Wrapping It Up

After leaving Charleston, we headed toward Ave Maria, FL where my parents live.  We did a lot of hanging out with my parents and with family.  We did things that were more relaxing.  One of the first things we did was head to Naples to watch Cars 2 which my kids were looking forward to a lot.  They definitely liked the movie and are now collecting all their favorite cars from the toy stores!

We also did a lot of swimming.  I do not have any pictures of that because I didn't want to get my camera wet and also I was busy swimming.  My kids still do not know how to swim and we do not belong to a swimming pool so they don't really practice during the Summer.  When we go down to Florida is probably the only chance in the year they will swim unless they get invited to a swim party during the year which has happened.  We spent our time in the pool teaching them how to swim and it's tough.  My sister had a lot of luck with the kids this year and they got a lot better.  I'm not as nervous anymore at the pool, but would still like to get them swimming confidently.  Perhaps, swimming lessons at the local indoor pool this school year? 

My Dad rented a golf cart for all of us to drive while we were visiting.  The town of Ave Maria is not only a residential community it is also a college campus.  It's a large area outside of Naples, FL.  Getting around is more fun in a golf cart than in a car that's been heated by the hot sun! 

This was a hit with the kids since they were able to drive it.  There was an adult present at all times - no worries!  It was sort of a glimpse into the future as to what it will be like when your kids are able to drive.  Um, I don't think I will be handling those days too well.  My daughter was very quick to learn and she was driving pretty well by the end of our trip.  The boys on the other hand - perhaps it was just their young age.  I hope they improve with age.

We went all over the place with the golf course.  Any errand that had to be run, we had volunteers!  We went on a hunt for alligators around the town and found around 8-10 of them in the lakes.  Some were hanging out on the golf courses.  I didn't get any pictures of course, but we took tons of video.

We did some sparklers one night.



These are always fun!

We also did a lot of eating at my parents house.

While at my parents house we decided to take a side trip to the University of Miami so that Coach could visit their coaches and do what coaches do.  But first we visited the beaches of Ft. Lauderdale.  The waves are much stronger, I thought.  The sand, much coarser.  The sun, much hotter - we went during the hottest time of the day, uggh.

Spent more time enjoying the waves.

Some of us were at the beach during our nap time.

Sometimes Daddy makes everything better.

See, the sand was a lot coarser and hotter.  It made it a bit uncomfortable, but it's pretty, eh?

Sandcastles were made.





The next day we headed to Zoo Miami.  I would prefer if they switch the name to Miami Zoo just because.  They had family bikes to ride all around the zoo, but my family preferred to walk it.  I liked this zoo, it had a lot of cool animals and things to do.

My kids enjoyed a camel ride from this nice fella.



The camel walked around a small circle twice and that was it, but their faces said it all.  They were having fun!

We got to feed the pelicans before we left.

We headed back to Ave Maria for a few days and then we were headed home.  On the way home we wanted to stop by Atlanta, GA to see the largest aquarium in the world!  Ooooow, ahhhhh!  See ya then.