Florida pics

This may have been the last year going to FL excited about Shells. I was not thrilled when they switched their calamari to include banana peppers. This year their bread tasted like...well...think of the word bitter and then imagine it in bread form. That is what they did. The crab legs weren't great which could just be the batch of crab we got. They no longer have popcorn shrip, at least not for adults. Crabby Bills seemed to be better. We will have to see next time we are there.

Ava was great on the plane. Mike and I had our moments of frustration but other than that we were good.

Why she does this smile I don't know but its not staged on our part.

Our first visit to Shells.

Some of you may remember pics of me with my cabbage patch dolls on the balcony in FL. Ava is telling Beth to look at the water and everything else she can point out.

There was no bath tub in either bathroom which was a little hard but...we managed.

Amazon woman. Her hair is crazy after a bath. It's getting pretty long to...down to the bottom of her shoulder blades.

Mike made her sandcastles and she knocked them all down. I tried to make some but I, like a 6 year old, got frustrated when she knocked them down before the complete castle was up. I just told her to go see daddy and built them without her. I did let her knock down the completed project.

There were sparatic holes all over from this one crazy family, not ours, and when Ava found an abandoned one she was thrilled. She tried to slide into them. It made for some pretty sandy diapers.

Ava would go out on the balcony all the time. I was a little worried that she would bomb someone with a toy but it didn't happen.

Some of you may remember the guy from chicago that was all to excited about the dolphin show. Mike and I saw some amazing things from our balcony and decided to start a photo album to make us laugh every once in a while. This picture may seem like just a gumpy guy but you should've seen his strutt. pretty amazing. I just hope I am not in someone's 'wierd people album' somewhere.

I like pictures with people, Mike likes to capture nature. I guess I like those nature shots too but when I developed pictures and found 10-15 sunsets I was like, "where are the PEOPLE!" That was not from our recent FL trip however. So now, I humor him and let these slip into the permanant file. This was a pic as a storm was brewing. However, the picture of rain hitting the pool deck was just not nature enough to make it.

Another candid shot. This guys burn was rough. He just looked like a painful mess. It wasn't that sunny out and yet he can barely look around. Don't worry, from our second floor balcony it looked like we were just taking pictures of the ocean.

Another giant hole from the weird family. I say weird because on the coldest day we were there, when I was in longsleeves and pants and still cold, they were in the ocean. They were also feeding the seagulls, about 10 feet from people laying out (later in the week).

Mike and Ava were in this one for quite a while. She cried when she had to come out.

Mike tried to keep Ava still while I took her picture. Unfortuantely he couldn't hide very well. Ava thought it was great when he would come out and place her for the pic and then dash behind the tree. This was about the best we could do.

I don't think you could ask for a better picture. This will probably be up at her wedding one day and I will cry about it. Knowing Mike he will probably look the exact same.

At the lighthouse. Ava loved her treats. This was the first time I ever tried an apple fritter. I probably could've saved myself some trouble if I would've left the thing alone. It was delicious.

We were content just taking turns being in pictures but some lady eating near us came over to our table and offered to take a picture. We said sure so she took it and handed Mike the camera and said, "you tell me if its good I can't see it as well." If you know Mike you know that he gave her the nicest, "oh, yeah, that's great, thanks." Then I said, "ok, now let me see it." (after she left) He gave it to me with, "its a good picture of us and our pole daughter." (Maybe you had to be there but he really is funny uncle paul.)

She eats like a recently rescued third world toddler.

I'm pretty sure gramma tally left these rafts. Ava brought them into the condo at every opportunity and played/layed on them. She got all set up with Beth and Mermaid for a nice snooze, after she made some calls of course.

I have about 5 of these all cutting off different parts/people. My dad thought he was pretty funny but I called him out while he was taking the pictures. You have to be aiming pretty poorly to cut something off with the digital camera.

He finally took a normal one. (He got a few, actually, that were decent.)

We got several shots for my parents and Ava helped pay my dad back by refusing to look at the camera. She was pretty into the Ipod my mom had with her.

Ava was a little bit of a crybaby when it came to water. She was ok in the pool but she didn't love it. The ocean was fine too, in her defense it was pretty cold most days. We came down for a short time on the beach before dinner and OF COURSE the one time I don't put a swimming diaper on her, she sits right in the water. Whatever.

Mike and Ava waiting for sunset.

Ava and Momma freezing though it doesn't look it.

I took about 20 pictures for Mike. When you flip through them it looks like the sun going down. I really do like him, even if it wastes film.

Again, Ava loved the balcony.

'Is that it mom?'