White snow and white sand

Our favorite weatherman promised a warmer than average winter, with less than average snowfall. We still love you, Gary, but you really let us down this time!



Not that the boys mind! We've made snowmen, snow forts, gone sledding down Mt. Oread, and already had more snowdays than the school had planned for. Last week we got 8 inches in one day, just three inches off the Lawrence record.



So...we thought it would be a good time to sneak away to our little island paradise in Florida! Gamilee owns a small condo in Marco Island, and we had never taken the boys. In fact, they had never seen the beach.



Yeah, it was a little chilly when we arrived, but the boys were still crazy excited to be there. Carson ran full speed toward the surf, Conner didn't make it one foot before focusing his gaze on the ground looking for shells.



But it was Carson who found the crown jewel of the trip. You will have to click on this one to get the full perspective. "Daddy! There's a starfish in this shell, and I think he's alive!" No, it was a baby octopus, and it was SOO cool.



It hovered around 70 degrees for most of the trip, but still warm enough to bask in the sun. The beach is pristine, and goes on forever. Not a big college destination, so it was just perfect. The condo had a heated pool which warmed us up after wading in the cool ocean.



Conner could have spent every waking moment scanning the beach for treasures. They communed with pelicans, dolphins, sea crabs and starfish, along with the aforementioned octupus.



Carson was a particular trooper, having to power through the trip with what we think was strep or the flu. He had a fever rash, ear aches from the flights, and a couple restless nights. It didn't dampen his trip though. Almost the only sign he gave us that he wasn't feeling well was he didn't eat much. You know something is wrong when that little man doesn't eat!



It was a nice escape from the cold midwest, and a forever memory for the boys' first ocean experience. Now we begin to count the days until spring and the beginning of our big home improvement project!