A Day in the Everglades

This week is our annual Harper Family visit to Florida. Today, we drove up to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary - c'mon, admit it. You always wish you'd gone. While we were there, we saw an amazing cast of characters. It's amazing that this all exists just a half an hour from the coast of Florida. It's even more amazing that anyone ever pitches a tent in Florida knowing these are out and about. I count myself lucky to be in the condo.

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While Finn talked non-stop about seeing an Alligator, his real interest seemed to be in watching the lizards. Here is one that stopped by for a longer than usual visit.




It's hard to tell by the picture, but this grasshopper was almost 4 inches in length.







The man photographing this gator estimated his length to be between 10 - 11 feet. I've never been so glad to be on a walkway.




This is the baby gator. Caught sunning himself on a log, he was about 6 feet long and about 20 feet away.




Rachelle found this little guy right under the walking path. Just a small fry, he was only about 2 feet long and completely uninterested in us watching him.

A lap full of kids

We visited the Pittsburgh Van Soests a few weekends ago and spent some time at the park. Here's Uncle/Papa Bill with a lap full of kids. Emerson is the clear winner of the Best-Face award.

W is for Wharton

Estelle showed her growing intellect with a brief presentation on letter manipulation before breakfast the other day. When presented with an "M" to keep her occupied, she immediately turned it around to make a "W" and pointed - a clear indicator that she's chosen the Wharton School for Business over the University of Michigan Law Program. Whichever you want, Baby Girl. Your daddy is behind you.

Here, she gets into the finer points of magnetism. The professor's verbal skills are challenging, but I'm certain she has a clear grasp of the concept. You'll notice the box of Aunt Jemima's Pancake Mix in the back, which fueled the discussion (Only for those of us watching. Estelle is on a strict diet of flavored puffs and formula.)

Estelle is cruising - and tanking. (But mostly cruising)

Move everything up another shelf, Little Girl is on the move. In an effort to show her brother that she's no slouch, Estelle kicked it into high gear on the crawling/standing/cruising front. At a tender 8 months, she's walking herself around the play table and pulling un-tended binkis from Finnegan's hand (or mouth). Cause & Effect are still a bit of a mystery when she gets excited and reaches from a standing position, but bravery and a little practice are giving her a swift education.

Movement isn't the only change on the horizon. Estelle wants the world to know she's got something to say. Beginning with da-da (although I can't confirm intent just yet), she's got about 5 different vocalizations at her command and adding daily. Finnegan seems to be on the inside track on meaning, though we've seen him scratch his head a time or two on dialect. Mostly, the two of them talk in giggles and laughter which makes Mom and Dad proud.

Here she is giving me the Big Grin upon completion of another successful climb. I'm tempted to put a lacrosse stick in her hand to test my tom-boy theory, but I can't find anything that matches her ruffles and honestly, I'm afraid of what she might do to Finnegan when he's not looking. Not long, Baby Girl, not long.

Papa Bill