Okefenokee Swamp Park

Let's face it, there's not a lot to see and do in southeast Georgia. Our one major claim to fame is the Okefenokee Swamp. This swamp is currently being considered to become a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is one of the world's largest naturally driven freshwater ecosystems. Unlike many other significant wetland areas, the Okefenokee Swamp is the source of rivers rather than their recipient, and therefore escapes most disturbances to natural hydrology and water flow. (Yes- I stole that last sentence off of the Internet.) There are three main entrances that a person can use in order to explore the swamp- one of those being just outside of Waycross. Brian and I have been to the swamp park a dozen times, but we have never taken the kids. So, today we decided to do just that.

We arrived at the swamp in the afternoon, but were able to do everything that we wanted to do except take the train ride. We visited all of the exhibits. The most popular of these being the "trembling Earth" simulation- which was really just very large cushions that you could walk around on to simulate the unsteady marshland. The kids had a good time jumping around on those.

There were several animals on display at the park. We saw gators (of course), bears, deer, otters, and snakes. We were the only people at the reptile show in the afternoon, so we got a lot of individual attention. Olivia was able to pet a corn snake (named Cornelius) and two young alligators at this show. She's braver than I am- you couldn't pay me to touch those things! In addition to all of the live animals, there were also a large number of stuffed animals. I noticed that there was a taxidermist on staff- so I guess that explains it. There was one exhibit where we walked through a dimly lit room full of stuffed animals- that was a little disturbing.

The highlight of our day was the boat tour through the swamp. We signed up for the 30-minute tour, but ended up getting the 1-hour tour. The captain said that since we were the only ones on the boat that it would go faster and we could cover more ground in less time. We saw several gators while on the boat tour. We even saw a mama gator with babies in her nesting area. The only negative thing about the day was that the swamp was teeming with yellow flies and it was a constant battle to keep them off of us while on the boat tour. Other than that, we had a pleasant afternoon exploring this natural treasure.

Saying Goodbye

Today was a sad day. It was the kids' last day at daycare. You may recall that last fall Okefenokee Technical College cut funding to their daycare program, but the Ware County BOE picked it up for the rest of the school year because so many BOE employees had children at the center. Even though the child care center was operating in the black, the BOE decided not to continue with the child care program after this school year. So, today was the final operating day for the daycare. It was very sad for everyone. The ladies at the center have taken care of my children since Olivia was 6 weeks old. We are surely going to miss going to the Little Gator Child Care Center next year. I suppose next week I'll begin my search for a new daycare.

Memorial Day with the Fords

Many consider Memorial Day weekend to be the unofficial beginning of summer. If this is the case, then we had a very nice start to our summer this year. We traveled to Valdosta today to spend time with the Ford family. We were especially excited for Owen and Olivia to meet their cousins Otto and Emory. Emory is nine months older than Olivia, and the two of them really seemed to hit it off. I'm currently formulating a plan to make a million dollars by bottling the energy that these two have. I think that Olivia and Emory could quite possibly solve the energy crisis.



Here are some pictures of the reunion. The second picture was taken at Las Bandaras Mexican Restaurant. I had never been there before, but really liked the ambiance (and the food was good, too). I think that everyone enjoyed the visit, and we are looking forward to future get-togethers.

Training Wheels

We suspected back in March that Olivia may be ready for a tricycle. So Brian, doing what he usually does, has been on the lookout for a good deal. Last week he came home not with a tricycle but with a small bicycle that had training wheels. I was a little skeptical at first as I thought that it would be too much for Olivia to handle. Not so- she is really getting the hang of it. The only part that she has trouble with is turning around. This means that when she goes out to ride the bike Brian has to stand at one end of the driveway and I have to stand at the other to help her turn. I am pleasantly surprised with the progress that she is making. Maybe in a few years she'll be ready to ride in the BRAG with her Papa!

Flowers Everywhere

There is a field down the road from our house that fills with flowers each spring. Last week, Brian pulled the kids down to the field in the wagon to play. Ever since then, Olivia has been wanting to go back. So, we decided to take the kids back today after church, and we snapped a few pictures while we were there. After all, how could we resist taking pictures in such a beautiful setting? Actually, I think that half of the town has been thinking along similar lines because there have been picture-takers in the field all week. Here are some of the better photos from this afternoon.

Congratulations, Quincy!

I am so proud of my sister, Quincy. Today she received her bachelor's degree. My parents are leaping for joy because their paying-for-college days are almost over (4 children down, 1 more to go). Quincy worked very hard to get this degree, and I am so happy for her. Congratulations, sis!

Back from the Bash

Well, the school year is almost over! We are on the home stretch now. This time of the year- the time between spring break and graduation- is always my busiest. It seems like I constantly have some school-related function to attend (Prom, Honor's Night, Baccalaureate, etc...). There is one school function, though, that I always look forward to- chaperoning the Senior trip to Grad Bash (Universal) or Grad Night (Disney). Even though the event is for the Seniors, there is one unbeatable perk for the chaperones. At Grad Bash chaperones get to use the fast lane to ride all of the rides while the students go through the regular queues. So, this ends up being the best time to ride the coasters (and you all know what a coaster fan I am).

We left last Friday morning to go to Universal Studios. After a trip to the mall, we arrived at Universal at 6:30 in the afternoon and stayed until 2:00 am. We all slept on the bus and were home by 6:00 am. It made for a long day, but it was totally worth it. As a bonus, I got to buy these cute Dr. Seuss shirts for Owen and Olivia at Universal. Olivia has really been into Dr. Seuss lately and so she loves that she and Owen get to dress like Thing 1 and Thing 2.