Sister-Cousin Spring Camp & Making Memories! #2023 #Family #Sister #Cousin #Blessings #Connections #SistersAndCousins #TartSpringBreak2023 #SpringBreak2023 #Friends #WateringFriendships #PurposefullyBuildingRelationships #FamilyAndFriends
March 27, 2023
Sister-Cousin Spring Camp
The week of Spring Break for our county was also the Spring Break week for one of my nieces!
While I had an adjusted work schedule because rec classes were taking the week off, Spring Break Camp at WGVG was in full swing and my also-on-break-college driver wanted to make her own “cousin camp” with fun trips, crazy baking escapades, and lots of memories made!
The girls spent time making crafts, dropping in to Spring Camp to do fun stuff, took at least one beach trip, at least two “mushroom park” trips (aka Trout Creek Park, where there is a mushroom you can swing from), chased the escapee bunny that they let loose quite a few times, used the big floor blocks to make several castles and rooms, baked all kinds of egg-free Anastasia-safe goodies (I got to taste some), Christina and Jaquline made unique suppers and lunches, Christina went to a Celtic Festival,
I love that Christina is making these amazing memories with her sisters, brother, and cousin! She doesn’t have many limits on where they can go – and just like we’ve always done, everywhere is usually “free” (aka just the cost of gas). Christina filled her few days of break with loads of “taxiing mom and gymnasts” back and forth (competitive team didn’t take off spring break). She also got to drop all the siblings and cousin at gym one day to spend a perfect day with her best friend – who was also home from college!
When I was watching Katy, Buddy, Becca, Charley, Stacy, Dorothy, and Mary doing special outings and making memories with my oldest girls, I dreamed of my older girls continuing with their siblings, cousins, and friends. There were memories like “Monster Truck Show outing,” shopping with aunts, Alligator Farm trips, “Special Day” outings, long walks to the ice cream shop, beach days, park days, camping nights, firepits and roasting marshmallow visits, and other just “visit” days.
Now I see my not-so-littles being purposeful in their connections to their friends, younger siblings, and cousins – continuing to water those friendships. It makes me so happy! (A few pictures included to enjoy)
Random faces at the Mushroom Park
Hair SweepingSpider-Swing gone oopsLaughing!
Swinging Antics
KimmyJaqJillyAnastasiaLucas & Thea
These were their “look like yourself portraits” that crack me up! Christina perfectly captures each of their respective personalities in these funny pics!
Beach Trip…
…and they are always at the top of something or trying something daredevilish….
Each one is now looking forward to summer and the next trip(s) they get to do… even if it’s just friends and cousins over at the house playing with critters outside, swinging, reading, having a mega Frogger challenge, or the fifteenth Among Us game with every mobile device in the house, or the next life, monopoly, clue, or catan board game and resulting laughter! And food… my family does revolve most everything around cooking, eating, and cleaning up food (who really doesn’t?).
Dress-Up Meet and Impromptu Visit – Sometimes we need to reconnect and slow down! #2023 #Family #Friends #Friend #Blessings #Blessing #FriendshipIsAwesome #ILoveImpromptuVisits #GymnasticsMeet #WesleyChapelTrip #CharityChallenge2023 #GodsHandIsInEverything #SpecialVisit #IHaveTheSweetestSisters #TheaShowsOff #SistersAndCousins
March 24, 2023
Dress Up Meet And Impromptu Visit
My kids are a little strange (don’t we all think that at one point or another?). Sometimes, even my 19-year-old likes to dress up. Today’s story has my competitive gymnasts dressing up for their final meet before states!
The final meet before states was the Charity Cup Challenge. One of the longest drives, but the girls got to dress up in cute tutus and thought that was fun. Kimberly’s team of teenagers even started dancing in them – that was cute! Louis took Jillian down for Friday. I didn’t get to see their antics, but I can imagine from the pictures…
WGVG Silver Team at the 2023 Charity Challenge in Wesley Chapel, FL
Jillian came home saying the “entire place” smelled like fish nets. I couldn’t stop laughing at that!
