FLORIDA

We had a blast in Florida for Spring Break this year. Aunt Kathy talked me into traveling down to Orlando with Lilly, Austin, and my nieces Kenzie (11) and Shelbie (9) for their Spring Break. Dustin wasn't able to get off work, and while I'm attempting to be adventurous at this point in my life, I was not adventurous enough (or even willing) to make the 16 hour drive alone with 4 children. So I talked Dad into accompanying me on this excursion. Although I was still nervous about the drive to and from Orlando, I was so excited to go down for the visit with my Aunt Kathy, Uncle Mark and cousins Kindie and Kelsey. They've made the trip up to Indy several times in the last 2 years, but it had been probably almost 10 years since I'd been down there. I think fun was had by all! :o)

As soon as we arrived, Lilly and Austin warmed right up to everyone. (I'm sure they were glad to be out of the car! They were so great on the way down...they didn't get out of their carseats once in the 16 hour drive. We drove through the night hoping the kids would make it at least half way before having a melt down. We were very pleasantly surprised that they made it all the way through in great moods!)

Uncle Mark bonded with the kids (especially Austin) when they came to stay with us over Christmas last year. They were glad to see him again...

Since we were going to Florida, it was only natural that the kids insisted we bring their lawn chairs...

Lilly was soooo glad to be outside in the Florida sunshine...

One of the very first things we did was make a trip to Wal-Mart. Since we crammed all 4 kids, 2 adults, 3 DVD players, a small cooler, a couple bags full of snacks, 4 pillows, 3 blankets and all luggage into one vehicle, we only took what was necessary for the trip down. (When you're traveling with small children, there is so much you feel like you need to have...diapers, wipes, sippy cups, snacks, juice, milk, etc.) We needed to stock up for the week.

And yes, this is a picture of my child, in a Wal-Mart shopping cart, eating McDonald's french fries. Sometimes you resort to whatever will make the child calm while you do what you need to do. :o)

Easter Egg Hunt

Aunt Kathy signed the kids up for the annual Easter Egg Hunt at her church. Other than the family Easter Egg Hunt each year at the Alyea Farm, this was the kids' first organized hunt. They had fun...

If anyone knows Lilly, they know that she's very independent most of the time. She had no problem going and picking up all the eggs she saw laying on the ground.

Austin, on the other hand, wasn't so sure why he had to pick up the mess of eggs just laying on the ground at the playground. He quickly caught on after Uncle Mark showed him that there was candy in all the eggs...

After the hunt, we had lunch in the gym. The kids loved being showed off by Aunt Kathy to all her kids and co-workers at the church...

We went home to rest and play the rest of the afternoon. This is Austin's CHEESE face if you couldn't tell...

Lil discovered that some of the eggs even had Dora stickers in them. I'm sure she had some help from Kenzie and Shelbie on the placement of her stickers...cute nonetheless.

Park

One afternoon, we had a day at the park. The kids were a little intimidated by the playground at first, so Papaw had to join them on the slide...

Austin preferred to play under the equipment rather than on it...

Trip to the Mall

Another day, we decided to just relax and hang out at the mall with the kids. My cousin Kindie and I gave the other adults a break from the children and took them to the mall to the indoor playground.

Kenzie and Shelbie gave Austin a mohawk...

They had Dip n Dots for the first time and obviously enjoyed them...

Evenings

A couple evenings, we enjoyed some wonderful Italian Ice. I discovered my love for Jeremiah's Italian Gelati's...yummm! I think the kids loved them almost as much as I did...

We spent most evenings just hanging out and enjoying family...

Cocoa Beach

The weather was perfect for a day at the beach. The sun was warm and the breeze off the ocean was just enough to take the edge off the heat. The water was freezing, but Kenzie, Shelbie and Papaw were true non-Floridians. Their mentality was, "I don't get to come to the beach very often so I don't care how cold it is...I'm getting in!"

Lilly and Austin had never felt sand under their feet before...they HATED it at first. It didn't take long for Austin to get used to it. Lilly, on the other hand, didn't take her shoes off the entire day. It took some convincing from Aunt Kathy to let her know it was ok and even fun to play in the sand.

Austin enjoyed being on Papaw's shoulders while Papaw had his feet in the water. That was about as far as he would go. Lilly wouldn't go anywhere near the water...surprise.

Pool Fun

Lilly wouldn't go anywhere close to the pool until the last day. She would even get really upset when she saw other people jumping in the water...she spent a lot of time playing on the porch. She finally played by the pool with some containers from the kitchen. (She's quite the organizer these days...notice all the containers lined up in a neat row.)

Austin LOVED playing near the water. He didn't want to get in, but he loved to push people in, throw the balls in and even be splashed...

We missed Dustin a ton all week, but it was great to get away for a bit and enjoy the Florida weather!

Sorry it took me so long to get these posted. :o)

Easter Fun (a little late)

The kids started the morning off with their Easter baskets. They got various small toys, sidewalk chalk and slinkies. The big hit for Lilly was her new baby doll and Austin was the assortment of balls from the Easter Bunny.

Then we headed off to the Alyea Farm for some fun in the sun. The annual Easter Egg Hunt contained over 300 eggs this year!

The kids did some...

kite flying,

tractor riding,

bounce house jumping,

Grandma riding,

t-ball playing,

and just spent some quality time with family (including Grandma Jan and Papaw Bob.)

All things considered, we managed to make it through another holiday and had some good times.

More to Come...

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything. We've been a pretty busy family lately. A couple weeks ago, our water heater went out and flooded our 1st floor. About a week after that, the kids and I (along with Papaw and Cousins Kenzie and Shelbie) went to visit the Taylors in Orlando for a week. We've been back for a few days, but we're still trying to get back to normal. I'll be posting some great pictures from vacation in the very near future. But for now, all you get is this text. :o)

Cages

Please stop any ill thoughts of us as bad parents. We do not put the kids in cages...I promise!

One of their favorite things to do is get in the dogs' cages (yes, occassionally with the dogs) and play. It is not uncommon to find a chewed up toy in one of the dog's cages that was left behind by one of the kids. Sometimes, the dogs oblige the kids and get in there with them.

(I assure you that the frowns on their faces are not because they are in the cages; they just don't like when you ask them to smile for the camera repeatedly when they're trying to play.)

Tatoos

The kids got some 'Toy Story' tatoos last month for Valentine's Day from cousins Will and Abby. They LOVED them! When they woke up the next morning, they looked up their sleeves to see if they were still there. They were pleasantly surprised to still find them. They liked showing them off.

Speaking of 'Toy Story,' maybe this is what sparked Austin's interest (or infatuation) with the movie 'Toy Story 2.' Most mornings and evenings, Austin will take one of us by the hand to the tiny tv in our room and say, "Moomie. Moomie." You can't help but smile. He'll either sit on the floor or in his little chair and watch a good portion of the movie. Thanks cousin Will for sharing your love of this 'moomie!' I can see a Buzz or Woody costume in our house this Halloween. :o)

I'm a big girl now...

Or so she thinks. She has to do EVERYTHING on her own now. She eventually gives up on most things and asks for help, but not before she tries it for herself.

One of the things she HAS to do by herself is pull up her sleeves. This is one of the few things she's successful at.

Look...our daughter is so talented, she can play on the phone and pick her nose at the same time!

Waiting for Daddy

On the nights that Dustin closes the store, the kids and I are upstairs playing when he gets home. As soon as the kids hear the garage door opening, they run to the stairs and lay on their bellies to wait for Dustin to come upstairs. It's almost too cute for words!