Monday, May 13, 2013

The April Update...

So April came and went way too fast. April was a great month. You have already seen a couple things we did during this crazy month- 30 before 30 list completed, 2013 Youth Retreat, and our wonderful cruise vacation. Below you will find some of the day to day doings in the Sargent household:


Houston has had some unique weather this year- it has been much cooler and we have had more rain than any other April in Houston I can remember. One misty morning at the beginning of the month we enjoyed an urban hike through Memorial Park. Cora loves trekking along in her hiking backpack. It is hard to tell who loves it more- Cora riding or Steve carrying her. 


Cora is such a fun little person to tote around. For the most part she is easy going and loves to be along for the ride. I love that about her personality. It makes traveling fun and running errands around town easy (or as easy as any outing can be with a toddler). 


Cora has started to get into stuffed animals. She is not gravitating toward one or showing favoritism yet, but she loves hugging them and carrying them around the house. It's sweet. I hope she picks a favorite to carry along every where soon- both Steve and I had one in our childhood.


On a trip to the Dollar Store last month I picked up a coloring book and crayons for this little girl- she loves it. It is nothing that will keep her occupied for long, but it is good to work on hand coordination and training for not coloring on the wall.


Oh yeah, and I turned 30! It was fabulous complete with a surprise party with all my girlfriends a couple days before my special day, a romantic dinner and trip to an operetta with my husband, and surprise drinks/coffee with our dear friends the McD's to top off the evening. I felt loved and celebrated all week. I look forward to all this fresh, new decade has to offer. 


Cora is SOOOOOO into books right now. Her favorites: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Knuffle Bunny, Goodnight Moon, ABC Animals, and the Elmo Blanket book. There are about two dozen other books I have not named but these are the ones we read about 20 times a day. If I would let her, Cora would have me read Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus to her 500 times a day- true story. She also loves touch and feel books and any book with flaps, noises, or counting. I am not going to lie- I kinda love this reading thing...


We love using our zoo season pass- especially during the cool days in April. Cora always loves a good visit to the petting zoo. She has no fear when it comes to getting in there and hanging out with the goats. Above you can see her brushing their backs. This is right before she started trying to push her way into the feeding trough. Cora really likes to be in close, tight spaces. She is such a cuddlier. She also thinks she is hiding when she snuggles herself in a tight space. It's pretty cute.


Hanging out in the Bird Atrium. I like this part of the zoo- it usually seems to be uncrowded and Cora loves walking around and pointing at all the birds. She is also saying lots of words like bird and shoe and mommy and daddy and nose and Elmo and.. wait for it... NO! And so it begins.


The red wagon we got Cora for Christmas is awesome. If you are thinking about getting one for your kiddos I recommend the Radio Flyer. It is totally worth every penny and easy to use and portable. Cora loves riding it- more so then her stroller.


The last day of April was spent at the Houston Fire Museum. I had never heard of it but when a friend invited us we jumped on the opportunity to explore something new. It is small but neat. The museum part is pretty cool but the kid room is what kept Cora occupied for awhile. Little fire fighter outfits to try on, a real fire truck (or at least the front half) to play in with buttons for lights and flashers. A little house to climb in, a real pole to slide down, and a book case full of fun activities. If you live in town and are near downtown it is worth a trip.


So there you have it- our randomness from April. I know you all were dying to know details of our lives- you are welcome. Coming up soon- the May update.

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

First Baby Free Vacation...

...AND it was wonderful!!! Steve and I went out of Jacksonville, FL for a five day cruise on Carnival. (At the end of the post I will give a full evaluation of our ship and what I think about Carnival.) We were supposed to be on the Carnival Triumph, but we all know what happened to that boat back in Febuary. So Carnival was amazing and worked with us to get us on this ship for the same dates with 25% off and money credit on board. Pretty sweet. AND this ship went to two places we had never been. Although I was excited about our other cruise- it was going to places I had already been and to be honest, I am over going to Mexico. I have been there plenty of times and I am pretty sure I have picked up more than one parasite each time I have gone- so Key West and Nassau, Bahamas were a welcome change!

