Our Florida Trip

We left for Captiva Island, FL on Friday, April 15th and planned a week-long vacation. Mommy's family has vacationed in Captiva for 25 years now and it is her favorite place to vacation. Mommy and Daddy didn't know what to expect this year... first, Grandma and Grandpa didn't come due to Grandma's ankle surgery and cast, Auntie Stefanie and family couldn't come because she is a principal now and doesn't have the vacation flexibility anymore, and Uncle Jim/Karri are in the midst of wedding plans. Several other extended family member were unable to come this year, so it was much smaller than usual. Despite all of these changes, we still had a wonderful time with our little family; my parents feel triumphant that they did this vacation with minimal help! Here are the trip details...

This was Cooper's first airplane ride. At nine months, he is a crawler and constantly on the move. We were worried about our little rascal, but surprisingly he did great on the plane. We had to be at the airport at 5:30 a.m., so we left Grandma and Grandpa's house at 5:15. Cooper took a whopping 30 minute nap on the plane, otherwise, he just played and ate snacks. Here, he was calling Grandma to say, "Hello, we miss you, and wish you were here to take a turn with the squirmy worm!" Cooper loves to pretend talk on the phone these days.

This was my 4th airplane ride and my parents were pleasantly surprised at how much easier it was this year than last. I was able to watch movies on my DVD player, took about 5 trips to the bathroom (I am fully potty trained), and ate lots of snacks. The flight attendants were very complimentary of our behavior and I was given flight wings at the end! I am fascinated by planes and think this might be a calling for me later in life.

One of the biggest challenges we faced was packing. We checked one bag each (2 huge suitcases and one set of golf clubs). Our carry-ons included two weekend suitcases, a diaper bag, purse, Maclaren stroller, laptop bag and 2 carseats. We looked like a traveling circus. I insisted on toting my airplane suitcase through the airport and many people had to stop and comment on how cute and determined I looked.

Mommy and Daddy's friends, Jennifer and Arlyn, moved to Land O' Lakes, FL about a year ago. Since we had the three bedroom villa to ourselves, we invited them for the weekend. We were so excited to see them and their twin boys, Aiden and Jacob. We had fun going to the beach, pool and trolley rides with them. Cooper must be in deep conversation with Aiden...or is it Jacob in this photo. The two are identical!

One of my favorite activities was riding on the resort's trolleys. They have 2-3 running at a time and they pick you up and will deliver you to wherever you wish to go on the resort grounds. We mostly took the trolley to the ice cream shop or main pool area. This might be another calling for me later in life, although Mommy thinks when she retires, she would be a great trolley driver :)

We had many fun days at the ocean. Although it was a messy place to play, we loved it. Cooper loved eating the sand and shells, and I loved running into the waves and chasing the pelicans and other beach birds.

As I mentioned above, I am fully potty trained. My parents are thrilled although they didn't realize how much work it was to have to find a bathroom in a moment's notice. My Daddy taught me how to water the weeds in FL. I guess this is a benefit of being a boy.

Cooper was calling Grandma on the shell phone here. Grandma told us not to call her while we were away, so we didn't. She couldn't handle the idea of not being with us in FL. So, we just pretended to call and Cooper used shells and other fun objects for dialing.

Like last year, we rented a beach stroller which came in handy for long walks and beach strolls. We are happy to say we made it to four sunsets during the week and even though the sun would set way past our bedtime (8:00 was sunset), we still made an effort to see the sun go "night night."

Mommy was a paparazzi all week. This picture above is one of her favorites. It shows wonderful me just in awe of the sun going down into the water. Look how big I am getting. Goodnight sun, see you tomorrow!

We built sandcastles about everyday on the beach. I didn't enjoy the taste of salt water on the few occasions that a huge wave splashed into me. We did go to the resort pools daily, but the beach is more special and unique to FL.

The weather was gorgeous the entire week. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and the temperatures were in the upper 80's to low 90's. While we were away, the weather back home was freezing cold and snowy. A perfect week to be gone! With the weather being as nice as it was, we took a lot of little breaks from the sun for snacks, lunch, naps, and walks. It was too hot for us to stay outside all day. This sure made vacation busy for our parents!

One major benefit to the sun and fresh air.... great sleeping! I slept like a rock at night and Cooper slept like a baby :) He slept in a pack n' play and Mommy found him sleeping with his hands and feet up in the air.

Great-auntie Lynda and Mommy's cousin Jason, his wife, Kelly, and their three kids were also in Captiva (different condos). Abbey, the oldest child of Jason and Kelly's was able to babysit us one night so our parents could have a kid-free dinner. They had a great time.... key lime pie and the most amazing seafood pasta, yum!

The main pool was one of our favorite spots. It has two zero entry pools and we had a cabana all week. My parents bought this neoprene Body Glove baby carrier and it is great (for all of you parents with infants... a must have!) Cooper LOVED the water. He learned how to tip himself in from the ledge on the count of 3. Cooper and I both love the water which is great but also makes my parents realize we will need to be in life jackets all summer when we are at the lake.

Papa and Grandma Sharon (Mommy's Dad and his wife) live in FL for the winter months. They came to see us for the day and we had a great time at the pool! That evening, we went to our favorite restaurant in Captiva, The Mucky Duck. I call it the Lucky Duck. Most of our dinners were made in the villa, but we ventured out a few times just to taste the local food! Papa and Grandma Sharon couldn't believe how much we have grown in the past few months. They will return from FL in just a few weeks and it will be great to see them all summer long.

One evening, we were bathed and ready for bed, when Mommy and Daddy decided to take us out for the sunset. We stayed in our jammies and watched the sun go down.

Daddy golfed almost daily with the exception of one morning when we had our company visiting and another morning for Mommy's spa day. He golfed really well and we connected with him on his last morning to take some golf photos. I can't wait to golf with Daddy, maybe next year!

Our last day was bittersweet. We were sad to leave FL, but also ready to head home for Easter and to get back into our regular routines. We enjoyed all of our favorite things on our last day... the beach...

Boogie boarding (I borrowed this from a little kid who played with me)...

Cooper helping Mom with last minute laundry and packing.....

The beloved trolley...

One more sunset.....

Goodbye Florida. You were so good to us this year. We can't wait for next year when our entire family returns to vacation with you! Thanks to Uncle Jim and Karri for watching Liberty, for our neighbors who watched our house and took care of our stinky garbage, to Heather who taught for Mommy, and for Grandma and Grandpa who took us to the airport and let us stay in their villa all week!