Florida: Sea World and Mini Golf

We've been back from Florida for two weeks and phew, we've been busy! We finished our final week of school, had end of the year required testing, and much more!!!

I want to be sure to document the rest of our Florida trip before I forget. After Legoland, we went to Sea World for one day and then enjoyed a day playing mini golf and swimming in the hotel pool. We've had such a cool spring that it was awesome to enjoy the warm (but not too warm) sun!!

 Really enjoyed the sky writing! The boys were amazed. 

 The best part about Sea World were the shows. Especially the dolphin show. Amazing!

This mini golf course was a workout -- lots of steps, big hills, etc. It was also a workout of my patience muscles because you can imagine the boys were very interested in climbing all the rocks. This is an area I really need to grow in -- to know when to let them just be boys/kids and how to have appropriate expectations so I can enjoy them where they are and not be so uptight!! Oh my! Very thankful for a great last trip together as a family of five, but really longing for Irina to join us so we can be a family of SIX! We miss that sweet girl!!

Celebrating!

We have been doing a lot of celebrating this past month! We celebrated my parents 45th wedding anniversary. My brother and his family joined us for a family lunch and an adults only dinner out. We had a great babysitter who watched all 5 boys (ages 8, 6, 5, 4, and 3 years old). K.A. did a great job and got them all to bed while we enjoyed our dinner out. Hooray!

A few weeks later, we traveled to Maryland to surprise my brother and celebrate his 40th birthday. 

The crowd waiting for Jeffrey. 

Surprise!!

Three happy boys with bellies full of yummy food and cake!

My sister-in-law planned and organized a great party for my brother. I'm all partied out. ;)

More Summer Fun!

My visions of a restful and relaxing summer didn't seem to pan out. 

With three active boys there is just too much fun to be had!! 

Someday I'll sit on our hammock, sipping my ice water, reading a book. ;) ha!

Until then, I'll cherish the time spent with my busy boys.

 In Maryland, celebrating cousin B's birthday party and enjoying 

Geo Trax with Uncle Jeffrey and family. 

 Playing ball with Daddy!

 And... one of our favorite locations this summer... the POOL!!! 

They were fearless and had so much fun on the diving board! 

Whirlwind

(Okay... lots of words at first, but there will be lots of pictures at the end of this post!)

This past Saturday we loaded up and traveled to Huntingdon, Pennsylvania for a family graduation party. We enjoyed traveling an unfamiliar route and all the beautiful scenery. The boys were amazed by the "huge mountains." Obviously, they haven't been exposed to real mountains yet. :) Someday we'll take them out west.

It was so good to see extended family, some of which we had not seen in over 10 years. The party was held at a local hunting lodge. We were definitely in a small town where hunting, fishing and enjoying God's creation are the primary past times. Wish I had pictures from our stay there, but I left my camera in our room and never got the chance to go back and grab it. The boys enjoyed the huge porch, all the yummy snacks they don't usually eat, the play set, skipping stones in the lake, watching people fish and roasting marshmallows. Ethan was very skittish any time he saw a bee or wasp (and understandably so!)

The lodge had only 6 guest rooms, so all five of us squeezed in one room to save space for other family members. I managed to pull out my camera and snap a photo of "three little bugs snug in a rug."

We brought air mattresses, sheets, pillows and sleeping bags for the boys to sleep on the cement floor. Aaron was already sleeping in this photo, but that didn't last long before he came to join Darin and me in our bed. On Sunday, we had a family cookout at my aunt & uncle's house, which was only 10 minutes from the lodge. Then we were on our way to Allentown Pennsylvania.  Again, another beautiful drive through Amish country, rolling hills and horse farms. It's too bad we got stuck in bad traffic along route 81 making a 3.5 hour trip take almost 5.5 hours!! 

It was quite a scene. At a complete standstill, we began to run out of gas in our van. We shut off the air conditioning and tried to figure out what to do, all the while praying that the traffic would speed up so we could get to an exit for gas. The boys were troopers. Sticky and sweaty in the van, but mostly agreeable. So glad for a portable potty in the car so they could relieve themselves as we sat there on the highway! sorry... probably tmi :) Thankfully, our prayers were answered. The cars picked up speed and we were able to get to a gas station before we ran out of gas. Phew! Praise the Lord. 

