We had a great Thanksgiving week on our Florida vacation. The weather was good for the most part although it was a little cold and windy towards the end of our time in the Keys.

Anna checking out the tortoise by the side of the road

I had never been to the Keys before so I was keen to do a bit of exploring. We did a road trip one day down to Key West, stopping along the way at Big Pine Key and the National Key Deer Wildlife Refuge where we did see a Key Deer crossing the road. We also saw an alligator in one of the freshwater lakes.

At Key West we spent some time on the main drag, Duval St and we tried to find a nice beach but didn’t have much luck. While the kids are happy pretty much anywhere there is sand and water the beaches on Key West had lots of seaweed and more mud than sand.

Back at our resort there also wasn’t much of a beach either although at least we had nice sand and the pool was excellent. They also had plenty of water sports with jet skis, kayaks and catamarans for hire. Anna was really keen to try the jet ski and Jude wanted to as well so we took one out and Marcy took the photos. The kids wanted to go fast so I had it up to 44 miles an hour at one point although it got a bit bumpy out in the Gulf of Mexico.

Getting ready to head out for the kids first ever jet ski ride

Our resort was right next door to the Turtle Hospital which is the #1 attraction in the town of Marathon. They give guided tours every day so we signed up for one on Thanksgiving Day. They had probably 70 turtles is various stages of rehabilitation and the kids got to get up close with them. There was no touching but they could feed the turtles.

Anna feeding the sea turtles at the Turtle Hospital in Marathon

Speaking of Thanksgiving we booked dinner at the main resort restaurant where they had a buffet with all the typical Thanksgiving goodies. It was a delicious meal and our first ever in Florida or in any warm climate for that matter. Although at around 60 degrees with a wind it was a little on the chilly side.

After our Thanksgiving Dinner at the resort

All too soon our trip came to an end. While we had a good time Marcy and I agreed that we wouldn’t come back here any time soon for a family vacation. Mexico offers better beaches and nicer resorts with similar weather. And it is just as easy to get to.

On our last day we decided to check out the Everglades National Park where we had lunch and went for a short hike. Then it was on to Fort Lauderdale to a hotel close to the airport. We ended up with a nice room overlooking the cruise terminal.

Jude on the balcony of our Fort Lauderdale hotel room on the last night of our trip

While the kids loved the trip, they are also very glad to be back home. Today, we spent most of the day just hanging out at home with the kids playing with their toys they missed while away.

Jude’s 8th birthday celebration in the Florida Keys

This week has been very much focused on Jude and his 8^th birthday. We started the celebration at home on Thursday morning, which was the day we left for our trip to the Florida Keys.

Jude opened some of his presents there – including gifts from Sydney and Des Moines. Then at lunchtime it was off to Florida. We arrived at Miami very late on Thursday night so it was straight to the airport hotel before beginning our drive to the Florida Keys on Friday morning.

Friday was a rainy day and we arrived at Tranquility Bay in pretty crappy weather. At least it was warm and rainy so we all braved the pool and the beach despite the weather. Yesterday was a better day and we stayed around the resort most of the day enjoying the pool and the beach.

They have lots of large iguanas on the property here and they are not shy at all. Jude and Anna have been excited to see them and even spent some time trying to stalk one by the pool yesterday.

Stalking the iguanas at our resort pool

Today was hot and sunny and it was also Jude’s 8^th birthday. Jude wanted to go out for breakfast so we started they day at one of the local cafes. Then it was off to the Dolphin Research Center, about 15 minutes east of here.

Here they offered all kinds of dolphin-related activities. Jude decided he wanted to swim with the dolphins and Anna wanted to do the “dolphin painting”. This is where a dolphin takes a paintbrush and paints a unique design on a white t-shirt. Anna had the dolphin named Rainbow who liked to twirl around in circles as she painted.

Rainbow the dolphin painting Anna’s t-shirt

Jude chose the “dolphin encounter” which included getting up close and personal with the dolphins as well as taking a ride on their backs. He also got to help out the trainer by giving the dolphin some commands and also got to shake hands.

Jude gets a kiss from Luna the dolphin

Jude has been really into this show, Walking with Beasts lately. It is by the same producer who did Walking with Dinosaurs and Jude is a very big fan. He has watched several episodes on Netflix and needless to say the book, which was the one present we brought with us to Florida, was a big hit.

Jude with his birthday present, a new book

I was away in London for a good chunk of the last two weeks getting back on Wednesday night of last week. I helped produce our first ever LendIt Europe conference which was a big success.

Jude doing some serious pumpkin carving

It has been a very busy last couple of weeks as I have been traveling a lot and Marcy has been completely focused on the home renovations. The kids have really enjoyed being back home and this past week we got all our furniture back that has been stored in a pod since the before the summer began.

Anna also putting in a serious effort into her pumpkin

But first to Halloween. Where Anna dressed up as a unicorn and Jude as a skeleton. I was really sick on Halloween night so I couldn’t be out with them unfortunately, but the kids enjoyed the trick or treating.

Enjoying the candy haul on the front steps

Anna was a cute little unicorn for Halloween

As I said, this past week we got the contents of our pod back – which meant we got to sleep in our own beds for the first time in nearly 5 months. Both kids have been sleeping well and enjoying “alone time” in their own rooms. After a summer and fall of upheaval it is nice to get some normalcy back into our lives again.

Back in their playroom with their toys – happy to be playing with each other at home again

Both soccer and football seasons are now over. Jude says he wants to do both next year and Anna would like to continue with soccer. And today was their tap dance recital. Jude and Anna have been in the same tap class for several weeks and today they got to do a performance in front of all the parents. They both did well.

At their tap dance recital at Between the Bones