Florida 2009

(Shamelessly stolen from my sister's blog and modified a little bit for my blog. That's what she gets for not sending me my set of pictures that she took!)

Well, here it is! The Florida Adventure recap! We took lots of photos, so I'll let them do most of the "talking" and just jump in to set up the photos... enjoy!
(The photo above is the reason for our trip! Four generations in a single shot! Yay!)

Upon landing in Fort Meyers, the first order of business upon arrival? Quick phone calls home, where the daddies were all waiting to hear that we'd landed safe and sound! (Faith was so excited to talk on Auntie Lizz's purple phone!) It was nearly midnight local time, so we picked up the minivan (a red one; Faith's choice) and headed home to Grammy's.

This was a low-key trip; not jam packed with activities or anything... Grammy, who will be 85 next month, just had hip replacement surgery last month, so she's still on the mend, using a walker to get around (although she hates it and "forgets" it often!) We did lots of visiting, both with each other and the swimming pool! Max took right to the water; his first time in anything other than a bathtub, and he was a champ! Faith was a little harder to convince, but she got there! The 80 degree water certainly doesn't hurt!

My official 23 week belly picture! 

"Relaxin'"

Faith was a great little lifeguard! Who needs adult supervision when a 2 year old will let you get away with so much more?

Faith's reaction when you let her balance on her own...

...and a little less pleased if you tried to help her!

Faith, Nana, Max, Auntie Lizz and I made the trip into Naples for breakfast one morning, and we found what might be the coolest park ever! It had 3 different areas for kids of different ages, a castle theme for the climbing structure, shade cloth hung where the trees didn't cover... the only thing missing were those cooling misters like they have in line at amusement parks!

You know those brick places sell now as fundraisers? Get your name on a brick? Well, this playground is made up of boards with names on them! Such a cool idea! I can totally imagine these kids coming back years from now (or maybe they already do!) to point their own names out to their children...

We took advantage of the handicapped accessible swing and put both kids in it... too cute, right?

Alex, the Friendly Dragon

We couldn't go all the way to Florida and not hit the beach, so we headed on over to Lover's Beach in Naples! It was warm and sunny and WINDY WINDY WINDY! The water was toasty warm, I just wish it hadn't been so hard to do anything, with the wind (and a 1 year old who was shoveling handfuls of sand into his mouth just as fast as he could!). Faith found some sand toys and had a great time playing with them. She just didn't like sand in her bathing suit, but who does, really??

How did she get so beautiful?

And a random assortment of pics... think they're pretty self explanatory...

This could very well be my favorite. I am not sure I got any pictures of JUST Faith and Grammy, but this picture captures everything Faith felt for her Great Grammy. 

Gorgeous sunsets!

Faith and Mommy singing "I Love You and God Loves You (and that's the way it should be!)"

Faith took right to Mickey, Steve and Nettie's Min Pin... the only thing? She kept calling him "Minnie" instead! Apparently, Mickey isn't all that great with people and Steve and Nettie worried about him nipping at Faith. Just like her Daddy, Faith channeled The Dog Whisperer and Mickey was nothing but nice to her! 

Max looks so big, sitting on tiny Grammy!

The view from Grammy's lanai, overlooking the first tee

Faith enjoyed eating her meals on the lanai every chance she got! she was so disappointed when we got home and she had to go back to eating inside most of the time. How boring! 

Faith, the world's most precise 2 year old, eating a soft serve cone about 93% of the way before getting a drop on herself! And then? Meltdown.

Humming "I wanna hold you haaaaand... I wanna hold your hand"

Looking back from on the golf course... that's Grammy's house on the left, Uncle Steve's on the right... a great little setup for everyone involved!

Faith's "flingamango" glasses

Auntie Lizz thinks I looks really pretty in this picture, and posted it on her blog it in the hopes that I wouldn't kill her for the next one!

My "Angry Mom Face"

The trip was full of firsts for Max... first plane ride, first time in another state, another time zone, first time meeting Grammy, first swimming (pool AND ocean) and first big boy bath in the big tub! (It was really cool to be a part of all that with him!) Faith invited Max to join her, and he LOVED it! I think he was just another bath toy for Faith! 

Our sleeping arrangements were very new to us on the trip too! Faith and I co-slept for the first time comfortably! Because of the Preggo belly, I took a few extra pillows with me on the trip and I'm glad I did! I had to use one as a barrier to keep Faith from kicking me all night long!  It was incredibly sweet to wake up to my beautiful daughter, draping her arms around me and breathing "Good Morning, Mommy. I love you" into my neck. 

How Faith slept. Now you can see the use for the pillow between us! Bed hog! 

A Nana's gotta do what a Nana's gotta do, when it comes to entertaining Faithie at the tail end of a very long trip!