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.

The Blessings of Little Laurels

When moving to a new area, there are so many things to worry about.  Things like finding housing, making new friends, learning your way around, finding the right doctors, dentists, and yes, even hairstylists.  But most importantly, finding the right schools is at the top of most parents' lists.  That was certainly the case for us.  We were very diligent in finding the best county for schools for Zander as he was already in the public school system.  And we have been incredibly pleased with his placement.  In fact, Beau and I researched the schools and we are in the best district in the state. 

However, with the little boys, there was very little information regarding preschools.  We didn't know anybody here so we had little to go on.  We live in a tiny community with about 5000 residents.  So when we moved here, we drastically increased the population percentage.  LOL.  Preschools are very few and far between in our area.  Unless we were willing to drive 2 or 3 towns away, there was very little to choose from.  However, I passed this sweet little Red Schoolhouse almost daily.  It had a sweet playground and the school just kept catching my eye.  I asked a friend in our church who had 3 boys (much older than mine) if she could recommend a school for Will and Ollie.  Of course, it was that same little red school that I passed everyday that she highly recommended.  Her 3 boys went there when they were younger. 

Beau and I checked out a couple of schools, but we just didn't feel they were the right fit.  But when I walked into Little Laurels, that red school that kept drawing me near, I just KNEW.  The school wasn't much different from any other school I had visited over the years.  It had books, learning toys, activity centers, lots of bright colors, a fun playground, and children.  But it was the teachers that made this school warm and inviting. 

William and Oliver couldn't be more opposite.  They are close in age, just 6 months apart.  But other than that, they are very different.  William is social and mostly easy going.  He is mild tempered and funny,  Learning, however, isn't always his priority.  Oliver, however, is often found doing his own thing.  He is very detail oriented, more serious, and soaks up everything he learns. They needed teachers that could meet each one of them right where they were.  Mrs. Beckett and Mrs. Lavoie did just that.  With much love, compassion, nurturing, and plenty of patience, they took excellent care of Will and Ollie.  Every day when I dropped them off for school, I had a sense of peace.  That peace is such an important thing for a mom.  I am deeply appreciative of both of these ladies.  Although I wasn't able to volunteer in the classroom the way I wanted to this year, these women kept me aware of all the boy's milestones, their accomplishments (big and small), and their funny little stories. 

William always went to school with a smile and with enthusiasm.  He was always willing to give his teachers hugs.  He is definitely my snuggly and affectionate one.  But the biggest sign that this was the right school was that even Oliver, who never gives affection with anyone outside our family, was giving hugs and holding hands by the end of the school year with his head teacher, Mrs. Beckett.  He learned to love her and I was so thankful for that.

We were even getting excited about Carter joining this school this upcoming year, but sadly, this little red school house is closing it's doors after many years of loving, teaching, and growing children.   Like a lot of businesses these days with the current economy, there just isn't enough enrollment and dollars to keep it running.  This school and those two special ladies that took such loving care of children will be greatly missed by me and many other parents. 

To celebrate Oliver's last day of school, his class had a picnic and ice cream party.  It was so nice to spend time with my little ones, the other moms, and Mrs. Beckett and Mrs. Lavoie.  Everyone had a great time.  This is the best picture I could get with Mrs. Beckett and Oliver.  Oliver's in that stage where doesn't like having his picture taken. 

 William had a hard time deciding what toppings he wanted on his ice cream.  However, I think he ended up choosing ALL of them.  He never gives up a chance to have some sugar on top of sugar. 



Ice Cream Time!





Balloons are always fun. 



Carter had no problem joining in the bubble fun with the older kids. 





Last night, we celebrated William's Pre-K graduation from Little Laurels.  It was such an emotional time between watching him grown up and knowing that Little Laurels will be closing.  William had a great year, but being almost the youngest in his class and certainly the most petite, he will be going to Pre-K again next year, with Oliver.  I am so excited to see what changes are coming.  