We were so glad to arrive at Darin's parents for a warm meal. We had a leisurely rainy Monday morning and then were off to Dorney Park after the sky cleared. It was a perfect weather day. With temp's in the mid 70's, beautiful sunshine and a cool breeze. The amusement park was pretty empty. We had no lines for the rides and had a wonderful time. It was super fun to have Grandma and Grandpa with us. 

Aaron was thrilled by the carousel (notice Grandma in the background)

Because we had Grandma and Grandpa with us, Darin and I were able to ride a couple roller coasters together. Darin was on cloud nine. Wish I captured his smile! 

 I made the mistake of taking the three boys alone on the ferris wheel. Oh my word... that was the most terrifying experience. I wasn't scared for my safety or afraid of the heights, but knowing that I had three little boys in my hands at that great height with only seat belts terrified me. The doors were easily opened, as one boy (which will remain nameless) tested. OH MY!!!  I took these pictures before my panic and prayers kicked in.

View from the ferris wheel. 

On Tuesday, we packed up and headed south. We had a very nice trip, but we are all so glad to be home sleeping in our own beds (and I'm eager to get the boys back on their normal bed time!!) These late nights were tough on them and me. 

Fox Tales

One afternoon as we were heading to the beach last week, Luke shouted, "FOX!" Then he and Ethan darted down the driveway hooting and hollering as I finished loading the chairs onto our beach cart. They came running back to me excitedly jabbering about how they had just seen a fox walk down the street. I listened to their tale, but was focused on my task. Surely they didn't see a fox, I thought. It must have been a stray dog. As the boys, Poppy and I walked to the beach a few moments later, they continued to spin all sorts of tales about the fox. Talking NON-STOP! Poppy was careful to ask them for a description of the fox. What did the nose look like? Was it long and pointy? What did the tail look like? etc., etc. They were eager to report their sighting to everyone else when they joined us on the beach and then got busy enjoying the ocean.

The next morning, on our way to the beach we couldn't find Luke's flip flop anywhere. We all knew exactly where he had left it, but it was no where to be found. I'm not sure what caused me to spot it, but I found it about 4 feet away at the base of a tree in some bushes. We just assumed one of their cousins threw it in the bushes in a moment of silliness and thought nothing of it. (We now realize it was probably the fox who moved it.)

On Friday, we spent the afternoon in the swimming pool. We heard some rumbling of thunder and quickly climbed out of the pool. The moms got the little boys wrapped in towels and headed in for bath time. Poppy continued to relax beside the pool reading a magazine. Grammy and Darin were on the opposite side of the pool gathering pool gear.

All of a sudden, Janna noticed the fox right near the pool area. The fox sauntered by the outside showers, slipped through the fence slats, and took a sip of water from the pool. Poppy leaped out of his chair! The fox then slipped back out the fence slats, peed on my flip flops, grabbed one of Ethan's flip flops and took off across the street.

A few moments later, we heard a loud scream coming from across the street. We found out later the fox was startled and bit an older women who had been outside with her friends. She had to get emergency medical care. Oh my!

Who would have ever suspected we would have an encounter with a fox at the beach? crazy! We later noticed that most of our soft pool toys were missing. We suspect that the fox has a nice cozy den with swim toys and Ethan's flip flop. I'm very thankful that the boys were all safely inside when the fox made his appearance.

Red, White and Blue

 Every year we dress in coordinating outfits and take a family picture on the beach. This year, Grammy bought coordinating outfits for the kids. They were super cute! I haven't received the group family photo from the photographer yet, but here are some candid beach shots. 

I LOVE this photo. 

Our trip to the beach is a family tradition we look forward to every year. 

We are thankful for good times with family! 

Jockey's Ridge

Thursday morning we went to Jockey's Ridge state park and climbed the dunes. 

I have to say it was a much easier climb then the last time I was here. :)

May 2008 - Aaron was just a basketball at the time. Luke was 4 and Ethan was almost 2. 

June 2012 - Aaron, Luke and Ethan (L to R)

 Luke's wearing his favorite 8 shirt... again!

One of the great gifts of our trip this year was the overall harmony amongst the little boys. They really enjoyed each other and were content doing their own thing as well as playing together. Aaron and cousin A were two peas in a pod. My boys were sad to say goodbye to their cousins on Saturday.