Florida Trip Part One: Sea World

Paul had a few vacation days carried over from last year that he needed to use up before the end of March.  So, we decided we needed to go on a family vacation and get the heck out of this snowy, wintry place we call home.  This had been the most brutal winter we had lived through out here in PA. It was freezing and there was always a lot of snow on the ground.  There were just under 20 different snowstorms, many of which caused the schools to cancel and many other businesses to close.  It was relentless.  This made the decision to spend our vacation in Florida quite easy--in the Sunshine State it is warm, only 2.5 hours on an airplane, and there are a lot of things that we can do.

The boys were so excited.  The fun begins at the airport, where the boys enjoy a breakfast of soft pretzels and fried chicken!   

Jack no longer gets a free ride on an airplane; we had to buy him a seat, and purchasing 5 plane tickets was rather painful.  But Jack was super happy to have a spot right next to his awesome big brothers...

Jack kept pulling out the aircraft's safety pamphlet to read.  He would literally pour through the pages and study them.  I think he would have known exactly what to do in an emergency!

Finally, we arrived at the airport in Orlando.  Max was a big helper with the luggage...

After we checked into the hotel, the boys spent the remainder of the day swimming in the hotel pool. Then we went out to a restaurant (Outback) for dinner. So far this vacation was super awesome!!!

The next day was spent at Sea World.  This would be Paul's and my favorite of the parks we visited.  It seemed very laid back and was not at all crowded.  In fact, on many of the rides the boys could just stay on and keep going since there wasn't a line.

Here are the boys enjoying the sea lion pirate show...

And here they are watching the really cool dolphin show.  Look at those 3 cute little heads :)

Wandering through the park, checking out all the sites...

I had been to Sea World years ago for biology trip I took to California in high school.  I thought it was pretty cool then, but now it has rides!  (or maybe just the Florida one does, I don't know...)

This was Jack's favorite ride.  He wanted to go on it again and again and again (and again and again--which we did!)

Look at that smile of pleasure!

This is a roller coaster that Max and Sam went on again and again and again.  All by themselves!

Here they are running to jump back in line, super excited!

The one bad thing we discovered about Sea World is that the food is expensive.  We spent over $50 on 4 hotdogs, french fries, and 3 drinks...

Silly selfies with my sweet Sam...

After a super fun-filled day, we headed back to our villa for a bit to just hang out and recharge.  The boys made themselves feel right at home...

Then we headed out for a fun dinner of the boys' favorite--Sushi!!  

The boys crashed pretty hard that night after such an exciting day.  They are such angels when they are asleep!  I love that they love to sleep together...

The Rest of February

I took Sam and Jack to the dentist in February.  It wasn't the first time for either of them, but Jack looked so darned cute with the sunglasses on, holding so still, that I just had to take a couple of pictures.  He was so big and so cute.  Sam did great as well, but I didn't even think to take a picture of him as at the time I was trying to corral a curious Jack who, when he wasn't trying to climb in the seat with Sammy, was really upset that I wouldn't let him climb up on any of the other exam chairs.  So I missed the photo op with Sam.  But Sam was so very good, that, when it was his turn, Jack knew there was nothing to be worried about.  The good news is no one had a cavity!

Paul and I went out with a bunch of friends in February to celebrate my friend, Karen's, 40th birthday.  I somehow didn't get any pictures with the birthday girl, (or with Paul), but here is a cute one of Sara and I--being photo-bombed by her husband, Eric...

Jack has really been into dressing up lately.  Doesn't he make an adorable green ninja?

And a super cute Mario next to his darling older brother, Luigi...

I was just getting out of the shower when the boys came into the bathroom to hang out or ask me a question or something.  They started to get silly, and the next thing I knew, Max was face down in my clothes hamper.  It was tough to get him out--he's so big--but the whole thing was very funny...

Leonardo was part of the carpool pickup on this particular day...

We have had a most brutal winter this year, the snow and cold temperatures have been relentless.  As I am writing this in mid-March the snow has finally melted for the most part, but guess what?  Another snow storm is coming tonight and tomorrow; we could get 1-4 inches!  Before this last week, however, there has been a ton of snow on the ground.  The kids have missed so many school days because of it and all of the storms that they have taken away their spring break and Memorial Day. It has been so cold that it was hard to even get motivated to go outside.  We tried our best, though...

Look at this snow drift on our deck...

We made this snowman, and the boys decided that since we didn't really have anything cool to adorn him with aside from a hat and carrot, we should paint him.  What the heck--it is washable paint!

We also tried to make a snow fortress.  Jack found the idea of knocking the blocks down so irresistible, however, that we didn't get very far.  It was still fun to make!