Watching the show with Poppa!
I can't say enough about how GOOD Avaree was on this trip. We didn't bring a single toy (our suitcase was full!), but she enjoyed playing with all of us, the waiters, reading books, and enjoying "her" ship. :) Of course her favorite times were when she got to go off with Spencer and Shannon or with Poppa to run and play! :)
The second half of our trip included the prettiest sights (but I'll have to get the nature shots from Niecey's camera!). We stopped in Skagway, Alaska, and Ketchikan, Alaska. It was in the 50s with a light drizzle both of those days! Then we spent a whole day going through Glacier Bay. The sights on that day were absolutely amazing, but my camera battery died that morning, so I used Niecey's camera again. We all got to choose our own excursions, but Ave and I were limited in what we could choose, so we did the dog sled camp TWICE (which turned out to be WONDERFUL both times), and then we stayed on the boat in Ketchikan (and ran up and down the 7 flights of stairs) while the others went Ziplining. Daddy had a BLAST (and he got a medal for his accomplishments), but no one had a camera! :) Anyway, these pictures in no way capture the beauty of Alaska, but they show the fun that one little girl had. :) Enjoy.
The view from our dock in Skagway. This is the heart of the Tongass Rainforest, so the weather is likely this a lot.
Riding the "bus" to the dog camp. The sights were BEAUTIFUL!
Hiking over to the "lower dog camp." We learned sooooo much about the sled dog world. We love those puppies!!!!! Avaree was so happy to get to see them again, and we were so happy that Niecey and Poppa were with us this time!
Our sled...
Silly Daddy...
Some of our puppies! They would get soooooo excited when they got to run! G! Ha! (one means left, one means right, but I can't remember which. We tried saying these to Avaree since she speaks animal language with Bella Boo Boo, but Ave didn't respond to these commands. ha!)
That white mass down in the middle cove is our ship!
Avaree and Poppa at the lookout point on the way to upper dog camp!
The prettiest puppy ever! :)
I said "cheese" and the dog hopped up on the bench with B and Ave. ha!
Puppies! These were 6 week old puppies!
Niecey teaching Ave about the puppies!
Daddy fell IN LOVE. Thankfully, he chose to do the responsible thing and NOT try to sneak one back to the ship with us. :)
Look at Brandon in this picture. He cracks me up! :)
That sweet little puppy went right to sleep in Brandon's arms.
Poppa and Avaree. I think this was right after time out. Ave was so good about getting off of our schedule and just going with the flow--taking naps whenever and wherever, and time out did the same thing! We had time out twice in upper dog camp! :)
Mommy love! I officially became "Mommy" on this trip. :) (Melt my heart!) She had been going back and forth from Mama to Mommy, but she stuck with Mommy for seven days, so I'm claiming it! :)
One afternoon we went swimming. Avaree LOVED it and didn't want to get out. The pool was indoor, but they had opened the ceiling a few feet and it was FREEZING! I got in to help B, and we all got right back out. Ave was an ice cube, but she was loving every second! :)
Avaree LOVES Uncle SPencer. I don't know how I don't have more pictures of them, but every time she see him she goes bananas trying to get to him! :) He was a huge help on the airplanes too. Ave went back and forth from my seat to his. We love Uncle "Penser"! :)
Aunt Shannon shared her ice cream with Ave every night. She of course has a friend for life now! :)
Dancing to the mustic from our awesome guitarist (Chris Barlett--you can download his music for free on his website. He is AWESOME.)!
This sweet lady talked to us every day. Avaree LOVED her walker! So this particular night, the lady took her around the ship in her walker. She even got to ride on top. Ave cried when she (and the walker) left. :)
Dancing with Aunt Shannon :) We LOVE her.
The next several pics are from Niecey's camera, and are out of order, but you have to see them! :)
This was morning one of the cruise. Dad, Shannon and I were so sea sick. This is Dad and I lying in bed. I was wearing a band and had taken three bonnines before I got sick, so this was bad. It is funny now!
Poppa and Sissy
Poppa and Niecey on formal night 1
Reid, Ross (or as Ave called them "Ra Ree"), and Niecey outside while we were going through Glacier Bay!
People were seeing black and brown bears on this island, but I didn't see a thing. Typical.
Spencer and Shannon in front of the Mendenhall Glacier!
WE LOVED those puppies!
So did she! :)
This was the morning that we were going through Glacier Bay, but it was still too cold to go outside. Once again, Avaree "the trooper" was taking a nap!! :) We were all awe struck by the beauty we were seeing, can you tell? :) Well that and we are in a too-much-food induced coma!
"The boys" really enjoyed hanging out with one another on this trip! :)
A great shot of our view inside Glacier Bay!
Poppa and Ave looking at the glacier! Ave was thinking...okay, I've seen one, I've seen them all. Ha! She'll appreciate them when she's older! :)
My FAVORITE picture. It was a BEAUTIFUL day. :)
Ave relaxing with Daddy in the sunshine. She was completely unaware of the beauty around her. I think life gets that way sometimes. It's nice to be reminded that sometimes we just need to look beyond the immediate to see what God has for us beyond ourselves.
And of course the trip would not be complete without a naked booty picture! We had to go to Poppa/Niecey's room to bathe Ave, and she was fascinated by the mirrors. She even found the radio that no one knew about! :)
Bye Bye. Beautiful. Alaska.
I hope you enjoyed a little piece of our trip. :) Thanks for loving our family.
Thank you again, Poppa and Niecey, for such a memorable vacation! We love you, and we loved getting to spend time together!!
Coming Up:
Our trip to Hemphill for Spencer and Shannon's Bridal Shower
AND
Barton Family Vacay 2011! :)
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