I'm sure many of you know, or at least suspect, that traveling with small children is somewhat of a nightmare. Packing for every contingency, airport security, long boring lines, and being confined to a very small airplane seat make for a stressful time. Fortunately the boys did really well, and the payoff of a fun vacation was worth all the work involved.
We spent six days in the vicinity of Englewood, Florida with my mom, stepdad, and sister. Even though Brady has been to the beach before, this year was special because he really got to enjoy it for the first time. And the house we stayed at had a pool, so Brady was truly in heaven. He's asked to go back every day since we've been home, and he's wanted his beach book read at every nap and bedtime!
I took a zillion pictures while we were there, and I had trouble editing them down to a reasonable amount for the blog. So get comfy- you'll be in that chair for a while!
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| Nathan's first flight |
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| Mr Frequent Flyer |
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| The pilot gave Brady some wings! |
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| First order of business- get in that pool! |
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| The trend continues- Brady only eats well on vacations. |
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| Neighborhood park |
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| Nathan's first swim. The water wasn't too warm, and he wasn't really impressed. |
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| Swimming in the rain |
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| Our first trip over to the beach. He's taking it all in. |
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| How will his sensitive little feet get past these shells? |
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| Daddy to the rescue |
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| Nathan woke up from his nap wondering where in the heck we had dragged him to now. |
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| He really enjoyed looking at the waves. But even with sunscreen, that white skin could only take it for a few minutes! |
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| Brady was serious about this airplane toy. |
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| At the Tampa zoo, Brady was chosen to release the birds. |
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| He pressed the button... |
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| ...and the macaws were released from their cages to fly across the park. |
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| We found a cool spot for a lunch break |
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| We stopped for ice cream when the rain started |
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| We finally gave up the hope of staying dry and told Brady to go for it |
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| At least we were able to keep this guy dry! |
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| The owners of the house conveniently had young grandsons, so we borrowed a few toys |
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| He can't steer and he can't pedal, but he sure liked to ride it! |
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| Nana's hat provided lots of entertainment |
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| He's eating goldfish he dropped in the sand. |
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| That's how well he eats on vacation! |
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| We rented a pontoon boat one morning. Brady LOVED it! |
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| He was super-excited to steer. |
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| We beached the boat for a little swim |
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| One baby is napping |
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| And now both babies take a snooze |
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| Drunken sailor |
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| Then we docked at a restaurant for some lunch. You'll never believe what Brady ate- fish sticks! |
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| Captain Brady back at the helm |
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| We got a little wet on our drive back. This was only the beginning! |
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| Brady learns to fly a kite |
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| Nap time |
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| Brady loved his new hat so much he went to sleep wearing it |
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| Brady called the blue ring an "onion ring." It was so cute I couldn't correct him. |
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| Out to dinner on our last night |
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| Brady is running for one last look at the beach |
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| More of that rough Brady lovin' |
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| It's impossible to get a picture of these two together |
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| Brady sprinted through the airport with his suitcase (until his no-nap meltdown)! Home again home again, jiggety jig. |
