We weren't quite at the 2nd week of our FL adventure, but it was more convenient to separate the posts in weeks.
What a wonderful week we had with the Carters. They arrived on Sunday afternoon and of course Arden was so excited to see his dear friend Ellie. This week went by fast and it's kind of a blur. But this is more or less how our days were like:
Most of the children slept in the same room, with the exception of baby Matthew...who was so adorable I wanted to bring him home with me.
Anyways, these guys would take turns sleeping on the beds. They would go to bed kind of late...9:30 or 10PM and would wake up pretty early. There were a couple of mornings they woke up around 6:45.
They would play for a while, eat breakfast, change into their swimming suits and then we'd walk to the beach.
They'd play for a few hours...sometimes we would have lunch at the beach, other days, we'd just eat snacks and head back home. Once we were back home, they would swim in the pool for a few hours. After the pool, they would get showered and dressed, relax for a little while...sometimes, the older kids would go outside to catch lizards and other types of critters and then we'd eat dinner or go out to dinner.
After dinner, on most days we ate by the beach, so we'd go play in the sand or go for a swim. Finally, they'd wash up and eventually go to bed.
On one of the first days the Carters were in town...Karen and her sister Vilma, went out to dinner with us at the Pier. The food was okay, but the views were great. The kids had a wonderful time watching an Asian couple catch some fishes. Vilma also brought a couple of their nephews and we were out numbered. There were 10 children and 5 adults.
The children were so good, for being hungry and having so many of them. No one got lost or went overboard...well, over the pier.
Another day...I think it was that Tuesday...JP McDonald took us out on his sailboat. I invited my dad to come along, since I knew Arden would want to go fishing with him and this seemed like a great opportunity to go fishing.
Our kids had a great time on the sailboat. I've known JP for many years...and this was the first time I had gone sailing with him. I had a lot of fun.
We didn't go very far since there wasn't a constant breeze and with so many little ones, they wouldn't have the attention span to travel that far. So, JP took us to a bird island...only birds are allowed there, but we tried fishing and using some nets to catch sea critters. Arden was in HEAVEN! Kevin is such a cool dude, he was in the water with no fear swimming alone with his life jacket. Maya had the biggest tantrum, refusing to wear shoes...we tried to explain there could be sting rays or other creatures that could pinch her feet and it was a safety precaution. She wouldn't hear it. This idea of a creature pinching you and with the sea floor being rocky, a bit slimy, and with sea grass, also freaked Ellie out. So, for a while we had a bit of girl drama...with Maya and Ellie taking turns. Looking back it was kind of funny.
Even with all of the drama, we had fun.
In some of these photos we let Kevin be our photographer...not bad, eh. After, our sailing trip, JP took us to the spring by his house to see the manatees. There were several of them...so cute.
Arden and Ellie were in insect/critter heaven. They got really good at catching all kinds of creatures, especially the lizards. There are all kinds of photos on these posts of the many creatures they caught. Some were released back into the wild (our backyard or the beach) unharmed...Others weren't as lucky...they were held in captivity and stunk up the garage. Thank goodness they were kept in the garage and not inside the house.
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| Looking for 'poquinas' after dinner. |
We loved going to the beach after dinner. That was probably our favorite time to go. We didn't have to wear sunblock and the weather was just perfect...most evenings. I also think the kids acted more relaxed in the evenings.
After playing hard all day, these kids would sleep like logs...although I still wonder, why couldn't they sleep in until later?
Wednesday night Mr. Chris arrived. The following morning we drove through the barrier islands and headed to Siesta Key...voted one of the best beaches in the country. And it's so true...the sand was so nice. That being said...because it is so nice, it was very populated. I liked our beach on the Anna Maria island...we practically had the beach to ourselves.
Newel, being such a lover of eating out, couldn't help himself and went to the Salty Dog to get the most heart attack causing hot dog I've ever seen. I won't lie...it tasted pretty good, but I was happy with my spicy wings.
Chris didn't seem too sure about his meal, but he was a good sport and ate it.
I think it's so funny that after being at the beach a big part of the day, the children still went to the pool to play.
That evening, we left our kids and the Carter kids with my mom and Tia Dina, who were so nice to watch our children. Then, we met up with HB, Karen, and Craig at Berns's Steakhouse. We needed to show our Texan friends that FL has good steak restaurants. They really liked the food. The company was great, too. We laughed so much and was just a wonderful evening. At the time we were going to the dessert room, Newel called PGI and he met up with us. He's such a great story teller, he had a captive audience. We got home pretty late and we were pretty tired, but it was so worth it.