Kimberly, Jillian, Thea, and I drove down in the wee hours of Sunday morning for Kimberly’s meet. Most of the time they slept and I listened to “My List to Joy” (a youtube mix I created ages ago).
We passed a sign that said “50 miles to this city” (where a sister lives now) early in the morning and I wondered if texting this early was a good idea. Nahhh… I’ll wait until normal nightowls have had coffee.
At the meet, Jillian found Ellie (another Silver Team member whose sister is also Platinum) and Thea got into the gym-sister encourager mode. Girls weren’t even doing anything but dressing up and Thea was like, “Marie’s got this!” and “Go Ellie!” (this made Jillian and a random team mom or grandma from another group laugh) Thea didn’t see how funny it was being a sideline cheerleader while the Platinum Team was wiggling around in their tutus.
WGVG Platinum TeamOur CharityWGVG Platinum TeamThe three travelersJust Kimmy and the mascot
We watched the girls do their amazing thing! Honestly, as my youngsters move up in skill and level, the competitions get more and more interesting to watch. Thea keeps going, “wow! I want to do that!” I had to grab this wanna-be-future-gymnast from hurting her neck as she was showing off on the awards floor trying to push up in her bridge again – she sang as she did: cartwheel, cartwheel, handstand, bridge! (but bridge arms were not straight!) It’s the mom clash between, I let my kids do stuff and I am not watching you break your neck, toddler! I pulled a protesting Thea into my lap with, “careful, your arms have to be straight first.” My just-4-going-on-teenager-attitude goes, “I know mom, I know,” with crossed arms. I heard quite a few chuckles from other random experienced moms on the benches behind me! Thea is definitely part of the entertainment wherever she goes.
On the ride home, we stopped to visit Aunt Becca and Anastasia!
I love visits when we can. It’s so easy to think things like: it would be bothering her, she’s not expecting a visit, maybe she’s not in, maybe they have plans… etc. Every one of those and many more popped into my head trying to prevent me from considering the visit – and we were literally passing by!
NO! Don’t think that way!
Text, call, or just drop by! It’s the human connection part of us that loves that!
(Yes, I did use my car’s voice-text to have almost an hour texting conversation with her letting my sister know we were coming – which was funny because my Platinum in the back seat was so engrossed in her texting with friends and totally ignoring my Silver in the front and our conversation that as we stopped she went, “wait, this isn’t a gas station, why are we stopping?”) And this is why in the wee hours when my moody teen snapped, “I don’t want you to come” to Jillian, I responded with, “well I do; she’ll talk with me instead of disappear into her phone.” I always try to stop and see family if we travel close to their home (close to me is like within an hour – more if we’re traveling far).
We chatted, Jillian ended up staying over with Anastasia (next day started Spring Break and Anastasia was coming to stay with us anyway), Kimberly, Becca, and I played a nice game of Upwords, we snacked on stuff (my sister being a chef, even her “thrown together” snacks taste amazing), and enjoyed each other’s company. I got to see the grand tour of the lovely oasis my sweet sister and niece call home. The girls played basketball – of course, as they are our children, it got competitive very quickly!
I love just being together! I love car trips because usually, the people trapped within play word games (i.e. I’m going on a trip, Famous People First-and-Last, Alphabet or Numbers game) or talk to each other. I love visits where we just “hang out” – nothing planned, nothing crazy, just board games or talking over food or watching the kids play. Becca said it was a “God-timed visit.” I love it when God lines everything up to fill our spirits with reminders of His provision. I needed the dollop of Becca time too – God knew it. We needed each other’s encouragement and smiles. The cool part was that I didn’t realize I was missing her so badly until we got to connect for those few hours, but God knew.
Sadly, a bad thunderstorm cell was coming our way and Louis warned us to “please not get stuck in that driving” so we said goodbye and Kimberly, Thea, and I headed home less one passenger. At least now, Kimberly was in a very chatty mode and we were able to talk about all kinds of stuff all the way home!
