Clearwater.....

Our official pics from Clearwater Marine Aquarium!

Clearwater Marine Aquarium!

One of the best attractions in Clearwater is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The movie, "A Dolphin's Tale" was filmed here about a dolphin named Winter that was rescued. She lost her tail due to being caught in a crab trap, and learned how to swim again. She also received a prosthetic tail that was formulated just for her to keep her muscles strong. She doesn't need the prosthetic to swim, but they put it on daily to keep the rest of her muscles strong. There is another movie coming out in the fall about another dolphin that was rescued, named Hope. We can't wait to see it! They are a great place that rehabilitates rescued animals and releases them back to the wild if possible. There were several dolphins, sea turtles, river otters, sharks and more!

Exhausted!

After getting off of the ship, we drove to Clearwater, FL where we spent a few days as well. Obviously, the kids were exhausted from the cruise and slept for a portion of the time in the car!

Atlantis Dolphin Encounter!

When we docked in Nassau, we had an excursion planned to the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island. We had a shallow water interaction with dolphins which was absolutely amazing! Our dolphin was a young (3 year old) male that was precious! We each got to kiss him, hold him, and of course, lots of pictures were taken!

Dinners!

Each night we had a different restaurant to eat in, but with the same servers. Jacie and Onika were amazing and treated us so well! By the end of the cruise, they knew our drink preferences, and what recommendations to make on the menu. On the last night, we took pictures with the servers and Hudson wanted to take a "selfie" with me!

Disney Characters....

Characters were everywhere on the Cruise, and we tried to get as many pictures with them as possible! Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Stitch, Captain Hook and many more made appearances! Reagan even got to dance with Goofy during a show! It was very magical for both the kids.....on the last night of the cruise we also got an autographed pillowcase. Mickey and friends signed Hudson's, and the Princesses signed Reagan's pillowcase. It is a very treasured memory!

Kid's Club!

One of the most amazing things about the Disney Cruise is the kid's club that is available to all the kids. Just in Disney style, they have all kinds of fun things to do! The first day we went to the kid's club to check it out.....Hudson loved the Monsters Inc area, and the submarine, and Reagan loved Pixie Hollow! Chip and Dale came in as well, and Reagan colored with them. Then, Chip drew her a picture and signed it. She was all smiles!

Disney Cruise!!

We just recently got back from an amazing vacation in July! We went on a Disney cruise out of Port Canaveral, FL that headed to the Bahamas, and also to Disney's private island, Castaway Cay! We stayed in Florida for a few days after getting back from the cruise and had fun then too! Needless to say, last week was getting back into the swing of work, school, etc, and I haven't had a great opportunity to post much about our time. Well.....here it goes! We had an absolutely amazing experience on the cruise that included our cabin, the staff, the characters, the food and the excursions! By the middle of the cruise, Reagan was already asking about our next one! I don't see the next one happening too soon, but maybe in a few years! The ship itself was amazing with several pools, a water roller coaster, great restaurants and great kids's club.....

July!

July is a busy month at the Hope House! We were able to enjoy the Rockwall parade and fireworks on July 4th, and have since been preparing for our vacation next week! We are going on a Disney cruise with some extra time in Florida! The kids are super excited and hopefully, I will be able to post lots of pictures!

Diamondbacks T-Ball!

Hudson just finished playing his summer T-Ball. It is amazing to watch how the kids grow and change over the years between seasons. The Diamondbacks had a great season and ended the season at Braum's with ice cream and trophies!