XC x 2 - Florida, Part 1

We were so happy to reach Tallahassee and get to spend time with Ben's parents!  We all had a wonderful time with Mema and Papa, spending time together and exploring in and around the house. Here are a few of our adventures while we were at Mema and Papa's.

Feeding the fish in M & P's goldfish pond.

Papa taking the kids for a ride around the neighborhood.

We tried to take the boat out, but the water level was so low in the lake that Papa's
truck got stuck when he was trying to unload the boat.

The kids didn't let a perfectly good lake go to waste, though.

The lake also made a good place to get cleaned up after they discovered the mud.

Mema kept Luke mud-free.

The kids found Ben's old cornet and had a good time trying it out.  Jack started
to get the hang of it, but Cat's the one who received coaching from Papa (a band director
for 40+ years).  Unfortunately, she didn't really want to be taught.

Luke Loves Papa.

It was so nice for the kids to have uninterrupted time with Mema and Papa.
They cooked, painted, read, and played together - tea parties are always a hit.

One evening we took the kids on a driving tour of the places around town that were important to us.
We showed them Ben's high school, our wedding reception location, our first townhouse
and of course we drove them around FSU.  (Above is the dorm where I lived my first year.)
They were impressed with the campus - of course - but I think one of the big selling points was the circus.
Hey - whatever it takes, right?  We had more sites to see, such as places we
went when we were dating and the FAMU/FSU College of Engineering (a separate campus)
where Ben's classes were, but we ran out of time.  Maybe we'll finish the tour next time we're in town.

  

Mema let Cat try on her wedding dress, which she made herself.

Eliza's turn.  You can see a little more of the dress in this picture.
Isn't it pretty??

Luke, Daddy, and The WSJ.

Cat bought herself a new curling iron, and we enjoyed trying to figure out how to use it.

 

Rain!

The Swing!

Publix!
(Okay, so I was more excited about Publix than the kids...)

Florida Wildlife.

What Jack wanted to do more than anything while we were in Tallahassee was go fishing with Papa.
He was thrilled when the time came to take a bunch of crickets over to a neighbor's pond.

Fisherman Jack.

Can't wait till they get to go again.

What a wonderful visit.