Fun in Florida

On the 4th of August, the boys and I headed down to Melbourne to hang out with the Neil family.  Those of you who have been following my blog may remember that the Adam, Laura, Tina, and Hunter lived in our neighborhood until 2009.  So, we’ve known them since Tina and Caleb were just shy of a year old.  They kids grew up playing almost weekly, and we were sad to see them go.  We’d been to visit, but not since August of ‘09.  So, it was well past time for another visit. 
We stopped in Valdosta to have a quick lunch with Brian since he had been working out of town that week.  After that, we continued down to Melbourne.  Our drive down was uneventful, and we were HAPPY to be there.  Once we got settled, it was time for everyone the kiddos to head to bed.  Laura and I enjoyed catching up and enjoying some adult beverages. 
Friday, Laura had to work, so I watched the children.  We swam for a bit, and they played games inside.  That night, we headed to Chili’s for supper, and a guy stopped at the table to make each of the kids a balloon animal/thing.  Tina chose a flamingo, Micah chose a sword, Caleb chose a crocodile, and Hunter chose a penguin.  The balloons were a HUGE hit, and the kids enjoyed playing with them.  Once we were back home, the kids played in the neighborhood with the other children for a bit (this is a foreign concept here where we live, but I LOVE it…all of the kids/adults are outside congregating, and everyone is having a grand time.  If only it was like that here…).  We also enjoyed a few golf cart rides (again, not something you’d see around here, but the boys and I thoroughly loved being able to just ride the golf cart back and forth to places and around the neighborhood).
Saturday morning we got up and headed to the beach.  The beach Laura chooses to go to is just a quick 10 minute drive, and it’s never crowded.  It was REALLY nice enjoying the sun and sand without the crowd.  Micah was not too sure that he liked the sand and water at first.  However, after much coaxing, he warmed up to it and didn’t want to leave.  I’m hoping he’ll still feel this way when we head to Panama City with friends in two weeks.  Upon our arrival, Tina and the boys quickly found a dead fish that entertained them the entire morning.  Caleb also found a teeny, tiny seahorse.  Once we left the beach, we headed back to Laura’s house for swim time, rest, and more fun.
Sunday we enjoyed the pool some more and just chilled.  Sunday evening we headed to Steak and Shake for dinner, and then we treated the kids to Red Berry Frozen Yogurt.  It was very yummy, and they were all well-behaved for the most part. 
Monday it was time to head home.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, and we were sad to leave.  However, we’re hoping they’ll take the time to head up to GA for a visit soon! 














The boys and I are heading to Panama City Beach with three other homeschool families/friends in less than two weeks.  We’re looking forward to MORE Fun in Florida.