This past week we went on the PERFECT spring break vacation courtesy of Delta (we were bumped a while back and used free tickets), our tax return, and my parents. We flew into Tampa very late Saturday night and made the 50 minute drive to New Port Richey to stay with Madie. For those of you that don't know the "Mod" - she is my godmother. This is going to be the biggest blog post ever for many reasons:
1. Because I have my wonderful new camera.
2. Because my mom wants to see every ounce of the trip!
3. Because we had so much fun each day.
Day #1: Horses, Silly String, and an Exploration Walk
The first thing we did when we woke up was have the biggest breakfast ever. Madie stocked the house with egg casserole, fruit, toast, cereal, yogurt, and her famous jam that she makes. I swear it was like we were in a restaurant. Then the kids ventured outside to explore the backyard. Her house backs up to a pond, woods, and the golf course.
After breakfast we packed a picnic lunch and headed off to the barn to see her pony Lucy. Lucy is a little pony which was perfect for Carmen. She loved to brush Lucy and enjoyed cleaning her up before the big ride. The kids fed Lucy and the other horses carrots but were scared at first.
Carmen did great on Lucy. She even started to get to the point where she could swing her leg over and get on almost by herself ! She was confident on Lucy and loved to ride her.
Carmen also rode a big horse named Black Foot with Madie's friend Gail. Even up on the big horse this child had no fear! Gianni learned a lesson on horses this day. He walked behind Lucy early on in our day and she kicked him. From that point on he was very scared and only took one ride (and that was after tears, and a lot of persuading by mom and dad). There were dogs running loose and Lucy thought that Gianni was one of the dogs and gave him a little kick. Gianni was not hurt but I think the whole thing just freaked him out. He learned that you never walk behind a horse!
Lucy is too small for Abel and I, so we got up on Black Foot for a quick ride!
That night we went back to Madie's house and she made the yummiest dinner of grilled pork and spinach salad. The kids had a silly string war in the back yard while the food was cooking.
After dinner we went for a walk to explore the woods. We saw lots of critters in her backyard every day. We saw wild turkey and she feeds raccoons every night. They come right up to her porch. That was sort of our nightly ritual: take a bath and then watch the raccoons!
Day #2: Manatee Park and a Small Beach Stop
On day #2, we drove a little over an hour to a park that is the home of many animals but the coolest part of this park is the manatee exhibit.
There is an underground viewing area where you can look at the manatees through glass. The kids thought this was the coolest thing.
After the park, we headed back towards Madie's house and stopped at a small beach. It was really tiny but man the kids could have cared less. We were there a couple of hours before stopping off for some dinner at a yummy little Greek place.
Sandcastles were built, dolphins were spotted a hundred feet or so from the kids while they were swimming, and then Gianni had a little wildlife encounter of his own. Look what he spotted at his feet while playing in the water.
It was an all around perfect and relaxing day yet again!
We are so lucky to be here! Loving life today!
Day #3 Busch Gardens
We woke up early, hopped in the car, and got to Busch Gardens right when it opened. We got a great deal on tickets and for 10.00 more you got the food package which meant that everybody could eat and drink all day as much as they wanted for only 10.00 (which is pretty good for an amusement park). Busch Gardens is a mix of a zoo and an amusement park. Lots of animals, shows, and lots of rides.
The kids loved all of the rides. Surprisingly, Gianni did not want to go on much. There were so many rides that he is tall enough for but he was very scared. Sometimes I forget that he is tall, but he is only 6. I'm not sure I rode big roller coasters at 6! Anyway, they did most of the rides while we watched from the sidelines. We did some rides together as a family. The first was the log flume ride. Carmen needed to be 42 inches and she is exactly 42 inches. We put her in between my legs and I hung on so tight to her. She was totally excited until we started to climb the first hill. Too late now! At the end she said, "that was so scary mommy, but can we do it again ?" We also went on the Congo River Rapids where we got totally soaked. We went on a train ride together around the park and also went on a jeep safari ride where we learned about some of the animals. 
One of the neatest attractions was the Tiger area. I took this picture below through the glass peep hole that you climb up into. The camera was right up to the glass and inches away on the other side was this huge tiger.
I went to the other side of the tiger enclosure and snapped these pictures below as my kids popped their heads up to look at the tiger. The tiger is right next to them behind the glass bubble. If you look to the left of the glass peep hole you will see his paw on the ground. So cool to get that up close.
Although the kids loved the whole park, they had the most fun in Sesame Street Land. There is a huge climbing area, rides just their size, and a wet play area. After we did the entire park we went back and ended our day there. We stayed until they kicked us out. When they came on the loud speaker and said that the park was closing Carmen actually cried. So cute.
Day #4 The Little Toot and Honeymoon Island
On our final day we headed down to Clearwater...which let me tell you took forever. Florida really needs a better highway system! If something is like 25 miles away it takes an hour at least. We packed another picnic lunch and headed down for a 1:00pm tour on a boat called, "The Little Toot"! This boat takes you out for a dolphin encounter. It was so relaxing to be out on the water.
After we left the Little Toot, we headed a few miles north to Honeymoon Island Beach. Let me tell you, we are totally spoiled now. The kids will never want to go to San Diego again. This beach reminded me of Jamaica! Crystal clear water, beautiful sand, and tons of shells! The water was about 72 degrees and it felt warm once you got in!
This day was a perfect paradise. It reminded us of our honeymoon! This was one of the best vacations ever.
We were so sad to leave Florida! On this trip we just let loose. If we wanted a $9.00 cocktail at the airport then we had it! If the kids wanted a treat at the park then they had it! It was nice to be able to afford something like this. Thanks to Delta, our tax return, and of course my parents and Madie. It was the perfect spring break.
