Pictures from the party - Part 3

Ok, I've had enough time to relax; time to get posting again. Here's the third (and final) part of photos from Lucas's birthday party way back on June 14. Yes, I'm aware today is over a month after that. I shall endeavor to catch up.

As I mentioned at the end of the last party entry, many of the remaining pictures are from the gift opening. Since they almost all look the same, I just picked a few of them for your viewing pleasure. Lucas mostly just sat there trying to play with the already opened gifts while the older kids who understood what was going on, led by Brandon, helped Lucas get through them at a reasonable pace. Otherwise, we'd probably still be there.




"Yay, it's over!"


Here, Brandon models a pair of boots that Lucas will eventually be able to use. As you can tell, they are the must-have accessory of 2008.


This picture is a little fuzzy, but I really like how it came out, particularly the little guy's excitement.


This was as close as Lucas came to facing the camera in 3 pictures he took with my mom. He can be a squirmy little sucker.


Heidi went out of her way to avoid being photographed from behind during the party. So of course I felt it my obligation to take at least one shot of her butt. Here's to you, Heidi! :)


A picture of the birthday boy's final loot tally. He made out like a bandit. Heck, we still haven't opened up some of his toys. We figure once he grows out of some of his younger toys, we'll replace them with some of the older kid gifts. Not pictured are the outdoor toys, including a mini-basketball hoop and a sandbox/pool.


If those pictures aren't enough for you, check out the photo album since there are a LOT more there. Toodles!

The Cruise

Since this is technically a blog about Lucas and he didn't accompany us on vacation, I'm going to keep this (relatively) short (Yikes, I just finished writing this entry after an hour an a half, and I really need to look up the definition of "short" because it's anything but). Suffice to say, though, that the cruise was great. Of course, anything that keeps me away from work for 2 weeks falls under the "Awesome" category for me, so I'm a bit biased. We could probably have sat in the middle of a harbor somewhere for those 10 days, and I'd have been just as thrilled.

The vacation got off to a less-than-fantastic start when we discovered at the airport that we'd left the camera and videocamera back at the house. Thankfully, my mom has been wanting a new digital camera so when we arrived in Manhattan, we found a Best Buy and bought the latest version of our Canon camera to use on the trip. Once I've got all the photos downloaded, we'll then give the camera to my mom and everybody wins.

As it turned out though, I didn't use the camera nearly as much as I expected. Rather than view the vacation through a lens, we just experienced it instead, forgetting about the camera the majority of the time. We still used it for so-called Kodak moments, such as when we were high above a town in St. Thomas, but the majority of it is pictures of the boat or shots as we pulled into harbor.

As with any cruise, there was much eating, drinking, and laziness. I think I'd break a scale and/or cholesterol-checking machine if I were to use either today. Red meat every day and an unhealthy amount of vodka over the last couple of days on the cruise will do that to you. :)

I'm going to post a bunch of pictures below for your convenience, but if you'd like to see the rest, you can check them out in the photo album, which should be updated later on this weekend.

One last thing before the pictures. The only downside to the cruise was that we left out of New York. Why is this bad? Well, that meant that about 70% of the people on the cruise, by our estimation, were from the surrounding area, and let me tell you, the Long Island/Brooklyn/New Jersey accents were wearing pretty damn thin by the end of the trip. Don't even get me started about how they did nothing but complain about the cruise nearly anytime I overheard them (which was often since New Yorkers apparently have a broken volume button in their heads). Other than that, the cruise was a success, but if I never go anywhere near NYC and its wretched accents ever again, it won't be too soon.

Now, on with the pictures...

Crossing under a bridge as we left NYC behind on the first day.


Hanging out at the nightclub on Day 2. That was the only time we got up there during the trip since despite my goal to be buzzed over half of the trip, eating enough food to keep a large family satisfied makes it hard to find any extra space for alcohol.


Marilu poses in front of our ship after we disembarked in San Juan. We walked around a bit, but it wasn't one of the more thrilling stops. Maybe it's just me, but Puerto Rico just doesn't strike me as terribly exotic.


Here's one of the aforementioned pictures from high over St Thomas. We got these pictures done just in time since a massive downpour came through minutes later (see foreboding clouds/fog on the right side of the picture).


Later that day, we took a boat to nearby St. John and snorkeled in the lovely bay below. That was definitely one of the highlights of the trip. We took some pictures on a disposable, waterproof camera so once we get that developed, I may post a picture or two from that.


The next port was Tortola, but we didn't have much time AND it was a Sunday so not much was open. As a result, no memorable pictures from there. However, the following day was at Grank Turk, which was probably the best port from a beach standpoint. That's because the beach was right there and didn't require any effort to get to it. As far as I could tell, pretty much the whole island was nothing but beach. I wouldn't mind going back there sometime.

