Happiest Boy in the World

I think I must be the happiest boy in the world! We had an amazing trip to Florida last week and I couldn't have asked for a more fun vacation. We stayed at a resort that Mommy's family has stayed at for 23 years~ South Seas Plantation Resort on Captiva Island, FL. We were there with many family members and the weather was in the 80's all week (with one day of rain). We want to thank Heather for teaching the little cherubs so Mommy could take a vacation, to Uncle Jimmy who took care of Liberty and had to suffer two nights of no sleep thanks to thunderstorms (Liberty is DEATHLY afraid of storms), and to our neighbors who took care of the house while we were away. We also had an unexpected gift from Mommy's aunt Vicki, who gave us her condo for the week since she was unable to go at the last minute. We had planned in staying in Grandma and Grandpa's three bedroom condo, but having our own two bedroom allowed us to spread out and have some family time to ourselves. It was awesome!

The plane trip to Fort Myers was 2 hours and 45 minutes on the way down (thanks to tail-winds) and 3 1/2 hours back. I have flown twice, both both times I was under the age of one. Mommy and Daddy said it was SO MUCH EASIER to fly with me when I was younger! They basically had to do everything to keep my attention. I did better than expected on the way down, but had a 30 minute tantrum on our return flight (thanks to Mommy who would not let me walk into first class). They kept me busy with my DVD player, snacks, new toys, sightseeing out the window, and nearby toddlers who I enjoyed playing peek-a-boo with (see picture below). My parents have a whole new appreciation and understanding of parents who travel with toddlers!

It was nice to have family on the same flight down to Fort Myers. On our way back, we flew home first, so my parents were all alone and anxious as ever. On the flight, I greeted almost every passenger who walked by to use the bathroom with a friendly, "hi-ya" and also a "see ya" as they went back to their seat. I provided instant entertainment for anyone nearby. Mommy is most grateful that she didn't deliver a baby on the plane, which was her biggest fear of all, thanks to the TODAY show that had a recent feature of a family that this happened to!

When we finally arrived at the resort, we quickly changed to get a few hours of late afternoon sunlight. The main pool area has three slides and two of them have zero entry... love it! My parents were a bit worried that I might hesitate going into the water, but they were wrong, wrong, wrong! I ran into the water and was a little daredevil. They don't feel guilty anymore about not placing me in swim lessons this winter.

Our first night was cloudy, so we didn't see the sunset. There were many sand toys that were left behind, so I gladly found some to play with and my parents learned that it was not a good idea to give me a bath before sunset.

I could tell already that I was going to LOVE this place!

On day two, we headed for a morning beach stroll. The boys played golf everyday except for one, which explains why Daddy is in his golf outfit here. Mommy and I went on morning walks and connected with Grandma, auntie, and cousins while we waited for the men to get home.

Grandma's condo has a beautiful porch and a fun swing that looks out over the bay. Grandpa and I had fun swinging together.

Keeping up with our evening ritual, we would walk the beach at sunset and look for dolphins and shells. There were dolphins every night to watch and I especially loved running after the birds that were on the beach.

Auntie showed me how to stuff my pockets with shells. Captiva Island is known as one of the best shelling places in the world. This picture shows you what the beach looks like. There is white sand beaches and TONS of shells to look at. We are making my baby brother a special shell picture frame for the nursery, so our mission was to find white scallop shells on the beach all week. Mommy had to empty my pockets every night because they were always packed with sand and shells that I collected during our sunset walks.

Papa and Grandma Sharon live in Florida during the winter months, so they joined us one afternoon for a day at the pool and for dinner. It was nice to see them both and as you can see, they have enjoyed the sunny weather in Florida.

Our days were mostly filled with walks, trips to the pool, and playing at the beach. We switched things up a lot since this would help me stay interested all day long. I loved the water and often asked to go for a "walk" and learned how to say the words, "bea" for beach and "forda" for Florida. I loved that our family members were all located in nearby condo complexes so we could visit and spend lots of time with them.

We were spoiled all week with a rented cabana. The cabana's had a stocked refrigerator, TV, loungers, and a couch. This helped Mommy relax and put her feet up and it helped all of us from getting sunburned. Daddy took this picture of me giving my baby brother a hug. I can't wait for the little guy to come out (Mommy is in her 30th week).

My cousin Jack found a real, alive starfish close to shore, so we all felt the little creature and I wasn't afraid of it at all. It was quite hard and had hard bumps on it.

