Then, after decorating the cupcakes, Ava enjoyed eating them:
And was kind enough to share with Dane who, of course, made a huge mess out of his:
Ava also shared her cupcake with this little toy man:
Who also made a huge mess and needed the icing licked off his face:
Ava is obsessed with microphones. Did you know that her favorite non-animated TV show is American Idol? She calls it "my music show".
Old friends: Wendy, birthday girl Kara, and Jessica (and Daddy in the background wrangling Ava).
See what I mean? Wiped out!
Happy Birthday Kara!
They were both sitting and looking at a book, but Dane got distracted when he saw me coming with the camera.
The shower was held at Ryan's church, which has a small gym attached. It was the perfect place for little people to run and play. Dane started out running circles like a maniac, but after an hour or so, all he could do was stand and watch the other kids run. He was so tired!
Gotta have some milk to wash down all that chocolate!
Ava showing off her pink polka-dot dress at home after the shower. She loves to feel the wind in her hair . . .
I'm a total doofus and forgot to get a picture with the bride-to-be. Sorry!
. . . taste-testing the hay . . .
. . . and feeding the calf.
Margaret strikes a pose in front of our cruise ship:
When we got back on board the ship, we walked around the deck, watched the yachts sail by, took pictures, and waved goodbye to Key West as we sailed away. Here was the view of Key West from one of the upper decks of our ship:
One of the islands that is only accessible by boat:
One of the fancier yachts we saw:
And I will end the cruise-post trilogy in Randy Nadler fashion, with a sunset!
The water was very shallow where we were kayaking ~ only about 2 to 3 feet deep in most places ~ and very clear. We could see all kinds of fish and marine creatures swimming around below us. Our guide even saw a small shark, and said that sometimes they see turtles. We saw a sting-ray. Very cool! We also saw all kinds of birds and vegetation. On our voyage, we paddled through a cut-through at the eastern tip of the island. Being surrounded by the mangrove trees was a little like being in a different world: 
We stopped to pose for a couple of pictures on our way back to the boat:
One last cruise post yet to come!
Okay, I know you all have been waiting on pins and needles to hear about the cruise, especially now that it's been nearly a month! Warning: long post ahead . . .
Our trip began really early on Monday morning, March 24. Our flight departed St. Louis at 6:50 a.m., and we had a 45 min. drive to the airport, so you can imagine just how early it was. Margaret and I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale at about 1 p.m., took a shuttle to the port in Miami and boarded our ship, the Majesty of the Seas. We set sail from Miami at around 5 p.m. The first thing we did was hit the gym, which really helped us wake up after a long day of traveling and get our sea legs. You wouldn't think you'd be able to feel much movement on a big ship, but you'd be surprised!
We spent the morning walking around Nassau to see the sights. I wasn't all that impressed, actually. The area we saw seemed to be full of tourist traps, and just wasn't all that clean or nice. But I did get t-shirts for Ava and Dane, and found a cute little straw purse for Ava at the Straw Market.
then we took tender boats, like this one, to and from the island:
The water in the Caribbean is the most amazing shades of blue that I have ever seen. I had no idea these colors existed in nature. Even where the water was deep, it looked deep blue, rather than the greenish-brown I have seen in other places. Margaret has seen oceans all over the world, and she says the Caribbean is the only place where she has seen blue water like that. I tried to capture it, but looking at the picture just doesn't compare. Here's some examples anyway:
The lighter, more turquoise blue is where the water was very shallow, with sand underneath:
On Cococay, we did our best to be lazy beach bums. Neither one of us are very good at sitting around, though, so we ended up taking a long walk along the beach, then had barbeque lunch on the beach. Being on a cruise line's private island is like being on the ship, only on land. Our ship was only one there, so the only people on the island were the ship's passengers and the people who worked on the island. It was still probably over 2000 people, but nice, nonetheless. Again, the weather was not particularly warm. It was partly cloudy and breezy that day. Laying on the beach felt nice while the sun was out, but we were covering up with our towels whenever clouds would move in! Still, I'm not complaining. How could I when I was laying on a beach in the Bahamas? Here's our beautiful selves on the beach.
After we got back from the beach, we treated ourselves to massages (aaaahhh, must do that more often!), and then went back to our cabin to get all spiffed up for formal night. Most cruises have at least one formal dinner ~ cocktail dresses for women and suit & tie/tuxedo for men are required. Here's some pictures of us all dolled up:
We strolled around the ship for a while before dinner, enjoying the fresh air on deck, and doing a lot of people watching. Let's just say that there are many different ways to intrepret the word "formal." We thoroughly enjoyed good food, good wine, and good conversation at dinner. In the formal dining room, seating is assigned, and it happened that I was the only non-teacher at our table of six. After dinner, we took in some of the entertainment onboard, then headed to bed.
He may be tiny, but check out those long fingers! He's got toes to match. He looks a lot like his mama, but Kyle's definitely a Scheer! 
Blowing out three candles is really hard work!
Got icing? Ava was neat and dainty about eating her cupcake. . .
. . . but Dane, of course, dug right in! He's serious about his food, especially desserts!
And just because I'm feeling nostalgic today, you get to see my favorite newborn photo of Ava. :)
I LOVE YOU, AVA!
