Kaylee's Biophilia Center Fieldtrips

Kaylee actually took two fieldtrips to the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center in Freeport. One back in November, and one last week. I was able to go with her both times, and we got to see and learn lots of neat things. It is a fantastic facility with lots of hands on learning.

The Peacemaker Flagship

We heard from some friends about a ship that was docked at the Marina for a few weeks and was offering free tours. A religious group owns the ship and uses it as a sort of missionary opportunity. The kids were out of school for Martin Luther King Day, so we decided to go down and check it out, despite the rainy weather. It was very interesting!

Before we headed home, we walked along the shoreline of the bay for a while. The water was almost completely still.

A jellyfish

The palm frond battle that ensued

Someone had made a really pretty table ornament out of shells, plants, driftwood and sand.

Random January pictures

There has been a lot of wii Mario Kart playing at our house since Christmas.

Since it was a balmy 56 degrees, the kids decided to take the old fish pond and use it as a boat in the little bit of water that used to be our pond! They're nuts.
Kaylee has decided to save her allowance for a new hamster. It was taking a while, so she thought it might work to solicit some help.

She can't wait. She even got out the old hamster cage from the attic and has it ready in her room. I, on the other hand, am HAPPY to wait. The sounds of gnawing all night and the stinky smell of used cedar chips is still fresh in my mind. Oh well.

Kaylee was awarded a special certificate for her perfect math FCAT score last year.

Roger is working on a "camper port" behind our shed. Kaylee had fun trying to touch the bottom of the post holes.

YMYW service project. We were building up the edge of the shoreline for a ward member while the lake was temporarily being drained.

I have a friend who works at the Bear Creek Feline Center. She invited me to stop by and see their refuge for big cats. This is a Florida Panther. Despite being raised by humans, he was clearly still a wild animal. Even though it was pretty cool, I wasn't too comfortable with the fact that he only had a leash. I felt better looking at the cats that were actually in their cages!