Florida

My parents decided to rent a place in Florida this year, so of course we wanted to visit. They usually live in Michigan, but this year they decided to move south for the winter. If you have lived in a place with long winters, you know that a trip to warmer climates is quite helpful in keeping your sanity.   As it turns out, we had an extremely wet winter in California, so we were excited to visit a place with warmer temperatures as well.

The girls were beyond excited for the plane ride and a chance to spend time with Nana and Papa. Let me just say that traveling alone with them is SO much easier now that they are older. They can pull suitcases, don't need to take naps and can sit for long periods of time (as long as a movie is involved). They were fabulous on the flight out and quickly settled into our new time zone. We sure missed Trever but were grateful for the big to do list he checked off while we were gone. It's amazing how much you can accomplish on your own.

We spent our first few days in Florida close to home. The girls were giddy about the pool and spa in the backyard and only got out of the pool to use the bathroom and eat. Good times!

After a few days, we took a break from the pool to check out the alligators at a local state park. The girls had fun hamming it up for the camera and showing their spunk.

CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP

The filled their pockets to the brim with shells and other treasures. Don't worry, we kept our distance from the alligators.

Midway through the week it rained, so we headed north to Sarasota. Our original plan included going to the Aquarium but we quickly switched to plan B when we saw the long line to get into the building. Luckily the Botanical Gardens were nearby and we caught a break in the rain to explore. The trees and landscape were really amazing and the girls had a great time. 

The only major complaint was the over priced grilled cheese with American cheese. I get it!

Toward the end of the week we went to a local beach to dip our toes in the water before dinner. Unfortunately the red tide was present and air born, which caused all of us to cough quite a bit. We tried to hang out for a while but eventually decided to leave.

My girl loves the ocean!

Our yummy pizza dinner was the perfect end to our night. It was definitely the largest pizza I have ever seen and it was amazing!

A big thank you to Nana and Papa for hosting, we had a great time and hope to come visit again next year with Trever in tow.