A few days after Christmas we made the journey down to Florida. This year we decided to spend New Year’s down there. The jmonsters couldn’t wait to see everyone. They love visiting Grandma and Grandpa in Florida (mommy and daddy do too!) Jessie, Abbey, and LuLu were waiting to greet us at the door. I think they get excited too since Tallmonster and Smallmonster play with them. After a great meal, Courtney and the gang came over and we opened presents and visited the rest of the night. Amazing how grown up the kids are getting! Colby now has his permit and on Tuesday he drove us to the beach. It was a perfect day to go to the beach, and this time we were smart enough to dress the boys in their bathing suits but did forget towels. Sure enough as soon as we got there Tallmonster was playing in the waves. Smallmonster takes a little longer, or he’s more cautious, but was soon wet. They dug holes and watched the surf fill them back in and in no time had sand filled bathing suits. Not having towels was a bit of a pain and the jmonsters did not like the idea of showering without a towel. At least we had thought to bring extra clothes so it was a just a little bit of suffering. It was worth it and someday we vow to rent a place for a few days on the beach…
The Florida Clan arrived on Saturday evening for a weekend of fun but unfortunately no sun! Grandma, Grandpa, Shelby, Colby and Zachary all made the drive North to spend some of their Spring Break with us. The weather has been less than ideal but the kids have been doing their best to have fun. Everyday they trek over to the woods to play on the ravine swing and play hide and go seek. The washing machine has been working overtime with all the muddy wet clothes! They are certainly making the best of it. They have come back with some treasures such as golf balls, an arrow and a small skull. We will have to consult with Dr. Jim for confirmation of the species. We have done some shopping and our usual trip to Garden Ridge. Not too many deals were found so they should be able to fit everything in the van for the return trip.
Grandpa wants to check out hanging rock so we hope the rain holds off for a few hours although it won’t be as good of a view with the clouds. It will be a good workout for sure. Sandee will be the only one excited about the climb to the top…
We headed out to see the Zoo Lights at The ZOO of Northwest Florida… We always thought it was the Gulf Breeze Zoo. The jmonsters got to ride in Uncle Andy’s new monster muddier. Smallmonster had to be lifted in, the truck set so high. They both got out with huge smiles on their faces and immediately thought Daddy needed a muddier. Even the parking attendant thought the truck was pretty cool.
We wondered around the front part of the zoo, were they had all kinds of Christmas lights shaped like different animals. We petted goats, cows, and even an ox. Everyone boarded the train which took you to the back part of 
the zoo, where they had animals free range. Daddy gracefully bowed out after he saw the room in the seats. it was worse than any airline he had been on, and there was no way he was going to fit.
We finished the tour off with a trip through the snake exhibit, where they had boas and anacondas, or what we like to call them big ‘ol snakes. The had snakes skins nailed to the walls, where Smallmonster said they where molting. These skins could easily cloth a small family with some pretty cool pairs of boots.
Off to Kentucky Fried Chicken for a late dinner, and to the house. Another great day at Grandma in Florida’s.
One of the advantages of living in NC, besides the lack of Winter weather, is we are closer to the folks down in Florida. We packed up the truck and headed and embarked on our ten hour journey further South. We left around 2:00pm Thursday and made it down around midnight, the night before.
Friday, Daddy had to work for a bit in the morning while Grandpa and Mommy prepared for the festivities later that evening. CG and the kids made it over and with a big cooler full of Hunch Punch. We snackied for most of the afternoon, and the Hunch Punch snuck up on a lot of us, so we had to take a break and have a couple cups of coffee before dinner.
Uncle Dan and Aunt Joyce came over for Christmas dinner made up of ham, and all of the fixings including CG’s world famous potato salad. We ate until we were ready to explode, and that was before dessert. After the feast we couldn’t control the Smallmonster any longer… It was time to open presents.
The carnage began with a bang with the boys getting cowboy guns, games, clothes, and the hit of the Season the Fusion Scooters. The boys were ripping it up, and Colby got a pretty cool bike slash scooter transformer. Mommy and Daddy made out pretty well too, with new dishes for the kitchen, (we were a bit low from thinning out for the big move), and linens for the table and bed.
The fun is just starting with an action packed weekend planned with Zoo Lights and a pizza party planned.
