Remember When...

Remember at the beginning of the school year when we'd walk to the grade school every day?  Remember how I could drive Staley to school and still be back a little after 8 to walk with the littles?  Remember how we would always be there before the bell?

Yeah.  That's not happening anymore.

Confidence

Staley has always had confidence in herself and her abilities.  We were having a conversation about things we are not good at.  Staley said, "I'm not good at sword fighting."  I responded, "When have you ever done any sword fighting?"  To which she replied, "Never.  That's why I'm probably not good at it."

She's good at so many things.

And she'd probably be good at sword fighting if she tried.

Love this girl and her confidence.

Frisco

Jake and Elwood both passed away around Christmas of 2021.  Although we were all sad, Zach definitely took it the hardest.  He briefly tried bringing home another cat not too long after that, but quickly realized he wasn't ready to bring another cat into the family.  We had been a cat-free home since that time.  However, after a month of cat-sitting Zach's parent's cat, Charlie, in February and March of this year, Zach decided he was ready to have another cat around the house.  And so we brought home Frisco!

Frisco was a rescue from TAPS.  He is around 5 years old and had been living in a shelter for about a year when we adopted him and brought him home.

Our friend, Libby, works at the Tazewell County Animal Control and had known him well as he lived at their shelter for the first 9 months of his life.  She gave him the name Frisco and thought he'd be a good fit for our family.

Frisco likes people and is a friendly cat, but was a bit skittish when we first brought him home.  It took a day for him to the leave the storage room and about a week before he'd leave the basement.  He still startles easily, but is making himself more and more at home each day.

He likes his scratching posts, his toys, high places, and being petted.  Underneath the train table is his safe space, although he is spending less and less time there.

Frisco enjoys attention from people.  He is spending part of each day now on Zach's lap in the office while Zach works.  Of all the kids, Adelie is the one who spends the most time with Frisco.

It's no secret that I am not the animal lover in the family, but I do think Frisco is a good fit for our family.  Zach picked out a winner.

Welcome to the family, Frisco!

Hmmm...

The other day Briggs was riding his scooter on a walk with Zach and kept using the tops of his shoe as a brake to slow himself down.  Zach told him not to do that as it would ruin his shoes.  A few hours later, Briggs was outside playing and came in to show Zach a scraped up knee and feet.  Briggs mentioned that he had been sitting on his skateboard and using his hands to make it go.  When Zach asked how he had gotten hurt, he said "I was using my feet to stop the skateboard."   Zach asked incredulously, "Were you barefoot?"  Briggs replied, "Yes.  I didn't want to ruin my shoes."

#didn'tthinkthatonethrough
#survivalofthefittest
#hmmmm

Good-bye, March!

We celebrated 2 birthdays and took our spring break trip in March, but there were still a few other highlights:

Staley was chosen by her band director to participate with a small group of other kids from her school in honor band at ISU.

The kids were given a few songs to practice at home, spent one Saturday morning with other kids from the area practicing together, and then performed their 4 songs as a group for all the parents.  I was really impressed.

Staley and I went to see NTA's high school group preform the play 'Salem's Daughter.'

Zach and I spent a week-end in St. Louis as one of my Christmas gifts from this year.  We enjoyed an afternoon at the zoo, a few yummy meals (Fountain on Locust and Pi), a trip to Ikea, and...

a fantastic rendition of 'To Kill a Mockingbird' on stage at the Fox Theater.  We really enjoyed our time together and our fun in St. Louis.

For Christmas, we had also gotten my mom tickets to see 'Legally Blond: The Musical' in Peoria for a girls' night out.  Unfortunately, my mom got sick so Staley went in her place.

We celebrated Adelie's birthday with grandparents at Grammie's house the day after we got back from our spring break trip.  We have often celebrated Adelie's birthday at our spring break destination.  She enjoys that, but also sometimes misses the at-home traditions like choosing her birthday meal, eating with grandparents, and getting her gifts on her actual birthday.  She was pleased that she still got her grandparent meal of choice, even if it was a day late.

Adelie also chose to have a sleepover with two of her friends, Stella and Anna, as her birthday friend activity.  They had a great time playing, doing crafts, making up a play, talking, and watching a movie.

