Since Christmas, we have had a lot of visitors! It has been really nice to have so much family come through our home. We are blessed! Billy's parents spent several weeks (off and on) with us between the beginning of January and the middle of February. It was great to have the extra hands helping around the house. Dad H did several work items around the house. He made me a spice shelf, hung a piece of wood in my laundry room for me to screw hangers for jackets and a mop/broom hanger on, and he mowed our lawn several times! Mom H watched the kids for me many times allowing me to go to the gym and the store sans kids. That is a nice treat that I don't get very often! We, also, had many game nights which is always fun for Billy and me. The kids love having Grandma and Grandpa here to play with them. It's a treat for everyone!
I totally forgot to blog about this a month and a half ago ... but I ran across the pictures today on my camera. So, I thought I'd tell you all about it. Last month was Billy's sister, Brenda's 30th birthday. The whole family came down to stay at our house to surprise her with a birthday weekend. We had 10 adults and four kids staying in our house! It was full, but it was a lot of fun. We all went to the beach after church on Sabbath, and the weather couldn't have been nicer! It was warm and cloudy (so it didn't get too hot for the kids). That evening, we had a little celebration for Brenda before we took her out to see Wicked at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. It was a great show! I'm so happy we decided to make that a part of the weekend's itinerary. On Sunday, we took everyone to Busch Gardens, and we spent the day playing there. I hadn't run around a theme park to ride rides in nearly 5 years! It was a lot of fun! So glad Grandma H, Aunt Cherrie, Aunt Debbie, and Brenda watched the kids for me all day. Luckily, they don't like roller coasters! I had never been to Busch Gardens before, and it was a lot of fun. I'm glad we went ... we even got one year passes (pay for a day, play all year--for FL residents). That was the end to the weekend, but it was fun! I think everyone had a good time and just enjoyed being together!
Everyone at the beach!
Bud
Cole and Elle playing in the water.
Cole and Daddy splashing around together.
Little Sis ... just cruising along the beach.
So sweet!
Elle and her Daddy playing in the ocean. (Only weirdos from Nebrask-y think it's warm enough to be in the ocean in January!)
Going for a walk.
Sissy wants to go along on a walk, too! Look at that tush! So cute ...
Running along the water.
Playing on the beach together.
Aunt Debbie watches Khloe, Elle, and Ethan dig holes on the beach.
It's super hard to get four kiddos to look at the camera and smile all at once. We got 1 for 4!
Sharing.
Enjoying the beach with my Bud.
Grandma and Grandpa with their grandkids! (minus one that is currently cooking still)
Koki and Ethan hanging out.
Cole LOVES the ocean! He is splashing around in the water. What a shot, huh?
Always my ham!
Someone is thirsty!
Enjoying the (COLD) water!
Cole plays football with Daddy!
Koki digging in the sand ... she may have some in her mouth.
Yep! As per usual ...
Doesn't slow her down ... sand is good for you, right?
A little break time for food.
The birthday girl hanging out with the family.
My fish ... headed into the freezing water like it's Baywatch or something!
Running.
Still running.
Getting deeper!
Almost there ...
Nearly up to his waist ...
Ready to dive in ...
There he goes ...
And he's fully under!
Billy, Alan, and Josh ... crazys in the ocean in January! At least two of them come from freezing winter climates, so maybe you could make the argument that they feel like it's warm here. Billy ... well ... he just loves the water!
He took Colton out into the ocean with him ... This is after they got out. Turning my son into a fishy!
Colton cannot resist feeding the seagulls! He is having a blast. No one else is enjoying his efforts.
There is a chip in his raised hand. Grandma is telling him to throw it away from them.
Phew! He threw it in the right direction.
Khloe and Grandma enjoying some beach time together.
Debbie and Elle join in on the fun!
She backed herself right onto Grandma's lap!
Someone is doing his usual great job at babysitting.
Gorgeous ocean!
The Heinrich Family
Siblings
The cake I made for Brenda's Birthday. Mom H made the roses.
Happy 30th Brenda!
Last weekend, my grandma came to visit us. She had been down here in FL (Vero Beach) visiting her brother and his wife. She came up to Tampa for 4 days to visit us. We had a lot of fun! She took us up to Homosassa Springs to see the manatees. The kids had a great time at their wildlife preserve and state park! Then she took us up to Crystal River where she and my grandpa used to live. We saw their old house and the power plant that my grandfather was in charge of building while they lived there. He was an engineer ... he built many power plants around the U.S. On Sunday, grandma and I went to a movie together. We saw Silver Linings Playbook at Cinebistro. She had never been to a restaurant/theater before, so it was really fun for me to take her! On Monday, we ran a few errands ... and of course, she fixed several tasty meals while she was here! We always get treated well when she visits. She had to leave on Tuesday. She has a friend back in Tulsa who was having surgery, and she would be staying with her, taking care of her for a little while while she recovers. It was great to have her here, and I know that the kids love visiting with her. Colton ... that smarty, farty ... he remembers everyone and everything. He told Khloe (as we were driving to pick her up), "Koki, remember great-grandma? She is the one with the horses. Remember playing at her house this summer?" So cute! I look forward to seeing her again this summer.
