You may have heard there was some baseball on TV last
night.
While we are not normally die hard baseball fans…it was very
exciting to
watch this series unfold and cheer on an Ohio team! The game (as I’m sure
you know) went into late into the night...to the tune of a 10th inning!
. And basically all this means for you – is that
it gave me enough time to pick out my favorite hundred or so
pictures
from our recent trip to Florida. So, prop your eyes open
(that game went
real late guys) and let’s take a walk down a palm tree
filled memory lane.
This is our 5th year traveling to Sanibel/Captiva
Island with Max (that’s
if you count the one where he was still in my belly)…and
there’s definitely a
reason we keep going back!
This island has our hearts. From
the minute we
drive over the bridge – the pace definitely slows down – and
we all visibly relax.
We know lunch at the Lazy Flamingo is just around the corner…and
we hit up the same grocery store we’ve been going to for
years (Jerry’s).
Some will you tell you that traveling with kids is not a
vacation –
but I would argue that if you only have one – and you’re
traveling with
grandparents and an aunt – and they are a bit older –
it begins to get
easier. Doesn’t hurt that playing at the beach
and the pool – while also not napping –
makes for a very
tired three year old. This is also the first year we
didn’t
have to rent a crib (or pack and play), or high chair,
or really anything! We
didn’t even bring the stroller!
Also our house (see below) was just perfect - pool
right outside and the beach just steps away!
Our vacation pretty much looks like a rotation from the
beach to the pool and back to the beach all day.
Max was super into going to the beach and building sand
castles.
He liked to build motes around them and
let the water crash in. He also still likes to
run from down the beach and smash them.
We were able to construct a giant turtle,
fish,
and even a pumpkin from sand!
This year, he was also way more into walking in
the morning
with Mama, Mims, and Titi.
We would bring his red bucket and encourage
him to
look for “beautiful shells”…
which were ironically the large white ones
that are
my least favorite. But, whatever, right?
He walked pretty far all by himself…
and would sometimes ask Mims to walk
in the water with him.
Early morning beach walks and looking for
shells are one of my most fond memories of
Sanibel with my mom...so it feels extra
special that now Max gets to join in.
The Sanibel/Captiva beaches are
pretty world renowned for shells....so we
didn't have to look far! The beaches are literally
lined with them (especially at low tide).
We took a couple walks at different
beaches (namely Blind Pass) to look for
those extra special shells. The biggest
problem we were encountering though
was that all the shells we wanted to take still
had the animal attached and living inside.
It was also pretty lucky that the weekend we
arrived was also Ding Darling's (the Wildlife
Refuge on the island) special Family Fun Day.
We love to stop here and do the wildlife drive
(you stay in your car) and look for shorebirds!
This particular day though - they had face painting,
tons of craft projects, special interest groups, free
food, and we even spotted a tortoise on the way home!
(Max made this Roseate Spoonbill Mask
that I love so much!!)
On a different morning - we decided to do the
wildlife drive early in the morning. We let Max
keep on his pajamas...and he thought that was pretty
great! Morning is the best time to see birds....
and we spotted herons, egrets, spoonbills, and more!
The weather in Sanibel in October is just
perfect - highs in the 80's (but not unbearable).
This makes it perfect for hitting up the pool
in the afternoon. The house we were staying in -
had a whole room full of pool and beach toys....
so it was hours of entertainment!
We convinced Mims to pack an extra suitcase full
of all our
inflatable pool friends…and we
added one more to our crew – the flamingo.
I think we can all agree this was very
necessary.
These inflatables provided
hours of fun!
Max enjoyed telling everyone
which
particular animal he wanted you to ride –
and then once you
had secured your spot –
he liked to try and knock you off.
He liked riding them too, but was
concerned
about falling off and going
under (which happened once). He’s still a pro
at
jumping off the sides…and
bossing people around with pool games.
In the interest of full disclosure - the reason we
are able to go on these trips - is my grandpa.
