Another Year Older

July is passing quickly by. In fact, there are only 2.5 weeks left of summer break. 

The weekend of the 13th, Kara had a lacrosse tournament. It was about an hour and 20 minutes away. It was a 7 v 7 tournament and Kara's team had 16 players. And, the games were really quick (less than 30 minutes). I was pretty annoyed at the whole thing. The coach invited guest players, which I found frustrating when our team already had so many players. Kara didn't play much on Saturday. The team lost both their games and as a result, only had one game on Sunday. But, Kara played more on Sunday and we had fun stopping at Buc-ees, so alls well that ends well. 

One of Luke's requests for the summer was to go to an aqua park. We tried to make it happen, but they close if there is lightening within 10 miles. In central Florida, that is pretty often. We drove over one afternoon when the forecast was clear, but as soon as we arrived, lightening struck somewhere in the radius. We waited for about 20 minutes, but the weather got worse. There ended up being a massive storm. So much for the forecast.

Anna brought one of her friends to SeaWorld. Thomas and I went along and we all enjoyed walking around the aquariums. We also saw the new summer show (acrobat type show) and had dinner. The four of us had dinner for about $32. That seems great, right? Well, what if I told you we used $50 in free perk money plus a passholder discount? Our mediocre dinner was over $80 (no drinks, just food)! But, it was fine for $32. We also had some free coupons to feed animals. We fed the sting rays and the sea lions. The sea lions were especially fun. They are smart and recognized the food trays and would do things to try and get our attention. One sea lion, Lotus, has learned that if she "waves" she is more likely to get fish. The trainer said she taught herself this trick. 

Lotus "waving"

Thomas and I celebrated our birthdays. My birthday was Sunday. On Saturday, we went and visited my dad. He was in a good mood and we had a nice visit. We actually stayed about twice as long as he can normally tolerate us for :) Then, we went to Marta's house. It was also her birthday week. So, we had a Publix cake to commemorate all three. Marta made us a nice late lunch and then we went swimming. Marta has an amazing pool. It is huge and has a big shallow end and a huge deep end. So, we practiced our dives and cannonballs and played Marco Polo and Sharks and Minnows (well, some of us did, the girls did not want to swim). It was a very fun day. Unfortunately, no pictures.

Sunday, Thomas took Luke to Elks camp. He is there all week for his first ever sleepaway camp. They aren't allowed electronics, so I am not sure if he is having fun. I was hoping to get a letter from him today (Wednesday), but did not. I am assuming no news is good news. We miss him. But, the celebration must go on. We had a birthday brownie and Thomas made my requested dinner of "what we had on the fourth of July". We played Clue. I also opened my amazing gifts (fun t-shirts from Anna and Kara, Harry Potter puzzle from Luke, and Haunted Mansion themed gifts from Thomas and Jack). 

Luke looked happy at drop-off, then told Thomas he needed to pose looking sad.

Monday, we took the day off from work and went to Disney and even sprung for Genie+. We asked Luke if he wanted us to do it before, after or while he was at camp. He said while he was gone (all day at Disney is not fun for Luke). We did everything I wanted to do at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. Well, almost everything. Slinky Dog got shut down for weather and Rise of the Resistance had technical troubles. It was fun to have the fast passes. Normally, we watch everyone else walk by us in line, this time we were the ones doing the walking. We rope dropped at MK and stacked our Hollywood Studios lightening lanes. So, I think our longest wait of the day was maybe 20 minutes. And, we rode a ton of major attractions (including Tiana's, which I liked better the second time). My favorite at MK is still Haunted Mansion. And, at Hollywood Studios, it is Tower of Terror. 

I made Jack and Anna recreate this photo. Now, I just need to find the one from when they were 4. 

Kara knows some sort of trick and always gets a super high score.

I always get the lowest score. Can you tell what I think of this ride??? 

Three out of four look like they're having fun (Anna does like it, no matter what her face says, Kara doesn't like it and wouldn't ride)

Tuesday was Thomas' birthday. We had to work, but we went to lunch at Taco Bell (his choice) and I made his requested dinner (lemon noodles). We gave him his presents (books, a Marvel loungefly, and baseball cards). We are doing his day at Disney on Friday. 

