SB 16: Thursday Funday! Trampoline and Go Kart Edition

I know Thursday and Funday don't rhyme, but....  sometimes we do what we can ;)  Because daddy came back on Wednesday night, and had officially taken vacation days for the last 2 days of spring break, we decided to go do something fun for a day, and leave Gramma at home to recover :)  Hubby has worked in FL for the last several years building large apartment complexes, so he has seen a lot of the fun stuff there is to do.  We headed to a place that had several different things to offer in one place, and started spending $$$$ :)

First thing we did was head to the trampolines.  Kari and Dylan got to go first.

(PS- Sorry for the dark pictures.... I'm still working on learning how to used my camera)

Kari thought it was super fun to get really high.

And she tried to do a back flip several times....

...But could never quite get all the way around to land on her feet the right way.

Dylan, being typical boy, just jumped and jumped.

No back flips for this little dude.

But he got pretty high and enjoyed it all the same.

This little squirt...  She didn't know what hit her!

She also did not attempt a back flip.  But she did think that jumping that high by herself was awesome!

Though she did throw in a few special splits, just for effect.

Kaitlyn also had a ton of fun being able to jump waaaaaay high.

See what I mean?

She, however, was able to master the back flip :)

After this, we headed over to the Go Kart track.  There was a family track, and a 14+ track.  Kari was tall enough to drive on the family track, so we figured we would put a "little" in each car, and take off...  Unfortunately, Kelsey was too small to even ride!  Which was a bit surprising to us.  We didn't know there was a height limit for those things.  But she was only too short by half an inch!!!  We showed up at 10am, and apparently the party doesn't start in FL until much later because we were practically the only ones there!  We were definitely the only ones in line for the family track.  So we asked the worker if he would maybe let Kelsey slip in since she was only half an inch short and our family was the only one on the track.  He said he couldn't make that call, but we could go inside and ask to speak to the manager.  The manager was nice enough to come find us and speak with us for a bit.  Everything was cordial.  And we figured it wouldn't hurt to ask.  Turns out, it is a Florida state law, and not just at that particular park.  So the answer was no.  We were cool.  We thanked him for his time.  Kelsey happened to come over right at the end of our conversation and we regretfully told her she couldn't ride.  To which, she cried.  And the manager took pity on her.  He had her go and line up by the measuring tape again, and said, "Are you sure you are standing up as tall as you can?"  In the end, she was definitely too short.  But, by such a small amount, and because she is cute, and because she cried, and because he had daughters, and because we were the only ones on the track, they let everyone go!!!  Kari and Kaitlyn rode together, Daddy and Dylan, and Mommy and Kelsey.  And they let us take an extra lap around the track.  And everything was great, and nobody got hurt.  Even Kelsey.  Who was too short.

SB 2016: Peanut Butter Playdough

Besides the other super smooth playdough Gramma made, we made some peanut butter playdough.  I remember playing with it as a child, and eating it when we were done, so I requested some for the kids.

Not everyone loved the flavor (it has a decent amount of honey in it)....

...but everyone loved smooshing it.

I'm not sure what, exactly, was surprising about it to her...  

But again, any time you can punch something.....  Well, its a good day!

I think Kaitlyn is the only one who actually made something from it.  

But they all enjoyed it.  I'm pretty sure :)

PS- Happy Anniversary to my hubby!  Today marks 14 years of marriage.  That's a long time to wash someone's socks.  But we get to cuddle together on the couch, so I guess that makes up for it :)

SB 16: Picture Grove

I've mentioned the detention pond behind my parents house and the grove of trees I took pictures in.  Both reside behind my parents house.  Which I have highlighted with the red arrow.  It points to my parents fence.  The detention pond is in the forefront of the picture, and the trees in the back are the fabulous picture grove.

The bench is hidden right in the trees.  Which are old and large.  And covered in moss.

The view from the bench, up towards the sky, is dang cool too!

It may, or may not, also be full of "wild life".

Gramma and Grampa's neighborhood is a relatively new one.  Construction is happening in all directions.

