adventure islands = more fun in the sun

With Erin on vacation, we need to get outside and do something fun with the kids. Remember, that "Understood Quinn Rule" from a few posts ago, only water parks during the summer months .... so that meant the only thing to do was head to Adventure Islands.

I don't really consider myself a huge germaphobe, but highly chlorinated water in kids areas, and a high number of swim-diapered toddlers only means one thing ........ and I don't really need to go into specifics, do I ?? But I was a trooper and had some good Mommy / Trevor time. We played for hours in the Fabian's Funport! Erin, Erin and Rachael joined us from time to time. They were busy doing the water slides, water tubes, Splash Bucket (Little Erin calls it the Chum Bucket)and the Lazy River.

Best of all I used a vacation day from work. I've used 6.5 this year. Only 13.5 days left to use... In my office, it's use em' or lose em'. And you know it ....... I'm not losing em'...

Here are the pics of the fun .... Most of the pics are from Trevor's Play Area .... I played with Trevor most of the day.

{he is a bigtime snacker}

{that's a whole lotta cuteness}

{our 3 little fishes}

{those crazy boys .... Momma doesn't like her hair-do to be un-did}

{she loves her daddy}

Summer Nights

When you live in Tampa Bay, it is a necessity to have have annual passes to Busch Gardens and Adventure Island. Either you are going to the parks or one of the kids friends are going to the parks. Either way, you need a pass.

Our "understood" family rule is that we do not go to Busch Gardens (or any theme park) from April 15 - September 15th, it is just too hot. But we will go to Summer Nights at Busch Gardens. The park stays open to 10pm and they have some cool street music and entertainment, it is cooler weather wise and the lines are shorter. The kids think they are breaking some serious rules by staying out after dark! Ha Ha.

Here is a video of Trevor running through the water ..... It was about a million humid degrees at 9pm at night, well okay, it was about 85 degrees but the humidity was wicked! They needed to cool off! He is with his friend Aiden and my friend Susie ... Susie is the fun one, I'm the photographer !!

Here are some pictures of our 1st trip to Summer Nights.......

{Erin and Aiden on the Gwazi Bats}

{Rachael and Trevor on the Gwazi Bats}

{Trevor and his partner in crime, Aiden, pounding back the juicey cups}

{Duh, the orangutans escaped - Seriously, one did}

{Erin getting ready to go into the tiger cage pop-up window}

{Trevor checking out the water play place @ Jungala}

{Playing in the water play area with a pink swim diaper}

{Trevor & Aiden in the climby thingy}

{oh yeah, I wanna jump}

{Trevor really liked the water}

{In the crawl space under the tiger exhibit, too cool}

{I think is was a butterfly, but I'm really not sure}

{I was told it is a grasshopper, I dunno}

{Rachael and Korie}

Rachael's Team Wins at Disney

Soccer is huge to our family. We are a soccer family and our lives revolve around the simple fact that holiday weekends bring soccer tournaments.

This weekend Rachael's team competed in the Disney Memorial Day Soccer Shootout. The Disney Complex was huge, it was beautiful and it was very organized. Every game was on time and there was always a ref waiting. Even the awards ceremony went off without a hitch. It was a great experience.

Rachael played a phenomenal game of soccer this weekend. Her team did great, they worked together and it all came together.

The team played 4 games, 3 of them were shutouts. They allowed 1 goal the entire tournament and scored 13 goals.

They won the championship game 2-0.

Look how proud they are .....

Rachael is on the far left ... check out the smile :)

Boys Night Out at the Trop ....

The deal was if Rachael had a girls night out (click here for Jonas Brother post), then little Erin would also get a boys night with Dad. They decided on a little dinner and a Ray's game. If you are a MLB fan, then you know that the Ray's don't draw a huge crowd and there is never a need to get your tickets early. There were no worries that there would plenty of tickets to go around.

They met JD for wings before the game and headed over to the Trop (Tropicana Field). Where else in the country can you see a Major League Baseball game for $25 and sit right above the 3rd baseline?? Amazing!! Look at the picture below, there isn't anyone there!

