Lazy days, playing by the pool.
So enjoyable, so relaxing.
Friday, December 30, 2011
Florida...a day at the beach
We drove down to Sanibel Island to take the kids on their first trip to the beach.
We stopped at the "Island Cow" for lunch and filled our bellies...in order to prevent hunger meltdowns later on.
*we gave this girl a lemon, to see what kind of reaction we would get out of her.
and she ended up loving it!
she sucked it completely dry.
what a nut :)
We then found a parking lot, packed our bags and headed out to the beach.
Our plan was to change the kids into their suits once we got onto the beach.
But Kaden, he decided he was ready to get wet.
He marched his little butt right into the ocean...fully clothed, shoes and all.
I think he would have kept right on walking had Cody not stopped him!
The kids did awesome...they just loved it!!
Me, the wet clothes, the sand in every crevice, and the heat, about put me over the edge before getting everyone loaded back into the car.
But the joy in the kids' eyes made it all worth it!
After the beach we did some shopping on the island and then went to the outlet malls in Fort Myers.
It was a great day!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Florida...vacationing
We absolutely loved having no agenda.
We really had nothing planned, other than relaxing and enjoying the kids.
This worked out well for us :)
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Florida...kayaking
We have a kayak on our back deck.
Cody had to wait until the sun went down to get in the water.
He says it's because he didn't want to burn.
I think it was because he had to build up some courage to be in the same water as our new alligator friend :)
His first comment...after he stopped shaking and caught his balance..."apparently this kayaking isn't for everybody."
It took him a little while to get the hang of it, but he actually did pretty well with it.
I, on the other hand, was not going to attempt it.
Florida...the alligator
So we have this alligator.
He is a friendly alligator and enjoys hanging around behind our house.
Our house is right on the canal. The canal this alligator must call home.
Initially, it was pretty cool to see an actual alligator in the wild...especially as close as he was.
But once we were used to him, we just waited for him to come by.
We actually named him, Ray :)
our Florida trip...the beginning
We've been anxiously waiting to leave for Florida for quite some time. Our family was down here 3 years ago when my sister got married in Bonita Springs. We decided this past summer that we would take another trip down over Christmas and were excited to bring the kids!
As the time got closer, my excitement to bring the kids turned into a high level of anxiety. Once we got down here, I knew things would be fine....but it was the thought of getting here that made my blood pressure rise.
My parents were driving, which made packing a lot easier. We sent our big suitcase and a lot of the kids's items with them. So as far as traveling on the airplane, we just had to bring the essentials. Lots of diapers, snacks, and new toys. We flew out of Sioux Falls at noon. We weren't able to get a direct flight, so we had a layover in Dallas before flying into Tampa.
We left Sioux Falls at noon on Christmas Eve. Getting through security with two kiddos who would have rather wandered away from the adults they were with, was a little hairy. Our first flight, which was just under 2 hours, we were on a VERY SMALL PLANE. We were squished in there tight!! We didn't even have room for our carry-ons under our feet. They had to be put up above, which was not the handiest! About half way through our flight, Kenley thought she had had enough. At which point she started screaming and screaming and screaming. There was absolutely nothing we could do to calm her. If you've heard Kenley when she's really mad, she has a cry that could deafen the deaf. And there was no stopping her. As Cody was attempting to stand with her in the aisle, the flight attendant came over with a little motorcycle that was left from the flight before us. This was the one thing that finally distracted her enough to stop the screaming. She then finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion. Kaden on the other hand, slept from shortly after we took off until we pulled up to the gate in Dallas.
We were very thankful for those around us, who calmed my "hysterical mom feeling" with a child who would not stop screaming, as they were very friendly and let us know that her screaming was just fine. I should add, that on Friday before we left, I brought both kids into the Doctor because they had nasty colds and had been very irritable. Kenley was diagnosed with double ear infection. This and flying was a bad mix!!
When we landed in Dallas we had a 2 1/2 hour layover. This was great to be able to let the kids down and run around, have some time to eat, change diapers, and just collect ourselves. The kids were wild! They loved running the halls and kept us on our toes!!
The second flight we had a bigger airplane and it was a huge relief. Again though, just under a two hour flight. We kept the kids distracted with some toys, food, and drinks. But once again, there came the dreaded point where Kenley lost it. I cannot even describe to you the screaming. At one point her and I were both crying. I couldn't handle it. There was nothing I could do for her. She wouldn't take anything I was offering her and was just throwing herself around in pure hysterics. I felt bad for her, I felt bad for me, I felt bad for Cody, I felt bad for everyone around us. It was awful. Out of the blue, she decided she would take her pacifier and she once again fell asleep in pure exhaustion. Boy were we glad when our flights were done!!
