Evan is still very interested in lizards! He caught this little guy right after we arrived!
Evan was really excited that we arrived in Key West in time to see the fireworks!
This picture of Preston is pretty accurate for the first few minutes.
This picture shows a super sleepy Preston, which is what he looked like for most of the night.
The fireworks over the ocean were so pretty!
On Saturday morning, we did a few errands, such as returning the rental car. (This was a great errand for Evan to help with, since they stopped to look for creatures and Evan saw a shark and three rays!) After errands, we went to Higgs Beach. Both boys were active, so Carl and I each took turns helping them as they did different activities. (Preston is REALLY into the beach this trip!) Evan got to snorkel with Daddy, which he loved, as well as swim and play with another boy at the beach. Preston was busy walking in the ocean, walking on the pier, playing on the steps of the pier, throwing rocks, etc. Once we were done, we did our usual afternoon activities, which include lunch, swimming in Grandpa and Bonnie Mom's pool, and naps.
When Evan woke up, he got to go to the nature preserve with Grandpa and they had a ball! Evan got to see all sorts of cool things and he also got to feed a turtle and an iguana!
Evan is great at finding cool things in the ocean! Here is his shark!
If you look closely, you can see some of the rays that Evan found!
Evan had fun snorkeling with Daddy.
Evan loved feeding the turtles and iguanas!
Cool Dude!
Preston loved this squirter toy that Bonnie Mom got him. The funny thing is that he used it backwards and did not really squirt anyone! He had a ball "squirting" everyone!
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In the late afternoon, Carl and I headed out for a date. We walked down to Simonton Beach, which has just recently opened. We enjoyed sitting on the small pier, sipping cocktails, and listening to live music. We also ate at The Upperdeck at Louie's Backyard, where we had delicious food and a great view. Of course, the company was great too! While we were gone, the boys went to the playground with Bonnie Mom and Grandpa and had dinner, so they had a fun time too!
On Sunday, we started our day at Casa Marina, where Carl and I took turns helping each boy with different activities. Evan wanted to explore the tide pools and he made friends with two boys while exploring. All three boys enjoyed snorkeling together, as well as feeding the fish frozen peas. (I have never heard of doing this, but the fish LOVED them!) Preston got in on the fish feeding action, as well as walked on the rocks trying to catch the seagulls, threw rocks in the ocean and had fun jumping in the pool.
Preston loves jumping in the pool and yells, "To infinity and beyond!" Of course, it sounds more like, "Finy an yon!"
Cool Dudes
After nap, Evan and Grandpa headed back to the nature preserve! Then veryone played in the pool, including Bonnie Mom and Grandpa. Bonnie Mom showed Evan some great ways to improve his swimming technique, which will make him even faster for swimming next year! She and Grandpa also worked with Preston on swimming and he made some progress with kicking from one person to the next, while blowing bubbles. Everyone had a great time.
Fun in the pool!
Around sunset, we went to White Street Pier, where we looked for sea creatures. Unfortunately, we did not see a lot, but we did see a ray! We played on the playground on the way home, which both boys enjoyed.
The boys always have so much fun at the playground. I think there is something extra fun about a playground on the beach!
We went to the harbor on Monday morning, to see the boats and look for fish and manatees. Although we did not see any manatees, we did see one of the largest tarpon we have ever seen! We also saw a large crab, lots of parrot fish, birds, and baby iguanas! Since it was REALLY hot, we made the trip to the harbor a fairly quick one and went back to swim in the pool.
Preston loved jumping around on the statue.
Evan tried to get the pigeons to eat out of his hand, but the pigeons were too shy. He did get them to come close to him though!
Preston enjoyed his ride around the harbor!
Evan often find flowers to give me. These orange flowers fell from the tree and Evan picked them up for me and even gave me one for my hair. What a sweet boy!
Captain Evan
Wildlife Pictures
After napping, Evan went to The Key West Butterfly and Nature Conservatory with Bonnie Mom! They had a great time together and Evan enjoyed seeing all of the butterflies. The rest of us hung around the house and relaxed for the afternoon.
