Cruisin' with the Ladies

We recently went on our first couple only vacation since our honeymoon 8 years ago, and it was worth the wait! We took a 5 day "Ships and Dip" Barenaked Ladies (BNL) Carnival cruise to Turks and Caicos while Olivia stayed with her grandparents. The temperature was in the 80's the entire trip, the food was plentiful (although not always spectacular), Kate was seasick for the majority of the time (but was still able to have fun), and the entertainment was so constant that Joe had to finally give up and realize that it was not humanly possible to attend every event offered. This cruise featured BNL (Joe's absolute favorite band for those who do not know), with "side" acts of Guster, Vanity Project, Thinbuckle, Harland Williams (comedian), Brothers Creggaan, New Odds, and Sean Cullen (comedian). There is no way to write about all that the cruise had to offer, but multiple daily concerts, a naked picture with the band (yep, you read that correctly!), a songwriters panel, a docking at Turks and Caicos for shopping/sand/ocean fun, and Guitar Hero contests with band members were just some of the happenings. For those who think that this sounds great, you can join the cruise next year as BNL has opted to make this a yearly event (although we will not be attending next year due to Ethan).

I'll start the pictures with a shot of a beautiful beach view of Turks and Caicos - Grand Turk Island to be specific. The sky was a bit overcast that day (we had had about a 5 minute rain shower) but believe me, the temperature was perfect! This was taken from the deck of the boat as we were waiting for the BNL poolside acoustic concert to start.

Joe and Kate waiting for the Vanity Project concert to begin. Our pre-concert entertainment for this show was watching the BNL band members' kids run around the stage.

Joe with Kevin (BNL pianist). He was not an easy picture to get as when we would see him on the ship he was always busy. Joe finally found him in the cafeteria getting a drink after a concert. Yes, all of the band members freely walked around the boat and ate in the same buffet line as everyone else. I must say that the fans did not overly mob the band, as that would not have been "true BNL fan behavior".

Joe with Steve (BNL guitarist and lead singer). This was after he performed in the Vanity Project concert and is extremely sweaty!

Joe with Jim (BNL bass guitar). We were able to talk with him before his Brothers Creggaan performance.

Joe with Tyler (BNL drummer). Also, for those fans in the know...Andy is barely visible in the left side of the picture. He was an original member of the band before dropping out to attend college (he was replaced by Kevin). At the BNL main concert, Kate later caught a drumstick that Tyler threw into the audience. However, Joe is under the (false) belief that the stick was meant for him and has taken ownership of it.

Last but not least, Joe's favorite picture from the cruise. He is posing with Ed (BNL lead guitarist and singer) before the Brothers Creggaan concert - yes, that is right, the band members would sit and mingle with the crowds at every concert. Anyway, Joe loves that Ed is giving the "rock horns" sign.

Our final picture needs a bit of an introduction, to say the least. BNL had a tradition of recording one song from each album in the nude. This love of nudity also applies to the tour bus, backstage at concerts, and the like. Well, someone thought it would be a great idea for the band and willing cruisers to pose for a huge Barenaked picture at sea. After much cajoling of Kate, we headed up to the deck with the other 700 participants and dropped our robes. This is the 'before' pic, and you can imagine all the skin in the 'after'. The band is in the front row of the upper deck area, and they are just as naked as the rest of us in the final pic. We were about half way back, and you can only see our faces and Joe giving Ed-esque rock horns. Actually posting the nude shot may be a little risque for a family blog, so feel free to ask to see it...if you dare.

Sorry all. We tried to put in the pic, but copyright issues prevent it. CLICK HERE to see the pre-nude goodness.

We could not end this posting without a quick note of the trouble it took to get to and from the cruise. The weekend we left was the time of the ice storm that went from Texas through Illinois, virtually canceling all flights out of St. Louis the day before we were to leave. With the second round of ice due to hit that night, we panicked and took an Amtrak to Chicago, slept in the airport, and caught a 6:30 am flight to Florida (after they de-iced the plane twice). All that being said, our original flight out of St. Louis did take off so it was all for nothing. Coming home was not much better as a snow storm was hitting the same states and our flight was canceled, causing us to spend 13 hours in the Ft. Lauderdale airport waiting for the last flight of the day - which luckily took off and saved us from another night sleeping in an airport. Both of us believe that it was all a small price to pay to be able to attend the cruise.

Snow Day Fun

We made it back from our cruise to Turks and Caicos (barely, but that is a story for another blog)! We arrived home to frigid temperatures and snow, a far cry from the 80* temps we had become accustomed to in the past week. More details and pictures to come in a later posting. For now, we just wanted to say a quick hello and that we survived the trip. We also wish to announce that Mr. Noodle's name has now been selected...(drum roll please)...we will welcome Ethan Joseph Baima in May.

Snow angel Olivia.

Sledding fun with daddy.

Ring in the New Year

Being the parents of a young child, New Years Eve does not leave you with many choices. You can either 1) pay a large amount for a babysitter in order for you to come home late from a party and then wake up way too early the next morning, 2) stay home alone, or 3) host a party for 20 of your friends. We decided that hosting a child friendly party would be the most memorable, as you can see from the following pictures...

Olivia enjoying some pizza with her "party hat" on.


Olivia's good friend Kellan sipping on his sparkling cider. His mother, Nicola, was forced to cut him off after 3 glasses!

Joe opted to moonlight on New Years, so a full day working plus a house full of active kids really put him in a party mood! ;) (He's not going to like me posting this picture)

On a different subject, Kate had her 20 week sonogram today and Noodle is looking very healthy! The baby is definitely a boy (the "turtle sign" was clearly visible) and everything looks to be on target. The name debate is in full force right now, so stay tuned for that update. We leave for our Turks & Caicos vacation next week and will post again on the blog after we return!

Bye-Bye Pacifier

Olivia officially said good-bye to her best friend the pacifier last week. She has had a pacifier since she was one week old, and was very attached to it. Lately she has only been allowed to have the pacifier for nap and bed time, but mom decided that it was time for Olivia to give that up as well. Olivia seemed to agree with the concept until bedtime, when a full temper tantrum erupted when she was told that the pacifier "went bye-bye". It has now been 5 days, and the pacifier is not even asked for anymore.

On a side note, Olivia has also decided to stop wearing pants. That is not to say that she runs around half-naked, but that only "beautiful dresses" will do for clothing. Considering that Olivia only owns 2 dresses and 3 skirts, she will have many repeat outfits each week! The "Princess stage" has arrived in full force!