I'm a very loyal Yankees fan, have always been. It has been instilled in my children that they are loyal Yankees fans and that the Rays are a local convenience. With that being said, the Rays hat the Erin is wearing was bought just for this game. No worries, Papa, he is still wearing his Yankees hat. It is looking kinda worn lately, so he may need a replacement soon :)

Please no comments about the Yankees and their trials and tribulations this year. I'm well aware, and reminders are not necessary. I'm not a fair-weather fan ........ For the record, I think spring training at Steinbrenner Stadium (aka Legends Field) bring out more fans than a regular season Ray's game!

He loved the game! Can you tell?

The Trop....with lots of empty seats...where are the people??

Erin and JD ... Glove in hand (HOW CUTE IS THAT?)

It's Official, Summer is Here!

Once our kids notice that the weather is warming up and it is time to break out the swim suits, they immediately start asking about going boating with Erin's friend, JD. They don't stop asking until Erin can give them a firm "We are going Saturday"!

They love the water, the ocean, the beach, and all things boating related! Erin loves to "captain" the boat and guide us down the canal. And Rachael likes to sit up front and catch some rays!

From the Marina we had a short little trip out to Shell Island where we hung out for most of the day. The kids walked the beach and threw the football. They did a little bit of swimming, but the Bay water is about 75 degrees. That is a wee-bit to chilly for my kiddies.

This was Trevor's first boating trip. He loved the boat, loved the water, but the sand didn't seem to impress him to much!

We had a awesome time with JD and Kylie! We can't wait until we can do it again! And we hope Tai and Gabe will be there.

Here are some pictures to make you northerners a little jealous :)

Captain Erin's

Ummmm, Can we slow down a little ?

Just snacking away !

Playing on the beach

Trevor loved the water, not the sand, but the water

Trevor is very daring, this one made me nervous.
But for the record, we were docked at Shell Island and the water is very shallow

Just enjoying the seabreeze

Returning from the sandbar

This will work for a foot rest!

I just love baby feet, especially his!

Jonas Brothers !

Yes, there is a new boy band that is all the rage!! My BFF, Michele, and I thought it would be a great idea to take the girls to see the Jonas Brothers, and we are so glad we did! They had such an awesome time!

To make it a special "Girls Night Out" we went to Chili's for dinner before the concert. Rachael, Alexandra and Courtney wore their Jo Bros T-shirts, they had the hair streaks going and the bling bling in their hair! The girls were all so giddy and excited that they couldn't sit still for a second. All they kept asking is if they were going to be late! It was so funny.

After dinner we were off to the concert! We arrived in time to see the opening band "Rooney". It was too cute, they didn't understand why the Jo Bros weren't coming out. Try explaining the opening band thing to them on the top of your lungs over the loud music ... quite comical!!

Jonas Brothers were really quite good. I've become a Jonas Brothers fan, since they are the 2nd most popular CD in my van. They are 2nd only to Mylie Cyrus.

Here some some pics of the girls ...... How cute are they in their Jonas Brother T-shirts!

Courtney on the left, Rachael in the middle and Alexandra on the right

Sea World

Nanny and I took the kids to Seaworld on Friday. Believe it or not, my kiddies enjoy Sea World more than the Disney World these days. They are very much outdoors kids and love animals, I think that is why they prefer Sea World. It also has a little bit for everyone. Kasey is nearly 17 years old and Trevor is 21 months, that is a big difference in ages. Little Erin loves the Sea Lion and Otter show the most. Rachael is my "green girl", so anything about saving animals and the earth is right up her alley. Trevor thought the ducks along the pavement were really neat! The ducks are really well fed now, they ate a lot of graham crackers coutesy of Trevor. Don't tell anyone, but the sharks outside the Shark Encounter had a few too :)

Besides a small delay on I-4, we arrived fairly early and were able to see a couple shows and wander around the park. I have more pictures to come, but they haven't been downloaded yet. Trevor was quite a little trooper. He hung in there most of the day. The temps were in the 80's, but the humidity was reasonable. Unfortunately Daddy Erin couldn't come, he was working. We missed him.

Here are a few:

Kasey, Rachael and Erin on the Water Walkway

Shamu Stadium "Believe"

Kasey and Trevor waiting for Shamu
This is a great pic of Trevor and Kasey.
(Erin is constantly telling me my skills in photo taking are limited)

Feeding the Stingrays at the lagoon

Erin getting ready to feed the Sea Lions

Kasey and Rachael at the Sea Lion and Otter Show

Trevor enjoying the day. I am sure it involved the ducks