Florida, Day 3
You can start from the beginning here.
We all came up with goals for our trip: I wanted to watch the sun set over the ocean, Caleb wanted to see alligators, we all wanted to see the ocean, Daisy wanted to ride in a boat, etc. Today, we set off in search of alligators for Caleb. Maggie suggested we visit Myakka River State Park, where there are lots of alligators. She was right!
Our first stop was to get tickets for an airboat tour of the river.
These kids were excited for their boat ride!
Caleb was totally pumped that we were going to see alligators. And ride on a boat. You can see a bit of the boat in the background; it was advertised as "The world's biggest airboat", and it may have been, but it sure was slow!
This was when the kids were debating whether the boat would be fast or slow. Caleb was optimistic.
These two. Sometimes they are so very sweet.
On the boat = family selfie.
I have no explanation for Chris' face. Sometimes it just does that.
Curious, agitated Eli.
Then the boat started.
Caleb and Daisy spent half the time companionably sharing the waterside seat, and half the time elbowing and jostling for more space.
Ever the third child, Lily watched from afar with out complaint.
And Eli. Well, right after the boat started moving, Eli started crying. It was very awkward, because there was nowhere for me to go, and I knew that his cries were preventing people from hearing the tour guide. Thankfully, I have a wrap for that. I wrapped him up and was able to discretely nurse him to sleep.
Sweet sleeping baby. Thank God for babywearing! Otherwise, it would have been an awful excursion. Eli slept that way the whole time, which is why this is the only other picture I have of our boat tour:
Rest assured, though: we saw many alligators, and learned quite a bit about them. Caleb was more than satisfied.
Back at Maggies, Chris took Caleb swimming in the heated pool while the girls napped. Before they left, Caleb and Eli snuggled in a recliner.
"Take our picture, Mommy!"
Poor Eli. Sometimes being the baby is awful.
After the girls woke up, Maggie took us out to dinner at a fun restaurant. While we were waiting for our table, Daisy found an alligator!
Don't worry, Mom, she wasn't hurt.
Then she captured a giant turtle!
And Caleb wrestled an alligator!
And Lily rode a giant turtle!
Such fun!
I checked this morning at 4 a.m. as I usually do, and finnaallly, a blog :-). I've missed reading one each morning. So glad you guys had a great trip. Traveling with 4 kids is not always easy, but it is always fun.
ReplyDeleteShirley