Headed Home!

Sunday morning, we started packing up to leave Disney and start working our way home.

Our first stop was Devils Den Springs in central Florida. Clint and I dove in the cavern while Laura snorkeled.

The next day, we drove to Pensacola to visit the area.  The kids were all starting to grate on each other's nerves and spent a lot of the drive fighting in the back seats.  After we arrived and set up camp, and the kids all settled down.

The next day we went to the Naval Aviation Museum on the Air Station.  I hadn't been there since I was training at the Navy and Marine schools back in 1998.  The museum was great, but very busy and trying to keep up with the kids was a challenge.  I got to see a new addition to the museum that had a VH-3 like I had worked on at Quantico

That evening, I took the kids to see The Incredibles 2 at the movie theater.

The next morning My parents said good by and began driving home to Kansas, while we drove a short leg to Mobile.  The following day we drove to New Orleans and visited the WW2 museum there (I forgot to take any pictures).

Finally we made it back to Texas and had dinner with Sarah's parents at their home in Conroe.

The last day was a Saturday and very hot.  Of course we had to stop at Buccees for gas to properly end a Texas road trip.

Four weeks and 4200 mile later, we were finally home.

Disney

After leaving Key West we visited Everglades National Park and the famous fruit stand near the entrance.  The kids enjoyed their key lime milkshakes.

The next day we arrived at Ft Wilderness which is the campground for Disney World.  This is probably one of the nicest RV campgrounds in the country.  The cost is not cheap, but it is considerably less than a hotel suite.  We also were able to save some money by cooking most of our meals at "home" while we were there.

The first day, I took the older kids to Magic Kingdom while Mom and Dad took the little boys.  WE first went to Space Mountain before the lines got too long, but after waiting an hour and about 5 minutes from our turn, the fire alarm went off and the entire building was evactuated.

After a few more rides, the temperature was climbing and the crowds growing pretty thick, we went back to the trailer for lunch and a nap.  Later that evening we all went back to the park to see a few more rides.  This time we had a "fastness" for Space Mountain so we didn't have to wait long at all.  I've never ridden a roller coaster that I couldn't see the track before, it was a lot of fun.

We got a picture of the whole family in front of Cinderella's Castle before the little guys went back to the campsite with Grandma and Grandpa.

At the end of the night we enjoyed the fireworks show and headed back for a well earned rest.

The next day we lounged around through the morning before heading to Epcot around noon.  Laura, Clint and I were scheduled to scuba dive at the aquarium.  It was a great experience scuba diving in front of an audience.  My parents brought the younger boys so they could see us through the window.

Thursday was Patricks 9th Birthday.  The little boys were pretty over done with the theme parks, so I took the older kids to Disney Hollywood Studios.  We enjoyed the rides and shows, I even broke my "no gift shop stuff" rule for Patrick since it was his birthday.  Grandma bought a cake for Patrick and we celebrated his birthday.

Friday, we drove over to Clearwater Marine Aquarium to see the dolphins from the movie, and then drove to Sarasota to visit with a couple of my friends college.

Saturday was a hot day, but we enjoyed swimming and exploring the campground before packing up to leave on Sunday.