Busch Gardens

Living in Florida means we have gorgeous weather in the middle of winter and today was no exception. With sunny 70 degree weather, we decided to head to Busch Gardens after Bella's nap.

Even though we didn't arrive until 5pm, the park was still a bit crowded. The Sesame Street area was packed but we managed to see Bella's favorite show and ride a few rides. Bella has seen this show at least 15 times but she loves it every time! I have the words memorized and so I often catch myself singing along without me realizing it. How embarrassing!

Bella rode the carousel with Ian and also rode her favorite ride, the swings. If I were a 22-month-old, I'd be terrified to ride the swings but she loves it! She shrieks and giggles, which is absolutely adorable. We headed out of the Sesame Street area and walked around to see the animals.

The orangutans were so active today and Bella was face-to-face with one of the orangutans, or I should say palm to palm. The tigers were also very active today. Bella was up close and personal with three of the tigers and even roared at the tigers! She loves seeing the animals and she really enjoyed being so close to the animals today.

We left as the park was about to close and came home for dinner. While Ian and Bella played in the family room, I made a batch of jambalaya, with sausage of course. After dinner we watched a little bit of The Lion King and then before we knew realized, it was time for bath, books and bed. I won't be too far behind Bella as I didn't take a nap today in hopes of sleeping better at night. I hope my plan works because I am exhausted!

Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2

Making the most of a BEAUTIFUL day!

So what do YOU do when you have AMAZING weather and a toddler?!? For us, we head to one of the many things to do in Tampa and since we basically have passes to everything, this meant the zoo today. We also take advantage of the amazing weather by taking marathon naps. What a perfect day!


Bella and I invited our friends Stephanie and Connor to accompany us to the zoo today. The weather was gorgeous and the zoo was deserted, so it was really a perfect day. The kids were able to do all of their favorite things, including a ride on the carousel and the train. We were even able to take the safari tour, which is a very popular attraction and is usually filled up by the time we get there. The kids had fun and were pretty tuckered out by the time we headed out around lunch time. In fact, both Bella and Connor fell asleep in the car and took a quick nap before we ate lunch at Steak and Shake*. 


I didn't bring my real camera today since we were just at the zoo, but I was able to take a few pictures with my trusty iPhone. All in all, it was a perfect day. The kids were in good moods, Stephanie and I were in good moods and the weather was absolutely beautiful. There is nothing like quality time with good friends to make a day really feel complete. 


Well, I have a few things to finish preparing for our annual holiday play date and cookie exchange. I have a book to wrap for our book exchange with the kids, which is probably my favorite thing about tomorrow's play date. Bella loves books and we love to add new books to our repertoire. I finally finished my arts and crafts project and I think the moms and kids will all be impressed with it. And I have a few things to finish preparing for lunch, including a batch of turkey noodle soup. Yum! Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE play date Thursdays?!? 


So this mama is going to finish up a few things and head to bed. Ian is due home tonight, but won't be getting home until midnight. He has been in Dallas since Sunday and we have missed him! Too bad Bella won't get to see him until tomorrow morning, but she will be excited to see her beloved daddy! And I'm pretty excited to see him, too. Nighty night y'all!


Love always,
Ian, Kim, Bella & Baby #2


*Steak and Shake is definitely not my favorite place to eat, but there are always coupons and I was craving a mint chocolate chip milkshake. And in case I haven't mentioned it before, I am lactose intolerant. So I definitely paid for my indulgence later, but was able to take a nap to give my digestive system a chance to recover. During nap time, it started raining which made for perfect napping weather. Bella took a 3-hour nap and I took a 2-hour nap, so the rain most certainly provided some calm and soothing background noise.

We're going on a safari!

Sleepy head.