Bithday Bash

Well, I am 2. I guess I have been two for a few weeks but I had my OFFICIAL party now that we are home from out VOYAGE.

I had a BUNCH of friends and family over and we hung out in the backyard and played all sorts of fun games.

Me and my gal Lauren playing in my water table.
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Ain’t she a CUTIE!
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Me and Cousin Anna painting picture frames.
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My coy grin… I am up to something??
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The backyard in completeness.
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Daddy had blocked off the gate access. I liked hiding down the path.
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Time for my homemade (by Daddy) cupcake!!! Mommy held it and…
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I huffed and puffed and ALMOST blew the candle out myself.
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I desperately needed a juice box after all that huffing and puffing.
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More water table fun with my other gal Evie!
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All my guests left for naps and Cousin Ian supervised as I vacuumed up the remaining mess.
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Hang tight

Things are going well here but not in the land of computers. Daddy’s new harddrive should be here today and then one he gets everything reinstalled the photos should be available for Mommy to get them up in the blog. Well, at least that is how things should have worked. Mommy’s hardrive bit the dust the other day too! She is using the old piece of junk laptop to blog and has very limited access. Sorry! šŸ™

So it was for those who were keeping track:
-Fish tank pump malfunction
-Alarm Motion Sensor malfunction
-Lawn Mower carborator clogged and bad spark plugs
-Broken lamp
-Chopped off sprinkler heads
-Daddy’s laptop harddrive
-Mommy’s laptop harddrive
-Mommy’s ears STILL not clear from last weeks plane flight

All this and I have a birthday party on Saturday that we haven’t really begun to get ready for!

HAHAHA!

Such is life.

Good news, I passed my 2 year physical yesterday with flying colors. I impressed the Dr by being able to tellt he difference between a baby goat and a baby sheep! I do love my animals. So what if I can’t do my alphabet or count to ten. I know more animals than most adults at this point!!! šŸ™‚

One more night in Barcelona.

We got off the ship pretty early and headed for the hotel at the airport.

We dropped our stuff in the rooms and then all headed to the Barcelona Aquarium.
I really enjoyed the Aquarium a LOT.

Mommy and I almost got eaten alive by a shark!!
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They had a neat indoor walkway lined with near tropical plants. It was very soothing.
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I played in a submarine.
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I pressed EVERY button.
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Mommy nearly lost her head!
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I crawled through a tunnel and looked a fish.
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Then I went up top and tried to POKE the fish. I got in trouble. Sorry!
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I found buttons that if you push they made crazy animal sounds and made all sorts of other weird things happen. I couldn’t get enough of it! šŸ™‚
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I found MORE buttons to push. Hehe…. I like pushing buttons… Especially Mommy’s buttons after a long day! šŸ™‚
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We finished up and walked around the mall for a bit. We saw a lot of shoplifters. Strange. The mall was very tight security but people were just brazen. Oh well! Maybe that is why the dollar to euro is pretty bad!

We walked around outside until we found the taxi stand and got a ride to the hotel and crashed for the night.
(Outside the mall waiting for the taxi)
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Tomorrow is good-bye Barcelona. I can’t wait to get home! šŸ™‚

Day 10- Villefranche (Eze,Nice…)

Up early as usual. I felt a TON better today and am back to my chipper self. Daddy got breakfast and brought it to the room. I actually ate breakfast for the first time in three days!

We all got cleaned up and met up with Gā€™ma/Gā€™pa at 9 am to get our tender tickets. Pretty flawless… because I was in the stroller they made us wait in the top of the theatre (where we picked up the tickets) and we got on the next tender to shore. The tender was a quick 10-15 min ride and we were in the city of Villefranche.

We got directions and travel tips to get to Eze and Nice and headed for the bus station. Daddy (and Mommy) were huffing and puffing pushing me up to the top of the hill and negotiating the hundreds of steps to get to the bus terminal.

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I think it started Daddy out in a grumpy mood — he was certainly sweating by the time we got to the bus station. I really shouldnā€™t call it a ā€œstationā€ — itā€™s an alcove between buildings — think standard bus stop. Anyway, we found the cute little park across from the bus stop — very pretty. Itā€™s bus #100 to Nice and then bus #82 or #112 to Eze and then taxi home or reverse route… but some of the busses are TINY and the line for them was LONG. By the way, there are maps in the little ā€œport buildingā€ you walk through when you get off the tender — they are at the desk that has English speaking guides (tourist info people) to help you figure things out. Busses to Nice are 1.30e each way (but I donā€™t know if I needed a ticket or not — or whether the drivers would make change).

