Beach, part deux

Our second beach day was sunny and warm - HOORAY!!! We packed up the kids and took them to the beach that Dave and I always favored when we were living there, Sand Key. It is a county park as well, so less crowded and better kept up. Just as many waves, no dolphins, but a pirate ship. Love!!!

All the kids and Dave with the Pirate Ship, coming to make them walk the plank

Yes, I made it into another picture.

Caleb and his totally orange beach outfit

Dave showing the kids the proper form
Always cool birds on the beach
Molly in her new swimwear with the coveted Toy Story 3 floatie
Love the beach

Tampa Bay Rays vs. Boston Red Sox

Monday night we took the whole gang to see a baseball game at Tropicana Stadium, which has to be the WORST stadium in all of baseball stadiums. Be that as it may, the kids were excited, we all had worn our Red Sox/Big Papi/Ortiz shirts that I had made, and we had seats right behind home plate. Well, right behind home plate and up about 300 rows :) We watched some pre-game stuff, saw the first pitch get thrown out (it was ALS awareness night, so there were a lot of ALS supporters there and the boy who threw out the first pitch is the son of a man with ALS), then the game started and the kids had cotton candy and hot dogs. Yippee!! The Sox were doing ok, then they had an amazing 3rd inning, scoring 4 runs, 2 of which were home runs!!! All was going well for the first 1 1/2 hours, then Molly started crying uncontrollably and telling us her ear hurt. (If you know Molly at all, she is tough as nails, so when she is crying like this, something is REALLY wrong with her). We made the decision that we had to leave and find her a walk in clinic to assess what was wrong. Luckily they have this 'After Hours Pediatrics' office that takes only kids and only from 5 - 11 pm. Turns out, she had a massive ear infection in one of her ears and the doctor that treated her got his medical degree from Syracuse. We knew it was all ok when he walked in and said that he knew where Endicott, NY was.......Still a fun night, despite Molly feeling poorly. Worst news? Red Sox lost, 6-5.

Caleb and Potter, ready for the game to start

Dave and Molly, what a picture!

The grandparents came prepared with binoculars. Thanks!!!

The stadium from our nosebleed seats.
Opening pitch!!
Molly with cotton candy, right before her meltdown!!
Potter does the same, minus the ear infection

You get wet at the beach anyway, who cares if it is raining??

Monday. We have been in Florida since last Thursday, when it began raining at Sea World. Since it was really just overcast and only a light drizzle of rain, we decided to take the kids to the beach!! We opted for Clearwater Beach, as there was ample parking and no crowds. Normally, it is jammed with sunbathers and shell seekers. The water was so warm, it was wonderful!! The air was much colder when we got out and were wet. The biggest fun at the beach that day were the 2 dolphins who kept swimming about 100 feet from us. At times, they came a bit closer, and they were very playful. We also saw a couple of rays swimming in knee high water, which reminded us that we should be shuffling our feet to avoid getting stung! A truly successful day at the beach, just wishing for a little bit of sunshine!

Dave taking a break from the water

Molly and Potter loving the noodles that Grandma had gotten for them

Fearless, they go deeper and deeper
Waves, waves, waves, so much fun in the waves!!!!
You had never seen three happier kids!!!
Yes, I sometimes get to go on our vacations!!!!

Fourth of July!!!

On the Fourth of July in Clearwater, Florida it was, you guessed it, raining!!!! In my attempt to distract people from the monsoon outside, I broke out the fourth of July headbands and tats! Grandma and Potter were willing and able to sport theirs very early in the morning. Thanks to Facebook, I found out that one of my childhood friends was also in town with her two children, visiting her mom. Deciding that doing something active and physical was the right thing with 5 kids to entertain on a rainy day, we opted to take them all bowling. It was the perfect activity that even Caleb could do alone (mostly). And, funnily enough, Caleb had the highest score on the kid's lane!!! As the afternoon drew closer to evening, it was a sure bet that fireworks were going to be cancelled left and right, so we didn't make any huge plans. In a small lull of rain, the kids discovered one of the black snakes that live in Grandma and Grandpa's yard. He snaked up (ha ha, get it?) a tree and we watched him for a bit, then Dave tried to hold him by the tail, but he wiggled away under some bushes. We ended up entertaining ourselves at home, but watching the 4th of July in Washington D.C. on tv is a sad substitute for the real thing.

Grandma gets her 4th of July spirit going early!

Caleb, Potter, Josh, and Molly hittin' the lanes!!!

