It all started for Paul when he was just Preston's age, and for me when I was 12. The Turkey Rod Run car show at Daytona Beach that is! It has been a tradition for Paul's family for that long. In fact, last I heard Paul's dad even took Paul alone without Connie and Steven. Can you believe that?? I cannot imagine Paul taking Jackson on vacation without us! haha! My parents took me right after Paul and I met for the first time, and my dad still goes every few years. But, you all know how much tradition means to me, and even more so how much it means to me to pass down those traditions to my children. So, each Thanksgiving it just doesn't seem right if the boys don't end up at the Turkey Rod Run. This was Preston's 2nd trip and Jackson's 3rd. And, each time of course they just love it! They aren't quite old enough yet to want to wake up at 5am to head to the car show and the swap meet at the racetrack with their daddy and Paw Paw just yet, but I know my time with them down there where they want to spend the whole day with Mommy having fun is going to be short lived, so I decided this year to soak it up!
Each day we started breakfast together just me and the boys at our hotel's scrumptious (free for us thanks to daddy's many travels throughout the year with his auctions) buffet. Man, oh man, is it some good food. The kids were in hog heaven. And, I let them eat pretty much whatever they wanted. Which I will go ahead and add Jackson's average blood sugar during vacation was 180. Whoops. At home it is always between 140 and 150, but it was vacation after all! Right?? All that matters is now it is back down to 150. :) They loved the waffles and orange juice!
Then, each day we found fun stuff to do until Daddy got home. At night we of course went riding in the hot rod with Daddy, but during the day we played putt putt, rode go karts, and played arcade games, swam, built sand castles, and played on the playground.
When we went to the arcade, I quickly realized how yes, diabetes is a third child. Man, it was so hard to carry all of our supplies, cold bag, tickets, tokens, cameras, jackets, etc. I actually was thinking do I cry or laugh? So, I instead told Jackson, "Please take my picture carrying all this mess! So, daddy will see it! He will never believe how full my hands are!" I know this sounds like such a stereotypical metaphor, but it really was true for me: My hands were full, but so was my heart.
We ate dinner the last night at my favorite restaurant down there, Aunt Catfish's. It is so cool. They actually have a playground right outside for the kids to enjoy while you are waiting on your table, and it's clean. :) The kids were thrilled. Here is Preston giving Paw Paw a high five waiting on our table.
With much awesome help from Maw Maw, it was possible to ride gokarts. :) They were both old enough to "ride" but not tall enough to "drive." So, I had to take turns driving them. It was scary because those things were fast! But, they loved every minute of it. I was a nervous wreck since there were lots of teens riding the same time as us, but God kept us safe!
And, we were very excited that our friends Nathan and Jessica took their hot rod to the beach, too. We like Nathan and Jessica alot, but even more so we love their kids! :) Tess and Wyatt are adorable and made for great playmates during our trip! The boys just adore Tess.
It evokes so much emotion going on this trip each year. I remember when Paul and I were just teenagers ourselves walking through those parking lots dreaming of having our own hot rod, our own families, and becoming adults ourselves able to make our own decisions and control our own lives. And, now here we are. Wow. Time really flies. It really kept crossing my mind this year how it seems like yesterday we were just fifteen on vacation together with his parents. Wonder if it crosses Bobby and Connie's minds too?
Yes, most people do not go swimming during Thanksgiving break, but in Florida anything goes! The pool is heated, although it could be alot warmer for me than it was. :) But, the kids don't care, right? They love swimming!
They are doing so good swimming without fear now. But, I must say I wish they had a bit more fear. We actually (me, Gail and Connie being "we") lost Jackson for a minute or two during a rowdy time period (did I mention a middle school football and cheerleading championship always goes on during the same time down there as our car show and many attendees stay at our hotel?) at the pool, and I literally think I died for a few short minutes searching (and screaming bloody murder while trying to act calm so my mother-n-law didn't have a heart attack) for him. Finally, we found him adjacent to where we were playing in another area of the pool. We scared him to death scolding him, but he was fine. Whew. That was a horrible feeling. You want self-confident kids, but then it's like you don't. The kids were in the pool, and I was not. I was in my swimsuit but on the sidelines. I thought we were ready for that step, but maybe not. I knew I could jump in and save them, but losing them altogether hadn't crossed my mind!
Each year you never know just how warm it might be. It is of course alot warmer than Georgia, but typically the ocean is still a tad chilly. My kids though (and Tess!) weren't afraid of being cold! They would have went out in the ocean neck deep if we would have allowed it! They love the ocean. All three of them. Wyatt didn't know what to think.
Why do we play putt putt? I stink at it. Let's just be honest. I really don't like it. Never have. Oh, wait. Jackson likes it. That's why. Darn putt putt. Sigh.
It is starting to seem like a beach trip isn't a beach trip without Grandma Gail. And Mista Joe. We were so blessed to have so many people go down with us this year. It really made for fun evenings.
You might be asking yourselves what we do on the actual Thanksgiving day down there, and well they do have Cracker Barrel you know. :) You can find turkey and dressing there of course. That is another tradition for us. Mmmm..pumpkin pie. :) The kids liked the checkers, too.
Here is our "hot rod" as the boys call it. There is a lot of history behind this car. In fact, Paul's brother used to own it. It was his first car. Paul even got his driver's license in it. Yes, he drove a 1969 Camaro for his driving test. Cute, huh? Steven (Paul's brother) sold it shortly before he got married and thankfully we knew the person he sold it to. So, when it came up for sale, Paul really didn't want it to get away and not be in the family any longer. So, we bought it. It reminds me of Paul's first car (also a 1969 Camaro), and just riding in any 1969 Camaro with Paul brings back so many memories. The kids adore it, and you can so tell they have "camaro blood" in their veins just like their daddy and Uncle Steven.
I really think Preston has more "camaro blood" than Jackson though. Time will tell. We'll see.
You cannot see by this picture, but I almost peed my pants when Paul put Preston on his shoulders. Preston didn't know where to hold on and immediately had his fingers in Paul's nostrils. It was hilarious. :)Thankfully, Jackson has had more experience on Paul's shoulders and didn't go straight for the nose. :)
Even though this isn't our "beach trip" for the year (that is during the summer), I do like to get "beach pictures" while we are down there each year. You might remember a Christmas card a few years ago when my hair was completely sideways. :) This year though I promised to be laid back about it, and well you can see how that turned out. Beach pictures, in the dark. Pitch black that is. Oh, well. It is still a family picture, right?
God love these kids! Aren't they such a blessing?
Paul always says you can tell if Felicia had a good day or not if she is able to walk by the end of it. If she can still walk, it wasn't a good day. haha! Being the SUPERMOM I am I wore the poor kids out I guess. :) This is Preston waiting on me to shower for dinner. He was watching TV.
Thankfully, he woke up in a good mood...
The kids always enjoy a trip to the playground.
And, they were ecstatic about the new hot rod t-shirts Daddy got them.
And, Preston was in HOG HEAVEN when he saw a real race car in the restaurant where we typically ate lunch at our hotel. He was literally trying to climb in it.
Of course, nothing makes the boys happier than rough housing with their dad! (me, too.) I love vacation for the simple fact the four of us are together the whole time. This trip is different than our other vacations in that Daddy does leave us to go to the racetrack for the beginning of the day, but we still get to see him way more than if he was at work. I love vacation! Have I ever mentioned that before?
Ahhh..I also love the beach, too. Have I mentioned that before?
Oh, wait. I love my big JPM even more than vacation and the beach though. I am sure I have mentioned THAT before!
There he is again!
What a great daddy and husband!
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