Symphony of the Seas

A couple of years ago, we had decided to go on a cruise with our kids for a family vacation.  The year we purchased the cruise was 2020...then there was this global pandemic "incident" that shut down life for quite some time and a cruise was the last place you wanted to be.  It wasn't even possible for much of the time since covid exploded.  With the health of the earth looking up and the industry opening again, we thought we'd chance it and book our cruise for Spring Break this year.  We gave the trip to the kids as a gift at Christmas so we were anxiously awaiting April to come!

We had to get swabbed and receive a negative Covid test before we could board the boat.  We were so nervous because a neighbor had a little niece get a false positive before their cruise while checking in and their entire party was unable to set food on the ship.  We were determined to sail- so we found our lab, did some precautionary nostril cleansing and all tested negative!  We had to stop by the lab that did our paperwork because we thought we were missing some information and didn't want that to hold us up, so we were rushing it at the airport.  When we were unloading from our shuttle at the car park, we asked Harrison where his bag was and realized...we never even packed it in the car.  It was still at our house.  Oh snap.  We were already running a bit behind, there was no way we could go back.  Our rockstar neighbor, Susan, broke in our house and zipped that luggage to Dave with minutes to spare.  And we were off!  It was a hectic time followed by mixed up airline seats, hour plus wait at the car rental, but finally we were ready to set sail. Wahoo!  Anchors away!

The staff wore masks but we were only asked to wear them when checking in.  We booked this cruise just planning on chillin with our little family, but our neighbor friends, the Hepplers had booked the same cruise!  They have kids one year older than each of our oldest three, so they spent a lot of time with their buddies.  We met up with them as soon as we got on the boat and explored together.  

This ship was incredible.  I took every opportunity to do any latin dance class and got Harrison up there with me a bit.  I was cha-cha- cha-ing every night away.  

The kids loved the Flow Rider and Katelee even surfed with her broken wrist...unauthorized by me. 

 She just couldn't pass it up.  Grant decided his neck wasn't ready for that after a fall that caused some pain, so I was happy he opted for other activities-which there were plenty!!

There was a teen club and Grant as well as Katelee especially loved that.  They met a lot of friends from all over the world and spent time getting to know them with Cameron and Hailey Heppler.  Brenna was on the young end of that so she and Harrison spent more time with us, which we loved.  The pool deck had a splash pad, water slides, pools and all the fun for water loving folks.  I loved to see the kids (Brenna in the first pic) go down the slide and wave and then continue reading my book.  Haha! We camped out at a spot right under the 'toilet bowl' slide and it gave me the necessary shade I require.  

There was a mix of weather with some rain and some sunny days.  They took advantage of the sun whenever they could. 

While I personally didn't get on these water slides, I heard they were great.  I preferred the slide you had a mat to sit on that took you down the side of the ship- the Ultimate Abyss.  

Brenna kept pronouncing it Ab-iss, so now I have to make sure I get that first syllable emphasized her way.  

I was so fast some of the the rides, the lights and music didn't even turn on.  I guess I'm pretty much a professional Ultimate Ab-iss rider.  I give the Ultimate Abyss 2 enthusiastic thumbs up. 

The evenings were spent every night together in the main dining room.  We had the best waiter, Steven, from India.  He remembered everyone's names, our preferences and kept us full and happy.  Grant went for escargot the very first night, I mean we don't usually have restaurants around here that offer the buttery slimy goodness.  He said they were fine, I thought they were great.  No one else was quite as daring.  

We got dressed up for our formal night  dinner and then everyone quickly changed to more comfortable apparel.  But we looked snazzy for a hot second.  

After our dinner meal we would go see a show (sometimes all together, sometimes we'd run into the teenagers as they popped around), or participate in a game show like Family Feud...

I can't remember who won this challenge, but I don't think we were ever super stars.  The kids were great at karaoke.  

I was walking through the promenade one night and thought a voice sounded familiar and sure enough it was Brenna and a couple gals belting T-Swift.  There was constant entertainment and thank heavens there was a Royal Caribbean app so I could make sure my people were still on the boat when I hadn't seen them for awhile.  

Grant refused to attend a second ice skating show after we forced him to go with us to the first one, but we did get him and Katelee to the comedian and a singer.  The musical was slightly painful, so I didn't blame them when they begged to sneak out and meet up with other cool cats.  But what's not cool about this?

The best show was the water show, I think that was unanimously agreed to by each McArthur.  So, yay, we had one consensus there.  

