Florida! (and the pictures resume...)

I have borrowed a camera for the time being, so I have to update a little beginning with the pictures my mom took from Florida in May. There were something like 200 pictures, so this is the quick version...

Everyone wore sunhats and lots of sunscreen every time we stepped outside. Needless to say, we did not get burned even one iota. That only happened the day we returned to Michigan and decided it was silly to spend all that time slathering on the sunscreen...I got burned the worst!

The kids were all excited to wear sunglasses, though they didn't actually wear them most of the time. Mostly squabbled about whose were who.


A family picture, minus only a couple sisters and a husband. Wish you all could have come, too:) Lucy and Jane had trouble looking into the sun. Actually, Lucy had trouble with pictures all weekend. She squirmed and fussed and never would look at the camera...


Upon entering our massive mansion of a rental home, we would often see a head peeking above the railing of the second floor. I don't think I am explaining that right (I'm really tired right now!)...anyway, there was a kitchen on the second floor, and from the sitting area next to the kitchen, one could look over the railing...


And a certain threesome often did.


So, we spent the majority of the week either in the pool or at the beach. There was a pool in the backyard, and a path to the beach just beyond. The kids were in the water almost non-stop, and Lucy learned to back float in the ocean with whoever would help her (my dad in this picture).


We watched the sunset every night from the screened-in back porch. And took lots of pictures of the sunset. The pictures definitely do not do it justice. Just had to be there. The kids stayed up late one night and got to see it, and we had a good discussion about whether it was rising in China at that exact moment...


One day we drove to the Everglades (not far from Naples, where we were staying), and took an airboat ride around the alligator hideouts. It was kind of loud, since we were powered by a massive fan, the only means of scooting a boat through water a foot deep.


Everyone had to wear headphones. Most people didn't mind.


One person did.

She actually didn't mind the headphones as much as the wind. We were moving pretty fast, fast enough to make a person kind of squint their eyes against the wind. And fast enough to blow a hat off a person's head (it almost happened a couple times). Jane wanted me to cover her eyes with my hand, and actually pressed it tighter against her face a couple times. When we slowed down she would peek out...


We did actually see some alligators.


And after the ride I got to hold one (notice my sister Bekah isn't actually touching it!)


But the kids did touch it, for a second. I only did it because no one else was volunteering, and I didn't want the kids to think we were all a bunch of wusses. I didn't REALLY want to hold it. But it was kind of cool...

More beach pictures:

Bubbles with Aunt Bekah...



And back to the pool. Gene learned how to do a handstand/flip thingie. You tell me what you would call that. He loved being underwater, that's for sure!


Lucy motored around in her floaty ring, and had a grand old time as well. Her favorite trick was being thrown (or jumping in by herself) so that she landed and went under the water (even with the ring on).


And that's all, folks. It was a fun vacation. The last time I was in Florida, Jane was a baby. And that was fun, too. But this time was little more relaxing:)