Yes, you are seeing correctly....this is my Thanksgiving post. Don't let the beach pictures and swimming throw you off. We traveled to Florida, both Clay and my home state, for the Thanksgiving holiday. It's been that way for years now and we always look forward to it. As do the kids.
The slight difference this year is that we stayed right on the Gulf. Believe it or not, it was very bittersweet. While we usually stay at Grammy and Grampa's house over the bridge, we opted to spare them the craziness our little family can bring and rent a high rise beach condo for 5 whole days. The bitter part was not waking up to breakfast {and toys} with Jack and Maggie's amazing grandparents. The sweet part was, that for the first time in a few years, I actually felt like I came "home". {and, of course, the swimming and the beautiful views}.
"Home" to me is the beach. It's where I grew up, right there in the sand and saltwater. This year, each time we took the little drive to and from our condo I passed all my old stomping grounds. My elementary school, the playground I rode my pink beach cruiser to {probably with my little dachshund in the basket on the front}, my old house {which is still there, only a brighter shade of beach blue}, and the convenience store where I used to get my summer time Icees {yuck}. It was a very nostalgic trip. I'm sure Jack {and Clay} got tired of listening to me point out everything and everywhere that was related to my childhood, but for me it was kind of nice....in a bittersweet way.
Our five day trip was filled with so much activity that this post may start to look like Maggie's 2nd Birthday post {picture wise}. What is my problem with only choosing a few photos? We spent our days and nights with family on both sides and lots of "keeping kid's busy" kind of activities.
We started out five day stint with swimming. And although the pools at the resort were heated, the wind was not. Jack loved it, Daddy tolerated it, and Maggie and I couldn't handle it. Unless you were fully submerged in the water, I have to say it was pretty miserable. Maggie and I headed into the indoor pool for a bit. But after that first day my white body never saw a bathing suit again {I'm sure the other vacationers appreciated that}. Jack was another story. I'm pretty sure if he wasn't eating or sleeping this trip, he was swimming.
Although the pool wasn't Maggie's thing, she adored gazing at the beach from our condo window. Any time I couldn't find her {which was often, our condo had 4 bathrooms...nuts!...it was definitely roomy} I could find her taking in our bedroom view while pointing and chanting, "da beash, da beash".
And who wouldn't love this view of the Gulf?
And this one of the bay? The condo was surely 90% windows, which was amazing, but not conducive to good naps and morning sleep ins.
Maggie finally got her trip to "da beash" and she was able to enjoy it with her Aunt Catlin. It took Mags a few windy moments to warm up. But once Aunt Catlin taught her how to make sand
My kids were pretty wiped out for Thanksgiving dinner. After a day of traveling and with the celebration scheduled for 1:30 {2 minutes short of nap time}, it was all I could do to keep them awake before we headed to Aunt Linda's house. Sometimes exhausted kids can be pretty sweet.
Uncle Jim and Jon joined us. It was so nice of Grammy's family to invite them. We had the best of both worlds.
One fabulous Thanksgiving dinner and two very tired kids {and probably parents too} later, we tried for a family picture before heading back to the beach. It just wasn't happening.
We spent more great moments at the condo with family coming and going. Lunch and swimming with the cousins might have been Jack's greatest day. Can you tell? Look at that smile...that's not a "cheeeese", that's the real deal.
Us ladies were happy to be at the "quiet" table.
Our condo was so kid friendly. On our way back for naps, we made a pit stop at the tie-dye booth. Only blue and yellow for this boy. He was super proud and has already asked me if he could wear it to school...ha!
Our last night was spent right there on the resort grounds at a "private" FSU vs UF football party. Between all our family and friends we were able to get the patio to ourselves complete with a giant TV. Clay had a great time {FSU won} and I kept the kids at bay for as long as I could. I was hoping they would be so worn out that they would snooze most of the way home...no luck...my kids are not car sleepers.
And just when I thought they were done for the night, a very smart Mommy {which was not me}, pulled out some entertainment for the kids. I was able to hold them over a whole 45 minutes more with this.
So, there you have it. A very fun, action, family, and beach packed Thanksgiving. And even with all of that, I have to say my favorite memory of our vacation was listening to my two delirious kids on the way home belly laughing at Pinocchio. All the while trying to fight the sleep they so desperately needed. It was a beautiful sound that I will never forget.
We happily came back home to our own beds, some serious chill in the air, and boxes of Christmas decorations. It never stops. But, there isn't another family in the world I would want to spend this unstoppable life with.
I hope your Thanksgiving was as busy and happy as ours!
