Build-A-Bear (or bunny)

I'm getting lost on the days, but one morning was spent at the mall in the build-a-bear store. Nana and Grandpa bought each one of the kids a little stuffed animal to take home. Paige picked a bunny and named it "honey-bunny", she takes good care of her little pet and it has become her nap buddy. Thanks to Nana and Grandpa, build-a-bear really is a cute place...so fun to watch the kids as they build her new toy!

Next we were on to the little rides in the mall and then a little train ride around the mall. The kids thought it was great! I remember loving those little rides and begging my parents to take a ride...brings me back!

Pool Time

Paige had fun in the pool this year! The weather was chilly so we only took two trips down to swim. The water was 86 and the air temp was in the 60's most days, this made for a cold departure from the water to your towel. We stayed submerged and kept warm most of the time!  

 Little swimmer!

 Eliot did a great job of swimming all by himself! He encouraged Paige to swim and I think that's why she had so much fun. Monkey see...monkey do! Thanks Eliot!

Nana even dipped her toes

After the pool they jumped in the tub to warm up and clean up...so cute!

Pony Rides & Baby Goats

Day three was a visit to a little hobby farm, it wasn't the fanciest place...but the kids LOVED it! Paige was in heaven and rode her little pony "Alabama" for a long time! The hobby farm had fainting goats and there was a set of twins that were born within days of our visit. Paige was obsessed with holding them, she chased them around and Ryan finally caught one and let her help hold it. Who would have thought a little hobby farm like this could have made the kiddos so happy! 

After that we took our first trip to "Chic-fil-A"...yummy chicken sandwiches for everyone! So excited to hear that one is coming to Coon Rapids in the next year!  

Jungle Gardens

On day two we went to Jungle Gardens. We saw lots of animals like turtles, alligators, lots of snakes, lizards, monkeys and a variety of birds. We saw a little reptile show and watched a flamingo walk right next to us on the sidewalk. I asked Paige what her favorite part was and she said "feeding the ducks", of course!

 Scary face!

MOTE Aquarium

                               

We had a fun day at the MOTE Aquarium in Sarasota. It was a bit chilly outside so going to visit the aquarium was a great idea. Paige loved the touch pond, so much that her sweatshirt was drenched, luckily we had her jacket in the car! It was amazing to see the sharks, turtles and dolphin! The kids loved it and I think the "big kids" did too!

We're home!

We're home from our 7 day adventure in Florida! It was a great trip and fun was had by all. The kids had a great time and were given the opportunity to do tons of fun stuff! We are grateful to Nana and Grandpa for all their preparation, they had everything ready for the kids so they could be comfortable and they even gave up their place for a week to stay in a hotel...a HUGE thanks to them!

Now we're home and back to reality, wishing we still had the florida weather instead of the snow and rain! Bring on SPRING!

Pictures to follow soon!