Go visit! Find or make a break in your schedule to pay a visit to someone you have been missing. There is so much work and schedule and life that sometimes we miss the part of our soul that whispers slow down and sometimes that close connection is just what we need to help us reset. It gives us a recharge to jump back into the craziness of life and makes a happy memory we cherish – and it can be so simple as a quick lunch, a brief hello, or even a phone call when visiting isn’t practical.
We hosted Thanksgiving at our house for those who could come. It lasted from November 22 (our 20th anniversary) to November 27 (Sunday). This was our “vacation” from gym/work. It included lots of traveling (for me, Becky, Christina, Jaquline, Lucas, and Thea), lots of fun, and lots of food!
For my anniversary, we still had to work (thank you, Hurricane Whatever in September – I don’t commit names to memory) because we had school and a make-up day at gymnastics. This started our Thanksgiving Break because I started out just before midnight on 11/22 with Christina to go pick Becky up from college.
This car trip was super fun! Christina and I drove. Lucas and Thea went with us as Kimberly had early practice (Xcel Platinum) on the 23rd (a friend played taxi), Louis still had work like regular, and Jaquline & Jillian were cleaning and cooking with Grandma Tina.
We got home to take naps, help finish cooking, cleaning, and such. The table was set so pretty! (Yes, that is a marble chessboard that we use as a hot plate to set the turkey on! – Louis had it when we were dating and after some “accidents” happened to the pieces over the years, it was just too pretty to toss so was repurposed.)
Uncle Buddy came. Anastasia came. Gavin came. Aunt Becca sent yummy desserts! We had so much fun! Louis brought in new chairs. (our table was used when we bought it and was missing chairs – we originally used the piano bench, but since the piano & bench are in storage for lack of room…) We played games. Okay, yes, most were group video games or Frogger Challenge (two players, winner takes on next player…), but there were a few Boggle games and it seems we can’t have Thanksgiving fun without a campfire!
Uncle Buddy wanted to play Age of Empires with Lucas & Becky; even Louis and I joined in on a 5-person hot-seat Heroes 3 game that lasted all day (and we didn’t finish). The kiddos (will leave anonymous which adults joined in as well) did a super-multi-player Minecraft / Imposter with phones and computers. The shouted directions in the living and dining room had everyone else laughing!
My Angel Eggs were a different story. I made two platters. I love making food look beautiful but most of the time we are short on time so I can’t. (I used to even make everyone’s birthday cakes from scratch & even made two wedding cakes!) Today I made beautiful piped eggs.
One platter was gone in T-5 minutes! Jaquline did warn us she was going to eat more than the eggs she shelled! I love making food people enjoy.
Being around my family when we aren’t rushed always reminds me to be thankful for them! Uncle Buddy had prepped his head for military service (more on that next time) and Lucas thoroughly enjoyed playing video games with and snuggling with his uncle. I am super thankful for this life God has given me and I pray my home becomes the gathering point for family and friends always on any Sunday we have family day or any holiday. Food and good company is always a reason to gather together!
It had been one of those days. You know, when you begin to question everything, your brain shouts accusing bits at you and highlights every choice you’ve made since infancy, and your biggest challenge is to find something joyful to think on or something to be grateful for.
Jillian, Lucas, and Thea to the rescue!
“Mom! Where is Jillian?” cries Thea with a giggle.
“I’m a green turtle!” days Jillian’s muffled voice from under the green bin.
A simple little rubbermaid bin. It started life in our house about 14 or 15 years ago as a toy-bin because someone gave it to us with junk in it, a broken handle, and no top. We sanded the broken plastic and put big toys in it. At this location (smaller house, so smaller toy room and no space for it), it is our pantry dump bin; usually it contains baggies, extras that need a box like soaps, random cables, an occasional box that’s too big for the shelf, etc. Since Halloween, it had been used to set everyone’s separate candy/treat buckets inside and had been atop the refrigerator. This morning I had moved it to the floor with the intention of wiping it out and putting it back in the pantry.
