Sunshine for the Soul

Last week, we enjoyed a lovely week in Florida!  It was so nice to feel the warmth of the sun, to swim, go to the ocean, and live without a rigid schedule for the week.  The weather was a little chilly (by Florida standards), so we skipped the beach on a couple days and ventured out a great science museum and a botanical garden/animal sanctuary nearby.  The kids came down with a cold/cough while we were there, so that made for some grumpy moments, but it didn't stop them from swimming and having fun! 

Here are some highlights from the trip:

First morning at the beach

Another morning, Carly convinced us to get up for the sunrise at the beach - it was beautiful!

There was a big cloud and we were all freezing!

There were some lovely, warm moments, too!

Loving the beach!

  

Trying to get a tan, but brrrr!

The Museum of Discovery and Science in Fort Lauderdale was fun for kids and adults. Honestly, I think the kids may have enjoyed this more than the beach!

Flamingo Gardens is an animal sanctuary and botanical garden that we visited.  Winter in Vermont is very gray, so we loved seeing all the colors and greenery!  Evie fed a flamingo by hand (they are surprisingly gentle!), we watched the cutest river otters, peacocks were roaming all around, and we got to see a Florida panther up close.

Thankful for the glass to separate us from the panther!

Can you see the river otter poking his head out of the house?  They were so cute and playful!

The rest of our time was spent at the house, pool, playground and around town enjoying being outside!

And this made us laugh - Carly caught us sound asleep on the couch one night after the kids went to bed!  We are quite the party animals!

There were just a couple other noteworthy moments before/after our trip:

Evie's class had a presentation morning - here is Evie's research on Day of the Dead

Noah's class earned a sledding party for their good behavior...it was kind of icy, so Noah enjoyed resting in a snowbank!

Time for another Tooth Fairy visit!