Shopping Shopping Shopping

Sunday we spent the afternoon shopping.  We picked up ski equipment for little C for next season.  Stopped into our favorite ski shop, Slope Style Ski and Ride, where they are super friendly to the kids (adults too).  I'm not affiliated or anything - we just really like these guys.
Little c got to pic out the graphics/ color of her ski and the color of her binding.  She's got a early rise all terrian rocker.  She picked out a really slick "old School" design.  The binding is the smaller ones, meant for the lower weight children.  Our salesman check the mid range binding, but at her current weight she's about 25 lbs away from being able to use those at the lowest setting.  It was a nice try, but better to be safe - and she still will have plenty of range on the binding setting for the ones she got.  She was so excited to be able to pick out her equipment.  She wanted to get boots too, but we will wait until fall so we know what size her feet are.
Took some photos of the new gear - and as you can see she already knows how to show off her branding like a pro :).

Little c also got her first pedal bike for her birthday this year.  She is ecstatic.  We got her a 16" bike, but she about 1 growth spurt away from fitting a 20" bike.  She actually could sit on the seat and reach the pedals on the 20".  But since it is her first pedal bike she's not really ready for the bigger bike.  Yet with practice she could be there by the end of the summer.  So we've removed the training wheels, and she's getting the pedaling down, the breaks are very easy so she's learning to pedal forward only to get going.  But her balance is totally there.  So much fun to watch her learning again.

Florida Trip Photos

 This Dolphin is Baby Hope, who lost her Mom.  Since she lost her family when she was so young there was no way for her to learn the things she needs to know to survive in the wild.  So she now has a home at The Clearwater Aquarium.

 Hermit Crabs - 2 left after evicting the fighter
all were released when we were done observing them.

 Out on the Manatee River  - lots of fun according to the LO.

FL Day 4

No new photos to post today - I need to download some from the camera from day 3 though.

So day three big c, little c, and I went to a little County park, E.G. Simmons.  There is a boat ramp, a beach and a playground.  We played around for a bit.  Found lots of hermit crabs had 3 in the pail at once and one got fiesty and started attacking the other two, so we had to remove that one.  Big c got to see one crab change shells.  We watched as a smaller crab crawled out of a larger crabs shell.  We had fun and a snack and little c got some playground time too.

Big c had a work meeting in the afternoon, so the girls, little c my mom, and I went up to Sun City Center for a pedicure and to visit my grandmother Martha.  We had a lovely visit and and relaxing time getting our nails done.

Today, we went into Bradington for  farmers market, picked up some great tomatoes, blueberries, kale, pastries and cookies.  Followed in up with a stopmzt a family run meat market, they have GREAT roast beef, and smoked corned beef.   After a stop for some regular groceries, we dropped Grandma and Grandpa and little c off at the house so big c and I could go check out a rib festival.  Had some great ribs from  local place T & L BBQ, very good sauce and friendle people.  Back to Mom and Dad's place where we met up with mom and little c at the pool.

Currently a few of us are ready for a nap, not the littlest though.

Day 2 in FL

Our first full day in FL.  Visiting my parents.  We got in yesterday at 4 pm, and had a nice dinner and visited the pool.  We all slept very well.

Today we were up  and off to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium home on Winter the Dolphin, an amputee dolphin.  There is a movie based on her life, which we watched as a family once, little c and I watched at least 5 times last month while we were all sick.  So for a suprise we took her to meet the real Winter.   While at the aquarium we also got to see nurse sharks, otters, sea turtles, and rays.  There was a baby dolphine named Hope, who lost her mother, but has now found a home at the aquarium.  They have two facilities so we rode a trolly betwwen the sites.  Little c declared the day alot of fun, trolly rides included. 

We came back for a late lunch and some much needed rest.  Then it was back to the heated pool for a swim.  Little c wore her life vest today and was swimming around like a little fish.  She jumped in several times from the edge - thinking that was lots of fun.

After cleaning up grandma A and little c worked on some art.  Little c was posing to be drawn.  The photos today are of her posing, Ill have to down load from the other camera the pictures from the aquarium.