Mantatees!

So I finally got all of my blog "issues" squared away!!  Apparently as my blog is approaching 4 years of existence...I have used up all of the available memory for pictures?!  SO...I basically had to buy more space!  Thankfully it was a small $5 investment and I'm sure my faithful reader(s)..Hi Mom..Will be happy I paid it!

SO..I have a couple of random posts for you from a trip the kids and I made to Florida a couple of weeks ago.  We had a great time and really got to enjoy the warm weather and relaxation.  It's always nice to get "home" and see family and friends.  I have to admit..this last trip has left me more homesick then usual.  There's been a lot of space between my visits (8 months between this visit and the last) so maybe that just makes it particularly hard.  Not knowing when we will go back..

Still, like I said earlier, We had a great time!  So here are some pictures from one of our little adventures. The kids and I had spent the morning just hanging out and playing outside when I decided to take them on a little outing to see the manatees.  My in laws house (where we were staying) is in Riverview so it was just a quick drive over to see them.

For those of you reading that have no idea what I'm talking about, there is a great site to view Manatees. It's at one of the large power plants for the Tampa Bay area.  Here is a little excerpt from the TECO Manatee Viewing Center:

Tampa Electric’s Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach delivered reliable electricity to the community for 16 years before the commercial operation of Big Bend Unit 4 in 1986. That year, people started seeing manatees in large numbers in the power station’s discharge canal, where saltwater – taken from Tampa Bay to cool Unit 4 – flowed, clean and warm, back to the bay. When Tampa Bay reached 68 degrees or colder, the warm-blooded mammals would seek out this new refuge. The Manatee Viewing Center was soon born

There was quite a crowd of them gathered there that day.  I'd say probably at least 15.  The kids really seemed to enjoy it!  I remember going here and seeing them on field trips at school, but it had been a while since I saw them for myself.  They are so fascinating!!  It's just sort of strange to see such a large mammal swimming around in the water.  Also, we were excited to see several baby Manatees like the one pictured below..

Mama and Baby!

Here are the kiddos enjoying the view!

 One of the large smokestacks you can see high above the plant..

Noah and Ella seeing Manatees for the first time!  Couldn't get Noey to look at the camera though..

 Some of the power plant..

What a great way to spend a warm, sunny, Florida morning!

Out Of Space!

So apparently I ran out of picture storage space on my blog!!! I've been trying to post pictures from my Florida trip for weeks and it wouldn't let me so I finally explored the problem.  Anyways....I had to buy some more space so hopefully I will have some more posts with our Florida pictures soon!!!! I have a lot of pictures that I didn't post to FB so that I could save them for blog posts and now I'm getting wayyy behind!  Keep and eye out for them soon!

Under the weather!

When Randy went to Florida a few weeks ago for work, he came back home with a yucky flu that he has been trying to shake ever since.  I nicknamed it the "Florida plague" because it was such a yucky virus.  Well...it was only a matter of time until it caught up with me and the little ones.  Sunday evening, I started feeling yucky and feeling all those dreaded flu symptoms..body aches, chills, dizziness, and a horrible headache!  Ella and Noah followed right behind me and by Monday morning we were all sick sick sick!!  Since then we have been slowly recovering and I think we are just about over it.  We've been fever free all day with just a little bit of a lingering cough.  The kids have been going a little stir crazy since I haven't been able to take them anywhere this week.  

Ella and I enjoyed the morning today while Noah napped playing together.  She was quite pitiful wanting someone to play with so I joined her for a tea party!  Then we played a couple rounds of "Don't Spill the Beans!" and "Ooh La La Tea Party" which is a little Fancy Nancy board game she has.

Here's a couple pics from the tea party :)

This is a "Jeffrey" who belongs to one of the babies I babysit.  Hailey left her at our house so Ella has been "babysitting" him until she comes back.  

and this is a Birthday cake Ella made for the party ;)

She is quite the little hostess!  Here is my drink and piece of cake that she cut for me!

My poor, sick, girl!!  Isn't she so sweet!  Even with the highest temp, her spirits were high and she was such a good girl!

 We woke up to rain this morning, but were super pleased when the wether man said it was going to turn out to be a warm day!  He was right!  It turned out to be a sunny 73 degree day!!  It was absolutely beautiful and such a nice change to the cold, gloomy days we've had this Winter.  They said it will be back to cold tomorrow, so we enjoyed playing outside and getting as much fresh air as we could!

 We decided to load up and go get corn dogs from Cook Out for lunch.  We brought it home and had a picnic on the back porch..

 Princess was watching in case anyone accidentally dropped their corn dog!

When I told Ella that we were going to go outside, she ran and got socks and shoes on..she grabbed purple socks and pink crocs! LOL!  She never ceases to make me giggle when she chooses her own clothes! Here she is swinging in the baby swing..

 Hope everyone is finding ways to stay warm and sane during this long, cold, Winter!  We are so thankful for a little break from the cold!!  Come on Spring and hurry up!