December in Florida

Ron and I were able to spend a week in Florida, with our son Stephen and his family. We left the Seattle airport where it was 29 degrees, and arrived in Orlando, Florida, where it was close to 80 degrees. What a climate shock!

It was wonderful to be able to spend a week with our family......we hadn't seen Abby since she was only 6 weeks old, so it was nice to be able to play and talk to she and Mackenzie in person, and not have to rely on the webcam.

Ron was able to take some family photos for them.....the photo above and below are just a couple of the ones that he took. We went to the beach one day, to Sarasota on the Gulf Coast where there is soft white sand to take the pictures. I had to keep reminding myself that it was December!

This is the same shot as the first one, but with a sepia filter applied to it.

One day we drove over the the east coast to see the Kennedy Space Center. We stopped at Denney's for lunch, where this picture was taken.

We spent the day at the Kennedy Space Center, which was fascinating. I wish that we could have spend longer there, but I think that was as long as the girls could handle. A bus took us to the launch sites, and also the observation platform. Grandpa was a hit with his granddaughters!

A view of the Vehicle Assemble Building, from the observation platform.

The actual launch room with the desk monitors that were used in the Apollo flights....with Abby standing looking at it.

After you leave the launch room, doors open and you walk into this huge hall with an Apollo Saturn V rocket, lying on it's side, separated into the different stages. In one word: AWESOME!

Looking down the length of the Apollo Saturn V rocket. From the rocket end, you can't even see the top of it. The picture just doesn't do it justice.....it's an understatement when I say it is huge!

Stephen, studying the displays in the rocket room. When Ron asked him what he thought about the space center and the rocket, he said "I've been waiting all my life to see this!" He really enjoyed seeing it.....as a little boy, he used to build models of this rocket, so in a way, this was a dream come true for him. I wish that we could have stayed longer........there is so much that we were not able to see.

Ron, looking at a small model of the Apollo Saturn V, with glass panels, so you could see what was inside the rocket.

Stephen, looking at the same small scale display of the rockets insides.

Abby, with a space suit on display. For a 2 1/2 year old, she did pretty good.

Ileana, touching a rock that was brought back from the moon. It was glued down so no one would steal it. None of us could resist touching it.

Stephen standing in front of the service module.....one of the last stages of the Saturn V.

Mackenzie and grandma, pretending to be spacemen.

Abby had to be a spaceman too!

We spent all afternoon at the Space Center, and it started to get dark before we left. We got an ice cream cone treat, right after this picture was taken. The was a children's play area where the girls, grandpa and Ileana went, while Stephen and I rode the on the Shuttle Simulator. Wow....that was an experience! Even the astronauts say it is the closest thing to experiencing the real thing. It really shook us up good.........we both came away with a bit of a headache! (but I'd do it again anytime!)

Abby getting a ride on her dad's shoulders, at the beach.

Mackenzie and Stephen, walking in the sand.

A few months again, Stephen had given Mackenzie "Ozzie".....the little Koala bear hand puppet that he had as a child. She sleeps with it every night. Poor Ozzie has been loved so much, that he has lost most of his hair. So I thought that Mackenzie needed her own "Ozzie", so I found another hand puppet to give her for Christmas. This photo is of Mackenzie hold both "Ozzie Senior" and "Ozzie Junior."

This blog post wouldn't be complete without a photo of Stephen (at 4 years of age) holding the original Ozzie. Pretty darn cute! Can you see how much Mackenzie looks like her dad?

Abby and Mackenzie got some mechanical dogs for Christmas, that bark, pant, turn their heads and wag their tails. A lot less work than a real dog, that's for sure!

Grandpa was a big hit with his granddaughters. Abby, who can't sit still for even one minute, would sit quiet and content next to grandpa, or on his lap. She even sat on his lap during the entire Sacrament Meeting as church. And of course, grandpa just soaked it all in!

Mackenzie and Abby wanted to meet Santa, so Ileana and the girls waited in line at the mall for 2 1/2 hours to get this photo. By the looks on their faces, it was worth the wait.

Our visit seems like it came to an end too soon. I wish that we didn't live so far apart........it is wonderful to be a part of your children's lives. Thank you Stephen, Ileana, Mackenzie and Abby for such a wonderful time with you! We sure love you!