Last Sunday was family fun day at Alexander Springs in Altoona, FL. We arrived a little after 10 a.m. to find we were one of the last to get into the park. They are super busy this time of year and reach capacity early. When we left hours later, there was a LONG line waiting to get in! We had a blast! It's a great spring for little people. Lots of shallow area to swim in. It was pretty crowded...we bumped into some folks in our raft...but then again, we had a four year steering us around! Overall, we had a fun day with no sunburn, no bug bites and lots of shells we had to throw back cause they still had critters living in them (try explaining that to a four year old hoarder!)

Yesterday we had the pleasure of skipping work and school to visit Rock Springs at Kelly Park with our dear friends, The Edward's Family.  For the past four years, we have met them every Spring at one of Florida's springs.  We've been to Blue Springs, DeLean Springs, Ginnie Springs and now Rock Springs with them.  I have to admit, Rock Springs is my new favorite spring!  The water is chiller than the others (68 degrees!) but it was PERFECT for Juliette with a large area of shallow water for her to swim and play in.  They even had a sand "beach" for her to play in.  We had a wonderful day and cannot wait to go back!  

Yesterday was Father's Day so we took Daddy to Juniper Springs since he loves visiting all of Florida's springs (did you know that there are literally a TON of springs in Florida to visit?!??!!  See them all here)

We had not yet ever been to Juniper Springs so we thought we'd check it out!  We started off the day by making Josh his favorite breakfast: Biscuits & Gravy!  We then headed to Juniper Springs.  The springs are about an hour and twenty minute drive from our house.  We went swimming first (Juliette and I floated in our awesome new inner tube...thanks Daddy!)  We followed that with a nice picnic lunch and then a walk on one of their nature trails.  Juliette was so excited to see the wildlife...fish, turtles and an alligator!  

We had such a great day!  We are so lucky to have you (Daddy/Josh) in our lives!  You are such a great Daddy!  We love you!

Yesterday, we went to visit Silver Springs...Florida’s first tourist attraction and one of the largest artesian springs in the world!  The springs are about an hour and a half drive from our house...the perfect day trip.  The park is renowned for the Glass Bottom Boat tours...so we had to try it out!  And we are so glad we did!  I highly recommend the tour!  We had so much fun!  We took the 30 minute boat ride, but I would have gladly signed up for the 90 minute version!  As soon as we got on the boat, Juliette's eye lit up!  Everyone on the boat, sits around a giant piece of 1/2 inch think glass floor.  Between looking through the floor and peeking around the sides of the boat, you see all kinds of fish & other wildlife (like alligators chilling on the side of the river!).  We were on the hunt for the monkeys (click here for more "monkey" info)...but never saw any.  Guess we will need to go back! 

p.s. Juliette is wearing a Naartjie size 3-6 month DRESS as a shirt :)  We sure have gotten our $ worth out of that purchase!

     So, HELLO everyone!  This is Juliette's pops checking in.  You remember me, right?  The author of the blog post with the highest click count in the history of www.JulietteMargot.com.  No big deal.  Some bloggers go for quantity of posts.  Others of us sit back in the shadows and just deliver the the quality. 

     In that vein, today's blog post is centered around a fun day had by all at De Leon Springs State Park.  While it's always been a favorite for the two bloggers that created both the most adorable toddler around and this swell tribute blog to her, it's even more fun with "the kid" joining in on the fun.  Let's be honest though, she's taking her time with the joining in part.  De Leon Springs is all about two things....Pancakes and Cold Water.  

How amazing do these two things look?  Two varieties of pancakes made freshly on your tabletop accompanied with an array of toppings....who wouldn't love that?  Juliette, that's who.  She's a finicky eater, so we'll let that slide.  But how about that crisply cool 72 degree water on a brutally hot July afternoon in Florida?  Who can resist?  OK...OK...a lot of people.  72 degrees is COLD.  She tried her best though.  From the second she saw that water she was so eager to enjoy it.  She sprinted right over to it...waiting for the go ahead.  Only to be delayed by the tortures of having sun screen applied and having her swimsuit put on.  As arduous as that was, she was ever so eager to have her flotation device secured.  That little red crab represents freedom. Who needs mommy and dada to hold you when you can kick and swim in this giant pool on your own?  Well, apparently little girls that weigh less 25 pounds do when they are subjected to brutally cold water.  She hung in like a champ for all of 10 minutes.  I tried to set her free like the many afternoons and evenings in our heated neighborhood pool, where she is so eager to swim around freely.  Not so much under these conditions.  She clinched on to me the entire 600 seconds she braved in the spring water.  When finally I tried to let her loose one last time she let out a thunderous barrage of "ALL DONE! ALL DONE! ALL DONE!", along with the appropriate baby sign language.  Point taken, Juliette.

Juliette greatly enjoyed everything else that De Leon Springs has to offer though.  Mostly, she got to be outside and run relatively free for several hours.  That's huge in her world.  She also got to go on a nature hike, while leading the expedition no less. 

More than anything though, we all got to spend some time with some of our favorite people who happened to be down on vacation from Kentucky.  Jason will always be a great friend who I first met when I was just a few years older than Juliette.  We always look forward to when him, Nina, and Stephen are in the area and we can spend some time together.  Great people.  Especially for UK fans.  :)

This is what a one year old sugar addict looks like.

Last week was my 34th birthday...and that was my cake.  Juliette LOVES cake, cookies, chocolate, and anything else that is mostly made with sugar.  We started the day with some sugar at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill at De Leon Springs.  We are huge fans of this place.  You make your own pancakes at your table.  Ingenious!  After breakfast, we walked around the park, Juliette & Daddy went for a swim in the cool springs, and we rented a paddle boat.  It was a sweltering hot day!  We had a great time!  

Today we went to one of my all-time favorite places...DeLeon Springs State Park in DeLeon Springs, Florida.  It was a beautiful day of fresh air, happy people and the world's best make-your-own pancakes (Old Spanish Sugar Mill).  We walked around and took in the sights while we waited to be called to eat.  We can't wait to go back when Juliette can swim and go for a boat ride!

p.s. I call Juliette "Cheekie" because she is getting some serious chub on her cheeks...and I LOVE it!  I'm sure she will despise her nickname when she gets older.  

And the award for longest dreads goes to...