Traveling with small kids and big dog (The relaxing part)

We've been on Pine Island in Florida for a full week now and it has been truly amazing. The weather couldn't be better, (haven't worn a sweater or long pants since we arrived last Sunday) and we've had a great time so far. We haven't done much, but that's pretty much the point of a relaxing vacation. We've been swimming in the pool at the complex where Adrian's parents live, have been for walks with the dogs and the children a bunch of times - where Noah has made his new friend Mr. Turtle - and we've been out on Grampa's boat a couple of times. Noah has also learned how to ride a tricycle and is loving it. He's having the time of his life and it's so nice to see how much he's enjoying himself. He loves to be outside, just running around, looking at all the birds and spending time with his daddy. It's good to see him so happy. 

Here are pictures of us having fun in the water. Look at that happy, little boy. Mia is still deciding whether or not she likes the water. I'm sure she'll be more comfortable with it by the end of our trip.

Mia is also loving it here and mommy is loving all the help and support she is getting, since I'm used to being alone with the children all day. It has been so nice to actually have some time to read a book, and my mother-in-law and I have even gone shopping for half a day WITHOUT either of the kids, which was something I haven't done in FOREVER. We could actually sit down to have a Starbucks and a bite to eat, and I was able to look at clothes without running after a toddler, hiding underneath the clothes racks, or trying to console a crying baby at the same time. It felt so nice to be out and about and do something for myself without feeling rushed and stressed out. It's a luxury you don't get to enjoy very often as a mother of two young children.

On our second boat-ride we got to watch a bunch of dolphins, which was pretty exciting since Noah was really looking forward to seeing some. A few of them gave us quite the show surfing in the wake of passing boats, playing and jumping. It was awesome watching them have fun. Mia slept through the whole thing but I'm sure she had a great time anyways. At least she was well rested after we got back home and ready to get into all kinds of trouble. She has just learned how to crawl up the stairs, which is her favorite thing to do now. You have to watch her like a hawk now since she's getting faster and sneakier every day.

We also saw some Manatee which I found really exciting. We tried seeing some the last time we were in Florida but didn't get to see any, so we were pretty happy when we spotted a whole bunch of them. One of them came so close to the boat, Adrian was almost able to touch it. Amazing experience!

Today we took Noah to the Everglades to see some gators. 

We left Mia with her grandparents, because we thought the airboat ride would probably be too loud and scary for her, and it also gave us the opportunity to spend some quality time with our son. Noah loved it and it was a lot of fun flying through  the swamp and scanning our surroundings for anything that moves.

The scenery was beautiful and we did see a whole lot of gators and even some babies, which was pretty amazing. And here's a picture of our lunch. Gator nuggets, bullfrog legs and catfish. I know, pretty gross and I had a hard time eating it, especially since I barely ever eat meat and Adrian is a vegetarian, but curiosity got the better of us and we just had to see what all the fuss is about. I have to admit that once I got over the fact that I was eating frog legs and an animal that I had just admired not 10 minutes ago, it did taste pretty damn good. If somebody had told me it was chicken, I wouldn't have questioned it. So that's one thing off my list of things to do and try before I die. 

We have another week left in beautiful and sunny Florida and are still debating which route to take back home or whether or not we should make a bit of a detour and drive home along the East coast to make a quick stop in Cocoa Beach and add a little adventure to our trip, before getting back to our every day life. But we're not quite ready to think about our journey home yet.

Totally random:

If you want to see true homesteaders in action, watch a show called "Alaska the last frontier". Since we don't have cable, we haven't watched this show in a while but have been able to catch a few episodes here in Florida.  We love this show because it's funny, educational, entertaining and it shows people living of the land as much as they possibly can, which is kind of how we want to be.