First stop on our trip was a visit with Kyra-she's been down at the Villages in Florida helping her mom and stepdad all year so we hadn't seen her in forever! We met up in Ocala at Silver Springs State Park because Josh had read an article about wild macaques that lived there and had been wanting to check it out for a while!
Kyra and the boys while we were walking around.
It was so beautiful there!
And...there were so many monkeys! It was wild, they were climbing everywhere around us.
After visiting with Kyra we hopped back in the van for another 2 hours or so and then we made it to Lake Village.
Kids wanted to swim immediately so Josh got in-it was not super warm on Saturday when we got there but they have a heated pool!
This year we didn't do our usual schedule of pool in the morning, beach in the afternoon because we were a little dependent on the weather. We ended up having pretty good weather but it was normally cooler in the mornings than we are used to so this year we skipped morning pool time in favor of more beach time. And then sometimes snuck in a swim when we got back.
Kids ready to get to the beach.
Gotta get that family selfie. Kids love these and almost always the sun is in their eyes, ha!
I always make them take a couple pictures then release them for the day.
Playground at the beach got some upgrades since last year!
We showed the parkour cold open from the Office to the kids and they thought it was hilarious and decided to recreate it. Parkour video.
First beach day means we eat lunch at the concession stand. Ike could not wait to try the newest menu addition-fish tacos.
So pumped.
The boys always make friends at the beach and this year was no exception. They met a boy that was 9 I think on the first day and we ended up by them two other days!
Grandma and Grandpa came to the beach one day with us!
Ice cream at the Grove.
Most days we had good weather...one day it was supposed to rain all day but we risked it and it was cloudy but the beach was empty!
Is it a trip to the beach if they don't get buried in the sand?
You can see the rain out in the ocean-cool until it started raining on us for a little bit.
Chef Dave always creating interesting dishes out of sand.
They made a game up-tossing seashells into buckets.
The boys sure love to play in the waves. Video of Ike in the water.
Our last day in Florida (Thursday) was pretty chilly so we decided to skip the beach and head to Myakka State Park.
Beautiful day for a hike! We only saw one alligator this year! Maybe because it was so cool out?
Ike and I climbed to the top of the tower.
When we got back the kids thought they better get one last swim in. I sat comfortably and watched in my sweatshirt and pants! Thank goodness for a heated pool.
Dave had been wanting to try a Popeye's chicken sandwich this whole trip so we planned our first stop on the way home to be at a place that had one.
Finally! And he said it was totally worth the wait, best chicken sandwich he'd ever had. :)
One last picture of the beach.
Gosh that was such a fun time! Really missing it, especially right now when we can't really do much or see anybody. So thankful that Grandma Mary and Grandpa Dave invite us into their home every year (and cook fantastic meals for us and do our laundry! Can't beat that service). We are certainly ready to be back and are already looking forward to next year!
