Forced Family Fun

Forced Family Fun. This is what the Hamilton family calls any family get-together. Of course, we always have a fantastic time together, so the phrase doesn't really fit. It's just for a good laugh.

So our most recent Forced Family Fun (FFF) was at Blue Mountain Beach. We rented a condo from Coach Parrish that comfortably fit our 7 adults and 4 children. The vacation week actually started while Barry and I were in Mexico, so MyGoo and Doc took Canon down to the beach with them on Saturday afternoon. I got to Dothan at 9:00 Sunday night and jumped right back in the car to rush to the beach to see Canon . . . I mean, my family!

Trey, Michele, and Kaden drove over from Texas, and Ann Steiner, Jason, Amelia and Ceil came down with my parents on Saturday. Barry spent one night with us because he had to work, but Robert, Dauren, and Graham couldn't make it because of the doctor-prescribed bed rest Dauren was committed to for the next two months. It was definitely a full house, and we tried to fill every moment with something. Unfortunately, Canon is not quite old enough to do most of the things that his older cousins can do, so we spent a lot of time hanging out in the condo or at the pool. The others rented bikes and rode up and down 30-A. They also took a boat to Shell Island after Canon and I went back to Dothan.

Canon had his first experience in the sand. My mom was holding him in the only picture that was taken of him on the beach, and she has threatened me with my life if I post a picture of her in a swimsuit on the internet. So, you're just going to have to believe me. He did actually go to the beach . . . and hated every second of it. Doc and I purchased a beach umbrella to give him some shade, but the lumpy sand just didn't conform to his chubby body. Eventually, MyGoo and Doc took him back to the condo while I stayed on the beach to hang out with my siblings, nieces, and nephew.

We went to Seaside one night to a Community Theater performance. It was a family-friendly kind of event. Amelia loved every second of it - princesses and wizards are her favorite! Canon met the Sce's for the very first time when he and I went to visit them in Destin. They are close family friends from Winfield and were spending their family vacation about ten miles away from us. We also went to the outlets and bought this growing chunker some new clothes. I'm sure we'll be back in a month!

It was a very fun week, especially considering that we only get together like this twice a year, maybe three times if someone gets married or has a baby. And let's face it . . . that's pretty much every year in my family!

Mexico: Top Ten

Recently, Barry and I traveled with eight of our friends to Mexico for a 5-Day/4-Night vacation. Canon stayed with MyGoo and Doc where, I am told, he was the perfect baby (like I'm surprised!!). We stayed at the El Dorado Royale located just outside of Playa del Carmen. Kyle & Mandy, Ed & Leslie, Lance & Tracie, and Sam & Alicia made the trip with us. It was, to say the least, a very memorable experience. Because trips like these can be difficult to describe, I'm taking an idea from my sister-in-law and making a Top Ten list to condense the trip down to its most memorable moments. I'm no Letterman, but here goes . . .

Number 10: Playa del Carmen. The last night of our trip, we decided to venture away from the resort and experience some local night life. We reserved a van to transport our obnoxious crew the 15+ miles to 5th Avenue, a cobblestone road lined with restaurants, shops, and bars. We spent just three hours walking the streets (no . . . not like that) and checking out the shops-that-appear-to-sell-local-memorabilia-but-actually-sell-items-made-in-Taiwan. A few of us found some things worth purchasing (yes, even me) and we had a great time. Things I learned in Playa: the mojitos are better here than anywhere else in Mexico (but not as good as Kyle & Ed's), a Ladies' Small t-shirt is much smaller than a regular small t-shirt, and Mexican women NEVER wear flats.

Number 9: The Sandbags. In an effort to make the horizon a bit more appealing to its guests, the Royale has strategically placed sandbags that look like large boulders a few feet from the shore. While these sandbags are mere eye-candy for most guests, the boys in our group saw an opportunity for an excursion. They climbed and jumped from one sandbag to the next, scraping their feet and backs along the way. Apparently, the game caught on. The lifeguard soon joined them, jumping from bag to bag and blowing his whistle with delight!