 Above you will see our ship docked in Nassau. Isn't the water pretty?! We had one of those balcony rooms near the back. It was FANTASTIC and I highly recommend a balcony room (more on that later in the post).
 This was our first Carnival cruise but our fourth cruise over all. I have always liked the Carnival signature red and blue smoke stack. On this ship the smoke stack was surrounded by cool slides and kid friendly pools. We did not go over there to partake in the slides but it looked cool.
 So many neat things could be found on this ship. Our first day was at sea so we spent the day eating, working out in their way cool gym, laying out, eating, napping, reading, eating, getting to know the ship, and did I mention eating?
 The first night after our formal dinner we enjoyed late night drinks in the piano bar- so cool. Each table was shaped like a piano and Rob would play any song you yelled out- he was that talented. It was fun.
 Like I said- we loved out balcony and spent a lot of time out there- even had room service bring us breakfast one morning so we could enjoy our morning on our balcony. For this cruise, it was completely worth the splurge. 
 On the top deck we enjoyed golf and shuffle board. I am sad to report Steve beat me in both- BUT I gave him a run for his money in putt-putt. Shuffle board I may or may not have just flat embarrassed myself. I chalk it up to wearing a formal dress when we played- I looked cute though...
 The third day of our cruise was spent in Key West. This was perfect because we did not make it all the way down to this part of the Keys on our October trip. Y'all- I LOVED it and wish we had all day there. We were only docked from 7am to 2pm- so we took full advantage of our time. This was the first cruise we did not book a single excursion and we did all the exploring on our own. I am very glad we chose this option this trip.
 The Hemingway house was probably my favorite thing we did all trip. If you are ever in the area it is a must.
 Want to know a weird fact- Hemingway collected 6 toed cats and their ancestors still live there today. There were cats everywhere and in everything. The cats are allowed to roam at will where ever they please and we found them everywhere.
 See the cat on the pillow on the bed? The headboard came from a monastery in Spain. It was beautiful and quite rare due to the fact most beds where twin size back then. Hemingway saw the gate in Spain and had it shipped back to the States because he could not find a headboard big enough for his custom made king bed. 
 Here are some famous stairs at the house- some famous people have had their pictures taken here- now I can be added to their ranks:). We took a tour of the house and it was totally worth our time.
 The whole second floor has a wrap around porch and the house is built on the highest point in Key West- 13 feet above sea level.
 Do you see the penny? The penny was thrown by Hemingway at his soon-to-be ex-wife after she had a $20,000 pool put in the backyard during the height of the Depression. She cemented the penny in the ground so others could see she took Hemingway's last red cent. Let it be known she had the pool put in while we was off in Cuba with his mistress and soon-to-be third wife- he had it coming.

The property was beautiful and well taken care of. We wish we could have spent more time there but we had to move on so we could see the rest of Key West.

