The End of Our Journey

Today was our last day at the beach.  With Tropical Storm Debby finally out of the area, the waves were down and it was safe for Jax to really go out and enjoy the ocean some.  I only took a couple of pictures because I really just wanted to enjoy the day.  Here are the few I did get though.  

I just loved these pictures of Jasper and Jax by the ocean.  They are so cute together.

We have been staying at this house since I was a kid.  This year I noticed that a new palm tree had been planted in the front yard.  I decided it would be nice to take a picture of Jax with it to see how much they both grew by next year. :)

We had such a wonderful time on vacation, even if Debby hadn't been invited.  

I cannot wait to go back next year, with two little boys. :)

The Proof is in the Picture

I will fully admit that I am sometimes in denial that my son is getting older.  He still seems like that little newborn to me sometimes.  That is why I get taken back when I compare pictures of him now with pictures of him from months ago.  Today we took pictures of Jax at the beach before his morning nap. We took some pictures in the same places I took pictures of Jax back in October.  The comparison is shocking to me.  

Jax last year:

Jax now:

Here was Jax on the lifeguard stand last year.

Here he is now:

It is amazing how much he has changed in 8 months. 

Here was our last family picture.  

I can't wait to come next year and have another little footprint to add to the sand. :)

Beach Photo Shoot

We decided one afternoon to head over to the beach for some cute family pictures.  

I was pretty happy with how they turned out. :) 

Second Beach Day

Jax is a total beach bum now.
Not sure any words are needed to show how our second day at the beach went. :)

First Beach Day

Guess who got to go to the beach today ... this guy!

Jax absolutely loved the beach.  Jasper and I took him down the the ocean and he just walked right into the water.  Siesta Key is a fantastic beach and has hardly any waves, so it is great for toddlers.  Probably one of the many reasons it was ranked #1 beach. :)

Life is tough on the beach.

Rainy Day Fun

Another rainy day here in Florida thanks to tropical storm Debby.  We decided to take advantage of our time away from the beach and do something we have never done here in Florida, go to the aquarium!  Sarasota has a great place called Mote Aquarium and while my parents had seen it before, on previous vacations we hadn't wanted to miss a beach day, since that wasn't an issue this year we were more than happy to head over after Jax's nap. 

Jasper had a salt water fish tank as a kid so he loved this as well.  

He told Jax all about the fish they saw. 

Can you find the fish?

Say cheese!

About half way through the place Jax started to get a little tired and wanted to walk everywhere.  Even with four adults it was hard to keep him corralled.  

They had a great area where kids could touch some of the animals.  We opted to just look.  :)

Mote is actually a Marine Laboratory that has the aquarium as just a portion of its overall program.  We saw the Seahorse Laboratory which was pretty cool. 

Baby Seahorses!  

You can't see the sign very well but it said that these seahorses were born on March 5, 2012.

I think Jax enjoyed checking out the sharks.  I prefer to keep  my distance, even with the glass.  

I am not a fan of sharks!

The best exhibit might have been the Manatees.  They were in a huge tank and would swim right by you. 

Dad has always been a fan of Manatees.  He says that he swims like they do. :)

Seeing how they measure up!  Looks like they both have some growing to do. 

This is what a tired toddler looks like after a big day at the aquarium. 

And this is what that same toddler looks like moments later when back in his carseat.  

He knew that meant we were going home for a nap!

After his nap, Jax made it clear that he wasn't happy he had not been in the water yet. 

Luckily, the rain stopped and we saw our first bit of sunshine!  It was time to hit the pool!

This kid is loving the pool.

For dinner my parents offered to stay in while we headed out for a nice dinner which was fantastic.

On a funny note, mom took this picture of us and right when we left it started raining with really heavy winds.  We drove 20 minutes to dinner and when we pulled up to the valet parking, the guy taking our car noticed that my mom's cell phone was on the back bumper.  It has been there the entire trip!  I knew mom must have put it there when she stopped to take our picture.  The craziest part was that not only had it stayed on the bumper through the tropical storm with bad winds, but the cover had kept it dry and it still worked!  So if you need a cover, may I recommend the Otter Box covers, we have tested them and they work.  :)