Cypress Gardens

On Wed we went to see Kung Fu Panda. We needed a break from all the activities. Of course, Ella slept on my lap through out most of the movie. But the other kids enjoyed the show as did I. 

On Thursday we ventured to our first theme park. Cypress Gardens is located in the Winter Haven which is only about 25 mins away. When I was a child my grandparents lived in Winter Haven during the cold Minnesota winter months(which is half the year) and my dad told me today that my Great Grandparents also lived in Winter Haven. So I had been to Cypress Gardens as a child and remembered the water ski show and the Southern Belles. These are beautiful young girls walking around in period dresses.  We quickly found that the majority of the rides are perfect for our young children. They were so excited as they ran from ride to ride. There were very few lines and on many rides they could stay on the ride for a second time without having to get off. Noel, Grace and I rode a big, white wood roller coaster that was very fast and pretty much freaked Noel out. Grace loved it and she rode a few other roller coasters with her dad.  Little Nathan and Ella would ride anything except the height restrictions got in the way for some of the bigger rides. They had no fear.  I dragged them all to the water ski show which was pretty cool. They had some amazing ski jumps and tricks. Of course they still do the famous water ski pyramid. 

Finally we found a place to eat that had healthy food (we could hardly believe it). We had a nice lunch inside, cooled off and were ready to explore. Besides having a ton of rides Cypress Gardens als

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g gardens, a small zoo and a stage shows. So we walked through some beautiful gardens and then saw a Pirates play. But of course it is summer in Florida and it being 3pm it started to rain. And it rained and it rained and it rained. This was not a sprinkling rain or even a steady rain but rather a monsoon, tropical depression rain for over an hour. Finally we realized that we could be waiting for a very long time so we dashed to the car and headed home, wet, tired but happy to have had such a fun time. 

And so Friday, Saturday and Sunday we hung around the cozy house, swam and rested.  Daddy took the kids minus Ella to see Walli at the movies and now we are ready for another exciting week in Florida.

indian rocks beach

Today we went with a friend and her 3 kids to Indian Rocks beach.  We are really loving playing in the waves and the sand. Both Ella and Little Nathan are becoming very confident, a little too confident at times in my opinion. But they love wading out and jumping in the waves. They like to make their way out towards the big kids until I pull them back to the shore. The older two kids like to spend their time in water about 3 ft deep. They float in float rings and a blow up red crab that the kids have affectionately named Jessica.  We saw 2 dolphins which is always a special treat. Having been to the Gulf 3 times now we decided that the next beach trip will be to the Atlantic Ocean. 

The day after

Monday was a quiet day at the cozy house after such a fun, long day at the beach.  The picture tells it all. 

anna maria island

Yesterday we decided after church and rest time we would try a new beach. Several people told us to go to Anna Maria Island. At 3:30 we started the drive. As we got on the interstate headed towards Tampa we were faced with HUGE black, black storm clouds. I knew that we had to drive pretty far south and I pointed out to Nathan that towards the south it looked clear. So we drove through monsoon rains and sure enough made it to a bright sunny beautiful beach. As we looked to the north we saw storm clouds and as we looked to the south we saw storm clouds but directly in front of us were blue skies. So we enjoyed waves, the Gulf is usually calm, playing in the sand and trying out our new scuba gear.  After the beach we headed to "The Beach House" restaurant. Enjoyed great food and a gorgeous sunset. Finally at 11pm we ended back at the cozy house, happy but very tired.

The Vacation in a Vacation

Yesterday we had an opportunity to spend the afternoon and evening in Orlando. One of our friends here in Lakeland ended up with three hotel rooms in Orlando for his sons birthday party. He tried to cancel the Hilton Disney Resort room but to his dismay and our benefit they would not let him cancel. So he offered it to us at half price. Now my husband really does not care too much about the kind of hotels he stays in. I do care and I love staying in a nice hotel. So when he asked me if I wanted to go I was all for it.  So off we went to Orlando. After driving for 45 mins. we arrived at Downtown Disney and checked into the Hilton. We had a huge suite that overlooked Disney and all its parks. We immediately hit the pool. The kids and Nathan and I had a great time hopping between two pools and a hot tub. After a nice time at the pool we cleaned up and headed across the street to Downtown Disney shops and restaurants. We ate at an Italian restaurant that I actually had eaten at yrs ago when I was in college and my dad had taken my brother and sister and I on a family vacation. 

Legoland was our next stop. The boys did not want to leave. There was a station where you could make three of your own lego men and then buy them. The boys had a ball doing this. Next we hit the princess stores. One thing that was really cool was in each store you could make and purchase your toy. One store had a station where you could make your own Star Wars Light Saber. Another station where you could make your own treasure chest and stuff it full of treasures.  After exploring Downtown Disney we went back to the hotel, slept and then you guessed it went back to the pool for the last few hours before we checked out. It was a nice "vacation in a vacation" as Grace put it. It also gave the kids a little taste of Disney.

The Cozy House

We made it! After two days of driving last weekend we arrived late Saturday afternoon to our Cozy House. After some cleaning and unpacking we took a look at our new surroundings. The Cozy House is in Lakeland, FL. It is a private, gated community with a country club, golf course and tennis courts. It is beautiful and comfortable surroundings. You could get used to this lifestyle very quickly. We were concerned that our new place was going to be very small and cramped. It is much smaller than our home in Memphis but to our surprise the cozy house is spread out and we seem to be able to have plenty of space.