Number 8: The Lazy River. The whole reason we chose the Royale over other resorts was the inclusion of a Lazy River in the overall experience, and at least the boys can say that it didn't disappoint. Outside each of our rooms floated a long and winding river - the only river I know whose water is still. This river led to our favorite pool as well as to each other's rooms. Who needs sidewalks when you can take off your cover-up and flip-flops, toss them into a bag with your sunscreen and magazine, and carry all of it over your head in a four-foot-deep canal to the nearest pool only a short football field away? While those not carrying the bag appreciated this mode of transportation, I found it most enjoyable at 2 a.m. after Room Service was delivered and we could enjoy the guacamole and tostitoes from a pool chair in the Lazy River.

Number 7: Six-and-Four. If there is one thing that most of us will remember about this resort is the fact that it does not typically see groups of larger than six people. We sat in each other's laps when the shuttle carried us from place to place, and we rarely (only twice!) sat together as a group at a meal. Whenever we approached a hostess and requested a table for 10, her eyes got big, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and she immediately responded, "No, we do six-and-four." We finally quit arguing around Day Four.

Number 6: The Cougars. On the third night, we hung out in the Martini Bar in the lobby of the resort. With a group the size of ours, we basically had the bar to ourselves, until . . . The Cougars walked in. A group of 9 forty-something-year-old women sauntered into the bar and immediately found our friend, Lance. Or maybe it would be better to say that Lance is a Closet Cougar-Catcher. To make a long story short, we ended up spending quite some time hanging out with these women, who turned out to be top-selling travel agents from Ohio. When they heard of our troubles with sitting together at meals, they promised to clear everything up for us. While we appreciate their efforts, we continued to sit "six-and-four" for the remainder of the trip. Thanks anyway, Cougars!

Number 5: The Engagement. While I'm sure this would be Number 1 on Sam and Alicia's list, let's be honest . . . we were all waiting on this to happen. One of the promotions we received (you'll hear more about these later) was a candlelight dinner on the beach. The one night we probably all would have preferred to eat with just our spouses, the concierge set us up at a huge table-for-ten! We still had a great time, despite the romantic implications. After dinner, Kyle and Mandy insisted on a walk along the beach. They were celebrating their 5th wedding anniversary and wanted some "alone time." This was, at least, the lie we told Alicia so that Sam could lure her privately to the beach to propose while the rest of us prepared the post-engagement celebration! I want go into details, but know that chocolate-covered strawberries were included. You're Welcome, Sam!

Number 4: BOLUS! If there's one thing I learned from this trip, it is that it never hurts to take two people with medical degrees on any vacation so that they can teach you about things like a Bolus! Basically, a Bolus is a quick and large consumption of water. We all partook in quite a bit of these. You know . . . to fight dehydration! This is Ed teaching the bartender at the resort how to make a mojito.

Number 3: 5-Dinner-Days. One of the best things about an all-inclusive resort is the limitless amount of food and drink available to you at any given time of the day. Our first full day at the resort, we reserved the candlelight dinner on the beach . . . for 10 p.m. There was no way we could wait that long for dinner, so we decided that we would have a "1st Dinner" about 6. Well, if we're going to have a 1st Dinner, we might as well have a 1st lunch as well. Basically, in this one day, most of us consumed 1 breakfast, 2 lunches (back-to-back, literally), and 2 dinners. We didn't do this again.

Number 2: The Promotions. I'm not sure of the details, but somehow the travel agent we used was able to get us some fairly awesome promotional deals during our stay (or maybe it was Sam's daily discussions with Diego using the resort's on-line chatting tool - we're still not sure who Diego is!). Either way, we received three promotional vouchers upon arriving at the Royale. We each used one of our vouchers on the Candlelight Beach Dinner and at least one other one on a massage. This was my first massage, and I must say that it was pretty great. I don't want to go out and spend $100 on one every week, but the next time Diego offers me a free massage at an all-inclusive resort, I'll be sure to take him up on it. In case you're wondering, as cheap as Barry and I are, we didn't actually use our third voucher. Barry has always wanted to throw his own blender out the window and break it on the sidewalk "just because he can." I guess, in some twisted way, he was able to do that in Mexico with the third voucher.

Number 1: The Rendezvous. Though not exciting, the Rendezvous was probably the place we most frequented at the resort. Each morning after breakfast, we would meet at "The Rendezvous," the nickname we gave the pool that the Lazy River emptied into. We awoke and ate at different times, but because we all wanted to meet up eventually, we waited at The Rendezvous until the entire group was there. The boys played Pool Volleyball everyday (the girls joined in once), and a couple of the girls got roped into Water Aerobics. Again, not the most exciting place in Mexico, but definitely a memorable locale. There was a swim-up bar, pool chairs sitting in the pool, and canopy beds in the shade of the coconut trees. Iguanas were everywhere - I think Leslie almost stepped on one! It really was a pretty cool place.

