Why Can't All The Famiy Live In Florida?

Every time I go to Florida, I always come home fantasizing a life enjoying the beautiful days there. As my parents say, "Just another day in paradise!" There are so many stories to tell that this blog will mostly be pics. And sorry but i had some fantastic videos but for some reason they won't post!
The real reason we come to Florida - the beautiful beach. Four visits in one week. And i'm just kidding M&D - we come for the food too :)
Eli started off a little nervous about the waves but was soon slamming into them with glee on his face. It made dad laugh a lot and grandma a nervous wreck!
Ava learned how to boogie-board fast! It wasn't too long until she would sit upon the board out in the ocean and let the waves just rock her back and forth. Looked like a surfer.
Here she is catching a good wave!
The one thing i will say about the ocean is that it wears the kids out! BTW doesn't Ava have such a "I'm thinking of bad things to do" look on her face?
You want proof that the kids were awesome for the trip? 30 hours in a car and tons of sugar-filled activities and this was the only time out done by either child. (And if you know me you know i'm not shy about doling them out when deserved - Roman Ruins and Irish Pubs to name a few have all felt their noses!)
Playing a great new game - hide the hoola-hoops!
We took another trip to the Jacksonville Zoo. There is supposed to be a video of Ava the snake charmer here but Google doesn't like me at this moment. (It's mutual.) But there was this Komodo Dragon.
Even zoos feel the need for rock walls these days!
The silverback must have been put on Prozac since our winter visit because he seemed quite calm. (See that blog for the reference.)
The big attraction for the zoo these days - a 3 week old giraffe!
Look at that tongue! Almost makes shelling out $4 for two twigs worth it. Almost.
Grandpa and grandma ... still lookin' good.
Both kids got the opportunity to buy one toy. They got matching snakes - Ava's is green. I'm sure mom was thrilled!
Here Ava and grandpa are designing a new ... something. I never caught onto what it was :)
Eli has mastered the art of monkey-barring.
The story of the magic ring. A shell that perfectly fit and had the ability to remove the pain of monkey-bar caused blisters that hurt in the ocean. This ring is the only reason Ava got into the water!
Eli and I flew a kite!
And so did Ava. Funny story - While Eli and I were swimming and his kite was tied off a teenager accidentally knocked it loose. Rather than letting it go, she got her boyfriend to go off into the sticks and finally chased it down. Renews my faith in youth somewhat. And Eli got a nice little hug from the girl when he thanked her :)
For those who don't know ... Eli has turned into the master of Stratego. He handily beat grandma 3 times and regularly beats mom. Dad's still a challenge though.
Ness was so nice to arrange a trip to a water park for the kids. Due to a ... let us say malfunction ... most of the pics are missing. But here's the wave pool!
And here's the kids saying good-bye. It was a great day for all and a huge thanks goes out to Ness - the best mother i know :) (BTW - ask Ava about the "White Ride" and think "vertical drop" when you do.)
But though it all ... the kids couldn't wait to see mom again. And i think the feeling was mutual.
On a side note, thanks also goes out to Codey and Julie for letting us crash their house on the way back. It's common for good friends to separate and lose touch but we just keep on truckin'. And our kids got the opportunity to hang for the first time in almost 4 years!

Ava and Xavier have been arranged for marriage since she was born and they hit it off nicely. I almost think I saw flirting :) And tell me if you have ever seen a better smile on Eli's face.

Summer thrills

Our first summer home from England has been rough, let me tell ya! No castles, Shakespeare, historic trips, or ancient ruins to keep us entertained; no rain and lack of sunshine to keep us pasty white and skin cancer free. We've had to re-learn the art of sun cream application (almost an Olympic event when it comes to Eli!) and find joy in the local entertainment. Last week was fair week. All of the classy people of Middletown dress in their summer best to come down and sample all things that should and should not be fried, try to win a sickly goldfish or albino rabbit, and pay out the nose for rides held together by bailing wire and prayers. We did not win any unfortunate prize animals, but we did fork over some hard earned cash for cheap thrills that wound up our kids and made them happy. At one point, I think Ava was actually levitating from the jumbo 4-foot high bag of cotton candy...but I digress....

