Dolphins!

Dolphins, manatees and osprey, oh my! We went on a fantastic wildlife boat tour this morning. We started with a few manatee and dolphin sightings around the mangroves. We also saw an osprey with her babies, and two more battling a bald eagle for their catch!


Love the stars on their glasses.

We then went to an uninhabited island for shelling.



A shell tree.


We made some great finds, including this horseshoe crab shell.


Our guide nicely offered to let the girls drive the boat.

Willa, who could not see over the wheel, drove us in circles.

The highlight of the trip, which was amazing, was the ride back. Seven to eight dolphins swam in the wake of our boat, nearly touching it at times. Willa's head is in the first picture below; the girls got a great view of them. They followed us for about 15 minutes and it was truly incredible. Three of them would leap out of the water, side by side, in union. Here are the best pics.





We ended the day with more beach time, and then swimming at the pool.

The girls went to sleep snuggling their new little plush baby dolphins, completely thrilled with the day.

NASCRAB

What's with the title, you ask? Well, you'll have to wait to the end to see. Before that we did this:






After this (and a close encounter with a key lime pie), we went to see NASCRAB! Crab Races! We each got to choose a crab and name it. The hermit crabs are hiding out here:

It wasn't just a simple race. It was a whole show. Here Jia is picking her crab from the hilariously surly announcer. It was a winner in the first heat, by the way. She won a kazoo.

They warned you in advance not to attend the races if you were thin skinned or didn't want to get wet. And yes, we all got wet. I got squirted for making Joe catch the crab that was in my territory. (They're creepy!)


It was a blast. We finished with this:


Another great day.

Florida - A Story

Once upon a time there was a family. They went to the beach. They had a great time. The end.





















The end of the first day that is! More fun to come!

Happy Willa Day!

Today is the fourth anniversary of when Willa joined our family! Where would we be without our exuberant, mischievous little bee? Jia stated tonight, "We would still be a family without Willa." We agreed. Then she added, "But, we'd be a sad one."

Not that we were joyless without Willa. Far from it. Willa, though, adds an element of fun to nearly everything she does. She has a BIG personality. For example, at school, she always makes a point of greeting everyone: teachers, children and parents. Of course, it is not a simple hello or good-bye. Instead, she shouts, "TOODLES!" out of the window of the car, and calls everyone by name. "Toodles Miss Beth! Toodles Quinn!" All while waving wildly.

When Willa's teachers asked her what we were doing to celebrate Willa Day, she told them, "We're going to Florida!" Indeed, here we are. We flew in today and planted ourselves in the sand.

The girls instantly found treasures.

And for dinner, how can you beat fish tacos on a new frisbee?

A beautiful sunset tops off the day.

We love you so much, Willa Joan Hsin-Yen! We are so thankful you are a part of our family!

Easter Brunch

We hosted Easter brunch this year. The girls looked beautiful in their new Easter dresses - a gift from my parents.

We had a great time with family and friends!

April Fools!

On April Fools Day, I served the girls some pizza and milk.

The pizza had strawberry sauce, whipped cream "cheese" and candy toppings! The milk - more whipped cream!

I love Willa's face in this one.


Jia said it was the best pizza ever!