Okefenokee Swamp

Blake's absolute favorite thing that we did while in Georgia was visit the Okefenokee Swamp. I was really excited to take the kids there since I have fond memories from my childhood going there for school field trips and I was very happy they liked it so much. I think Blake asked once a day after going when we were going back and he has even asked a few times since we have been home. Okefenokee is a Creek and Seminole word for land of trembling earth which is how the land through this swamp looks, like it is trembling. It is actually not solid ground and that is way it moves. It is 700 square miles large and the largest intact and unfragmented wetland wilderness swamp in North America. It is a little creepy that there is nothing in between you and these alligators. They lay out on the grass where you are walking and the swim beside you in the boats. I do believe that this is quite possibly the hottest I have ever been in my life but I do think it was well worth it!Taking our boat tour. We were lucky and saw an alligator sunning on the bank and a few swimming in the water.

Not only do they have alligators but they also have black bears in the swamp, that is why there is a bear with the alligator on the poster The two you can view are in a fence so I didn't get any good pictures.

After our boat ride we went to see Okefenokee Joe. He has different types of snakes and small alligators you can touch. Blake thought it was fantastic that he had an alligator on his head.

Grace and her alligator.

Lucy decided she needed to touch the alligator too but not only the tail she went for the head. I was taking this picture so I missed it but Cameron said she almost got some fingers taken off. Oh well who needs all five fingers!

Blake petting a snake.

This is Crazy. He is one of the few alligators that is in a cage because he scared the workers and they thought it best to lock him up. For days after Blake would tell me that he was Crazy the alligator, boy does that kid have an imagination!

Family Pictures on the Beach

Thanks to my sister while we were in Georgia we had some family pictures done. Lucy was not overly crazy about the sand and the other two keep digging in it but I think they turned out cute. Thanks Erin!

Site Seeing

We did do a little bit of site seeing around the island while we were there. The first place we went was to the light house. The first lighthouse was built around 1807 but burned down. The second lighthouse was built in 1872 which is the one that is still there today. We were able to climb to the top with my dad, which was a little scary because the steps are so small but worth the climb.Above is all of us at the top. There was a nice breeze blowing which was good because there was no breeze inside as we were climbing.

The second lighthouse and the lighthouse keepers residence which is now air conditioned thank goodness because it was freaking hot!

Starting our climb of the 129 steps.
My dad and Grace and Blake at the top.
Grace and Blake at the top.

Another place we went was Fort Frederica. This was a British Fort built to protect the southern most boundary of the British colonies from Spanish raids. There were about 630 troops stationed here and 500 colonial residents living here. Not a lot of the actual buildings are left but some of the actual fort is still there as you can see in the picture to the left, foundations of some of the homes and a small portion of the barracks.

There is a small museum with things they have found around the site like pottery, weapons and bullets. They have a little movie about the area, you can play games that the children would have played and you can dress up in the clothes of the day as seen above.
This is what is left of the barracks.
This is a cannon that would have a been used during this time period. Blake thought that this was the coolest thing there.

Georgia Vacay-Fun in the Sun

Like I said in my previous post we were able to head to Georgia this summer for a fun vacation with my parents. My sister and her kids were there too so my parents rented a beach house for all of us to stay. It was within walking distance of the beach but also a had a pool in the back so the majority of our time was spent swimming. The kids became pretty fearless and Lucy eventually warmed up to it by the end of the two weeks. This post is all about the water. Thanks mom and dad for a great time!My sweet baby and me!

Top Blake doing his dive. Ti was more of a belly flop mostly because of the arm floats but he tried hard.

Bottom Grace and her front flip. The picture is a little blurry but it was the best I got. One day she just went for it.

Hanging out in the pool.

We went down to the beach once to swim and that lasted an hour. The beach is fun but when you have a pool right outside the door that is so much better. I do feel bad because Grace really wanted to look for sand dollars but it is best to do that when it is low tide and we never made it out there then. We tried this day but it wasn't quite low enough.

Lucy was for sure not a fun. She really hates things to be on her hands and the sand bugged her greatly as you can tell in this picture. The kids did like that the water is way warmer than California and they did have fun but one hour was for sure enough!

Happy Birthday Lucy!

Lucy celebrated her first birthday about two weeks ago and we had a fun Ladybug pool party. We went to visit my parents in Georgia and we got to have the party with them at the beach house they rented for all of us to stay in. It had a pool in the backyard so all the kids had a great time swimming and eating hot dogs and hamburgers. Lucy was not so fond of the pool and we couldn't get her to open any of her presents but she sure loved the cake! I can't believe my little baby is a year old, it seems like it flew by so fast. Now if we can get her to walk!Her cute lady bug cake. It was suppose to be hot pink. Oh well I guess it looked good and tasted good so I guess that is the important part.

Lovin' her some cake!

This was the only present she even tried to open. Oh well Grace had fun opening them for her.

First time in the pool and she is not a fan.