Happy Easter!!

Here comes Peter Cottontail,

Hopping down the bunny trail...

Hippity-Hop! Hippity-Hop!

Easter's on its' way!!!

Or in our case...already here!!

The bunny was good to the kids this year...bringing new snorkel and swim gear, bathing suits, towels, and DVD's...along with his customary candy-stuffed eggs!! The kids were REALLY excited, and kept exclaiming: "Thank You, Easter Bunny!!!"

After a quick breakfast of cinnamon rolls and OJ, it was off to church for Easter service in our pretty new Easter outfits.

After we got home...mom slaved away in the kitchen with our Easter feast.

Kaitlyn came home from a trip to visit her dad around 7:30, and plowed through the leftovers...specifically the Spinach Artichoke Dip (maybe it was because i added bacon crumbles?).

But poor Daddy...he came home from work sick. All the emotional stress and cross-country traveling of the last few weeks (he had to go back to California on business last week) have finally caught up with him and he's got a bad cold. Poor guy!!

Well - Happy Easter, everyone!!

Junior Ranger Day at Shark Valley

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On Saturday, the 11th of April, I took my Girl Scout and Cub Scout troop to Everglades National Park to take part in their 2009 Junior Ranger Day, held at the Shark Valley entrance. It was a FABULOUS day!! The Park Rangers were GREAT with the kids...

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There were tables set up displaying different shells, bones, and skins of animals found all over the Everglades. The kids were allowed to touch and explore and ask lots of questions, which they loved.

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Then they met Ranger Rick (no, seriously), a law enforcement Park Ranger who told them about what he does for National Parks.

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Then Ranger Nate and Ranger Greg played some games with the kids and we all got to go on an awesome tram ride through the park.

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We stopped at a tower that you could climb and see 15 miles in any direction all around the park.

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The view was AMAZING...and there were so many animals to see (especially those incredible gators!!)

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We also went on a little hike in a Hardwood Hammock, where our VERY observant Abi spotted a baby Burmese Python lounging in a tree. Burmese Pythons are invasive species and NOT GOOD for the Everglades...but they have pretty much started to take over. The little guy was less than a foot long, and so well camouflaged, I'm just REALLY impressed that Abi spotted it!!

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Then it was back to the Visitors Center for lunch, and a meeting with the Everglades mascot, Alisha the Alligator!
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We had a little ceremony where the kids got a badge, a certificate, and an AWESOME new patch. After that, everyone got cake!!

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I had taken my own kids to Junior Ranger Day LAST year, and it was so fun that I just KNEW I had to get my troops out there this year. We had a lot of VERY last minute cancellations, and so several kids missed it, but boy!! They sure missed something AMAZING!! This is an activity that I would do again and again...

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Now that my girls and guys have been through Big Cypress AND Everglades, they just need to visit Biscayne national Park to earn their Junior Ranger patch from the National parks service.

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Keep posted...we'll be working on THAT soon!!!

Free Fallin'

I'm sorry...but I had to post these pictures again...only bigger. Because the expressions on these boys faces is PRICELESS...

And the Fun Goes On and On...

We're not taking any fancy trips during Spring Break this year. No exotic destinations. No dream locales.

But that's okay...because we already LIVE in one. And we have some GREAT friends who live here with us.

Today we started off by going to our weekly play group...but instead of just Nickels and I attending with a bunch of little guys...we had the WHOLE Johnson crew. And everyone else had all THEIR brothers and sisters, too...so the park was pretty much a party.

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(Joseph and Joshua had contests to see who could jump the farthest from the swings)
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Then we continued the massive playday at our pool, where even MORE friends joined in.

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(Brigham hanging out on a noodle)

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(Kellan hanging out)
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(Nicolette sits pretty for a picture with her snack)

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(Michelle Rosales tries to get Joshua to stop pretending to be a barnacle)

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(Mitzi Capote swims with her two little ladies, Brianna and Sasha)

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(Tiffamy Jones and Camden enjoy the sunshine)

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(Anna, Savannah, and Sasha know how to share)

Then it was back to our house for some trampoline jumping and Wii gaming.

Will the fun ever end?

My First Sunburn of the Season

But, hey...it's not NEARLY as bad as Jasons'. That's because Jason thinks that just because he has the ABILITY to tan, that he will tan and not burn.

Silly Jason.

He'll be stiff and sore tonight!

We had a great First Day of Spring Break by visiting Red Rock Reef in Boca Raton to do some snorkeling. Unfortunately, we got there at low tide, so the snorkeling wasn't as good as it COULD have been . That, and a "cold front" is coming in tonight (it's gonna drop us all the way down to 70 degrees!! Brrr!!), and so it was pretty windy and the water was very choppy for South Florida (2 foot swells).

It got worse as the day wore on, and a bigger set of waves, almost 4-footers, came rolling in. We had gone with our friends, The Rosales family, and the waves pinned Jessica to the rocks. She managed to pull herself up on the rocks to save her life BEFORE the (totally hot and buff)lifeguard got to her, but was pretty banged up and VERY scared. After that, we headed home...

But it was STILL a very nice day at the beach!!