a visit to the sunshine state

As many of you know, went to Florida during Camden's spring break this year to visit David's parents (Nana and Pops).  It was our first time visiting them there.  They've been there for about a year, but this was the first time we were really available to go.  (I couldn't go when I was 8-9 months pregnant, and we didn't have much of a desire to travel with a newborn.)  The weather was gorgeous, we ate some great food, we got to see some beautiful places and do fun things, and we got to go to the beach and the pool.  It was SO nice to be able to lounge by the pool enjoy the pool with my crazy kids and get to watch them play at the beach for a few hours.  Especially at the beginning of April!  I thought about breaking this post into two parts since there are so many pictures, but I just kept on uploadin'.  So, here they are, all 800 of them. ;) Not quite, but there are a lot.  Enjoy a glimpse into our vacay...

If you are my friend on facebook, you probably saw where I asked if anyone had suggestions/advice for me when it came to traveling with kids all the way through the night.  I got some good advice.  Some of it worried me/stressed me out, however.  But, we decided to keep our original plan.  We fed Evie her 4pm bottle and left after that.  We stopped for dinner at 5:30ish in Fayetteville, and then stopped at 8pm in Florence, SC to feed Evie her nighttime bottle and get the kids "ready for bed".  I was a little stressed out when we left... wondering if driving all night was an awful choice.  Well, it certainly wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either.  I assumed that I'd sleep well once the kids were down, but boy was I wrong!  I barely slept, on and off.  David didn't sleep a wink the entire night!  I'm so thankful he was able to drive the whole night without a problem.  I tried to drive for a while, but only lasted about 30 minutes before I told him I didn't trust myself anymore.  I don't think he trusted me either. :)  I am NOT a night person!

  Camden didn't fall asleep until about midnight, Anderson woke up when we stopped for gas at 1am and was up from 1-3 before finally falling back to sleep.  Evie woke up when we stopped for gas too, but thankfully went back to sleep after about ten minutes.  We apparently underestimated how long it would take us to get there, or we just made really good time, because we rolled into their town at 5:30am!  Instead of going to Nana and Pops' house that early, and in hopes to keep the kids asleep, we pulled over into a non-lit parking lot and tried to catch some winks before the sun came up.  Well, Camden woke up as we were pulling off the highway, and we only lasted about half an hour before the other two woke up.  We were so tired that entire morning, and we were all able to get naps that afternoon.  Both boys napped, thankfully!  It was not my favorite experience, but I do know it could have been worse.

On our way!  I sat in the back with Evie for the few hours before bedtime to ensure she didn't sleep when she was supposed to be awake.  I enjoyed looking at this face!  (A lot of these car pics are blurry... a moving car doesn't bode well for good shots!)

Thank the Lord for DVD players on road trips.  Amen?  Amen.

Between movies and blow pops, the kids were entertained and did very well in the car.

Time for Evie's catnap!

Ah, South of the Border.  Tacky, cheesy, but all part of the driving experience.

I forgot to take pictures when we stopped to get everyone ready for bed, so here are the kids afterward. They were verrrrry sleep by this point!  

It took for.ev.er. for Anderson to get comfortable (who can blame him?!), but he finally fell asleep around 9pm.

We. made. it!  We had breakfast around 7:30am on the back porch.  Camden looks so sleepy in this picture (well, he was)!

Pops and Evie

Not a bad view, huh?  I also think that's the cloudiest it was the whole trip.  Never rained!

The downstairs part of the house is the garage and the front door/foyer.  The boys would go downstairs and play, pretending it was their cave, etc.  They had so much fun.  In this picture I think they were hiding from some sort of animal.

We decided to have a low-key day the day we arrived.  We didn't want to do the pool, beach, or anything too tiring since we were already so exhausted.  We did stop at the playground in their neighborhood, though.  My kids love it when we go to a new (to them) playground!

Day 2:  The pool!  Pops had to work most of the day, so Nana took us.  The weather was amazing, and the pool was the perfect temperature as well.  It was sooo nice to be back in the pool scene.  Oh, how I'm missed it!

Ok, so here's the sad part.  Diaper-age children are not allowed in the pool, with or without a diaper!  I guess the "older" folks who belong to the country club don't want to deal with little kids and their "business".  I suppose I can sort of understand that, but COME ON people!  That's what chlorine is for.  We were so bummed.  Our sweet little Evie had to sit on the sidelines and just observe.  We sat her on the side and put her toes in, but that was it.  Such a bummer.