Here's a view of the beach from our cabin. In the foreground is another ship that was docked there. It looked like it might have been some sort of British military boat. The complex behind the beach was comprised of several duty-free shops as well as Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. That place was really cool, but the food was EXTREMELY over-priced. For lunch (just sandwiches), 2 beers, and 2 mixed drinks, we spent over $70!


Long before we left for the cruise, I came up with idea that it would be hilarious to take a picture with my buddy Jason (who got married on the cruise) in matching Speedos. We're far from the ideal body types for Speedos so I figured it would be an amusing gag photo (no pun intended, for those viewing it). Unfortunately, Jason bailed on me at Grand Turk, and since that was the last beach day, I decided to solo it. For those of you with sensitive stomachs, you may want to look away now since this may not be pretty. Of course, just wait until you see the ones that didn't make the blog cut when I upload the rest to the photo albums. :)


On the trip back up the East Coast, I took a few pictures of the pool areas on the ship to give you an idea what the upper deck was like. The first one was the most popular, and hence most crowded of the pools. I only sat by that on the last day since the New York accents and kids running around were almost too much during other days.


The other main pool was where the Movies Under the Stars screen was located. This is a pretty nifty concept since it allows people to watch almost first-run movies right by the pool during the afternoon and again at night. A lot of people seemed to enjoy this, but I only watched one movie, an 11:30 PM showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show. Kristen (Jason's new wife) and I even stood up and did the Time Warp dance. Fun stuff.


And finally, this is the pool I spent most of my time in or around (while baking under the sun). It was an adults only pool, which kept it a little more sane than the other ones. There was still quite a few floating New Yorkers, but the sheer relaxation value more than made up for it.


Here's Lady Liberty as we approached the Brooklyn docks on our final day.


And finally, what would a vacation blog entry be without Lucas tearing through our suitcases when we got back?

We're back!

Photos and details to follow soon...

Pictures from the party - Part 2

No real need for introductions here. As the title says, these are more pictures from Lucas's first birthday party.

Lucas's cousin Meagan (sorry, there's like 8 different ways to spell that so I'm using the version one of my ex's used) strikes a pensive pose.


Today's theme must be thoughtful poses, as we next jump to Francesca who looks as if she is concentrating.


The first kid car accident of the day as Brandon and Thierry appear to have had a fender bender.


Here's a picture of the living room just to give you an idea of all the activity.


Before you accuse me of making this Megan's blog (gonna try and work in multiple spellings in the hope that at least one is right), the reason I'm using this picture is to show off her eyes. One of the things I've heard repeatedly is that Lucas and Meaghan have the same eyes. I'll give them this, they both have very striking blue eyes.


Ha, I just noticed this one. Logan appears to have his own version of the "say cheese" smile. Hoorah!


I posted a bunch of cake pictures way back when, but here's another one of Lucas chowing down on Elmo.


In addition to the cakes, Marilu made a bunch of Elmo-themed cupcakes. Yes, our house looked like Elmo came in there and just plain exploded.


I don't care what kind of slander Lucas has to say about him, Tyler has one infectious smile (seen here with his mom and dad).


I can't tell what they are looking at, but this picture of Lucas and Thierry amuses me. Something about their poses, I guess.


"Ok, I'm here. Let's get to the presents!"


And that wraps it up for Part 2. Most of the rest of the pictures from the party cover the gift opening so I'll probably only include a couple of those in Part 3 since they get kind of redundant.

Cruise update: Last full day at sea. Sigh. With any luck, I somehow came into possession of my own rum plantation at one of the ports, and I have no need to return to Canada or my job. Keep your fingers crossed. As a side note, this is my last postdated entry so the next one will be written "live".

Pictures from the party - Part 1

If you recall, I posted some pictures of Lucas from his birthday party on June 14 since I figured it would be a while before I had a chance to get to the rest of them. Considering it's now June 30 (and July 8 when this actually shows up), it turns out that was a good idea. So, for your viewing pleasure, this entry and tomorrow's entry will be devoted to all of the other happenings at the party.

Woohoo, some of the stuff Lucas can't use yet is finally being used by other kids! In particular, the slide (which he still needs assistance with) and one of his cars (which he still tends to slide off due to short legs).


Apparently, Lucas felt the need to claim his castle, even if he still needs a helping hand (Marilu in the background) to ensure he doesn't tumble off of it.


I can't tell whether Genevieve is playing with Elmo or just leaning on him as she tells another kid off with the tongue hanging out of her mouth.


Our next-door neighbor Tyler mugs for the camera.