They sang a bunch of songs.




This was a funny song that included dancing.  Such fun.





   

And of course, the celebatory cupcake.  Or 2.  Or perhaps 3. 







I love this little guy.

And I LOVE these ladies.
Mrs. Lavoie, Will, Mrs. Beckett

Oliver's Gotcha Day and Memorial Day Weekend

This was the first weekend in a long time that we didn't have a bunch of obligations like soccer games, birthday parties, shopping for the kids, or whatever else consumes all our time.  We had an open schedule and 4 days together.  On Friday, Will and Ollie got to go on their first field trip and Beau was the parent to take them.  They went to Andres Institute of Art which is located less than 2 miles from our home.  It is about 200 acres of natural surroundings where beautiful sculptures are located.  Although the sculptures were neat and the kids seemed to enjoy them, the most popular thing the kids enjoyed most were the red salamanders that were found throughout their hike.  Normally, Will and Oliver are in different classes and would have attended this field trip on seperate days.  But the teacher allowed them to be in the same class so that Beau could attend.  I just love their little school.  Their teachers have been such blessings to Will and Ollie. 



See how intent he is? 



Saturday, I was awakended early by my eager husband. He decided, at 6:30am that he wanted to go to the Children's Science Museum in Manchester.  Now, I was excited, but I could have waited until at least 7am before he shared his enthusiasm.  Today was an extra special day because it was Oliver's "Gotcha Day".  It was 2 years ago today, May 26 that Oliver officially became a Bennett.  We got everyone fed, dressed, and headed to the museum.  This was a big deal for us because until recently, we didn't go many places without the use of a stroller for Carter.  We were at the museum for over 2 hours (which is totally successful for a 3 yo, a 4 yo, and an almost 5 yo). 

They had so much fun.  It was neat to see their different personalities show through while they experienced each exhibit. 

Zander, of course needed no assistance and he enjoyed everything...even the kiddie area!!!

William enjoyed the robotic arm (he practiced it so long that he even managed to pick up something with the arm) and he also enjoyed the exhibit where he could design his own track and watch the ball race through it. 2

Oliver enjoyed EVERYTHING and took his time totally experiencing every single exhibit.  But his favorite was chasing the Lego train around and around the HUGE Lego replica of old Manchester.  He was very thorough with each new exhibit.  



Excavating Dinosaur Bones



Carter, on the other hand, enjoyed each exhibit for about 1 second.  The young children's area where you could build with blocks, excavate dinosaur fossils, and play in the vegetable garden was Carter's favorite.  So needless to say, we were all on different speeds.  Beau, Zander, and I took turns with each of the 3 littles ones while we let them indulge themselves at each display.  Such a fun time.

You can never have too much of a good thing......LOL

Afterwards, we went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant.  This should be no surprise, because Beau and Zander's absolute favorite food is Mexican.  In fact, they could probably eat that every day of the week.  We had a nice lunch.  Little Carter fell asleep in his high chair.  We obviously wore him out. 

On the way home, we stopped at the store to buy the boys new helmets.  They have begun to ride their bikes way TOO fast that it became necessary for them to wear helmets all the time.  The sun was beginning to go down, the cooler air was setting in, and the boys had such a nice time.  Such a beautiful way to end Oliver's special day.  It is amazing to watch Oliver grow, learn, and flourish. 

 

On Sunday, our family attended a cookout that was hosted by a friend of Will's from preschool.  Their family lives just a few houses down the street from us.  William's friend, Abby, is a little girl that he has followed around since he started school up here.  I hear about Abby EVERY single day.  Beau and I actually considered going to her house the "back way" so that he wouldn't know how to get there because knowing our Will-Will, he is likely to go there on his own one day.  We joked that if Will ever goes missing, we would probably find him at her house. 

We had much needed family time, made lots of new memories, and we are thankful for all the relationships that we are building slowly both through our church and school.