The Ossege Family: 2012 Vacay

***FYI - This post is a tad lengthy, but mostly pictures!***

Every vacation begins with lots of planning and all that planning deserves a cute folder to put it in, don't ya think!

This was a vacation of firsts: first time on airplane, first time at beach, first trip to Florida, first deep sea fishing trip, first time taking 544 photos in a week (hey when you take a BIG vacay once every 9 years you tend to take a lot of pics) etc...

Austin and Kimberly were a little nervous about flying for the first time, but were seasoned travelers by the end of the trip.

Pics of the condo we stayed in; these 2 pics are taken from our balcony. It was wonderful having the beach and a pool literally right there, footsteps from where we were staying.

The kids were so eager to get to the beach that first day, we just dropped luggage as soon as we got in the door and headed down. We spent our first 2 days at the beach soaking up the sun, surfing the waves (really bogey-boarding) and just relaxing!

Randy caught an ocean catfish with his bare hands.

The kids found it interesting how it could be 95 and sunny all day and then at the flip of a switch start raining. Kimberly asked "Why does it rain so much here? I thought this was the sunshine state." Good logic, don't ya think!

We got to experience and see our fair share of wildlife in FL. Randy caught a fish, I caught a crab on the beach, Austin loved chasing the birds and watching the small clams rebury themselves after each wave, we saw a pod of dolphins swimming in the ocean and so much more.

Mommy and Austin back from collecting seashells.

Seafood...YUMMY!!! We ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. (based on Forrest Gump movie) and it was delicious. I was impressed with Lexus for trying new foods. Lexus tried clams and mussels, Kimberly refused to eat the mussels; she said "They look like they have lips. EWW!"

Grandpa Grothaus and Lexus

Kids with Grandpa & Grandma Grothaus

Randy, Lexus, Kimberly and Grandpa Grothaus went deep sea fishing on Tuesday. They caught about 20-30 sea bass which we cooked up for dinner...YUMMY!

Can you spot the real pirate and the fake?

I love Adirondack chairs!!! They are so comfortable and I wish I had a few in the backyard.

A special little boy left this message for me at the beach!

The kids found it so cool that we could actually drive on Daytona Beach. We spent 2 days here catching baby fish, writing names in the sand, more bogey boarding...

Surfer girls!

Our first sandcastle attempt...

We went putt-putting one night at Pirate's Cove; the kids loved it!

We visited a Marine Science Center and the tallest lighthouse in America. They had a touch pool, bird sanctuary, and sea turtle rehabilitation center. The lighthouse was interesting, but scary. We are proud to say that all of us made the 213 step climb to the top! (although I think we were all ready to have heart attacks on the way up and down; guess we are a family who doesn't do heights!)

We didn't spend much time at the top; in a hurry to reach solid ground again.

Boy oh boy! Were those steps narrow!

Yes, that is a pic of a dog track. Yes, we did teach take our kids and teach them how to bet on dog races. Yes we did have a blast!

Our last day at the beach :-( Wish we could have 100 more days like this!

Mermaid Kimberly

Is it fair Randy had to help dig the hole the kids buried him in?

Burying Daddy in the sand was one of the last things for the kids to check off their Beach Scavenger Hunt.

Enjoying one last dip in the pool with Grandpa Grothaus. He taught both girls how to swim under water across the pool twice without coming up for air.

Can't leave without a few family photos at the beach!

We made one last minute stop at the Daytona International Speedway which was right next to the airport. We saw the track and stands while watching someone live out their dream of driving one of the cars about 200 mph.