I have to start this entry off by saying that I regret that I didn't bring my camera with me. I knew Megan would take plenty of pictures and so thought I would take a break. Now I have to ask that Megan will send me some of her pictures so I can include them. Because of this, I know there really wasn't any pictures taken of me and Omar with my nephews. Sad lesson learned.
Welcome to Florida
Omar's brother Eddie and his family came to visit Florida and Disney World. We were so happy that they were going to make time to spend time with us. We had yet to meet our youngest nephew, Tage, and had never been able to spend time alone with Eddie and his family to get to know them better. Last time we saw them was in Utah a year before, but I really didn't think that Jayden even knew who I was with everyone being there I never was able to spend any time with him.
They flew in and out of Jacksonville and Omar picked them up from the airport taking Tage straight to the urgent care center due to an eye and ear infection. The poor kid, the whole trip he was sick. It was so sad because you could tell that he totally wanted to be a happy baby, and finally the day they left I was able to get an idea of what he was probably normally like.
Omar cooked bbq ribs, corn, and beans for them that night. When I got home from work that night I was greeted at the door by Jayden who was yelling, "Tia Kate, Tia Kate!" Tia means "aunt" in Spanish. I was shocked that he knew who I was. Megan told me that they had a layover in Nashville and that Jayden was so upset because he thought he wasn't coming to see us. He refused to eat lunch and said over and over again, "I want to go to Uncle Omar and Tia Kate's House!!!"
DAY 1
The next day was kind of an R&R day hoping Tage would get feeling better. Omar and I took off Tuesday-Thursday for work. Eddie and the boys hung at home while Megan helped me with some decorating. We went everywhere it seemed and found some cute stuff for our great room (See the other post for more info about this).
That evening we had a groupon for this NY pizza place nearby that we had yet to try. We went there and at pizza and Stromboli.
Day 2 - Alligator Farm
Jayden wanted to see alligators and so we decided to check out our Alligator Farm since none of us had been there and they wouldn't have time to go to Gatorland. It was a great park, and was much better than Gatorland I think. We went to some of the shows, fed the gators, and listened to them. I have never heard their mating calls like they had while we were there. It was so amazing, the way they would grunt and it was so powerful that their bodies vibrated the water so strongly that it looked like it was raining the way the water would jump from the vibrations. One would start and the others would join in.
Alligator Farm has the first challenge course in the world over the zoo and Megan wanted to do it for her birthday. Megan is afraid of heights, never been zip lining, never been in a harness, no less knew what a caribener was. It was awesome being above the zoo and seeing it in a different light. There were places that clearly the public didn't get to see, but we did. I was shocked to realize how huge the park really was.
We did the smaller course since we didn't have time for a 2 hour course. It was great, I only wish that they had more zip lines on the smaller course. We didn't realize the majority of it was challenges. I will say that some of the challenges really were challenges. I was especially surprised that they did not have anyone up there showing you how to do it. They go as far as to to tell you that if you get stuck and they have to come up for you that due to insurance regulations you have to come down immediately! I was so proud of Megan for facing her fears.
We later went to Steak-N-Shake for lunch. Then over to the Outlets in St. Augustine where Megan and Eddie shopped for a few hours.
Day 3 - Beach Day
For Megan's 25th birthday she wanted to go to the beach. So the beach it was. There is no shortage of beaches here in our area, and so the question was, which beach? We decided to go to St. Augustine beach because there is a splash pad there and thought it might be fun for Jayden and Tage.
We packed up and went there. I have never taken SO much stuff to the beach before. We had a large canopy tent, 4 beach chairs, a huge cooler, 3 fishing poles, 2 kites, towels galore, a boogy board, and sand castle toys. We set it all up and Omar and Eddie went off fishing on the pier, Tage slept, and Jayden, Megan and I worked on a sand castle. Jayden later went boogy boarding and the tide began to come up.
Omar and I had been to this beach a few times and never had a problem with the tide, it was always low. There are rocks near the entrance and supposedly the tide would reach the rocks, but we had never witnessed it. The tide eventually reached the rocks with all of our stuff there. We realized we needed to move but if we wanted to stay on the beach we would need to move everything about a half mile down the beach. So we brought everything up to the grass near the splash pad. It worked out well.
We had been there for about 4 hours and Omar brought the kites out. He was going down to the beach to fly the kite and Jayden wanted to go. Omar told us that he couldn't fly the kite and watch him in the water (Jayden doesn't know how to swim). We didn't think it was a big deal and Jayden started walking down the steps to the water. A few minutes later I looked down at Omar flying the kite and Jayden standing on the steps trying to figure out how to get in the water. I didn't realize that the water was pretty much CHEST deep on Omar!!! The water had really come up and I was so glad that we had moved everything up, or we would have lost everything!
Jayden told us that his favorite thing was flying the kites. I was glad that we decided to buy them while on our anniversary for when Jayden would come. I don't think we will take people to that beach again in the future due to the tide.
We later went back home and I made Megan a banana cake for her birthday and the boys made tacos while Megan and I went back out shopping for my room. We came home ate and then decorated.
Leaving Florida
The next day they left for Orlando for 4 days where they went to Sea World, Disney, and visited the rest of the family in Orlando. They returned to both Omar and I being horribly sick from catching whatever Tage had. The next day they packed, we went and they bought a few last souvenirs, and took them to the airport. We had a great time and now we need to go and visit them in Arizona. I think that will be a trip for next year when Eddie can take some time off work again.
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