Everglades

We started our Florida vacation by stopping at the Everglades. It was a long drive from Ft. Lauderdale where we'd spent the first night and we were all hungry. Luckily there was a little cafe right outside of the park where we could stop for lunch and eat at the picnic tables by the palm trees. Nate and Sean had never seen a coconut in its husk before so they saved a couple as souvenirs. They also enjoyed playing on the fake alligator displayed for passing tourists.


We then entered the park and headed towards the Anhinga trail trail where Nate and Sean got to see real alligators. They were everywhere! It was a warm, sunny afternoon so plenty of gators swam around the boardwalk trail taking no mind of the human visitors. Of course, we weren't going to be dipping our toes in the water either. One alligator caught a fish and that was enough to convince the kids to leave well enough alone.

It's a fascinating trail built over the water, perfectly level and kid friendly. Every corner brought new excitement whether alligator or waterfowl. We saw many different species of birds, and alligators of every shape and size from one-foot babies all the way up to monsters eight or more feet long!

Spring in the Park

Springtime! It's finally springtime! We didn't have a bad winter but it held on weeks longer than usual and we're ready for a change. Saturday was dismal and dreary with a cold drizzle hanging around most of the day. We finally got a nice day on Sunday when it got in the low 70's and we desperately needed to get outside. We walked down to one of the local parks where the creek ran higher than usual because of recent rainfall.


This is a concrete walkway over the creek most of the time but it becomes a ford with a small waterfall after a good rain. Nate enjoyed trying to dam up the creek even further. A small pond with tadpoles provided entertainment on one side of the ford, pint-sized whitewater on the other. Nate and Sean ran back-and-forth until they got soaked. I'm not sure how they could stand the cold water. Kids are immune to that, apparently.



Sean enjoyed digging canals through the small pebbles sand by the side of the creek. He also used small pieces of wood and leaves as tiny kayaks shooting through the two inch whirlpools and hydraulics heading downstream.

Star Wars Kids

Our little Star Warriors


Everything is all Star Wars all the time in our household for the moment. Nate caught the bug from one of his friends and Sean followed right along. They love these light sabers and battle each other all around the house, inside the house, and everywhere else. It's more harmless than it probably appears. There are strict rules they have to follow or their weapons go into Time Out.

Nate is more adept but Sean shows no fear and comes into battle straight-on. He's difficult to stop when he charges. We sure look forward to the day they move on to the next big thing but for now its Star Wars, Star Wars, Star Wars.