A trip to the Florida Aquarium in Tampa is one of the best activities for kids. They can explore amazing sights inside the main building, with huge tanks full of fish and the special outdoor area with native Florida species. The play area outside is always a hit with kids, as they can run, splash and generally get wet!!!

Summer of 2008 had been very busy, with a lot of friends visiting, and many, interesting places that we had gone to see. We’d traveled to the East coast of Florida to see Kennedy Space Center and Cocoa Beach (and Daytona Beach race too!). After that we drove down the West coast towards Naples. We spent the rest of the summer around Tampa, exploring new beaches and interesting places.

What a great trip!!! We have taken a ride to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Orlando recently, and we had a blast. Patrick loved the attractions, especially the Start wars Jedi Training Academy show. The pictures are in the Hollywood Studios Trip gallery… Enjoy!!!

Christmas time is upon us again. Patrick did his annual Christmas photo session a few weeks ago, and the results are in the Gallery. Check out the Halloween photos, which were posted a few weeks ago as well. MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!!!

Patrick started taking swimming lessons last year, but it was mostly floating for safety. This year he is taking real swimming classes, and he likes to practice at home a lot.

Gasparilla Pirate Festival (www.gasparillapiratefest.com) has taken place in Tampa last week, and we took Patrick for a nice trip to see the festivities. I posted some pictures in the Gallery section. Patrick loved it, as he’s going through a “pirate fascination” phase of his toddlerhood. The third biggest parade in the U.S. is lots of fun, and we’ll be back for more next year for sure.

Patrick took his new set of wheels for a spin today. He tore the turf, smoked the tires, and spread fear among his fellow playground goers. You can watch the video here.

Watch Patrick’s Halloween Trick-or-Treat video taken on the Halloween night at Wilderness Lake Preserve.

Patrick’s 2nd birthday was last week (Oct 23rd), and the party took place at Chuck E. Cheese in Tampa. All his friends showed up and the video is available from Google Video. Don’t complain about the quality, as it is meant for Web, and the size is a major issue.