First, our next adventure!!!
Second, our last adventure...
These pictures melt my heart. Play time with Dad. And of course I had to capture it from this angle, feet are our life!
We swam with manatees!! One of the coolest thing. EVER. Aside from swimming with the manatees I found another place where I'd be happy forever. Crystal River, Florida. It's the cutest little town and who wouldn't love going for a morning dip in the backyard with these sweet beasts? So cool and Mike already gave me the okay! He told me to look for a place where he could set up shop, I said Heck Ya! And don't you worry, I'll start looking ASAP.
The water wasn't as clear as I was hoping for so the underwater pictures aren't the best.
All bundled up and ready to go!
My water front property back there. Water ski all summer, swim with manatees all winter.
On the endangered species list. 800-1200 lbs. Closest relative is the elephant. They only have 6 teeth & they're in the back. They love to suck on your fingers!
I felt like a serious 'Mom' on this trip. Let me explain... Swimming with manatees was the first thing ever put on my to do list so I've had 2 years to get excited about it. I researched & did all the planning, I was totally pumped because I knew how cool it was going to be! I booked the earliest swim, 6 am. It's early January, north west Florida, it was 42 degrees outside but the water temp stays about 76 year round. We went with another family & they had no idea what they were getting into! I told them it would be fun & they believed me. (: All of us are in the same hotel room, a serious party, so bedtime didn't happen until late. As the alarm goes off early Saturday morning I jump out of bed but no one follows. This is when I started feeling like the 'Mom.' As everyone finally wakes up they're complaining about how cold it is outside and how early it is. They're questioning me, can't you just call and schedule for the 12 o'clock swim? What were you thinking? Don't you know the kids are gonna freeze?... I didn't budge. I don't care what you say, sticks and stones love! I'm such a nice friend, right? Ha ha. Long story short, the second we all got in the water they loved me again. It was that cool. My favorite part was that the manatees acted like dogs. When you rubbed their back they'd roll over so you'll rub their bellies! So Cute! My words can't even explain how cool it was. The amazing thing to me is that you're not in a zoo or park type setting, you're in their natural habitat watching them do what they do everyday. Amazing, Just believe me and put it on your to do list!
Hundreds of Manatee in the area. They move in here during the winter for the warm water. When the water gets below about 68 degrees they start getting hypothermia & freeze to death. Last year they lost 10% of their entire population because of the cold.
The time is ticking away! I'm putting serious check marks on my Florida to do list these next 4 months!
I felt like a serious 'Mom' on this trip. Let me explain... Swimming with manatees was the first thing ever put on my to do list so I've had 2 years to get excited about it. I researched & did all the planning, I was totally pumped because I knew how cool it was going to be! I booked the earliest swim, 6 am. It's early January, north west Florida, it was 42 degrees outside but the water temp stays about 76 year round. We went with another family & they had no idea what they were getting into! I told them it would be fun & they believed me. (: All of us are in the same hotel room, a serious party, so bedtime didn't happen until late. As the alarm goes off early Saturday morning I jump out of bed but no one follows. This is when I started feeling like the 'Mom.' As everyone finally wakes up they're complaining about how cold it is outside and how early it is. They're questioning me, can't you just call and schedule for the 12 o'clock swim? What were you thinking? Don't you know the kids are gonna freeze?... I didn't budge. I don't care what you say, sticks and stones love! I'm such a nice friend, right? Ha ha. Long story short, the second we all got in the water they loved me again. It was that cool. My favorite part was that the manatees acted like dogs. When you rubbed their back they'd roll over so you'll rub their bellies! So Cute! My words can't even explain how cool it was. The amazing thing to me is that you're not in a zoo or park type setting, you're in their natural habitat watching them do what they do everyday. Amazing, Just believe me and put it on your to do list!
Hundreds of Manatee in the area. They move in here during the winter for the warm water. When the water gets below about 68 degrees they start getting hypothermia & freeze to death. Last year they lost 10% of their entire population because of the cold.
The time is ticking away! I'm putting serious check marks on my Florida to do list these next 4 months!
Kade got a haircut. The shag was cute for a bit but Mike said he was going to cut it if I didn't. I should've let him (:
Other than that, it's taken months to get over all the sickness we've had. I've been moving really slow but excited that we're finally feeling so much better. It was hard but it gave me a chance to slow down and appreciate how great life really is. Sometimes the slow time is good time. Good time to be thankful for good health, great family, sweet children who grow too fast, and amazing friends. Life is so so good.
