The Cookie Monster Sundae

Bubby and Poppa sent Camden money for a birthday treat.

He chose the Cookie Monster Sundae.

Four huge scoops of ice cream.

Hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, chocolate chips.

And a half-pound cookie.

With a cherry on top.

Thankfully, he decided to share with his brother.

Apparently, it was really good.

The youngest brother wondered why nobody was sharing with him.

Or maybe he was a little worried about his brothers.

And maybe he had good reason.

That was a lot of ice cream.

And it did in the biggest brother pretty quick.

The birthday boy held on longer.

But he did get pretty stuffed.

Thank goodness he's got a good daddy who finished up for him.

On the walk home, there were belly aches all around.

According to these boys, it was totally worth it.

And they've decided to take a bit of a break from treats for a while.

So it really was totally worth it.

Men and Mangroves

My boy took me kayaking.

It is amazing to me to see this young man growing up.

He's still so much my baby - my sweet little boy.

But he's mature and capable now, too.

So when I say "my boy took me kayaking," I really mean it.

He's really good - much better at this ocean thing than his mama.

I get so nervous on the water, but this little boy - my baby - is so confident.

He took really good care of his mama.

He took me through the mangroves.

Have you ever been in a mangrove forest?

Amazing.

Really, amazing.

And then he took me home.

Thanks for growing up so nice, little boy.

And guess what?

We kayaked all the way from the Atlantic to the Gulf of Mexico.

Pretty impressive, I know!

I like my birthdays, every one...

... but I can't wait until I'm EIGHT!

Happy birthday to the best EIGHT-year-old around.

We love you, Cam!

Aquarium

Am I the only person who starts to sing that "Aquarius" song whenever I think about going to the aquarium?  Please, don't answer that.

We LOVE to go to aquariums.  Seriously, LOVE.  Everywhere we've lived, we've found the aquarium.  In Cape Cod we went to the tiny little NOAA aquarium every time Dan's boat came in to port.  We made fast friends with the eel fish.  In Seattle we sprung for the (pricey) family membership to their aquarium so we could visit the octopus and hang out in a dome surrounded by sharks.  Baltimore, DC, you get the idea.  Lots of aquariums.

So it should come as no surprise that we sought out and found the Key West Aquarium pretty quick upon arriving.  Small, kinda junky-looking, and perfect.  We've spent many an hour watching crazy tropical fish, feeding sharks - yes, you read that right! - and stingrays, petting stingrays, and talking to turtles.  They even have aligators and an old, arthritic iguana.  It's our kind of place.

Now, I've found myself not blogging because I have too much to blog.  Makes sense, no?  I sit down to write about all the wonderful, exciting things we're doing down here in paradise, and I don't do it.  Because there are too many pictures to choose from.  See, I told you it makes sense!  So guess what?  Here are a bunch - by no means all - of our aquarium photos.  Unorganized, unedited.  Just figured it was time to get this stuff out there.

The Nuggets' favorite Key West attraction.

This boy likes the bright tropical fish best.

Jake's made friends with the stingrays.  They pop up to say hi whenever he walks by!

Cam loves the conchs.  He'll tell you anything you ever needed to know about these big ol' snails.

Ever stroked a stingray?  They're soft and smooth and slimy.  It's true.

Of course we dragged Uncle Clark to the aquarium.  Lucky guy's now touched a stingray and been licked by a conch.  I think he enjoyed it.

I will have one of these little fellas in my home someday.

Beautiful, but I won't have these.

We see angelfish in the ocean all the time.  They like to hang around the fishing boats.  I don't think they're all that smart...

Have a happy day!

Mr. Opinion

Today my mom stuck me in a swing with a friend.

This is how I felt about it.

They call me "Mr. Opinion."

I can't imagine why.

A Trip to the Barber Shop

We had some pretty shaggy boys around here, so we took a little walk.

What?  You don't pass the local drag show on your way to the barber shop?