But the lighting was pretty good, and the huge trees made for some pretty cool backgrounds.  Also, the people I was taking pictures of were pretty cooperative too :)

With or without bike helmets ;)

SB 16: Dare Devils

In the middle of Gramma and Granpa's neighborhood, there is a detention pond.  Which, according to my construction hubby means when they get a lot of rain, the water will flow here until it evaporates or is absorbed and the pond gets dry again.  (This, as opposed to a retention pond that stays wet all the time)  While we were there, it was dry, except for a small area in the corner.  So the kids used the sloped sides for bike ramps and became cute little dare devils.

They would ride down one side, and then push their bike back up the other.

Check out this dude, with his cool new helmet!

There may or may not have also been some hill rolling involved.

My parents have a pretty small yard.  Which, for them, is great!  They don't have kids that need a place to play (on a regular basis).  And it means less mowing for my dad.  But, they kids found the detention pond and neighboring "woods" to be a total kick to play in.  And it attaches to my parents house, so it's not that far to go to or watch from.

Kaitlyn also spent a large portion of the time out there upside down.  I suppose now I understand what it is like to have lived with me as a child....  Karma!

Though I could never do that quite as well as she can.

The kids also made several friends from the neighborhood.

I really love that my kids are so friendly!

SB 16: Manatee Viewing Center

After we went strawberry picking, we headed over to the Manatee viewing area.  There is a power plant that releases hot water back into the bay (clean, of course).  The water keeps the bay warmer than the surrounding water, so the manatees often come to visit there during the colder winter months.  

Unfortunately, we didn't actually get to see any manatees...  

But we spent several hours there anyway.  They had an educational center, where we spent several minutes learning trivia....

"Playing" games that were out of order....

Talking about power and electricity...

And learning all kinds of information about the local wildlife.

At that point, we left Gramma in the car to rest and we decided to go on the nature trail.  We had no idea what we would see/find. 

The beginning of the trail was lined with all these trees.  It really was gorgeous.

It was about a 1.75 mile round trip trail.  And I would guess about .25 miles in, Kelsey's legs stopped working.  Ain't it the darndest thing?!?!  Kari was nice enough to carry my camera (and snap this picture) while I carried Kelsey.  Thankfully, the climb was mostly flat and thankfully, it wasn't too hot.  I'm quite proud of myself for being able to carry her for the distance and not die :)  

The destination was this tower that had beautiful views of the surrounding area.

And never fear, Kelsey walked up all the stairs by herself.

Towards the end of the trail, we took a breather for a minute to sit on one of the benches.  I requested that Kelsey get off my shoulders and scooch up with the kids.  Well, in her tired and grumpy state, she did one, but not the other.  Oh well.

The whitish ground we walked on was actually crushed and/or tiny shells.  Of course, Kelsey had to steal a few and bring them home.  You can see just how tiny they are in her small little hand.

While I didn't exercise most of the time I was there, and I ate junk food all the time, I certainly felt like I had earned fast food after that walk.

The manatee center also had a hurricane simulator that the kids got to go in.  You could feel "winds" up to hurricane speed.  They appear to be enjoying it.

Then we spent probably an hour in the gift shop, where I allowed each child to pick something, up to $4.  Seriously, why do I do things like that to myself? Apparently, these were life altering decisions....  I'm fairly certain the kids came home happy, and I didn't kill anyone!  Win!

Hubby actually came back to Gramma and Grampa's that night, after a few days at the job site.  When we reported our day to him, he laughed out loud at the end of the story.  I asked what was so funny, to which he replied "So you spend the most time in the souvenir shop and got "remembrances" of a place you didn't even get to see what you went to see?"  I guess so. :)



And Happy Birthday to the Birthday Girl, Auntie Piko!!!

We interrupt this programming....

I was sneaky.  :)  You didn't even know I was gone, didja?

Last week, Kari and I went on her field trip to Washington DC.  With the entire 5th grade class.  To say I need some time to recover would be an understatement!

See you in a day or two.  Once my sanity has returned.