We drove to Lakeland.
We had a great visit with friends, with family and with the turkey and all his yummy friends.
We met Nola! Isn’t she sweet? Her little round face and clear eyes just make me think of a pearl. I want to call her a little pearl and buy her pearls and just stare at her a lot. I got to hold her little curled up sleeping self, but I had to share a lot and of course I wanted one of my own, but I’m just going to be happy.
We got to play with the little Kelso men. Isn’t this one just dreamy?
And this one is a hoot!
We took a few shots of all the little men on Grandma’s couch. They were so sweet and calm…
…for a minute or two.
Mema was with us quite a bit and I love that she is so willing to just go wherever anybody wants to go. You won’t see her in a lot of the pictures because she’s content to just sit off in the distance and watch everyone…but she is almost always there. My boys love their sweet Mema.
Some of you will be shocked to know that we even went to the beach. Yes…there was sand, and yes it’s still in the van. Yes, I disliked the grittiness, but yes…I had a GREAT time. Was it worth it you ask? Well, maybe…this one time. I mean, wait till you see the pictures.
We started early enough to have breakfast at Buddy Freddy’s on our way to the coast. Yum. We drove to Clearwater Beach where we had reserved tickets to ride on a small boat that takes you out in the bay to watch dolphins. Definitely worth it. The boat makes a nice wake that the dolphins love to surf in. Apparently they aren’t really swimming in it as much as riding on it. As long as the boat is going in the same direction that the dolphins want to go, they’ll come quite close and jump to their heart’s content.
I was hoping to catch one of the dolphins in my pictures of the boys watching…but that didn’t happen. I do have video capability on my little camera and I got some nice video of them watching and laughing. I apologize that I can’t show that to you here.
Kris got some great shots of the dolphins. These are just two of many.
After the boat ride we walked down the pier a ways and then waited out a passing storm while we ate lunch. Seafood across from the beach is a pretty safe bet. The boys were begging to go to the beach and play so we went back across the road and they had a blast. We didn’t have swim trunks or any toys, but they didn’t need any of it to have fun or make cute pictures.
It was a very nice day…other than an incident in the public restroom where a toilet overflowed while Aron and I were trapped in the stall. I don’t typically over-react, especially in front of my kids, but I was very close to screaming and Aron could tell I was upset. Poor little guy was crying and scared even though he was in no danger at all. That is exactly why I try to hold my peace. I wanted to cry too. Thankfully, I didn’t have to throw my shoes out or anything, I found dry ground just in time to get out of the way, and I balanced Aron over the fray and all was fine. Except my composure. It almost ruined my day…but not quite. The dolphins more than made up for it.
Dear God, thank you for jumping dolphins. Amen.
Mary, you should be very careful showing beautiful Florida pictures like that when it’s 18 degrees here. I might just pack my bags and move back 🙂
I’m so glad you got to see your family, especially your new little niece. She’s beautiful.
I love the pictures.
The pictures capturing little toes in sand and little hands in sand- beautiful! The dolphin shots are just like Kris- he’s so good with animal photography.
And, um, the bathroom incident?! You sound disappointed in yourself about how you handled it. You “almost screamed”. Come on! That’s nothing! Overflowing ick from a public toilet is absolutely worth a good scream, and then later, a laugh.
Congrats on that new little niece, too. She’s got a good deal of testosterone to fight her way through over the years of family gatherings ahead. But, I’m sure she’ll manage to get some attention somehow. 😉
Amy – These photos are in no way intended to tempt you. Bundle up good and walk away from the beach pictures. 🙂
Tisra – I think I probably should have screamed…really loud. My non-reaction seemed to lessen the incident for those who weren’t there and when I walked out and acted disgusted for the next hour or so, it looked to everyone else like I was pouting about something. I was just trying to stabilize. A thorough explanation/description of the incident cleared my name, but it was a little rough at first. A good scream would have been so much simpler. 🙂
you handled the toilet incident really well….I was grossed out for you! The rest of the day was so great though! I loved sharing the beach with you all! It was so great having all my kids and grandies together!
Mom – Just so you’re aware…I didn’t think that you thought I was over-reacting or pouting…it was my date that needed further explanation. 🙂
It was a great trip for us too. Best one in a long time. I think that whole diaper free thing made a difference. Thanks for making us so comfortable.
Glad to have a better look at those dolphin pictures – what a special day!