Instead, it ended up being a turtle shell over Jillian!
Lucas and Thea were laughing so hard, “look, you can’t see her toes!” and “Mom! Jillian’s a turtle with a hard shell!” And Lucas banged drums on the shell.
Grandma has a red plastic bin she had just emptied that normally has decorations in it.
“Mom!” I hear a scream-yell from the kitchen.
“Look!” Yells Thea as she pulls the red bin over her head, “two turtles!”
“Two turtles!” Yells Lucas from the other, (Jillian is guiding Thea Turtle around so she doesn’t hit anything as she race-crawls around the kitchen)
Where are they?Red is TheaGreen is Lucas
I smile at so much fun from imagination and two silly plastic bins. Thank you God, for imagination! Thank you God, that you know my heart and send these little angels to make me remember that I just need simplicity to smile. My mood shifted from fighting my accusing brain to enjoying my children’s joy. He uses the simple to confound the wise. In the still small voice. All of Creation shouts His praise. A child shall lead them. All these sayings pound in my brain to drown out the accusations.
And now the turtles are a “turtle sandwich” to which one of my teenagers said, “mom, that’s something else” and giggled. (Someone has been reading their Biology book.)
Three turtles to the rescue!
Sometimes it’s a pretend turtle in the kitchen that can bring you joy! Thank you, God, for the blessings you have given us!
What to do with bouncy kids over summer? #WGVGymnasticsCamp
Summer Plans? Gymnastics…
March 22, 2022
Do you have any summer plans?
How about spending a few days trying out a fantastic gymnastics camp? At WGV Gymnastics, our 9 weeks of summer is split into 9 individual themes starting with Super Hero week on June 6th to Wacky Water Week kicking off the final camp week of August 1st.
Fun & games, crafts, tumbling, learning new skills, making new friends! Come join us!
Most 12 o’clockers beg to stay til 3pm or even 5pm so as not to miss anything! Our gym is such a magical place that no one ever wants to leave…
Camps start at 9am and end between noon and 5pm (choose your end time when you register online) and camper ages start at 3 years old and up.
Lucas loves camp! His best-friends-on-earth-that-arent-brother-cousins go to camp. Jillian loves to practice her gymnastics skills and dance moves (there’s usually some dance party time hidden somewhere in the week!).
Check out our website, register online for camp, or join us for open gyms every Friday noon to 1pm or Parents’ Night Out every third Saturday! Summer activity, check! Lots of workout = tired kiddos, check!
We love board games – especially if it involves everyone. This is difficult as most games like battleships, mancala, and chess are two player or maybe four player like labyrinth, the mall game, trouble, spelldown, scrabble, and Lord of the Rings Risk. Even the regular Risk is just six players, along with all the trivial pursuits and Settlers of Catan with the 5-6 player expansion set. Yes, we alter it by adding extra pieces to trivial pursuit (we have four different card sets and ten player pieces with the total amount of wedges) and by using two yahtzee sheets instead of one, but a game where we don’t have to alter?
Yippee!
Monopoly here we come!
Granted, our monopoly set has been victim to a few mishaps; added to from two quarter yard-sale finds with a few pieces here or there, but we maintain the exact number of applicable hotels, houses, and chance and community chest cards. Unfortunately Lucas demolished the Cinderella castle board from a Disney set – but we have the tokens and a few ones and hundreds have Disney characters on them. (Actually, most of our ones are Disney, and due to Barbie Bake Shop and Restaurant Store drafts over 13 years, there is a shortage of one dollar bills insomuch as we have to “borrow” 10 white ones from the poker chip collection to play.)
Today, Aunt Becca took Becky off to babysitting land and Jillian had cleaned the table and set up piles of Monopoly money around the board – “Who wants to play Monopoly?”
“Wait?” Daddy says, taking a second glance at the table with five eager (okay, four eager and one required teenager) faces grinning at him, “everyone is at the table?”
