We spent the first two days of our trip on the gulf coast near St. Petersburg, FL. I found a place online called the Sunrise Motel that suited our needs fine. I was a little nervous never having seen it, but luckily it worked out. We spent several hours Friday and Saturday at Fort DeSoto Park. The north beach there was rated #1 in the U.S. in 2005 and we weren't disappointed. Friday, it almost felt like we had the place to ourselves with plenty of space to spread out and relax in our beach chairs while the kids played in the sand.
This year, we were prepared with the right gear for the beach. It's so much more comfortable if you have a chair to sit in and good food to eat. We stopped at the local Publix to pack our coolers and buy bright colored chairs before heading to the beach. The kids each got to choose one thing at the grocery store for the family to share, which they loved.
One of the highlights of the day for me was taking a nice long walk along the beach alone, soaking in the rays, and enjoying the therapeutic sound of the ocean. The boys could spend hours digging mud holes in the sand. The weather was perfect and we tried to get as much vitamin D as possible to get us through the next three months in Michigan.
Friday, we noticed a rash on Lucy's face but didn't think much of it. Saturday morning, she woke up with a puffy face and a rash from head to toe. I called Shelly and she called in a prescription for us. Dad or Shelly usually gets a phone call from us whenever we're on vacation. Thanks for always bailing us out guys!
And if the rash weren't enough, Saturday night, Lucy fell out of bed and landed on a tile floor. The next morning, she had a fat, bloody lip, which she seemed to be intrigued with. Sorry sweetie!
Tampa, FL- We visited the MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry)-
The Villas of Grand Cypress- Orlando
One of the perks of Brad's job has been joining him for conferences that cater to families. For the past two years, we've stayed on a private golf course in our own villa. The accomodations are ridiculously nice. They have all sorts of things for kids to do: biking, kayaking, climbing wall, beach, golfing, swimming, waterslide, horseback riding, to name a few. We tried to do something different everyday.
I think the thing I liked the best about our trip was our slow pace. We tried to just enjoy wherever we were and not race to the next activity.
Monday, Brad went to the conference and the rest of us slept in and had a very lazy morning. Around noon we went to the pool. I just loved the beautiful foliage all around us- especially the flowering shrubs. 
Monday evening, we biked over to the main resort and enjoyed kayaking on the lake.
Universal Studios
Tuesday morning, I took the kids to Universal Studios and did the Kid Zone while Brad worked. We learned that Lucy really enjoys roller coasters. Around lunchtime, we went home to eat, picked Brad up, and headed back to the park until closing.
Animal Kingdom
Wednesday, late morning, Brad was finished with the conference and we made our way to Disney's Animal Kingdom. The park closed at 6pm so we tried to jam as much in as possible. We all loved the Kilimanjaro Safari where we saw all sorts of cool animals in their "natural" habitat. Brad, Spencer, and I enjoyed the Everest roller coaster and we all enjoyed the Nemo musical- especially Lucy. She's normally terrified of theatres, but was willing to take a gamble when she saw Nemo. It's actually pathetic how well she knows the movie.
Golfing
Thursday morning, we thought about going to Sea World, but Brad and I can only do so many hours at theme parks without getting burned out. So, instead, everyone went swimming while I packed things up and then we headed to the nine hole golf course. We had a few hours to burn before our flight left, so we golfed and then the boys did the climbing wall. This year, Brad and I were smarter and each took two kids golfing. Lucy pretty much just ran back and forth between groups. Nobody else was there and we felt like we were in our own little paradise.
And then... back to reality!
3 comments:
That looks like SO much fun AM! We wish we had taken advantage of the great things Florida has to offer more while we were here! You guys sure know how to get the most out of a vacation...you'll have to give us a few tips!
It's about time you updated your blog! Grin! I can't believe how big your kids are getting. They are all grown up! BTW - you look fantastic, what are you doing? Or rather not eating? Looks like a fun family vacation. Was this your Spring Break?
Can we go with you guys next time?! (asked in a whiny voice)
Except there's no way I'm getting into a swimming suit with you around... :)
Looks like an awesome family vacation!!!
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