Florida 2015

About a month ago we took our annual Florida beach vacation.  We usually go in May but since I just had the babies that didn't work out.  My family goes again in August without my little family so we just decided to go with them then.  

It was quite the decision for me to go.  Lonnie DID NOT want to go at all but said that he would if I wanted him to.  I didn't really want to drive the 10 hours with 3 month old babies and Blakely without Lonnie.  But in the end I decided to just suck it up and do it.  He was going to have to do some major last minute trading of days off and that is nearly impossible for him.  I like to save him doing that for emergencies or when we REALLY need it.  I was just going to skip it altogether but we were going to stop in Alabama to see my brother and he had not met the babies.  Also, my grandmother goes and stays in the condo with me and she loves that time with my kids.  In the end I decided it was worth it to go for those reasons.  

My Grand had a great time being around the babies and Blakely.  She doesn't go to the beach so she spent a lot of time in the chair next to the babies who were on the floor.  She made them smile a lot and they started giggling on the trip.  She took a lot of pictures of them too.  Sidenote...My almost 80 year old grandmother had the best cell phone of all of us (me, my mom, my aunt, my cousin, Casey and Grand...I am the youngest by 25 years!).  The camera was amaze and I was constantly borrowing her phone because I had a crappy 4 (I got a new 6 the week we got back because seriously....)

But let me tell you, we will be flying next year!  The babies (and Blakely) did really well but it is a crazy amount of stress planning and preparing for meltdowns and I just don't care to drive that far with 3 kids again.  

Matt and the babes all have the same hairstyle!  

I was so happy to see my brother.  He is doing so well (fingers crossed) and he loves seeing Blakely.  I wish we had more days with him but we just stopped there on Friday night, hung out with him, then went to breakfast with him the next morning and then left town.  Too short!  But we did have a good time.  

chocolate covered marshmallows for dessert at breakfast because, why not?

Once we got to the beach Blakely was all kinds of excited.  She wanted to go play in the sand first thing.  I promised her we would but I like to get unpacked and situated first.  Finally it was time to let her go run free.  And boy did she.  She did cartwheels and forward rolls and jumps all over the sand.  We just went down before dark to put our toes in the water but it was hard to get her to come up and get ready for bed.  She loved it.  

The girl can do a cartwheel like a pro.  I took this from our balcony so not great but you get the idea.  

We usually go to dinner every night but since we had the babies we stayed in a some too.  Although they really did awesome when we went out!  

We played cards and games and Blakely fell asleep on the couch almost every night.  She NEVER does this at home so I kept taking pictures and sending them to Lonnie because I thought it was so cute. 

The babies did really good for being completely out of their environment.  I rented 2 pack n plays and that helped so much (so clean!  so easy!).  They slept well and napped well and we really started falling into a routine while there.  They played on the floor mostly or in someone's lap.  

I had a good time.  Vacationing with kids is just parenting in a different location but I did have a lot of help even though Lonnie wasn't with me.  My mom and my Grand would watch the babies while I took Blakely to the beach and then Jenni would would watch them some when I took B to the pool.  It was nice to have some fun time with her.  Honestly, I haven't had that much fun in the ocean since I was a kid.  The water was perfect and not too rough. I taught her how to body surf and how to jump over the waves so they wouldn't splash her.  We fell a lot and got knocked over a lot but it was oh so much fun.  I literally can't wait to take her to the beach again.  

It was also nice to get some time with the babies and let my family take Blakely to the beach.  I took naps with them and got to sleep in with them some too! 

It rained the first full day we were there and Blakely was so disappointed to not get to go play outside.  I decided to take her shopping and let her pick out some "treasures".  I took her to one of the little beach stores and she picked a ton of, well, crap!  But I let her and she had a ball doing it.  

I did take the babies to the beach one evening.  Only to get a picture and to say that I did.  This was the first ocean Blakely had her toes in and I wanted the same kind of picture with the babies.  They hated it of course.  It was too bright for them and they were hungry.  So I quickly snapped a few and got the heck back inside!  

I dreaded the drive home the entire time.  We weren't stopping and it is a 10+ hour drive with babies.  But we did it and it wasn't awful.  It was hard but it wasn't totally traumatizing!  One of the babes was in the third row with Blake and she was very helpful in putting a pacifier back in or dangling a toy for them.  My mom rode on the second row with the other baby and did the same thing.  I drove the whole time.  I am weird and won't let anyone else drive me (or the kids really).  

