Fabulous Florida--Dinosaurs at the Zoo!

One of the advantages of having a grandson in Florida is that you get to travel there once in a while (especially when you're tired of the cold weather) so you can play with him in the warm sunshine. We made the long journey the last week in March. Our visit was quite an adventure!

Before we could even walk into the house, Owen had to demonstrate his skills on his tricycle and scooter. Because he can't reach the peddles of his tricycle, he pushes himself along with his feet. When it's time to stop, Owen just drags his feet. Next we got a tour of Tori's and Ryan's new house. It's a fabulous first home. I especially loved the huge kitchen and our private accommodations.

Grandpa and Owen sharing downtime.

The next day, we left Grandpa home to figure out how to work through the technical difficulties so that he could do his work and set off for the zoo. We were greeted by a ruckus as we entered the zoo and discovered some monkeys having a very loud conversation.

It was the perfect day for a visit to the zoo--sunny with temperatures in the seventies. That sun felt so-oo good!

Helping Owen down the chute to view these leopards up close and personal was not an easy task for Grandma but we made it.

We hoped to see the new baby giraffe but mother and baby were hiding. Owen was disappointed that he didn't get to feed them the special crackers.

He did get to feed the birds, though,...

...and the flamingos. Owen was a delightful companion to take to the zoo.

We were distracted by giant birds feeding their young. It was an amazing sight. There were about five nests in the tree on the right.

It took me a while to notice that alligators covered the ground below.

Of course, Owen didn't want to leave when it was time to go. As we dragged him through the store, I offered to buy him a special prize (to distract him). Owen immediately asked, "What's a prize, mamma? It didn't take us long to find the dinosaurs.

Owen and I built a track so Thomas the Engine and friends could take his dinosaurs on a ride through his playroom.

My visit to Florida was off to a great start. Thank you, Tori! Jim had been experiencing technical difficulties (possibly related to all the construction taking place in the neighborhood) all day and had had a hard time doing his work. He was thankful for the play break with Owen. I couldn't wait to experience the next adventure.