Florida Part 3

Okay last one!  We really managed to squeeze lots of fun into one week.  Thanks mom and dad for the much needed vacation:)

Here are some shots from Easter morning.  The kids weren't in the most cooperative mood for a photoshoot... but I managed to get a few.

 Sorry for the blurry pics... he was just so excited about his Easter basket it was too cute.

Dan, Michele and the boys came after church for Easter dinner.  Derek was very sweet to fill over a hundred eggs to hide for a big hunt.  They were also good sports and participated with our kids.  You are never too old for a little candy:)

The kids spent the rest of day in the pool.

 Finally tuckered out and snuggling with Uncle Dan watching Scooby Doo!  Seriously, the kid had endless energy the whole week.

Florida Part 2

So there are actually going to be three parts to the Florida post!  I just had a lot of fun pictures from our day on the boat.  We spent the day with Dan, Michele (Scott's sister), DJ & Derek.  We rode out to Charlotte Harbor on the boat and put the anchor down on a sandbar.  Dan had fixed two SeaDoos just for the occasion (thanks Dan!!).  The kids had a blast riding the SeaDoos and tubing.  Owen was pretty stoked about the Spiderman  life preserver he got to wear.

 Grandma and Owen enjoying the boat ride.

 Makenna and Derek attempt to keep the tubes from flying off the boat!

 DJ riding the SeaDoo... looking much like Scott at age 15!

 Owen wanted to sit in the tube that was hooked to the boat... that was anchored.  However, he didn't know that and thought he was really moving.  At one point he yelled, "Do you think we could go a little faster?"

 Scott and I taking a ride on the SeaDoo... he promised not throw me off the back of it.

 Dad and Michele taking a spin around the harbor.  Pretty adventurous for a guy who is almost 80!

 The shipwrecked crew taking time out to build some sand castles.

 Ella and I tubing... or me holding on for dear life and Ella having a blast!  It was a whole lot harder than it looked.

 A landmark moment when Grandma agrees to take a ride with Dan... she even liked it!

 Daddy and Owen

 Makenna and DJ on the tube

My little dare devil wanted a turn!  So this is Owen by himself in the tube!  Don't worry, you can see that Makenna is riding on the back of the SeaDoo ready to jump in and save him.  He loved every minute of it.

Such a wonderful time on the water!

Florida Part 1 and May Verse

Took a little blogging hiatus... for a much needed post tax season family vacation!  We had a wonderful week in Florida with Scott's parents outside of Ft. Myers.  The weather was AMAZING every single day.  We packed the week with lots of great events, although the kids probably had the best time just playing games with their grandparents and swimming in their pool.

Here is a glimpse of our week (part 1 - too many pics for one post!)

 We went to a minor league baseball game - the Charlotte Stone Crabs.  It was the perfect night for a game and lots of action on the field.  FUN!  Owen even got one of the practice balls.

We headed to Siesta Keys Beach for the day.  The widest beach I have ever seen with the whitest, softest sand.  Then we realized that it was Owen's FIRST time at the beach!  How did this happen when we live less than 2 hours from the coast??  Oh well... as you can see he LOVED it and had no problem jumping right in.

 Poor kid didn't know what he was suppose to do in the sand so he tried making "snow angels"...#longwinter!

We went to Fisherman's Village and had a nice dinner on the water at Harpoon Harry's.  Another beautiful night!  We stopped on the way home to watch the sunset over the Gulf.

And that was just the first part of the week!

Here is my May 1st scripture memory.  They are starting to add up and I am not even half way.  Enjoying the process, but it's more of a challege than I thought it would be.

Rely on the Lord! Be strong and confident! Rely on the Lord!” Psalm 27:14 The NET Bible



Conspiracy Theory

So I have decided that the IRS and the Airlines have ganged up against us.

We were so excited that finally after a decade of waiting, Easter falls AFTER tax season this year.  Yippee.  Not only can we see Scott for the holiday, but we can actually take advantage of the days off school to go see family - namely those that live in sunny Florida!  We came to the decision that we were going to drive to Florida to save some money and also be able to stop in Georgia to see our dear friends the McCowns.  We would be able to leave on Saturday, April 16th giving us over a week since the girls have off the Monday after Easter. 

Perfect.
Or not.

The IRS just announced that they decided to push back the tax filing deadline this year to MONDAY, APRIL 18!!  Ahhhh. Apparently the 15th is Emancipation Day which is celebrated in Washington, DC.  Not sure by whom (other than gov't employees!).
Thus, we can't leave on our trip until Tuesday which wouldn't give us much time in Flordia if we drove.  So the airlines it is.  And although I am a fan of Southwest... there is no such thing as a good deal on airfare when you have to multiply it by FIVE:(

Well the bright side is that I have something to get me through the next four long months of cold weather and long work hours.... counting down the days til we fly to Florida.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

We are up at the cabin in Minnesota this week with my brother's family. 
Last year my SIL, Sarah, and I had the idea to celebrate all 7 kids birthdays together.  Most of them have fall/winter bdays so we can never buy them fun summertime gifts.  Since there are so many miles between us, we rarely get to see the kids open their gifts.  Thus the group summer bday party emerged.  It was such a HUGE hit that we decided to continue the tradition this year.

We mixed it up so they would be surprised.  We decorated at night for a breakfast birthday with Mickey Mouse waffles, fruit and ice cream.  The kids LOVED it!  Here are a few pics.  My camera battery died so I have to wait to get a few more from my mom.

Disney Highlights

It's hard to believe we've been home from our Florida trip for two weeks.  Owen talks about it everyday!  We spent 3 days in the Disney parks and the rest of the week in North Port.  Scott's parents joined us in Orlando, then drove us back to their home.  It was so much fun to have those memories together.  And, it was a huge help to have two extra adults at Disneyworld... meeting the entertainment desires of children ranging from 2yr. - 10 yr. is not an easy task.

Downtown Disney

Honey I Shrunk the Kids with Grandma & Grandpa

Owen's dream come true... he waited patiently in line for an hour to meet Buzz & Woody.  He was a little disappointed when Buzz couldn't talk though:)

We were the "host dinner family" at the Liberty Tree Tavern that night.  Makenna got to ring the bell and call everyone to dinner.

Back in North Port at our favorite ice cream place... a tradition with Grandma and Grandpa Kregel.