We gave the bait to some older ladies that drove up in a big dually truck as we were getting ready to leave. Yep four older ladies wearing skirts, driving a dually, getting ready to fish.
So, we didn’t catch any edible fish, but it was a gorgeous day. I got some fun pictures of some of my favorite people. :)
Yesterday, we had a blast at the beach. My parents are in town, so we, of course, took a trip to the beach. I can’t have my parents come to Florida for a visit and not go to the beach now, can I? :)
We were cold, so we didn’t stay for the sunset, but it was cool to see the cute old couples arrive as we were leaving. They got their beach chairs and a blanket and sat along the beach to watch the sunset. I love to watch old couples, especially the ones that still hold hands. I like to imagine that they’ve been married for 50+ years and that they still argue over silly things like where to squeeze the toothpaste tube. Anyway, I digress…
The kids made a fun sandcastle, but I forgot to take a picture. A group near us sculpted this:
Doug, Ian, and a few of the other guys did a lot of this:
Football on the beach is pretty much mandatory, right? I totally would have played too, if I wasn’t holding a sleeping baby almost the whole time. Doug had a good time playing catch. :) 
I didn’t get in the water. It was too cold, and I was holding a sleepy baby most of the time that we were there. (I’m not complaining, just explaining why I sat in my chair most of the time…) The temperature didn’t stop the kids from having a great time splashing in the frigid salt water. Mom and Dad even got their feet wet. Even that was too cold for me.
Once he dried off, Tanner had a good time chasing sea gulls and Timmy worked diligently on his sand castle.
Ok, friends, who is going to visit next? Let’s go to the beach! :)
Spring Break started a little early at our house. My parents and Ian arrived on Thursday afternoon, so I kept the boys out of school on Friday so we could spend as much time with my family as possible. We decided to check out the Florida Aquarium. We even got half off since we have memberships with the San Antonio Zoo. Score!
When we first got there, the place was literally overrun with school field trip groups. It was ridiculous. It was loud and crowded, and quite frankly, it wasn’t much fun. Until the school groups left. Then the aquarium was a really nice place to hang out for the day. Do you want to see some pictures? I thought so. :)
There’s a splash pad here too, but there was no water in it, so the kids just ran around and played on the pirate ship. They also do dolphin tours, but we didn’t want to pay extra for that on this trip. We weren’t supposed to bring outside food, but, whatever. I’m a rebel. We brought our lunch and enjoyed it. We sat in a little pavilion picnic area next to the water. While we ate, we saw a couple of dolphins swim past us and we watched the birds dive for fish. It pays to be a rule breaker sometimes. :)
We got passes to Busch Gardens so we can go back all year long. We went twice in February, and I’m looking forward to going again. I didn’t take that many pictures, so I’ll be sure to take more next time.
The boys had an eye opening experience the second time that we went. I took the kids to the park with some friends since it was a school holiday, and we had lots of fun. :)
The kids rode fun roller coasters. This is an image of the Scorpion, a roller coaster the kids really enjoyed. I’m still in shock that my little boys are big enough for a coaster this big, but of course they were thrilled. In fact, Timmy only needs to grow like three inches and then he’ll be big enough for the big roller coasters. Like this one: 
It was a nice warm February day (don’t be jealous!), so the kids had fun playing at the splash pad too. And there’s a cool Cirque du Soleil show. I didn’t think my boys would like it, but they loved it.
**Those with weak constitutions or easily aggravated gag reflexes are advised to stop reading here.**
We also enjoyed seeing lots of animals. While touring the Orangutan exhibit, we watched them play and climb and swing. Just before we moved on to the Gorilla exhibit, one orangutan sat on a cliff edge within the habitat and proceeded to – ummm – do his business. The kids were fascinated watching the ape poop. Their fascination soon turned to disgust when the animal grabbed his poop in his hand and took a big bite. He walked over to another area, picked up some lettuce. He had lettuce in one hand and feces in the other. What a snack. GROSS! The kids thought it was pretty cool. I thought it was disgusting.
Last weekend, Doug and I took the kids to the Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach. It’s a facility adjacent to and operated by a power plant. Manatees like the warm water that comes off the power plant, especially during the winter months when the rest of the gulf and bay are too cold for these aquatic mammals. We saw a few swimming around, but were a little disappointed because the manatees were so far away from the viewing deck that all we could see was a fin here and a fin there.
There’s also a walkway through some mangroves, a dense shrubbery type plant that grows along the beaches in some places. At the end of the mangroves, there was a sandy beach area, covered in tiny crabs. Here. Check it out.
It was fun to watch them do their cool sideways walk from the water to the mangroves. There were hundreds of these little guys.
After running down the pier at the viewing center, we took the kids to Steak n Shake. They have good burgers and of course milkshakes, served in a diner setting. The boys loved the milkshakes the best.
A few days ago, okay, more than a few days ago – it was February 26th, I charged my camera battery. It took me a while to find the charger after the move. It had been over a month since I took any pictures, so I found the closest and cutest subject I could find, and here’s what I shot.
He’s 2 days shy of 8 months old here. Such a cutie. :)
So, a few of my friends have asked for pictures of our new place. I’m prepared to share a few pictures, but not without a caveat. This house is not clean. I’m trying my best to keep up with it, but by the time I get a room clean, it’s time to dirty up the kitchen for dinner time or cut up some fabric or it’s too dark to photograph for you… So, please accept my apologies (and excuses) for the messiness of the house. It is what it is.
As you can see, there are lots of plants in the front yard, including a giant palm tree. Thank goodness for the sprinkler system. :)
This is the front living room. We don’t use it much. 
Plus, the back living room is open to the kitchen.
Speaking of the kitchen… It’s a mess. Did I mention that earlier? Yes. I’m showing you my house in its current state. I’m not happy about it either. No, the drawer is not missing – it’s getting some wood glue right now. And the stuff on the counter above the dishwasher? Most of that stuff belongs in the drawer… And it’s laundry day here, and the kids haven’t put their clothes away yet. This is no model home, people. I live here. :)
The back living room also has a huge sliding glass door, which opens up to
My shower. It is pretty much amazing. 
And, this is pretty awesome too.
I’m not showing you my bedroom, because it is too messy. Our bed broke a couple of days after we moved in. (It’s a long story.) We haven’t fixed it yet. Maybe this weekend we’ll get that done.
I didn’t take any pictures of Travis’s room since he’s taking a nap. It’s the only bedroom without a vaulted ceiling.
So, last but not least:
my sewing space. It’s a work in progress. But I’m having fun figuring it out. There’s an IKEA trip in my future to get this organized…
