Aaaaalligator. . .

Where we stayed on Marco Island was really close to the Everglades National Park. We decided to take a boat tour of the Mangroves and the 10,000 islands that are part of the National Park.
I think Steve and I were more excited about the boat ride through the Mangrove trees,
But when we saw this . . .
and this . . .Sienna got excited too. She has an alligator bath toy and for the last couple of weeks I have been singing an alligator song to her. She does the sign for alligator and then says Aaaaa. We think it is so cute. Little does she realize that her new favorite animal is not a nice animal.

We then continued south through the 10,000 islands. The one animal I REALLY wanted to see was a manatee, but we were told that because of the hurricanes they had gone deeper into the sea.
We did see many many birds, and
a dolphin followed our boat.Then, much to my surprise and amusement we saw manatees, lots of them. Here are two noses.
More manatees.
Our boat trip was a success!

Marco Island

After a day in West Palm Beach we drove to our destination, Marco Island.

Marco Island is located on the south-western side of Florida. We checked into our room and then decided to explore our vacation home.

This is the view from our balcony. Notice how empty the beach looks. We later learned that August and September were not prime time to travel to Florida. It was nice for us because beaches were empty, and there were no lines or traffic. What a difference from Southern California.
Sienna loves swimming and quickly discovered the pool.


We went down to check it out and decided to take a swim.

Sienna has been going under water, and here she is after being dunked by her daddy. We will have to post pictures of her underwater, but they are on the disposable water camera.

Later that day we took the boardwalk from our hotel to the beach.

It was very beautiful, and the gulf water was warm and calm, but . . .


This is what the beach was made of. Shells! It was great for looking and finding favorite shells, but not great for walking barefoot.


Sienna found a couple that she liked.

We walked until the sun went down and then on our way back to our hotel we noticed a little octopus.


Marco island was a perfect place to see all kinds of wildlife.

Fun in Florida

Upon arriving in Florida we spent our first day in West Palm Beach. There we found a great wild animal park where you can drive your car through their habitats and see them in the open. It was very cool seeing the animals only 10 to 20 feet from your car.

Some kind of African Deer.


This Rhino has a buddy.


Sienna enjoyed the Merry Go Round.


Sienna had a blast feeding the lorikeets.


The giraffes almost swallowed her arm whole.

So much fun, So pooped.

Happy Birthday!

Happy birthday

to the best husband

and the best father.
We love you so much and feel blessed to be a part of your life.

Summer Fun

Last week we had some friends over for dinner and a swim (no we don't own a real pool, just a kiddie pool). Our friends brought over their little pool for Sienna and her friend Araia to play in.

They had so much fun splashing in the water. They left this little pool with us while it dried out, but when we went outside the other day Sienna went right to it and started playing in what little water was still in it. Her daddy couldn't resist so he turned on the water.

They didn't even take the time to change into a swim suit.

We sat in out backyard and watched her play for almost an hour.

Sienna has also discovered our cherry tomato plant. We have to watch her or she immediately goes over there and picks off the tomatoes. We have tried to teach her not to pick the green ones, but she tends to go for what she can reach.

Yummy those tomatos taste good!

Fiesta Days

While camping in Carpinteria, we decided to spend a morning in Santa Barbara. To our surprise and amusement we found that it was Fiesta Days!

We braved the crowds and tried to get a look at the parade. There were vendors set up with many different booths, and lots of good food. We had great Mexican soft tacos and churros.

One thing we noticed was that there were many people selling decorated eggs. We asked what that was all about and were told that people buy the eggs filled with confetti and glitter and then crack them on different people's heads. (Sometimes even on a stranger's head).We decided to participate in this interesting tradition. Here Brody cracks and egg on his dad's head.

Sienna snuck up on Leilani and got her good.

We were glad our friends the Worthingtons could join us.

Carpinteria

Every year we have a family camping trip to Carpinteria. Steve's family has been doing this for a very long time and it is a great way to enjoy friends, family and the beach. Since most mornings start out overcast and gloomy we decided to go up to Santa Barbara two of the mornings to walk around and bike ride.
They have these family bikes you can rent. Sienna loved it and even wanted to try steering the bike.


Most of the afternoons were spent enjoying the beach. Sienna has no fear of the water and so we had to watch her close. She loved running down to the waves.


Sometimes I would run and grab her into my arms. She thought it was a very fun game.


Sienna loved playing in the sand, but she was not so sure what to think of the boogie board. Her little friend Araia loved being pulled around but I was only able to get this one shot before Sienna decided she had had enough.


Sienna and I were walking and she tripped. To keep her from falling I grabbed her up. She thought that was fun and so she started falling on purpose. Wee is what she calls it. It makes walking with her a little more difficult.

Daddy and Sienna after a long day.

Our friend Crystal gave us a bike trailer for Sienna. She loved it but was not such a fan of the helmet we had for her.


After a nice long day at the beach we enjoyed sitting by the fire. Aunt Tami posed for a picture with Steve and Sienna.