Marco Island: February 2021

February 1-5

Monday

Our whole family tested negative for COVID so our trip to Florida was able to go on as planned!  We dropped the boys off at school for the morning and then headed for the airport.  Warmer weather...here we come.  The flight was uneventful and only different because we needed to wear masks the entire flight. It was a direct flight which took about 3 hours. 

By the time we arrived at the condo that we rented, the sun had already set.  We dropped our bags and went out to find fresh fish to eat for supper.  

Tuesday

It was super windy and in the low 60's.  Nathan, not surprisingly, found New York bagels for breakfast which we ate at the condo.  Nathan needed to wrap up a few things for work so we enjoyed the view of the ocean and enjoyed a low key morning.  We took a walk to get lunch and I enjoyed the palm trees and flowers along the way!

On our way back we walked on the beach.  

There was a baby octopus in that shell!

The wind was so strong that the sand was blowing up at us.

I put my winter coat on to watch the sunset from our balcony.  What a view!

Wednesday

We took a walk on the beach again and then decided to go for a drive to Everglades National Park.

It was exciting to find an alligator but also a little frightening.

We thought it was funny to see these signs alerting us of Panthers in the area.

After watching the sunset from our balcony we went out for supper to an Italian restaurant.

Thursday

After finishing the movie that we fell asleep watching the night before, we drove to the New York bagel shop and to Starbucks for coffee and ate our breakfast out at the beach.  It was a new spot that we thought would be good for finding shells!

What a view of that little octopus.

We waded in the water and collected many pretty shells.

It was the warmest day and there wasn't any wind so we each read a book and soaked in the sun for the entire afternoon until the sun set.

Friday 

It was an early morning and we made it back to Sioux Falls by 11:30am.  One highlight was noticing that we were flying right over Sioux Center and had a perfect view from our window.  It was less exciting to see all of the snow and return back to cold weather.

It was a blessing to know that our boys were well cared for by Grandpa and Grandma Bolkema while we were gone and we were excited to pick them up from school!

It's not always easy to leave and carve out time for just the 2 of us, but we're thankful for this opportunity!

January 2021

January 1-4

Nathan and Levi flew out to visit Grandpa and Grandma Tintle from January 1-4.  They were hoping to help since Grandma was recovering from 2 knee surgeries.

Levi soaked up all the attention and thoroughly enjoyed his time there!  They enjoyed some walks outside, playing some games, and catching up on conversations!

Bruno and the cats were good entertainment! 

They flew out of the Newark airport so they had a great view of NYC.

How cool to fly right over Spirit Lake!

While Nathan and Levi were gone we celebrated New Year's Day at Kerry's house playing games together.  We spent a day going to Spirit Lake to ice fish and Dorian was glad Grandpa came along to join him.

This is how Dorian dries out his ice shack!

What a pretty morning!

We spent Sunday watching church online and watching football in the afternoon.

After school on Monday, Dorian and Mason went ice fishing at Sandy Hollow together!

After serving on the Christian Education Committee for 3 years, I was excited about attending my final meeting.

Livian

What a sweet baby.  I enjoyed spending a day babysitting her.

Outdoor Adventures

Levi brought back snow shoes from Grandpa and Grandma Tintle's house which he was excited to try out!

Ice fishing.

Love your smiles!

The gummy worms were a hit for a snack.

Nathan and Levi went out one last time before bow hunting season ended.

Dorian wanted to try going out to ice fish completely on his own.  He knew he could do it and he did!

I believe this was my first time catching a fish while ice fishing.

We bought passes to the indoor archery range at Sandy Hollow for Christmas for our family.  Levi has been enjoying that!

It's so fun to see Dorian and Mason fishing at Sandy Hollow together.

Levi has really been wanting to learn how to snowboard!  After a Saturday as a family at Great Bear, he did just that!  I was impressed with his determination and ability!  He can't wait to go again!

Snowforts and snowmen.  It's always fun to see the boys enjoying time outside together!

Aquaponics

The aquaponics system has been fun to watch.  We've enjoyed eating some lettuce that they've grown!  The boys like to check on the fish once in a while.

The fresh basil from the aquaponics farm was delicious on the homemade pizza Nathan made for me!

Tenor Saxophone

Levi was able to try out a tenor saxophone that they had at school!  He is loving learning a new instrument!  That's impressive, buddy!

More outdoor adventures

After searching all over town for live bait for ice fishing, we discovered some here!  The boys were thrilled about the free lure that came with their purchase.  :)