My Favorite Creatures

I realize that its been awhile since you heard from Mommy, but she’s been really busy with school lately. She just finished an Advanced Placement Exam today that will give her credit on her transcript for a Computer Information Systems course that she needs to graduate. Since she passed the test, she doesn’t have to take the class and that will help her to graduate an entire semester earlier. That means more time to spend with me!

While Mommy is busy, I want to tell you some more about our trip to Cancun. I learned so many new things there and I want to share them with you!

I saw some really cool animals at our resort. As we walked around, I saw iguanas laying out in the sun. I tried my best to pet one of them, but they were always faster than me.

At night, we saw geckos everywhere! My Dad caught a baby gecko and let me pet him with my Nice Hands. We let the baby gecko go home because he wanted to see his Mommy and Daddy. I loved that baby gecko and I’m obsessed with drawing baby geckos. I can’t draw really good yet, but I like to ask my sister to draw me a picture of a gecko on my Magna-Doodle. I love to do it again and again and again, but my sister eventually grumbles about it.

At night time, we saw some bats flying around in the jungle. They were hard to see because they fly really fast, but one of them touched Mommy’s arm. I don’t know why she wasn’t more excited about that.

I met a monkey on the beach one day. He was on a leash, so I knew he was someone’s pet. We also saw some monkey creatures in the jungle, but I don’t know what they were called.

I loved Cancun because it was just as exciting as visiting a zoo! I really want to go back someday so I can finally pet an iguana.

The Ocean

My Mommy is from Florida, so she grew up swimming in the ocean. She really loves the water and she isn’t at all afraid of sharks. She likes living near Lake Erie, but it’s not as pretty as the ocean.

I saw the ocean for the first time in my life on our trip to Cancun. My Papa is going to be a little sad that I didn’t see the ocean for the first time at his house in West Palm Beach, but Mommy said this ocean was prettier than Papa’s ocean. The water was very clear and the sand was soft. The waves were gentle and the water wasn’t as salty when you accidentally swallowed it.

The first time I put my feet in the ocean, I was a little scared. It was a lot bigger than the swimming pool at the YMCA. I really wanted Mommy to pick me up. I wanted Daddy to pick me up, too, but he was busy taking photos of me being scared.

After we took some pictures, Mommy & Daddy carried me while they walked out into the waves. We met a very nice lady in the water that was holding a bread roll. She was feeding the fish. I looked down in the water and I saw lots of silver fish swimming around us. The water was so clear that you could see them gobbling the bread. That made me forget how scared I was because I wanted to get in the water and touch the fish. I wasn’t fast enough to catch one, though.

After my first day, I wasn’t scared of the ocean anymore. I loved to run into the water all by myself and watch the waves hitting my legs. I would let Mommy & Daddy take me into the deeper water, but then I would scream at them, “I do it! I do it! I DO IT!!!!” I don’t know why they didn’t understand that I just wanted to stand in the water by myself. When Mommy finally got the message, she let me stand in the water alone. It was fun until a big wave knocked me over, which is when I found out that the water tasted funny.

I really loved the ocean and I want to visit it again, soon!.

My First Flight

I’m sure my Mommy told you how relaxing our vacation was and how she had an opportunity to review her priorities and enjoy the little blessings in life. Now that vacation is over, she’s really busy planning a year-end event at work and she doesn’t look as relaxed as she did in Cancun. I’m trying to help her out, so I’m posting on her blog today. It’s just one less thing she still has to do before we can play with my Magna-Doodle together, so I’m happy to help.

I know you want to hear all about our vacation, but I have to tell you about the airplane ride first. Mommy & Daddy took me to the airport a couple of weeks before our trip so I could explore. They were very nervous about my first flight. I heard them wonder aloud how I was going to sit on an airplane for a couple of hours when I can’t even sit through church quietly for ten minutes. I suppose they just don’t understand how hard it is to be quiet when you have as much to say as I do. I really don’t understand why the Pastor is allowed to talk as much as he wants, but I’m not allowed to talk at all. Don’t you think God wants to hear me, too?

The morning of our trip, Mommy woke me up really early. She usually gets mad at me if I want to wake up at 4:30am, but it was alright on trip day because it was her idea. She asked me again and again if I was ready to ride the airplane, and I just looked at her like she was crazy because airplanes are way up in the sky and they’re really small. Either way, I could sense that we were going on an adventure, so I played along.

After a quick car ride to the airport, we got to ride a shuttle bus from the parking lot to the terminal. I was so excited about the bus ride! When we got off the bus, we had to wait in line to send our luggage onto the airplane. I had lots of fun running around the queuing line. Everyone loved watching me run around and I know they did because I saw lots of smiles and giggles from the people I ran past.

After our bags were gone, we waited in another long line. At the end of the line, I had to take off my shoes and walk to a policeman, which was kind of strange. I didn’t mind, though, because there was a big window next to the line and I could look outside and see a huge airplane! I didn’t want to leave that window.

