Finally - Our Pictures From Our Siesta Key Vacation

We took a wonderful vacation earlier this month to Siesta Key, Florida. We stayed at a place that my Mommy stayed when she first saw the beach at two years old (the same age as me right now). In fact my Grandma and Pop Pop honeymooned here in 1956 when there was not much of anything on the island. We wanted to come here this year so I could enjoy the beautiful powdery sand of Crescent Beach and see the ocean for the first time. Before we saw the beach, we visited Sarasota Jungle Gardens. Here I am with Pop Pop seeing lots of birds.

Those birds are really neat!

I really like it here. I'm having fun!

Here I am with Mommy making me pose by some wooden statue.

Hey, let's get moving. I know there is more to see here!

Oh wow, look at those pink birds! Fla-ming-oes. OK, I can say that.

This was our view from our porch. Isn't it just beautiful! My Mommy remembers her first time staying in this very condo.

One of my favorite things about the beach was the sand. And at Siesta Key's Crescent Beach, it's rated one of the top 10 in the US. It's 99.8 percent pure quartz and does not even get hot in the middle of a sunny day.

I love sand - digging and sifting.

This stuff feels just like baby powder.

Like the sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. :)

Can you see the sand on my face?

Pop Pop is enjoying some time in the shade.

And now Grandma is playing in the sand with me.

This sand is EVERYWHERE!

This stuff is just endless!

And now Grandma has added a new element of fun - a bucket of water!

Here I am with the ocean in the background.

I love it out here.

I see Pop Pop! Here I come!

Hey Pop Pop, let's take a walk.

Try to catch me Pop Pop!

OK, time to pose!

Woohoo, feel that ocean breeze.

I love my Pop Pop.

I am really enjoying this place. I am happy.

The ocean is really fun too!

Here comes another wave!

Baba is taking me out a little further.

Look!!! A shell!

Look how clear and beautiful this water is.

And such beautiful waves.

We also had some professional pictures taken at Siesta Key by a friend of Mommy's. We'll be posting them separately. But here's one Mommy took of Baba and I before the photographer arrived.

I really love my Baba.

We also enjoyed an "eco" cruise. Here are Grandma and Pop Pop sitting on the boat.

And here I am in Baba's lap.

And a rarity - a picture of Mommy! Usually she is behind the camera.

And a close-up of Mama.

Here I am with the marine biologist who was so kind to take up extra time with me showing me the sea life.

Grandma and Pop Pop enjoyed the walking tour.

And here I am playing "cruise director" welcoming everyone back on the boat.

We saw some beautiful areas that included bird rookeries. They spend a lot of time in the mangroves.

Look at this guy. How pretty he looks against the blue sky.

Time to rehydrate. Even on the water, it's hot out here!

Ooh, the marine biologist used a trawl net to see what sea critters we could scoop up (they throw them all back - they do things right at Mote).

A sea urchin!

I wonder what I'll see next?

Ooh! Look at THAT!

Even Grandma and Pop Pop enjoyed touching the sea urchin!

It's amazing what they pull out of the bay.

OK, these are neat. They are like clams.

Now we are back at the Mote Marine Laboratory. And I'm watching some sting rays swim.

We caught one on camera! He almost blends in with the sand.

We also enjoyed visiting a friend of my Mommy's. Here I am playing with Mary Elena's daughter, Mara Jade.

And here's Mama's beautiful friend Mary Elena. We are making some rice with orange flavored craisins. :)

Can you tell we are taking this seriously?

And here we are with Mary Elena, Mara Jade and Joe. We went for a great dinner at St. Pete Beach and then enjoyed a beautiful sunset over the Gulf of Mexico. We wish we lived closer so we could visit with them more often.

I love my new friend Mara Jade!

And here we are enjoying St. Pete Beach.

And here we are our last day at the beach. I am about to get dressed to go outside.

I'm headed to the ocean again!

Yep, it's still as beautiful as the last time.

I love the feel of the sand and the water.

And digging in wet sand is so much fun!

That's our condo back there. And I have my bucket in hand and am collecting shells.

We also enjoyed plenty of time in the pool.

Baba is really helping me learn how to swim (I already am doing pretty well)!

Look at me kick!

Baba is looking all cute in this shot.

And a nice close up of us. That is soft wax in my ears. It's to prevent water from getting in them since I have ear tubes. With that wax in place, I could get as wet as I wanted to!

Well, that's it for our personal pictures. We will be sharing our professional ones soon. We had such a good time at Siesta Key. Mommy especially was so grateful to be able to watch me enjoy the beach for the first time in this special place. And I am so lucky my Grandma and Pop Pop came with us. I want to come back to Siesta Key every year just like Mama did as a little girl.