In the evening, Carl and I headed to The Café for dinner. We also went to Simonton Beach to see the sunset. The boys got to spend time with Bonnie Mom and Grandpa at Casa Marina. The played in the pool and looked in the tidal pools and Evan even convinced Grandpa to let him bring home two hermit crabs to observe for the night! (That boy is good at convincing adults to let him do things, which is why has brought home several crayfish to observe this summer!)
Simonton Beach Sunset
On Tuesday, we had a pretty laid back day. We spent most of the morning at Casa Marina, where the boys played in the pool and explored the tide pools. Exploring the tide pools was pretty exciting, since Evan was able to find lots of cool things, such as crabs and shrimp!
Everyone had fun in the tide pools!
Evan found a crab that he was able to catch and observe. He was pretty excited!
Evan caught shrimp too!
Preston had a great time playing peek-a-boo on the pier.
In the afternoon, Grandpa took Evan fishing. Evan was SO excited! They had a great time and they caught six fish! Carl, Preston and I visited while they fished and Preston wanted to fish too. Since he is so little, we let him feed the fish, which he enjoyed.
Our evening consisted of swimming in the pool, eating dinner and watching a movie, which was a nice way to end the day.
We wanted to take pictures on Wednesday, so we headed over to The Key West Garden Club. Unfortunately, we did not get any good pictures. It was SUPER hot, even in the shade, so everyone immediately got sweaty. Plus, both boys were way more interested in exploring, than getting their pictures taken. I guess you win some and lose some!
We spent the rest of the morning at The Reach, where we swam in the pool and tried paddle boarding! Bonnie Mom started off with Evan, but we all took turns and had a great time!
While the boys napped, Carl and I headed to Geiger Key for kayaking. We had a really good time and enjoyed the mangroves and the swimming hole, as well as stopping for a drink at the marina afterwards.
At night, Carl and Evan went night snorkeling! I was a bit scared for them to go out on their adventure, but they had a great time and saw many things, including an eel, a lion fish, and several crabs.
We had a pretty lazy day on Thursday and spent lots of time watching Toy Story and lounging around. We did go to Casa Marina, where we enjoyed our usual activities of swimming, exploring the tide pools, walking on the pier, etc. Carl and I did go to "Glass Beach" to collect sea glass while the boys napped. In the evening, Evan and Grandpa went fishing and Carl, Preston and I joined them for a bit a saw a beautiful sunset. A laid back day was just what everyone needed, especially the boys, who tend to get cranky when they are tired from too much fun. =)
The tide pools at Casa Marina provide hours of fun for the boys.
Preston enjoys a workout each day, by running all over the pier!
Evan wanted his picture taken at Bonnie Mom and Granpa's pool. What a handsome fellow!
Evan is having a blast fishing with Grandpa!
Sunset on Key West
On Friday, we spent the morning at Bonnie Mom and Grandpa's pool, in anticipation of riding a boat around the harbor around 11:30. Unfortunately, the boat was not running. Evan was disappointed, so Grandpa took Evan fishing, to help boost his spirits. Evan came back happy, since they caught more fish, but he was super excited to find that Carl was able to find a glass bottom boat for Evan and I to ride. (This was pretty impressive, since he had such a short time to find a new boat to ride!)
Evan and I went on the boat, while Carl stayed with Preston, since he needed a nap. Evan was thrilled with the boat ride. Of course, he loved the actual ride and being on a boat. He also liked when we stopped on the reef and looked at the coral, fish, etc. He was also pretty excited that he was able to see a manatee by the pier, when we docked!
Carl and I took our sunset cruise that night. We had fun and we had an awesome sunset. We even got to see a green flash! On the way back to the harbor, we also saw a rising moon, which was beautiful.
Our final day in Key West was pretty uneventful. We spent the morning doing our usual activities at Casa Marina and then had lunch and played in Bonnie Mom and Grandpa's pool.
We planned a picnic dinner at Fort Zachary for dinner, but storms came, so we had a picnic on the balcony! It was a pretty fun way to end our trip, even though it was not exactly what we planned to do. (Sadly, I do not have any pictures from this day. I had planned on taking lots of pictures at our family picnic at Fort Zachary, but did not, since we ate on the balcony and Carl and I spent lots of time chasing Preston around the house.)
