Tibbitts Family

We started our pool project in January 2023.  We were so excited that we would soon have a pool in our backyard.  The pool company explained that from sign to swim it would be 5 months in time.  How exciting!  We would be swimming by summer time.  Hope has been in swim lessons since she was about 1 year old and loves the water. I’m so glad we started the project during the winter months when we really didn’t have a desire to go in a pool because it does actually get cold in Florida.  When the weather did warm up, we had our community pool to swim in, which was perfect.   Step One: Dig the pool The soil here in Florida is so easy to dig unlike San Diego soil, which is filled with rocks.  The crew took half a day or less to dig out the pool.  The rebar team then moved in to prepare for the next step, which was pouring the concrete.  After the team finished the digging and placing the rebar, an alligator turtle wondered into our backyard and was heading towards the pool.  Thankfully, we s

 Our First Trip to the Magic Kingdom - May 2023 Last November we visited Disney's EPCOT center.  This year the plan was to visit The Magic Kingdom.  We had a good reason to go when some friends from out of town came to visit us.  We ate Pineapple DoleWhip ice cream and Mickey Mouse ice cream bars.  Hope got to meet one of her favorite princesses of all time, Belle.  We had a wonderful time and the kids did great. I learned a few things about going to Disney World and the Magic Kingdom during this trip.  I learned that May is way to hot to go to Disney World.  We were sweating all day.  As a result, we will not be going to Disney World again from about March to November.  Not a good temperature here in Florida to be outside all day. So if you are planning on coming to visit us during that time and want to go to Disney, go right ahead, but know that we won't be joining you. I learned that once you park your car in the parking lot at the Magic Kingdom, you then have to take the Mo

 Florida has a lot of farms to visit and pick fruit.  On this day, we ventured out to Dade City to pick some peaches.  The peaches that grow here in Florida are not big, but boy are they delicious.  Hope really liked peach picking.  There were plenty of peaches for her to pick at her level, but she also liked getting up high to pick the ones on top of the tree. Hope on top of Ray picking some yummy fruit. I got her up on my shoulder to pick some really good looking peaches. She got it!

  Tibbitts Family Easter 2023 Our first Easter in Florida was wonderful.  We were able to attend three Easter egg hunts.  The first Easter egg hunt was with our new ward family outside of the church building.  Hope had to move fast to find any eggs as there were loads of big kids to compete with at this activity. Hope trying to find as many eggs as she could.  She did a great job. Ray and Hope checking out some of the items in her Easter eggs.  I was able to sneak into a photo.  Easter Egg Hunt Number Two The second Easter egg hunt took place in our front yard before church and we were lucky to be joined by our good friends and neighbors, the Holloway family.  Ed and Dana Holloway have four children, Eli, Chase, Everly, and Julia. Hope and Ray finding lots of eggs. Hope found a huge green Easter egg. Hope finding lots of eggs in our front yard.  The Easter Bunny was busy that year.  I believe there was over 100 eggs in our yard and our neighbor's yard. Hope's Easter Basket Surr