handsful

We made it to Ethan and Abbey’s clubs yesterday. I LOVE seeing my kids putting it all out there for those kids! Giving it their all, their best – despite INTENSE heat, little sleep, and non-stop schedule.

Ethan’s 5:00 club…

I got a chance to talk to Ethan for a second during a break, and asked him how this PUC compared to last years. Was it better, or the same? He said it was about the same. Hmmm…not what I expected. Then, he came back with “Well, it couldn’t possibly get any better.” Smile.

We totally forgot that it was “water day”, so our kids had no swimsuits. Oh well.

Dylan wanted to help with bucket duty.

Drench!!

A little help from big brother

EJ scores high on the slip n’ slide!

Next, we headed to Abbey’s 6:45 club…

Abbey is beside Lainey. This photo cracked me up, you can see the little girl staring at Dylan’s leg and thinking “what is THAT?”

Lainey was getting into the dancing this year! Dylan spent most of the time stomping around. Oh, and you see they have swimsuits on now? We made a quick run to the clearance aisle.

Looks cold, huh?

Dad helps Abbey stay cool.

slip n’ slide, Abbey style

Dylan decided to sit out the water games at Abbey’s club. But, he was happy to take a treat.

Simply here to prove I was there. I’m talking to Cheryl, the host of the club. Her and her husband are the sweetest.

Today, we relaxed around the condo for a while and then went out to buy a cargo carrier for the van. This one attaches to the back and will hold most of our big luggage. Our “megavan” has lots of room for people, but it’s lacking in storage…especially on big trips.

After we got back home, it was time for a swim. Dylan has AMAZED us on this trip. Prior to this week, he was very comfortable in the water in his floaties, would dip down for a second or two, and would jump into the water with floaties. Today, he was full-fledged swimming – under water – no floaties. He had excellent breath control, staying under for a long time! I’m so proud of the little guy.

On this, our last vacation night with just the four of us, we went out for seafood and then had a nighttime walk on the beach.

We’ve really enjoyed our time here, but we’re ready for home. And, more than ready to be together with all 8 of us!

Being in St. Augustine means we’re only about a 2 hour drive from Dylan’s Luoyang buddy, Hope. She lives in Orlando.

So, what else could we do but drive to Orlando!

We met Hope and her sweet Mama, Amy, at the Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney for lunch. The kids loved it, moving jungle animals everywhere (they were happier once they were told they weren’t real), rain sprinkling down from the ceiling (but magically not landing on anyone), and thunderstorms that occurred every 30 minutes.

Lainey scored a cool frog cup.

After lunch, both of them ended up on Amy’s lap.

We hung out and talked and talked, while Dylan and Hope shook salt onto the table and blew it off. Maybe not the best parenting decision, but they thought it was a hoot.

Time to get out into the heat…I mean sunshine. Hope grabbed Lainey’s hand, and Dylan “helped” Amy push the stroller.

We stopped them every few feet to take pictures. They didn’t mind too much.

It’s just in his nature…he’s a kisser. Not sure what this means for his teenage years.

All aboard…

Time to play…shopping was a welcome relief from the heat. Did I mention we were in Orlando? In August?

Merry go round…Amy made a joke about Dylan riding on a white horse. She’s already referring to me as the mother in law. I see nothing wrong with arranged marriage!?

Hope seems on board with the whole idea, too.

They had a blast playing in the photo booth. We skipped the $5 per picture and just let them push the buttons.

Randy goofed around, too. His brother would appreciate this picture, he just loves snakes. Heh.

Goofy’s candy store had a “goofy” mirror.

High top!

Amy liked the image of her looking tall and lean!

Time to go and say our goodbyes.

We look forward to our next get-together…already talking about meeting at the CCAI reunion next summer.

We had a lazy morning…no pictures of that.

Then, we decided to hit the beach. We only lasted an hour or so, it was just too hot. I realized that I’m more of a late afternoon beach person.

Only Lainey would do this!

We then made the drive to Jax to attend Marley and Payton’s Power Up Clubs. First one was at 5pm.

The clouds looked BAD, but they held off until 5 minutes before the club was over.

Marley helped her little brother with some of the games.

Last year this time at the clubs, Lainey refused to participate in any of the club activities. She was just too shy. I’m so happy to see her jumping right in this year!

Dylan makes friends quickly.

Payton’s club began at 6:45.

Payton walks up for his part in the skit. He’s the guy who thinks if he drinks gallons of milk and eats tons of cereal that he’ll become a big, strong Superhero. He learns that God cares about what’s inside us, and not what’s on the outside.

It’s blurry, but I had to show Lainey playing in a relay race with hopping balls!

Drip, drip, drop. (Think duck, duck, goose – only with water) I love Payton’s face as the water falls, and Lainey’s face watching! Lainey never did get dropped on, so her sweet brother got her good with a full cup of water later. She squealed.

Payton is also his club’s “Surginator” – the guy who gets the kids psyched about Friday’s Power Surge event at the church. Food, rides, prizes, fun!

He gets into his role. Apparently, Dylan felt he needed some rain protection!

Tomorrow, we drive to Orlando to visit again with Dylan’s friend Hope and her family!! We’ll visit more clubs tomorrow night, too. So far this vacation is a ton of fun, but not terribly relaxing!

This was Dylan’s first glimpse of the ocean…he took to it right away.

Lainey was very excited! Back when we lived here, she always liked the beach but the waves scared her a bit. Not this year.

The buckets and shovels were put to good use.

His idea of belly surfing?

Someone needs sunglasses

not a care…

Warning: These next two pictures involve themes that could be construed as non-politically correct. You’ve been warned.

Can you tell which is which?

I have no idea what to say here.

The beach is a great place to practice your cartwheel.

These pictures are from last Saturday. We went back to the beach yesterday, but decided to leave the camera behind. Dylan loved it even more, going out deeper with Daddy, jumping waves with Julianna and Emily (our friend Jon and his daughters came to hang out with us), and making wet sand castles. Even I – not exactly a beach lover – had a fantastic time.