Though not too extensive, I hope this helps your imagination run wild with the events of our vacation. Here are some other pictures that might help you better enjoy our vacation.

The scenery at our resort was beautiful. It was on such a large campus that we rode shuttles from one place to another, and we would all be snapping pictures along the way.


This is a "saltwater pool." We hung out here all afternoon one day. It's a large area of the ocean that they have blocked off with a rock wall. Crabs and other small animals still climb from one side of the pool to the other. Traci spent most of this particular afternoon chasing "critters" and showing them off to us.

As usual, the girls spent a lot of time together! We had to initiate Mandy & Kyle into this way of vacationing. They're used to going on trips with couples who like to hang out together.

I just wish I had gotten some sun on this trip.

The boys also had a good time. They tended to find more interesting things to do, like scuba diving in The Rendezvous pool and trying to drive the resort shuttles.


We did manage to get a few pictures of at least most of us. The one with the Buddha-ish statue is the only one we got of all ten of us. This was one of the two nights were able to sit together, so we thought we'd make a record of it.

Pregnancy

I know I wasn't pregnant for much of 2009, but it was such a big part of my life for so many months, I just have to write a little bit about it (ok, a lot!). Can I first say that the absolute best part of being pregnant with Canon was having so many of my friends who were also pregnant - most with their first child, too? Mandy was the first and due in January (Luke was actually born December 28). Then me, due March 23 (Canon arrived March 12). Alicia was next, due in late April (Ava Grace came April 11). Next came Mary, due May 17 (Colt was born May 11). Erica is still due to have Jack Hudson in August, but she could come any day now. And Julia Ashlyn is due to Tuan on Sept. 8, but no one thinks she'll make it that long! I can't tell you how much fun it is to have others around who are going through the same new experience with you (and to have a veteran like Tuan in the pack as well). We talked about pregnancy non-stop, and now that most of the babies are here, we talk about them non-stop! This picture shows Tuan (3 months), Mary (7 months), Alicia (8 months), and me (2 days before delivery).

So about pregnancy. This was me at 17 weeks. I thought I was already huge! I'm not one of those girls who thinks that pregnancy was the best thing I've ever experienced. I'm sure my hair and nails were in good health because of the vitamins I was taking, and I'm sure others really believed that there was a glow about me. I, however, didn't notice any of those things. I stayed very calm throughout the whole process, but because it was so easy, I was on occasion waiting for something bad to happen. Even after the times I messed up (like forgetting to take my vitamins or falling while trying to dodge a sprinkler) and I expected the worst, nothing bad happened. Canon kept squirming around in there, maybe trying to remind me to take it easy.

I'm a person of faith, but a different kind of faith took over during this pregnancy. Barry was very adamant that I eat healthy and remain active. He was not one of those husbands who would have made midnight runs to Winn Dixie to buy me pickles and chocolate ice cream. He probably would have insisted that I run (literally) to Winn Dixie and buy carrots and a case of water instead. Thankfully Jordan (Alicia's husband) often convinced the other fathers-to-be to treat us all to Dairy Queen. God bless you, Jordan! I know eating healthy and exercising go a long way toward a healthy pregnancy, but there really is only so much you can do on the outside while your insides are working miracles. That's the faith I'm talking about. I know I contributed somewhat to the healthy fetal development of our son, but in the big picture, I firmly believe that I really didn't do that much. The fact that Canon was born with ten fingers, ten toes, working internal organs, and plenty of height and weight to spare was not determined by the fact that I drank orange juice every morning and walked two miles every other day. It's very difficult to explain, but Canon's birth has definitely strengthened our faith in our omniscient God for two reasons. First, because we have a beautiful and healthy baby boy that neither of us can really believe is ours. And second, because we have so much love for this child. It's a love that's very different from the love we feel for each other or the love we feel for our family and friends. It's something that we could not have conjured up ourselves, but must have come from somewhere - or someone - else. That's the faith that has inhabited our family in the last several months.

