Summer Field Trips | Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth

 Taft has had a great time at Summer Camp this year.  Since they have a program at the preschool were he has been forever, we decided to leave him there for the first part of summer.

He has loved every minute of it.  Especially getting to go on field trips.  (Mostly because he gets to ride the bus.)  One of their trips was to the Ponce de Leon's Fountain of Youth in St. Augustine. 

When I asked him what he saw and learned, here is what I got:

"We saw peacocks.  We even saw peacock poop!"

I am glad that it was money well spent.  Of course when we picked him up at school, we went to eat dinner.  I asked him if he drank the water.  He said yes, so I responded with, "You know what that means?  You will be five forever."  Then he started to cry.  When he realized that I was kidding, he picked up his butter knife and growled.  I don't think he found me funny.

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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize that they were the big things. 

 - Robert Brault

St. Augustine Weekend

We stayed at home in Florida for Thanksgiving this year.  We did the same last year.  I cooked a turkey, cornbread dressing, gravy, green beans, macaroni and cheese, and rolls.  I also made a pecan pie for dessert and deviled eggs in honor of my father-in-law.  They were his favorite.

On Friday, Shane had to work and Taft and I stayed home and rested. 

On Saturday, I decided that it would be nice to take Taft to the fort in St. Augustine and watch them fire the canons.  He had never done that and after telling him about it, he wanted to go to the "fork".  We went into town and finally found a place to park.  There was an Art's and Crafts Fair so all the free parking and the parking deck were full.  We ended up in a private lot for $10.  As soon as we walked around the corner, Taft saw the Ripley's Train Tour.  He talked Shane into getting tickets.  The great thing about the tickets is 1: Taft rides free and 2: they are good for two days.  After riding the train for a little while, we got off at the fort and watched the canon fire.  Then it was back to the train and over to Pizzalley's for dinner.  Then we just rode the train for a little while before going home. 

On Sunday, Taft and I went back into town and got a great parking spot in front of the fort.  We got tickets to go in this time and Taft loved it.  He walked up and down the stairs and counted them all.  He did pretty good!  He loved touching and sitting on the canons and running in and out of the rooms on the first floor.

He was excited that we got to ride the train all day and we did the entire tour and just got off to eat lunch.

He wanted a hot dog and I found a great little tavern on St. George Street that was perfect for us. 

When the train got us back to the car, he wanted to go back into the fort, so of course we did.  On the way up the walkway he told me that I am his best friend.  ;0  Once in, he met a Park Ranger and a Soldier that let him touch his gun.

He feel asleep on the way home.  It was pretty close to a perfect day.  He was in a great mood and listened to everything that I told him.  He had fun taking pictures and was extra friendly to everyone. 

The Alligator Farm

Today we went to the Alligator Farm in St. Augustine with our friend the Meseke family.  Taft will always tell me that CJ is his best friend and he loves getting to see him.  We started with lunch at Sonny's  I am thinking that after four adults and four children ages four and under, the waitress was very happy to see us go.  The boys enjoyed their hot dogs, green beans, mac-n-cheese, and fries.  Taft was very happy to sit beside CJ. 
Our original plan was to go to Blue Springs State Park to see the manatee.  But - when I checked yesterday, there were only four left in the run.  They come to the springs in the winter and then as it gets warmer, they swim back out.  They are usually gone by March.  We just thought about a trip there too late in the season.  We will plan on going next year.
The boys were able to look at all the gators, turtles, tortoises, birds, monkeys, and snakes.  Taft was worried on our way in that the alligators would eat him.  It took a little while to convince him it would be okay.  Taft was also very excited to get a two seat stroller when we made our way in.  That way, he was able to ride with CJ. 

These two are so funny together.  When they first saw each other today, all you heard was, "Taft!!", "CJ!!", even Brandt got in on the action.  It seems that he really likes Taft too and vice versa.  Sweet Sami was just happy hanging out in her stroller taking everything in.
A lot of the pictures that I was able to get are of the boys backs.  It seemed that they were always watching something and would not turn around for pictures.  It's okay.  They have pretty cute backs.

After strolling around for some time, we took the kids to the Kid Zone.  They have a little play area with picnic tables.  Jamie and I got the kids animal crackers and juice for them to have a little snack.  All three loved the turtles!  We even had a few upsetting moments where all three wanted to ride at the same time.

We had a great time and even found a way to make that two seat stroller work for three.  I am pretty sure that this photo will be posted at the entrance to show people what not to do.

Christmas Eve 2010

 Christmas started out with a bang!  We woke up and got Christmas Eve dinner in the crock pot and Mommy cooked homemade French toast.  Then it was baths and getting ready to go to Winter Wonderland in St.Augustine.  For under $20, we had an afternoon of fun.  For those of you that are local, it is open thru the New Year.
They have a cute little Elf Village with Elf sized houses and workshops.  Taft loved them!  He went in and would look at us from the windows.  Then he decided that Mommy needed to get in there with him for more fun.

They also had a train.  Taft has been talking about trains since we had our photo taken with Santa.  Santa had a little remote controlled one there.  He and Mommy rode the train and he loved it.  Daddy took photos of us while we rode.

They also had homemade mini donuts.  My friend, Yvette, had already been and told me they were a must have.  She was right.  Taft enjoyed watching them make them for us.  They fry them up fresh and then add the sugar.  Yummy!

Taft would not get in the Bouncy House and none of us are ice skaters.  Taft did play one game before we left and won a jump rope. 

 When we got home, dinner was ready in the crock pot.  Chicken Paprikash.  A Hungarian recipe from a friends cooking magazine.  It was great!  Recipe can be found here.

 Then it was time to open the presents from the grandparents.  Mawmaw, Pawpaw, and Gran mailed everything here since we weren't able to go to Alabama.
Taft got a big workbench, tape measure, and tool box from Mawmaw and Pawpaw and money from Mawmaw Geneva.  I can't wait to get the workbench put together and start helping him built some of the things on the box.  All the construction pieces are reusable.  How fun!
Gran sent him a Kissing Elmo, Wonder Pets View Finder, and Geo Tracks Train Set.  The train set is for toddlers and very easy to get on the tracks.  Mommy had fun designing the track. Ha!
Quincy came and brought cookie dough, colored sugar, and cookie cutters.  He brought Taft's favorite shape, the star.  Taft cut the cookies and put on the sugar.  I am sure that Santa loved them!

St. Augustine

While Gran and Jenna were here we went to St. Augustine for the Seafood Festival. There was a little park right outside the festival and Taft was able to take a break from the stroller and swing and play for a few minutes.

We all decided to take a Red Train tour of the city and it was a great way for Gran to see the sights and hear the history of the nation's oldest city. We even made a stop at the winery and got a great bottle of wine to bring home.