We couldn't leave all the fun in Florida and road tripped to Georgia for another week of cousin love. We traded in the ocean for the some Georgia hills, even after spending what seemed like all week in the car the kids were as good as gold on our 10 hour adventure. Aunt Fonz had made up a wacky itinerary for the week filled with alligator wrestling, bungee jumping and knife throwing and kept teasing them when we would talk to her. So when we saw signs in north Florida for a welcome center with live gators we had to tease the kids and stop there for a potty break so that they could practice!
Monday we packed up lunches and headed to the local nature center for a little educational day. It was the perfect sized place for the kids and their attention span. Inside the building they got to see a opossum, some turtles and fish and they did a scavenger hunt where they earned points and got to trade them in for shells, rocks and other small artifacts. We watched a movie on beavers, how they make their dams and it talked about how their damns help direct water out west, it was interesting to learn about them and the kids watched over 30 minutes of the movie. Outside we saw a real beaver and his dam, birds and two eagles up close, we took a little walk to the river and let the kids run around and play. The most excitement though was the butterfly exhibit that we visited twice during our time there. We all got a brush that had been dipped in Gatorade to attract the butterflies to you. We entered the tent and before we knew it we had butterflies on our brushes and our clothes! The kids (and adults) loved this part I think the most and some of them would have spent all day in there, I kept trying to put butterflies on the girls heads to make them bows. Now we know what we have to take with us to Epcot next year when we go to see the ones there!
Tuesday called for a rain so we adjusted plans to be inside all day. Aunt Fonz took the kids for donuts and gave mommy and Nana a little kidless quiet time, everyone was happy! We all went to see Lion King, they ate popcorn and smuggled in chicken nuggets until they were content. Everyone enjoyed the movie, the scenery was gorgeous but I found it a little strange to see the animals talking since they were "real" and not cartoon. After the movies we went back home to change into appropriate tea party attire, of course the girls needed dresses as leggings were not acceptable to them! We went to a cute little tea room for some afternoon tea, while the girls didn't eat much (and ticked me off not wanting to try things), everyone else thought the food was great and enjoyed snacks and tea. They were finally happy when it was time for dessert, should have just let them start there!
Wednesday was pool day and we went to a county pool up in Cherokee that had slides, a small lazy river and a water playground. C was upset that she wasn't tall enough for the water slides and thought the water was too cold, so her and I hung out under an umbrella most of the day. The rest of the kids had a blast playing together and would get upset when the pool would close the last 15 minutes of each hour for the lifeguards to take their break. I don't know how many times they went down the water slides but it was a lot! I think C most enjoyed ice cream time and when J was done biting into hers she complained that her loose tooth hurt, it was bleeding. Aunt Fonz did the honors of pulling it out, she was excited to show daddy when he arrived later that night. J borrowed K's pillow and we wrote a note to the tooth fairy, someone was happy in the morning when she got up!
Thursday Aunt Fonz was back to work so it was back to camp Nana and Aunt Coco. We had been paying the kids over the last week to give massages, foot rubs and help with chores so we took them to 5 Below to spend their money. That was a sight to see, letting them run somewhat wild in the store trying to figure out what all they could get with their money, they had anywhere from $5-$10 and had to pay for tax themselves. After what seemed like an eternity (probably close to 30 minutes) they all headed for the registers with their selections and paid for their items, some of them just threw their money on the counter while some counted it out for the cashier. I know the store was happy when we left! We also took them to Half Price Books to cash in their summer readings logs for books. They each got $10 to spend on new books, the boys knew exactly what they wanted and the girls were more interested in methodically figuring out how they could get the most for their money, smart shoppers! We stopped for a treat at McDonalds before heading to the library for Lego building. I don't remember what the kids were tasked with building, something of space theme I think, they were upset when we said it was time to go, the mommies and Nana had a night out we needed to get to, Bingo at the Legion, no one won but we had a good time!
Friday morning I took the girls to Target to get new sneakers for J and a lunchbox for C, what an adventure that was. We had to walk every aisle, they had to touch everything and surprisingly we only left with what we came for! After lunch we took the kids bowling, all had fun but J who was pouting because her ball kept going off to the side and only knocking a few pins down, everyone else was getting lots of pins, spares and strikes and she was beside herself. The boys had a great time and boogied on the lane as they waited for their ball to reach the pins, C and K danced their little hearts to the great music that was playing. Finally about halfway into the second game J turned her frown upside down and with the help of a "lucky pink ball" mommy found decided she was happy and actually doing well. She was the only one who complained when it was time to go, she was finally doing well and wanted to keep bowling! Later that night we went to an outdoor shopping area for a picnic dinner and some live music. The weather was beautiful and it was great to just sit outdoors and relax, well as much as we could with the tiny humans around!
Saturday Aunt Fonz and Uncle Dew took all of the kids to a birthday party for some friends. They spent the afternoon swimming and eating pizza. Mommy and daddy enjoyed some quiet time, we went to lunch, shopping and had some afternoon wine! Later that night the big kids went out, thanks Nana for watching the crew, we hit up their downtown area for some wine, sushi and craft beer. It was great to get out and see some non-kid stuff their hood has to offer, and what a cute and quaint little downtown area they have, must go back and check it out more next time we are visiting.
Our last day in Georgia was spent outdoors. We wanted to take the kids tubing so we headed north to the river with a fit stop to see a waterfall along the way. You never know what to expect when you head into the Georgia hills and we really didn't know what the search for the waterfall would entail, we should have rented jeeps! After getting off the highway and about 2-3 miles on a windy road it turned into a dirt road where we could only go 15 miles per hour! GPS was spotty and the last two miles to the location took forever! We finally got to where all the cars were parking and set out up the hilly path to find the water. The kids all did great, it was the girls first hike and when we finally got to the waterfall everyone was tired and needed a break! We took some pictures from the bottom and then climbed up to the top, it was a pretty sight to see and we got some exercise in. The way down and out on the dirt road went by much quicker, our poor minivans were covered in dust and were pink and white! We stopped in a small town for some lunch, everyone had worked up an appetite, before heading to tube down the river. The kids were excited for this part and after deciding who all was going with who and changing into water wear we selected tubes and got everyone fitted with life jackets. The water was cold, it wasn't warm Florida water, thank goodness no one tipped over or fell in! We spent about an hour cruising the river, taking in the sights, navigating trees/rocks and towards the end we saw some cows! The Tuber Uber (an old beat up cargo van) picked us up and took us back to the start, everyone left their mark in the van (the entire things was covered with signatures), we changed into our dry clothes, the kids swung and then we headed for home. We stopped at a local farm stand on the way for a snack, homemade apple pies, apple fitters and ice cream never tasted so good! We had a quiet rest of the evening at home. The kids played Mario Kart, the adults drank some wine/beer and before we knew it was time to say goodbyes and head to bed.
Other than the pool we managed not to repeat any activities over the two weeks. We all had a wonderful time and it was great we got to spend so much time together this summer. It was a quiet and uneventful trip back to Florida, even with a stop for lunch we were home just after 2pm. Here are the pictures and a video montage from the two weeks.
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