Florida part 2

On Friday we drove to the east side of Florida to visit New Smyrna Beach and to take a two hour boat ride around the inlet looking for manatees. The water was not in good condition to view manatees that day so we didn't end up seeing any but the ride around the water was really nice.

Blake's first boat ride.



All together now! (I look like I have bug eyes but my cheap sunglasses are just not sitting on my ears correctly. They don't normally look this odd.)



After the boat ride, we were craving some alligator tail! So we went to a restaurant that served 'em.




Chowing down on gator bites. It tastes kinda like chicken...only not. Not my favorite type of meat.

Afterwards we wanted to actually touch the water since this was the Atlantic and not the Gulf so we found a place to park among the hotels and walked down to the beach. This beach was much quieter than Clearwater. Next time, we're coming here to stay!! The water was noticeably cooler than the Gulf. Blake got to actually feel the waves this time as well. He liked dunking his feet in it.

This pic is from the disposable and I can't make it upright but its a cute one of James and Blake. :)

On our last full day in Florida, we had a leisurely breakfast at a dirty old Denny's (love their french toast and omlettes!) , went shopping at Ron Jon's, and hung out at the pool again.

Surf's up dude! We all got t-shirts here. Aah to love the life of a surfer is our dream.

Back at the hotel pool. This time we stayed longer since we went in late afternoon/early evening. blake was in the water several times and finally started giving some reaction. He kicked his legs and smiled while in the water. Everyone kept saying "look at the little baby!" He charmed everyone. :)

Blake did awesome for his first vacation. It was great to spend time together as a family 24/7. We probably won't be going on another vacation until Blake is a little bit older but we had a blast.

(Sorry if my commentating is a bit boring. I don't feel very interesting today but wanted to finally post something!!!)

Florida part 1

At the end of June we took a family vacation to Orlando, FL. It was Blake's first vacation (and a lot of other ''firsts") and a much needed break from the daily grind of life (moreso for James, not me). We stayed in a timeshare and had a wonderful time although we arrived in the middle of a heat wave, we were able to beat the heat with fun activities and create awesome memories.


Blake's first plane ride

When we arrived in Florida, the all-famous humidity hit us and it actually did damage to my camera. I was having some problems with it beforehand but by the end of the trip my camera was busted (humidity and sea water don't help) and we ended up getting a disposable for the last few days.
Here's a pic with the lens all fogged up from the humidity.



Blake's first time in the pool!


He was pretty indifferent about being in the pool for the first time. We didn't keep him out too long because of the sun but he at least was in the water for 15 minutes or so. He just quietly observed his surroundings without giving much of a reaction.

Pooped from the experience and the heat!

On our second day there we went to Gatorland, which is basically just an alligator park. They have a few other animals there but the main attraction is the alligators. You can feed them, watch an alligator wrestling show, sit on one, and see them leap out of the air for feeding time. It was a lot of fun but unbearably hot. Good thing there was a lot of shade covering but the humidity just made the sweat roll down your skin and make you feel gross. We stayed for a few hours and then left.

James and a macaw

Ditto

These are leuistic alligators. They are extremely rare. They are not albinos, their hide is just white instead of black/green and they have bright blue eyes. Albinos have loss of pigmentation, these guys don't. I don't remember the other distinctions but they were pretty interesting to see. You don't see a white alligator everyday!

Feeding the hungry gators below us. Gatorland has about 1700 gators on their property from tiny babies to huge 1000 lb monsters.

Getting ready to watch the alligator-wrestling show.

Our camera started crapping out on us and giving us blurry pictures but the guy had the gator's mouth open and was holding the top of its mouth with his chin. Crazy stuff!

James paid extra to sit on top of an alligator and have his picture taken. It looks like he's wrestling it. I couldn't get a picture since our camera wouldn't have worked and trying to juggle a baby and stroller through a crowd of people isn't easy. So we shelled out the big bucks to pay for the pic that the park takes. I don't have it on here but it did come out nicely!

The next day we went to Clearwater Beach. Its on the Gulf of Mexico and would be Blake's first time in the ocean and experiencing sand. The beaches were beautiful but a bit crowded. We found an empty umbrella to sit underneath and took tunrs going into the water. The water was so warm and really pleasant.

my little jelly fish

Out in the water!

Blake got splashed a bit by a big wave that came by and he didn't like that. We only stayed at the beach for a half hour then decided to get something to eat.


Blake is totally zoned out here. So tired!

We had lunch at "Jimmy's Fish House" right on the water. It was so relaxing.

The boys

The next day we drove out to a winery and had a more low-key day of touring the winery, doing a tasting, then getting some good old bbq. Pulled pork sandwiches and fried okra?! Yes, please!