Spring Break!

To celebrate Spring Break, we went with my parents to Busch Gardens.  We left right after school on Friday and headed east!  I hadn't been there since I was a teenager and the kids had never been there.  It was the first time we'd taken the kids somewhere without a stroller, diapers, wipes, and the whole shebang.  I had a cooler with snacks and a change of clothes for everybody in the car, but that was it!  It was definitely freeing! 

We started off in the Sesame Street area, and Clark was much more excited than the girls, but it was a good starting point.

Since we were there right at opening, there were no lines at all and we even went on some rides twice without having to get off!  Next we headed towards Escape from Pompeii.  Turns out, that was terrifying.  Clark said he was scared, but the girls were hanging on for dear life!  You could feel the heat from the flames and statues fell down.  With the dramatic music, and after learning more about the actual Pompeii, they didn't even want to walk past it again!

 We saw a show about wolves and all the "Do not feed the wolves" signs cracked me up.  I know they meant not to throw food in for them, but the only thing I could think of was not to let people fall in! ha ha

 Clark with his innocent smile, watching fish.

 The merry-go-round is always a hit.  Dad took them on.

 Photo op!  Clark and his Busch Gardens sword was very memorable.  During this picture he held it up and cheered as a group of people passed by and they all cheered back at him. 

 Clark was so excited to see Elmo! 

 He also saw Big Bird!  We have the professional picture from the other angle and I have to say, it is a little bit better than mine.

 I was there. 

 Isabel bought an owl and Elizabeth won a bird at a game.  These things went everywhere with us!

 Clark would randomly bust out extensive kung fu routines and ask me to take his picture.

 Little Big Ben! 

 Waiting for a show.  Isabel took this picture.

 Watching Pirates 4-D.  Isabel was DONE when the spider popped out of the scream and mom took her out.  Elizabeth took her glasses off every now and then too...I think around the time when bats came flying out of the screen and then air puffed from the backs of the seats and it felt like bats were in your hair.

 It's impossible not to laugh hysterically on the teacups.

 The boat ride was relaxing.

 That night we went to a seafood crab shack down by the bay.  I don't even really like seafood and I was in LOVE with my meal.  It was delicious!  Clark was a little bit tired.

 The next day was Easter!  The Easter bunny found us and there was an egg hunt in the hotel room.

 

 

Then we thought we'd head out to Busch Gardens again.  Here we are on the train before the monsoon hit.  I will only admit to crying a little bit as we got pounded with rain and tried to find out way back to the car.  Clark looked like E.T. with his blue poncho and the girls spun their umbrellas and walked through every puddle.

When the sun came out after lunch we went to the Jamestown Living History Museum.  Here we are at the Powhatan village.

 

 They had replicas of the 3 ships the English rode over to Jamestown.  We went all through those things.

 Then we went to the recreation of the colonist's fort.  I was kind of cool to see how they lived back then!  Although this is my history, it was hard for me to be super excited, because I feel like these guys are the villains of the story.

 Trying on the armor.

 Watching a blacksmith.

 Isabel won "Fluffy" on our rainy day at Busch Gardens, and Clark won an elephant.  They "had" to go everywhere with us, so Patrick ended up carrying them for a while.

 Clark checking the perimeter.

 This guy fired the musket a few times.

 On our way home, Clark kept posing and asking me to take his picture.  Photo shoot!