Disney Cruise - Juneau (By Kerry Schwab)

Last night we went to see Cars 2. We all enjoyed it but Carter only made it through the first half. When we got back to the room Callie was over tired and went crazy! She yelled about her toothpaste, slammed doors, kicked walls and scratched! It was awful! Finally I turned the TV on and she watched for 10 minutes and fell asleep. Yikes! This morning was super fun as well. I slept in until 6:30 and my legs were too stiff to run this morning so I just went for a walk up top and got my mocha. There was no line at the buffet so I got an assortment of items and took a tray back to the room. Everyone approved except Callie.

She wouldn't eat the scrambled eggs because they were in a bowl and not on a plate. She wanted to go up to the buffet and eat in her pyjamas. We said she had to wear her clothes. After about 15 minutes (and Evan and Carter leaving the room) she eventually dressed herself and we made it upstairs. After breakfast we headed into Juneau. It was pouring! We walked around the town for about an hour and half and then headed back to the ship.  Callie wanted to go to the Oceaneers Club to join the "Heffalump Hunt. " She surprised me by taking very good care of Carter. She held his hand and led him around.

She was also very concerned at the end of the hunt that he hadn't found one. Callie loved the hunt and participated constantly. Her hand was up and she was volunteering answers into the microphone. I think she felt safe because it was a Pooh Bear activity. Afterwards we went up to the buffet for lunch. It was Chinese food. Pretty tasty! This afternoon we went to see 'The Little Mermaid' in the theatre. The kids and I really enjoyed it. It is still my favourite Disney movie! Evan went back into Juneau to go geocaching but didn't find any of them. Tonight was a semiformal night and was the Captain's dinner.

I had Oysters Rockafeller, garlic shrimp and lobster. Unfortunately, my lobster was quite tough and had no taste. I was very disappointed! After diner we saw Pluto and then headed to the big theatre for "Toy Story-The Musical." It was amazing and the costumes and special effects were fabulous! The kids loved it, especially Callie.

Disney Cruise - Skagway (By Kerry Schwab)

This morning we docked in Skagway. I got up at 6:00a and went for a run on deck 4 (I did 6 laps). Then I went to deck 9 to make my mocha and have my morning stroll on deck 10. Skagway is a small town of 800 people nestled in the mountains. It's very picturesque and reminded me a lot of Hazelton. I saw a little family of seals. The little one was having quite the time trying to eat a large fish. On the way back to the room I stopped by the internet cafe to send mom a quick e-mail. We decided to try Triton's for breakfast to avoid the line up at the buffet. Evan and I enjoyed our meals but Carter essentially ate nothing while

Callie freaked out when her pancakes and waffles came with the syrup already on them, the scrambled eggs were touching other things and the pancake "tower" only had three pancakes in it. Oh the horror! After breakfast we headed into Skagway (the town was a 2 minute walk from the ship). We popped into a few shops but didn't buy anything. We stopped by the Ranger Station where the kids did a few free activities and were sworn in as "Junior Rangers." They both enjoyed that. I asked the Ranger about little hikes in the area and she sent us to one near the cruise ship. We hiked to Yakutania Point which was only about 30 minutes round trip but was quite scenic and very quiet.

We only ran into three other people! It started to rain so we quickly walked back to the ship. The kids and I changed and headed up to the theatre to catch the new Pooh Bear Movie. There were only about 20 people in the theatre and we all had fun. We then headed to the Oceaneers Club to participate in "Slide Time." This is when they have the pirate ship and slide open. It was fine for Carter to play there as long as I supervised (as the club is for 3-10 year olds). Callie really wanted to go to the Mickey Pool so we decided to brave the cold (it was 10 degrees and raining!). There were only 2 other kids in the pool, surprisingly I know! We only stayed about 20 minutes.

The water was warm and the Mickey ear hot tubs were a little warmer but the air was very chilly. Evan and Carter dashed out ahead of us and then Callie and I quickly grabbed hot chocolate and tea and dashed back to the room. A hot shower was definitely in order. We had a rest before getting ready for dinner. Tonight was "Taste of Alaska". We were back in Triton's. Callie wasn't feeling well when we first got there but perked up about 1/2 way through. Both kids ordered chicken noodle soup to start and followed up with chicken fingers. Evan and I both started with Alaskan King Crab legs (absolutely delicious) then he had the honey-mustard baked salmon and I had the pork tenderloin with a wine mushroom gravy and mashed potatoes. Yum! For dessert Carter had the chocolate mousse and Evan and I both had the "Sweet Temptations" the trio included a little chocolate mousse, a little cake and a pear custard. Very nice! Now we are off to Cars 2 in the big Theatre in 3-D.

