Orlando

Tuesday April 27th we picked up Mike from work and drove to Columbia, SC were we stayed the night. The next morning we took an early morning swim in the hotel pool. It was before the pool opened but we couldn't pass-up playing in the neat connected indoor/outdoor pool and get the girls a little tired before our long road trip down to Florida. We made it to St. Augustine, Fl Wednesday evening where we found a hotel and spent time playing at the beach.

Raquel had a fun time playing in the waves, but Natalya didn't want anything to do with the beach. She didn't like the wind, the sand or

the water. Anything that touched her feet that wasn't carpet made

her mad. That night we went out for seafood, thats right I ate

coconut shrimp & fish and actually enjoyed it!

Thursday we woke up and headed to the hotel pool where Raquel

swam by herself for the first time! She had so much fun showing off her new skill swimming across the pool. After checking out of our

hotel we headed back to the beach were we walked out on the pier

and watched the fisherman. We then headed into the town of Old St. Augustine to check out some of the sites.

Natalya in her cool shades!

This is what Natalya thought of the beach.

Playing in the ocean on St. Augustine Island.

Our hotel was right across the street. Made it nice to be able to walk to the beach.

On the pier at the beach

The light house in St. Augustine.

They wouldn't let us climb because both Natalya and Raquel were too short.

We first took a tour of Castillo de San Marcos which is a stone fort

built to protect and defend Spain's claims here in America. The fort

over looks the water and we were lucky enough to watch dolphins

playing in the bay. After exploring the ins and outs of the Castillo we headed to lunch were we sat balcony side over looking the water.

We walked through the little old town and enjoyed some ice cream

before heading to our next historic site.

Ponce de Leon's fountain of youth was a total tourist trap but we

decided to go anyway. There wasn't much to see besides a couple of

statues, a marker showing the site where the Spanish explorer Pedro Menendez established the first successful European colony in the

United States, a couple of white peacocks and the well that was the

Fountain of Youth. We all had a couple of glasses of spring water, so don't get too jealous if we start looking a little more youthful! After spending most of the day in St. Augustine we packed up and headed

to our final destination, Orlando. When we arrived at the hotel we

took a quick swim and then off to bed.

Sitting on top of Castillo de San Marcos.

We watched the dolphins playing in the bay from up here.

Inside the Castillo de San Marcos

The view from our lunch table.

Statue of Juan Ponce de Leon

Taking a little sip from the Fountain of youth. Scroll down to see what I looked like after just one glass.

Amazing the affects of the spring water! I feel so young again! So I thought I'd have another glass to see what would happen.

Just two glasses of the Fountain of Youth Spring water and you too can be one again.

Friday Mike attended his medical conference while I took the girls to Green Meadows Farm. It is a petting farm where the girls got to

learn about and touch and feed pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, a water

buffalo, a Zorse and many more animals. We rode a little train, took a tractor drawn hayride and Raquel rode a pony (Natalya cried the

second I put her on so she didn't ride). It really was a hands on

experience, Raquel milked a cow, and both the girls petted bunnies,

turtles and guinea pigs. I think the activity Natalya liked the most

(where she actually smiles and didn't whine) was playing on the

swings and tractor. Before heading back to the hotel to pick-up

Mike we stopped by Walmart to get a few Disney shirts. Since Raquel's new favorite princess is Ariel (because she swims) she wanted

to get a shirt with her on it, and what better place than Walmart by Disneyworld.

Sitting waiting for our tour to begin at the petting farm.

Raquel's pony ride

Looking at the animals

Riding the train

Natalya enjoyed petting the bunnies.

Raquel learning to milk a cow.

A Zorse, the offspring of a zebra stallion and a horse mare.

We got to see 2 day old lambs.

Smile!

Raquel really enjoyed everything at the farm.

The swings!

Natalya's favorite part of the farm tour.

Cute girls on a tractor!

Saturday we took Mike to his conference once again and the girls and I headed to Gatorland. I remember going to Gatorland when I was a little girl and so I thought it would be fun to take my girls and see

how it had changed. While there we went on a swamp walk,

watched the gator jumparoo show (it wasn't too excited because the gators weren't hungry for chicken I guess.), saw white gators, took a train ride and played in the splash park. I'd say the best part of the

day was letting Raquel play in the splash park while Natalya took a

nap and I sat next in the shade with the mist from the water cooling

me off. It was a very hot day (93 degrees) to be out wandering

around Gatorland. We picked up Mike from his conference and spent

the rest of the night in the pool.

Natalya admiring the gators.

What a brave little girl to stick her head in a gators mouth.

All this bird said was uh-oh.

Which is one of the few words Natalya speaks. It was cute hearing them go back and forth saying uh-oh to one another.

A white gator.

Talking a walk through the swamp.

Cooling off at the splash park.

Big Gators!

We headed back towards home the next day, stopping on Hilton

Head Island for some more beach time. Once again Natalya didn't

enjoy the beach until we found a warm shallow pool for her to play in with Raquel. We were able to fly a kite, make sand castles and

swim in the warmest outdoor swimming pool before heading to

Charlotte to catch a plane out to visit Mike's family in Idaho.

Playing on the beach!

Enjoying the warm pool of water.

Natalya enjoying herself at the beach.

Flying her Ariel kite.

It was almost too windy to fly it.

Making a sand castle.

Playing in the sand!

Playing in a fun fountain by the beach.