Grandma and Grandpa treated us to a visit to the gator capital of the world called Gatorland in Orlando,FL. At any time there are near 4,000 gators divided by size and age. The 14 foot gators literally look like dinosaurs. Gatorland also has a section of rare white leucistic gators with blue eyes and a section of crocodiles. The leucistic gator’s blue eyes almost made the gator less scary and hideous until we found out gators blow bubbles out of their eyeballs underwater before leaping. It then felt pretty foolish gazing into them. I never realized just how many humans have died in the jaws of crocodiles! The security fencing around these guys was built real high.

We were surprised to see gator bites for sale at the cafe. We discovered that Gatorland accepts problem gators from the state and funds itself by tourism and selling the gators for meat and skin. It is literally a gator farm. It is really hard to feel compassion for these reptiles though.

Gatorland had pretty awesome animal shows and taught us about local snakes and spiders. Some poor crowd volunteer had a tarantula set on her open hand! She handled it much better than I would have….Gatorland also had daredevil gator shows where they did just plain stupid/shocking stunts with the gators. They must make enough money on gator bites to pay the stunt men a fortune! The “Look Mom no hands” line is funny when a little boy is on a bike with training wheels…

Gatorland also had a petting zoo and the kids loved feeding the animals and bravely touched the snakes.

We fed beautiful birds at the Gatorland aviary.

We took a tour of the park on the train, went for a beautiful swamp walk on a boardwalk and learned about the swamp and native ecosystem as we went. The signs in the park were slapstick humerous and also informative.

We have so much to celebrate! An endless cheers to good health and beautiful family.

Our family took it’s first camping trip to Fort DeSoto Park campground. The chain of islands south of St. Petersburg are absolutely gorgeous. Before we set up camp we toured historic Fort DeSoto built in the late 1800s. Our campsite had the most beautiful view along with a little private beach. The L shaped island created a calm bay with no surf and the kids loved playing there. The weather was in the low 80 s; perfect sunny bliss.

The kids discovered a washed up horseshoe crab on the campsite’s beach. We have seen them washed ashore on Indian Rocks beach as well and dared to explore the remains. This horseshoe crab however was given a name and Cora cared for her; fed her, put her to bed, walked her, and started a zoo for her. Adam and I were impressed by how brave Cora is. We ultimately had to discard of the giant crab because she just could not keep her hands off of it! The crab’s name was Sally by the way.

This is the underside of the crab she wanted to carry around and play with.

We went to North Beach, swam, collected shells, and walked the island. Dylan has become a fearless man-maid lately, trying to surf the waves standing upright with arms out like an eagle on his boogie board and laying on his belly in the surf.

After the beach, we had hotdogs and smores over the fire and the kids explored the woods with flashlights.

The kids and I collected these shells. We were collecting shells in the afternoon when the beach was crowded and picked over. I bet it would be amazing what you can find early in the morning out in the middle of the gulf at Fort DeSoto Park. We plan to make a wall hanging to remember our first family camping trip.

On New Years Eve we grilled out and then set the timer to have the New Years countdown at 9 p.m for the littles. We had a dance party on the deck and the kids had an adorable party horn parade.

The countdown to New Years was highly anticipated because who doesn’t just look forward to Champagne and kisses? The kids prematurely guzzled down their sparkling juice as we organized for this picture. Connor and Adam had to check to see which one looked taller after the picture was taken ha ha. Addy was in charge of the 9 p.m. countdown.

After the bubbly the real party started.

The morning brought Brooklyn’s 7th birthday party and also Granny and Dave. She chose a Harry Potter theme and the party attendees went to the tattoo parlor for Harry Potter lightning bolt scars and Deathly Hallows symbols. Spencer was the tattoo artist and he was paid in butter-beer.

We ate dragons in a blanket (pigs in a blanket) and pizza; and of course we ate cake!

Brooklyn drew this party decoration from a you tube video and Cora helped color it.

Brooklyn was spoiled rotten by the family with presents. Thank you!

Granny and Dave took Brooklyn overnight as a special birthday treat. The rest of the family went to the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. The museum was so crowded it was hard to tour it properly so our visit was cut short but that freed us up to got to Lu Lu’s and try raw Virginia oysters and other seafood delights. Connor, Spencer, and Addy all ate more than one raw oyster! Horseradish was the topping of choice. Brave kids!!!

Heather and the kids drove an ungodly 17 hours to spend the week after Christmas in Florida. Grandma and Grandpa rented a fantastic two story beach house to accommodate our large group. We spent lots of time on the deck and at the beach. The kids were so excited to see each other! The kindness and patience that Connor, Spencer, and Addy showed towards their little cousins was heartwarming. I am absolutely impressed by how much the older kids played and enjoyed the silliness of Brooklyn, Cora, and Dylan; it was such a week full of love and happiness.

