Day 5

Monday, grammy Dina took us to Wilcox farms to see some animals and an actual working farm. We were able to go into the egg plant where we saw how eggs make it to the grocery stores. Interesting stuff! I now have a new appreciation for omlets!
we had to "suit up"

The kids loved feeding the animals. I loved seeing the old school house and vintage cars. :)
After the farm we headed to Northwest Trek. We rode an open air tram through natural habitat and saw lots of wildlife. I think that we saw more there than we did at the Zoo! Thanks Diana!

saying goodbye

Saying goodbye is never easy. We had a great vacation and I just wanted to say thank you to all that played a part in making our trip so special. Kaity was already begging me to let her call her grammy Dina this afternoon and Brayden kept saying "I love Seattle." Thank you grandpa wheeler for letting us invade your home and putting up with our little monsters. Thank you Diana for EVERYTHING! Thank you doesn't seem to be enough but it is the best I can come up with! We have made memories that will last a lifetime and that will be cherished for years to come! We love you all! :)

Happy 30th Birthday Pam!

Welcome to the "old ladies club!" Happy 30th Birthday Pam! I am so glad to have another fellow member of the "club" I reluctantly joined in May. I am posting this a couple days early- I do know that you don't officially join the club until the 18th Pam- but I am headed out of town in the morning, and I didn't want to forget to wish you the happiest of birthdays! I have so many good memories of you that it is hard to pick just a few, however I will try to narrow it down to some of my favorites!



1. My love of pickles is all because of you! When I was diagnosed as a diabetic, I remember your mom buying us lots of pickles to eat after school because they wouldn't effect my blood sugar!

2. I will always have a love of English because I met you in Mrs. Haas' English class in the 7th grade. Remember how we would always stop in the bathroom to apply some ghastly pink lipstick before class?!

3. I remember when you came with my family to California on vacation. I loved how horrified you were that my mom took us into consignment shops! We also stopped for Slurpee's at AM PM all along the way!

4. Remember how we used to crank call Jeremy Bettridge and we hacked into his answering machine? Remember when he used *69 to call back and your mom answered?

5. Why were we always so gassy? Remember our farting contests!?

6. Do you remember 4 wheeling in your Bronco, and then washing it before your parents got home from work so no one would know what we had done?

7. I remember how we snuck out of your garage one night and went to the Nugget for french fries. When we got back your parents were awake and we had to sneak back in.

8. I remember when you danced with Vince S. at a school dance in the 8th grade. He gave you a red balloon when it was all over and you hyperventilated all the way home! :)

9. I loved going to all your family parties, especially the ones at Uncle Hank's ? house in Washoe Valley. I loved that I was treated like a member of your family!

10. I remember how bittersweet high school graduation was. We had a blast at our party, but I was so sad for it to end!

Well these memories are just a drop in the bucket! I could go on and on. I just want you to know how much I treasure our friendship and how much you mean to me. I hope that you are doing well and that you have a fantastic birthday! Happy 3oth!!

WHEN TWO VOWELS GO WALKING...

I have been saying since the day Kaitlynn was born that I gave birth to my sister's baby! Then 3 years later, I gave birth to a mini Travis. This past week I have finally realized that Brayden is a child after my own heart! Kaity has been struggling with her writing skills and hates reading books. When my child shouts "I HATE READING," I feel as though someone is putting a dagger through my heart! Early on I discovered a love of literature and it has only deepened as I have grown older. When I was in the second grade, I remember my mom going over to my school to get me special permission to check out big kid books from the library. When I would get in trouble, her favorite form of punishment was not no TV or even a grounding from friends. Nope, she took away my books. That was the ultimate blow to a book worm!

This past week Travis found the Leap Frog DVDs at the library. Brayden received the Letter Factory for his birthday and the next day he knew every letter in the alphabet and the correct sounds they make. This wouldn't seem like a big deal except I had been working with him and letters for a month and nothing was sticking. Monday morning I let him watch the Word Factory and that night he was reading. He is SO proud of himself, and has developed a love of learning and reading that is making my heart rejoice! Finally a child that is taking after his mommy!

I just wanted to share these DVDs with all that have little ones learning how to read. I am not kidding, these are miracle workers! Now if only Leap Frog would make DVDs that explained "how to put the toilet paper roll on the holder," or "the proper use of the laundry basket," or better still, "why we flush the toilet," then I would buy some serious stock in that company. As it stands I am now a huge advocate for this learning system and I encourage all to give it a try!

Happy 4th of July!

