Reconnecting

We got a chance to travel to Florida to spend some time with my brother Dennis. It was so much fun to spend some time with him and see the kids get to know him better. Our first day there we went to the beach and let the kids get a taste of the ocean! Literally Kai kept saying it was yuck when he would get it in his mouth; not used to that! It took him about an hour to warm up to the waves. He wasn't sure about it at first, but then had a great time letting them crash into him and knock him over. Meili was a bit shell shocked, she would sit on the shore and the waves would continually crash into her. She had this look on her face like, "Enough already!" They both loved the sand and we buried Kai, which he loved!

The next day was spent just relaxing and enjoying each other. We walked to a beautiful park near their house and Kai got to feed ducks near the canal. He was a bit tentative, as they were as big as he was! We spent the rest of the day carving pumpkins, swimming in their pool, and Dennis even helped Kai bust open a coconut! They cut one off a neighbor's tree and busted it open, drank the milk, and ate some coconut. Kailer liked it, It wasn't what I expected - one drink was good enough for me, but it was the experience that counts! Their neighbor told them to bring one home and plant it in the backyard, which we did. Kai was so excited he wanted to go out later that evening and check to see if it had grown. Our last day there we got up early and spent the day at the everglades. We went on an air boat tour ride on the everglades. We saw a couple of crocodiles, one of which was really aggressive and came right up to the side of the boat. They were huge, and our guide said he was getting nervous, so we relocated. He said they could jump 1/2 of their body length! It was really crazy to see them in the wild and to see endless miles of sawgrass and swamp going into the horizon. The temperature the night before had dropped about 20 degrees and it was super windy, so we were freezing, but it was definitely worth it. Afterwards we got to see some exhibits and Kailer's favorite was definitely getting to hold a baby alligator! He was so excited that even today he was pretending to be the baby alligator and telling rich to take a picture while I hold him. He straightened his legs and arms out and didn't speak, it was definitely hilarious.

After Dennis dropped us off at the airport Kailer started crying, sobbing actually, when he realized that we couldn't see Dennis again. He said with real tears, "But I will miss my Uncle Dennis." It was so sad, but so sweet and heartfelt :( We had such a great time with Dennis and Tony and we are so grateful for their generosity in housing and feeding us for three days! We love them and can't wait to see them again.