The first night on the beach we saw a peek- a- boo sunset through the cloud, followed by a great first meal together on the deck and conversation way past bedtimes. I love how comfortable I feel in my immediate family; each of our strange quirks is well known and accepted. There is no pressure to be anything except just you as you are. Family is so special.

Meet the Bigfoots! Seriously, though, Connor has grown to 6 ft 3 inches and now is an inch taller than Adam. He cracked us all up when he called Adam “shorty” one night.

Addy and the girls slowly crept into the surf in their clothes. It was such a slow progression that at some point they were so wet they went in all the way.

The next morning Addy and the girls played school and it was sweet to see how hard the girls worked for her (the gummy bear rewards may have helped too).

The weather the first few days was chilly. We went down to the beach two chilly days and the kids swam for hours while the grown ups wore multiple sweaters yet still shivered in the wind. My girls were literally blue one day after swimming and the doctor ordered hot chocolate. Snuggling up to Grandpa was a must-do.

Snuggle bugs have occasional issues with boundaries. “Grandpa, where are you?”.

The last full day of the Armistead family’s stay was an absolutely gorgeous, warm day and we spent hours on the beach playing football, bodysurfing, and soaking up the sun.

Heather and Addy starting forming sea turtles and the entire family jumped onto the task and created these pieces of art together. It was so fun to watch these turtles take shape and it was fun to feel proud together when they were finished. This is a memory with family I will cherish. This warm sunny beach day and our turtle family creation is without a doubt the highlight of Heather and the kid’s visit. The ocean is just plain magical.

What beach day would be complete without children buried in sand? Moments after taking Connor’s picture the boogieboard/tombstone blew over and bonked him in the head lol.

Santa was so, so good to us this year! Dylan said his new toys all smelled like Santa. Brooklyn found some wetness on Christmas paper and was absolutely sure it was elf drool. She said several times “Santa WAS listening!” as she received things she asked him for. Cora refused to eat Santa’s leftover cookies for fear his magical saliva may be on it. Brooklyn and Dylan could care less and gobbled them up.

The girls got a new tablet and Osmo learning system which combines hand held items with a mirrored, interactive teaching program. It teaches vocabulary, math, science and coding, and also how to draw. It is absolutely an incredible gift to our homeschool and the kids absolutely love the little animations when they have solved a puzzle or answered correctly.

Santa cracked us all up with this porta potty truck!

Santa also brought us a full, weighted key keyboard piano. We are looking forward to teaching the kids to read music and play.

Santa brought Dylan a Teddy Ruxpin. He has LCD eyes with a large array of expressions and links via Bluetooth to an large collection of books. Adam also bought me a new phone to replace the one I horrifically fumbled into the toilet a few weeks ago.

Christmas afternoon, after the chaos we went to Grandma and Grandpa’s. We swam, ate a gorgeous meal together, opened gifts, and went for a golf cart ride around the community’s elaborate Christmas decorations. The kids made two artistic masterpieces and Brooklyn spent nearly a week making a button necklace for Grandma to match her button bracelet. Grandma and Grandpa gave the kids sweatshirts, an awesome kick ball, and binoculars.

Beautiful prayers and many sweet toasts were made before the meal. Cora said the sweetest prayer about love and family. Dylan snook peices of food while the rest of the family folded hands.

This is the artwork the kids and I made Grandma and Grandpa.

We planned on staying one night, but ended up staying two nights because Grandma and Grandpa took the girls to see Frozen 2, we made a gingerbread house together, and lounged an excessive amount of time in the hot tub. Spending the night and having that quiet down time in the late evening and early morning has a lot of value.

Our gingerbread house may have turned out a little lop sided, but it tasted delicious! It nearly killed the kids when we told them it was for decoration only; luckily us grown ups came to our senses!

Grandpa Santa and his little busy, loving elves:

Grandma and Grandpa came to Indian Rocks Beach to see the girls perform in the Holiday Ice Skating Show.

After the show our special mail to Santa was sent to the North Pole.

Brooklyn:

Hers says: You are a really nice guy. Thanks for bringing joy to everyone. I love you, Santa.

Cora:

Hers says: I am thankful for my presents. I love Christmas and the joy in my heart.

Dylan:

Dylan drew Santa and his sleigh and the reindeer.

The believe-a-meter definitely rose up.

The Indian Rocks beach Holiday boat parade was cancelled due to high winds, but a few brave boats made a showing. Grandma and Grandpa rented a hotel right on the inter coastal water with prime viewing comfort.

And the spectators went wild when the few brave boats came by.

This week the girls started to get really worried that the magic key Santa uses to enter homes without fireplaces might not work. To ease their minds, we made a fireplace for Santa. Adam designed and drew it and the kids and I painted the bricks using sea sponges we collected at the beach. It came out great and made fantastic toasted marshmallows!

The girls had a ginger bread house competition. Daddy was the judge and had to rule it a tie. The kids played for days with the little ginger bread men, even making them little paper toys.

Brooklyn and Daddy worked together to play Jingle Bells this week.