The Floridian Gee’s packed up the van this morning and headed back home. We can’t believe how quiet the house is, and it is somewhat anti-climatic end to a long, holiday weekend.
We packed a lot of the van up the night before, but there was still at bit more to be tucked in this morning. After all of our trips to the store, and the rides home full of merchandise, we didn’t think there would be any way to get all of the “stuff” down South. Well, it fit and so did all of the people. We are still a little amazed.
Colby turned 14 years old today. It doesn’t seem possible, that he can be that old. It seems like only yesterday he was screaming through the house in his baby walker. It doesn’t age us quite as bad as his older sister driving a car and having a part time job at Winn-Dixie.
Because the Floridian Gee’s were up for the Thanksgiving Holiday, the jmonsters had the opportunity to help Colby celebrate. CG booked a party at the Celebration Station, and Beth picked up Caleb and Jonah to take part in the festivities.
The Celebration Station was pretty neat, it was a little older version of Chucky Cheese. There were more arcade games than you could shake a stick at, but the big hit of the day was the go-carts. The park wasn’t full so the go-cart rides lasted 20 minutes or longer. Mommy even got into the act, racing with Smallmonster as her co-pilot.
After awhile the team wandered over to the bumper boats. It was a bit chilly, but everyone sucked it up and the squirting began. Even Mommy got in the act and everyone came back a little wet and cold. After we headed back indoors to dry off and to play some more video games.
Back to the go-carts, a few more races while Daddy, CG, and Smallmonster tried their hand at mini-golf. Smallmonster loves to Putt-Putt. He has always been a little obsessive about it. By the time we finished the round, another group was headed out, so Smallmonster jumped into the next fray.
We finished the day up with one last go-cart ride and some birthday cake. Mommy painted a skull onto the cake with some white frosting and it came out pretty good. A good fit for a fourteen year old’s birthday. Happy Birthday Colby…
Black Friday began with coffee and discussions as to whether there were any sales worth going out for. We eventually made it out to Home Depot and a few other stops but nothing where we had to bulldoze our way through.
We did make it to the Garden Ridge shopping destination that is the home of Chinese made goods. After an hour of shopping and 3 shopping carts full we made it home for Aunt Courtney’s delicious chili and vegging out. The Florida van was packed to the gills with all of us and the purchases. There was a lot of debate as to whether or not everything was going to make it back to Florida. The hit of the day was how Smallmonster kept us entertained with his penguins that rock out to the song "jump around".
We have a lot to be thankful for this year…
Our first Thanksgiving in the new house was celebrated with Grandma & Grandpa from Florida, Aunt Courtney, Shelby, Colby, and Zach. They rolled in late Wednesday night (technically Thursday) after stopping by Uncle Corky’s in Tennessee for a quick hello and the dropping off the traditional Thanksgiving D-O-G. We visited until close to two in the morning and the jmonster even awoke from their sleep after repeated promises from Mommy and Daddy that they would indeed wake them up when they arrived.
The next day came way too early and the fun officially began. After sleeping late and pouring over the "biggest newspaper or the year" checking out the Black Friday specials, we prepared for the gluttonous Thanksgiving dinner.
Mommy had cooked the turkey the day before so getting the goodies to the table wasn’t as hectic as usual. We enjoyed an early afternoon dinner so we could have time to digest so we could fill back up with dessert. Uncle Jim, Aunt Maureen and the boys came over later for dessert and coffee. The house was full and the jmonsters were having a ball with all of their cousins. It was a good start to what was promising to be a fun filled weekend…
We’ve heard of being a dollar short and a day late, but nothing about being a day early in wishing someone a Happy Birthday besides a bit embarrassed. After a harassing week Mommy and Daddy forgot the date and thought it was the 27th on the 26th. Regardless of the date we hope that your birthday was great and we love and miss you. Happy Birthday Grandpa in Florida!
This is where the jmonsters spent the bulk of their vacation. Frolicking, bobbing, jumping, and splashing in the pool. It was cold, but Smallmonster cowboyed up and spent a great deal of time swimming with the Floridian D-O-G’s.
When allowed the jmonsters and Daddy headed for the hot tub. No problems with the water temperature here, a balmy 104 degrees.
flickr: Set – Detail – Slide Show – Map
GEO: Grandma and Grandpa’s in Florida [GP:ginfla]
