Floriday Vacay - Last Day (Sniff Sniff, Sob Sob)

The last day in sunny Florida ended exactly as it began - the boys in the pool, the dog running laps, and the grown ups watching from the comfy pool chairs.

Thanks to Nelly for actually listening and smiling in the picture.  Our boys...not so much.

This was one of the best vacations we've been on.  I won't go back to the utter & extreme sappiness from my first Florida post, but I'll just wrap by saying I love you guys and can't wait to come back soon.  xoxo

Florida Vacay - Day 5

Thursday was our last full day and it started off in the most surprising way. My dear old friend Jyl from LA was in town shooting an awesome show so we got to catch up for breakfast.  However traffic and timing kept us from our gourmet breakfast so we caught up for an early Wendy's lunch instead.  Love you Jyl-O.

Another great surprise was getting to catch up with our friends from Georgia.  They were also in town visiting (and putting an offer in on a house - keep your fingers crossed blogworld) so we spent the day together at Sea World.

If you've been to Sea World then you've probably seen Clyde & Seamore Take Pirate Island.  Hysterical.  For those that haven't seen it I won't ruin it for you, but I will say that when Cole saw the seals for the first time, his face was absolutely priceless.

In typical theme park style, you can pay a zillion dollars for something that costs a dime normally in order to participate in a fun activity.  And so went Ry getting some dead fish to feed the sharks.  Good times!

And here's a shot from the end of a long, hot day.  No one was in the mood to smile, but Charlie's face is just priceless.  He looks so maniacal it's funny...muah ha ha ha!!!!

And then came the ride home.  After almost 2 hours in the car, we were about 5 minutes from home.  The boys were totally stir crazy and Ry threw something at my head (a granola bar, I believe).  After a stern lecture, we forged ahead.

About a minute later, he said, "Can you give me back the dolphin I threw at you?"  Turns out that the granola hit my head but the dolphin went out the open window.  After many drama-filled moments, the mini van turned around and Mr. Dolphin was found on the side of the road. 

You're welcome dear son.

P.S. Don't throw anything else at my head.

Floriday Vacay Day 4 - Busch Gardens

Day 4 led us to Busch Gardens.  The weather was hot hot hot but we pushed through because we knew the kids would love it.  (Plus we had pre-paid for our tickets so they had no choice.)

Our first adventure was the treehouse.  It was really (really) high up and I was starting to wonder if the ropes supported by the football goal posts would support my old bones.

Charlie also took the cautious approach and it took him about 72 hours to reach the bottom.  Slow and steady wins the race.

Ry and I used our Fast Pass to hop on the Congo River Rapids and it was quite the experience.  Ry was freaking in the beginning and secretly whispered in my ear, "I'm really scared Mommy."  It's very rare for Ry to share any emotion with me and he even let me keep my hand on his back for the whole ride.  Progress.

 

Florida Vacay Day 3 - Part Deux

The Lowry Park Zoo is the bomb. On many levels. 

a. You can pay a man $3 for a cup of pollen and the cute little birdies will eat out of the palm of your hand.  Literally.

b. Everywhere you walk there are water thingies you can run through.  Especially nice on a 90 degree afternoon.

c. You can pay another man $3 for a leaf of lettuce and feed a giraffe.  Yes, I said $3 for a leaf of lettuce.  But aren't the pics so darn cute?

d. The animals seem so close.  I don't know how they do it but BAM.  They're right there.

e. This has nothing to do with the Lowry Park Zoo being the bomb.  I just think it's funny that we got a shot of Cha picking his nose.

Aaaand here's a pic of Cole at dinner.  Still lookin' cool despite a long day of fun in the sun and travel. 

We definitely recommend this zoo if you're in the area.  Check it out and tell the birdies we said whassup.

Floriday Vacay Day 3 - Part One

I know all of these vacation posts are draaaaaging out - but I can only find little bits and pieces of time to write.  So I'll slowly but surely make my way through the week (hopefully before our next vacation).

We woke up Tuesday morning and scarfed down breakfast so we could go to the beach.  The most ironic part of our trip - we were so close to Clearwater and yet Phillies Spring Training had ended the week before.  So instead of seeing the Phils in Clearwater, we saw the Gulf Of Mexico instead.  Fair trade in my book.

We were in the car ride down and told the boys that they'd probably be able to see their feet in the water.  Ry responded from the back seat, "That's so cool!  Since the Atlantic Ocean is brown so you can't really see anything except jellyfish and bottles."  Awesome.

I just wanted one nice picture.  Just one nice picture boys!?!  At least Charlie went in for the smooch at the end which sort of made of for the train wrech of a photo opp.

We ended the trip with hot dogs in the sand and an outdoor shower.  Although this sounds very peaceful it was actually a total mess and not at all productive, which is why we had to spray the boys down with Patty & Steve's garden hose when we got home.  Not optimal (or warm), but necessary.

The next part of the day was spent at the Lowry Park Zoo - an awesome afternoon to be documented later.  And so yes, these posts will draaaaaaag on some more...

Day 2 Florida Vacay - Legoland

The boys woke up Monday morning and it was like a scene out of a movie.  "Can we go to Legoland?!?  Can we go to Legoland?!? Can we go to Legoland?!?"  You catch my drift.

We arrived at the park and they gasped with excitement.  We had arrived.

After we were about 5 steps into the park, they started to see all of the stores pimping out Lego merchandise.  The next chant became, "Can we buy something?  How much money can we spend? Can we get a Lego set now?"

By the time we got to the first ride, they had their eye on the prize.  Nothing would satisfy their souls except a new Lego set.  Tensions were high.

So we handled it like any rational thinking parent in a busy theme park in 90 degree heat with 3 screaming children. We put them in time out and told them that we weren't buying them a thing and they would have to  earn their toy priviledge back through good behavior - that little dose of reality snapped 'em right out of it.

We got home and Cole settled in for his soon-to-be nightly routine of snuggling with the family dog Kelty.  Luckily she was just as happy to have a snuggle buddy and the rest is history.

That night, Phil and I snuck out to Whiskey Joe's for drinks and seafood on the water.  After many cocktails we ended up on the beach posing in the lifeguard stand.  Okay so it was just me posing in the lifeguard stand, whatever.

We arrived home to find our boys peacefully snoozing away with the dog barrier working wonders.



And for the record, we did buy them each a Lego set at the end of the park because of good behavior. Also because we are suckers.