Back in Florida! Sometimes it feels like home, and sometimes like a slap in the face. After spending so much time in Guatemala and Mexico we had a little culture shock….and sticker shock! Things are very expensive in the Keys!

sunset in Marathon A beautiful sunset in Marathon, Florida.

First order of business, after checking back in, was to visit our family.

with Grandma Nornor We spent the morning with Jacob’s grandmother.

with the Olds A fun night out with our cousins

Touring the Keys means a visit to the Key deer, Key West, and of course, sampling the different varieties of Key lime pie.

key deer These tiny guys are pretty tame.

Ernest Hemingway's 6 toed cats Ernest Hemingway’s house in Key West is a favorite stop for us. We have been here before a few years ago. Most of his cats have at least 6 toes, if not more! We made this visit even better by listening to The Old Man in the Sea narrated by Charleton Heston on our drive down.

Mallory Square The buskers in Mallory Square

southern most point A mandatory picture at the Southernmost Point. We didn’t get the photo with the words and view in the background because the line for that was a mile long… we just snuck in the back.

keylime pie Although this Key lime pie was definitely the most visually impressive, we all agreed we prefer the ones with the cream top, not meringue top.

Manatees lots of manatees grazing around the marina

Sombrero Beach One of the Keys’ best beaches just happened to be a short dinghy ride away from our boat.

climbing trees at Sombrero Beach Playing at Sombrero Beach

tide pools Finding cool specimens in the tide pools

It had been WAY too long since having a visit with Nani, Papi and Uncle Cameron. We took off for Tucson to see them. It was the girls’ first time exploring the desert.

Hiking with Nani and Papi Nani and Papi live right next door to Saguaro National Park.

spring fling with Nani Just in time for Spring Fling at University of Arizona in Tucson.

Group photo with Nani, Papi and Uncle Cameron The whole gang!

teaching Uncle Cameron to play exploding kittens Teaching Uncle Cameron to play Exploding Kittens.

holding hands with Nani Take your granddaughter to work day. Mom is a docent at this beautiful park, Tahona Chul.

contemplating the desert

We decided to spend our birthdays (Jacob’s and mine) in Chicago with my dad. It just so happened that they fell over Easter too. Bonus! We had a nice Ukrainian Easter feast.

bunny ears with Grampsy

Making beets with Grampsy Making one of our traditional Easter dishes. She needed saftey glasses to protect against the horseradish fumes.

Lorelei setting up for the Easter egg hunt Getting ready to host an Easter Egg hunt.

hunting eggs with Maya and Natelie Hunting Eggs with our friends. Hunting eggs with Sophia and Maya

birthday party with Paul We went out for some birthday dive bar pool and bowling with Paul.

Easter Bunny

FAmily easter picture Celebrating Easter with my Uncle Richard.

Easter Feast The feast!

EAster dinner with Rick

Lincoln park zoo with Uncle Paul A fun day at Lincoln Park Zoo with Uncle Paul, Tyler and Ashley.

Uncle Paul tickles