Christmas Eve morning we made Santa and Rudolph pancakes.

We took the kids to Chuck E. Cheese to begin the Christmas spoiling early.

And to end the Christmas Eve night we walked through Largo’s Central Park light display.

The stockings were hung with care.

The kids left cookies, carrot, and artwork for Santa.

Brooklyn’s art:

Cora’s:

Dylan’s:

Our beach house is tiny and we had to get a little creative with our Christmas tree this year. The kids and I collected sticks and tied them together using twine. Then we strung a string of lights and hung shells we have collected and painted. I also made a Christmas star to top the tree. It has all the charm and warmth of a real tree while fantastically flat against the wall! This is our beach tree!

We also decorated our two table top trees with shells we collected.

Adam hung Christmas lights and we have been enjoying the happy twinkle on our patio.

The kids met Santa at Three Daughters Brewery in St Pete. Dylan asked for a fire truck. Cora asked for slime, and Brooklyn asked for a stuffed whale. No tears or fear of Santa this year!

Post Santa cookies are a must have.

Three Daughters Brewery has an absolutely massive and gorgeous Christmas village with Christmas train. Dylan loves trains!

The kids had a first non-family babysitter named Anne and loved it! She brought a collection of shark teeth she had collected along with a book to identify them. The girls absolutely loved looking at them and figuring out what shark they came from. What a great first babysitter we found! Thanks Anne!

We have been continuing to play hard at playgrounds, pick up interesting stuff at the beach, and relish the beautiful sunsets.

The kids participated in the Four Lakes Golf Community Christmas parade. Grandma and Grandpa decorated their golf cart with candy canes, lights, and the kids artwork. They had a blast running down the street handing out chocolate and wishing Merry Christmas. Residents laughed about kids giving Grandma and Grandpa candy. The kids absolutely beamed and ate up the attention. The kids little legs flew down the street powered by mini snickers and milky ways.

It was really touching to me how proud Grandma and Grandpa are to introduce us to their friends in the community. Opportunities like this remind me of the value of living close to family, it is so mutually beneficial.

The golf carts were decorated to a level beyond my expectations and the costumes were absolutely fantastic. Several carts threw artificial snow into the air and played music. There was a celebratory mood, and Santa asked for a vodka coke after our picture lol.

In the morning Grandma and the kids mixed up sugar cookies. We all had fun decorating cookies. As I was taking a picture of Dylan decorating a cookie the entire section of blue sugar buried his little cookie and we ended up with lots of blue sugared cookies. Brooklyn carefully placed each granule of decoration despite the mounting pile of cookies to be decorated. Cora rocked it and Dylan tried to randomly lick cookies in hopes we would kick him out with the licked cookie. Grandpa invented ways to keep him out of the kitchen.

Some sneaky person in disguise tried to get Santa’s share.

We were pampered by Grandma and Grandpa this Thanksgiving. Grandma made an amazing meal, set a beautiful table, and did all of the clean up while we ran off to the hot tub….God Bless the Chef! Brooklyn said a beautiful prayer about family. We Swam twice on Thanksgiving day, went for a walk to the pier on Lake Alfred and saw the beginnings of Christmas decorations via golf cart.

The kids and I made this turkey cheese ball appetizer which came out really cute!

We just relaxed and enjoyed each other’s company. We finished the night by watching Elf.

The girls performed quite a musical for us about love, sisters, and Christmas. Cora sang We Wish you a Merry Christmas perfectly. It was followed by a dramatic love duet made up in the moment.

We have been settling into our beach house, hanging our artwork and adjusting to there being a full on sand invasion💕 We celebrated my birthday November 15th. Grandma and Grandpa spent the weekend. We made a homemade cheesecake and had bacon blue cheese burgers. I spoiled myself rotten on Grandma’s amazing candied pecans. Adam and I also went out on an awesome date night! We went to two breweries and a thrift store. Time without kids is so quiet and peaceful. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! Cheers to 38.

Grandpa and Adam worked on pressure washing and staining the kids play house that Granny bought for Cora’s birthday. This cedar playhouse needed a little TLC.

Before:

Mid TLC:

Adam even installed a working doorbell and chalkboard paint on the interior. The kids have been waking up and demanding to go outside before breakfast all week!

After:

Adam’s childhood friend, Nick, came for a visit and we had a ton of fun together. The kids called him Diggety and were absolutely thrilled by him. Adam and Nick toured craft breweries and went to the Dali museum together.

We went to Sanding Ovations Sand Sculpture Festival in St Pete Beach. The artists came from around the world and the large scale and detail was simply jaw dropping. The artists were only allowed water and sand to create these sculptures taller than you and I. The way the sculptures were lit at night was beautiful too.

Finally, Dylan got his first professional haircut. He was really scared and had to have Daddy sit with him but afterwards he told us he loved it and did not want to go to bed that night for fear he would ruin his handsome hair!