Intentional Fun

Last month we set aside some time for a weekend of intentional fun. We started at Lowery Park Zoo. Warm day, but NO crowds.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed in Tampa…I realized this was one of the first times we stayed in a hotel with just our little family…no extended family. Here she is “on the phone” planning a “sleepover”.

Aunt Julie and the girls drove over for pizza and pool time.

The next day they drove over (to Tampa) again and we hit the Florida Aquarium.

As we were walking in, RJA woke up and stared at a man playing the saxophone outside of the aquarium.

  

Maddie and Rea braving the water area outside.

(walking up the ramp)

Fun trip, but exhausting.

Great Ending!

Julie invited us to join them to see Disney on Ice.

A. DOR. ABLE!!!

Going into it, Rea knew princesses and ice were involved, but I’m sure she didn’t know how the two would work together.

I loved watching all the girls take everything in. Rea was enamored by it all and sat attentively the entire time…not a lot of talking or expression, just observing.  (I love watching her… she is so much like me.) We bought really expensive popcorn in those fabulous tubs and took this great group picture once it was over! 

 

Ok, so I realize it doesn’t seem all that amazing of a “grand finale”, but you just had to be there, I guess….. big sisters, little sisters, cousins, friends, girly-ness, live entertainment (gets me every time), DISNEY, expensive salty popcorn, new experiences, etc…..put all this together …makes for a fantastic memory!

Then we concluded our GREAT evening by picking up our very own prince charming…..daddy-o.…from the airport!

---

Today in the news…

Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, dies at 56.

“Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.”- Steve Jobs

Rough Start…Great Ending!

JMA went on a business trip to San Francisco for several days last month. While he was gone, I took RJA for her 5 month check-up and she got shots. She felt pretty yucky for about 12 hours…she was being her normal sweet self, but looked like this….

After a bath to bring down her temperature and soak off the band-aids, she snuggles up on my bed and went to sleep.

We took advantage of daddy being gone and planned a trip to Lakeland at the end of the week. We loved watching Aunt Julie and the girls doing school. Reagan helped them do their calendar….

…then her own little seat during journal time. So sweet! So big!

(Sitting back watching all this brought a lot of interesting thoughts about homeschooling. More on this later maybe.)

After school, Aunt Julie had a spontaneous idea to use our new passes to Mosi (Museum of Science & Industry)…so we packed up and went.

AEA and RJA were the only ones on board at first…then the others jumped on.

Since we only had a couple of hours, we chose a small kids section of the museum. We’ll go back a few more times to see the other exhibits. We practiced “less is more” this trip….

Tomorrow I will write about the GRAND FANALE to the week!