And the Days go 'March'-ing On! - Oh What Madness Is This?

Thursday March 16, 2023

We went to Winter Haven, Florida to the fabulous 

LEGOLAND!

The amazing Legoland hotel and below are some long legged ladies!

Visiting with some old Lego Friends. 

Tyree almost disappears in the background. 

An interesting fact. These Lego Friends characters were introduced in the Lego toy line 2012, and have been a display in the park for years. Shortly after these photos were taken the display was taken away to make way for a new generation of Lego Friends.

And a trip to Legoland is not complete if you don't ride on the 2 story Carousel.

Or design your own Lego wall block pattern...

Clancy pondering all things LEGO. 

And at the miniature towns.

One of our favorite things was the Brickbeard's Water Stunt show.

A wonderful holdover from the old Cypress Gardens.

I found my treasure!

No Jesse, you can't take this 'trophy' home.

Parker 'chillin' with the family.

And the rides were great. We especially loved the roller coasters.

But all good things must come to an end. Goodbye Chewbaca!

The next day, Friday the 17th, found us out on Anna Maria Island visiting Patty and Chuck and taking advantage of their wonderful beach!

The waves were perfect for bodyboarding. Here Tyree gets ready to show her dad how it's done!

Parker taking a turn on the board.

And Grandma Cindy showing them how it's done. I think Tyree and I were in the water the most.

Tyree couldn't get enough of the waves.

After a couple hours at the ocean, we enjoyed a little more relaxing time in their pool.

We love you Patty and Chuck and we LOVE your beautiful Florida Home!

Hello Pelli!

We went to dinner at The Starfish Company where we enjoyed not only the view but watching the wildlife.

We actually saw a dolphin while the kids were on the swing.

Okay, I'm just sayin'... Vacations with Jesse and Kelly do not tend to be the R&R type of vacations. We were always on the go and I loved it. Saturday was the highlight of our trip.

Saturday took us up to the appropriately named Crystal River where we rented 3 Kayaks and 1 paddleboard and paddled the 15 minutes to the spring to get in the water and swim with the Manatees.

But first you have to find the Manatees. The weather was actually cool and overcast, and the water in this beautiful clear spring was not warm at all.

You have to tie up your conveyance and swim about 1/4 mile into the springs. Since Tyree and Clancy don't swim well Grandma towed them in on my back. It warmed me up quite nicely.

It took a while but we finally found a sleeping mama Manatee with her calf. It was so beautiful and peaceful.

As we paddled down the waterways we saw several more of these lovely lumbering creatures.

Darryl and Parker chose not to get in the cold water, but they still saw several Manatees.

Jesse was the most hardy cold water trooper and swam with several manatees.

No, that's not a rock. That is the back of a Manatee. These animals are huge, but so graceful and peaceful.

This one swam right up to our boats.

The kids each bought a Manatee stuffed toy for a souvenir. 

We then found a park with a shelter and had a quick picnic before heading home. The rains started in force just as we left.

Oh Look! Like Mother, like daughter!! 💖

Haha!  Oh Look! Like Mother, like daughter!! 

I Love it! 💕

After our Manatee adventure Jesse was inspired to give us a replay (or something) with an interpretive dance.

I'm not sure what it's all about, but she sure is committed.

"A penny for your thoughts Parker".

And.... the big finish!!

Parker flew home on Monday and Jesse and Kelly left the following day. It was such a fun week! But grandma needed a day or two to recoup.

🌴🌴🌴

March 21st is World Down Syndrome Awareness Day where we recognize and celebrate these very special, loving people. Down Syndrome is officially called Trisomy 21 since there are three of the 21st chromosomes instead of the normal 2.  It's also known as Crazy Sock Day because the 21st chromosome is shaped and looks like a crazy sock.

So we wear crazy socks to celebrate this day and especially this little guy.

Wesley, our sweet grandson!

I even made a pin to wear throughout the day!

Just happy to be here for another beautiful day!

His favorite nap spot. No, this isn't unusual. Since we were first married and would visit his folks home he would often lay down on the floor to read and end up taking a nap.

Finally, as a Relief Society Community project, we collected books and I took them around and placed them in the "Little Free Libraries" in the Tampa area. It was quite fun to do.

You thought March was busy... wait until April!