Florida Vacation Part II

On Sunday evening, we said goodbye to our beloved MaNew in New Smyrna Beach and headed to Clermont to get checked into our cabin on the lake.  We stayed in a cabin here at Lake Louisa 4 years ago with some friends when we were just a family of 4.  We had such a great time playing cards, swimming in the lake, and canoeing.  But this time, we were returning to the cabin as a family of 6.  It's amazing to see how God has changed us during the last 4 years.....our obedience, our faith, and our family.  All of this through HIS grace, mercy, and everlasting love. 

Anyway, we arrived very late Sunday evening and put everyone to bed.  Then Beau and I stayed up getting everything settled and ready for our big day at Sea World.  We were up early, stopped for breakfast, and got to Sea World early (well, Bennett early).  It's kind of slow getting 6 people dressed, fed, parked, and into Sea World.  But we did it.

In the beginning, our family separated for a couple of hours.  Zander and I LOVE roller coasters so he and I rode all the rides that the little boys couldn't.  Beau, for those of you who don't know this, doesn't ride because they make him ill.  When we were first married, I talked him into riding various roller coasters with me.  He was willing then because he and I were "newlyweds", however, after I saw the after effects, I don't ask anymore.  I am just glad that I finally have a riding partner in Zander.  We were so lucky because the park wasn't overly crowded and Zander and I were able to ride the coasters more than once without much wait.  We actually did all the things we wanted to (except for one certain roller coaster that I couldn't talk Zander into riding) in a 2 hour time frame.....which is unheard of in most parks. 

Beau and the boys enjoyed 2 shows while Zander and I rode our coasters.  According to Beau, the boys did great, sat still, and really enjoyed the shows.  However, this picture was taken while waiting for the first show to begin.   You can see they aren't very enthusiastic about the wait.  One of the shows they got to see was the Clyde and Seamore show (which is one of my favorites).  Sorry I missed it and I am especially sorry I didn't get to see the boys' expressions while watching it for the first time themselves.   But I am glad that they got to see it and I was thankful for the time with Zander.  

Gotta Love Sesame Street

Then we met up as a family and watched the Shamu show.  This is a phenomenal sight to watch something that large move with such grace and yet the strength of the killer Orca whale is overwhelming.  It was during this show that we sat behind 6 retired ladies who found my boys endearing.  They found out it was Will's birthday that day, so each lady gave all 3 boys a dollar.  They were so excited holding their little wad of cash.  We intentionally sat in the "soak zone" during this show so that we could cool down.  The only incident that we encountered was somehow, Shamu missed our zone and we didn't get wet.   Oliver had a little bit of a meltdown because he was excited about getting splashed. 

We then went to the kiddie area so the little ones could release some of their energy.  They had an absolute blast here.  I will admit, it was a little hard to keep up with all 3 of them because they all went in different directions.  Those little guys are fast!!!  They climbed, they played in the water, they played on the pirate ship, and played hide and seek.  But by this time of the day, the heat and grumbling tummies were too much to bear.  We finally had to leave the kids area and search for food.  The only time it rained our entire day at the park was when we were eating our late lunch.  The rest of our day was uninterrupted by inclement weather, which is unusual for Florida summers. 

After this, we spent the rest of our time in the park riding things that the kids could ride.  We were so fortunate that there was hardly any line and very short wait times to enter these rides....which is unusual.  But the boys got to ride some of their favorites rides multiple times.  We learned that they are quite the dare devils.   We closed down the park and made our way to the exit just as they were closing the gates.  We survived our first large theme park with all members of the family.  We had no injuries, no tears, and no regrets. 

We spent the next few days in our little cabin on the lake enjoying some downtime.  Unfortunately it rained most of our time there, so our canoeing didn't happen.  My parents stayed in a cabin next to us and we enjoyed spending time with them.  We celebrated William's 5th birthday, spent some time at downtown Disney, and watched the rain from our porch. 

Sadly, our 9 day family vacation came to an end and it was time to pack up and head back to New Hampshire.  Beau and I were apprehensive about taking the family on this trip with so many new adventures, but all in all, we had a great time.  But like all vacations, you have to return to reality!! 