We gave up after 20 minutes of waiting and opted to walk around town for a bit and find a taxi. It didnā€™t help that another cruise ship (Celebrity Cruises Millennium) was in port and a lot of people were on foot. So we went up and down hills and streets. Very pretty town. Plenty of places to eat and shop. The town is NOT stroller friendly.

Think a town built on a steep hill (cliff face almost) with super narrow streets that fit one car wide with no room for strollers or thousands upon thousands of steps at *exactly* the wrong depth to make going up and down on a stroller easy.

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Narrow streets…ugh!
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Mommy not having fun pushing me all around.
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We stopped to rest our legs and everyone but Mommy and I got a coffee.

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Anyway, after exploring for a while we got back to the port and waited a while for a cab (call the phone # posted to get a cab quicker… no special prefix or anything with T-mobile, just dial the number as shown on the taxi stand sign — it turns out a lot of people hired out the taxis for the entire day or went rather far so the townā€™s supply was limited). 35e for the 5 (4 adults and me…Lumpy too!) to get from the Villefranche port building to the Eze village. Motion sickness is included for free. Talk about windy roads and narrow switch-backs leading from town up to the main thoroughfare. Do make sure to negotiate the price before getting in the cab — the cab to Eze was 35e but the driver for the return tried to charged 55e and we told him ā€œNO, 35eā€ He agreed. They speak English well enough to haggle!

Eze was also stroller challenging, but we enjoyed it. We went to the ā€œold villageā€. Gā€™ma picked up some extra maps of the old village from the tourist center located where most tour busses and taxis will drop you off. Well worth asking the driver where the building is and where to get a return taxi before getting out and/or paying him! Think bohemian arts — lots of little shops with glass, paintings, hand-made crafts, etc. All expensive (generally) — but cute. Stroller tip: keep to the middle of the walkways on the red pavers — just keep going along like youā€™re not going to swerve and others will get out of your way. Itā€™s far smoother than getting a wheel or two onto the cobbles. Talk about bouncy! I think Iā€™m still talking kind of like kermit the frog from all the vibrations of the stroller!

The view from the top was amazing. You could see the Magic (Mickey Ship) WAY down in the water.

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We enjoyed a wonderful lunch at Chateau Eza. E-mail before you leave the states if you can find their web site and make a reservation. We were extremely lucky to get a table. Absolutely spectacular view.

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Itā€™s truly on a cliff face looking out to the ocean and over toward the port. The only thing higher than the Chateau Eza was the Exotic Gardens (Jardin Exotique). The meal was pricey, but for a ā€œone great mealā€ type experience itā€™s worth it. There were two fixed price menus (35e and 45e for 3 or 4 courses) along with ala carte choices if preferred but I opted for peanut butter and cheese crackers (and fell asleep in the middle of eating one!) Mommy had a salad with truffles — yes actual black truffles (thinly sliced) on it — she ate light because sheā€™s feeling off the past few days. Daddy and Gā€™ma/Gā€™pa had the 35e menu — it started with a red tuna tartare served with well aged balsamic vinegar and a zucchini round with egg yolk, followed by a chicken breast stuffed with an olive paste served with asparagus and some type of mashed (and seasoned) potato formed into ā€œthickā€ fries. Not ā€œfrench friesā€ but similar look. Fantastic taste. Dessert (included) was a creme brulee and a small pot of chocolate. Tres bien! The only warning: The bottles of Evian (50cL) are 5e each, and the glasses of champagne they offer when you are seated is 20e (but Gā€™ma and Gā€™pa said itā€™s excellent). The salad Mommy had was around 12e. So, itā€™s not cheap but worth every ā€œeā€, especially if you go easy on the water and skip the champagne. Daddy just reminded me itā€™s a 1 star Michellan restaurant so itā€™s relatively well rated. Iā€™ve heard that Chateau de la Chevre dā€™Or is also splendid but even more expensive.

After lunch we wandered into the old church and looked around a bit more.

I liked walking on the pebble covered ground.
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But had to check out all the rocks.
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Grandma and Grandpa enjoyed the view below.
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I took time to smell some flowers.
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Grandpa Howie took a few pictures.
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Oh, I got a QUICK public diaper change… Grandma was the lookout!
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Much better!
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More stairs?
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But what a VIEW!
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Simply amazing! What a way to wrap the the vacation.
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We finally decided to head back to Villefranche and eventually caught a cab (expect to wait at least 20 minutes for a cab — even if you call). When we got back to port, we had a glace at a place across the street from the port building but it was 3.50e for a medium (one and a half small scoops) and terrible! (Think cheap, foamy ice cream). Ick!