“All except Becky,” pipes Jillian.
“She’s not here,” I added, “so everyone who is here.”
“Not Thea!” someone quips, “but she can’t play yet.”
To answer this, Thea squeals with joy – as Louis says, “roll the dice to see who goes first then I’ll sit down.”
Yippee! They all get excited about playing with Daddy and Mommy… Daddy is the cannon, Mommy is Walt & Mickey (statue from the Disney version), shoe, candlestick (from Clue), Miss Scarlett (from Clue)… someone was Mr. Thimble Moneybags (the thimble with the moneybags inside and the hat on top) – Yes, we collect old tokens from games bought at yard sales for extra pieces! Thea demands Mommy pick her up. Mommy smiles and sits by Lucas. Lucas, Jaquline, and Kimberly all rolled 6s so they roll again. Mom goes to change Thea. Lucas rolls highest! He goes first!
“I’m taking Mommy’s spot by Lucas!” Daddy announces. “I go second!”
Mommy does a mental facepalm… luck my foot.
We sit back at the table in the remaining chair between Jillian (#3) and Kimberly (#5) as Louis pops two doubles and lands three properties – 2 of a 3 group already.
At one point, we have Kim roll onto Louis’ hotel, die. #6, Christina, roll onto same hotel, DIE, and #7, Jaquline, roll onto Jillian’s hotel – DIE! Three out of seven down in one turn… with Mommy out the next and Lucas following. We ask Jillian (no hotels by this time) if she’s ready to concede that Daddy wins…
NO WAY! “I don’t quit a game – if I lose, I lose, but I don’t quit!” (Where does that come from? Remember Risk games during Daddy and Mommy’s dating days, brothers and sisters?One lone dude in Australia against the entire red world… “I’ll never surrender!”) Mommy has to laugh.
One thing for sure, out of the government shutdown garbage, Lucas knows how to break a twenty and what change to get back from a $10 or $20 on the $6, $8, and $14 properties (…almost typed the names… I’m too nerdy!)
As a family, we got to watch a new movie called “Onward” (Disney/Pixar) recently. Curled up on our couch, eating tangerines instead of popcorn, we also got to discuss this movie during the end credits.
I was pleasantly surprised at this movie.
(Spoiler Alert! If you haven’t seen the movie and want to watch it without knowing the end, don’t read any further!)
In this technologically advanced world that mirrors our own, mythical creatures have lost their magic and settled for the easier way of doing almost everything. Fairies don’t fly. Centaurs don’t run fast. Elves don’t go on quests. Wizards don’t exist.
The only relics of magic are mirrored in a game that young adults play like our Dungeons and Dragons.
The protagonist is a 16-year-old elf named Ian whose older brother, Bailey, is lost to this “gaming” world and set a little in the past with his audio cassette tapes and 70s roadie van he built himself like a hot-rod. Ian never knew his father. His mother’s centaur policeman boyfriend is a far cry from the father figure he is looking for.
After a bummer of a birthday, Ian and Bailey are given a special present from their late father – a staff and crystal and a spell that supposedly will let him come back for 24 hours to see who his boys grew up to be.
So the spell doesn’t work. Mom leaves. Bailey enters as Ian is actually making the spell work – and enters half-dad. Yes, Ian brought back a walking pair of pants with purple socks and leather shoes. Bailey knows it’s his dad because of a tap-tap on shoes game they used to play.
The boys go on a quest (based on Bailey’s game knowledge) to find another crystal and bring their father all the way back.
They end up finding the crystal but releasing a curse (huge dragon made of weird stones pulled from their school and a construction site) as the sun is going down (when dad will disappear).
