We had a GREAT trip! (Although we were worried about Spence, and constantly thinking about him, Shannon, and the kids, and wanting to be here to visit with him in the hospital and help Shannon out in any way we could. We really did have an awesome time, but it was also a tough time to be away. BUT, Spence is home now-Thank God!) And, so are we...
It's fabulous to be back in single digit temperatures... NOT.
Let's see--what can I report about our trip? We survived the plane ride, both ways. So that was good. The weather was mostly gorgeous, so that was even better! We played on the beach, swam in the ocean, swam in the pool, played some shuffleboard, ate well, and lounged about quite a bit. We flew a kite on the beach a couple times, which was a big hit with the kids for about 5 minutes the first time, and after that it was mainly for JD. Also, Mia and Ali met a friend, Michael, on the beach-which was a highlight. Mia is still talking about him, and every morning in Florida she'd keep a look out to see if he was out there on the beach yet (which meant we had to hurry up and get ready and get out there, too!!). Michael's family recently moved to Indianapolis, and he's going to be big brother to a set of twins this spring. Such a cute little guy, and super outgoing, and super FUN! They had a blast together. It's so awesome finding a beach buddy! While Alice was a little gun shy at first, by about halfway through the trip she would run straight into the ocean at lightning speed and needed (of course) to be watched like a hawk! She also loved throwing sand, and wandering the beach, making friends with any random strangers whose beach set-up looked like fun. She'd just meander on up to people, and make herself at home on their spot. She had a lot of admirers. Amelia was very brave in the ocean and the pool. She loved riding on "the manatee" Grandpa's back. And, I loved seeing the real-life manatees traveling up and down the coast almost every day. Just maybe 25-30 feet out from the beach. Hmmm... what else? Ali continued to develop her inner hellion, and really gave us a run for out money every second that she was awake. A favorite indoor pastime-seeing who could build the highest tower before Alice knocked it down. We used Jenga pieces... you couldn't build even maybe three blocks high before she came to inflict her powers of destruction.
Here are LOTS of pictures from the trip!
Here are LOTS of pictures from the trip!
Trying to get them both to look at me, and both smile... here's 4 attempts:
Sandblasted:
See how high we got that kite?:
"Do I see a tower I can smash?!?"
That's Ever April in the background:
Shuffleboard-it's not just for old people :)
Football on the beach:
One of our most favorite restaurants-Mangoes, on Las Olas (YUM):
"Hey Guys! Wait for me!!"
Mia & Michael:
Mmmmm... BLUE ice cream!