He is very generous and pays for nearly everything.
But beyond that - did I mention he's about to
be 94?? 94 years old and still able to
hang at both the pool and the beach like a pro.
What did parents do before Puddle Jumpers??
Max wore that thing practically all week...
it was like a second set of clothing. But,
it gives me such peace of mind - he can hop
right in the pool or "belly bust" out in the ocean
with no problem!
Papa Rob's favorite part of vacation -
lounging in the shade...relaxing :)
My favorite part? Hands down - the shell walks
and beach time! Maybe I was meant to be
a mermaid? (Except I don't really like
going in the ocean that much....so probably just
for the shells).
You just can't beat Mother Nature.
The shells are just so rad.
Early on in the summer, I bought this pirate
ship off Amazon. Then, it promptly sat in our
garage, deflated and sad. But, when Papa Rob
and I decided to bring a third suitcase - you better
believe I popped that pirate ship in there.
And, guys, it was possibly the best idea ever.
Max LOVED riding around in it or being pulled
around in it. It worked out so well to bring it with
us to the beach and just put him in it when he got
tired of walking. A seriously solid investment.
These rainbow umbrellas have been haunting
me since our Kelly's Island trip....and lo and
behold they had one at the house. Is there
anything more cheerful? Or fun? Probably not.
I was a little disappointed when I didn't see the
ice cream boat on our first few trips to the beach -
but by mid week - it was back in action.
Delivering the best (and coldest!) treats up
and down the beach. I mean, you know
you've made it when you've got a whole
grape Popsicle to yourself and you can park
it on a pile of sand under the Florida Sun...and
your only concern is eating it before it melts
(this is not my life, but rather Max's).
Also, if you've got yourself a flamingo inflatable....
life's not too shabby either...
We ate lunch most days right at our house on
the deck…and
dinner out. Everyone got to choose
their
favorite dinner spot (Papa Rob’s is Cantina Captiva
for the surf and turf
burrito and mine is always the Bubble Room).
A new favorite memory is walking
to the coffee
shop after dinner (for decaf tea) and then walking back
to our
house on the beach.
One night we even saw dolphins on our walk home!
Two mornings we took our shell
walk at Blind Pass. This is the area at the
bend of the road between Sanibel and Captiva.
The shelling here is always really good -
especially at low tide. If you walk far
enough - you get to these little inlets that
most people don't venture too - which means
shells for days...and mostly to yourself!
One morning - Rob and Max built sand castles
while we walked....
And the other morning - Max cam with us!
He was running up and down the beach....
jumping off the eroded sand dunes, picking up shells,
and digging around in the sand.
When he finally got tried, Mims and I pulled
him back to our starting spot.
On our last full day at the beach...Max discovered
how fun it is to bury things in the sand! He
covered all our legs in sand...and would giggle
with glee when our toes would start to poke through!
Of course, I had to take this one step further and full
on bury Papa Rob's whole body in the sand! This
was a bigger task then I anticipated...as every time
he would laugh, his belly would jiggle, and the sand
would start to crack open! And I would have to start
over, but isn't he the best?! What a dude.
Towards the end of our trip, Max also wanted
to play "beauty shop" in the pool. This involved
dumping unlimited amounts of water on your head...
and then getting another big bucket with the sprinkler
attachment...and if you were lucky - a blow dry with
the air pump for our inflatables!
It's hard to believe another year has come and gone
when it comes to this trip. It's just so special to be able
to share this week together in one of our favorite spots.
Traveling with kids (or one in our case) is memory
making in the fast lane. This trip was no exception.
We laughed, we cried (and sometimes all within a matter
of minutes) but in the end also so bitter sweet. Max will
never be three and half at the beach again. So, even
when he's having some sort of anger bender, I still just
want to bottle up all his heart wrenching adorableness
right this very second.
The beach man, from Oregon to Florda...it never
disappoints and I'm already thinking of where
we might go next!
xoxo