 The Southernmost point of the US was just a couple blocks from the Hemingway house so of course we stopped for a quick photo. Other than that there is not too much to do there.
 Ricky's Blue Heaven came highly recommend to us so we partook in lunch at this famous restaurant. (Kenny Chesney likes to eat here when he is in the Keys)
We enjoyed our meal while roosters, chickens, and chicks ran around our feet. They also had live music going on and an amazingly unique bar to top off the feel of the whole place. I wish I had gotten better pictures. Again- if you are ever in the area it is worth your money.
 The end of the East Coast Highway 1- kinda cool.
 We shopped around for a bit then headed back to the ship for naps, a good jog in the gym, and a late dinner and show. We sat and watched the sunset while we ate our dessert. It was pretty romantic and picturesque- so we captured the moment:).
 Did you know they leave towel animals for you each night when you get back to your room- it is one of my favorite parts about coming back to the room at night!
 The above guy made me laugh. I refer to him as our 'come hither' towel animal.
 And this stingray was the most unique. I have never had anyone do a stingray- he was my favorite.
 The fourth day was spent at Nassau in the Bahamas. No excursion- we walked around, laid out at a public beach, and had ice cream at a fun local ice-cream shop.
 I always take a picture like the above one when I am at a beach. Not sure why, but I have dozens of them. See the lighthouse way in the background? For a public beach it really was pretty and easy to get to from the port.
 I am glad I can say I have been to the Bahamas but it is not a place I am dying to go back to any time soon. If we ever do go back I want to stay at Alantas. That place looked wonderful but the excursions were way too expensive for what you got to do. After we got back on the ship we napped and enjoyed a late dinner.
 The food was great and we chose to eat in the formal dinning room each night. We always do that and then eat at the buffet for breakfast and lunch.
 On the fourth night we had a late night Mexican buffet around midnight complete with a full Mexican food spread, endless fruit, a pretty cool ice sculpture, and fun desserts. There was also fun music and dancing and limbo.
 The fifth and last day was spent at sea. We slept in, ate breakfast in the formal dinning room, laid out, napped, ate a yummy dinner, went to a fun show, and ended the night with Yahtzee and chocolate martinis. We always bring Yahtzee on our cruises. This go around Steve beat me- but I usually hold the cruise ship Yatzee championship- I thought I would share with Steve this trip:).
It was a good trip and sooooo needed. I was not anxious at all about leaving Cora. Both her and I are pretty independent and the time apart was good. Halfway home our plane was re-routed to Dallas due to storms in Houston, so Southwest put us up in a hotel and we got home a day late. That was hard since I was set on seeing Cora that day- but we had a sweet reunion the following morning. Next trip she gets to come with us- and we are already working on the details for that trip!!

So now onto my complete review of our ship- the Carnival Fascination. Overall it was my least favorite ship out of the three cruise lines we have tried. I was a little leery of Carnival starting out- and it had nothing to do with the issues they have been having with their boats breaking down. Carnival caters to more of party crowd so I was prepared for a bunch of partying and the like. Overall that part was not prominent- you can find what you want to find on these ships. I guess my main critique was the age of the boat- it was built in 1994 and then renovated in 2007. You could tell it was an older ship and the layout was just plain awkward. The buffet area was not too impressive and smallish. You had to maneuver decks and staircases to get to bars, lounges, and dining rooms- it was pretty choppy in lay out. The food was good- no better or worse than any other cruise ship I have been on. They had fabulous vegetarian options and lots of variety to pick from in the formal dining area. The buffet was my least favorite- not too many options as compared to other cruises we have been on- but they had a killer pizza area with made to order pizza and hot sandwiches. Cruise entertainment is known to be somewhat corny but as the years have gone on that has gotten better. The entertainment was good but lacking in amount. There were only two shows. All the other ships we have gone on have a new gig every single night.

A couple of cool things we have never had on board a ship- free sushi every night. We partook each night around 5pm since we ate late each night. It was so good. A coffee bar that was very reasonably priced. A candy store- so fun. I am not a big casino person but this casino had fun games to play and we messed around a bit with the games- no luck for us:). I also enjoyed the open lounges they had and we were able to sit and enjoy each others company (talking, playing games, or reading) without feeling crowded. This crowd was definitely more active then other cruises and for the most part I liked it. People watching on cruises it priceless:).

The balcony room was a big perk for us and I would do it again but only if we are taking a cruise with several days at sea. We usually do port windows or inside rooms because we spend as much time off the ship as we can- especially when we have done international cruises. It was a fun splurge for this cruise but I am completely great with an inside room so I can spend money on other things. Since Carnival tends to be the cheapest cruise line, the balcony rooms were very doable. When we take our Alaskan cruise (sometime in our life together) I will absolutely have a balcony room on that ship. This was the most we have spent in our room- due to having two days at sea and a sweet balcony.

So overall- would I do this ship again- probably not. Would I do a Carnival again- sure. Norwegian is my favorite cruise-line and Royal Caribbean is a close second. I hear Princess is pretty great but it is also the most pricey. Next year we are taking out first riverboat cruise so I am pumped about that- I am sure it will be a lot different than a big cruise. So there you go- more than you wanted to know. We love cruising- really we just love traveling but you already knew that. So here is to our next trip.... I am already getting excited. 

Sunday, April 21, 2013

SWC Teen Retreat 2013...

