Friday, April 18, 2014

Spring Break Part II (Continued…)

On Thursday, AB woke up around 6:30 so excited that Allie & Whitt were coming for the day!

It was still too chilly to break out bathing suits and beach towels, but we did take them down to see the lighthouse and walk on the boardwalk and jetty. DSC_0245

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They were just happy to be together and outside, and really didn’t even wonder why we weren’t playing on the beach… DSC_0267

We’d also promised them Chick-fil-A for lunch and that they could play on the playground after. That’s always a highlight for them. It doesn’t take much. (thankfully)

The kids all got a nap after lunch and then we got ready for dinner. We headed out early to beat the crowd to Aunt Catfish’s and still had an hour wait. DSC_0290The kids loved playing on the playset though, and were all so good. 34

After supper, we took them down to the boardwalk to ride on the Ferris Wheel. 37

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We wrapped up the evening with Hot Krispy Kremes and a Frozen sing-a-long. 41

On Friday morning Carrie & the kids headed back home. But not before the kids played a game of Disney I Spy…43

Mom & I decided to take the girls back down to Ponce Inlet to the marine science center and check it out. DSC_0369 I am so glad we didn’t miss this! They had several tanks of marine life and even a petting tank where you could pet stingrays and a baby shark. DSC_0306

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They also have a great sea turtle display and a sea turtle hospital where they nurse injured turtles back to good health. DSC_0311

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The girls loved it all!

We had lunch and then headed back for afternoon naps. DW & my Dad came that afternoon after work.

Saturday morning we walked to the pier for breakfast and for the first time all week we saw the SUN! 42

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AB was set on swimming, so we got the girls changed into their swimsuits and they got to swim for a little bit.

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After their afternoon naps, we went out for supper2

5 and then back to the condo to watch the Gators play basketball in the Elite 8 games… when they won, we also frantically started booking flights for the guys to Dallas for the Final Four. It was quite the experience and is pretty funny looking back on it. At one point, I had cell phones up to both ears talking to my FIL and my BIL while DW was getting ready to throw my IPad off the balcony. Good times.

Sunday was pack-it-up and head home day. It was cold, which made leaving a lot easier than had the sun been shining! :)

It was a little odd being at the beach and not dragging out one beach chair or toy, but it was still a great way to end our Spring Break. We had lots of fun finding new things to see and do and we all had a great time! DSC_0384

~amw~

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Spring Break Part II

Part II of Spring Break was spent at my in-law’s beach condo.22 AB perched herself and claimed her Pappy’s spot on the couch as her own as soon as we got there.

My Mom was able to take the week off, too, and go with us. I was seriously hoping for some sun on my painfully white legs and AB was so excited about swimming for the first time of the season.

That’s not exactly how the rest of the week turned out though.

The weather was far from ideal, but we still had a great time.

We headed down after lunch on Tuesday. We made our Target run and had dinner at Red Robin. 23That night, because of the cold weather, we looked up things to do in the area that weren’t beach related. We found quite a few things and decided to make a day of it on Wednesday.

We started out by visiting “The Casements” which was the vacation home of John D. Rockefeller.DSC_0081 The city owns the building now and uses the downstairs space for municipal offices, but the upstairs’ rooms are set up like they were when the Rockefeller’s owned the house. 25It sits right on the Halifax and has a great view. 24The girls loved getting to run down by the water. DSC_0072

Next, we hit the Angel & Phelps Chocolate Factory for a tour. 32The business was started in the 1920’s by two best friends in Mackinac Island, Michigan. (Which is on my list of places I want to someday visit). The ladies made it big in Mackinac and were able to spend the winter months at vacation homes in Daytona.27

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They loved the area so much, and after business slowed down in Michigan, their families relocated to Florida where they opened shop here. 30They ran the company for years and then finally retired and sold it, but the new owners kept the name and continued to use all of the their same recipes. 31Of course we bought some treats on our way out.

We made a stop for lunch and then decided to head to the Children’s museum. DSC_0088The Daytona Museum of Arts & Science had lots of neat things to offer. We made a quick stroll through some of the art exhibits and I was excited to see an Andy Warhol painting. AB even remembered his name from some of the Little Einstein episodes. The bug collection was also pretty impressive- crazy that most of the bugs were collected in the 1950’s. Maybree fell asleep in her stroller, so we decided to just tour some more of the museum before going to our scheduled showing at the Planetarium and then wrapping it up letting the girls play in the Children's part. I was excited about the planetarium because space and the planets have always interested me. Turns out, the show were were watching were on the stars and different constellations. AB and I both fell asleep during it and the only noteworthy thing to say about it was that we made it to the last showing of it in the museum. They’re in the process of building a new planetarium with a different show, so that one was closing.

After we all woke up from our planetarium naps, we let the girls explore the children’s museum.DSC_0095

DSC_0096 We’d read it was great and very hands-on. DSC_0113

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DSC_0127It was fantastic! The girls played for about an hour there. DSC_0136

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On our way out, we walked through the Coca-Cola exhibitDSC_0148

which ended with a really big (and strange) collection of teddy bears. DSC_0153

DSC_0155It reminded me of a time I went to an estate sale and felt so sad walking through the couple’s home. It broke my heart to see all of their worldly belongings being plundered through. Did these people not have some kids who wanted their things? If no children, then maybe a niece or nephew? SOMEONE? Then, when one of the bedrooms was entirely filled, top to bottom, with a Boyd's Bears collection, I understood WHY their family might have not been takers on their estate. I mean, really- what in the world are loved ones supposed to do with something like that… All these years of wondering, and my question was finally answered…apparently, donate it to a museum. :)

We left just before getting kicked out since Maybree was trying her hardest to climb up the stairs of the bear house and let herself in. DSC_0157

 

We took our Goldilocks-wanna-be and her big sister to see the last thing on our list, which was the Sugar Mill Gardens. DSC_0215The gardens are part of what used to be the Dunlawton Sugar Plantation. Years ago, sugar cane was grown and processed through the mill there before an Indian tribe came and burnt it down. DSC_0167The plantation was purchased and restored and later a new owner tried to turn it into a Florida tourist attraction called “BongoLand” – as part of the park, they brought in large concrete dinosaur statues, that still remain on the property today. (Very random but a big hit with the little crowd). DSC_0191

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DSC_0207The grounds are maintained beautifully and it really is a pretty place to walk around and enjoy the outdoors. DSC_0162

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When we made it back to the condo we were exhausted from a full day of adventure and decided to just get some delivery for dinner.

The rest of the week later…

~amw~