Smith family cruise

[davelovingdadto3kids]

People who went
Dave(me): Fun loving dad. Loves football and basketball does lots a stuff with sons
Wife Kelly: Loving and wonderful mother and 3 children, loves and spoils her princess
Son Jeff: 17 year old who LOVES SPORTS, likes music, hangging out, eating, and girls.Great with his younger siblings and loves his baby sister.
Son Josh: 13 year old who LOVES SPORTS and also likes music and eating. Looks up to his brother and is very good with his little sister
Daughter Amanda: 2 year old who is the princess of the family. Loves bugging her brothers and trying to follow them around, likes when Josh puts her to sleep, loves play wrestling with Jeff.
My Brother Steve: we are very close in age. And loved each other as kids, we would always play together
Sister-in-law April: married brother and they have 3 kids together
Kyle: brothers oldest son who is 16, loves sports and girls and music
Adam: brothers youngest son who is 7, loves sports and tv
Lisa: brothers daughter who is 4, loves her only girl cousin amanda and loves to play with the boys
Dad Bob: loving dad to steve and I and loving grandfather
Mom Deb: loving mom to steve and I and loving grandmother who loves her grandchildren

 

[davelovingdadto3kids]

Friday: Woke up around 5:00am and went on morning run. By the time I got home my lovely wife Kelly was cleaning to house and making breakfast for the kids. Went up stairs and took a shower. After the shower, went down to the living room, hoping the kids would be up so it would not be a battle to wake them up, of course they weren't up yet and it's already 7:30am. Went to the boys room and after about 20 mins and battling with them telling them to get up they were up. So now for the hard part. Went to Amanda's room, she was up, but that's not the hard part, the hard part is getting her ready. Got Amanda ready in a record of 25 mins. Went down to the kitchen and joined the rest of the family for breakfast. Jeff had to see a doctor about his foot since he hurt it wrestling the night before, so after breakfast Kelly and Josh cleaned the house while I took Jeff to the doctor's and took Amanda with since she had been sick two weeks earlier and wanted to make sure she was better. Now taking a 17 year old and 2 year old to the doctor isn't easy when one is tried and doesn't want to deal with any family and one is really happy and is talking up a storm and wanting to run around.Get to the doctors, first the doctor see's how Amanda is doing. This turns out great since she is afraid of doctors. After talking with big brother and wanting to be like him we get through that. Now sons turn, oh just wrap your foot and he should be fine say's the doctor. Two down and we can go home. Get home and by this time it is 11:00am. After getting the car ready and packed and making sure everyone has everything we are on the rode and driving to the airport. Got to the airport around 12:30. Checked in and all that stuff and grabbed some lunch. Boarding the plane was around 2:00. We got three seats together and two seats a little more back. "Hey Kelly, the kids should sit together and we can sit alone. Assigned Jeff the job of looking after Amanda on the plane, it work out well most of the way down the florida till Amanda wanted to sit by the window, but josh was asleep so she couldn't sit thereso we sat with Josh the rest of the way to florida while the other two kids sat where we were. We were staying at my brothers house the night before the cruise, so we met my brother Steve, his wife April and his kids Kyle, Adam, and Lisa. While all the kids and our wifes caught up together, we went to get ther bags. After getting all 7 bags we left and went to his house. Our parents live 5 mins away from his house, so I took Jeff, Josh and Amanda over to see them. Left and went back to my brothers after telling my parents we would be there in the morning to pick them up. Got back to the house and helped Kelly put Amanda to bed and fell asleep.

 

[ldeninge]

sounds like you had a big fun family group, too!
can't wait to hear all about it.



I gather your parents and brother live in Florida? where do you live?

 

[kevinsmom]

Sounds fun so far... hope your sons foot is ok

Look forward to more!

