Key West with butterflies and Bullards

While we were in Florida, we spent a day in Key West with Uncle Pete and Kate (who were also in the Keys for vacation). We started off the day in the butterfly conservatory. There were so many butterflies, birds, and fish! Elsie really enjoyed chasing after them. We really enjoyed chasing after Elsie (of course, there was a "no grabbing the butterflies" policy!).

One of the butterflies landed on my hand!

We stopped into a shop for some key lime pie (and to warm up a bit - it was 57F!). Elsie's jacket matched perfectly!

Elsie took her first silly tourist photo, posing as a mermaid! We enjoyed some eclectic tapas for dinner under the heat lamps. I realize now that I see this great picture of Pete, Kate, and Elsie, that we failed to get a family photo! I guess we will just have to go back for another visit!

Our first family vacation - Key Colony Beach, FL

We took our first family vacation the first week of March to Key Colony Beach, FL. We had a wonderful time!! We stayed at Aunt Kaye and Uncle Wally's condo right on the water! We caught every single sunrise while we were there. I guess Elsie was just too excited to sleep in! Elsie loved playing out on the balcony in her pajamas as the sun rose.

It was a bit cool, so we stayed bundled up. But it was just so great to see the sun!! This was the first time Elsie was really walking around outside, with all of the uneven ground! We went to the park several times. In addition to the standard swing, Elsie is now big enough to climb around on the playground equipment. She was also very excited to learn that you're allowed to touch plants and trees when they are OUTSIDE. (Elsie knows not to touch our one house plant.)

We went out to the beach a few times. Elsie was not a big fan of the sand. She liked the water, but as soon as it rushed out, she began to cry because the sand got soft and she started to sink in (or because the water was really cold?). If she got sand on her finger, Elsie would hold it out for one of us to clean off. We also had fun swimming in the heated pool a couple times.