Part 2- The Florida Keys

After two jam-packed days at DisneyWorld, we decided to head down to the Florida Keys. Our kids were exhausted and slept for the majority of the trip down. We stopped on the way in Miami to go to church and Ethan woke up with some awesome bed head! I guess it was pretty hot in that backseat with a suit on!

We arrived that evening to our hotel in Marathon and decided to take a walk along the beach. The sand in the FL keys is like no where else I have been. It felt like you were walking in flour and everything about this place was just beautiful!

Ellie loved the challenge of walking around in the thick sand..

and squealed with delight as she ran back and forth into the water.

The next day we woke up and hit up some of the pretty beaches in Marathon. We took everyones advice online and went to Bahia Onda State Park. It did not disappoint.

This was a really beautiful little cove enclosed by the two old bridges in the background. The water was crystal clear and so refreshing!

Ellie was quite content playing in the sand

and after swimming with daddy, Ethan joined her.

You can walk to the end of this old bridge and look down in the water at all the fish and sometimes sharks swimming down below. We got a glimpse at a shark! It was pretty neat. I guess this part of the bridge collapsed since you can see the other half of it on the other side. It sure makes for a pretty lookout point though!

On Bahia Onda, there are 3 beaches and the one below was our favorite. There was a sandbar out there that you could walk way out in the ocean with and only be up to your waist in water. It was beautiful!

Isn't the water color gorgeous?!

Our kids are fearless when it comes to the ocean. Luckily, there wasn't big waves since the reef breaks them down. We had to watch Ellie like a hawk! She was so cute though running in the shallow water and laughing at the water coming in.

If we didn't have the kids with us, we would have totally rented snorkel gear and explored the live coral reef! Everyone online says that the snorkeling is so good there. We would have also rented a jet ski and ran around from little island to little island possibly stopping to have a picnic on the beach for lunch and then hop back on and choose another island to explore all while watching the fish and turtles magically swim beneath us. Sounds so movie like, doesn't it? Oh and I can't forget the sunsets. I think I have just convinced myself that we need to go back. Without the kids :)

Anyway, back to reality. Later that evening, we traveled across the 7 mile bridge (that is almost completely over the water) to Key West and visited the southern most point on the Continental US!

And then had some yummy Mexican food after watching all the performers at Mallory Square.

We were sad to leave the Keys but have vowed to come back sometime soon! Minus the hurricanes, I can see why people live here year round when they retire! Part 3 soon to come with more adventures at DisneyWorld!