Sunday, July 31, 2005

Hoppe's


8/31/05
Mindy and the Michaels stopped by on their way back from Florida. We met at Champps for dinner and the kids had a great time.


8/31/05

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Downtown Disney

We decided to break up the ride back from Ft. Lauderdale and give the kids a surprise. We left FLL around 7:00 am and made it to Orlando by 10:00.
Since the kids really don't know much about Disney World yet, we thought stopping by Downtown Disney would be perfect. It would give them a taste of it and allow us to scope out our actual visit for next year.

The excitement level was still there. Their eyes lit up when they saw all their "friends". Cole could not contain his excitement and it looked like he was hopped up on speed. He bounced from place to place, wanting everything in site. He really liked the Lego store where he build a racecar. Jordan and Noah were simply in awe.

I had promised each one a souvenir. Jordan picked out a beautiful princess tiara, Cole chose a Saturn 5 rocket and Space Shuttle. Noah had a tough time deciding until we went into the House of Pooh. His smiled went from ear to ear as soon as he walked in. We ended up with small Pooh bear which now goes everywhere he goes.




We had lunch at the Rainforest Cafe. It was a lot of fun in a short period of time.

He hit the road and made it back to Atlanta by 8:00.

Papa's 95th - Day 3


Papa and the kids

We again met for breakfast at "The Bagel Tree" with the whole crew.
Cole kept everyone informed about the Space Shuttle launch. We had to get outside at 10:39 to see if we could see it take off. We didn't but that didn't stop us from talking about it all day.

We hit Sawgrass mills and went down to the beach for the rest of the day. The water was perfect and Cole and Dad went diving for treasures.

We decided to take Papa out for dinner so we went down to Verdi's to celebrate. As if he wasn't all ready hooked by Jordan, she won his heart when she sang Happy Birthday to him.

It was a lot of fun to see him smile. I am very thankful we had the opportunity to spend some time with him. The kids have pictures and memories to hopefully last a lifetime.

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Papa's 95th - Day 2

We met Papa, Marion and all his buddies at "The Bagel Tree" for breakfast. We gave Papa a framed 8 x 10 of a picture taken the night before. He could not get over the fact we were able to do it so quickly. Ahh the joys of digital photography.

After breakfast we decided to take the kids on a boat ride. The best option was a Water Taxi,.
We received an 1 1/2 tour of the Intercoastal Waterway. we past multi-million dollar homes, yachts and saw some native wildlife (iguanas).

Cole had a blast as the "captain" pushed 20 knots.

Marion had us over for dinner that night. The kids were tired but made it through without breaking anything. Jordan and Noah both tried chopped liver. As expected, Jordan love it.
Dinner was uneventful and it was a sweet gesture on her part. The kids are not big into sweet potatoes, and green beans but they survived. Dessert of black and white cookies was more their style.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Papa's 95th

Papa Dave turns 95 this week. Since our recent successful trip to HHI, we decided it would be a good time to visit Papa. He is turning 95 and had never met the kids.

We drove down on Sunday, July 24th. We left the house around 4:30 am and the trip was pretty easy taking about 10 1/2 hrs. The kids were great.

We called Papa to see if we could stop by. He was thrilled. Laura and I had not seen him in about 6 years and were expecting the worst. We couldn't have been more surprised. He looked great. He could not wait to show us (the kids) off to his friends. We followed him, yes he still drives - we were shocked, to the inverrary diner. There was about a 10 minute wait so it gave us time to catch up and for him to see the kids do what they do best. Run around and act like monkeys. It didn't take long to see, he formed an instant bond with his only great-grandaughter.

Everyone was so nice. Random strangers would stop by just to say hi to the little ones and each one offering either lollipops, cookies and compliments.

We spent a few hours total before calling an end to a VERY long day.

Friday, July 08, 2005

Major League Debut

We had a special night last night. I was given 3 tickets to the Braves game and the seats were absolutely fantastic. Directly behind home plate, Row 10. With Jordan and Noah garnering most of our attention, I thought it would be nice for Laura and I to take took Cole.
Not only did the Braves win, we got to be a part of a special evening. A local high school kid a few years ago, Jeff Francouer, made his major league debut. You could see the excitement in his face the entire game. What a thrill it must have been to play for your favorite team in front of all your friends and family. He received a standing ovation every time he came to the plate. He did not disappoint either. His 1st major league hit was a 3-run homerun which put the Braves ahead for good.

It was an exciting evening. Cole did not stop smiling, laughing and tomahawking the whole night. We had a blast.

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Hilton Head Vacation July 4th weekend 2005

Well we finally bit the bullet and took a vacation. As you can tell from the pictures, the kids had a blast. Cole spent the entire time in motion. Each morning we hit the beach for a few hours until hunger set in.

Cole discovered his new passion..... Boogieboarding.. Even though the kid can't swim and doesn't like to get his hair wet, he became a shark. He loved the ocean and was surfing in no time.

Dad found his new future as a Sand dollar hunter. Within minutes, we were able to round up a few dozen sand dollars and if there is ever a market for them in the future, we'll be set.

When Jordan and Noah would fade for an afternoon nap, Cole headed to the golf course to play golf with Papa. On other days, he and dad would go fishing.

Hopefully this trip generated the types of memories that will last a lifetime. We can't wait to our next family trip