Naples Zoo

Yesterday, we went to the Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens. The kids truly had a great time here. One of the best thing to do there is feeding the giraffes. You can really get up close to these amazing creatures. See the video below.

Leopard

Hey! Where ya goin? I'm still hungry!

Banyan Tree

Malayan Tiger

Male Lion

Surprise Nan!

My family was throwing a surprise birthday party for my Mom, in Naples, FL. Which is the main reason we drove down. We left Disney World early in the morning and had more than a 3 hour drive ahead of us to get to Naples before noon so that we could be there to surprise my Mom, who had no idea we were coming. To complicate things further, I didn't know I had to wear formal clothes, since the party was at a country club. When we got into the Naples area, I had to stop at the stores to quickly try on and buy an outfit, wear it out of the store, and race down to the country club where the party was being held. Meanwhile, Genevieve was trying to get the kids, and herself dressed. No small task. 

With only minutes to spare, we got there right before my parents, and had to hide out on the side of the building so they wouldn't see us. We decided it would be better to wait for the initial surprise, and then we could come in afterwards. It worked great. My Mom sure was surprised to see us all the way from Pennsylvania! (These were the photos Mommy took while we waited for Nan to go inside.)

Eliana was still feeling a bit shy in the first few minutes of the party. But she soon warmed up and had fun running around with her cousins.

Evan and Eliana surprised Nan with nice big pink flowers!

Here's the whole gang, Eliana can be seen streaking by on the left, Evan didn't want to be in the picture.

Evan and Eliana have SO much fun hanging around with their cousin Chandler.

Mickey's Christmas Party

Friday night was "Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party." A little early for Christmas, I know, but it was our only shot at going to the party, which is always a lot of fun. 

It's all about Eliana.

Eliana got to meet her favorite: Tinkerbell.

Tinkerbell had friends.

Evan really danced it up at Woody's Dance Party.

Eliana and Evan wait to meet Mickey and Minnie after the parade.

It's our turn next!

Yay! Mickey and Minnie!

Disney World Day 2

On Friday, the kids wanted to visit the hotel we stayed at last year, Disney's All Star Movies resort, because they have the giant Toy Story display. Here, Evan and Eliana take time out to pose with 

Donald and Daisy Duck.

Eliana sure loves her Mommy.

Evan and T.Rex.

The GINORMOUS Buzz Lightyear

Evan wanted to revisit the "Winner's Circle' since it sprays water. 

Eliana with "Herbie."

Soon we had to go back to the hotel and get ready for Mickey's Christmas Party!

Disney World 2012

We had a little bit of a 'down' day when we got to Disney World. We were staying at the "All Star Music" resort, and the kids wanted to go to the arcade and play in the pool while daddy tried to catch up on some much needed sleep.

Evan taking a nap in the pool.

Then in the afternoon, we spent some time in Downtown Disney. Evan and Eliana love going to the Lego store and the "Mr Potato Head" store, as they call it. Eliana liked posing with Mickey & Minnie, and the Princesses.

Evan really liked the giant Dragon made of Legos!

Eliana posing with the princesses.

Road Trip! South of the Border

This was our first attempt at a long distance road trip with the kids. Philadelphia to Orlando. Just over 1,000 miles. One thing's for sure, the DVD player helped A LOT. We left the Philly area around 11pm on Election Night, and drove through the night, into the early morning hours making it all the way to Rocky Mount, NC, (about 400 miles,) where we stopped for the night, well, morning really. The kids slept most of the way.

 I managed to sneak in a few hours sleep myself in a warm bed, but then it was back on the road around noon, stopping a few hours later at South of the Border in Dillon, SC. You start seeing the signs hours earlier in North Carolina, beginning the mileage countdown all the way there. The one thing they had this time that I hadn't noticed before, was a giant game room. This was great, especially the Bounce House. There was hardly anyone there, and the kids were able to blow off steam in the bounce house for as long as they wanted. We also played Skee Ball, Basketball, and Foosball.

Evan and Eliana loved the giant gumball machine. We had to keep the whole trip a secret because we were driving down to surprise my Mom for her Birthday!

Eliana and Mommy playing some Basketball.

Then we visited the "Hats Around the World" Store, and we had fun trying on all sorts of different hats. Here's Evan posing with a Sombrero wearing Velociraptor.

Guess which one is the dinosaur?

Señor Evan.

Cowgirl Eliana.

Finally, we meet Pedro!

Evan and Triceratops.

One of the coolest parts of South of the Border was the new "Reptile Lagoon." Not quite a zoo, but rivals most zoos reptile pavilions in size. There were dozens of different types of Alligators, Crocodiles, and Snakes. Needless to say, Mommy and Eliana stayed in the car, just the boys went. Evan and I had a blast. There was one baby Croc who was not to happy about me taking his picture and came flying at me with his mouth open ready to attack. Luckily, it was in a tank, and only about 3 feet long, but all Croc in spirit. After that, it was time to hit the road again. Next stop: Disney World.

No photographs please. Now back away from my tank.

New Daddy Diaries Proofreader.

I have nominated my wife, Genevieve as the officially designated proofreader of the Daddy Diaries, and want to let her know that I do appreciate her help greatly. I sometimes (most of the time) write these entries late at night, and sometimes my spelling, punctuation, and grammar can be a bit off. Even if I proofread it myself after writing it, I'm unlikely to catch any errors, especially if I'm tired. So Thank You Genevieve.