I was planning on going through all the pictures I had of the trip and making posts about certain events or days, but with three cameras coming into play the pictures ended up loading all out of order and it was becoming a headache more than it was a joy. This space isn't about headaches or have-tos so I ditched the play-by-play and decided to just share my favorite pictures and moments with you. Here they are ...
We took some family photos with my aunt, uncle, and cousin our second night there, and while my sister and I were posing with our sixteen year-old cousin Delaney, we lamented about how much shorter than her we were. Quickly we decided to even things out in the next picture and stood on our tip toes to get closer to our height ... of course, she noticed right away and did the same. We all ended up laughing, and that was the image captured. Love it!
We took some family photos with my aunt, uncle, and cousin our second night there, and while my sister and I were posing with our sixteen year-old cousin Delaney, we lamented about how much shorter than her we were. Quickly we decided to even things out in the next picture and stood on our tip toes to get closer to our height ... of course, she noticed right away and did the same. We all ended up laughing, and that was the image captured. Love it!
Aren't they gorgeous? Just look at those baby blues!
Every time Baylor encountered sand, he'd crouch down, pick some up, and give it a quick toss. I loved that he was taking time to explore the newness around him.
We took a windy walk on the beach one day ... Mollie's not always a snuggler, but she will in a heartbeat if it's windy.
I bought disposable cameras so the kids could take their own pictures of the trip (and get to experience an actual film camera), and Baylor tried so hard to take pictures of the things around him.
Hilariously, at the last minute he'd always turn the camera towards himself and end up taking a picture of his face. Some have questioned why on earth I bought cameras for my two and three year-olds given how crappy the pictures turned out, but moments like this make me smile and make it all worth it.
Mollie loved the "little pool" ... she even got airborne once!
I believe I can safely say that this was Baylor's favorite sign in Florida. He asked to see it often.
We hadn't had our family picture taken in a while, so I requested one while we were there ... this might have been the best one. *sigh*
She's such a sun-shiney morning person!
Baylor loved the beach. He was totally content to get all sorts of sandy and make/oversee sandcastles and take it all in. It was great! (Mollie, on the other hand, hated the sand and would cling to whomever would hold her while we were on the beach.)
There weren't many games geared toward younger children at the condo we were staying at, so we picked up a beginner's Uno game while we were out one day. Baylor instantly fell in love with it and picked up on it in no time.
These signs were everywhere and Baylor couldn't get enough of them. He is still pointing them out now that we are home!
Did I mention Baylor woke up early every morning? Usually by 6:45 he was awake and ready to start the day ... and since he was sleeping on the floor not five feet from me, I was the one he called for and the one who got up with him. At first we tried hanging out in the living room downstairs, but it was right outside my parents' bedroom door so that wasn't working. So one morning I decided to take the little man for a walk. Yes, it was early and I didn't really want to be up (or walking around in public in my pajama top and capris) but it was so nice to spend time with my little guy. We walked on the beach and tossed some sand.
And smiled ... a lot.
It was a gorgeous morning.
My mom, out for a bike ride, met up with us and got to enjoy the sunrise a bit.
She went with us to the docks to visit the Ships Store and look for manatees, but while we were in the Ships Store our little guy had an accident. Of course, I didn't have a change of clothes with us ... so I improvised and bought some. This was all they had ... and I was so glad!
He looked like an adorable little old man, relaxing in his Hawaiian print shirt AND shorts and bucket hat. Add in some putt putt golf and we have the perfect image.
Mom, Aunt Cynthia, Delaney, and I went parasailing on the last day we saw them. That's Delaney and I way up there!
And those two crazy cats above the boat are none other than my mom and aunt!
I love this picture. It epitomizes the differences between the sisters. They both had a blast, they just showed it in different ways and that's awesome.
When we got off the boat, this guy was trolling the t-dock for some newly caught fish. He let me get close enough to take a pretty good picture, and I was thrilled.
I think it was a lot of fun for the kids to have Oma, Grandpa E, and Aunt Christine around all the time, but especially before bed (and in the morning). Plus, new, fun things happen when new people are around for your routine! Like Grandpa E stealing Dollie and Sleep Sheep and hiding them in his shirt.
See, back to the windy day at the beach. Someone else's camera so everything's all out of order. *sigh*
I digress.
Aren't they cute, just hanging out by the rocks?
For as much as Mollie wanted to be close to others while on the beach, Baylor wanted just as much to be exploring everything around him. If you hadn't noticed yet, the kid loves signs ... even ones that are incredibly bleached out by the sun.
He also loved watching what happened when you run at birds. I think it boggled his mind to think that something is afraid of him ... afraid enough to fly away.
Why not take a picture of my face? There's nothing else around here to take a picture of, right?
It was so windy that day, we felt safe enough to walk the length of the golf course. We were in no one's way, and it was great!
Then we took our first ride on the trolley! Everyone had fun, but Baylor especially enjoyed it.
The company wasn't bad either.
The condo we stay at has an elevator that Baylor adores, so we had to put some restrictions on it this year, only using it for actual transportation, not for "rides". He still got to ride it plenty and we didn't end up losing our minds over it. Win/win!
This was the first time Mollie got to use her Puddle Jumper and she adored it! I love that it gives her such freedom in the pool. No, I don't just toss her in and leave her there; she is still able to put her head in the water and actually really loves to drink the pool water, much to my chagrin and protests. But it does allow her to have lots of extra time in the pool because we don't have to get out early because my arms are too tired to hold her up anymore. And it has encouraged her to learn to kick on her own a bit, which is always nice to see. I so want my kids to be good swimmers! It makes summer so much more fun!
Baylor got a bit tired in the pool on that first trip, so he was quite content to lay down next to his Oma and chat for a bit in the sun.
One rainy day, my mom, sister, and I headed out for a little shopping trip. While we were there, we encountered a Vera Bradley outlet store and bought Mollie her very own purse! She took to it quite nicely. Ah, our budding fashionista!
They were such good kids on the trip! I couldn't be more proud of them for behaving so well and being so happy in spite of all the changes to their routines.
Mollie got a kick out of getting out onto the screened-in porch, climbing into her stroller, and buckling herself in, all ready to go out and on the town. The downside was that we weren't always going out right then or even at all. And she couldn't unbuckle herself. So she'd sit there and holler until someone got her. It was actually quite cute.
We had a great time in Florida, but as everyone knows ... all good things must come to an end. So we flew home.
And while it was wonderful being on vacation, it is oh so good to be home!
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