Naperville in the (305)!

After enduring the recent torrential rain and high waters in the Midwest (thankfully without much damage), my folks Marc and Mary Baleiko decided to head our way towards sunny skies.

But ya gotta watch out for those sharks. Well worth it, for a Mangrove Mike's breakfast. Mmm-mmm we love those mangrove Oscars and the cinnamon roll French toast.

 

Once fueled up, we got down to business: building Sidney's big kid bed. They'd already cut and stained the pieces, and shipped them to us. Assembly was fairly smooth.

 

Sid's model matches the version that Grampa Marc made for Ben nearly 5 years ago.

 

 Signed, sealed and...

 

 ...tested. Passed inspection! Sid loves it. Finley-approved as well.

 

Later in the week we:

Visited Sidney's classroom...

...Savored the flavor of a ring pop. Can you guess its color?...

 

...Watched Ben play ball...

 

...Played memory...

And enjoyed some good eats:

BLT's...

 

...Steak and stone crab...

... and Key lime baked Alaska. Yum!

 

 The kids heard some great stories - some from books, but our favorites come from the fathoms of Grampa Marc's imagination.

Cheers P's!

 

We love and miss you already. Come back soon!

Orlandolicious

What do you get when you combine an 11-strong troupe of Baleikos/Rodgers/Friedmans? Orlando domination. For the second time, we were invited to join the northern bunch in their Spring Break at the Marriott Harbour Lakes resort (lucky us, thanks guys!!) We packed a whole lot of fun into 3 days and nights. Besides the mini-golf (and adult golf for the dads), pool time, trip to Lego Land and Easter fun, it was most gratifying to watch the youngest generation of the family goofing and bonding. Sure brought back some good memories.

Here's a look through the lens:

 

TWO pirate pools and a waterslide kept us cool:

 

Kate held her own in a shark attack:

 

 

Age-appropriate Easter egg hunts filled our Sunday morning - and their Easter baskets.

Sidney steam-rolled the 4-and-under division!

 

 Before our drive back to the Keys, it was off to the Hoop-Dee-Do Review at Fort Wilderness. Very family friendly old-school comedy dinner theater that thoroughly entertained all ages. I highly recommend.

 

Then a little walk around the farm area.

And a priceless family photo. That about sums it up.

 A most excellent trip. Here's to 2015!