This year for the fourth of July we stayed home instead of going out of town. Friday was the fourth and we attended the annual Apopka ward breakfast and patriotic program. The kids were part of "it's a grand old flag" song and enjoyed marching through the chapel waving miniature flags. The motivational speaker was a fruit loop from the ward that was either putting me to sleep or making me bolt upright in my chair thinking"Did He Just Say That!?" He seemed to think that it was his opportunity to stand on his soap box and preach his political views. TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE! Yeah it was some good times. Next year I heard rumor that the speaker will have to have his talk approved before he/she will be allowed to give it.

Later that night we hung out with the Johnson's and the Douberley's for a BBQ. Good food and great friends is a nice way to pass the evening. Saturday Travis had to work, So I was home with the kids until about 2 o'clock. I had planned to take the kids to the pool during the morning hours but discovered that I had left all our swim gear in the trunk of Travis' car- so no pool. Sometimes miracles come in strange ways. Instead of the big pool I decided to fill up the little pool and let the kids run around the yard. As soon as I turned off the water, my phone rang. It was dad calling to tell me his scooter had broken down in the middle of the hood and that he might need me to come get him. Turns out that mom was able get home on her scooter and come back for him in the truck. Well the truck broke down as well. Dad called me again and I threw the kids in the van and went and picked them up. I guess that it is a very good thing that I left all our gear in Travis' car so that I would be home to help the parents. Later that evening we had a BBQ with the family and watched Bryce light off all his fireworks. You'll notice Kaity and I in jackets and pants. No, it wasn't chilly out. We were trying to keep the bugs from biting us and carrying us away. We had sweat running down our backs and into unmentionable areas, but we are proud to say not a single bite! So all in all not really an event filled weekend but it was spent with family and friends and that is what really counts.

Liki Tiki Village

Friday afternoon I dropped the kids off at mom and dads and Travis and I headed for the liki tiki resort down by Disney. I knew that Travis actually had Saturday off this weekend, so last week I scoured the Internet looking for a good deal at the beach. I discovered that everyone else was also looking for a cheap deal at the beach and that they were nonexistent. So instead of giving up, I decided to find something more local with great amenities and I discovered this little gem- Liki Tiki Village. It is part of the Disney vacation timeshare but you can also rent directly from the resort. Since moving to Florida, I have discovered the difference between hotels and resorts. Hotels cost the same as a resort but you only get one room. If you book a resort, you get a condo with full kitchens, bedrooms and sometimes jetted tubs in the bathrooms. (This is just some info for anyone looking to go on a vacation) The liki tiki village has its own mini water slide park- which my kids have fallen in LOVE with- mini golf, paddle boats, bumper boats, playgrounds and fishing docks! Mom and dad brought the kids down to us early Saturday morning and we all had some fun in the water park. Brayden is our dare devil. After sliding down a couple of the baby slides, he looked at the big black tube slide and said,"I wanna go on that one!" Kaity wasn't so sure about it, but she wasn't about to be out done by her little brother! Each kid came out of the tube all grins asking to "go again. I go again!" Mom and dad even joined in on the fun. They left after we had lunch, but the rest of us headed for the paddle boats and golf area. We had a blast! If anyone feels like coming to Florida, I highly recommend the place. Just let me know first- I am awesome at finding the cheapest deals out there!

afternoon rains

Here in Florida during the summer we get rain every afternoon. The humidity along with the sea breezes colliding mean that we have strong thunder and lightning storms every day starting around 3 in the afternoon. Because we know that these storms are inevitable, we have to plan our days accordingly. I try to take the kids to the Ocoee pool 2-3 times a week and the other days we use the blow up pool ( the one Wendy named "the maxi pad"). I have figured out that if we do the water activities in the morning, then the kids are usually worn out and tired by the time the thunder starts rolling. Summer is passing fairly quickly and I am loving that the kids play outside for a good chunk of the day, but lately I have come to dread the afternoons. Being confined in the house during our storms means no air conditioning, no TV, no computer and limited light bulb use. We have to turn off electrical appliances so that we won't attract lightning strikes. As much as I am not in love with my house, I don't really care to see everything I own burned to a crisp. Last week I decided that we need an afternoon schedule, so I have been scouring the Internet and every locally published brochure looking for indoor activities. Yesterday I took the kids to see "Happy Feet" at our local movie theater. Yes, I know that it is an old movie- in fact we own it- but the movie was free and they keep the air conditioning on. I even bought myself a new bag that sort of resembles grandma Jideen's old bowling bag and I too filled it with goodies. Maybe next week I will actually remember to bring said bag with us! Tomorrow is library day. Now I need 3 more afternoon activities and I am set! I tried to fill the afternoon with nap time but only Brayden and I liked that idea. If anyone knows of good indoor play I am up for some suggestions!