We enjoyed a full and fun March with our regular activities, as well as some other fun ones sprinkled in.  Looking forward to nicer weather, springtime activities, and all that April has in store for us.

Spring Break: Weeki Wachee

We finished off our spring break tour of southern Florida with a few days near Weeki Wachee State Park.  A friend had told me about this natural spring river in Florida that is crystal clear, is home to manatees, and has a state park featuring mermaids that swim in the spring in an underwater theater.  It sounded like a winning combination and something my mermaid and manatee loving daughter just had to experience.  So we went.

The Weeki Wachee River is formed from the deepest naturally occurring spring in the United States and flows 12 miles from Weeki Wachee spring to the Gulf of Mexico.  The water in the river is not too deep and is so clear, so we could generally see the bottom (except for a few really deep areas or when shadows got in the way).

We arrived late to our house near Weeki Wachee after our day in the Keys, so our first Weeki Wachee day we all slept in, enjoyed a relaxing morning, and then went for a family paddle a few miles up the river.  The paddling upriver required some effort, but it was worth it.  We saw lots of fish and 2 manatees!

The return paddle was WAY easier.  We stopped on the way back at a Roger's Park, which was just a short paddle from our house, so the kids could swim in their swimming area for a little while.  Then we went back and the kids had the best time playing in our canal while Zach relaxed on the porch, and I went to get groceries.

The kids were using the paddleboards and kayaks to play a game they made up called Taxi.  I'm not sure of the rules or what the game entailed, but there was a lot of laughing and yelling and booty wiggling from Adelie.  They had a ton of fun and spent several hours playing together in the water.

Zach grilled out for dinner and then the girls and I went for an after-dinner paddle on the river while Briggs and Zach stayed back and played games.

The next day we got up, had breakfast, and then went to Weeki Wachee State Park for the day.  We got there as it opened as I had heard they often sell out early in the day and close the park to guests.  Fortunately for us, a Friday in March is not their high season and the park itself wasn't too crowded.

We tried to start the day with the River Boat tour, but they only have one boat that holds 30 people and leaves every 30 minutes.  The first boat was already filled up when we got there, and waiting for the second boat would have put us in jeapordy of not getting in or getting a good seat for the first mermaid show.  Since the mermaid show was our priority, we skipped the boat tour and just checked out the park.  Zach lined up early for the mermaid show while the kids and I played on a playground and walked around a bit more until it was time to enter for the show.

The mermaid show was really impressive.  They did "The Little Mermaid" with songs, dances, and dialogue.  The mermaids learn a technique of breath control where they use hoses with pressurized air intermittently and then blow out a certain amount to maintain the correct level of buoyancy.  They do all this while smiling, mouthing words to songs and dialogue (how they don't swallow all the water is beyond me!), and doing choreographed moves.  

They are swimming in the spring, so there were various fish and turtles swimming around while they are performing.  They perform at 15' below the surface, but dive down to 40' when they go "off-stage" during the show.  They are mostly underwater for the entire 30-40 minute show.  It was really cool!

There are 3 mermaid shows throughout the day.  The first and last ones are the same, and the middle one is a training show where one of the mermaids explains things and answers questions as you watch.  We went to the first and second show, and then we watched from above the surface during the last show to see what it looked like the various times different characters would come to the surface for things.  It was really cool!  

There was also the opportunity to meet one of the mermaids after each show.  Between all 3 kids, we met all 3 mermaids that were available that day.  Briggs and I had gone for a walk when this mermaid was out, so the girls didn't get to meet her.  Briggs was feeling a little shy, but I talked him into this picture.

We also went to listen to a ranger talk about various animals found in the area.  We saw a baby alligator, turtles, and got to touch a native Florida snake.

Our state park day was the day before Adelie's birthday.  The park and the mermaids were a surprise for her, and we also let her pick out something from the gift shop.  This manatee was her choice.

We spent the rest of the day at the water park area of the park.  The swimming area is spring water with a sand bottom.  It's all natural--no chemicals and fish swimming around with you.  There were two water slides, a natural lazy river, and a toddler pool area that were not open when we were there since it was still the "off-season."  The slides especially looked fun, but I think I'll take low crowds over water slides any day.   A lifeguard was telling me that they sell out every single day in the summer.

