Greetings fm Florida!

we had a GREAT time, highly recommend tampa for younger kids, who aren't ready for disney yet. with busch gardens africa, lawry's interactive zoo, florida aquarium and the hotel pool -- we never made it to the beach! some of the top highlights: riding a camel, feeding a giraffe and have its purple tongue lick your hand and seeing a real-life hippo!

going off season is a huge plus (we are an anti-crowds family). absolutely no lines, it felt like we had the whole park to ourselves. the girls loved the dinosaur carousel, and they were able to ride it over and over again w/out getting off.

we end up not needing to rent a car. next to the hotel, there were restaurants and a cvs w/in walking distance-- for the girls' pedisure run. the shuttle fm best western to busch gardens ran only twice daily. which was fine, since right after lunch, the girls would nap in their (inclined) stroller for about an hour (a full stomach combined with the riding motion= dreamland), then we were off again. who would have thought we could spend 14hrs at busch gardens africa. we only had to cab a ride to the zoo; and the aquarium was on the way to the airport.

after this trip, we cant wait until the girls turn 5--- so we can experience the wonder of disney and all its parks. eric has a co-worker who goes every year, he got hooked as a child-- now i think i know why-- afterall, it is 'the happiest place on earth'. Happy Anniversary baby!