Too exhausted after 10 days away with the kids to think of a cute title...

We got back late Sunday night after a wonderful "vacation" in Miami and the Caribbean. I have posted all 179 pictures on Google, but here are (some of) my favorites with a little commentary on a very memorable time with the kids and Danny.
----
We stayed in Miami for a long weekend before heading out on our cruise. Since the Kohl Children's Museum wouldnt relocate for a few days, we had to settle for the Miami Children's Museum. Amelia did tell me that she prefers Kohl Museum and I am pretty sure it is because the Miami one is geared towards older kids. We did have a great time, nonetheless, even little Leo. To see the rest of the Museum pictures, go to http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/Museum



After the museum, we hung around Miami a little - once we paid for parking, we refused to leave. See our pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/Miami

Just like at home, we rarely had a laugh together on the boat. I did manage to squeeze out a few (50?) smiles from the kids, however. Here are a couple of cute ones. The rest of them can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/Ship



Our first stop was San Juan. We weren't thrilled that we didn't dock until 2:00pm because that is prime napping time, but it did work out nicely when we got off the boat close to sunset. Danny had some fun testing out the nighttime functions on the camera and the kids loved all of the lights. The beautiful night shots and more can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/SanJuan

Next stop - St. Maarten. Danny and I have fond memories of our last time there, when Amelia was 10 months old. The heat was insane, but we had a fun time walking around and looking in the shops. I bought Amelia a beautiful handmade dress to wear on future cruises. It was cute to see Leo do the same things as his big sister and cousins before him - pass out cold from the heat and sleep through the water taxi and the entire walk back to the ship. All the pics, including Leo sleeping, can be found here http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/StMaarten

St. Thomas was next and this was the port we were most looking forward to. A good friend's sister lives on the island. We had plans to meet at the old synagogue. Noone told us, of course, that you had to be on Survivor to be able to climb the hill leading to this gorgeous landmark. Good thing I am married to a hulk that can handle a double stroller like nobody's business. Here is Danny going for the gold on Synagogue Hill (it's really called that!). The rest of the island pics can be found here http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/StThomas



We stopped in the Bahamas on Shabbat and just walked around for a little and went back to the ship for a very nice lunch in the dining room.

One of the nice things about this cruise was the Fisher Price playtime they had each morning. They had an infant hour and a toddler hour - we went to both. And, anyone who knows Amelia, knows that she was the star pupil. Amelia helped the leader, Jenicka, clean up all of the toys after each session. Leo was more interested in the piano and stage than any of the toys. It was interesting seeing him with other babies, something that is rare. Leo is intrigued by them and socializes in a really sweet way. The rest of the pics can be found at http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/Playtime



When we finished eating and weren't trying to find something else to eat, we were having fun in our stateroom. Both kids slept in their own Pack N Play and Amelia spent the majority of her awake time in there as well. She had all of her dollies with her and whatever they needed - diapering, feeding, bedtime - she took care of them in her "crib". Leo spent his time walking back and forth, hiding under the vanity and pounding on the bathroom door while I was trying to take a shower in peace. See all the antics at http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/Stateroom



Last on our itinerary was a lovely 8 hours at Miami International Airport. Intending on going stand-by, we got to the airport at 10:00am. After seeing that all flights were full, we decided it would be too expensive and not worth it to rent a car and drive around since our flight was 3:30pm and boarding with the kids and a car seat is never a quick process. Little did we know that Chicago weather had other plans and delayed our flight 2 hours and we didnt board until 5:45pm. We did have a ball at the airport, making lots of new friends and enjoying all of the running around space. Running around does make one tired, however. On that note...if any of our fellow passengers are reading this, I sincerely apologize for the hysterical screaming, offered to you in stereo, for the majority of the flight. Leo was nice enough t fall asleep sitting up as the plane landed. See our fun and new friends at http://picasaweb.google.com/dovalehw/Airportfun