End of School Celebration!

The last day of school was Tuesday, May 25th. We like to celebrate the end of year and decided to take our first trip in 22 months (the last being our weekend in Atlanta in August 2019). The original plan was to drive to Tampa on Wednesday morning, go to Adventure Island, see a baseball game that night, go to Busch Gardens on Thursday, the beach on Friday and then home. However, with it being Memorial Day weekend, I was a little nervous about our beach plans. The forecast was really hot and I was afraid it would be hot, crowded and too long of a drive home. So, we cancelled one night and jam packed the remaining two days and one night. 

We left the house around 830 and got to Adventure Island as they opened at 10. It is smaller than Aquatica, but in some ways that was better. It was less crowded, the slides were close together and the lines were short, especially in the morning. We had a fantastic time. They had a new family raft ride that was fun and there were body slides that 5/6 really liked (I don't like slides in the dark and prefer to sit on a tube). We did lots of slides, then had lunch. After lunch, the kids spent a long time jumping off a "rock" into a deep pool. They must have done it 10 times, which was great for Thomas and me--we found a nice seat in the shade and watched. From there, we did a few of our morning favorites and then let Luke and Jack play on the play structure for a couple of hours. We were primarily killing time until our hotel check-in at 4. While the boys were playing, Thomas and Anna went in search of Icees and I think they were gone for at least 45 minutes. Thomas said there was some type of comedy of errors with machines breaking down and someone getting offended and security being called. But, it didn't put a damper on our day, it was relaxing and fun and a great way to celebrate the first day of summer.

Screenshot from a slomo video of Kara jumping from the "rock"

We got to our hotel around 4 (it was just 15 minutes away) and got an awesome room on the top floor. We had windows that faced three different directions (a 2-bedroom suite at Embassy Suites). Everyone was very impressed and I kind of regretted cancelling our second night. We rested for a bit and then headed to dinner and the next item on the agenda--a Rays baseball game.

The Rays are a great team, they regularly make the playoffs and were in the World Series last year. But, they have the worst stadium. It was not designed for baseball and is a pain to get to, it's in St Pete, not Tampa, so you have to cross a long bridge and as a result, attendance is always low. The stadium wasn't as bad as I remembered, but it was still pretty bad. The seats don't face home plate, so you have to strain to see to see the action. It wasn't a great game, the score was 1-0 (Rays) for most of the game and then Kansas City scored a run in the top of the 9th. I was kind of annoyed, because the game was 3 outs away from being over with a Rays victory. It was after 10, so we left after the Rays batted with a score of 1-1. We listened to the game on the radio on the drive back to the hotel and the Rays ended up scoring in the 10th to win 2-1. 

Thursday morning, we got to Busch Gardens at opening. We had bought quick queues as a special treat and therefore didn't have to wait in any long lines. Luke was excited to try a new roller coaster--Cheetah Hunt. It was his biggest yet and he loved it! He ended up riding it 3 times. He is ready to be 54" now and take on everything! We had a good day, we did a trail that brought us by some different animals and did the train ride to see even more. We rode the rides, had lunch, ate ice cream and saw the animals. 

Such a fun ride!

Waffle cone and brownie sundaes, yum!

We left just before 5 and headed to Lakeland for another baseball game! Everyone likes the Flying Tigers games this year and we figured it was a good way to let the I-4 traffic die down. We stayed for about 5 innings and then sailed home with no traffic, arriving around 10. Two very long days!

This was a "selfie spot", I think I was supposed to get the background in the shot?

Luke made it on the scoreboard for his YMCA moves

Our plan Friday was to go to the Brevard Zoo or Orlando Science Center to continue the "vacation", but people were just too tired. Instead, we went to the library and then Krispy Kreme. They were having summer donuts and Key lime glaze. They were good!

Saturday, Anna and Jack weren't feeling great, so we stayed home. They were a bit better on Sunday, but not 100%. I took Luke and Kara to dinner at Marta's and we had a good visit. My family was supposed to come over on Monday for Memorial Day, but with J & A coughing, we decided to postpone. It is crazy--we have gone 15 months without a single kid being sick. No coughs, no strep, no stomach bugs. Nothing! Then, Florida makes masks optional and suddenly people get sick. Back to reality! 

This week has gone pretty well. The kids are feeling better and have been watching Luke while Thomas and I work. They went to an ice skating lesson yesterday, it was much more crowded. I guess people were waiting for school to end?  Today, Kara babysat for a neighbor (well, Mother's helper, since the mom works from home) and was excited to earn some cash. I would say our summer is off to a fabulous start, with lots more to look forward to!

Random photo, Kara and Anna decided to get dressed up one day. They looked very nice (and so grown-up)

And finally, the last day of school photos:

Pajama day for Luke

I'm not sure if Jack is tall, Anna is short, or a little of both?