Darcy Did What With a Stingray??

We were lucky enough to be able to go on a week long Caribbean cruise in March for Miles' and Becky's 10 year anniversary. Weird? We didn't think so, any excuse works to go on a cruise. We had a great time in the glorious sun. The definite highlight of the trip for me was swimming with Stingrays in Grand Cayman. It is a well known fact that I am kind of a wuss when it comes to water adventures, especially when animals are involved. No one thought I was going to do this excursion, but I proved them all wrong!!

Yep, that's me holding a big ol' stingray!! The water was absolutely amazing, incredibly clear and warm. That made it easier for me to see the stingrays around me, which made me less nervous. I quickly realized that the fish would only come around if you had bait, and I found myself wanting to touch them long after the bait was gone.

Our guides did the customary "Stingray Massage", which was really cool, but kind of freaky. The stingrays actually reminded me a lot of halibut, and I used to play with halibut guts when I was a kid, so the stingrays were no big deal. I will admit though, that I screamed like a girl when Mario, our guide, put that slimy fish on my unsuspecting back.

Yep, that's me kissing a stingray. She loves me. I learned that the large ones are females and the small ones I thought were babies were actually the males.

Okay, I can't resist putting this in. Becky, you are such a wimp!

Happy Love Day

Happy Heart's Day!! In honor of Valentine's Day, I decided to have the family make their own heart shaped pizzas and for dinner. Nothing promotes family love and harmony like making a mess in the kitchen!

The younger kids really got into it. I don't remember where the two teenagers were in the process. Aaron channeled his old pizza boy days and cut all the dough into hearts.

Jaron's pepperoni man turned out so cute. Notice how their smiles match.

Chloee's ginormous pizza was just enough to satisfy her appetite...I swear she can out-eat us all!

Don't look now, but Haylee is showin some love to her baby sister. Haylee really loves her Jolee (they sleep together almost every night). We made mini fruit pizzas for desert and they were awesome! This was Chloee's orange man pizza.

Daddy, ever the jokester is posing with his pizza. That's a face only his mother and wife could love! We are so blessed to have so much love in our lives and try to remember that's what life is all about!

Birthday Girl

I have finally started blogging again...and we are starting off with Chloee's 7th birthday celebrations! She began her big day with a special pancake breakfast (a standard Saturday special around here). Jolee and Jaron were happy to serenade Chloee with their rendition of "Happy Birthday" and the wish was made and candle blown out.

Chloee had a few of her besties over to play for the afternoon, and as always, these crazy girls had a blast together.

We finished off the night at the Hansen's for a Super Bowl/birthday party. Chloee's birthday falls on Super Bowl weekend every year, a plus for us because someone is always throwing a party and we are happy to lump Chloee's birthday in there somewhere.

Haylee was kind enough to make Chloee her pink diva cake. Make a wish big girl!

Her favorite present was a pig pillow pet.

Chloee keeps our household full of energy and mayhem, but we love her for it. Her life currently centers around her friends, little sisters, dance, and moving constantly. She has a passion for life and is a great student. She is on the cusp of not being a little kid anymore, and we look forward to what the next few years will bring for Chloee!