Photo Overload

I finally cleaned off my camera and downloaded the rest of the pictures from our Florida trip.  It's only a month ago but it feels like so much longer than that.  April flew by and here we are in May already.  We've had snow and cold, busy weekends and the daily grind, but we still have tan lines and I found a handful of sand when I was pulling out one of the suitcases for my work trip last week.  We're ready for Spring Break again! 

 

A peaceful Reina on Day 1.  I think she looks so grown up. 

So, we got to pat a manatee, which may or may not be legal  We were at one of the state parks that has a hot spring and the water stays 72 degrees or something like that all year long.  The manatees come in when the other water gets too chilly.  So, we got to pat a manatee. In our defense, the manatees were sitting right up against the dock and they had plenty of other places to go to if they didn't want to be bothered by the humans.  But these two hung out for quite a while and seemed to enjoy the attention. Nobody was feeding them - (what would you feed a manatee, anyway?  Lettuce?  Swiss chard?) and they genuinely seemed to like the attention.  I knelt down and patted the back of one and he (yep, I could tell), rolled over onto his back and looked up at me and I swear he smiled.  Truly!  It was a neat moment and we all talked about the manatees for the rest of the trip. 

Reina may have the reputation in the family as the animal lover, but Will is often just as interested to.  He marched right to the edge and leaned down to check out the manatee. 

Reina naturally had a turn.  We had to peel her out of there.

We didn't get to pat any alligators but we saw a lot of them on the boat ride. 

A photo download is not complete without a Will photobomb. 

Three generations of Pauley.

Crazy Wyoming-ites swimming in 72 degree water when the air temperature wasn't much warmer. 

Hey - it's a Bronco Baby Mom sighting! 

I always try to capture how big the live oaks are, and I can never get it just right. 

Our first fishing trip of the week.  It would be hard to lose Will in that outfit. 

A proud Reina and her fish.  And her proud Dad.

Eating fish for breakfast. Yum? 

We love the beach! 

On the way to the beach, Will told me he didn't really like the sand and he didn't want to get all sandy.  Huh. 

Selfies on the beach should be outlawed.

They may look like they were arguing, but they were actually trying to figure out how to catch some seagulls. 

The day after the beach was Disney day.  Star Wars! 

A family picture outside of the Muppet fountain. 

Two yr old Will would've freaked out at this moment.  7-yr old Will was a bit more stoic. 

A copy of the barbecue dress from Gone with the Wind.  16-yr old Lucy would've freaked out at this moment. 

We stayed at the Art of Animation that night and it was so cute!  What a great hotel.  I couldn't stop taking pictures. 

Clone Troopers!  Will might've found his career. 

Jedi training is a very, very serious business. 

Reina and Grandpa Pauley and glasses.

One of the highlights of the trip for me - even though I'm not the biggest fan of canoe's, and Glenn never lets me steer - was a tour one a river who's name escapes me right now.  We saw birds of all shapes and sizes, alligators, a snake and probably a few other species I've forgotten. 

Again with all of the grown-up-ness! 

Last day at the beach.  I even tried out the water.  Wyoming really needs a beach. 

Wyoming needs live oaks, too.