YAYAYAYAY for Auntie Coral, Uncle Tom & Holden, who very generously included us in their Orlando vacation plans :-D. We had soooooo much fun in our adjoining hotel rooms (the boys were constantly running back and forth, screaming with glee whenever they saw each other!). The simple joy of spending consecutive days together as a family (it had been awhile since Kevin, Quintin & I had spent more than a few waking hours alone together, lol!) made the weekend an incredible one, and the fellowship of such dear friends made it extra special!
We arrived from work late Friday evening and made a last-minute trip to the local Walmart, had a great pizza dinner, and went swimming in the hotel's awesome (if a bit chilly!) pool (located just ten feet outside of our hotel room door!).
We spent a wonderful Saturday morning simply enjoying the precious ability to wake up together (We are usually rushing in opposite directions as soon as our eyes pop open!). Daddy and Quintin had some cuddling time (again, a very rare treat!), and Daddy gave Quintin a shaving lesson, lol! Auntie Coral, Uncle Tom, Holden, Kevin, Quintin and I, along with gear for us all, were able to fit with ease into the cavernous Voorhees Suburban, an incredible feat lol! Auntie Coral made an incredible breakfast and packed lunch for us all to enjoy at SeaWorld's waterpark, Aquatica, our first Orlando destination. While, unfortunately, the park staff made us leave the bulk of our meal in the Suburban (they have a new NO Cooler policy), we were able to take in a lot of the smaller snacks we'd packed for the boys. Because the weather was overcast with predicted rain, the park was amazingly uncongested! We enjoyed an AWESOME children's play area, with slides, bridges, and (of course!) a million water features. I left early to travel to St. Petersburg for my dear cousin, Rebecca's, wedding (see separate post); everyone else stayed to enjoy Loggerhead Lane, a slowly moving current winding its way through the park. They left the park in early afternoon so that both boys could take much needed naps -- Holden slept 3 hours and Quintin slept nearly four (a record by about two hours!). Once everyone got up, they headed to Downtown Disney. After the wedding, we all met at T-Rex, an intricately decorated restaurant with huge, animated dinosaurs that roar and twist -- truly an amazing dining experience!
Everyone slept in Saturday morning, before packing up all of our gear for a day of fun at Seaworld. We began by sharing ice cream in special Shamu bowls, as the afternoon was hot and muggy. We next headed over to feed the manta rays while Daddy ventured onto one of the amazing new roller coasters there. Feeding the rays was an incredible experience. Their mouth works like a vacuum -- they sucked the food right off of our hands! Quintin was a little intimidated by his first experience, but watched in amazement while Holden, Coral & Tom fed them. The rays were obviously used to the feeding process, since they actually popped up out of the water and begged, looking eerily like dogs! The first show we watched, replete with flying trapeze artists, fabulous costumes, water ballet, and a dozen dolphins, was so beautiful that it made we cry :-) We next visited an aquarium room attached to another of the parks rides. Fish swam completely around us, with glass aquariums over our heads, under our feet, and on each of the walls! As an additional perk, the room was air conditioned, giving the boys (and the rest of us!) a chance to cool off some & regain composure lol. We headed from there to share chicken fingers & fries, before walking to an enormous glass elevator, which took us up over the park and spun slowly, allowing a complete birdseye view of the entire area. From the elevator, we had just enough time to head to Shamu's pavilion for his last show of the evening! The boys were pretty exhausted from all of the heat & excitement, and Holden fell fast asleep just as the orca whales made their debut, lol. After finally making our way out of the park (we got stuck in a bottleneck towards the entrance), we went straight back to the hotel to cool off in the incredible pool! We enjoyed a quiet evening of Coral's awesome egg salad sandwiches and a movie (yay for hotel cable!), before getting the boys down for an early night.
Monday morning, Kevin woke up early to leave for work and I began the packing up & cleaning process. After loading the car, Quintin and I explored some and played on the hotel playground. When Holden woke, we packed up the Voorhees family and drove to Auntie Coral's favorite lunch-time destination -- Chick Filet! There, Uncle Tom played with Holden & Quintin on the indoor playground area while Auntie Coral & Mommy got to have a few minutes of girl time and relaxation :-) From Chick Filet, we headed to an indoor (air conditioned!) flea market, where we got our photograph taken with a half dozen parrots. On the ride home, Mommy called Grandpop in New Jersey to catch up some. Then, Mommy & Quintin stopped by the American Eagle Antique Mall where we keep books for Granddaddy's bookstore, and dropped off & shelved a couple of boxes. The evening was spent in a flurry of unpacking & laundry, before "hitting the sack" extra-early!
Thank you, Voorhees family, for a wonderful weekend! Thank you, Nana, for staying at our home and caring for all of the animals during our trip! Thank you, God, for the awesome gifts of family & friends!
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