Animal Lover

Simon is a true lover of all animals. We spend a lot of time on adventures in Florida looking for different animals. From an early age, he was very good at making animal noises and he still loves to do them.

We have seen so many different animals in Florida. Some at the Naples Zoo, but a lot out in the wild too.

We spend a lot of time at a place called Lakes Park. It is much more than a park. It has a wildlife refuge, two playgrounds, two sprinkler water parks, three miles of walking trails and bike/boat rentals. We go there 3-4 times per week. The first time we went there, I was going for a jog with Simon in the jogger stroller when I saw and heard that we scared an alligator back into the water. Needless to say, I was pretty scared. I spoke to the park attendants and they explained that the alligators are monitored and they don't let them get too big. We also see birds, turtles, fish and "zizous" (lizards) there all the time.

Last weekend we went to the Naples Zoo with Daddy. Simon's favorite part were the "monkas" (monkeys). They have a big man made lake with islands spread throughout. Each island has a different species of monkey and they take you on a boat ride to see them. Simon loved it. He kept talking about the "monkas" doing "reachy" meaning the were reaching for the branches and swinging from them. Notice the monkey swinging in the background behind Simon's head in the picture below. He could have stayed there all day.

He also got to feed lettuce to a Giraffe. It was a very exciting day.

A few days ago, we visited Sanibel Island which is just a few miles away with Nonna and Dennie. We were there early in the morning and there was a pod of dolphins playing and fishing just 15-20 feet in front of us. It was truly amazing!

We also went to a petting zoo where Simon got to hold a baby white tiger! He absolutely loved it and was not scared at all!

We look forward to continuing our animal adventure in Florida and our goal is to see Manatees before we go home.