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!!

Legoland, Florida!

We arrived in Florida on Sunday after two days of smooth driving. (boring scenery, lots of bugs hitting the windshield, but excellent passengers!) A delicious Mother's Day dinner out:

And yes, we were that dorky coordinating family. It got us way too much attention. 

Not sure if it will ever happen again. ;) 

On Monday at 9:30 we were ready for our day. (Well... the boys were ready at 6:20, 

but they needed to do a little school first and eat breakfast, of course!)

Riding the lego jousting horse and loving it!

Camel - made entirely of lego bricks! So cool!

Safari trek

This elephant and many other safari animals were made of lego bricks. Really amazing!

My ride buddy

Boating school - what a handsome crew!

Driving school - This was hilarious. The track was for 3-5 year olds and it was 

so cute to see these little squirts zipping around the track in lego cars. 

Driving school for ages 6-13. Complete with stop signs, yield signs, traffic lights and lanes. You better believe my little rule follower obeyed all the traffic rules. ;) Also crazy to see all these young kids buzzing around in cars. Almost gave me a heart attack to realize that in 7 short years, Luke will be driving!

Mesmerized by fun shows, tricks and stunts!

Our crew -- missing one sweet girl who was never far from our minds. 

Lego Miniland was stunning. This NY scene is made entirely of lego bricks. 

I was completely blown away by the detail in this section. 

All in all, a terrific day with fabulous weather! 

(and tired boys ready to crash once they were tucked in bed around 7:30. Hooray!)

Surprise Trip

Last Saturday, we surprised the boys with a unexpected trip. They had no idea we had packed their clothes and necessary belongings. It wasn't until we were ready to load the car on Saturday mid-day that we told the boys our plan. For as curious as they are, I am so surprised they didn't notice the packed luggage in our closet or their missing clothes. I'm telling you, this is the BEST way to go on a trip. Not sure if we could ever pull it off again, but it was awesome. No pre-trip stress, anxiousness or excitement.

We were determined to squeeze the trip in before all the kids get out of school and before we travel to Ukraine and our lives change forever. That coupled with a super homeschool deal at Legoland, Florida made us charge forward.

So here is their reaction to the news:

Luke was busy building birthday legos and still in his pj's. Ethan and Aaron were doing gymnastics and apparently hot and sweaty. ;) They are seriously jumping for JOY!

And then the happy dance!!

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. 

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.

Relaxation at the beach

Okay, so we all know that a beach trip with little kids isn't quite the same as a beach trip pre-kids. However, I think I actually relaxed a bit on vacation. Wohoo! My parents generously invited me and my siblings and our families to join them in Duck, North Carolina for a week. 

It was our 6th annual trip. (We missed having our Canadian family with us.) 

 Totally by coincidence, all five boys were wearing their matching shirts from 

last year the day we arrived. So fun! We let them wet their feet (ha!) before supper. 

Five giggling boys ages 8, 5, 4, 3 and 2!

 I can't put into words the oozing excitement coming from Luke. He LOVES the ocean! 

He was screaming and laughing and jumping all around. 

It was sweet that he could share his excitement with Ethan. 

I love that they're not "too cool" to wear their swim shirts. 

Makes sunscreen application just a little bit easier. 

Can't you just see his excitement?

 Enjoying a tide pool

We don't mess around when it comes to digging holes at the beach. 

We come equipped with a snow shovel. Cousin B was very hard working. :)

We had a pop up rain shower so the boys jumped in the big hole with their boogie boards for cover. Thanks Uncle Jeffrey for digging the deep hole!

The water was warm enough to enjoy several days. 

During a morning walk Luke said, "Take this picture and put it on your blog." I can guarantee you that I never said such a thing when I was 8 years old. The beach was pretty rocky and had lots of crushed shells,  but it didn't slow down the boys.

Early morning beach discovery

I was reminded this trip of how much I love these boys and what a precious gift they are to me. 

I hope they always want to give their mama some hugs!