Katelee, Brenna and Harrison all did the little zip line that took you across the middle of the boat.  Harrison looked like he was  hanging on for dear life,

 the girls thought it was hardly exciting.   There really were just so many activities and events offered and ones we participated in, I can hardly cover it.

Climbing, games, arcades, scattergories, hunts, shows, movies, kids club, merry go round, mini golf  and lots and lots and lots of slices of pizza, ice cream cones and tacos.  

  We were sailing over Easter, so I got up and went to the church service.  No one else in the fam wanted to attend Mass with me, but I wanted to think about Jesus on his day and appreciated others on the ship that did as well.  I bumbled through the words, but my heart was in it.   It was a great service and I maybe got holy water shot into my eye, but  I'm sure I need a new vision...I was just getting some help from the priest.  

Besides the days at sea and time on the boat, 

we got to experience some cool excursions.  We rode horses in St Martin.  These were some skinny little horses, so Dave didn't ride one.  He spent the time taking our photos and apparently talking a native into driving him to the grocery store.  Our friends came to the tour after us and thought Dave was being absconded.  Luckily he was brought back to us and had some local goods for us to sample. 

Everyone got along well with their ponies 

even if Brenna looked like it hurt in every single picture.  We took a loop around the hills and then ended up walking through the water.  

Once they hit the ocean, the horses just let everything out of their bowels, so there was floating feces all over.  The guide told us its just nature and not to worry, but I was still trying to avoid the poops as much as possible.  

Grant donned his tank tops the entire week and you can see his skin progressively getting more red and damaged as the days went on.  By the time we got home, he was completely scabbed and blistered.  But he still did not cover up- gotta let those guns out no matter the burn I guess.  These four give 5 stars to horses in the Carribbean.

Our second tour was a snorkel in St Thomas.  That was a lot of fun!  It took some serious coaxing to get Harrison in the water but he did it and some of us even saw turtles.  Yay for that!

The catamaran ride was quite a thrill watching the Londoners Katelee and Grant made friends with get pretty crazy.  It must have been too much for Harrison because we looked over and saw him in this position:

The dude was totally zen.  Dave snapped a pic and a gentleman from Ireland asked me who taught Harrison to meditate like that. The Irish man said he teaches meditation and yoga as a profession and was impressed with how "grounded" Harrison was.  Really though, can't get much more calming than boating through tropical ocean waves.  

The final port was on Royal Caribbean's little water park island called Coco Cay.  Grant took the 2 younger kids to the water park 

and Grant and Katelee hit it up with their friends.  I spent the morning solo and getting a massage at the spa on the boat.  I'm not sure if that masseuse knew I wanted a massage and not a beating, because I ended up pretty bruised.   But hey, at least I got some alone time.  It poured for a bit once they got on the island, but they still got plenty of time to play and came back happy.  

That was our last stop before disembarking the next morning.  We said goodbye to all the awesome staff that made our vacation exceptional. 

Harrison came home with some impressive magic tricks with their help, Grant had a gnarly burn that scabbed and blistered, Brenna and Katelee both had corn rolls in their hair and I had came back with quite a few more pounds.  

Before we flew home, we went on a swamp tour of the everglades.  

There were gators all over the place.  It was creepy and fascinating.  

Katelee had the best gator vision and spotted a tiny baby in the trees near the shore. 

 Her phone was even borrowed for a gator show so she will always have memories of a giant reptile almost eating her beloved device.  

Reflecting back on the trip, I would say it was unforgettable! So much to do, so much to eat, so much to take in.  The goal was to make memories so that mission was accomplished.  

 

Bones are for Breaking

I mean why stop at one kid breaking themselves and needing surgery?  Katelee decided she didn't want to miss out on the action,so she attempted and succeeded in a good break.  She didn't want Grant to take her spot in the family as the child needing most medical attention.

On her very last day of Snowblitz (the snowboarding program that takes students to Brighton ski resort for a lesson and fun once a week), I got a call (and a pic) 

from her saying she think she broke her wrist and did I want her to be treated up at the resort.  It was nearly the end of the session, so I told her no to come home on the bus and I would take her to the instacare.  Thank heavens because the next picture I saw was of her wrist being wrapped with carpet foam in cardboard, so I think we made the right decision there.  One would think the ski resort medical centers would have a little better supplies.