Briggs spent most of his time just playing in the sand, but the rest of us did quite a bit of swimming.  The water temperature is 74 degrees all the time, so it was a little chilly, but felt pleasant once we got in.  The day was in the low 80's and sunny, so it was a perfect day for swimming.

We spent our entire day at the park.  We got there at 9 and left around 4:30.  We had a great time, and I'm glad that we were able to experience this.

After our dinner of tacos, the kids chose to play some more in our canal while I went for a solo evening paddle on the river again.  Then we started packing up to leave the next day.

We had a mid-afternoon flight our next day so we were able to sleep in a bit, I went for one last solo paddle, and then we celebrated Adelie's birthday with special breakfast.

We loaded up the car, said good-bye to our house and the river, and then made a quick detour to the free Manatee Viewing Center near Tampa before heading to the airport.  We saw one manatee and several dolphins while there, as well as touched sting rays in the sting ray touch pool.

We squeezed a lot into our week of spring break.  We experienced national parks and beaches and springs and rivers.  We saw manatees and lizards and gators and dolphins and turtles and mermaids.  We sailed, drove, flew, kayaked, snorkeled, swam, and hiked.  We ate good food, listened to good books, made up good games, and enjoyed good accommodations.

We saw a lot, drove a lot, did a lot, and learned a lot.

And it was great!!

Spring break--woo hoo!!

Spring Break: Biscayne National Park and the Keys

Our initial plan was to do Biscayne on day 1 of our trip and Everglades on day 2 before heading down into the Keys.  With our Biscayne boat tour pushed back to one of our Keys days, we decided to use our second day to drive down and explore the upper Keys of Key Largo, Tavernier, and Islamorada.  We enjoyed driving down into the keys and seeing all the views and bridges.

Our first stop was at Robbie's in Islamorada to feed the tarpons.

Staley and Zach fed the tarpons (which were really big fish), Zach got bit by an aggressive pelican, and we saw several manatees, which was a highlight for Adelie.  Adelie and Briggs did not want to feed the fish, especially after seeing how aggressively the pelicans would try to steal the fish you were holding.  They were happy to just be spectators.

After fish feeding, we ate a yummy lunch at the beachfront restaurant Morada Beach Cafe.  Unfortunately, by this time, Staley wasn't feeling great from the drive down to the Keys.  She took some lunch Dramamine, but never fully recovered, which put a damper on the rest of the day and night for her.

We made a quick stop at The Mystical Mermaid store where Adelie and Briggs spent their souvenir money from Uma and Papa on a manatee stuffy for Adelie and an alligator stuffy for Briggs.

Our last plan of the day was to find a beach for snorkeling.  We first stopped at Harry Harris Beach, but weren't enamored so we headed to Cannon Beach in John Pennekamp State Park instead.

All the kids flirted with snorkeling.  Briggs never made it past his knees in the water as Adelie saw a jellyfish just as she started snorkeling, and they both decided they were done with the ocean for the day.  Staley and Zach snorkeled for quite awhile and saw a variety of fish and lots of jellyfish.

After snorkeling, we headed back to our house in Homestead, had spaghetti for dinner, did some laundry, and then packed up to leave in the morning for our next destination.  

Our next day was our Biscayne National Park day.  After not feeling well during our day in the Keys, Staley had a rough night of sleep that made for a really rough morning the next day.  I was worried that she wouldn't be able to enjoy our day in Biscayne. Pushing on amidst the tears, we loaded up our stuff, checked out of our Air Bnb, and then headed to Biscayne for our sailboat cruise.  Thankfully, once on the boat, Staley perked up and was able to enjoy the day.

We had booked a small group tour for 6, but the last spot remained unfilled so we had a private sailboat tour for the day with our captain, Danny.

Danny was great!  He let the kids help raise and lower the sails, was very educational about the national park and the area, and was just a really nice guy to spend the day with.  The weather was lovely, and I think we all agreed that the sailing portion was the highlight of the day.  So beautiful and relaxing.

