OTHER ALBUMS

Miranda and Holly meet over some pizza coupons.

Holly ends up the winner of the delicious coupons.

Thea with her friend Trey's pet rat, Fluffy.

Holly prefers cats to rats.

Rats like to go inside people's clothes. Nice!

We visit Brooker Creek Nature Preserve. The kids don't mind the rain
at all! At this point we don't realize it is Tropical Storm Barry.

Becky with Holly riding in a mei tai carrier.

The nature center closed half an hour after we got there. We had
planned to go to the beach next, but the storm put the kiebash on that.

The kids have showers and then settle in to watch a movie and
drink smoothies. What a life!

A baby gecko captured behind the couch.

The kids were pretty good about amusing themselves, not that
it was hard to do with the nice big yard.

Thea jumping from the swing.

At the Florida Aquarium, a staff member displays a baby
alligator. I think he said it was five weeks old.

Behind the staffer, all the older gators have gathered ominously in the
corner of the tank, watching the tasty humans.

Other sights at the aquarium:
an owl.

A roseate spoonbill.

A puffer fish

A stingray staring back at me

Faith contemplates marine life.

Thea's a little unhappy because she wants to go into the spraypark.
However, we're still getting wind and rain from Barry, ruining our
beach plans for a second day.

Rain doesn't stop the kids from running around.

Faith and Quinn are behaving like siblings.

See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil... a reprise of a picture taken at
Disney World in 2003. Click here to see it.

The kids pet stingrays in a large petting tank. They (the
rays) actually seem to like it.

Holly enjoys her first French fry.

Quinn, Faith, Trey and Thea on the stage at Channelside.

Bizarre children. We pretended we did not know them.

Holly's first watermelon -- yummy!

Becky and Holly enjoying the patio.

Holly and Faith

Thea and Faith in the water at Clearwater Beach. The Gulf of Mexico
is a beautiful temperature (at least we "Northerners" thought so --
although Maryland is below the Mason-Dixon Line, you know).

Holly enjoys standing at the water's edge. She liked the sand and the
waves, but didn't like it when her feet got buried.

This is Holly's first trip to the beach.

Thea and Faith jumping waves. They could have done that for hours.

Holly and Becky

Do I have to come out of the water?

Holly really likes sand. It is only a matter of time before she tries
to eat it.

Sand must taste good because she's licking off what is stuck around
her mouth.

Yay! The beach is fun!

Playing in the water as the sun goes down. Beautiful!

Beach buddies

I asked the girls to pretend they like each other.

Becky and the girls

Holly can sit up very well on the sand.

We went back to the beach the next morning. This time we went to
Honeymoon Island State Park.

This is the life.

Upon waking up and being taken out of her carseat, Holly tried
immediately to eat some more sand.

The girls go into the water despite a flag warning of "Dangerous
Marine Life."

Thea and Faith visit with a greyhound.

Bye!