We're Back!!! Road Trip Part I: Beach, Babes and Crocodiles

Thanks to all of our loyal blog watchers for your concern about our whereabouts. We are alive, well-vacationed and ready to make up for our lack of blogging over the past 3 weeks. So sit back and enjoy the installments of Jack's First Road Trip....

Florida or Bust!

After a grueling all-night drive and dropping Daddy off at the Tampa airport to fly to Seattle (weird, huh??), we made it to Florida to visit Nana Peggy and Grampa Kent. We spent the first few days just chilling and recovering from the big drive, but then Daddy arrived back and we hit the beach!

Here I am with Mommy. You can see we are dressed for maximal sun protection!

Guess who got burned... (actually, they both did!! will they ever learn?)

Here I am with Daddy, post Seattle interview and sporting his new Huskies shirt. I think the shirt is pretty cool, but I told Dad I'd rather be in Cleveland.

So he let me practice my walking, 'cause he appreciates good advice from his boy.

Is the sand so refreshingly warm off of Lake Erie??

Here I am with Nana looking at the pelicans fly by.

Sitting (and sitting still!!??) enjoying the waves and a ritz cracker. I don't usually make it a habit of sitting still, so this was new territory for everyone. I like to keep them guessing.

Oohh! Warm sand.

Here I am about to chomp down on Mommy's chin.
Then we learned it's better not to keep your mouth wide open at the beach or risk inhaling sand.

Hanging with Nana.

She made sure I didn't whistle too loudly at the other beach goers.

Finally some beach bjorn time with Mommy.

Of course you can't have a trip to the beach without a trip to the bay. Here I am at my first bayside restaurant, and actually my first real restaurant experience ever! Mommy and Daddy were glad it was outside... and the birds were glad that I came! Pass the wings please.

Everyone is so happy that I haven't started screaming yet.


Turned out I was a good boy.

So Daddy took me out on the dock to see my first sunset.

The wind blew my freshly trimmed bangs.

And I clapped, 'cause it was so much fun.

Thanks Daddy!
Once the sun set, I got tired fast.

Here I am practically asleep on Grampa's shoulders and ready for the ride home.

After beach and bay, Mommy, Daddy and Nana took me to the Sarasota Jungle Gardens to see some cool animals. Here we are again, sporting the sun protection. Note that Daddy is now wearing a hat and long sleeves.

Hats are cool.

Here's Nana protecting me from the birds so I can eat another ritz cracker in peace. See, she's got a hat too!

Finally, the part of the day they had told me about... the baby crocodile.

Mommy was egging me on to reach out and touch it.

But she must have been crazy.

Stay tuned for Road Trip Part II... Hanging with Nana and Grampa

P.S. Goodnight Daddy! I love you! Have fun in the CCU!