Disney Cruise - Tracy Arm (By Kerry Schwab)

This morning I got up at 5:30 after a restless night with the kids. We didn't go to sleep until 10:30p. Carter was mad because his "eyes were falling down" and they needed to be open. Callie was up to go pee at 2:00a and Carter was restless all night because he was constipated (for the first time ever!). I got up and went for a walk on deck. It was much windier and colder this morning. I walked around for about 45 minutes and then went to the gym to do some spinning. Very relaxing!! This morning we decided on the buffet for breakfast. Carter didn't eat much because his tummy hurt. Callie was being stinky about what she ate and where we sat.

I told her if she kept it up I was cancelling our Disneyland trip next summer. After breakfast we went to the Oceaneer lab. Callie joined the "Lava Flow" class where they made volcanoes. She really liked it but wanted us all to stay with her. For lunch we ate at the Beach Blanket Buffet. Then it was time for the ship to head up Tracy Arm. We were out on the deck from 12:30p - 4:00p! We were wearing jeans, hoodies, jackets and wrapped up in blankets. Callie did really well. She was cold but took a 45 minute nap and spent a lot of time looking for wildlife. We only saw one seal!! It was very beautiful and Sawyer Glacier was breathtaking!

We then came back to the room and the kids had a 45 minute hot bath. They were so cold! We watched 'Rango' in the room and had a lay down. Tonight was dinner in Parrot Cay (Island Theme). Our table next to the giant porthole was beautiful going through Tracy Arm. Callie was very social tonight. She spent the entire dinner talking with Narissa (the other 6 year-old at our table). I had the mixed grill for dinner (lamb, beef, shrimp and bacon wrapped sausage). Everything was delicious except the sausage. Evan had steak which was really good and a very tasty jerk chicken appetizer with blue cheese sauce. Carter had mac and cheese and Callie had chicken fingers.

For dessert Callie had vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce. Carter had the Mickey ice cream bar, Evan had the 'Smore Vanilla Cake, and I had the "Sweet Temptations," a little lemon meringue tart and a piece of creme brule square. Delicious! After dinner the kids changed into their jabbies and we went to see "Tangled" in 3-D at the Buena Vista Theatre. We own the movie and have seen it several times but never in 3-D. Callie loved it! She never wanted to see a movie in 3-D before because she didn't want to wear the glasses, but now she's hooked! We went to sleep as soon as we got back to the cabin.

Disney Cruise - Day 2 At Sea (By Kerry Schwab)

This morning I had the best run of my life! I got up at 5:30a and headed up to the top deck (Evan slept from 8:00p to 6:30a) It was still dark when I got there and there were only 3 other people up. It was cold and windy but at the same time exhilarating! I ran for about 25 minutes and then made a mocha outside the buffet and went for a walk. At that time the ship was clearing the northern tip of Vancouver Island. Daybreak was beautiful. I stood at the back of the ship (my favourite place) by myself and watched the last bits of land go by. I was lucky enough to see a pod of 5 orcas! OMG! Amazing! At 8:00 we went for our scheduled character breakfast.

It was a little rocky getting out the door but then everything was fine. Evan had eggs and bacon, Carter had chocolate chip pancakes and a Mickey Mouse waffle (Mickey Surf) Callie had 2 scoops of scrambled eggs and I had a bagel with lox and cream cheese. Very yummy!! Goofey, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Chip and Dale all came to our table for breakfast pictures. Callie loved Minnie and Carter liked Goofy the best. Our waiter made us head gear out of napkins. Callie and I got bows, Carter got a Peter Pan hat and Evan got a lost boys hat.

When Francisco was putting Evan's hat on he said "Your head is very big sir." We had a good laugh over that one! Then we stopped by the gift shop where Callie picked out a rattle for baby Ryan and a little Minnie Mouse for Kristen. Carter picked out a cuddly soft Pluto. We took a tour of the kids club and then came back to the room for a rest. We then went to Pluto's Dog house for a quick lunch on the deck ! It was freaking cold. We were bundled up in blankets! Afterwards we checked out the line up for the Princess meet and greet. We were told it was 45 minutes from the end point so Callie decided she wanted to wait.

After all was said and done the two of us waited an hour and a half. She was so patient and the look on her face was priceless when she saw Belle, Cinderella, Arial, Snow White and Tianna! Carter napped on Evan up on the deck the whole time we were in line. Tonight we had the captains welcome party complete with free drinks and pictures with Mickey. It was also "Fancy Night" so we threatened and made deals with the kids for good behaviour so we could get a nice family picture and enjoy our meal. The result... a lovely picture with Mickey and an enjoyable meal!.

Callie had chicken fingers, Carter had macaroni and cheese and mozza sticks. Evan and I had fried cheese ravioli and New York steak. It was delicious! For dessert Evan had Creme Brule, I had the chocolate celebration, Callie had vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce, Carter had chocolate pudding and Lucia brought a strawberry sundae for us to share. Yum! Tonight was the Golden Mickey's show in the Walt Disney theatre. It was fabulous! Callie loved seeing the princesses and made sure she hid her new Dalmatian from Cruella Deville.