We got back to the ship and Mommy dropped me at the nursery where I stayed for a bit until I had an inconsolable melt down and she had to come retrieve me. Iā€™m so glad Flounderā€™s nursery gives out pagers. Mommy and Daddy arenā€™t, but I am šŸ™‚ Mommy got to the nursery and I had tears streaming down my face and was nearly hyperventilating. I calmed down nearly instantly when I saw Mommy. So all is well, I just donā€™t like to be away from Mommy or Daddy.

Dinner was yummy… macaroni for me again and everyone else had French onion soup and lobster. Mommy still has a seafood aversion… UGH!

I had a quick bath and said goodbye to the Mediterranean.
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Then I caught a few more Disney cartoons before bed.
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Early bed for all of us as we are TOTALLY exhausted today. I was down at 8:50 and Mommy and Daddy a few mintues later.

Tomorrow is at sea day. Time to pack the bags and finish the last minute stuff up.

Mommy HATES packing.
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The journey has had it’s ups and downs but we enjoyed ourselves. We just want to go home! I want my own bed back that doesn’t move so much and confine me so much. I miss my other Lumpys and toys.

Day 9- Marselle

Itā€™s my birthday!!!! I am 2 today!!!!! YEAH!!!!!

I got up early 6:30 and rolled around in my crib for a bit. Around 7:15 I coughed and coughed and coughed and spit up again. Mommy said that was that and she bathed me and dressed me and down to the health center we went. I have a minor upper respiratory issue and low and behold an ear infection! Go figure! I am used to them so they gave me good antibiotics and a clearance to return to activity just take it easy today. I got to have some pedialyte popcicles and I feel much better. The coughing is letting up and I am back to my jolly goofy self.

We missed out excursion today but were able to get a refund since I went to the on ship health center. Not a bad bill at the health center. $203 and $80 of that was the medicine. I have pricey antibiotics since it takes a good course to knock things out of my system. Daddy was very pleased that they shore excursion got credited for us.

Once I was feeling better we took the shuttle to Marselle and wandered around town for a while.

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Up and down streets…

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Mommy wanted a French crepe but we never found any that looked good. Oh well! We can make them at home anyway! šŸ™‚ I got a neat necklace for my birthday from Daddy.

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It is a nice tough rope so it should hold up to my abuse! šŸ™‚ It was only 5e at a shop in town. Neato! I saw a live Octopus on a table and thought that was nearly the highligt of my day.
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Marselle is a beautiful port and the ships in the area are fantastic. I got to see a man feeding a flock of pigeons.

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Really fun for me. He threw food close to me so all the pigeons came flying over to me. I really enjoyed that many birds.
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We headed back to the ship for some lunch (they had a chocolate fountain at Topsiders today… YUMMY!).

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Mommy said between the pedialyte (which is basically pure sugar water) and all the marshmallows and cookies I ate, that I am going to be a MAJOR hyper kid today. Hey, it is my birthday! Plus all the food I ate yesterday suddenly doesnā€™t count! šŸ™‚ hehe

Tonight is Pirates night so I will dress my Mickey Pirate best! šŸ™‚ Tomorrow we are in Villefranche and do not have any excursions booked. We are all going to take a taxi to Eze and wander the city. I canā€™t wait to spend the day with Gā€™ma and Gā€™pa again. I have missed them the last few days.

Oh yeah, I got a few b-day gifts from DISers! šŸ™‚ THANKS! Sam, thanks for the Mickey Mouse. I love him already! šŸ™‚

I am going to try to take a nap for a while… if I can. I had taken a short nap in the stroller which probably ruined any more chance of a nap for me, but I will try.

Never did take a good nap. We opted to RUN the decks of the nearly empty ship.

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I played some ping-pong. I am the CHAMP!

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I showed Mommy & Daddy how everything on the ship worked.

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I explored the trashcan.
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I found a place to sit and enjoy the view.
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Then we watched some Finding Nemo pool-side again. FUN! šŸ™‚

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I was a pill at dinner but got better towards the end. The pirate thing was pretty neat for me. I got to dance with Mommy & Grandma Jo all around the room with everyone in the dining area. Yo-ho Yo-ho a pirates life for me! šŸ™‚ After dinner Mommy didnā€™t feel well (bad morning sickness day and new seafood aversion..icky!) so we retired to the room where I had a nice bath and watched Lilo & Stitch on the room TV. Daddy went with Gā€™ma/Gā€™pa to the show (sort of Cirque Dā€™Solei meets Mickeyā€™s Dreams) and enjoyed it a lot. Daddy came back to the room after the show and was exhausted. I crashed about 9 pm after Mommy said I was too tired to be awake. After a long day and the sickness I feel a lot better than I did yesterday and this morning. Antibiotics are my friend!

Oh yeah, the room steward gave me a little model of the ship for my birthday! šŸ™‚ I got a cake at dinner (wasnā€™t that yummy… I like gelato better).