Florida FunHouse

 

The annual Florida trip was different this year - and not just the fact that there seem to be more grandchildren every year.  This year we would be staying in a rented house near the beach - complete with a neighborhood  pond behind the house for the new kayak to be part of the fun.  And I know what you're thinking - but I didn't fall in!

 The house allowed lots of good cousin time - but different from the old principle of bonding.  A lot of the self and group entertainment involved iPads, Kindles, and iPods.  Kids these days!

 Aunt Tracy enjoyed some good baby time.

 Pa decided it would be a good idea to teach the girls to play with his camera - so far, they seem to have forgotten. Good thing.  My choice of entertainment for the kids was a never ending art project of beads and pipe cleaners - if only I hadn't had to do such much chronic yelling and the chronic mess of beads everywhere.  But they did have lots of fun.

 Going out to eat as a family has become a little more complicated with the size of the family but still enjoyable for the most part.  I do admit it helps that we had so many good grown up helpers.

Breakfast usually consists of hitting the Krispy Kreme restaurant every evening for morning donuts.  I was so sad that we were too far from the store.  But when we did have them, they did not last very long.  And this little pic of Coop belies the fact that he had been struggling with a belly bug the whole time.  Multiple things happened that made us wonder how many warnings we were going to have to not go to Florida - does this mean it's a warning from God or that we need to practice perseverence?  There was the hurricane, the car warning lights, the topper flying off during our trial run... We tried to leave town several times due to the vomiting and finally just sucked it up to leave.  That doesn't mean several episodes didn't happen on the way there... only to be better for several days... and then start up again.  No one else got it thankfully!  Granted, Destin traffic is enough to make lots of people car sick.

 Cuddles with Daddy...

 And Tray...

 And cousins... and Pa.

 Have I told the story about the crazy house? Not in the best shape, fun midnight encounters with dirty sheets and showers pouring out water, taking randoms baths instead of showers (who builds tubs instead of showers?), weird fridge that won't close... But the proximity to the beach outweighs all these "quirks".

 Little Katie was suffering from major baby acne the whole time :(

 She can smile!  Just usually not at me - but I have proof! :)









The rooms were big enough for whole families to stay in the same room - and closets big enough to be bedrooms... for two kids! And now for the next installment...