Florida Aquarium

Jess and I packed the car a couple of weekends ago and we took our first road trip as a family.  We have gone places with Mya but never the four of us.  We did some research and found some really good things about the Florida Aquarium in Tampa.  Tampa is about 3 1/2 hours away from Jacksonville so not a very long car ride at all.  We had been talking about the aquarium for a couple of weeks with Mya and she was super excited.  There is nothing like seeing the smile on my 3 year olds face when she is excited about something.  It is such a great feeling.  The aquarium was full of many different tanks full of fish, otters, alligators, and penguins.  It was funny to have Mya look at something for a few minutes and then say "I want to go see something else"  She absolutely loved it.  We decided since it was a full day trip at the aquarium that we would get a hotel for the night.  I made sure that I picked a hotel that had an indoor pool so that we had some entertainment for the night.  The hotel room seemed a little small to me but I guess that is how it goes when there are four of you in the room :).  We made it work.  We had the hotel bring us a trundle bed and we were good to go.  The next morning we got up and went and had breakfast and headed on home.  Here are  a few pictures from the fun filled weekend.

THE FLORIDA AQUARIUM...WE MADE IT!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE THERE WASN'T ANYONE AROUND TO TAKE THE PICTURE SO DAD COULD BE IN IT?

MYA JUST LOVED WATCHING ALL THE FISH

ADDY HAD FUN TOO!

MORE AND MORE LOOKING...

THIS OWL WAS JUST HANGING OUT IN THE OPEN

CLOSE UP OF THE OWL

EVEN WITH THE GLASS THIS IS MUCH MUCH CLOSER THAN DADDY WOULD HAVE GOTTEN TO THE CRAB

YOU LOOK YUMMY!

HEY MOM WHATS THAT?

HOW CAN IT BE A HORSE WITHOUT A SADDLE?

SEA TURTLE EGGS

I LOVE TURLES.

YOU MEAN I CAN ACTUALLY TOUCH IT?  NO DADDY DIDN'T DO THIS WITH ME

I AM SO READY TO GO SWIMMING

 

SO AM I...

AREN'T I SUPPOSED TO BE IN THE WATTER WHEN I AM IN A BOAT?

THAT IS A REALLY BIG FISH

STOPPING FOR A LITTLE LUNCH

I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN

PRETTY FISH

THIS WAS MINE AND DADDY'S FAVORITE PART

I LOVE RIDES

WHAT ARE WE SITTING ON?

SHARK!!!!

THIS WAVE IS HUGE

SURFS UP DUDE!

PLAYGROUND AT THE AQUARIUM

STING RAY BAY

WHAT ARE ALL THOSE LIGHTS?

ONE BIG HAPPY FAMILY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCGQZfSFHbU  Mommy and addy watching the stingrays

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpQpZ3i7PQE  Bonus video of Mya reading to Addy

Hope you enjoyed! 

Love

Derek, Jess, Mya and Addy

Jacksonville Fair and other odds and ends

The beginning of November always brings many things to mind.  Family...Holidays...Colder weather!  In Jacksonville one other thing comes to mind.  The Jacksonville Fair.  I have been to many fairs in my life time but the fair here in Jacksonville always blows me away.  It is a huge event with many rides, games, animals, shows and great food.  We have made it a family tradition to go down town and enjoy the festivities and always and I do mean always partake in an Elephant ear.  We bundled up the kids and ourselves and headed down to the big event.  Mya absolutely loves getting right in the middle of things and riding everything she can get on.  She is my little daredevil and I absolutely love it.  There is no ride that she won't attempt to go on.  At one point she even pointed to the gigantic roller coaster and looked at me with her big blue eyes and said.."Daddy can I please please please go on that"  I wanted to let her go so badly but knew that she would be scared out of her mind,  I didn't know how to tell her no...thank god for height requirements.  She did however go on everything that she could get on.  Anything and Everything from the merry go round to the kiddie roller coaster and the flying airplanes.  Some of the rides she could go on by herself but others she had to have one of us go with her.  Of course daddy had to be the one to go.  Just imagine me getting on the minuture cars so she could ride...not a pretty site.  It made Mya happy so definately was worth it.

After we had ridden just about everything that we could ride we decided to go and check out a show.  They always have this pretty cool show of just dogs doing dog tricks.  This is a show that travels the country performing with many different dogs catching frisbees and running obstacles.  It is a really cool show and Mya absolutely loved it.  I have to admit I think it is pretty cool as well.  After the show we went and got something to eat.  There is nothign better to me than fair food.  I know it is horrible for you but who doesn't love a giant turkey leg.  I mean come on!!  Here are a few pictures from the fun night.

Mya before we got into the fair...brr it was cold

Addyson enjoying the festivities

The roller coaster as you come into the fair

Mya's first ride of many was a zoo train

Zoo train ride

She looks so happy!

More Zoo train Ride

Mya flying her airplane.  She is very adamant that she wants to be a pilot when she grows up.  She tells us this all the time..

Taking flight

More flying

change of pace..now flying a helicopter

More Helicopter

Four wheeling

Not as cool as flying an airplane but Dumbo will have to do

this is of a roller coaster.  Mya loved it but scared daddy to death!  She is my little dare devil

The dog show...jumping and catching frisbees

Daddy and Addy

Daddy and Addy again

Mya checking out the bunnies.  They had a couple farms there with cows, pigs, chickens, goats, and other kinds of animals.


Here are more pictures and videos for you to enjoy!!!

Video of Addyson Rolling Over  Click here!!!!

Check back next week.  We are taking the kids to Tampa to the Aquarium this weekend.  Should be some great pics coming...stay tuned!