We sailed to Adams Key (one of the keys in the national park), had a picnic lunch, and then we kayaked and snorkeled in a shallow portion of the bay among the mangroves.

While kayaking, we saw a variety of fish, but we also saw a small shark as we were nearing our snorkeling area.  I think that was enough to impact Adelie and Briggs' desire to snorkel.  They both tried, but in the end, they preferred to sit on the paddleboard with Danny and just put their faces in while lying on the paddle board.  The snorkeling was okay, but the mangroves are home to smaller fish and we didn't see a large amount or variety of fish while snorkeling in the mangroves.

The sailing back was a great way to end our time in Biscayne.  And to top it all off, we saw a few dolphins.

After our cruise, we hopped in the car and drove down to the middle Keys.  We checked in to our hotel in Marathon and then headed to Burdine's for dinner.  The sunset was beautiful, the food was good (especially the hushpuppies), and it was nice to be eating in the beautiful weather with the waterfront views.

Staley was still recovering from her rough night of sleep the previous night, so she went to bed right after dinner while Adelie and Briggs took the chance to do a little swimming in the hotel pool before bedtime.

I had really wanted to make it all the way to Key West, the southernmost point in the continental US, but that was still an hour south of Marathon.  Staley did not want to spend any extra time in the car, Briggs had no interest either, and Zach was pretty indifferent about making that a part of the trip.  I decided I'd just get up early and drive down to watch the sunrise in Key West and then head back to Marathon while everyone else could sleep in.  Adelie offered to join me, and it was really special getting that quality time with Adelie.

We had a pleasant drive down to Key West, found the southernmost point, watched the sunrise, explored just a bit, took a few pictures, found Hemingway's home/museum and saw a few polydactyl cats, Adelie grabbed a Starbuck's frosted lemonade, and then we drove back to join back up with the family.

Wild chickens and roosters were plentiful during our travels, and we saw lots of them wandering around Key West while we were there.  We also saw lizards EVERYWHERE we went which was one of Briggs' favorite things.

One on one time with Adelie is pretty rare, and I really enjoyed our few early morning hours together.

The rest of the family slept in, so we got back in time to eat breakfast with them in our hotel.  The kids then did a little swimming in the hotel pool again before we continued on with our plans for the day.

We headed to Turtle Hospital for an educational tour in this motel-turned-hospital where they rescue, rehabilitate, and, if able, release sea turtles.

I found the entire story of the hospital very interesting and learning about the various sea turtles and their ailments/plights educational.  We all enjoyed the tour, saw a bunch of sea turtles, and also saw a big iguana while we were there.  It was definitely a trip filled with a variety of wildlife.

After the Turtle Hospital, we drove across the famous Seven Mile Bridge.

Right across the bridge, we found Veteran's Memorial Park in Little Duck Key.  It was just a small beach area right off the road after the bridge but ended up being the highlight of our time in the Keys.  The girls and Zach did a bunch of snorkeling and found some cool fish and lots of jellyfish.  Briggs played in the sand, and we found a crab digging a hole that we watched for a really long time.  The weather was beautiful, the water was warm, and the beach was the perfect little place to relax and just enjoy it all.

We left our little beach area mid-afternoon to start the 7 hour trek to Weeki Wachee.  We stopped at the Key Lime Pie Factory in Tavernier for a late lunch of pie to give us energy for the journey.

The pie was A-MAZ-ING.  I love key lime pie, and this was the best I've ever had.  We also enjoyed the garden out back of the factory (that was filled with the padlocks mentioned in a previous post).  It was quiet and relaxing in a somewhat cheesy sort of way.

We had a great time exploring the Keys and the national parks, but it was time for us to head to our final destination of Weeki Wachee.  The 7 hour drive from Marathon to Weeki Wachee made us all a little road weary, with just one stop along the way for a quick dinner of sub sandwiches at Jersey Mike's.  Our road trip books this trip were 'Pax: The Journey Home' (which we finished during our Everglades and first Keys day) and 'The Mysterious Benedict Society' (which we started on our last Keys day).  Good audiobooks help pass the time more quickly, and both our audiobooks were winners.  Our audiobook, endless snacks, and gum gave us enough entertainment and energy to make it to the final destination of our trip.  Stay tuned...