New Year's 2008 in Florida

We just got back from a fantastic trip to Bonita Springs, Florida. This is our 6th New Year's Eve. in Florida and we always have a really nice time. It's a great way to unwind after the holidays, and to spend time with Nina and Papa (my mom and dad). Great Grandpa Bobby and Elaine also visit, so that is nice since we don't get to see them much.

The weather has spoiled us the past few years. This year was raining one day, and freezing cold two of the days. When we arrived the weather was perfect, so we luckily did take advantage of it. And even though it was just wrong not to be warm, in a way it was nice because we did a lot of things we typically wouldn't have been able to do since most of our time would have been at the beach or in the pool.

Here are some of the highlights:
- H swimming without floaties - underwater, but he did great.
- New Years Eve. - Papa had to save C in the pool, H nearly choked, and I lost part of a tooth (gross).
- White wine and yummy lunches at the country club. H proved he has a refined palette by begging to go back to eat there so he could order the delicious salad Nina had -- a tuna sashimi salad with cucumbers. Every one at the club was a blown away when he ordered it, and he did eat most of it. It was still his favorite thing he ate.
- Outlet mall shopping and even regular mall shopping.
- H fishing with Papa and Bobby.
- H and C playing tennis with Nina and Dad.
- Brian was invited it watch the live Manchester United game with Harry and Laura, my parents friends from Manchester, UK.
- The Naples Zoo - a really pretty zoo with a boat ride around islands of monkeys, a bunch of alligators (we got to watch them be fed), and a lion that entertained us with big bellowing roars.
- The Estero Community Center playground and dog park (my parents had their dogs with).
Miniature golf - the boys first time. H loved it.
- Barefoot Beach - sand castles with Nina, looking for sea shells and other funky sea life (jelly fish, a symphony of clams (they snapped their shells), and star fish, to name a few).
- The best dinner I think we've ever had at The Real Seafood Company - again, H surprised us by ordering the kids lobster.
- Hours of Monopoly Junior

It was a great time, and I hope we get to continue this tradition in the years to come. Happy 2008!