Good morning friends. I’m back in Charlotte after a great trip to Florida with Finn to visit my family. I’m working in my office with the widows open and Benji boy keeping me company. Zoey has opted to sunbathe outside. I’m happy to report that Zoey’s skin rash/infection is healing so well and she’s been back to her normal self for a week or so now. Yay!
I (unintentionally) took a step away from my blog while I was in Florida but I’m back now to share some photo highlights from our trip in this post. And my next post will be five nights of dinners cooked by my dad. Get excited for that one! 🙂
Overall, we had such a nice visit. The time absolutely flew by and I can’t wait to plan our next trip. Our days were super low-key. We usually had one activity/outing and the rest of the time we stayed close to home. My dad cooked every night so we didn’t go out to restaurants and were usually done with dinner and hanging out on my grandmother’s couch by 6:30p. I slept really well while we were there and came home feeling rested and recharged.
On our first full day in Florida my mom planned for us to take Finn to a small nearby zoo that has a lot of animals that you can pet/feed. He wasn’t quite ready to feed the animals yet but loved watching me and my mom do it. It was a fun outing!
One of Finn’s favorite activities was playing on the beach.
It was a little too chilly to be out in bathing suits or to swim but that didn’t stop Finn from enjoying the sand and water.
He really likes the texture of the sand and spent so much time rolling around in it, touching it and sprinkling it all over his body.
His favorite activity was playing in the surf with my mom. You couldn’t keep him out of the water! We should have put a bathing suit on him this day.
His little feet and hands were freezing after this and I had to use all of my toddler whisperer abilities to get him out of the water and back to my grandmother’s condo and into a hot shower. (I told him he could play with his color changer cars in the shower.)
One afternoon we ventured out to Turkey Creek Nature Trail to let Finn run free. It was probably one of my favorite afternoons with Finn in a very long time. This nature trail is amazing…it’s a fenced in boardwalk that weaves through a lot of greenery/trees and follows alongside a creek with access points to the water. I can let Finn run free and run he did! The trail is two miles out and back and he ran the ENTIRE THING! He did take a few breaks here and there to take in the scenery and check out the water but if he was on the boardwalk…he was running!
It makes my heart so crazy happy to see him so wild and free and doing exactly what he should be doing as a toddler…exploring and adventuring!
I dressed him in a sweatshirt and had to strip him to go shirtless after about 20 minutes because he was running so hard! Everyone that we passed on the trail got a kick out of Finn and he got a lot of comments on his stamina, haha. Maybe I have a little runner in the making! 🙂
Speaking of running…I only got one run in while we were in Florida but it was a GOOD one! I ran a 10K and it was so enjoyable. The weather was perfect and my body felt perfectly rested and fueled for it. (My dad’s homemade bolognese and cake the night before definitely helped!)
My parent’s golden Sam is turning 14 on St. Patrick’s Day!
Sam has a little trouble with his back legs these days but he is the best boy and still loves his toys and often brings you one when you walk in. His hedgehogs are his favorite.
These two were just as sweet as could be together. Finn adores his Mema and spent so much time playing with her and wanting to snuggle up in her lap.
What an incredible blessing it’s been to share so much of Finn’s life with my family. These trips to Florida bring me so much joy and are full of memories that will be with me for my entire life. I love that Finn is making such sweet early memories too. I’m very much looking forward to getting back on a normal visiting schedule! It’s going to be such a fun summer at the beach! 🙂
When we got in the car at the airport yesterday and were exiting the parking deck, Finn called out from his carseat, “Thanks Mommy, thanks for helping me in the airport.” (I helped him get on and off escalators and moving sidewalks and he thought that was a big deal!) And then he said, “Thanks Mommy, thanks for ummmm taking me to Florida.” My heart melted into a puddle. <3
Until next time!
QUESTIONS
Do your kids like the beach? Do they enjoy playing in sand or water more?
Do you have a beach trip planned for the spring/summer/fall? What’s your favorite beach to visit?
Do you have any favorite early memories with your grandparents?
This makes my heart so happy. I never had the chance to have a meaningful relationship with any grandparent and just think Finn is the luckiest to be so loved by so many. I’m sure that is a huge factor in why he is so dang sweet!
I’m so happy you got this time with your family, Jen. Thanks for sharing slices of your life :).
Aw, thank you Maeve. I’ve always held the mantra that the more people who love Finn the better off Finn is. He’s a blessed child and I never take the family support and connections for granted.
It looks like you and Finn had a great trip! I don’t have kids, but I remember LOVING beach trips as a kid (and still do!) so I totally understand Finn’s love for the sand and ocean! And that nature trail looks beautiful! I will definitely have to visit there if I’m ever in that part of Florida!
I will also add that I was hoping you would share the meals your dad cooked while you were visiting! So I will definitely be looking forward to that post, too! 🙂
What a gorgeous spot. Looks like it’s from a magazine! Memories with my grandparents – breakfast!! being allowed Nutella toast, sugar cereals, and pop tarts was a BIG deal! Having drinks of pear nectar that came in tiny glass bottles. Sitting on the front porch watching the cars go by. The beach!!! Ice cream…. so many good ones!!
Aw, I love these memories Andrea. SO SWEET! This comment made me smile.
OMG I love that Finn shares his gratitude and thanks you! That is sooooo sweet!
Ahhh I know, it’s a moment that I will never forget!