mommydama

Okay, since I can't use FB right now, I'm going to do a giant photo/journal update about our trip to FL.

First of all...everyone was sick. The entire time. But we still managed to do a few things and have some enjoyable moments. My girls were all diagnosed with a walking pneumonia. Some kind of bacterial infection. Took Luci to the ER because she could not breath and her inhaler was doing nothing to help so she ended up on major steriods and stuff. They offered to keep her there in the hospital, but I opted not to do that since they thought we could handle it at home. And we did. The other girls I took to the ER a few days later just because I knew they had the same thing and wanted antibiotics before we headed home. Their fevers were SO HIGH. I've never seen Maria that miserable. Tina's kids were sick on and off too and Tina was almost hospitalized..but that is her story. Gah. I'm working hard on not being horribly disappointed. The pictures are helping.

We went to Santa's Enchanted Forest, all the kids, Tina, and me like the second or third day we were there. It is a Christmas themed carnival/theme park. Everyone seemed to enjoy that.

This is hilarious. Zoe thought this was just a balloon thing, she had no idea there was a person in it and as we walked past, she punched it. There was a person inside. He came after her. Heh. Had to get a picture with the Santa that Zoe punched.

Some insane ride that Zoe, Aaron, and Ananda all rode. They look so small on this thing!!

Zoe spent some of her birthday money to run around in a hamster ball. Yep.

Another crazy ride. Zoe and Luci.

Pinecrest Gardens is one of the prettiest, strangest places. It really looks like something out of some primeval rainforest. I kept expecting to see dinosaurs. These plants were HUGE!

They were annoying us, so we put them in cage. Going to feed them to the dinosaurs. Heh.

Grant and Elise doing tricks.

This was a gorgeous beach in a state park near Miami. Postcard kind of place.

Anne's Beach near Islamorado (the Keys), a different beach from above. We went to this one by ourselves because Tina's family was too sick to join us. I can't decide which is better. I loved the white, fine sand at the above beach, but Anne's Beach has crystal clear water and is nearly waveless, with miles long sand bars, and emerald and teal colors in the water.

This was supposed to be a picture of abject misery. Maria had a fever when we were at this beach and sat in a sunny spot on the boardwalk nearly the whole time (in my defense, she was not that sick when we left the house, but got sicker as the day wore on and we were two hours from Tina's house). But when I tried to catch a picture of this misery for posterity, she smiled at me. Heh.

We stopped in at a random park on Islamorada to see this crystaline water. Perfectly clear. Ocean water. It blows my mind.

Maria cuddling with everyone's favorite kitten at Tina's house.

Grant and Elise doing more tricks.

This is a really long video of the dolphins at the Dolphin Research Center in the keys playing/performing. That place was utterly amazing. Do you see the ocean out there? They live in these giant netted lagoons in the ocean, not tanks. They are observed constantly. Most of them were born here or brought here from abusive or out of business facilities. This is not a profit place, it is a research center, and the training is done in the gentlest manner or not at all. Most of the dolphins learned these tricks from their mothers. These dolphins are having a riotess good time, screeching and whistling. It was so fun to watch. (Please ignore all the commentary by Luci and me. She was trying to take pictures of the tricks.)

Zoe got to do a Dolphin Encounter for her big birthday gift. This is a video of her getting pulled around the lagoon by the dolphins. She grabbed on a little wrong, and was only holding onto one dolphin. The other one was determined not to be left out. It was hilarous. Such an awesome experience.

The other girls meeting some dolphins too.