Florida Vacation January 21-29, 2011--Part 1

Excited kids getting ready for their first airplane ride....Indianapolis International Airport

GATOR!!!!!!!

Ella and Mommy in the education center at Circle B Bar Reserve....we climbed up onto a platform that sits inside a huge tree.....so cool

Mae could not figure out this sculpture.......she really wanted that book!

Really cute tractor to play on at Barnett Family Park

Which boy is real?

Healthy Ella playing on a saucer swing at Barnett Family Park

Wow! We did it! We flew our busy little family to Florida and have now made it home safe and sound. We had quite a week. The good times were really really good and the bad times were really yucky. Little did we know going into this trip just how sick our family would be. Only the first 24 hours were illness free.......then the coughing started.......then the fevers.......then the Orlando Children's Hospital emergency room.......not exactly the Florida attraction we were interested in visiting!!


The week was full or highs and lows but thankfully we made it through and did enjoy some really fun family outtings. On Sunday, we drove to Lakeland, Fl to Barnett Family Park and the kids had a big fun time playing on all of the really neat playground equipment. We also walked down to the water and saw lots of seagulls. After lunch at Crispers, YUMS, we went to the Circle B Bar Reserve. There was a really cool education center with a huge tree to climb and several nature displays and interactive stuff for the kids to do. Then we hiked. Oh my did we hike. I forgot the sling so I carried Mae FOREVER because she was tired and needed a nap and couldn't get settled in the stroller. We were on a mission looking for gators.......and we found 'em! And an armadillo......so cool!! Ella started feeling poorly on our hike and ended up quite sick by the next morning.......that's when we headed to the hospital. We drove past the exits for Magic Kingdom and Epcot on our way to the emergency room.......talk about depressing. She was thoroughly checked over and was diagnosed with a viral infection. No appendicitis, thank the Lord, and no UTI. So no family outtings on Monday or Tuesday but Lenn did kick me and Evelyn out of the house on Tuesday and told us to go shopping. Woo hoo!! Of course, I love to shop but I didn't want to leave my girlie and my son, who was dealing with his own 103 degree fever and coughing.......YUCK. Evelyn and I worked through it and spent a few hours enjoying some shopping therapy at the Florida Mall.


Next post.........Wednesday......one of the most fun days ever for our family.......Magic Kingdom!!!