See the face radiating joy in anticipation of the thrill of a summer carnival ride...and Ava looks pretty happy too.
And because the fair was such a swell time, the kids and I decided Daddy should come with us to Kings Island for an early father's day gift! The day was perfect; the promised thunderstorms did not hit until 9pm at night...which meant the park was warm and uncrowded. Here we are on the log ride...for about the 12th time (no joke!). Eli always protected his sister during the scary parts! What a fantastic little brother he is!
Eli and his dad take on the Tree Eating Kite or something like that. It was a two-year-olds version of a drop tower.
Eli the flying ace! We are hoping he will follow in Aunt Ellen's footsteps and become an air force pilot. (Actually, most days, we just hope he lives until college! Such a berserker that child is!)
Mommy and Ava on the "real" drop tower...you should of heard the world breaking scream that, um, Ava let out during the drop....
Kids on a ride back at the fair...sorry pictures out of order...as usual...

Papaw swears in his little deputy in training. Eli looks so serious!

Ava on a coaster...it is sideways which is appropriate since most of the time our lives are too! Enjoy!

School's ... Out ... For ... Summer!

It's hard to believe that the kids have completed a full year of school! It seems like yesterday that I took the kids to their first day of school. Not only did the kids survive school - they really excelled. Must be their mother's genes!

Above is their first day of school ...

... and here's the big 2nd grader!

Eli finished his year too! He really liked his pre-school, but since we don't use it for the summer, they now have an opening. We hope that it doesn't fill up so he can resume in the Autumn. But Mother Goose doesn't have frequent trips to the local pool like their new summer group does!

A big thanks to Miss Donna - she did a wonderful job watching our little one. And NO Eli was not responsible for breaking her hand. Although I'm positive there were times that he attempted to use the Dark Side of the Force for something like it. (I know he uses it on his mother and me!)

OK now don't call CPS - they both got stern lectures and a garunteed "one strike and you're off" rule put in place. But they asked if they could join me and in a fit of insanity I said yes. But they were perfect. By the way, Ava LOVES heights if you weren't already aware. And just yesterday she finally climbed to the top of the rockwall at the Children's Museum - not an easy task. "Daddy of the Year" didn't have his camera to capture the moment.

See? Eli was up there too - I think only because Ava wanted to do it so badly. He wasn't nearly as thrilled to be on the roof but he man-ed up and joined us.

There's so much more to tell so I'll try to get one up about Stratego and new kittens before the 3 of us attempt to make it to Florida and back in a car older that some of my students. Well ... almost as old.

Homage To Little Ones

Summer is officially here! And with it come the numerous activities that one can do that actually tires out these little ones. Plus with a vacation to Florida around the corner, we all need to get our base tan on!

I wish we could take Mikayla with us. Times are always better when we have her good-nature around.

What a happy pose :) Ava is almost done with 1st grade and is more than ready to start summer vacation. Although, bless her soul, she also wants to spend the summer learning everything she can about snakes and tornadoes.

Eli is also doing really well. He continues to be a gentle loving kid. And he has made a huge leap in his schooling. All of a sudden, he is adding, reading, and making connections that he wouldn't have made a month ago. But he would still rather spend his time watching "Toothless"! (He's on his towel for those not in the know.)

Marshmellows by the fire. Yum!!! And yes I realize that I am taking the trash out here - that's what ya do here! (That's for the East Coasters.)

And camping. These kids are insane by the way. But like their daddy, they were hoping the lightning storm predicted by the meteorologist would come in fast and furious while we were out there! Didn't happen. But I am beginning to realize that I can't sleep on the hard ground much longer - gettin' old :(

And one last anecdote. We have been having the children do prayers as often as the parents. Here is Eli's prayer last saturday:

"Dear God. Thank you for this food. But I don't like it. Amen."
... quote ... unquote