This week, Jack has band camp. He also volunteered at the library. Kara is out right now thrifting with friends. Anna is making dinner. I wish I knew what Luke is doing. 

End of June/July Begins

The rest of June passed  ???. I had to look at my photos to see exactly what we did. Here is what my pictures reveal:

On Wednesday, June 26th, we did a karaoke night. Well, Luke, Thomas and I sang. Kara watched. I miss when the older kids would sing with us. Luke is a pretty good singer. I had videos, but no pictures.

On Saturday, June 29th, Kara played a lacrosse scrimmage...as goalie! The regular goalie was out and no one volunteered. Kara said she was willing. She did a really good job. She actually blocked a fair number of goals. They played two games and lost the first by 1 and won the second by 5. Kara said she would try goalie again, but she prefers to play on the field.

On Sunday, we went to Lakeland for our first Flying Tigers game of the season. First, we visited with my dad. He was not feeling well and it wasn't a great visit. After visiting him, we went to the game. We had tickets for the 34 Club. Sundays are also kids' day. Luke played in the bounce house and Luke, Kara and I did the large Jenga. I was the one who toppled it. The game ended in the 7th due to rain and the Tigers lost, but we had fun.

We ran into South Paw, so we had to take a picture.

From there, we drove to Sea World. We had some free Veteran tickets. Unfortunately, it was a bring-a-friend-free day and it was insanely packed. Rides had been closed for weather and opened right as we got there. We quickly got in line for the new standing roller coaster--Pipeline. We only waited for about 15 minutes and it was super fun. But, after that, the lines for everything were 2-hours long. We went through the shark exhibit and saw the penguins. We had fun, but Luke especially was disappointed that we didn't do more rides. We last had season passes in 2020 and he was too small for the big coasters. They were having a big Fourth of July sale, so we decided to buy passes again. Jack did not want one, but we have enough guest passes that he will be able to go with us on occasion.

On Tuesday, Sea World had a passholder preview for their newest ride, Penguin Trek. We went right after work. I wanted to love it, because I love penguins so much, but it wasn't as smooth as I would have liked for a brand new coaster. The others liked it; though, I don't think it will be anyone's favorite. The park was much less crowded and we did lots of other rides. We had a nice night, but left kind of hungry and cranky. Food there is super expensive (significantly more than Universal or Disney) and they don't let you bring anything in, so we wanted to eat when we left, but we tried to pack too much in and left kind of late. We'll plan better next time.

Getting ready to ride Penguin Trek

Thursday was Independence Day! Anna and I had plans to make a cake, but I couldn't find one of my cake pans. So, we ran to Walmart. Then, we all went out to lunch and to pick out some fireworks. After lunch, Anna and I made a fun flag cake that we were pretty proud of. We also made cake pops. Kara went to a friend's house. Then, Luke and Anna swam. Thomas grilled and we had burgers, watermelon, corn on the cob, and macaroni and cheese. It was super good. After dinner, we played a few games. Then, we watched Remember the Titans. Around 9:30 we went outside and saw some fireworks around our neighborhood and did our fireworks and sparklers. Kara got home in time to do a few with us. We all thought it was one of our best Independence Days. 

You can kind of see the fireworks in the park nearby. 

Saturday, Thomas, Jack and Kara went to another Flying Tigers game. Anna, Luke and I went out to dinner. I wasn't up for the traffic or heat. But, they hardly hit any traffic and they said the weather wasn't bad, so I slightly regretted my decision. We did have a fun night at home. We went for a walk and swimming. The others had a great time at the game, one of the Tiger's top prospects hit a grand slam!

Sunday, Thomas woke up with a very sore throat. I started my day with a step aerobics workout. Luke came down midway through and decided he wanted to try. So, when I was done, I put on a beginners class for him and he did great! I have always been a good exerciser. Unfortunately, I am a better eater. :) After lunch, the girls and I did some shopping. Then, Kara and I watched A Quiet Place (starting our HHN prep) and Anna and I went swimming. Thomas rested. Jack hung out with a friend. It was a nice weekend, except for Thomas not feeling well.