Ian has realized that his real father figure is Bailey and that Bailey is the one who must speak with dad because he blames himself for being scared of the hospital and missed his chance to say goodbye to his dad in real life. Ian starts the spell to bring dad back and leaves him with Bailey so he can fight the dragon. Mom and a manticore bring in a magic sword to kill the dragon (she was on her own side quest). Through teamwork, the curse is destroyed, Ian uses magic to repair all of the dragon damage, Bailey gets to say goodbye to his dad, and magic reenters the lives of some of the people; the biker fairies are now flying, policeman centaur boyfriend is now running, and Ian now is a wizard.
The theme is love: Mom’s love for her sons and the brother’s love for each other. The lesson of enjoying what you have instead of wishing for what you don’t is also there. Ian wishes for the father he’s never known and wants to be like him while ignoring or disregarding his elder brother until he realizes that all the love he was searching for in a father figure has been coming from his brother all of his life.
We discussed how it is very easy to focus on what we want but don’t have yet miss what God has given us. In every situation, our character shines with how we choose to handle said situation. I choose to focus on what is with me now. Right now, I’m thankful to still have a job when so many I know are suddenly unemployed. I’m thankful to be able to play more board and outside games with Christina and Becky – all the girls, but they had started to get heavily involved in extracurricular activities and with Christina driving, I had seen less and less of her. Forced online college courses and the closing of CAP and the gym mean I get to hang out with her more. I’m enjoying what I have.
Live your life enjoying what you are given and love your family with a sacrificial love: that’s our take from “Onward,” a very entertaining, slightly funny, kid safe movie with real truths embedded in it.
We are a crazy outdoor family. After one 6am epic three-player (connected our little old computers together with LAN – the girls’ new love) Age of Empires (old school from like the 90s) game, we are technologically pooped.
As we are winning our Age of Empires, Louis made amazing waffles with homemade whipped cream (yummmmmmmmy).
Next step: Monopoly.
I’m having a bummer of a start… all the properties are gone except two and I have two railroads, one red, and electric company. I bought the last yellow. Louis quickly offered both railroads for the yellow (he had the other two) and I figured, sure, why not help him up on my way out.
WELL… turns out having three other people landing on my $200 a pop spaces continually led to me winning the first monopoly game in years!
Lunch was bean and rice burritos. (Louis cooked, I cleaned)
Next was outside. Waterslide (plastic sheet with a hose), mud, and gymnastics routines to whole songs pumping from one bass speaker that Louis DJ queued up. Thea took a nap, I typed up blogs, bread dough (for pizza dinner) was rising, and we spent the afternoon playing outside.
Thea had a little cup for her soda, but decided to learn how to pour her sister’s soda into her cup, then her cup back into sister’s soda can, and leave soda footprints on the carport:
Lucas left the waterslide to play in the mud pools:
The girls practiced their gymnastics routines. They did both the Show Routines to real floor music and did the ones they made up for each of the really popular songs they hear at Parents’ Nights Out because they want to do them with their friends during free time one night. The Speechless song from Aladin is by far the favorite. Jaquline’s “routine” is more interpretive dance than Kimberly’s focused skill-by-skill connected with dance moves gymnastics routine, but both were quite entertaining!
Just a little glimpse into our fun, crazy life.
Louis just left to go start the pizza. Thea and I are enjoying listening to Tron Legacy music as I finish this last blog for the week on my borrowed computer, then we’ll head inside… turns out they want to watch “Cheaper By the Dozen” with Myrna Loy and Clifton Webb and we’ll do “Yours Mine and Ours” with Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda (Lucy is their favorite!) while we eat.
Slow, relaxing day with our crew. Hope everyone is faring well through this trying time. Slow down and enjoy what you have.
Christina is jumping up and down
with excitement in front of my bedroom door as Louis, Thea, and I are laying on
top of the bed after church and lunch. On
Sunday, we usually talk about stuff and share a bit about each others’ week
while he powernaps (how can he do that
with his eyes open?) and I feed Thea.
“The Flea Market is open until 4!”
Christina announces. She’s been wanting
to go for a few weeks now, yet we’ve always been too busy & yesterday we
built the middle girls their new bed.