To lighten things up a bit, I think it's important to return to all those times I "messed up" during pregnancy. My first big screw up was at school in my 26th week. I tripped over a computer cord in front of about half of my students and ended up face-down on the floor. I jumped up thinking everything was fine . . . then it hit me that I was pregnant! I left the room quickly before anyone could see me get hysterical. The school nurse (Mrs. Wingate) was so wonderful. She called my doctor and Barry so that I could explain everything to them. I left work for a couple of hours to have everything checked out - an ultrasound showed that Canon was not effected in the least. After returning to school, I decided it was best not to worry my students with any details. This turned out to be a bad decision. Another teacher told me later that day that several of my students were very upset after I fell. One student reported in the next day that her mother was afraid I had lost the baby. We had a quick classroom conference to straighten everything out.

My next big mess up happened about two months later just after we moved into our new house. I was trying to be a good steward of all the money we had spent on our landscaping by watering our new lawn. Because Barry and I are both a bit tight with our funds, we decided it was unnecessary to put in a sprinkler system (a decision I regret to this day). I was busy moving our three sprinklers to various positions in our yard and again, I forgot I was pregnant. I adjusted the trajectory (is that the right word?) on the sprinkler then sprinted across the yard to dry safety. As my foot caught the seam between our soggy new sod and the sidewalk, I suddenly remembered why I'm not supposed to sprint. Gravity took over, and I landed on all fours, then slid softly onto my belly. Luckily, I already had experience with falling, so I didn't freak out. I felt Canon moving inside of me and decided that we were both ok, and no medical attention was needed. I can't be sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if Canon started his initial descent at this point. It was mere days later that he arrived!

All in all, Canon was a very quiet fetus. He didn't move around too much, which caused me quite a bit of worry when I heard how much my friends' babies were kicking. I couldn't complain of any bruised ribs, however, so I was fine with his calm nature - something he exudes in "real life" as well. He didn't give me heartburn or cause me any morning sickness. He hung out low in my belly so that when I sat down, he was literally sitting in my lap. He basically played by the rules - no drama (except what I caused myself) and no pain (again, only that which I caused myself).

To say it was easy would be an understatement. To say I loved it wouldn't be entirely true either. Pregnancy was just another natural chapter in my story. Parts of it were memorable, but as a whole it blends in with New Year's celebrations and birthday parties. I loved it, but I don't long for it. I don't miss it, but I definitely want to do it again. Barry wasn't my favorite person during it, but my feelings for him have grown stronger because of it. Pregnancy wasn't made clear to me until after Birth. Birth is the real life-changer. Pregnancy is just a means to an end, I guess. You dive in head first, hope it doesn't break your body and spirit, find strength from some unknown source, then be constantly reminded of the miracle that it produces. These are the only words in my limited vocabulary that can begin to explain it, even to myself.

Canon Joins the Church (and other "Firsts")

Canon was officially initiated into the Christian community on July 12, 2009, as he was baptized at our church, Covenant United Methodist, by Dr. Hayes McKay. Barry was a good sport as I invited family and friends to come witness the big event. Poppa, Nonna, Lydia, Houston, Doc, MyGoo, Jason, Ann Steiner, Amelia, and Ceil all drove south, while several of our friends - Ed, Leslie, Will, Tuan, Alex, Mary, Colt, Alicia, and Ava - drove from across town. We arrived at church (late as usual), and the music had already begun. We became the center of attention as we filed down the aisle to the front pew, a place Barry and I usually avoid at all costs. Our praise band was playing Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire" at the time. I might need to explain this. The sermon series this month focuses on the book of Daniel, and the morning's sermon was on Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace. Thus, the literal meaning of "Ring of Fire" was insinuated. (What can we say? We're a little progressive, especially for Dothan!). I only hope this is not foreshadowing Canon's future endeavors.

Canon, of course, was on his best behavior as water was sprinkled on his head and Hayes held him up to show him off to our fellow church members. Afterward, everyone came to the house to enjoy lunch on the front porch. It was a memorable morning for our tiny family.


After family and friends had returned home, we decided Canon was ready for another big event - his first taste of "solid" food. After mixing and re-mixing cereal (how am I supposed to know how to do this stuff?!) he was finally ready for his first bite. There's no telling how much cereal he actually ate, but there was a lot left in the bowl, a good bit on the tray, and, as you can see, plenty left on Canon.