Spring Break

We have had a whirlwind Spring Break this year!  I went from not remembering that the kids even had Spring Break, to planning an action-packed week! 

We started off our journey last Saturday - We went to a birthday party at Great Explorations.  The kids had a blast and loved the clown that did all sorts of magic tricks and showed the kids how to do some as well.  Then, the kids and I headed for Matt's parents house for the night.  Matt had to work this week, so the poor guy had to stay home.  He made the most of it with bicycle rides every night while we were gone and meeting up with friends one night.

We spent Saturday evening with Don and Wanda, and then got up in the morning and headed for Debbi's house in Panacea.  We got there about 11 AM, with some dreary grey drippy weather, but we found plenty to do.  The kids really enjoyed playing with her pet tortoises - Fargo and Slocom.  They let them wander on the floor and giggled watching them wander around.  We made paper airplanes (and tested them of course), origami, and a few other games and crafts.  Of course, we took a bunch of tours around the marine lab.  Luke still loves to flip every star fish in the touch tank over and watch them flip themselves back over.  The kids took their dip nets and fireman style rain boots to the ocean inlet across the street and waded in to the tippy top of their boots to try to catch critters.  They came up with only a few periwinkle snails.  We also got to find some fossils in the new rocky shell parking lot at the marina.

The kids and I spent Sunday night in a hotel a few minutes away.  No-nap Luke was a tad over-tired and didn't fall asleep until 9, but Ben crashed right after bath and snack.  Of course, they woke up at 6:45 or so - I don't think they slept past 7 AM more than one morning all Spring Break!  We paid Debbi another visit that morning to see her and play with the marine critters a bit more.  Then, we packed up a cooler with the largest shrimp I have ever seen (fresh from the local shrimpers up the street), and headed to Wakulla Springs for a gator boat ride.

We saw lots of gators on the boat ride down the springs.  They were all out sunning themselves.  One large one known as "Joe Jr." hissed at us as he swam by as well.  The kids and I had some hot dogs at the cafe, took some photos, and headed back toward Don and Wanda's on Monday afternoon.  I thought for sure Luke would go right to sleep, but he only slept the last hour or so of our 3 hour journey to their house!

Don and Wanda took us out on the boat Tuesday morning for some fishing.  The kids and I were so excited to go!  Lucas was super-excited (as always) to see his good friend the Nuclear Power Plant (he has some weird obsession with it!).  We didn't catch any fish but lost lots of bait and still had a great time just being out in the sun on the water.

On Wednesday, we all went up to Rainbow Springs before heading back home.   It is like tropical paradise their!  Like something out of that movie "Return to the Blue Lagoon."  It's absolutely gorgeous.  I got a new camera recently and I snapped about a million photos there!  We ran the kids weary - or they ran themselves weary litterally running all over the place there.

Thursday, we met up with friends from school for a picnic and playtime at the park, and then today we went to the beach with our neighbors.  I found a penny in the sand, so I snuck it in the sand by where all four boys were digging a big hole.  I exclaimed "Oh, look Pirate treasure!"  They all got so excited and kept digging to look for more treasure!  Oh, the fun of being a parent!  This evening we ended the day with a nice family bike ride to the park and around Walsingham Lake.  I am so thankful our Florida weather has finally returned!  Happy Spring!