Last minute trip to Florida

Lakes Park

Lakes Park

Whose footprint is this?

Train museum at Lakes Park

Happy Baby Ethan almost 4 months

Train ride for Mike and Ryan

All Aboard!

Hanging out with Great G&G

Boys with Great G&G

The whole family with auto capture

Great G&G with our family

Lunch with Great G&G

Ethan and me

So, I am realizing today that I started this post probably 3 weeks ago and am just now getting around to writing about it. Basically this is the story regarding our crazy impromptu trip to Fort Myers, FL January 12-14th. For awhile Mike and I had been discussing taking a trip to see his grandparents in Florida and were hoping that we could even take his Mom with us to get a 4 generation picture. After taking a look ahead, April this year looked to be the least busy for us, but AT&T has a union contract that expires and a potential strike could happen. Since Mike is in a management position, he is not able to schedule out vacation after April 1st in case he has to go on strike duty. Therefore, that put us back closer to March. As we looked at airfare prices were around $300-$350 round trip for each of us to get out there. Ick! So, the morning of January 10th (Thursday) my Mom casually mentioned if I had seen the AA fare sale to Ft Myers for the following weekend for $163 round trip (including fees). I had not, and went straight to the computer to check it out. Basically, we had to book by Friday and could leave Saturday morning and return Monday or Tuesday. After a call to Mike to let him start thinking about it, that evening after the boys went to bed we contacted his grandparents and did a little research on hotels. We found availability at one across the road from their home that we stayed at in 2011 when we last visited with Ryan. After adding Mike's AT&T flight discount we could fly the 4 of us round trip for only $450 and the hotel for 2 nights totalled around $150. What a bargain!!!!

Thus, Friday morning we booked the flight and hotel and the crazy day of laundry and packing began. Saturday morning we woke up at 5:30 and got the boys up at 6:15am and left for the airport at 6:30 for an 8am flight. Security was a breeze and the boys did great. We carried on a stroller which we checked at the gate (so we would have on in FL) and we had one carry on bag for Mike and I, a kid sized rolling suitcase for Ryan to take full of toys and books, and lastly a duffel bag with all the boys clothes. Impressed? I was! We left over a weekend where it was in the 30's-40's and rainy in DFW and enjoyed a weekend in the mid 70's-80's with sunshine in Florida! Our trip was short, but included lots of downtime with his grandparents. We went to lunch all 3 days and had an early celebration for Grandad Gaynor and Ryan's birthday which were coming up. We spent the afternoon on the 2nd day visiting at their home so they could interact with the boys, as well as a little bit of time after checking out of our hotel and before leaving for the airport on Monday evening. We also snuck in a nice long morning Sunday at Lakes Park walking the trails, playing in the parks, looking for alligators, and even a little train ride for Mike and Ryan. Ethan had a special outfit and diaper change for Mom that day that I'll probably never forget. Looking back, throwing it all away would have been an easier decision, but I hate wasting anything and so I took the outfit home in a grocery sack and amazingly it was all washed clean! Monday we snuck in a 2 hr morning at the beach which was only the 2nd time Ryan had been. I wish I had videotaped the way he reacted when touching the sand on his bare feet for the first time. It was quite comical. He grounded those feet and insisted someone pick him up and carry him, but we reassured him it was okay and sand was soft and a fun part of the beach. After a few moments and seeing Mom and Dad walk in the sand he got brave and decided it was okay. The rest of the morning he splashed in the waves, collected shells, threw around a beach ball and built a sandcastle (or sand volcano- we found a shovel, but didn't have a bucket). Ethan napped most of the time, but I let him feel the sand and stick his little feet in the water briefly.

Overall, it was a quick trip, but we were so thankful to get to see the Gaynors as we truly do not see them enough. They were thrilled to see both boys and to meet Ethan for the first time and I believe they truly enjoyed our visit even though it was last minute and a little shorter than we would have liked. The weather while we were there was wonderful as usual and we look forward to our next visit to sunny Florida!

~Emily