Florida

 

We took our annual family trip to Matt's parents' condo in Florida again this year. (We missed Mike, Jane and Bri this year as Bri was still too teeny-tiny to fly.) We left around 9 am on the 27th. Having the extra day after Christmas was life-changing and if I have anything to say about it, I don't think we'll ever go back to leaving the day after Christmas. It was nice to have some extra hands at the airport and on the plane (For the record, I didn't make Jamie hold Paige during the flight).

 The photos in this post are a compilation from lots of cameras and phones, and therefore because I was dealing with such an overwhelming amount, I just lumped them into basic categories. So let's start with the night that we went to the sunset.

It's always a risk/a little awkward asking a stranger to take this pic, but I think this girl did a pretty good job. Fail on my part for not taking off my sunglasses. 

 

 

 

Just so Paige has photographic proof that I was around when she was a baby.

 

The big kids were having a blast playing in the sand...until Miles started throwing it at us, which is what ended up causing us to leave a little earlier than we'd have liked. But let's forget that scenario and enjoy the serene sunset pictures where my kids look kind of angelic.

 

 

 

 

I love, love, love these pics of the two of them. They almost make me choke up. But really, what doesn't?

 

 

 

Too big, too fast.

 

 

 

 Pictures with Grammie Deb and Grandpa Brian.

 

 

 

Annual shot.

 

 

Captivated audience.

 

Paige was more interested in playing with Grandpa Brian.

 

 

The weather was pretty incredible the whole time we were there, but it was also very crowded. We got the hang of timing by our third or so trip to the beach. Brooke and Miles had a blast, of course.

 

I'm coming to the conclusion that Paige is either going to have a great smile or a legitimate scowl in any pictures we take of her. There's not a whole lot of in-between. She was great, though. She'd hang out under the umbrella for part of the time, then we'd take her by the water when she started to get antsy.

Surfer dude.

And dudette.

Both kids' cool shades are courtesy of Grammie Deb.

Pretty epic pose fail by my kids. Models, they are not.

Hanging with Aunt Jamie. Brooke had a rash around her face and neck after our first day, which we thought might have been sun poisoning, so we tried to have her wear this hat. Thankfully, it cleared up and didn't seem to bother her too much.

We also spent several days at the pool.

I took this picture because Matt, Jamie, and Will each had a kid and I was kind of excited to have a free set of hands.

Paige's routine at the pool was similar to the beach. She'd hang out in the stroller and watch us, then when she started to fuss, we'd bring her in the water.

 

She seemed most happy sitting on the edge.

Matt got his workout.

With our new friend, Mia Petunia, the killer whale.

Brooke was much more confident after we bought her a pair of goggles.

We had a few dinners out and I'm relieved to say that the kids did a pretty good job each time we went out.

"Who is this good looking kid?!?"

But there were also a couple of nights that we probably pushed them a little too far.

We had fun hanging out at the condo, too.

Enjoying the wildlife.

Like a boss. LOVE this picture.

"How YOU doin'?"

Matt's parents watched the kids while Jamie, Will, Matt and I went out for dinner. We were expecting things to be crazy, but got such an early start that we got right in to dinner and drinks after. We may or may not have been back at the condo before 12. But everyone was awake to ring in the New Year!

The kids had their own celebration.

Matt was able to golf several times.

One of those times, Debbie and I took the kids to the playground.

Her first time in a swing! It was a hit.

Lots of lizard hunting occurred.

Impromptu latish-night ice cream run...along with the rest of Bonita Springs.

Family walk to the pier. Another great shot of my photogenic kids.

We also played a round of mini golf (Miles has been asking to go up here since last summer). Brooke got two legit hole-in-ones! She was actually beating Matt after the first hole. Her other holes weren't really anything to write home about, though, and all three kids were ready to go after about 12 holes.

Oh, Miles.

It was another great vacation and we're so thankful for the opportunity!

Star of the Day

Brooke's class has a program called "Star of the Day" in which each student has a special day in which they bring in a posterboard of pictures of themselves, the snack, a book, and their parents can come and spend the day. Brooke had been so excited about her turn that for about 5 days leading up to that day, she would ask when it was going to be Monday.

She chose double-stuffed, half-vanilla, half-chocolate Oreos as her snack. During snack, one kid asked what an Oreo was and at least two told me they weren't allowed to have them at their house. We like to set the bar high. Another huge perk of being "Star for the Day" is that you get to be the weather and calendar helper for the WHOLE WEEK. Exciting stuff.

Going into the project, I knew there was potential to be overwhelmed by which pictures to choose (you're allowed a maximum of 10), so I asked Brooke what things she wanted to show pictures of. She chose: her as a baby, a picture of her in the Two's class at preschool, a picture of her and Kali, her and Lexi, her and Zach, a picture from St. Louis, a picture of our family, a picture of her meeting Paige, a picture of when she got her "boo boo" (forehead cut), and a picture of her at Disney.

 

Quick sidenote: I'd printed out the picture of her and Matt on the roller coaster (below) and she pointed to the guy behind her and Matt and said, "Is that Uncle Tim...or no?" Still cracks me up every time I think about it.

She did a great job explaining each of the pictures (with her teacher's help) and it was so sweet to see her classmates genuinely interested in her presentation.

Afterward, the kids could ask her questions and got to tell what they learned about Brooke. She called on all girls (and Kali first) each time.

After her presentation, Matt read the book she had chosen to the class. She chose "The Book with No Pictures" and it was a huge hit. The kids were rolling. I know it's not a competition, but between that and the Oreos, I have to think her Day was one of the more successful ones.

Matt left for work after the book, but I spent the rest of the day with her. It was a really great one!