 

[Disney owl]

Great start

 

[tjeagle]

People who went
Dave(me): Fun loving dad. Loves football and basketball does lots a stuff with sons
Wife Kelly: Loving and wonderful mother and 3 children, loves and spoils her princess
Son Jeff: 17 year old who LOVES SPORTS, likes music, hangging out, eating, and girls.Great with his younger siblings and loves his baby sister.
Son Josh: 13 year old who LOVES SPORTS and also likes music and eating. Looks up to his brother and is very good with his little sister
Daughter Amanda: 2 year old who is the princess of the family. Loves bugging her brothers and trying to follow them around, likes when Josh puts her to sleep, loves play wrestling with Jeff.
My Brother Steve: we are very close in age. And loved each other as kids, we would always play together
Sister-in-law April: married brother and they have 3 kids together
Kyle: brothers oldest son who is 16, loves sports and girls and music
Adam: brothers youngest son who is 7, loves sports and tv
Lisa: brothers daughter who is 4, loves her only girl cousin amanda and loves to play with the boys
Dad Bob: loving dad to steve and I and loving grandfather
Mom Deb: loving mom to steve and I and loving grandmother who loves her grandchildren

Thats alot of Lovin!!
Great start! Looking forward to reading the rest!!

 

[Floridagram]

I love a man who loves his family! Thank you for being such a good Dad and husband. I hear alot of them on this board and I hope your wives appreciate you. Not that my husband is bad, but he was a little busy working hard when the kids were young. Now he gets to really enjoy the grandaughters!

I look forward to your future postings!

 

[MassDisLovers]

Hey, Dave, where are you.... You left us hanging. You got to the family but what's next! Looking forward to the rest of your story.

 

[davelovingdadto3kids]

hey, sry for the wait, family has just been really busy, with basketball and hockey and stuff like that

Saturday: Woke up around 5:00am, brother was already up, so we both went on a run around his block, yes even on vacation I need my morning run. We got back around 6:00am and chilled out and drank some coffee till our wife's woke up. Soon after that the kids started waking up one by one. We all had breakfast, it was whatever food was in the house. Steve went to pick up the parents around 8:30 and we left to go to the port at 10:00. We piled into two vans. One van had Myself, Kelly, Amanda, Jeff, Kyle and My Mom. The other was Steve, My Dad, April, Lisa, Adam, and Josh. Got to port and they were open when we got there, so we all got in the terminal. Waited around in the terminal after we checked in, went to get the gets wristbands. By that time they were boarding the ship. After boarding the ship we went to topsiders and had lunch. After lunch walked around the ship and watched people boarding it. Went to the cabin and checked it out. The rooms were like this Myself, Kelly and Amanda in one. Jeff, Josh and Kyle in the next room. My mother and father in another. Then my brother Steve, April, Lisa and Adam in the last one. Went to the lifeboat drill, thought it was going to be a pain because Amanda won't stay still, but it actually wasn't at all. After that went to the sail away party. By this time Amanda was getting tired so we headed back down to the cabin to get ready for dinner we had early seating and to let Amanda nap for a while. Went to dinner, I don't remember where, lol but the food was good at every place we ate. After dinner Jeff and Kyle took Josh and Adam to look around and explore the ship, while Myself, Kelly, Steve, and April went to the show. My Parents took the two girls to look around the ship and back to their cabin and watch and movie and sleep. The show was alright that first night, after that went to get a drink at Rockin' Bar D and then headed to my parents cabin to pick up Amanda. Got back to the cabin with one sleeping child in arms, put her to bed, talked to the wife a little and finally fell asleep after a long day.

