FOCUS Day at the Aquarium

On Sunday we were treated to a fantastic event courtesy of FOCUS, a support group for families with special needs children and children on the Autistic Spectrum.

FOCUS arranged for us to enter the aquarium 1 1/2 hours before the general public. Whew-what a relief to enjoy special access to the aquarium for a few hours. So nice to know that no matter how your child acts, no matter what behavior flares up-everyone in the place will understand. No one will stare at you, all you will see are friendly faces and sympathetic nods. Not to mention they served a fabulous brunch!

Yikes Sharks!


More Sharks!


Hey that Fish is as Big as Me


Trying to touch...you guessed it... a shark


Whale Shark


In the mouth of a whale


Cool Jellyfish


Beautiful Beluga's

Birthday Retospective

Tomorrow is "J's" birthday. I thought I would take a moment to see how she has grown. Sadly I can't find a 3rd birthday photo. I remember we went to Disney World that year the week prior to her birthday, but I can't imagine not having a cake or something. I'll keep looking for a real birthday photo, but until then I present "J's" the first 5 years.

Newborn



First Birthday

Age 2


Age 3


Age 4


Age 5

Beach Trip Re-do Part Deux

We try to go to the beach at least once a year. May is our favorite time to visit but unfortunately our May trip was somewhat disappointing. After approximately 3 hours of warm sun, the temperatures plummeted to the low 50's and the torrential rain began. We were freezing and stuck inside for the duration of the trip. We decided that we would try again so we recently visited Amelia Island. While our hometown experienced rain and gloom (and flooding) we enjoyed absolute perfect weather. It was a fantastic trip.

Visiting Fort Clinch State Park--Dad teaches something "historical"


Cannons


Guard House


"I do not want to go in there"


Taking a Break


Officers Quarters


Dark Tunnel


Spanish Moss


Phoenix? Nope it's the Jacksonville Zoo


ROAR!


Hanging Around


Splash


At the Park


"I can do it myself"


"I did it"


"I am so tired"


"Just Kidding"



Waves

Feeding things

During our vacation we visited the Jacksonville Zoo. The zoo is really nice and we enjoyed many of the exhibits. The admission fee is very reasonable and soon we would discover why. The initial fee is low...but then they "get cha" because the zoo is full of opportunities to feed the animals. “Would you like to SEE the stingrays? That will be 3 dollars please”. “Oh, did you want to FEED the stingrays? Another dollar please”. “Oh look at the giraffes! If you would like to feed them that will be 2 dollars”. “See the pretty Lorikeets. It costs a dollar to feed them, would you like to feed them”? How can you pass up the opportunity for you sweet darling children to feed zoo animals? You can’t. It is impossible. And the zoo administration is banking on it-literally.

Ok I am not complaining but all this “up-selling” became a common theme during our vacation - for instance when we went to Ft Clinch State Park (photos in the next post). We paid to get in to the Fort Clinch State Park then when we tried to go see the actual Fort Clinch we were asked to pay an additional fee....it started to be funny after a while.

Feeding the Lorikeets




Feeding the Stingray (they feel slimy)



Feeding the Giraffes

The Good News and the Bad News

The good news is that we had an awesome vacation at Amelia Island. The bad news, we came home to a flooded basement. Back to the good news. I have so many wonderful photos to share. Lets start with the view from the house we rented. This year we stayed right on the ocean. It was pretty terrific.


How great-to step right off your deck and into the sand


I didn't take too many photos on the beach because I worry about getting sand in my camera. We did lots of other things on our vacation and I'll share those photos on my next post.

As for the basement… Well it is just a big ole mess. But we feel fortunate because so many people lost so much in this flood. We mainly have suffered some inconvenience. We have the means to replace the carpet, only a small amount of furniture was damaged and our walls are fine. We are all safe and together and for that we are truly thankful.

Creations

My kids are so proud of the things they create. They just love to cut and glue and build. I wish this desire would translate into future engineering degrees or something....but I better not press my luck. Here are a few examples of their latest creations.

Shopping mall with parking deck


The "white" house


Creepy Halloween Concoction

Anniversary

My grandparents celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this past Labor Day weekend. Congratulations grandma and grandpa! They were married in 1939 at the Moravian Church in Kernersville, NC. What an accomplishment. We were fortunate to make it to NC for the big celebration. It was good to see everyone. The kids had a blast playing at the “farm” and are already planning the next trip.

Grandpa's beautiful poem



Great Grandpa and "T"


Great Grandma and "J"



I love the blue curtains in the old cabin





"J" runs through the yard


Picking Muscadines



Relaxing on the porch



There is always room for cake