birds especially loved Aaron, they even stuck their tongues in his ear.

After Coral World, we stopped by the butterfly garden.  At the time, they didn't have a lot of butterflies,  but enough to entertain Emily, and lots of beautiful flowers.