I wanted to publish this post pretty close to my post about our trip to New York, since Florida was where we headed from there on Saturday, August 24. But, it's been quite a whirlwind here since we got back. I've been dying to write, as I've got a lot on my mind, but one thing or another keeps preventing me from getting on here.
Anyway, this is about the great beach trip we had last week! We were in Destin 8 days which was a great amount of time but of course, now that it's over, seems like it went SOOO fast! When I finally confirmed my travel dates to NY, I planned it so that me and the kids could fly directly to FL from there, and Scott would drive down and meet us at the airport. I was able to get on the same flight that my Father in Law and his girlfriend (the kids' Opa and Oma) already had booked. This way, they could travel with the girls and I wouldn't have to get them their own seats ($$$)! The first flight went pretty smoothly even though Emily had a little melt down but it luckily didn't last long. On all flights, Matthew slept in the baby carrier and only woke up a couple of times to eat, which I could do while he stayed in the carrier. It's kind of funny, because we had a layover in Atlanta! The layover wasn't long enough so as soon as we got off the first plane, we had to run to another terminal and they were already boarding when we got there. On the second flight, it worked out that the seat next to me was empty, so Opa switched with me so that Rosie could have her own seat. She had a great time. Oma and Emily took a much needed nap so they'd be ready to start vacation when we arrived in FL!
Proud little Rosie walking to her own seat, snack bag in hand. She would not let that bag out of her sight!
We hadn't seen Scott in a week so I was really excited to see the girls' reaction when they saw him at the airport. He was also really hoping for a warm welcome! They didn't disappoint! Each of them went running to him, "Daddy! Daddy! My Daddy!!" They were SO cute! I of course was a disappointment though in not videotaping it!
I knew before I went on these trips that it would be a huge job to pack all the necessary items and clothing for 3 small children. It was definitely a lot of work and took a lot of planning and rechecking of things. I had accumulated quite a bit in NY too, so half of Opa's suitcase ended up being our stuff! It really showed how much stuff we had when Scott showed up at the airport with a U-Haul trailer in tow! We both drive fairly large vehicles and still there would have been no way to fit all of our stuff inside the cab. We were also transporting up to 8 people at a time, so that left no room inside anyway. The trailer worked out perfectly.
The house we stayed at was SOOO nice and perfect for all of us! We spent most of the week at the house, playing on the beach, playing cards indoors, eating, watching TV (mostly Mickey Mouse), reading, napping and enjoying the view.
I must say...I've never been a beach girl. I will always take the mountains, forests, nature, farmland, hiking, etc. over the beach ANY day. When I think of the beach, I can't get past the thoughts of sweating from the heat, feeling lethargic and dehydrated from the sun, getting sand in and on everything, and nasty salt water. I hate swimming in the ocean. I hate having to drag so much stuff out to the beach (bags, water, sunscreen, towels, toys, books, snacks, chairs, umbrellas). But, now that we spent a relaxing weekend in Destin, I think it has changed my mind a little bit about the beach. It probably helped a lot that we were staying right on the beach so it was much easier to go on and off without having to pack up everything each time and to jump in the shower to get all the sand off. It was so enjoyable to just sit in a chair, in the shade of an umbrella of course, take a nap, and dig my toes in the sand. I got a couple of good breaks like that over the week, sometimes 2 hours at a time! I think having young children also made it more enjoyable for me since I got to see it through their eyes. There was much excitement from Emily over the sand under her feet and the feel of the waves lapping at her toes. Rosie was terrified of the sand at first and would not let anyone put her down on it. We went out there for the first time at night though so maybe she had no idea what it was. She kept wanting to wash her hands and feet saying "dirty!". But, the next day, she came out after Emily already had her sand toys out and was building castles so once she saw that stuff she was fine. She went from being scared of the sand to an hour later being half buried in it! For me though, I think it helped me enjoy it more, seeing them enjoy it. Matthew even liked it when I took him out for a while and dozed with the best of them, like the perfect little beach bum!
Our spot!
Daddy and his girls
Run, Rosie!
Mischievous Em
Only family picture during the trip, but a good one!
Beach Babes
Me and my girls
Little girl footprints
Yup, she was done with her clothes and diaper
On Tuesday, we decided to go to a little amusement park type place with a go cart track, a large Arcade, and rides for small kids. The girls had such a good time in the Arcade pushing all the buttons on the games and collecting the tickets we won for them. Scott's brother, Dan, got super lucky and won an iPad out of one of the games! Scott also got lucky and won the jackpot of tickets on another game, getting 1800 tickets in one shot! We had about 2000 tickets in the end, which you'd think would give you some cool prizes, but I think we ended up with a whole bunch of cheap stuff that would probably cost about $8-10 at the Dollar Store! But, the girls loved all their prizes. They enjoyed the rides too...I think! I say that because their faces were SO serious the whole time they were on any of the rides. Emily was holding onto Rosie's leg during one of the rides, I think because she was a little scared. But they never said they wanted to get off so I guess the semi-enjoyed them. Those rides made me realize the huge benefit of being a twin...you always have some to ride the rides with!!
I am so thankful to Opa and Oma for the opportunity to go on this trip, spend some relaxing time with our children, and making me become a little more of a beach girl! It was a great trip and I think we're planning to do it again next year!
On Saturday, August 31, we headed out for our 6 hour drive home. We had 8 people in the car and our trailer. We stopped for breakfast on the way to dropping off Opa and Oma at the Pensacola Airport. Breakfast was SOOO good and we got some great amusement while waiting to be seated. If you tell Emily, "walk like an old lady", this is the result:
The drive home went very well...until the end. The girls napped and watch TV most of the way. Matthew slept the whole time except for when he ate, which was when we stopped for gas. When we were only about 20 miles from home, Rosie threw up...A LOT! It was so nasty and we had to pull off at a gas station, completely strip her down, and change out her car seat. Luckily, we had two sets of car seats since Scott brought the good ones for the drive home, and I had taken the second set with me when I flew. So, we were able to just put the puke covered one in the trailer and worry about it when we got home. I figured out that she drank the rest of the milk in her travel cup that had sat there for about 6 hours. I thought it had fallen and she couldn't reach it, but that was after she drank it! Anyway, we at least got home safe and sound and now I've been trying to unpack ever since!
Lots of good pictures to follow, at a future date. But sadly, my computer is refusing to upload them, I've tried a couple of times and I have to go! We are actually on our way out the door to head back to New York. Yes, you read that correctly, we are driving to New York after just traveling so much. We received a call from my mom that my Grandmother is going into Hospice today. This is difficult news to take, since her and I have had a special relationship, especially when I was growing up. We also received a call that Scott's Grandmother passed away last night. She went into Hospice early last week, so we knew this would happen, but it's still always hard to take.
Anyway, I won't get a chance for a while to post all the updates I've had swirling around in my head, and it's killing me...this is like an addiction, and I need to WRITE! Especially after the week I've had. So, more updates to follow in a few days (maybe a week) :(...
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