Adventures in Florida

While we love catching up with friends and family in Virginia, there were some other places we wanted to go while we were in the U.S.. First stop was Florida to visit the Goerss grandparents.  I had to reassure Elena that this flight was MUCH shorter than the last one.

As soon as the girls got in the house, they found toys old and new to play with.

Then they jumped into the pool.  The only thing that could lure them out was a belated birthday celebration for Vivian.

Grandma made a fabulous yellow cake with chocolate icing which was rapidly devoured. 

Since Jeff wasn't there to keep me company on a walk, I talked the girls into coming with me, telling them that there was a playground we could stop at.  We started out well.

But since I was used to walking with Jeff, it didn't occur to me that the playground being a mile away would be a bit much for the girls.  Luckily, there was a delicious breakfast treat for them when we got back, fun shapes for biscuits! 

One of our favorite parts of our Florida visits is the alfresco dining.

Of course, it's also fun to eat out.  The girls were excited to go to P.F. Chang's.  The last time we ate there was at the one in Bogotá close to our house.  The girls were excited to see the familiar horses.

The next day we went to try our luck at the mini golf course.

I wasn't sure how the girls would do compared to the last time we went, but they did great! Each girl had a hole in one, Elena near the waterfall,

and Vivi on the one that goes up and around.

They also managed the heat pretty well.  Elena even found a shady spot to hang out with an alligator.

Of course, there's always an easy cure for being hot, jumping in the pool.

The mornings were not too bad, so long as I got out early, so I did get a couple more walks in.  After the first attempt though, I decided it was better not to bring the girls along.

The girls' love of IHOP is well known, so the Goerss grandparents found one nearby for breakfast.  The restaurant was doing a Minions tie-in, and Elena discovered that she LOVES banana pudding pancakes.

While Vivian remains devoted to her favorite, strawberry syrup.

After fueling up on sugar, we got in the car and headed to the turtle rescue place we went to last time we visited.

Unfortunately, during the pandemic, the vets who helped with the turtles all left, so there are now no turtles there.  Instead, there are "training" stations where visitors can learn how to take care of turtles.

On the way home, Elena spotted a rainbow cloud, and Vivian quickly grabbed a picture of it.

Elena also got to make her very own mug that afternoon.

Vivian got some art time in too, visiting the Norton Museum of Art with her grandparents.  She especially loved the glass ceiling that was meant to look like an underwater scene.

It was a short visit, but we all had so much fun, and it was great to spend time with them.