Mexican Riviera Cruise-Aboard the Ship

Tucker is the COO for a company called Cell Again. When he and his partners were thinking to go on a cruise to Mexico, I was thrilled with the idea. I was nervous about taking the kids, but it had been so long since we last cruised and I couldn't wait to get back on a ship. To help out, my parents and Tucker's parents came along and it was so nice to have them there. I doubt we will do another cruise any time soon (SO expensive with little ones!) so I am glad we had this experience together as a family.

The Group:

It's kind of funny to think that of our cruise group, more than half were related, the Nielsons, Curtis', Fords, and Tucker and I. Too, the Guymons, Steve and Ashley, live right around the corner from us and are our good friends in the ward. Those who work together, play together, I guess!

Left to Right: Cheri and Cody Ford, Matt and Jamie Kelly, and Allison and Mattson Quenneville

And a close up of London and Cheri because how cute is this picture!

Ashley and Steve Guymon

Tucker and Alysha

Our little Karoline

Keith, Roman and Bob

Robyn, Capri and Susie

Hot Tubbing:

It was actually pretty hard to entertain the kids while on the ship. We put the twins in the kids camp a couple of times, but other than that all we had to do was swim. Since it was too cold (especially for us adults!) in the pools, we usually sat in the hot tubs. The kids loved it and made lots of new friends playing pool games.

Dancing:

Another fun activity on the Carnival Splendor was watching the shows and dancing to the live music. Roman and Capri loved the entertainment (as cheesy as it was!) and ever since, have sung Queen's "We Will Rock You" with their hands in rocking form. Love it.

Another night, we hung out in the Lounge and let the kids dance with us grown-ups. Roman jumped right in and took my mom away from my dad to dance. What fun memories I have of seeing my kids dance with their dad and grandparents.

Roman and Capri's Birthday on the ship:

How spoiled are these kids?! They got to have their birthday on a cruise complete with special cake, candles, and of course, the staff singing Happy Birthday. They ate it all up!

Our waiter made them both these napkin hats that Roman got such a kick out of.
Me and my 5 year-olds!
The Nielson Family in the Black Pearl Dining Room:

I didn't get a picture of it, but I have to mention our cabin. It was tiny. This entire family you see above was crammed into 185 square feet. Two twin beds for Tucker and I, two bunk beds for Roman and Capri, and a crib for Karoline in the middle. The kids loved our "new room" for the week and their bunk beds were the best part. It amazed me how little space you really need as we managed just fine. However, we were all happy to get off the ship at port and stretch out a bit. More on our ports to come...