She got home and we raced over to the instacare to have it checked out before they closed.  Sure enough, her wrist was broken in a couple of places.  The bone looked a little wavy to me, like it did when she broke it when she was 10, so I asked the doctor if it needed to be reset then and there and he said it wasn't broken to a certain degree, so no, I just needed to make an appt with an orthopedic doc for when the swelling went down to get it casted.  So much sadness on this little face...

as she was heading to the hospital with me, she got a text saying she had made the high school lacrosse team! Yea for that, tears for realizing she wouldn't be able to play in the season.  Tears after hearing about a cast because we are going on a cruise for spring break.  Hoping we would get casted and possibly have it off before our school break, we got in to the ortho as soon as possible, only to hear she needed surgery.  The orthopedic doctor thought possibly if we had reset the bone that night of the injury we may not have had to do a surgery...grrrr.  I was pretty bugged at that.  So, surgery it was!

After talking to the surgeon, he gave us some hope for the trip saying once we got her fixed up and wrapped, she wouldn't need a cast and could do all the activities (except maybe the surfing) on the cruise.  So, perhaps a cast would have been a bigger bummer, who knows.  She was pretty positive going in to the operation.  Coming out though...yikes...

She had a really, really hard time.  She was in so much pain they had to do extra nerve blocks and the student anestheisologists got an earful from their training doc as he was practically shouting and pointing out Katelee's ultrasound to everyone that walked by that she had the largest dorsal nerve he'd ever seen for her age and young adults.  ( I might be making up the medical jargon there, but it was probably why she was in so much pain).  Lots of tears, lots of blocks, it was sad, but we finally made it out the door.  

On to rest and recovery...

She ended up actually needing some permanent screws and the surgery was the only way to repair that break, so I no longer can be angry at the instacare for rushing us out the door and not setting it.  Add another insult to injury, she had to have surgery the day before her birthday, so once again her day of birth celebration was not what she was hoping.  But, we at least got her out of the house for dinner at grandma's.  I made chicken tacos and really, tacos make everything better.  

The past year or so has definitely had moments where I want to cover my face and pretend it's not real, but

hiding doesn't keep it from happening!  So, we trudge forward and celebrate the good, which is plentiful.  

Harrison had another stellar testimony in our ward talking about how winter and snow are bad for McArthur's bones, but he knows there have been blessings even though it's been a hard time.  He even had a pretty thorough conversation about it with the Great Clips stylist.  He told her all about our broken bones situations and how his 'siblings are learning things the hard way.'  Hopefully it is sinking in for him to prep those bones or know it's going to work out if/when the world seems to be breaking around us (or in us!).

Grant, had the best doctor's appointment ever...

and got to leave the office without wearing his brace. He is officially brace free!!  There was a chance the cage could settle into his spine, so we have had to do repeated x-rays to make sure Grant wouldn't need a follow up surgery through the backside of his neck.  He has healed just how the surgeon hoped and has the green light to start exercising and lifting a little more than 5lbs.  He was told to take it slowly and ease into it...predictions on whether that advice will be heeded?  Grant says he doesn't need/want physical therapy at this time, so we will just follow up with the doc again in summer.  

So, this time when a high school dance came around (Prom), he could legit be in pics and participate without accommodations or restrictions.  

He's gained back some of his weight and is doing so well in his recovery.  Here are Hailey and Grant's prom photos.  They had a great time and again rocked the his/her matching shoes.  

He and his buddies planned a really nice night after a day-time paintball excursion. 

Grant also 'wrapped up' his swim season with the end of the year banquet.  He passed on the beloved banana costume, which he actually wore and cheered his team on from the sidelines in a chair when he was up to it.  

He received the "Pain in the Neck" award  (too soon?), I may laugh about that sometime, just not quite yet.  

He has made some really great connections with swim team, next year will be hard because most of his friends are seniors on swim or Trey (above) is retiring to focus on other things.  He will miss Maddie the most, they became really close buddies.  

But, I am sure he will be a great leader and friend to the upcoming team as he is a senior, if he decides to try out.  

So many things to celebrate, even if it isn't in the timing you expect or want.  This little group of friends (which we have affectionately dubbed ourselves as Pheasant Point Alumna- we used to all be in the same ward) all have birthdays over the winter.  We decided to do an afternoon tea together to especially honor Kristen's 50th.  But, as we have adjusted and postponed celebrations around here it made me realize that the good comes, the moments of afternoon tea might have to wait, but they will be there.  We just gotta keep our head up and look for the good because that steaming hot chocolate is worth the wait.  

