Focht Family Blog

Well.. we didn’t check-in until 1:00! I forgot that we needed to stop and get groceries. We woke up bright and early. I figured the children would want to go to the Magic Kingdom but they decided they wanted to go to Animal Kingdom. We caught the bus and made it to Animal Kingdom by 10:00 in the morning. This is the first time we have been to Disney when it has been decorated for Christmas. I was enjoying looking at all the Christmas trees that were at the front of all of the parks. Here is a picture of the kids by the tree in front of Animal Kingdom.

We went on a few rides and then found a playground area that had ropes you could climb up. Nathan and I climbed up with the kids and mom took a couple of pictures from the ground.

While in the play area, the kids found a Jeep in worse shape than Nathan’s….

Next, Samantha talked grandma into going on Expedition Everest with her. Samantha loves rollercoasters but she doesn’t like the Yeti that you see on this one, although the coaster is one of the best at Disney!

We decided to try some new things on this trip so each day we did something that we have never done. On Monday we went to the Flights of Wonder show. Here is a picture of Nathan and Timmy in front of an owl that they had out front of the show before the show started.

The show was full of well-trained birds that showcased what they do in the wild with an emphasis on conservation of their environments. Timmy’s favorites were the Scarlet Macaws which he was thrilled that he knew what they were before the lady said their name. He learned about them from watching Diego.

Before we left Animal Kingdom we went on the Safari ride that takes you through the animal reserve and shows you up close some of the animals. It is Nathan’s favorite part of this park. Eventually I would like to take him on the tour that goes closer to the animals but you have to stay in a concierge level suite at the Wilderness Lodge and pay for the tour above and beyond that cost. I don’t think he will get to do it anytime soon! :) Here is a picture of a giraffe that was close to our vehicle.

After the safari we went back to the RV for a late lunch – early dinner. One of the wonderful things that we got to do this year was hop from park to park because we have annual passes this year. Mom and I decided after dinner to rent a golf cart for a couple of hours so we took a tour of all of the decorated RVs. Some of these people spend their whole winters here and keep decorations in storage units nearby. Here is one of my favorites.

After our tour of the campground we went back out to Magic Kingdom. Because we were staying on property we can take advantage of extra hours in the mornings and evenings. Monday Magic Kingdom had extra hours until midnight so we took the kids out for their first time getting to see the nighttime parade and the fireworks. Unfortunately, my camera doesn’t work very well in the dark so I got one good shot from the parade and one picture of the castle while it was lit up. The lights made the castle look like it was frosted with lights.

Catching up…

Last week we had the pleasure of having some friends we met in Indiana at Newmar stay a night at the campground in Statesboro to visit with us. Their names are Scott and Nancy and we really have enjoyed the times we have been able to spend chatting with them.

Friday we drove to Magnolia Springs and spent the weekend camping out with Nathan’s company for a Winter Weekend. We had a great time and ate a LOT of food! The whole weekend was pretty much eating and campfires! Everyone did a 5 mile hike on Saturday but I stayed at the RV because I knew the kids wouldn’t be able to walk that far. However, on Friday we went out to the local Aquarium and saw an alligator on the banks where we were crossing. Then my mom took Samantha and Timmy on a 1.2 mile hike with Aunt Chris (she works for Nathan) and Bridgette (Joshua was napping) and while on the walk they saw 2 alligators! The funny thing was that Chris had let her dog go swimming that morning because she thought the alligators would be hibernating. Thankfully her dog is okay.

We left Magnolia Springs at 12:00. We stopped in Statesboro to drop off some things from the weekend and had lunch with Nathan’s parents. we then stopped in Brunswick and visited with Scott and Nancy at a parking lot on our way through. They winter in Jekyll Island and happened to be in town as we were passing by. We have a lively discussion on religious differences between denominations. Scott and Nancy are Mennonite and we are Catholic.

We left Brunswick at 7:00 and we are expecting to be at Fort Wilderness at 11:30 to check-in and then we will hit one of the parks tomorrow after breakfast. I will take the camera and get some pictures tomorrow of wherever we are. :)

Thursday we decided we would drive to Jacksonville to pick up Nathan’s older sister from the airport. She was flying in for a birthday surprise for Nathan’s younger sister. We decided to do this so we could stop at Speedco in Brunswick to get the oil change because Cummins has been very busy and we weren’t sure we were going to be able to get an appointment there before we leave.

When they started to change the oil they told us that a collar was loose on the oil pan and we were leaking and they would not be able to change the oil because if they took the collar out, they wouldn’t be able to put it back in. We are not sure if it was them that loosened the collar since Nathan was under the coach on Thanksgiving and there were no oil leaks. However when we drove it to Cummins on Friday morning they noticed that all of the bolts on the oil pan had been torqued to much and had been driven into the pan while they were replacing the engine, so Wednesday we have to be at Cummins in Savannah all day while they put in a new oil pan. The fun never ends….

Funny how some times we go to a movie expecting to just watch a silly show and we can come out of it with such a powerful statement to how we should be living our lives! Today Nathan and I took the kids to a movie after church. It was Mr. Magorium’s Magical Emporium. The title of this post is a quote from the movie!

We had a fun time and the kids all seemed to enjoy it. I think they just enjoy being able to have a lunch of popcorn and coke every once and awhile. Nathan and I are busy planning our travels for after Christmas. We are putting together a list of places that are on our must-sees. So far we have decided that we will be going to the San Diego Zoo and Knott’s Berry Farm while in California. We also have Jelly Belly and Lego Land on our want to see list.

We have to be in San Diego January 10th and I just made reservations for Disney for March 10th so who knows what all will lie in between. We have also just made reservations to attend The Rally in Perry March 14th followed by a Jeep trip to Tellico. Looking forward to being back on the road. Only 1 month left to go….

We had Thanksgiving at Nathan’s parents house. His sister Christina and I made most of the meal to give his mom a break. Christina did most of the cooking. I made the mashed potatoes, the sweet potatoes and a small fruit salad without nuts for my mom. I was supposed to help his sister clean up afterward but Nathan had to take over for me because Timmy had a fever of 103 and wanted his mommy.

When we were visiting with my brother, his girls were under the weather so I think Timmy just caught their virus. His fever finally broke last night and he seems to be feeling better today. The funny part is that Samantha and Josh seem to be able to fight off the viruses easier. They have both been a little cranky and sleeping longer but the fever has been staying away from both of them.

It has been interesting watching how the immune system works with the kids. So far since we have been travleing they have not been sick except for the occassional sniffle here and there. This is the first fever we have had in 3 months! It is a nice change. I think Timmy is definitely the one who is more prone to catching things than his sister or brother are.