In April of 2007, we all took a trip down to Florida. We opted to drive and it took roughly 2 days each way. Sage was quite the trooper, especially since she was sick with a fever on the way down. Fortunately, a long ride in the car was just what she needed and she was feeling fine by the time we checked in to our hotel. But first, a bit of set-up:



Sometime around the end of October 2006, Sage lost her first tooth. She was very excited and the tooth fairy was very generous, leaving her a golden dollar (I knew those Sacajawea dollars were good for something). The funny thing is, she lost her second about a week before the trip. Then, the night before we left, she lost one of her two top front teeth. The other was extremely loose. More on this later.



On the way down, we stopped in Savannah, GA for lunch and a bit of wandering around (or dragging, in Sage's case). We discovered that Savannah would make a trip all its own.



The day after we arrived was Easter Sunday, which we spent at Sage's great-grandmother's house with Sage's Grampa Alain (Mommy's dad), Mommy's Uncle Jack, Cousin Sean, his wife Toni and their children. Here Sage hunts for Easter eggs with her cousin Sadie.



After dinner, we took a short trip to Sea World, where Sage climbed a polar bear statue with the help of Grampa Alain.



Sage rests a spell in the polar bear cave. You can see her missing top tooth and the other one is clearly loose. Click the image to see it larger.



The next day we went to Disney World. It was raining on and off all day, so not many pictures were taken. This was where Sage's fascination with ducks really kicked in. No matter where we were or what we were doing, seeing a duck would supercede all. Rides, shops, food... didn't matter. She saw a duck, she had to chase it. This kid was even distracted from buying candy at a candy shop on Main Street in Disney World by a single waddling duck.

The next day, also kind of rainy, was Epcot. I remember Epcot being kind of cool the first couple of times I visited (at 11 and 15) but the past two times have been kind of... meh. However, one cool part of the Epcot visit was finding the little plaque we had made with Sage's picture during her first Florida trip.

Sage finds it...

A closer look.

Sage and Daddy wait in line...

And Sage enjoys her namesake!



No trip to Florida would be complete without a visit to Gatorland! Here Sage stands triumphant upon the same concrete alligator that once held my brother and me in its jaws. I think they've repainted it since then. :)

We took a tour of the breeding pools, which were full of huge gators and even managed to toss hot dogs to a few.

Not all of them hit the target, apparently.



Gatorland also functions as a bird sanctuary. Numerous species of waterbirds have lost habitat to development over the years and they all make their way to Gatorland. And, one would assume, the inside of a gator. ;)

There was plenty of swimming in the hotel pool...

Another visit to Sea World (Sage's favorite!)...

And one more dinner with Grampa Alain...

It was time for one last night in the hotel.
Here Sage is ready for bed with two new stuffed animals she picked up on the trip. They are Cute (the whale) and Gatorland (the alligator). Just like last time, Sage had her own cool little room inside the room, which meant she could go to bed at a reasonable hour, but Mommy and Daddy could stay up like normal people. That night Sage finally lost the second top front tooth. Then, after another long drive back to New Jersey...

She lost another one in the car!! :)

All told, it was a very fun trip. Sage has sworn off long road trips forever, but I'm sure we'll drag her on a few more.