Josh, Potter, Olivia, and Molly
All the kids and Grandpa getting in on the action. The kids would not leave the ball return alone; hence some smashed fingers....
Me and Michelle!
The lightening fast black snake. Of course, the kids asked if we could have a snake as a pet. Umm, I think I am good with a dog, fish, and fire bellied toad thanks!!!

Arriving at Grandma and Grandpa's house

We arrived at Grandma and Grandpa's house late on Thursday night after our day at Sea World. Sadly on Friday, the rain that had begun in Orlando didn't stop in Clearwater. We spent a wet day doing a few errands, hitting Barnes and Noble, then going home for a bit. Saturday looked about the same, so, with kids going stir crazy, we went to see 'Toy Story 3' and everyone had a great time, although the movie was a bit sad in spots. We then went to our favorite meat market and got steaks for grilling out (my faithful blog followers know that rain does NOT deter Dave from grilling, ever!), and then, when the rain broke for 20 minutes, the kids, my dad and me went for a nature walk around the block. Molly and Caleb collected many treasures that they turned into collages for my parents to keep. How sweet!! Molly even found a rock that we made into a necklace for her. I love that my kids appreciate the simple acts of life.

At the movies, waiting through the longest amount of commercials and previews that I can ever remember. The kids were VERY patient.

Molly and her nature collage, sporting her necklace (which is hard to see)

Caleb and his nature collage. Mostly leaves, but what a variety!!!

Wrapping up Sea World

After the killer whales, we went somewhere cool for lunch and took a break. Afterwards, we went through a bunch of indoor aquariums where we saw frogs, fish, more rays, sharks, octopi, and much more. Meredith and I took Potter and Molly with us to go on the Atlantis flume ride, while Dave and Doug took Caleb and Odin to get ice cream and see the penguin exhibit. A fun afternoon was had by all. Around 4 pm, it started to rain, right as Doug and Meredith were in line for the Manta Ray roller coaster ride. Sadly, the lightening kept them from ever getting on and we decided to head out and find some dinner in Orlando on International Drive. What a great day!!!!

Looking at a variety of fish

In the shark encounter, totally surrounded by sharks!!!

Manta rays, sitting on the glass ceiling above us
Seaweed dragon seahorse. Odd creature.
More rays. I love these!!!
Caleb and Molly 'inside' the tank of fish!!

KILLER WHALES!!!!

How can you go to Sea World and not go watch the killer whale show with Shamu? After the unfortunate death of one of the trainers in March, they no longer allow the trainers to be in the water at the same time as the whales. This does not, however, diminish the show in any way and we had a wonderful time watching the tricks the whales performed. We made the easy decision to sit in the splash zone and we were not disappointed!!! We all left quite wet and happy and giggly!!!! Given how hot it was, we considered going back for another show to cool off more!!!

Dave catches all of us on camera!!

I get Dave and Caleb!

The whales in sync
The closest the trainer is to a whale. And she had just given him a shit-ton of fish. She ain't no dummy!!!!!
How can a beast that large get that high in the air?
Amazing how much they can teach these beautiful creatures :)

DOLPHINS!!

After we left the manta ray touch tank, we headed over to the dolphin exhibit nearby. This proved to be perfect timing, as we ended up seeing a totally cool dolphin show, narrated and directed by the dolphin handlers, but we didn't pay the $50-a-head fee that the people on the other side of the fence from us paid. Literally, we were within 10 feet of this group that got a 'special' tour. Ok, they did get to give the dolphins fish by hand, but so what!!! We got splashed, Potter and Molly got to pet a dolphin (very soft), and we watched a 45 minute program with front row seats. Awesome!! This might have been the best thing we did all day!

Dolphins right in front of us, showing off.

I give this a 9.8!!!
Doing fancy dives to appease the people who spent big bucks!
This is right about the time Molly and Potter got to touch the dolphins.
They'll do anything for fish!!!

Our adventure begins!!!

And so the 'Florida Vacation' begins at Sea World!!!! Back in the spring, Dave had the fabulous idea of taking a long road trip down to Florida to, among other things, visit my parents. We had not been to Florida for about 4 1/2 years (right when I found out I was pregnant with Caleb), so we were long overdue for the trip. As it turned out, Doug, Meredith and Odin were able to meet us at Sea World!!!!!

Trying to get a photo of the kids at the entrance to Sea World. No one would look my way, instead they were focused on non-existent fish in this exhibit.

At the sea turtle exhibit, it was hard to get a shot of a real sea turtle, so I settled for this one with two of my kids looking at me.
At the manta ray touch tank. We must have spent 30 minutes here. Manta rays are extremely soft to the touch.
An (almost) group shot of everyone at the manta ray touch tank.