Ava's First Grade Picture

We interrupt the vacation posts to bring you this super adorable picture of my sweet girl. 

Cruise Day 3 {Grand Turk}

Since we were only doing a five night cruise, we were only going to two islands. So we decided to do only one excursion. Our first stop was Grand Turk in the Turks and Caico's islands. We had heard and researched a little that there was plenty to do at the port so we opted to not do an excursion on this island. And it didn't disappoint.

There was a Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville right of the dock. And that's pretty much where we spent the day. They had a pool, so we sat in the pool all day, drinking margarita's. They had an awesome DJ who was playing awesome music. Not a bad way to spend a Monday. 

We even enjoyed a little Cheeseburger In Paradise. 

After a few hours (and lots of sun!), we decided to needed to swim in the ocean to say we did. 

We had an absolute blast and give Turks and Caico's two thumbs up!

Cruise Day 2 {At Sea and Formal Night}

Sunday morning, we woke bright at early at 10:00 am! Ha!! We looked to see where we could breakfast and the only thing open was the Late Risers breakfast. I cannot believe we slept that late, but then again, I can. We spent the day at sea. Which means we didn't stop at any islands but continued our journey to the first island. The ship has so many things going on at any time, there was always something to do. After breakfast, we walked around for a bit and did a little more exploring.

After a bit, we went back to our room to change into swimsuits to head back up to the deck. We walked into our room to find it decorated for our anniversary! Our dear friends, Greg and Tina, set it up with the cruise line to decorate our room and provide champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. It was sweet!

We headed back up to the pool area and spent most of the afternoon swimming and enjoying the festivities. After a few hours we went back for (ahem) naps. Hey, we were on vacation! 

Sunday was also the "formal" night in the dining room. It was nice to get all dressed up and enjoy another amazing dinner. 

Cruise Day 1 {Travel and Boarding the Ship}

Our day started bright and early at 4am! My dad took us to the airport and Ava got up to see us off to the airport. 

Our flight to Fort Lauderdale took off at 7:30am. Everything was on time but it was a very bumpy flight. They didn't even start beverage service until 2 hours into the flight. 

But on the other end?

Nate!

He picked up us at the airport and dropped us off at the cruise terminal. But on the way we stopped at Mellow Mushroom. One of our favorites!

Pizza and beer for lunch kicked off vacation!

After lunch, we headed to Miami and Nate dropped us off. It took quite a bit for the embarkation process but there was quite a few people to board. 

We checked into our room and unpacked. 

And somehow, we still brought toys with us. Ha!

We then headed up to the Skybox bar and joined the rest of the Ohio State fans to watch the game. It was so fun!

We explored the ship some more and headed back for naps (yea!) and then get ready for dinner. We enjoyed our meals in the dining room so much! More on that later. 

A great first day of vacation!

Eleven Years of Wedded Bliss...

Eleven years. It's so beyond crazy to me that we have been married for 11 years. Where has the time gone? We have built a life I could only dream of as a child. While we celebrated with a cruise (!), our actual anniversary was spent unpacking, laundry, and John going to work. And the amazing LIFE we have built is every bit of perfection.

Love you, Ho!! 

#houghtalinggirls

Sweet, happy Addy

Would you believe me if I told you had a 102 temp in this pic?

A sweet note from Ava's amazing teacher!

A little FaceTime with Ella and Roz. Ava wanted no part of it because she was mad because she wasn't invited. Ha!

One of my new favs! Framable, for sure!

Another lunch with Ava Kate

Valuable lessons with the neighbors on arm wrestling

When you shop with Addy

Hello, Friday!

Friday Night Lights!

Ice cream fun with the neighbors!

Starting her own band!

Flying with Daddy!

My little cop

Mommy found her favorite candy from China at the Asian Market. She was soon excited!

Roofing training for Mommy!

I snuck away to the pumpkin farm to get stuff to decorate the porch. And...had an awesome donut!

We caught up with Ava Berlincourt at the outdoor movie at the YMCA!

Diaper Shower!

Saturday night we hosted Sara and Eric's diaper shower. Baby Boy Smithers is scheduled to make his arrival on Oct. 22nd. Unless, he has other plans. I'm super excited for them!

His room is decorated in Ohio State so we got a cake and cake pop to match!

She got lots of diapers and some super cute outfits!

A fun night for sure with my peeps!