Galoon!

The Petersons so graciously invited us to spend the day with them at Lagoon! Thanks to Dave's work, our tickets and lunch were F R E E! It was awesome! I haven't been to Lagoon since I was in highschool (the summer we got season passes and used them twice). The weather was perfect- not hot, a cool breeze and Lagoon was WAY nicer than I remember! The kids had a blast! We rode LOTs of rides and the kids braved some of the bigger coasters too! We only lost two pair of sunglasses (Ash and Mc) and had one kid bleed (Kingston) but all in all a successful amusement park day. 

Truth be told, I wasn't completely sold on the idea when Amy first asked. Mark was unsure of when he would be back from Blanding, the kids were missing swimming lessons, I had work, didn't want to bring Enzo. All excuses. I am SO glad that I took the day off work and that Mary Ann was willing to watch the baby. It really was an excellent day and one the kids won't soon forget. *Note to self: remember to say "yes" when you can. 

Crammed in the train! 

Tasty treats! 

Waiting for the spider to hit them with it's "venom" 

COUSINS! 

Daddy and Sissy on the egg ride. 

School's out for summah!

One more successful graduation from the Little Blue School House with Miss Sally and Miss Jessica. Kingston did awesome! He is definitely different from Mc- he is very proficient with his numbers and can already do simple math but, he struggles with letter recognition and sounds (something we will have to work on for sure!). He already has our address and phone number memorized and his teachers said that he made them laugh "A LOT". He's our sweet boy with a tender heart that makes friends easily. 

One advantage to a summer birthday- the last "real" day of school, you got to celebrate your birthday with a bag full of goodies and little ice creams for your friends!

Our little graduate. Mimi came and brought you chocolate and a baby Groot. You said your favorite part of Preschool was singing time. 

To add to the summer fun of 2016, Kingston learned to ride a two wheeler in ONE day! He was pretty nervous that he would crash and die but, we took him to the school, Mark gave him one good let go and he hasn't looked back. He is SO fast and loves his new found freedom. You are the coolest! Let it also be noted that MOST of the "scary" things you accomplish are done so because mom bribes you with a Lego mini figurine- the slide at the pool, riding your bike, the rollercoaster at Jungle Jim's.

Miss Mckinley finished 1st grade with flying colors! She really excelled in reading this year and moved up to a Level L! She earned the Husky Award for completing all the required tasks for the year (presenting a book report, her reading level, not having too many absences). Ms Garduno was an awesome teacher and once again, we shed some tears at the end of the year because you are going to miss First grade so much.

We really are blessed with such good kids and it has been awesome to see what they can accomplish when they put their minds to it. It seems that they are naturally dedicated and want to succeed. All their teachers comment on their ability to make friends and their willingness to help. We love these kiddos and can't wait to see what the future holds for our BIG all day kindergartner and 2nd grader.

Tip Toe Through the Tulips

This year the weather cooperated enough for us to make it to the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point. Mark was off work, the weather was a bit breezy and it was the perfect day to go! We decided to rent a golf cart (the ONLY way to go) and we had a blast. The tulips were beautiful! There were SO many and lots of different kinds. The kids loved hopping on/off the cart and running from place to place. It was an awesome family home evening! 

Sissy was an awesome helper!

Sunnies- it's how we get down as Williamsons. This is our selfie from the golf cart. 

Cruisin together

The Lawrence family cruise of 2016 was a grand success (THANKS MOM AND DAD!!)! We (Bree, Ty, Mark and I) were a little worried we wouldn't make the ship but, once we were on, we could relax and enjoy ourselves. We had an EXCELLENT time. It was such a much deserved break after a rough 2015. We flew into Tampa early in the morning, boarded the ship and headed to Key West. The weather was amazing! We left rain and cold for sunshine, warm ocean and beaches.

We shared a room with Bree and Ty, had dinner together every day, played mini golf, layed in the sun, watched movies on the ship (saw my first ever Star Wars), at lots of our "favorite" foods (the pumpkin seed rolls were awesome), I walked every morning on the boat, ate lots of Coconut Rangers, slept, read, and just chilled. The kids got to stay with Alex, Mary Ann and G & Chris. They hardly missed us I am sure. 

Key West was the first stop- we learned that the island is mostly man made. It is only two miles wide by four miles wide- so a strong hurricane could basically blow it into the ocean. We had Haagen Daz ice cream, shopped and just enjoyed being outside and not freezing to death. 

Amazing sunsets every night on the ocean. 

Our luxury suite that we shared with the Thomases. They graciously slept on the fold out beds the entire trip. 

Sisters in our $1.95 Key West hats. 

I walked into a store in Key West and a lady placed this little stick on butterfly on my shoulder. I  immediately started to cry. Ash was with me the whole day!

All aboard the Conch Train! We had a good time coasting the manmade island of Key West with our tour guide Bruce (26 years of experience). It was actually pretty fun. The ocean breeze was perfect and that took up some of the day. Tyler or "Tom Cat" as we lovingly called him, opted to prowl the island and return for food when necessary. 

Ernest Hemingway's house. 

Feeding the Nurse sharks at the Aquarium. 

The aquarium in Key West.

Brayden was able to join us in Key West (Missed ya, Brayd!)

Mark teaching us to play a Conch.

Here we have the 2nd place winner of the "Sexiest Man on the Ship" ( I totally made him enter)- Mr Tyler made himself a few geriatric lady friends. It was pretty funny, everywhere we went, someone knew Tyler and would tell him that he was "robbed" for not winning the contest. 

Brilliance of the Seas

Paradise Beach, Cozumel.

Cozumel was a blast! We spent the morning on recommendation at Paradise Beach. For $21/per person, we had access to all the beach equipment, snorkels, kayaks, paddle boards and the beach. I had the best nachos and guac of my life and really just enjoyed sitting there, watching the ocean. We snorkeled and saw Barracuda and brought home coral from the ocean floor.

We chose to do a Submarine excursion while in Cozumel too. It was pretty cool. I didn't realize how clear the ocean is. It almost looked like an underwater desert. There were huge fish, stingrays and a sunken ship they had purposefully sunk to provide more growth for habitats. We went super far down and saw the 2nd largest reef in the world. Pretty amazing. 

 We had too many awesome face swaps and lots of laughs at each other's expense which is what makes family trips so magical.

Tyler and Dad

Mom and Dad

Chilling in the sun.  

I could get used to this. 

On our last day in Tampa (before we flew home) we stopped at a Manatee habitat but didn't see one manatee. Oh well.