I loved running to the edge of the water and screaming, "Here Comes!" which was a warning to everyone that the tide was rolling in. I would then blast into the water with a huge smile and lots of giggles. I tasted the ocean water a few times and it was quite disgusting!

We realized that we didn't have many family photos, so one night we took some extra ones. We finally had a family picture along with a cousins picture (Lexi and Sam) and a cute one of me playing peek-a-boo with auntie. Uncle Bruce is 6 ft. 4 in. and is a great barrier to playing our game.

On one of our last mornings, we decided to walk up to the golf course to see the boys play a hole. They enjoyed playing golf each day and Daddy did better than he thought he would, considering he hasn't played since last summer. The boys below are Uncle Bruce, Grandpa Jamie, Daddy and Mommy's cousin Jason.

Daddy let me steer the cart for a quick drive down the cart path and back. Pushing the pedals was a bit tricky, so he had to help with that.

Mommy says she sure misses playing golf. She thought it would be a waste of luggage to pack her clubs and her belly would most likely cause some troubles on the course. She decided she will have to wait until July to play, but of course, the thought of not being able to play bugged her all week.

Grandma and I had fun swishing in the ocean together. She would dangle my legs and pull me up when the big waves came. I kept asking for "mo" and I think Grandma probably had a sore back for a few days.

This was the smaller pool next to our condo unit. It was great for a late afternoon dip before heading in. I practiced counting to 3 and then would jump in to Daddy. He was really good at throwing and catching me in the water. Mommy only took a few dips in the water all week, because she mostly enjoyed the time on the beach chair and running the camera.

One mode of transportation on the island is a trolley. We had a rental car, but the trolley was a favorite of mine and we sometimes took a little trip down the street and back just so I could get my fix for the day. I became quite good at hollering, "Hurry up twolley!"

Mommy's cousin Jason has three kids; Jack, Maddie, and Abbey. They are all older than me, but they loved asking me about animal sounds and they had fun toting me all over the beach. Mommy said it was like having 5 babysitters (including Lexi and Sam). It was instant entertainment and fun! I sure will miss having these buddies around me next week.

Ahhhhhh... "nigh nigh sun."

My cousins dug a hole and put me inside of it for fun. While I was in there, I decided to throw some sand (one of my favorite things to do at the beach) and I also tasted it several times. I am showing off my toothy smile full of delicious sand.

Maybe the sand is not so delicious afterall...

Grandma and Grandpa at sunset

Mommy and Daddy trying desperately to keep me out of the ocean and into a family photo. This picture is so classic of our attempts at a group photo oppportunity.

Our other mode of transportation was a rented jogger/beach stroller. This is a MUST to any of you parents who are doing a beach vacation anytime soon. My parents are so glad they did not bring my travel stroller along because this was a slick set-up and it easily navigated across the sand. I usually lasted only 10-15 minutes in the stroller and then was ready to stretch my legs and go for a beach run.

On our last day, I found this huge sand mountain (OK, it as huge to me) and I quickly scaled up the thing.... look out Sports Center slide!

My parents didn't believe I would actually go for it, but yup, I sure did!

I went down the sand mountain on my belly, just like an Emperor Penguin. I thought this was hysterical and went up and down a million times before my parents finally peeled me away.

Our final stroll down the beach before getting ready for home.

I was zonked out by the time we left the island and were heading to the airport. I slept VERY well on vacation during my afternoon nap and at bedtime. The fresh air was perfect for any toddler and my parents said this vacation is exactly what we all needed. Once my brother arrives, we will most likely not take any vacations for a while. We have hopes to head back to Captiva next April for a week. At least, I plan on going back with our without my parents! It was bittersweet getting home. Our grass looked much greener, the rhododendrun blossomed, and the weather is in the 60's back home (not bad). Daddy spent Saturday turkey hunting with our neighbor Dan and they had a successful day. They shot one HUGE turkey and were back home before bedtime to show me the ugly (Mommy told me to say that) thing. The rest of our weekend was full of errands and jobs around home. It is good to be back but I sure will miss the wonderful weather, beach, pool, and family!

In closing, we want to congratulate Cory, Andy, and Megan with their new addition Easton who arrived a few days before we left for Florida and two days after their baby, Shauna, Bob and Maddie welcomed Claire to their family. We can't wait to go visit the new babies and I need to get some expert advice from my toddler friends about how to handle this whole baby ordeal!