Florida Vacation Part I

Almost one year ago, I moved away from a home, town, church, family, and friends that I love so very much.  Over this past year, I have yearned to be home.  The opportunity came and I was excited.  Beau took 2 weeks off of work and my parents graciously paid for the plane tickets so that all 6 of us could visit Florida. 

It takes much preparation to vacation with a large family, especially when 3 of them are 5 years old and younger.  But, I made my numerous lists and began organizing early.  Sadly, I enjoyed the organizing and planning (that's the part of me that my family teases me about). 

Beau and I began praying about the plane trip weeks ago.  None of the little boys had ever flown and Oliver doesn't handle any new situations very well.  Needless to say, we simply didn't know what each of their reactions was going to be.  We have heard news reports where families were thrown off of planes because their children wouldn't settle down.  We didn't want to be one of those families.  God had his hand on this whole trip.  The boys handled the entire trip through the airport, going through security, and riding on the airplane with excellent behavior, obedience, and calmness.  Beau and I said there were 7 obstacles we had to clear on this day, and already we had successfully cleared 5 of them.  I had prepared each boy with their own backpack filled with fun new things and yummy snacks that they don't usually get at home (like fruit roll ups, gushers, and their favorite candy).  Yes, there were some healthy things in their backpacks too.  They each had their V-Reader with new story cartridges and a set of earphones.  At the last minute, Beau bought a little portable DVD player too.  We were as prepared as possible.  And each of the big people had their assigned "hand buddy" as well.  Beau was in charge of Carter, I was in charge of Oliver, and Zander was in charge of William. 

This is just after we landed in the Orlando Airport and waiting for Beau to retrieve our luggage. 

As the plane took off, Oliver and Carter literally giggled.  They loved the exhilaration of the lift off.  Will, however, smiled big while holding onto daddy's hand tightly.  The 3 hour plane flight went smoothly and the boys were so well behaved. 

Our last 2 obstacles remained;  getting our luggage and securing our rental car.  Other than waiting over an hour for our reserved rental car with 3 very anxious boys, the 7 obstacles were tackled and completed.  Whew.  Now for the fun.

We were instantly hit with the Florida heat and immediately missed our New Hampshire climate.  Already dripping in sweat from the heat and humidity, we were eager to get into our air conditioned van.  We drove from Orlando to Orange Park so that we could make a stop by my parents house.  My boys have always loved their Nana and Poppy.  It is always a comforting feeling to be in the house where I grew up. 

Our first night there, we had dinner at Brian and Suzi's house.  It was so fun to see Riley.  He is such a sweet and happy little boy.  He and Will got along so well and they weren't ready to separate when it was time to go.  Carter and Riley are only 2 days apart.  Sure did enjoy our visit.  Great food, great company, and great cousin time.   

The next day was 4th of July and our family and our best friends enjoyed a cookout at my parents house.  My parents graciously cooked for us and we had a blast.  We got to enjoy good old fashioned Southern potato salad and banana pudding, 2 things you just can't get in New England.  We literally spent the entire day in the pool. 



Zander is smiling just before Beau dunks him. 

Just chillin'

Carter loves Jarod

So does Will

Carter was still scared of the water, so Zander was helping him.

Everybody's here, except Carter

Later that evening, we went to the Franklins for some leftovers and time to catch up.  The Franklin home has always been our second home.  I am so thankful that distance and time have not changed our relationship. 

Carter was so exhausted from a day of swimming and sun, that he had no problem taking Russell's chair to sleep.  Sorry Russ, but thanks for sharing!

Zander got to spend the night with his best friend, Jarod.  They have been buds since Zander was 6.  Zander and Jarod love each other like brothers and I am thankful for their friendship. 

The next day, Cami and I had our annual "Birthday Lunch" together at The Loop.  This is always a cherished time because we get to have uninterrupted time to catch up.  Some of the best fun a person can have is spending it with a like-minded Christian friend where your relationship is based on encouragement, support, honesty, transparency, and all centered around Christ. 

Cami is this friend for me.  I can be a total brat and know that she will not judge me.  She can be brutally honest with me and I don't take offense.  Sometimes when I am struggling with something, Beau will ask me, "Have you talked to Cami yet?".  Beau knows that even though she usually has the same advice as he, I will sometimes listen to her more easily.  I am stubborn, impatient, and sometimes a mess, but Cami consistently points me back to the Bible.  I am so thankful for our friendship. 