After a nights sleep we awoke to bright Florida sunshine streaming through our bedroom window. Of course the kids were up at 7am and ready to go. So it being our first day, Father's Day and our 12 yr anniversary, we decided to drive to the beach. The air outside smells like the ocean and the kids were anxious to go on an adventure. We drove one hour to a beach called Treasure Island just south of Tampa, near St. Petersburg.  Grace has been to the ocean but does not remember, so really this was the first trip that they should all remember.  When we got to the beach we all jumped out and made our way to the water. As we walked up to the Gulf Ocean dolphins swam right past us. It was to good to be true. We played for one hour and then headed back to Lakeland because we had been invited to a lake house for a cookout.  Although we only spent one hour we are so glad that the first thing we did here was see the ocean, play in the sand, watch the dolphins and collect seashells.

So right from the beach we met some friends, followed them 20 mins out of Lakeland to a beautiful lake house. Their were three families there and a total of 13 kids, ranging from 23 to 3 yrs old. The lake was clear and sandy and the kids got right in. Much to our delight the owners of the lake house had a very nice ski boat and a jet ski. After lunch we went out to play on the lake. Grace and Little Nathan both went tubing! All four of the kids went jet skiing with their dad and we all went boating. None of my kids have been on a ski boat or jet ski. So it was so great to watch them experience this. I realized how much I miss being in the lakes and all the fun activities that go along with being at the lake.  Memphis does not have many lakes. 

Monday morning we got up tired but happy to be here. Daddy went on to work and the kids and I went to Walmart. Later that afternoon we went to the pool here on our property. That evening after dinner we went exploring around the City of Lakeland. Lakeland has many lakes, hard one to figure out! They are everywhere and in a lot of places remind us of the Minneapolis lakes. One lake in particular feels as if you are driving around Lake of the Isles. Only there are palm trees and cypress hanging from the trees.  The homes are gorgeous and people are everywhere walking, running and biking around the path around the lake.  There is a college located here in Lakeland, Florida Southern College. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. I was very curious to see the campus. As we got nearer we noticed that street after street, the houses all are styled in the Frank Lloyd Wright style. It is cool to see. The campus itself is really amazing. Everything is small. The ceilings are low and staircases narrow. Apparently I was told that Wright was a small man. I am not sure if that is true. There is a huge fountain called the water dome but it is under restoration. We are going to try to get back there.  We also went Downtown Lakeland. There is a lake that the buildings are built around, a great park overlooking the lake and on one side a train track. Noel was very excited. 

On Tuesday the kids and I went back to the park downtown with a friend and her kids. There is a spray park, where the water comes out of the ground and the walls. Right next to that is a rope park where the kids can climb a giant spider web.  In the afternoon we went back to the pool here.

Finally today we woke up to Ella saying her ear hurt and she needed to go to the dr. After a few phone calls, I threw some clothes on myself and the kids and headed to the Walk-In Clinic. There we only waited a few mins to see a grumpy dr. that confirmed what I had thought, an ear infection. After the kids and I enjoyed pancakes at a local restaurant, Reese Cliff. To end the day we spent the late afternoon and early evening swimming. 

We have been very busy since we have arrived. It still feels like a vacation. We are getting tan and enjoying the Florida lifestyle very much.  Tomorrow we have the opportunity to go to Orlando, spend the night and hit one of the theme parks on Friday.  

Happy Birthday Devin

On Saturday June 7th one of our favorite friends we have known since birth turned 8 years old. To celebrate we went bowling. The kids had a great time and we had a lot of laughs watching them. Ella very quickly saw that bowlers lift their leg when they are executing their bowling swing. So she would carry the ball up to the line, kick her leg up and then throw the bowling ball down the lane. They also loved hanging around the air vent and having the air blow their hair straight up. And lastly, Ella would give her classic "I'm mad" pout when things did not go her way. It was a great way to celebrate Devin and his special day!

Pictures from our crazy week!

We hope you enjoy these pictures from our crazy week. It is a wonder I was even able to remember to take pictures!

A Crazy Week

This week we had many things going on. All 4 kids took swimming lessons. They had a blast and learned a lot. Grace was at cheerleading camp in the afternoons for 3 days. She said, "it was cool". Both Ella and Noel had karate and we went swimming to practice our new skills at our friends house 2 times. We are definitely keeping busy and sleep well at night. Now the packing and the preparing of the house has begun. We can hardly wait to get to the cozy house.

New York City

Over Memorial Day weekend I had the opportunity to spend 4 wonderful days with my brother (Greg) and sister in law (Cameryn). We had many fun and interesting adventures. The Brooklyn Bridge is 100 years old and we walked across the bridge to Greg and Cam's friends apt. who live in a beautiful apt in Brooklyn. We also explored China Town, Little Italy, the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (overlooking Central Park) and took a ride on the Staten Island Ferry. Ernie their cute little Corgie joined us for the street fair, walks on the Hudson River and play time with Auntie Kris. One of the highlights was an amazing dinner at a steak house over looking Central Park sitting next to Tony Bennett and Anthony Bourdain. Afterwards we listened to Jazz music at Dizzy's and watched the sunset over the park. It truly was a "New York moment" for all of us.

My first blog entry

11 days to go before we hit the sunny state of FL. We are looking forward to the family time and the change of pace and scenery.  Many adventures and fun times soon to come.