Oh well.  She sure was cute sitting on the side.

I snapped this picture one night at dinner.  We ate at a restaurant right on the beach (literally), and the kids could play in the sand while we waited for our food!  I forgot to take pictures of the boys.

Day 3:  The beach!  The boys had been looking so forward to this!  The water was pretty, the sand was soft, and the sky was perfectly clear.  It was bliss.  I just wish we could have stayed longer than we did... but you know how life is with little kids.  Camden spent almost the whole time out in the water, and Anderson spent him time in the sand.  He was scared of the "waves".  Except, there weren't waves.  There were ripples.  Crazy boy.

Poor Anderson and his teeny tiny self.  His 3T swimsuit is about to fall off of him.

Caleb an Laura let us borrow their beach tent for Evie to nap while we were there.  I would normally use the stroller, but wanted her to be in the shade.  It worked out great!  She's hugging Anderson's shirt here. :)

Camden found a friend out in the water.  Good thing, since Anderson wasn't gettin' in with him!

Excuse the hair.  It was windy.

LOVE those chunky thighs!

We ate at an amazing restaurant that night, called "The Lucky Pelican".  I got blackened Grouper with broccolini, pureed carrots, and potatoes.  All topped with a red pepper sauce.  It was one of the best meals I've had in a really long time!

Pops, Camden, Nana

There are no words.

Homemade Key Lime Pie.  Hallelujah and Amen.

Day 4:  We went on a boat tour of the Sarasota Bay.  Again, amazing weather.  It was so fun to ride a boat and get to see all the beautiful homes and things that line the water.  We had a tour guide, so she pointed out lots of cool things to us.  We even saw a couple of dolphins!  I wasn't fast enough to take a picture though, unfortunately.

I loved this little island where all these birds live.  There were all different kinds!  Apparently they live there because it's the only place small animals and people can't harm them.

After the tour, we ate lunch at Tommy Bahama (the restaurant, not the store).  I got fish tacos, and they were so good!  I enjoyed eating so much seafood on this trip.  (I know many of my friends who are gagging right about now.)

Anyone who knows my son is probably SHOCKED by this picture!  My child, who hasn't napped in a year, and rarely falls asleep anywhere but his bed, fell asleep on the couch while watching a show.  Sweet boy.

Just an hour later, he's awake and recharged!  The kids had gotten a bath and were playing before bedtime.

Day 5:  Pops, David, and Camden went to play golf first thing in the morning.  David got Camden his own little putter and everything.  So cute.  David said he did a really good job!

Meanwhile... Nana, the little kids, and I went to the pool again.  Evie napped in her carseat while I hung out with Anderson.  Just a few minutes later, Camden got dropped off to swim after playing 9 holes, while Pops and David went and finished the rest of their round.  Evie slept for an hour and a half, so I was able to spend some good time with the boys. 

Back inside for lunch.

See that golf cart in the picture??  That's Daddy!  The boys were SO excited to get to see him from the house!

The boys really enjoyed getting to share a bed while we were there.  These two have really become the best of friends, which couldn't make a mama happier.

Day 6:  Time to pack up and get ready to head home!

Good morning sunshine!

Our three gifts.

I forgot to take pictures, but we went to Cracker Barrel for brunch that morning.  Yum-O!

My view driving home. 

 Tall, dark & handsome.  What I always wanted. :)

Movie time.  Frosty the Snowman was the pick this time.  Anderson's got his finger in his nose, which is perfectly typical.

Trash!  What a fun toy!

We stopped at Chick-fil-a for supper in Gainesville, FL to eat an early dinner and feed Evie her late afternoon bottle.  Then, we stopped at Chick-fil-a again at 8 to get ice cream cones and to get the kids ready for "bed".  Yes, we love CFA.  I'd much rather stop there than McDonald's!

Passed out.  Thank you, Lord!

Raleigh!!! We rolled in about 2am.  We were exhausted! 

We got home, transferred the kids to their beds, hopped in our own beds and got about 4.5 hours of sleep.  Not great, but more than we got on the trip down to FL!  We had a really fun trip, and look forward to going again this winter, most likely.  It will be fun to leave cold NC and hang out in warm FL. :)  Thanks for having us, Nana & Pops!