tampa day one: uncle scott and aunt nicoles

we arrived at my brother scott and sister in law nicoles house on friday evening around 9pm. we shuffled kids out of the car and into beds and chatted with them for awhile. we all hit the sheets around midnight to get ready for the fun filled day they had planned for us.

nicole and i ran a few errands saturday morning while jori took her morning nap and then we all headed out to Tampa Bay to see the USS Victory ship. the uss victory is an old ww1 merchant ship. it carried supplies to all the troops.

when you got inside the ship they gave the kids a paper with pictures of items they had to find while walking through the ship. it was like a scavenger hunt. the kids loved it.
brenna and uncle scott were buddies for the hunt.
checking out the big guns

after we found all our items, they had a little craft table set up where the kids could make a little red, white, and blue nautical wreath. they had fun cutting and glueing and then they got an ice cold popsicle to cool down with. it was HOT in that ship. really makes you think about the sacrifices our military men and women have made. we are so thankful.

we came home and cooked out on the grill in the backyard. scott grilled up some of the best burgers i have ever had. nicole bought the meat fresh from an italian market. SOOOO GOOD!

after dinner we loaded up the kayak and headed to the public beach in the bay.


uncle scott took the kids out for a ride in the kayak. the girls went first and had a blast.

just look at that grin on brennas face. she loved it.
jori was happy to be at the beach too :)
then he took garret for a ride and showed him how to paddle. they were a good team. garret is a quick learner and excels at things like that.
when we got home that night aunt nicole had all the fixings for ice cream sundaes! what a treat. truly a fun day. i loved watching the kids with their aunt and uncle. they sure did cling to them like glue.

stay tuned for day two in tampa....

soft white sand

bonds with aunts and uncles

kayaking with my hubby

enjoying the sunset on the west coast

ice cream sundaes WITH waffle cone bowls