We missed Lonnie a lot!  He was off the following week so it was really like 2 weeks of vacation for us.  

Beach recap

If you've been reading this blog for some time then you know that my family does an annual Florida beach trip.  For many years it was just me, my mom, my aunt (Jenni) and Casey (close family friend who is basically fam).  Some years we got to go twice and we would take my grandmother.  I remember when I was finally old enough to go with the girls.  I was so excited!  

2005 was the first year they let me take any pictures.  They hate pictures.  Dumb.  Anyway.  It literally rained the entire week we were there.  So we sat on the balcony tucked under the awning and played cards and drank bloody mary's every single day.  We talked the realty company into letting us stay 2 more days but we had to move to a different condo.  We threw everything into the car and drove next door to get our 2 extra days!  That one is definitely one of the most fun times we've had, even though we didn't get much beach time.  

2009 my cousin Jan started coming with us.  

In 2010 we changed things up a little bit.  When my mom, Jenni and Jan were little their parents brought them to the beach.  A few months before our trip, Jan's dad, my great uncle passed away.  We decided it was time to return the favor and take my Aunt Jerry (Jan's mom) to the beach.  She hadn't been in many many years.  So we made a much bigger girls trip out of it.  We got a large 4 bedroom condo and all 7 of us went.  (recap here)

2011 recap here.

In 2012 we did the unthinkable.  We invited Lonnie!  Ha!  That recap is here.  Pretty sure he is the only male who has or ever will be invited.  Unless, of course, I get pregnant and I have a little man.  :)  

2013 recap here

So that brings us to this year.  My Aunt Jerry couldn't make it.  The drive down is just too tough on her and she will not fly.  Hopefully next year she will feel better about it and want to make it with us.  

The second day there was Mother's Day.  This is my new favorite picture of me and my pea pod.  

2 generations

3 generations

4 generations

Blakely had a ball as can be imagined.  She loved the sand and the beach.  At first she loved the water.  Then she got splashed pretty good and for a day or so she was totally freaked out and would not go near it and did not want any of us to go near it either.  "No Mommy!  Stay up here!"  On about the third day Lonnie and I took a walk with her on the beach.  She realized that she could find seashells if she got a little closer to the water and her fear of the water ended there.  After that, she wanted to kick or jump over every wave when it came in.  We half buried her in the sand, we waved to the helicopters and airplanes that flew over low, we built sand castles, and we made "sand soup".  I really wish we lived closer to a beach!  She still plays with all of the seashells she and Jan collected.  

BIG STRADDLES!

We went to dinner almost every night.  Blakely loved trying new foods and she especially loved learning how to eat fried crab claws.  One night after dinner I wanted to take her out on the beach and get some pictures with my good camera.  I didn't take it to the beach everyday because, hello, sand.  Our dinner lasted a little too long so the lighting wasn't what I wanted and Blakely would NOT stay still but I did get a few that I like.  I also didn't really take many pictures with my phone because I was wrangling a 2 year old.  Lonnie only went to the beach a few times because he was still feeling rough and the medication he was on made him very sensitive to the sun. But he did make it down some so we at least have one picture of all three of us!  

wild woman

She napped loooooong every day and she slept in the pack n play at night.  She is too big for it but since she was so tired she just passed out right when we put her down.  

She slept in a pull up at night but woke up dry every day we were there.  She typically does that when she isn't in her own bed.  I thought when we got home we would go for it and try night time in panties.  But then I was leaving just a few days after we got home from the beach and I didn't want to leave my mother in law with possible dirty sheets in the mornings.  We will try later this summer.  

All in all it was a great trip, as usual.  Blakely did really well on the 10+ hour drive.  Lonnie still felt pretty bad until the end of the trip but at least he got to rest and relax.  I think that helped him to heal.

This picture is sooooo out of focus but it is the only one I have of everybody!  

My mom rode down there and back in the back seat with Blakely.  We hadn't even left my mom's driveway after dropping her off when the trip was over and Blakely went hysterical.  We literally had to turn around so she could give GranDi "once more hug and tiss".  She DID NOT want to leave GranDi.  It was so sweet.  I look forward to going again next year!  Or maybe again this August?  :)