After we were done waiting in lines, Mommy & Daddy let me run all over the waiting area. I was darting in and out and left and right and up and down the terminal. I was entertaining folks again, which I suppose is just my job. After I got bored with that, we saw an airplane getting ready to leave. I stood in the window and watched the luggage get loaded on the plane and I watched other people walk down the tunnel and get onboard. I was so interested in watching that plane that I argued with Mommy & Daddy when it was time to get on our airplane.

I was supposed to be a lap child, but our airplane wasn’t full, so I got my very own seat. I was obsessed with buckling and unbuckling my seat belt, so I did that for the entire time we were waiting to take off. The sun was just starting to rise that morning as we taxied on the runway, so I could watch out the window as other planes took off. Our plane started to move very fast, which reminded me of a race car, which was really cool. Suddenly, we were up in the clouds, which was very interesting, but not as interesting as my seat belt.

I spent a couple of hours playing with Mommy & Daddy. They packed a big bag of my favorite toys and books and they even brought a couple of toys I never saw before! I really loved having Mommy & Daddy’s attention all to myself. After about 2 hours, I told Mommy that I was “All done,” but she said we were flying over the ocean and couldn’t get off the plane right away. I started to argue with her, but then she promised to sing the Winnie the Pooh song to me if I cuddled with her. I love that song, so I grabbed my blankie and my doggie and cuddled up with Mommy. She sang me to sleep and I napped for the last hour of our flight.

When we got to the new airport, I got to ride an elevator and we waited in line for immigration and customs. I love lines because there are lots of bored people to entertain there. After that, we got on a big tour bus with huge windows and we took a two hour bus ride to our resort. I loved looking out the windows because Mexico looks so much different than Cleveland. I liked it.

We had a really long day. Mommy told me that we were traveling for a total of 7 hours and I didn’t cry once! Mommy & Daddy were shocked. I’m such a big boy. I would love to ride on an airplane again. I want to go on the airport parking shuttle bus, too.

Back in the Saddle Again

I’ve been dying to write a blog post and tell you all about our fabulous vacation, but I don’t know where to begin. I’m also drowning in work, so blogging is a seriously guilty pleasure at the moment. I just can’t resist the urge to indulge.

I won a 7-night, all-inclusive vacation package from Apple Vacations as part of my Makeover Prize. On the advice of several travel agents, we chose to visit the Riviera Maya region of Cancun. We stayed at the Grand Palladium Resort and we took our toddler along.

The trip was so fabulous that I really don’t know where to begin. I think I’ll have to share multiple posts about it, but the highlights are that Little King David absolutely loved the airplane ride and our travel days were tantrum-free. The people in Mexico were among the nicest folks I have ever met in my life. My first reaction to the gift of this vacation was a sense of dread because I really don’t enjoy wearing a bathing suit in public. I grew up in sunny Florida, so the idea of a tropical vacation wasn’t a novelty to me. I assumed the beach in Cancun would be just about the same as the beach at my father’s house in West Palm Beach, which we visit annually.

Thankfully, I was wrong. The beaches were beautiful and the ocean was serene. I spent a couple of days twitching from withdrawal after realizing that I didn’t have access to email, the internet, or my cell phone. A few pina coladas did wonders to help me relax.

I learned several important life lessons from this vacation.

*Stop and enjoy.

*The urgent details aren’t so important once you take the time to walk away.

*Toddlers are wise. Live at their pace and enjoy the peace.

*God is awesome. Look at everything he made!

Enjoy the pics and stay tuned for all the vacation details. I’ve heard a rumor that Little King David will be here later this week to tell you all about it from his perspective.

Bye Bye!

Tomorrow!!!!

The time has finally come!!!!

Our bags are packed and David is anxiously awaiting his first airplane ride. We'll be waking up at 3:30am tomorrow to catch our 7:00am flight to Cancun.

Let's keep our fingers crossed that David can refrain from throwing a massive tantrum for the first day in months. I'm trying to be optimistic, but considering that the kid refused to put on a shirt today until we took him outside and he realized that it was darn cold this morning, I think the likelihood of an entire day without a meltdown is asking for too much.

I've resolved to enjoy myself, anyway!

I'll be thinking about all my bloggy friends while I'm laying on the beach. I promise!!

Lost and Found

Again, my posts have been few and far between, but I am obsessed with getting ready for vacation. I’m sure you’ve realized by now that I do nothing spontaneously, and this vacation is certainly no exception.

I have been hurriedly finishing all my homework assignments, trying to clear off my desk at work, cleaning the house, and planning a celebration for my bonus daughter’s 18th birthday. (Yes, the Queen of Sheba will be 18 already!!)

I also decided it might be a good idea to start packing so I can figure out what I forgot before we actually leave the house. So, last night I dug our luggage out of storage and started filling our suitcases. As I packed David’s duffel bag, I realized there was something in the front zipper pocket. It felt kind of like a flashlight, so I realized we must have left it in there when we went camping last June. I pulled it out to make more room and realized that it wasn’t a flashlight.

It was a sippy cup.

Filled with milk.

In our luggage since last June.

Oy.