Logan and his mom Sherry (Sherri? Sheri? dang multiple spellings) also pose for the camera. Well, technically, Logan is posing while Sher(r)(i)(y) stares lovingly at Logan, but you get the idea.


I don't recognize the cup Lucas is using here so I suspect he might have absconded with another child's food/drink. It would certainly explain the guilty look on his face. Of course, I'm probably wrong, and Marilu will make sure I realize that once she reads this.


Half of Kelly's head and her newborn Carson, who I believe was the youngest baby at the party.


I just realized it's going to take 3 or 4 parts to accurately represent the party since I have to pick from around 160 photos. As such, I'm gonna wrap this entry up and add to it some more tomorrow.

Cruise update: Sigh...unless I've left the ship to become a catamaran captain in the last few days, we're somewhere in the Atlantic on our way back to New York City. I'm sure I'm slightly down, knowing the trip will soon be over, but if I know me (and after 37 years, I probably should), I'm awash in adult beverages that are helping keep up my spirits. (egad, yet another pun).

One happy kid

As you saw on the holiday photos a few days back, riding on my shoulders makes Lucas happy. You only saw photos in those entries so here we see a video from June 13 of him having a blast up there. Much laughter ensues...



Then his mom gets in on the act. This photo would be perfect if only I was, you know, looking at the camera. Or not, depending on what you think of my face.


To wrap up that day, Lucas checks out some of the beer I bought for his birthday party. That's my boy, grabbing the Guinness!


Cruise update: I think our port today is Tortola in the British Virgin Islands. I may be confusing it with Grand Turk though. Whichever one it isn't, I'll be there tomorrow.

Pblpblbplbplbplbpblb (I think that's how it sounds)

June 12 brings us to one of the more amusing videos of Lucas lately. He'd recently learned how to make the raspberry sound (ie, blowing while his tongue is out, for those of you unfamiliar with the term), and in the video below, you see him going to town with it. Funny stuff.



Lucas has also taken an interest in trying to tear the vent from the wall after successfully doing it once. I've put it back up, but the wall is pretty much eaten up underneath the vent so it's on there pretty loosely. In this photo, Marilu does her best to keep Lucas from getting to it. No doubt, being a woman, she'll give me some grief about showing her butt in a picture. :)


Cruise update: I'm working from memory here, but I'm pretty sure today is a full day in St Thomas. We get in early and don't leave until evening so it should be a fun day of exploring the town. And probably drinking and sunbathing as well.

Happy Fourth of July

So, it's July 4th, where are we right now? Hmm, according to the itinerary, we're stopping in San Juan, Puerto Rico late in the day for several hours. We signed up initially to go on a tour of the Bacardi distillery, but the itinerary got changed at the last minute so I'm not sure if that's still a go. Whatever the case, I'm not at work and I can sleep in as much as I want so it's all good.

All that aside, Happy Fourth of July! Much like Canada Day, Lucas has dressed up for the occasion. We took these at the same time as the Canada Day pictures so he was a bit grumpy taking the photos until I propped him up on my shoulders. That's apparently a crowd pleaser.


Just to get an idea of what we were dealing with, here's a video of the squirmy wormy.



And finally, a couple of pictures from his pool where he's stylin' in the latest US fashion.

Cookie Monster

In the photos below, Lucas is wearing one of my favorite outfits. I like the color blue so that's probably a part of it, but the big ol' Cookie Monster face is just great on its own merits. All of these photos are from June 11.

Flashing the trademark "say cheese" smile.


This comment will likely not mean anything to anybody but me, but this next picture always reminds me of an old song that had something to do with tears and a clown. No one wants to see a clown cry, Lucas. Okay, no more obscure references today since I think that one was from 1982 or so.


Standing with almost no help from mommy.


And we close out with a standing "say cheese".


Cruise update: Unless things went awry, we should still be at sea. Once again, my sleeping and/or inebriated comment from yesterday should apply.

Spaceman Lucas

I hadn't paid much attention to this photo from June 9 the first time I saw on it. Then I noticed two things. First, the expression on Lucas's face. "C'mon, guys, I need more power!" Second, he's standing on the seat. I don't know why, but something about those two things cracks me up.


Cruise update: we should be somewhere at sea today. Odds are I'm in an inebriated state or sleeping. Either one works for me.

Happy Canada Day

If you're reading this on July 1, Marilu and I are probably somewhere in or near NYC on a cruise ship, attending my friend Jason's wedding and awaiting the ship to cast off around 4 PM. However, that doesn't stop Lucas from wishing everyone a Happy Canada Day!


Here's a couple other cute shots from that series. Lucas was in a "I WANT THE CAMERA" mood so the majority of them were him trying to wriggle out of our grasp. For future reference, though, the shoulder ride always makes him happy.