 

[davelovingdadto3kids]

Sunday: Slept pretty good through the night, better then I thought we would. Amanda woke us up around 6:30am, so went to get her a drink from the drink station up on deck, while my wife got ready and got Amanda ready as well. We were ready by 8:30 so we headed up to topsiders for breakfast. Jeff and Josh joined up with us 5 mins after we got there and we all enjoyed breakfast. After breakfast I wanted to take a nap since we were going to visit a old friend of mine that was in Key West. Kelly wanted some alone time this morning as well so we left Jeff and Josh in charge of Amanda and went on our ways. Around 10:30 I went back up to deck 9 to see how the kids were. As I walked out the door by the arcade I see Amanda, and where are Jeff and Josh? Yes, you guess in the arcade, I decided I'd scare them a bit, I saw Steve and Adam walking to get drinks, so I asked them to take Amanda so I can scare the boys a little, they agreed and said they would come back in 10 mins. Went into the arcade and my boys were playing video games("Boys, where is your Amanda?" "Who dad?" "Oh you know the little baby girl, that looks up to you guys, the one who you live with that's who") so I asked where Amanda was and they looked around and didn't see her, looked at each other and then they didn't speak, after making them panic for 10 mins Steve and Adam joined us and I told them what I did. After that went back to meet up with the mother of my children. We all headed off the ship and met up with my friend Frank and his family which is as follows, Frank, Carol, Jessica who is 17 and Dan who is 5. Went to lunch and then after lunch walked around and shopped for a while. Frank and I saw Jeff and Jessica were talking to each other and seemed to really like each other so we just kind of embaraced them a little. We all said goodbye and we headed back to the ship since, Amanda looked like she needed a nap and Josh wanted to go swim. One the way back to the ship Jeff looked a little mad, so I decided and ask him what was wrong. He told me to stop embracing him in front of girls and don't talk to him, so after that we talked and we made a deal I would try not to do it anymore and everything was ok with him. Got back to the ship and Kelly and Josh left to go take an dip in the pool while I took Amanda up to the cabin since at this point she was asleep and Jeff came back with us and I bonded with him for a while. Kelly came back to the cabin and we got ready for dinner, food was great tonight as well. After dinner, Myself, Kelly, Steve, and April took Amanda and Lisa to the show tonight. Jeff and Kyle went off with people they met and Josh went off with his friends he met and Adam went to the club. My father and mother joined us for the show also. After the show, kelly felt tired so she went up to the cabin to go to sleep, so I took Amanda for a walk around the ship to get her tired and ready to sleep. While up on deck met up with Josh and had a little time talking with him. Went back to the cabin and got amanda to sleep in under 30 mins, fell fast asleep.

 

[Floridagram]

OK, logistically how did you go in 2 vans? Minivans? We have a party as large as you and can't figure out how we are going to fit the luggage to be able to go in only 2 vehicles. Any tips would be very appreciated!

I am looking forward to the next installment.

 

[davelovingdadto3kids]

my brother has one of those vans with more seats in it and more room in his van

 

[Lil' Grumpy]

from one dad to another, in a similar postion {3 kids-2 older boys and

exactly one lil' spoiled ] & one who also likes sports....

i can tell you guys are really working the disney magic..we liked key west
alot esp. our teenagers { type }!

"battlin' the boys to get up", reminded me of my mother..who finally
got fed up . one morning while sitting on the basement stairs, she
tossed firecrackers between the bunk beds...needless to say,
everyone got up without a fight.



* sorry if this is nosy, but is there a story behind your third one?
..the age difference , & cos ours came after 5years we deicided
no more... , , old black magic XXX

 

[davelovingdadto3kids]

from one dad to another, in a similar postion {3 kids-2 older boys and

exactly one lil' spoiled ] & one who also likes sports....

i can tell you guys are really working the disney magic..we liked key west
alot esp. our teenagers { type }!

"battlin' the boys to get up", reminded me of my mother..who finally
got fed up . one morning while sitting on the basement stairs, she
tossed firecrackers between the bunk beds...needless to say,
everyone got up without a fight.



* sorry if this is nosy, but is there a story behind your third one?
..the age difference , & cos ours came after 5years we deicided
no more... , , old black magic XXX

well, I grew up with 3 siblings and my wife did too, so we wanted three kids, but we wanted to wait till the other two were old enough to do stuff for them self and help out.