Garrett's Blue Shirt

Today, Garrett tested for the next level of Kung Fu and passed with flying colors.  Our horse stance extraordinaire was very happy to receive his blue shirt.  Great Job Garrett!!!

Final Hours

We were leaving to venture back to the snow in less than two hours so the executive decision was to hurry up and have some pool time before heading home.  We missed two large snow storms so we knew we would be welcomed back with cold weather and mountains of snow.

Daddy put his muscles to good use and threw the kids through the pool.

Here is Super Connor!

Perfecting his dive as he is thrown through the air.

Garrett ready for another ride.

And he is off.

Of course, Emily got lots of love.

Emily loved having fun with Daddy. 

After all this fun family time, it was time to head back to the room and get going.

We needed one last family phot on the peir to cement our trip.

Thanks for the 80 degree weather but it is time to head back home.  Trust me when I say that none of us wanted to go back home to snow.

Fun in the Sun

Our last full day in Islamorada and we didn't want to waste a moment.  The kids woke up feeling a little bit better so with a little help from our friend Tylenol we headed out to see what fun we could find.  After a delicious breakfast at the hotel buffet, we claimed our spots by the pool.  The view below is from our pool seats.

Since it was still a little cold to go swimming, we headed off to go fishing off the pier.  Kids had their fishing poles and their nets.

It wasn't long before Grandpa caught a fish and he let this young man throw it back into the ocean.

Soon it was Daddy and Emily reeling in the next fish before our friend the Pelican grabbed it.

Tada!

Then off to the beach to build our newest creation.  Emily built so many towers and walls while Connor was the master of the moat.  Garrett was great at giving directions and making the big towers.

Since Garrett still wasn't feeling great, he wanted to go for a swim with Grandpa.

The end result of the hard work was a masterpiece which the kids had a great time destroying.

Then it was time for a swim.

Can you find all of my children?  They are all in this picture.  Garrett is in the chair on the right in his tent.

Everyone got a moment to relax.

It was then time for golf, walks on the beach, kayaking, swims and so much more.  We stayed busy all day trying to absorb all the sunshine.

A Day of Rest

Monday was a very sad day for us.  All of my munchkins woke up with a fever, sore throat and cough.  We camped out in the hotel room all day trying to rest and feel better.  There is nothing worse than seeing all three of the kids sick at one time.  So sad!

I did manage to get a lot of cuddle time and Garrett even used me as a pillow for his nap.  There is absolutely no better feeling.  We had room service and movie night ("Tangled") so we did manage to have some fun.

Day Two

When the boys are away, we make sure to have a lot of fun at play.  The men went off fishing leaving Nana, myself and the kids.   We decided we were going to make the most of it.  After a delicious buffet breakfast, Garrett was determined to jump in the pool.  He got ready so fast he jumped in the pool before we knew what happened.   When we turned around, Garrett was climbing out of the pool saying it was so cold.   The shocked look on his face was priceless.  

While we waited for the pool to heat up, we decided it was time to hit the lagoon. We got right into sand castle building.  

There were a lot of opinions about our structures and the plans for our castles but we all managed to work together.  

The final product.  Our kingdom complete with bridge and operational moat.

All this hard work made us hot and ready to hit the pool.  This time there was no hesitation to jump in and have fun.  

Emily was thrilled to have Nana's attention and never wanted to get out of the water.  

There was even time for some brotherly-sisterly love.  

It was then time for lunch by the pool and time to head off to play tennis and golf.  Garrett and I had a blast playing tennis.  He is very good and runs after every ball. I am looking forward to the spring.  

Connor wasn't feeling well but was adamant that he wanted to play golf with his Dad and Grandpa. The evening was finished off by an Oceanside dinner where we all tried alligator for the first time and feasted on the fish the men had caught that day.   It did get a tiny bit chilly but Garrett had a solution.  

I have to admit the fish was fantastic and the atmosphere was so much fun.  

Saturday in Sunshine

First day in Islamorada, Florida and we definitely made the most of it.   I think we were inspired by the 75 degree weather since we left behind a foot of snow and Boston is getting another significant snow fall tonight. We were out bright and early to get breakfast at Mangrove Mikes where we ate a delicious breakfast. Then, we headed off to the Theater of the Sea which is where Brian and I swam with the dolphins many many years ago.  Upon arrival, we were given the schedule and never looked back.  First stop the Sea Lion show.

This is Wilbur who showed us lots of tricks.  My favorite was how he could differentiate between ice and jello.  It was amazing.

Emily and Garrett even volunteered to throw rings onto Wilbur's neck and they were successful.  

The show was so entertaining that the kids were enthralled the whole time.  

We also met Jet the female sea lion who was very cute.   Next stop the bottomless boat which took us along the lagoon to see the dolphins up close and personal and other wildlife.  During our boat ride the dolphins were too busy playing with themselves to entertain us but they made up for that later.  We saw some enormous iguanas sitting up in trees and pelicans as well.  We then went on a nature walk which allowed us to walk along the pools that hold the dolphins.  We were able to see the female pool which housed the 49 year old Sherry and two other females which included the 2 month old baby Niki.  

And we found ourselves within inches of the largest iguana I have ever seen.  

In case that doesn't do it justice.  Here is another view.  

The final stop of the nature walk was a lagoon you could swim in with loads of parrot fish.  The kids opted to feed the fish but it was hard to hold Garrett back from actually getting in.  

On to see the sea turtles, sharks, crocodiles, alligators, birds and so much more.  Connor was very excited to see the Parrot show which entailed the parrots doing tricks including balancing on a barrel, put shapes in the proper holes and even did math problems involving a bell.  

The dolphin show was next on our stop.  The dolphins are so well trained showing us amazing jumps, responses to hand signals and made their amazing noises.  Here is the dolphin flipping with the trainer.  

Finally the big event.  The boys were able to meet the dolphins.  In a small group they were able to go out on the dock with the trainer.   First they were introduced to the dolphin, Sherry who allowed them to touch her top side.  

Then the boys each have Sherry a signal - Connor made the okay symbol with his hands and splashed in he water and Sherry made crying noises.  

Their relationship was sealed with a kiss.

Garrett held his hands up and wiggled his fingers which made Sherry sing.  

Garrett got a kiss too.  Right to his ear which Garrett thought was hysterical and wet.

 For the final request, Connor asked Sherry for something to bring home by making a swiping motion with his hand.  Sherry usually brings back a mangrove seed for visitors so the trainer was shocked when she came back with a special piece of coral for Connor.  The trainer was amazed and said this was the first time she ever brought something. Like that back.  That is a huge honor and hopefully Connor realizes what a big deal that was.  

 Garrett couldn't get enough of Sherry so he got to pet Sherry's underside which he described as a really smooth pancake.  

What a great adventure today.  Then we headed back to our hotel where everyone had a different idea of what they wanted to do.  Connor, Garrett and I hit the golf course.  To say that Connor was a natural, I couldn't believe it.  Garrett did fantastic as well and mommy was just plain awful.  We had a blast playing all 9 holes.  

In the meantime, Daddy, Grandpa and Emily went to the beach to make sand castles.  It was then time for dinner and to call it a night.  It was truly a successful day!