One of those days

Have you ever had one of those days where you smile so much that by 5 o'clock, your cheeks start hurting? Wednesday was one of those days for me! The night before, my friend Charity called and asked if Chase and I wanted to join her and some other friends on a trip to Cypress Gardens the next day. The best part of the invitation was that she had some coupons so that we could all get in for free! I didn't know much about Cypress Gardens, other than that it's a really old Florida theme park that's famous for water ski shows. But since Chase and I didn't have any plans, and I rarely turn down an invitation to spend more time with a friend, I said yes! We loaded up the car the next morning with the kids and WAY too much stuff, I'm sure, and set out to drive about an hour to the park. We had perfect weather all day... HOT Florida sunshine, but fortunately none of the random thunderstorms that so often pop up in the middle of the day. We were so surprised and excited to find that they had tons of things for kids to do... even ones as young as Chase and Isaac (Charity's son, who is 12 months old)! We rode with them on several rides, including a small train, hang gliders, trucks, a mini roller coaster, the ferris wheel and carousel. For the most part they really enjoyed the rides! Especially if there were steering wheels to turn and buttons to push. We brought a picnic lunch to enjoy on a shady bench, and later we stopped for some Dip n' Dots, which the boys loved. They also have a water park, botanical gardens, and a zoo at the park, in addition to the ski shows that they're famous for! There was just so much to do and too little time, so we'll have to go back some day.

Riding the trucks:
Lunch break!
Hang gliders:
Us, with Charity and Isaac:

Yum... Dip n' Dots!
Chase's favorite ride... the carousel:

The botanical gardens... they were beautiful!

When we got home, I took the dogs out to the backyard and Chase followed. He saw his friend Cooper outside hanging around his little green plastic kiddie pool, so he walked over to play. Well, they were both in their clothes, but decided to go for a swim anyways! Since I hate to stop spontaneous fun, I just let it happen... I figured it would take way too long to go back in the house, get Chase changed into his bathing suit and swim diaper, and slathered in sunscreen! So he and Cooper had a great time jumping in and out of the pool, chasing each other around the yard and then rolling in the grass! They play so well together now. I wish I had had a camera to take pictures because I've never seen them have so much fun together! Julie, Casey, and I stayed out there for a long time just watching the boys and laughing at their antics! By that time it was around 5pm, and that's when I noticed my cheeks hurting from smiling way too much that day! When we finally decided to go inside, Chase was soaking wet, covered in grass and dirt, and his diaper was about 30 pounds! So I stripped off his clothes on the lanai and let him run around for a few minutes while I got the bath ready. Of course, he decided that the best way to spend his outdoor naked time was to sweep the floor! He absolutely did not want to come inside... he was having too much fun! Needless to say, he slept well that night!