Okay, it's time to make a confession. The night we went to Bern's was Arden's birthday, but we didn't tell him, since we were busy. I know, it's kind of naughty, but he didn't have a calendar in front of him telling him the date and that he missed his birthday. BUT, the following morning, we told him that it was his birthday, and asked him if he wanted to celebrate it with Kevin whose birthday was the following day. Arden decided he wanted his own party, so, we had a pool party at the beach house. Karen came over with the girls for a swim.
We bought some cupcakes, sang him his birthday song, and he opened presents that would remind him of his trip to FL. He seemed pleased with all of it. Also, this was the first time in years he only had one party. Usually, there are a couple of parties involved.
That evening, we went to the Sandbar for dinner. That was our favorite place since the beach is so pretty and the food is pretty good too. Vilma met us there with Joseluis...but there was a mishap with their seats and she got mad and went to the beach instead. We met up with her later.
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| So hot, no, really that's sweat on HB! |
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| Giving Arden b-day wishes |
We kept on celebrating Arden's birthday. He picked out a yummy dessert and had a blast sharing it with Ellie and Mr. Chris. It was really funny how the other children piled on their ice cream dessert on top of Arden's to make it bigger. That was pretty funny. We also had a couple of dirty children. But when you have the beach nearby, just dump them in the water and problem solved.
My mom, dad, and abuelita met us at the beach after they had their dinner...did I mention they arrived late? That's not a surprise, though. I has happy they were there.
The sunset was gorgeous and we took advantage of the sun to take some photos.
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| What a happy boy. Happy 7th Birthday! |
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| The Carters |
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| My mommy |
The following morning was time to leave the beach house. So we cleaned up, packed our bags and headed to a boat rental place. We rented a plantoon boat. We loaded it with children, snacks, and water and headed to Egmont Key. It would have been a really great hit, if it wouldn't have been so hot. The only relief after walking around the fort was swimming. The water cooled us off. There were so many pretty shells on the shore, I couldn't get over how nice they were. I wish I could have spent more time collecting shells, but it was also fun being in the water with Mayita and Arden. When we headed back to the mainland, some of the kiddies fell asleep as they sat on their seats. They were finally getting tired, after so many days of playing hard. I was glad we also had a chance to see some dolphins. I hope the Carters liked seeing a bit of FL's natural habitats.
After our boat adventure, we headed over to JP and Jan's house, who were so nice to let us stay there while they were out of town. I hope we didn't trash their house too much. We took it easy that afternoon. Some of the kids went fishing at the canal in the McDonald's backyard, we ordered some pizza and celebrated Kevin's birthday. We had cake and let the kids play. No pool that day. The guys (HB, Chris, and Newel) had one last late night with JJ and Chris Rosenboom joining them, too. The following morning, the Carters headed back home to TX. We went to church, and hung out at my parents' house and then we dropped Newel off at the Sarasota airport. Then, my mom, the kids and I drove to Orlando to spend the night at Karen's house and there we started another adventure.
They loved watching the show and then they even took pictures with a 'real' mermaid. 
We only went to the mermaid side of the park, not the water park side, so there wasn't a ton of stuff to see and do. However, we made the best of it. We had a great time. My dad also came with us and the kids loved having their Lito around...although, playing with cousins is also a lot of fun. 
We arrived to the Reptile Theater to see the Reptile Show. It was outdoors and we were so hot and sweaty. I thought we were going to pass out, but luckily the show started promptly...although it was probably less than 15 minutes long and only 4 reptiles were presented. In a way, we (the adults) were glad the show was short, so we could escape the heat.
Once the show ended, our clan stood in line to pet some creatures...who doesn't love petting some creatures?
It was worth it. The water was crystal clear you could see to the bottom...which isn't very deep. There were so many fishes, I thought Arden might want to jump in and try to catch one of them....Luckily, no diving for fish on this trip.
The kids were happy eating and playing. Arden and Maya gave their cousins lots of hugs and said bye, until next time. 
Again, there's not much to say for the sunset-beach trips, expect that it was a beautiful sunset and I was glad to be there with my parents and my children. 
Our final day in FL, I took the children to the Gamble Plantation. This is a place I've driven by so many times, I couldn't even count them, but I had not visited. It was an educational experience and I feel like I learned a lot. I think the children learned a bit and enjoyed the tour.
