Vacation, Part Deux

Yes, we did actually go to Florida - I bet you think I forgot, don't you? Nope. Just couldn't find the cord to attach Josh's parents camera to my computer. But, alas - I have found it. Don't you worry... So, first of all, getting back to this flying by myself thing. Oh my lord! It was fabulous. I have not flown by myself for nearly 4 years. I have ALWAYS had a child with me. That said, I decided to make the most of it and a) bring a book, b) bring a cross stitch (which hasn't been looked at since before Avery was born) and the most exciting thing???? c) GET A COFFEE!!!!!! These are the things that most people take for granted when flying. But, with 2 kids (or even just one), you can't do things like get a coffee because then you will be that mom who is carrying a diaper bag (which, in my case is always overflowing with too much stuff), a purse, your kids' bags, your kids and all of this while trying to carry your coffee, which inevitably results in it spilling on some innocent person while walking down the aisle to your seat. Anyway - so, I got the coffee and did my cross stitch and then... looked up to see two 20 year-old boys who were flying to South Padre Island for their Spring Break and who were sitting across the aisle from me ordering a beer every 45 mins (using their FIFTY drink tickets that they BOUGHT ON EBAY!). At this point, the cross stitch? Not seeming like the "coolest" idea I have ever had. I nearly just stopped everything I was doing to explain to them that "hey - once, not so long ago, I was as cool as you and I went to South Padre on Spring Break and I started drinking at 11 AM in the morning..." but then figured that wouldn't really be all that cool either. So, instead, I just sat there and tried to convince myself that I didn't want to be in their shoes because they would most likely be hung over and feeling like crap all weekend and that I didn't care if they thought I was a dork because I was doing a cross stitch - I'm a mom now and a damn good one and as long as my kids think I'm cool and love me, that is all that matters. RIGHT???? Onto the trip... Josh and his parents had been in Florida since Sunday and I met them there after Texas on Tuesday night. The weather was incredible. Low to mid 80's all week. The kids had a blast. There was a great little playground approximately this far from our hotel... The kids had a great time playing there and it was a nice way to do something other than the pool or the beach (not that those options are shabby ones, but whatever)...

We went to a water park one day, which was good. They were still a bit young for all of the slides, etc., but they did like walking around in the shallow water and climbing on the equipment. It was a bit challenging getting pictures of the outing considering I was also in the water, but here they are regardless...

Just like at home, both of them loved being on the beach. Alex seemed to prefer that more than the pool and Avery was the opposite, which led to one of us at the pool with her and one of us at the beach with him most of the time, but it worked..

And, actually - I didn't mind being the one at the pool because we managed to find the ice cream cart conveniently located at the entrance to the pool. Needless to say, this became a favorite of ours...I mean, Avery's.

My one selfish wish was, one of the nights there, to not rush to get out of the pool for dinner or for kid's schedules and to get a drink by the pool - I was not picky - it could be with the kids or without the kids, but I really wanted a drink by the pool. Well, needless to say, that didn't happen. I did end up getting a drink, but it was consumed in our hotel room while trying to feed Alex dinner, give him a bath (clearly my "brrrr! there is no more water - time to get out" method didn't work, as he still chose to pretend to go "night night" in the tub vs. get out) and get him ready for bed AND it was shared with Avery who was also enjoying a "cocktail" of her own (cleverly created by myself to stop the "I want a fancy drink!" meltdown...strawberry/mango juice combined with fizzy water and a lime).

And, in keeping with the same "let's have the kids involved in everything" theme that we seemed have developed on this trip, Josh and I decided to invite Avery on our date night a) to avoid the "I want to go to dinner with Mommy and Daddy" meltdown and b) to give her a nice night out with Mom and Dad. In reality, she is so easy in a restaurant that it really isn't a big inconvenience having her there. Here we were before our big night out... And, here we are at an attempt to get a family photo prior to heading out for our big night out. As you can see, this is something that we have yet to master...

Oh, and I nearly forgot! The most exciting part of the entire trip? Avery swam around like a little fish! For those of you who know my daughter, you will know that this is HUGE. This is the girl who doesn't like getting her face wet in the bath tub, much less the pool! This is the girl who literally hangs out on the stairs of the pool while all of the other kids are swimming and jumping around her. Well, not this year! Because, Mama got her water wings! She loved them and LOVED showing us how well she swam with them on. And, better yet? After 5 days of trying to convince her, we finally got her to go down the slide (this only AFTER she witnessed her little brother doing it).

Of course, whoever was taking her had to be sure to lift her up at the end so that her face wouldn't get wet.

Overall, it was a great trip and a great balance of drinking coffee by myself and sharing a cocktail and dinner with my 4 year-old...