Costa Rica - Part 5

I think this will be my last post about Costa Rica.  This has several different days/events in it.  

Here are a few random pictures...

Rachel and Jackson on the balcony of Barbara, Dawson, Nannette & Rowland's condo.

  

The ocean view from their balcony as well...

Here is Rachel with that same horse that came by each day.

Hanging out on the balcony...

   

Bright eyes!

One of the days Grandmama and Grandaddy took Rachel and Jackson out to a butterfly farm and to lunch.  They got to see butterflies, frogs, monkeys and snakes. Rachel had three frogs jump on her head! 

Here is Jackson with a green frog on his arm.

Holding the turtle...

Holding a butterfly a little too tightly.  They kept telling Jackson to let go of the butterfly and he wouldn't do it.  The man had to actually pry his fingers apart and there was part of the butterfly left on his finger...sad.

This was a female monkey and she did not like other females.  Rachel had her hand on (or close to) the fence and the monkey reached out and swatted at her - you can see Rachel's face and hand just jerked back.  Crazy!!

Some of you may be wondering where the snake pictures are.  They got to see and hold a python.  And if you know me very well at all, you know that I am deathly afraid of large snakes - aka pythons.  I can't even hear about them, much less see them.  There were a few pictures taken of the kids with the snake but I've had Michael go through and label them for me so I don't have to look at them - I just can't.  And because I can't look at them, I can't put them on my blog - I look at it all the time!  So, I will attach two of the snake pictures to the email going out with this, but that's all I can do.  Sorry!!

Now, onto better subjects... *smile*

One of the days, Michael, Jeffrey, Nannette, Barbara and Dawson went on zip line excursion.  They were gone most of the day.  Michael and Jeffrey rode horses up a mountain for an hour to get to the top (the others rode in a van)...then 25 zip lines, 2 repels, lots of waterfalls, clear water pools, etc.  Here are a few pictures they got from that day...They said it was awesome!

One night we went to a nice restaurant on the beach.  We got there just as the sun was going down and  took these pictures in front of the water. 

The last night we took our official family pictures...We barely made it before we lost our good lighting.

I wish Jackson had cooperated a little better for these...

Afterwards we headed back to the restaurant with the margaritas and guacamole!  

On our van ride back to the airport on Saturday, we stopped just past a bridge on the main road.  Half of us got out and walked back down the road and over the bridge and looked below... This river was full of crocodiles!  It was crazy!  And people just stop their cars, get out and go look at them!  (Just like we did.)  There were men selling crocodile souvenirs and everything...some said that people will throw down chickens to the crocodiles - that's why they are all congregated in this one area.  It was crazy.

Looking over the bridge...

And here is one last sunset picture to end my Costa Rica series.  We really did have a great time - thanks to all that made that possible!!

Costa Rica - Part 4

 I'm backtracking a little here, but Michael and Barbara walked out with Jackson to the ocean on Sunday - it was Jackson's first time seeing the ocean.  (I wasn't feeling well and not venturing out very far...)  Thankfully she snapped a few pictures of his first time seeing it. 

 Here are some more pictures from our pool and ocean time throughout the week.

This was the little pool float/ring that I mentioned before...he ended up loving it and it fit him perfectly.  He grew more and more confident in the water each day.  By mid-week he was jumping into the water to me by himself (without holding my hand), then jumping in with his ring on and swimming across the little pool by kicking...  

Once she got the courage to do it the first time, she jumped off the side of that little pool all week...many times without the noodle.  Then she would swim to the side, get out and do it again.  She loves the pool!

Daddy throwing Rachel in the pool...she loved that too.

I think somebody is tired...

And I meant to include this picture in yesterday's post and missed it...this is Dawson, Barbara, Michael and Jeffrey - the original four...