Disney Cruise - Bon Voyage (By Kerry Schwab)

For our cruise Kerry did a daily journal, so rather than creating something from scratch I thought I'd just use that instead.  The next seven posts are all from Kerry.

This morning Mom and Dad helped us get ready for the cruise and escorted us to the terminal via the SkyTrain. I was so worried about forgetting something that I forgot to say goodbye to Wilson :(. Getting on the ship was a breeze. We didn't have to wait in a single line up! Everyone was super nice. The bomb-sniffing dog guy offered to take a family picture for us and we got announced over a microphone as we boarded the ship! The kids were super excited to get greeted by Pluto! After we boarded we went out on deck to get pictures taken by Mom & Dad from Canada Place. Sure wish they could have come. =( Then we had lunch at 'The Beach Blanket Buffet'. The kids loved their mac and cheese and I loved my shrimp!

At 2:00 our room was ready so the kids changed into their swimsuits and I took them to the pool while Evan had a nap. The life boat drill was at 4:00p. At 5:00p we attended the sail away party with Mickey and the gang. Callie didn't like it at first but then a really nice crew member found her a perfect seat beside the stage. Afterwards we went to the highest deck to watch the ship sail past Stanley Park and under the Lion's Gate bridge. Beautiful! Then it was dinner time at Triton's. What an adventure that turned out to be! First Carter flipped out when we were going up the stairs and refused to go into the restaurant then he freaked out when I picked him up,

held his breath until he turned blue, and then passed out for a couple of seconds. Then he was fine until I wiped his hands with handi-wipes we were given as we walked through the door. He screamed for a good 5 minutes at the entrance to the restaurant then he was a perfect gentlemen for the rest of the evening. Unfortunately about 15 minutes later his sister took over. She threw a complete hissy fit because she didn't have enough fries, the plate wasn't small enough and there was corn on her plate. After about 10-15 minutes of freaking out (and she got some food into her) she was a perfect lady. If this keeps up we will be freaking mental by the end. Now it is 10:00p and I am soaking in the miniature tub while the kids watch Pinnochio on the TV.

Callie is over the moon because she gets to sleep in a bunk bed that pulls out from the ceiling! Carter loved the bath tub and said "Mommy, the bath tub is wonderful and it's Disney!". We have our character breakfast at 8:00 tomorrow morning so hopefully that goes well. BTW - Evan had sole for dinner and it was the best he had ever tasted. I had the beef tenderloin - Wow! I could have cut it with my fork. Delicious!

Baby Ryan

Callie is very excited to present her new baby cousin Ryan Kilden. He was born on Saturday August 27th which seems fitting since Callie and Kristen were both born on the 7th and Carter was born on the 17th. We went for a visit on Sunday and baby and family are doing fine. He was a couple weeks early but this works out well for us since we leave for our cruise on Tuesday.

As soon as Callie found out he was born she was obsessed with all things Ryan. After dutifully teaching Carter the babies name she got right to work making a friendship bracelet for him. I don't think she was quite prepared for just how small babies are though since when we got to the hospital to visit the first thing said was "I think I made it too big". Callie will also have to start teaching her cousin Kristen the ins and outs of being a big sister. So far the best quote we've heard from Kristen was "Put it away." to her mom when she was holding the new baby. (Carter may wish to teach Ryan a few self defense techniques as well.)

Ryan's Mom and Dad are also still looking for help with the middle name. 'Oilers' is apparently not an option.

Callie's Birthday Party

This year we had Callie's Birthday party on a Tuesday evening. Since she's a summer baby we try to avoid the weekends as people often have plans to go away and it's difficult to find dates where everyone can come. Callie had decided she only wanted to invite 5 kids which suits me fine. Even with only 4 kids showing up you still have parents and siblings and the house fills up fast. Callie had decided she wanted to have a constellation themed party. This is not your typically party theme so Kerry and I were left scrambling to figure out what to do. In the end we decided star related items were the easiest to find.

Since constellations were the theme Callie had decided she wanted everyone to wear their pajamas. (I'm really not sure where she gets these ideas.) We included many of the typical party events including a craft where the kids got to decorate wooden door hangers. It almost didn't happen as Kerry painted them black and Callie wanted them to be blue. In the end Callie decided it was okay because the colour was Blackberry and she felt they smelled like Blackberries. They really just smelled like paint but who were we to argue. We also had our annual scavenger hunt. This year the kids had to find constellations and match them up to the animal they represented. The party was capped off with a water bottle rocket that uses baking soda and vinegar. I only filled it half way as I had no idea what would happen and I just barely managed to get my hand away before it launched. Another successful birthday party complete.