Days 6 & 7- Brandon, Florida to Orlando!

Saturday and Sunday were so much fun we didn’t even have time to write about them!  We had a blast staying with Uncle Dog and Aunt Jodi at their house outside of Tampa! We all woke up bright and early on Saturday morning and headed to Clearwater to swim in the warm water and to play in the white sand!  It was unlike anything the kids had ever seen before!  And going with someone who grew up on the beach was perfect, as Aunt Jodi had all the gear and, before long, we were set up with beach chairs, umbrella, cooler, etc!  We could have stayed all day! The kids made sand angels, found shells, buried their toes in sand and splashed in the water.  Even Corinna sat in the wet sand and didn’t mind a bit when the water came up over her a bit!  Silas’ favorite part was going in the water and letting the waves crash into his chest!  He took a mouthful from time to time, but Uncle Timothy would lift him up and tell him to spit and within seconds he was asking to go in even further!  He is truly a beach bum!  By the time we were ready to leave (they were not!) we knew we would be finding sand on them for days to come.  We even found enough to build a small castle later that afternoon, tucked away in Corinna’s neck rolls!

After grabbing some pb&j in the car, we headed to the Clearwater Aquarium.  Uncle Timothy had scored some tickets from a golf tournament and we got to use them!  We all saw sharks, dolphins, turtles, otters, an Intensive Care Unit for the animals and so much more!  But the highlights of the trip were getting to see where “Winter” (the dolphin from which “Dolpin Tale” was based) lives and the place she was taken after being rescued.  The kids also held a prosthetic tail and pet a sting ray!

After napping in the car on the way home the kids were excited to go swimming, but a pretty good thunder and lightning storm kept them out.  So, Sunday morning by 7:45 they were dressed and ready to hop in the pool!  After swimming for quite a while we headed in for a brunch to celebrate Aunt Jodi’s birthday and Father’s Day.  After getting ready and packing up the car, Silas and Sadie went out with Uncle Timothy to pick limes and look at the pineapples growing in their backyard!  It really doesn’t get any better than that!

We had a great time worshipping at Relevant Church in downtown Tampa before heading to the Spaghetti Warehouse with Jodi’s family for her birthday and Father’s Day lunch.  And, thanks to some free Father’s Day coupons, we ate enough spaghetti to sink a ship for 17 bucks and came home with dinner!  We can’t thank Jodi and Timothy enough for their hospitality and for all the fun!  Our kids are going to be going home with tons of wonderful memories of our time with you!  Can’t wait to do it again!

Now we have checked in to our resort in Orlando and have plenty to explore!  We are staying on a property with over 360 acres of fun, including 14 swimming pools!  Good thing our kids like the water!  After getting settled in to our room, we headed to Downtown Disney to look around and build some legos at the Lego Store.  Tomorrow….DISNEY!