Moving On

Well, we made it through December of 2021- moving on to the next year.  We are pretty darn happy everyone can MOVE after a broken neck, so a neck brace and stiffness is no biggie.  It is crazy how life just keeps going forward even when you feel at a stand still, the world never is.  I mean nothing (bar a global pandemic) halts a junior jazz season...

We love watching Harrison play sports and basketball might be his favorite.  He gets so into the game and is jumping with excitement all over the court.  He loves to play and does it even at recess when the weather permits.  He came home after school one day and ranted about how difficult his day had been.  He explained to me that the weather was good enough that week to break out the basketballs for recess.  The boys playing were broken up into teams and they told Harrison he had different rules than everyone else because he kept swatting the ball away.  Everyone else was able to do that, but Harrison would not be allowed to.  As he told me this story, he started sobbing and thinking it wasn't fair and in agony cried out, "Curse my basketball skills,  curse them!"  hahahaha  Hopefully he eventually will see people will want those skills on the court.  

Grant stayed home from school for a couple of weeks into January, just to make sure he was up to going through the school and classes and was healing ok.  He ended up contracting a terrible virus (which probably was covid).  We took him to Instacare because he felt like he had open sores up and down his throat and he felt like it was on fire.  We were worried there was damage from the breathing tube, but we will have to follow up on that later when his collar is off.  He has lost around 25-30 lbs, so we are working on getting him healthy in all ways.  He's looking good and moving in the right direction.

Miss Brenna joined the metal mouth club and will be sporting a brace face smile for the next couple of years.  

She got to enjoy a beautiful ski day with Dad.  Dave says she a natural.  While Grant and Katelee decided to take up boarding, Brenna is sticking with the skis.  

Brenna also got to experience her very first temple day with Katelee and Dave!  She went to do baptisms for the dead with them and it had been a long time for Katelee too, so she was happy to be back.  We are all glad temples are available to visit and serve in again!

After we got through January, and my birthday, which was cool and quiet and lovely, it was time for Grant and Brenna to be celebrated.  

Seventeen years for this fella.  He's super in to cars and shoes and friends.  He has absolutely been a champ dealing with his surgery and collar and restrictions and we are so grateful he's in our family!

Cinnamon rolls and quiche for the birthday boy and a laid back day for him as well...pretty on par with how his life is going at the moment.  

When it was Brenna's turn to celebrate (#12), she decided to take a couple of friends and her bro tubing.  As you can see, it was a very warm day, and has been for quite some time, so the snow was sparse, but the fun was plentiful.  

Harrison was lucky enough to join in the fun and hung out with Dave while the girls did their thang...

but it was helpful to have him there for an extra couple of tubes in the sledding train.  They capped the night off with a stop at the Chocolate for dessert, so it pretty much was a top notch party.  

I stayed home and let Dave be the party host because Grant was going to Sweethearts with Hailey. 

 I just like to be around on dance days in case we need to run to the store or he needs help with anything, especially since his is a broken kid at this point in time.  

We talked extensively about him wearing the brace the entire night, he has months of recovery in this apparatus.  I did give him permission to snap some photos without it.  

Pretty sure my instructions were not followed.  At least I made an impact on Hailey when I told her he could absolutely not go bowling.  He's not supposed to be lifting anything heavy.  That was the plan, but she happily made adjustments.  

I was just happy he got to go and had someone to match shoes with.  He's making lots of progress.  

While I missed the friend party, we still did a family dinner with Miss Brenna. 

 Her gift this year is her dance solo, so she just got a few little items which she was really grateful for, that's always fun to see.  

Brenna always has been a personality like no other- big, a mover and the most organized child ever to walk the planet.  She has lists and lists for her lists.  She is a beautiful dance and a resilient person who is going to do great things-she already does!

Our days of full family fun seem to be hard to schedule and few and far between.  These older kids are always gone and the younger ones have lots of activities as well.  We still had a (forced) fancy dinner and dance for Valentines day.  It will be interesting to see how everyone views these traditions when they look back.  There is lots of eye rolling and sighs from some, some giggles and joy from others but at least everyone had a happy belly!  

We have many nights where we take the younger two out, soon it might just be us and Harry baby.  He would be all over that as long as the evening included treats and history...like this ice cream shop we tried out.  No matter the dynamic or who is involved in the nights out, we keep moving on and enjoying who and what we get!