Parents in town

My dear parents came for a week visit.   They say relatives are like fish and stink after 3 days... but my parents never stunk.    And because of my Dad one night we bought fish, gutted them, cooked them, and found out fish really do stink!!!  Mom & Dad flew in Tuesday, March 19th, from my sister's home in California.  So when they go here they were already 5 days into their vacation and not feeling very well.  Therefore our first 2 days were low key.  But everyone managed to feel better and we all had a great week. 

The first day was very low key. Mommy slept most the day.  My Dad & I took the twins to a "Turtle Park" where we feed the turtles and visited the owls.  After the park we all went home for naps.  Since our house isn't very big, Dad went out and slept in the lawn chairs by our pool.  Well, our maintenance man saw him, pocked him and woke him up.  Then asked Dad all these questions as to who he was and why he was sleeping at our pool fully clothed.  He thought Dad was a bum!!!

 

On day two Mommy was feeling a little healthier, so she came out with us for a day filled of parks.  I took them to three of my favorite parks: Boca Cigia Millennium Park, Seminole City Park, Largo Nature Preserve.  Yep, we went to 3.  But each park had a function.   The first park was to let the kids play and hike the bird observation tower.  The second park was where we had a picnic and feed the birds.  The last park was for the purpose of seeing an alligator and throwing rock.  We did get to see our alligator who was basking in the sun.  It was a stunning day.

Park 1

Park 2

Park 3:

Day three was a "Daddy & Daughter" day.  I took my dad on a kayaking adventure through Weeden State Preserve.  We had a lot of fun talking as we glided through the mangroves.   We saw lots of fish skipping across the water and saw lots of crabs spotted on the trees.  Our favorite was seeing the amazing beauty of the mangroves, lakes, and open water.  God created such a beautiful world for us to enjoy.  After our kayaking adventure we visited the Weeden visitor center.  My father enjoys reading EVERY sign, so I  learned a lot of new things. 

I now know that there are  3 species of mangroves. Red mangroves live close to the water or in the water. Black mangroves live inland more.  White mangroves are the furthest inland.  I also learned 2 new words, which I got quizzed on all week.  Pneumatophore is a specialized structure developed from the root of a Black Mangrove that grows in swamps and marshes, serving as a respiratory organ. Midden is mound or deposit containing shells, animal bones, and other refuse that indicates the site of a human settlement. The Indians called their fire pits kitchen midden. It was an delightful day.

And our day didn't end there.  We had Bob and Becki over for a BBQ that evening.  They are a couple that my parents meet on a "Fun for Less" tour in India.  My patents enjoyed their company so much they pressured me into looking up Bob & Becki here in Largo and meeting them.  Well, I can tell you I am so glad they did.  Bob & Becki are the sweetest couple.   The twins love them and look forward to every encounter.  Leif and I love their company and wisdom.  They have become second Grandparents to Micah & Savannah, and spoil them just like grandparents should.  We had a very nice meal with them despite the rain.  

Day four was a Saturday and Leif was off.  We saw advertisements for the Pinellas County Fair, so all 6 of us went. Somehow the advertisement were off because it was more of a carnival and just called a fair.  But the kids had fun seeing the animals and playing some games.  Leif and I even got to play some games.  And since we live in Florida, we saw an alligator show, which ended up being all of our favorites. On the way home we ate at Chick f let and then played Taboo till late.

 

That night we went to an Easter Egg hunt with the twins.  They both found SO SO many eggs but then couldn't take the eggs home.  Well we really didn't need anymore eggs in our house.

Sunday was the fifth day.  We all dressed up for church.  Savannah wear her new dress Grandma got her.  Micah was handsome in his vest.  We took some cute pictures then went to church.  After church we stopped at heritage Village, then came home to cook up salmon, rice, and potatoes. Decorating Easter Eggs also took place with an egg fight taught to the twins by their Grandma.

 

Monday, Leif was shocked to get the day off.  We all worked out in the morning.  Mom & I went for a bike ride while the boys went to the gym.  We then drove to Vonnoy Park where we played tennis, had a picnic, played freebie, watched dolphins, caught fish, played in the beach, and played volley-ball.  Yep, that is right.   This is an amazing park that is right on the water and has so much to do.  We saw a man catching Mullet fish with his net. After talking and watching him for some times.... we took home 4 mullet and had an interesting dinner. 

 

 

 

On our last day we spent it at Busch Gardens.   And we went during the same week as Spring Break for most of Florida.  So instead of riding rides, we spent most of our times at shows and seeing the animals.  It was a colder day and a slower day.  But we had a lot of fun and enjoyed each other.

 

  

    Thanks Mom & Dad for coming to see us.  We really had a nice time.  It went by so fast.  On Wednesday morinng the twins asked, "Where Grandma & Papa go?"  We all miss you already.