New Symrna Beach

After a full day at Disney, we decided to head back to the beach.  This time we visited New Symrna Beach with Mark’s sister, Deb, and her family.  Because of a lunchtime rain, the beach wasn’t very crowded, and the kids had another great day playing in the water and in the sand.  They particularly enjoyed finding tons of sand snails and making homes for them in the sand.  I definitely think we now have a couple of new beach lovers in the family!

Disney–Magic Kingdom

After our day at Ormond Beach, we made the big visit to Magic Kingdom.  The girls had never been to Disney before, so they were very excited.  We went with Mark’s mom, his sister, Joey, and her boys, Justin and Ryan.  The four cousins had a great time and kept each other entertained despite the hot day and the big crowds at the park.  Even though there were tons of people there that day, we got to ride what we wanted and see what we wanted by the end of the day.  The park got a lot more “magical” for me after an afternoon storm came though and chased some of the people away.  But it didn’t chase us away.   We ended up staying until just before 10pm, so all of us – kids and adults – had fun but were exhausted.  Disney truly is a one of a kind experience, and we were glad to have the opportunity to go and take the girls.

   

I had to take a picture of Lyla in front of Big Thunder Mountain because she was SO proud of herself for riding it.  She had gotten really scared with the very first ride she went on in Disney, and it really set her against trying anything else.  She got brave and rode Big Thunder Mountain, sitting in between Grandma and me, and loved it!  We were very proud of her for giving something a chance and discovering that she had a great time in the process!

 

   

Ormond Beach

The first beach we visited on our Florida trip was Ormond Beach.  It’s sad to say, but this was the first time the girls were old enough to remember being at a “real” beach on the ocean.  They loved it!  They are so different though.  Nina wanted to be in the waves right from the start.  She loved playing in the water, trying to boogie board, riding the waves, etc.  Lyla was happy just playing in the sand.  She dug holes, collected shells, built little castles, etc.  They both had an awesome time!

   

  

  

Florida Visit

Last week we took off on our trip to Florida.  Nina and Lyla were excited to fly on an airplane, and our trip down was very easy and uneventful.  Once we got to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, the girls were excited to get in the pool and check everything out. 

They even caught some snails and a lizard the next morning after we arrived.

   

Both girls loved Buck, the dog that Grandma and Grandpa are taking care of for awhile.  It really made them anxious for their own puppy to arrive!

Saturday was the surprise party for Grandpa and quite the family reunion.

There were quite a few grandchildren present.

The party was held at the police lodge on Lake Conway, so the kids got to play in the water and take advantage of boat and tube rides.  Grandpa definitely seemed surprised to see everyone when he arrived at the party, and the weather was beautiful for a day outdoors.

80’s Concert

Every other Thursday night during the summer, our community has a free outdoor concert, and the bands are normally quite good.  This past week’s concert was an 80’s tribute band, The Refex, and they were awesome.  Nina and Lyla loved the music and danced all night long, and I caught a few pictures with my camera phone.

   

They did sit down for a few minutes during the intermission in order to share a milkshake.  Since they had to share it, I think it was the fastest drank milkshake on record.  There’s no taking one’s time when the other sister might just get one teeny more sip than you!!!

It was definitely a fun night!