So we get to the Flea Market and she zooms to the one spot we always get our games from (always… I haven’t been there in over 2 years). This guy has been in business for over 14 years – sold Becky her second PS1 and our current PS2. Christina has been slowly building a game system & game disc collection of her own. Today both Christina and Becky pull out their debit cards. (This feels weird, as my teens are buying stuff with their own debit cards with their own money!)
I’m a bit proud, a bit sad.
Proud because Christina is managing college, CAP (2nd Lieutenant now), homeschool, work, and friends mostly on her own and doing a good job at it Proud because Becky raises sweet, lovable Guinea Pigs (Kimberly and Jillian are also partners in this venture), juggles college classes, gymnastics, and her interests well.
Sad because this additional sign of
independence just shows me how quickly they are growing.
Usually Sunday is a no-tech day, but
since we spent yesterday building the bed and deep cleaning, we allowed video
games today.
That’s how we got home, have all 7
children on the couch watching Christina and Becky “test” the two Lego Star
Wars PS2 discs, enjoying the four slushies Becky bought while I got gas. Sharing treats, laughing at the games, and
enjoying each other’s company – I love this!
Then out comes Christina’s reason
for going in the first place… she displays the original PS1 frogger game with a
flourish and jumps up and down. “Remember
this game, Becky?” And they laugh.
It’s the first game they remember Uncle Buddy playing with them when he brought in their first PS1. They played that one as a 4-player for years (with the special “L” shaped extra Christina didn’t find this trip). They played that with Aunt Mary and Aunt Stacy at the little house behind the Winn Dixie.
Christina says, “Mom, the memories
attached to this game are priceless!”
I smiled. So true.
I remember playing this with my brothers and sisters (the only 4-player at the time) and the
crazy laughter that happened with “bees bees all sorts of bees” and “racing
cars” and “the hippos and crocs” and all the other fun nicknames for the levels
we had.
I’m watching now as they do another
popular big family thing with fast games – pass the controller around after
each “death” – taking turns and laughing…
Oh, now they’ve changed frogger’s
name to “Gerald” – and keep lauging… “Off the rock, Gerald!” “Not there, Gerald!” (occasionally tossing in other lines from Finding Dory too… my crazy,
fun, family!)
We have only missed one “Fireworks Over the Matanzas” in all of Christina’s 15 years. We were at Wild Adventures park in Valdosta and Christina wasn’t even one year old.
Louis monitors the weather so we’ve avoided being soaked like we ended up a few of the earlier years. Those were so fun though, cool, wet rain on the hot July day. Children never mind the rain – normally they dance in it with newly made friends.
Today was no different; my little gymnasts put on a show in the grass and met a few new friends. It sprinkled a little but that didn’t stop them!
They played various games like “Duck Duck Goose” and “Red Light Green Light” – timeless favorites.
Christina and Becky held down the spots on the edge of the wall – giggling about the turtles and fish passing below their feet.
Grandma, Aunt Becca, and Anastasia showed up. Anastasia has been with us to almost every Fireworks show since she was born. Becca has come almost every time too. This was my mom’s first. Daddy didn’t like fireworks (lots of veterans don’t) so they never even stayed for the Disney Fireworks shows the few times we went when I was really little.
Grandma joined the teenagers at the edge of the water.
We goofed off and chatted, playing, spending time together. We made several bathroom runs – the last one just as the announcer said “20 minutes to go!”
Thea sat in her stroller and enjoyed the view. She fell asleep about 6:30 and woke up after the fireworks show finished so she could spend some time in Grandma Tina’s arms!
The Fireworks Over the Matanzas show gets better every year. I love our little town. I enjoy family time of just sitting around, playing goofy games, watching the children enjoy themselves, dancing to music, and finally watch their faces erupt with amazement and rapture at the brilliant fiery explosions in the sky.
The next morning, Lucas asked, “is fireworks like Family Fun Fest? Only one in the whole year?” When I answered “yes,” he said, “I can’t wait for next fireworks!”
