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.