We arrived in Tampa about 8pm. Both kids were hungry and extremely crabby. We found a spot where we could change their diapers and I made a big bottle for both of them. Cody gathered two carseats and two strollers from baggage claim and we headed across the street to get our rental car. After 45 minutes, we finally got to the car and were on our way. We had a 1 1/2 hour drive to get to our final destination. The kids were asleep before we even left the parking garage and slept the entire way. We arrived at the house at 11pm where my parents and my sisters family were waiting for us.
We had a long day. We were ready to be done. But we sure were ready for some relaxation and Florida sun.
Let our vacation begin!!
As the time got closer, my excitement to bring the kids turned into a high level of anxiety. Once we got down here, I knew things would be fine....but it was the thought of getting here that made my blood pressure rise.
My parents were driving, which made packing a lot easier. We sent our big suitcase and a lot of the kids's items with them. So as far as traveling on the airplane, we just had to bring the essentials. Lots of diapers, snacks, and new toys. We flew out of Sioux Falls at noon. We weren't able to get a direct flight, so we had a layover in Dallas before flying into Tampa.
We left Sioux Falls at noon on Christmas Eve. Getting through security with two kiddos who would have rather wandered away from the adults they were with, was a little hairy. Our first flight, which was just under 2 hours, we were on a VERY SMALL PLANE. We were squished in there tight!! We didn't even have room for our carry-ons under our feet. They had to be put up above, which was not the handiest! About half way through our flight, Kenley thought she had had enough. At which point she started screaming and screaming and screaming. There was absolutely nothing we could do to calm her. If you've heard Kenley when she's really mad, she has a cry that could deafen the deaf. And there was no stopping her. As Cody was attempting to stand with her in the aisle, the flight attendant came over with a little motorcycle that was left from the flight before us. This was the one thing that finally distracted her enough to stop the screaming. She then finally fell asleep from pure exhaustion. Kaden on the other hand, slept from shortly after we took off until we pulled up to the gate in Dallas.
We were very thankful for those around us, who calmed my "hysterical mom feeling" with a child who would not stop screaming, as they were very friendly and let us know that her screaming was just fine. I should add, that on Friday before we left, I brought both kids into the Doctor because they had nasty colds and had been very irritable. Kenley was diagnosed with double ear infection. This and flying was a bad mix!!
When we landed in Dallas we had a 2 1/2 hour layover. This was great to be able to let the kids down and run around, have some time to eat, change diapers, and just collect ourselves. The kids were wild! They loved running the halls and kept us on our toes!!
The second flight we had a bigger airplane and it was a huge relief. Again though, just under a two hour flight. We kept the kids distracted with some toys, food, and drinks. But once again, there came the dreaded point where Kenley lost it. I cannot even describe to you the screaming. At one point her and I were both crying. I couldn't handle it. There was nothing I could do for her. She wouldn't take anything I was offering her and was just throwing herself around in pure hysterics. I felt bad for her, I felt bad for me, I felt bad for Cody, I felt bad for everyone around us. It was awful. Out of the blue, she decided she would take her pacifier and she once again fell asleep in pure exhaustion. Boy were we glad when our flights were done!!
We arrived in Tampa about 8pm. Both kids were hungry and extremely crabby. We found a spot where we could change their diapers and I made a big bottle for both of them. Cody gathered two carseats and two strollers from baggage claim and we headed across the street to get our rental car. After 45 minutes, we finally got to the car and were on our way. We had a 1 1/2 hour drive to get to our final destination. The kids were asleep before we even left the parking garage and slept the entire way. We arrived at the house at 11pm where my parents and my sisters family were waiting for us.
We had a long day. We were ready to be done. But we sure were ready for some relaxation and Florida sun.
Let our vacation begin!!
Christmas #4
We arrived in Florida late Saturday night (I'll write more specifically on that later).
Christmas morning we were planning on opening gifts when everyone was up.
Kaden decided he was going to sleep in!
And he didn't get up until 10am!!
He has never slept that late. I think he must have been exhausted from our big day getting down here.
This finished off our Christmas celebrations.
We are beyond blessed and are thankful every single day for the life we have been given.
We hope you all had an amazing Christmas season.
Celebrating with the ones you love.
And remembering the Reason for the Season.
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas #3
Saturday, Christmas Eve morning, we had Christmas with Cody's mom. We all spent the night at her house and were up early to enjoy an amazing morning. It has been pure joy watching the kids this year. They have thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it.
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