Nights under the stars

As a celebration for the kids ending the school year and summer beginning, we took a camping trip this past weekend.

Our Friday began, though, by running a few errands (like some last minute items at the store for the trip) and buying a birthday gift, then attending a birthday party (nothing like waiting until the last minute!). It was really a pretty messy, rainy Friday - but, a party at the splash pad has to go on, right? We took it that way and I think the kids had a great time!

We came home, had some quick baths and packed up all we could 'til Daddy came home. With his help we packed our coolers and jumped in the car!

This camping trip was at Blue Springs. Ella Grace's class visited this park back in January to see the manatees. The water is much warmer in the river now so we really didn't expect to see any manatees. After pitching our tent and getting somewhat settled, Major asked where Grandmother and Grandaddy were going to be...we'll be going again at the end of the month and he just thought they were supposed to be with us on this trip, too!

The kids have such a ball just playing in the dirt. We made sure their sand shovel/rake/hoe was packed. Add an empty coke bottle and they were in heaven!

We swam, well waded, in the spring. Seventy-two degrees is really, really cold. I will say I got in without any coercing or name-calling. On my own I made my way in to the water. Once from hip-down was numb I was fine; really I was. We ended up purchasing two tube floats (we didn't have a DL or CC to hold a float, even with cash, and then once we got a DL it was a different rental price than we were told earlier) and floated down the spring twice. The kids even jumped off a fallen tree many, many times (submerging themselves in the frigid water) - not I!

At night we saw several alligators where the spring meets the river, Saturday morning Jeremy & the kids rented a canoe and saw an otter family (I saw them on Sunday morning).

 

On our last tube run down the spring we were very close to the exit and a manatee swam up the spring right beside us. It was amazing! Really, how neat?! Jeremy & Major were really pumped since it was their first time to see one.

After we checked-out, unpacked, did some laundry and got baths we had dinner out on the Cape. While waiting for a table, we saw a porpoise and a manatee again! So cool!