Let's say Koki was "less than thrilled" to be on this alligator.
Colton thought it was SUPER cool!
Sitting with Great-Grandma on the boat ride down the springs.
Koki got to ride with Daddy.
We saw a hippo at the wildlife refuge there ... his name is Lu.
Lu gave us a BIG smile!
Most of the animals there are native to Florida ... and they are rescued or may come and go as they please. This is a horned owl. We got REALLY close to it. They are so stoic.
You can't have Florida without some flamingoes!
They really liked the flamingoes!
My cute boys enjoying the animals and having fun times!
Colton the manatee.
He thought the manatee was pretty cool!
America! Oh, yeah! Some Bald Eagles. One of them only had half of his right wing.
A TON of fish!
Koki had fun looking at all of the animals, too!
Some HUGE alligators.
Watching for manatees.
As a Saturday night treat ... my grandma made some homemade hot fudge for ice cream ... she loved it! (But she was, also, super tired. So, that's why she looks so dazed!)
Sucking it down! Get it girl!
One big boy used the toilet to go poo-poo on Saturday night ... he earned this car! Good job, Colton!
Me with my grandma ... so happy she came to visit us!
Great-Grandma Lillian Reynolds with two of her great-grandkids ... I love it!
Wednesday, we went to Busch Gardens. The kids had fun riding the rides. I can't believe Koki actually rode rides ... without crying! She said, "Ride, ride!" again ... but this time, she actually rode them. I was impressed! It was a lot of fun for the kids to see the animals, and they got to feed the fish and ducks. Colton really liked that. He was telling some other little boy there about the ducklings (actually, they were just some small ducks). But he was pretty happy to see them, none-the-less.
A fun day at Busch Gardens!
Riding the car ride together.
Checking out the flamingoes at Busch Gardens. Colton loves those things!
On the egg ride with Mommy ... she put her hands up and said, "WEEEEE!"
Colton rides the hippo water ride with his buddy, Alexander.
Just enjoying the fun day at the park in the beautiful FL weather we had this week!
Riding on the swing ride again.
Cole took Koki on the Hang Glider ride.
Don't mind her face ... they had fun!
Just feeding the ducks and fish!
Khloe liked to see them!
On Wednesday night, I went with my good friends, Gwendy and Duska, to the Pink concert. It was very fun to have a night out with my friends and to see an artist who I have liked since high school. We had a great time! I am very thankful for good family who can watch my kids ... and who I completely trust. Thank you, Elizabeth! I am very grateful! It was a much needed and very welcomed break.
Duska, Gwendy, and me at the concert.
Pink in all her gymnastical glory!
Seriously, the show was like being at Cirque du Soleil! She is a great acrobat, as well as, a wonderful singer!
So ... I pulled a 'classic Tasha' today ... I tend to skim through accepting and agreeing to things when I think I know what's going on. I wanted to sign Colton up for a soccer league this spring. So, I searched the web and found a website here in Wesley Chapel. But as I looked through the website, I couldn't find any info. for 3 year-olds. So, I went back to google and specified "3 year-old soccer in Wesley Chapel". I found a website that had a great program beginning at 3 years-old. But alas ... I had missed the registration date. I sadly texted Billy that I had missed being able to sign him up. He asked me to contact them and surely we could pay a late fee. I emailed a lady (because I couldn't find a phone number), and she gladly gave me a code to type in to register him online for only $10 extra dollars. I was so excited! I signed him up ... clicked on all of the agreements and accept pages ... and paid. Then I proudly told my friends and family on Facebook that I had Colton registered to play soccer this spring. Some of my MOMs Club friends wanted to add their kids to the soccer program and asked me where I had signed up ... so I put the website up on my page ... and a smart mother who actually reads let me know that it was, in fact, in Wesley Chapel, NORTH CAROLINA! That could have been posted much BIGGER on their page. So, I have sent a sad little email back to that lady in high hopes that she will make an exception with me and give us a refund (as I'm pretty sure I did read that they do not refund money). Maybe when she sees that we cannot make the drive each weekend to the games all of the way from Florida, she will feel badly for my mindless mistake and refund me or get me in contact with someone who can refund me. I feel like such an idiot! I guess that's what I get for skimming and not reading ... that sure taught me a lesson ... but it seems like I have done things like this before. Ay! Not my finest hour ... that's for sure!
Let me leave you with a cute video of Koki to get your mind off of my dumb story ... this will give you a better laugh ... as it had me cracking up. She is so cute!
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