Last weekend 6 kids and 9 adults from our church headed to this AMAZING house out in Missouri City to retreat and learn to 'breath' for the weekend. It was fanitastic. I continue to be amazed at my husband when we do things like this retreat. His creativity and love for our youth is so deep.


The house was HUGE. Five bedrooms and 4 and half baths with a HUGE upstairs room for all our gathering.


Unfortunately the pool was out of commission for the weekend but it was still fun to sit around and lounge by the pool and talk and eat. 


Each youth was paired with an adult for the weekend and there were activities throughout the house to do together. Some were hands on, others were scriptures to read together, there with pictures to look at and talk about, and still others with quotes to discuss. It was perfect.


Above is some of the pairs hanging out and learning form on another. The Tucker's came to cook for us and I was there to just float around and be present. It was perfect and I loved how each youth had so much one on one time for their adults.


Have you ever soaked? We did after lunch. Soaking really is the best- all retreats should include soaking.


And we started off each morning with some yoga and meditative breathing. Seriously, this retreat was so laid back and relaxed. I truly felt relaxed and blessed by the time we left. 


All the adults who went were just fantacstic. I loved watching all the youth with these older 'youth'- true mentorship in practice.

We usually go to a beach house in Galveston. This was he first time in 5 years we did something different. I think we have a new meeting place for the time being...

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

March Update...

Well, since it is half way through April I thought I would update you on our happenings in March:).
March was a good, slow month- for the most part. 

 Cora is such a great companion at the grocery store. As long as she has a snack she just loves to be along for the ride. Above she is enjoying a cookie one of the bakery workers gave her just for being cute- lucky girl.
 Like I mentioned in an earlier post, we got a chance to spend the weekend with our good friends the Burns' in Granbury. We had a blast all weekend watching Graham and Cora play, eating good food, shopping around the town square, and sharing life and ministry. It is good to be around people who are in similar situations in life. And of course we took the obligatory bath picture. This was right before a huge melt down by both babies- they were not as excited about the pictures as we were.
 I love the above shirt on Cora. In fact, I love all owl stuff on this girl. I am sad the cooler weather has left because I have to put all her warm clothes up- never to be worn again by the cutie.
 Cora is really into water- and those who know we well can just see the smile on my face. I LOVE water and have a cup of ice cold water with me at all times. Cora is no different. She is also into dragging around Hope's bed and sitting in it at random places in the house. Hope tolerates this so well and for that I am grateful.
 I also had the chance to coordinate a surprise 40th birthday party for my friend Luci at the Mad Potter. Y'all- it was SO-MUCH-FUN. Luci was totally surprised and we all painted a tile and made her a breakfast tray to mark the milestone birthday.
 Above you will see all the attendees. I am grateful for these friendships and I wish Luci the best decade yet!
 When all my roommates came in at the end of March (remember the Color Run?!?!) Steve and Cora got a lot of alone time together. Have I ever told you what an awesome dad Steve is? He LOVES spending time with Cora and takes such good care of her. Marry a man who loves and wants to spend time with your kids- it's important!
 The Saturday before Easter we had a garage sale with the McD family. Steve and I try to have a garage sale once a year. It gives us time to purge and simplify our lives. And you know what- every year we manage to fill the garage with things to sell. Don't worry, we did not sell Cora this year. Although she looked mighty cute in the free box:)
 And we had a great Easter here in Houston. Cora was sooooo cute to watch open all her Easter goodies. Above she is opening her Easter goodness from Nonnie. She loved putting those ears on her cute little head. 
 Easter morning Cora went through her Easter basket and loved all her Easter Bunny gifts- a bug puzzle, Piggy Pink Nail Polish, a board book, animal capsules for the bath, yogurt pouches, and strawberry puffs. 
 At church she sure did participate in the Easter egg hunt. She LOVED running around and grabbing up the eggs. And I LOVED watching her collect the goodies.
Easter is probably my favorite holiday. I enjoy the Lent season leading up to the Sunday. I love all we celebrate and talk about on Easter Sunday. And I always look forward to church on that day. Plus, we always eat good food and watch golf later that day. What is not to like about that day?

Time is an amazing thing to me- the older I get, the quicker it goes by. So now we are half way through April- how can that be!?