Of course, this picture was taken at one of our favorite places....Hobby Lobby.  And, I didn't even spend a dime while I was here. 



I also got to spend time with some other very special ladies that evening.  I went to dinner with Lauren, Betsi, and Tina.  I love these ladies.  Lauren was my maid of honor and my friend since college and I met Tina and Betsi through her.  I have been so blessed to have a special relationship with these ladies.  We always have a good time together.  We may get a little loud sometimes, but we always have fun. 

The next day, I spent time at my parents house with the kids.  Beau met some old friends for lunch and he enjoyed that time.  I also got to see another one of my dear friends, Patty.  She's a special lady because she, like Cami, was willing to get background checked for the foster agency so that she could occasionally watch my children when I had to go to court or doctor's appointments.  Her son, Josh, is also a best friend with Zander.  Josh and Zander spent the day together doing one of their favorite things....video games. 

On Saturday morning, I had the pleasure of inspecting our home that is currently occupied by tenants.  I could not have been more pleased.  When we first put our house on the market, a market that had way too many rental homes and a market where the prices for rent were considerably low, Beau and I began to pray.  We were totally trusting God with this whole decision.  Carter's adoption had not even been finalized and we were still not completely sure it was even going to happen.  But we had a peace about putting the house on the market.  I heard God say "Trust me".  Of course Beau was in New Hampshire, so preparing the home was up to me.  This is a special home to us because we felt led to buy this house and this is the home where we fostered and adopted our little ones.  So many special memories here. 

We listed the house with my friend whom I worked for for several years in the Property Management business.  Although I am a licensed Real Estate Broker and worked in the property management business for 13 years, renting my own home was a little scary.  We listed it, had one viewing, and the property rented with a 2 year lease for full asking price.  If that's not a God thing, I don't know what is.  Within the same week of the house getting rented, we finally had our date for Carter's finalization.  Again, such God timing.  Anyway, the walkthru went extremely well.  The house was immaculate, well maintained, and no signs of any damage.  The tenants were delightful and obviously cared for our home.  The tenants had even made some improvements to the home.  They have 5 small dogs, and yet, no smell or damage.  They are making arrangements to hopefully buy the home in 2 years and we are now praying about that.   God has completely protected us in our obedience to Him. 

Also on this day, Beau, Zander, and Will left for Pensacola for a very special event.  Beau's brother and sister-in-law asked him to be their son's Godfather.  Beau was so honored and felt privileged to be a part of the Baptism.  Beau is now the proud Godfather to Brett Wesley Bennett, Jr.  We love that little guy so much.  Will and his cousin, Brylee had a great time and bonded well.  For the rest of our vacation, Will wanted to go back to see Uncle Brett and his cousin Brylee.  So cute. 



Michelle, Lil Brett, Brylee, and Brett-we just love this family.

We spent 5 very quick days in Orange Park.  Not nearly enough time to see everyone we wanted to and do all the things that we wanted to.  But now it was time to visit our Daytona family.  We met Grandma and Grandpa (Beau's dad and step-mom) at a park.  Will had no trouble striking up a conversation with Grandpa.  

Norman Rockwell-esque?

After the park, we went to MaNew's house.  This is Beau's grandmother on his mom's side.  She is one of those grandmothers that everybody loves and her house is always open to her grand kids and great grand kids.  Her home has always been everyone's home.  Many memories with MaNew.  She likes to play card games (and wins most of the time.  Don't let her sweet exterior fool you, she is ruthless).  She has a hug waiting for each child, big or small.  Her lap is always available for a little one to climb into.  Her frig is always stocked.  Her smile is always genuine.  We love our MaNew. 


This sign is hanging on MaNew's front door...and it is so true.

Carter has always been Beau's little buddy.  Beau finally got Carter to relax in the pool at MaNew's and Carter even swam around in his float all by himself.  Look at those handsome smiles. 



 A little bit of MaNew lovings. 

William is almost always cold.  He only has about 5 degrees of weather in which he is comfortable.  Seeing MaNew and Aunt Donna was a great way to end our Daytona time.  Our next stop, Orlando.  That will be in a follow up blog because this is getting far too long.