THE ROAD TRIP
The drive down to Florida was a “win” in my book! Including stops, it took us about 20 hours overall. We woke the girls up at 3:30 a.m., and they were so excited to go to the beach, that they didn’t fall back asleep until 11:30 a.m.! Movies, water-wow, and stickers were the big activity winners for the morning. That wasn’t exactly how I expected the first few hours of the drive to go, but they napped pretty well that afternoon! We packed a cooler with sandwiches, snacks, and drinks. I WAY over-packed us on food, but I was nervous to be without anything that could help settle the girls down!
The whole day actually turned out to be pretty comical. We drove off with a giant frisbee on top of the truck, hedgers on the hood, our tire light came on (everything was fine), and Acilia puked as we drove through the mountains. I think her equilibrium got thrown off, because my ears were popping as we wound through, too. Overall though, everyone was in good spirits the whole way. Can you imagine how a few tantrums would make a cramped truck feel? Drew and I didn’t get to do much talking while we drove. I was in the back seat entertaining everyone for the majority of the trip. Leave it to my girls to find a way to be busy while stuck in car seats! We stopped every three or four hours to stretch and use the restroom. Acilia is fully potty trained and very good about waiting until we get to a bathroom. I know some people pack a portable potty, but I don’t think I could deal with that in a moving vehicle. We didn’t have a whole ton of room for it, either. Luckily, we had no accidents!
We stopped in Atlanta to stay the night with family. Drew’s aunt and uncle treated us to the best meal we’ve ever had, and the girls had a blast running around with their dog! They really needed to stretch their legs. It’s hard for a toddler to be told they are going to the beach, and then be stuck in a car for a full day. My in-laws and a set of family friends joined us, and the girls thought it was a party! It was so nice to be able to stop in a comfortable place after the first leg of our trip, and it definitely helped build excitement to get down to Florida!
The finish the next day was very smooth, as everyone was flat out exhausted. The girls (and I) slept the majority of the trip, and traffic over the causeway wasn’t too bad! Drew was a CHAMP driving the whole way.
THE BEACH
Is there anything better than the smell of saltwater? I’d be lying if I said the girls were the only ones antsy to get down to the ocean! Drew and I had a great experience living in Florida early in our marriage, so the sunshine brought back some special memories. Acilia was actually pretty patient while we were unpacking and lathering up, but I think she just didn’t quite know what to make of everything that first day. We had a lot of commotion going on in a totally new space.
The girls’ first impression of the beach is what I was most excited for!! They both hadn’t felt sand since last summer, so we laughed watching them it figure out. At first, they didn’t quite know what to make of the ocean either. Acilia kept calling it a giant pond! Once they got their hands on seashells and feet in the waves, they started the nervous-excited giggles and had an absolute blast!
We maxed ourselves out at the beach. We were down there every single day, for hours! The girls would wake up and run to the balcony, as if they were so surprised the ocean was still there every morning! Acilia loved body surfing (with our help of course), jumping the waves, and making Drew dive under the water. Elliana loved jumping the waves and digging in the little tide pools. Both ran off to chase the seagulls, naturally, and build (read: knock down) sand castles. The girls maxed out their energy so hard, that by day 5, they were asking to go inside and watch a movie!
Every time we came up from the beach, I’d give the girls a quick rinse in the bath to get all of the sand off and make it more comfortable to relax. No questions asked, just straight to the tub.
THE POOL
I was SO surprised at how both of the girls reacted to the pool! Acilia was obsessed. I bought her a unicorn floatie to ride in, but she mustered up a bunch of courage and swam BY HERSELF with swimmies the whole time! We had her in lessons over a YEAR ago, so didn’t think she would remember how to swim!
Elliana didn’t love the pool, which really surprised me. She loves the bath and isn’t afraid of the water, but maybe the pool was just a sensory overload? She preferred sitting on the edge and climbing around the deck. To be honest, I thought it’d be the other way around!
We spent our time swimming in the late afternoons, while grandpa grilled.
THE CONDO
I am so thankful for everything that my in-laws do to bring us all together. The condo was the perfect set-up for our big family, as it housed us, along with my in-laws and two sister-in-laws’ families. We each had our own section, and everyone was gracious enough to give Drew and I the master bedroom, since we had both of the girls sleeping with us. I’m so glad that I brought the diffuser! It got passed around a few times when our nephew needed Snifflease while he slept.
Acilia and Elliana’s sleep set up was so cute! My mother-in-law brought twin size blow up mattresses, topped with the cutest animal sleeping bags for the girls. They loved it! They woke each other up a few times, rolling on top of each other, but overall they did great. I was nervous for how Elliana would handle not being in a crib, but it ended up being a non-issue. Our sound machine was critical in drowning out noise from the living room, too. The girls were so exhausted, there really was no fight to go to bed at night.
CLEARWATER
Clearwater was STUNNING!! Growing up, I had only ever been to the Atlantic side of Florida. I had no idea how much fun the Gulf Coast would be.
The food was phenomenal. We ate out a lot, but what better way to enjoy the territory than with authentic fish and seafood!? There wasn’t one restaurant that disappointed, and yes, we ordered from Frenchy’s! It was right by the condo!
We did one quick workout on the beach, even though chasing kids around the surf + sand is a workout in itself! 20 minutes is all you need though, if you need to feel a little burn! Dolphins jumping at the drop off isn’t a bad sight for some motivation, either. We did a quick HIIT workout that involved some running, and the next day our legs were jelly!
Most of the activities were geared towards the kids, but it’s not hard to enjoy yourself anywhere on the beach. We took a walk down to the pier, and Acilia got her face painted! Elliana is very content in the stroller, so she just happily got carted around. The walk was lined with shops, so we bought a handful of souvenirs to remember our first family vacation.
Later in the week, my mother-in-law set up a ride on the pirate ship for all of us, just like Drew and his siblings used to do when they were little! It was a blast! The kids got pirate hats and squirt guns, and Peppermint Patty led them in a few activities as we sailed up and down the coast. The girls loved being on the water!
My sister lives in Tampa, so she came up to visit a few times! My mom even flew down for the day, so that we could go wedding dress shopping with Rachel! We went to Armature Works for a late lunch. If you’re in Tampa, it’s a must-see. It’s the coolest indoor/outdoor market on the river. I am OBSESSED with the acai bowl in the juice shop.
Before we left, Drew and I got a night out with his sisters, their husbands, and our family friends. We had dinner on the beach and walked around downtown for a few hours. There was so much to do there! The Nowak kids pointed out a few spots that they used to go when on vacation with their Grandpa, which was really cool to hear.
HOMEWARD BOUND
We had an absolutely incredible family vacation!! It was the perfect mix of relaxing (is a vacation with two toddlers relaxing though? ) and fun-filled. I’m so happy that we got to spend so much time with our family. We stayed a full 7 days in Florida, and by the last day or two, I think everyone was actually ready to head home. The girls were exhausted and just ready to be back in their own space, and no one put up a fight getting in the car.
The ride back is kind of a blur. It was pretty stressful. The girls were overtired and uncomfortable, and traffic was HORRIBLE. It took us so long to get out of Florida. The added hours really tested our patience. We stopped overnight in Knoxville, TN. Everyone’s mood improved once we could stretch out in a bed and watch a new movie. I should have done a better job stocking up on movies for the ride home, although, I don’t think anything was going to keep the girls happy. When they’re done, they’re DONE, and that’s all there is to it!
This vacation was everything I could have hoped for it to be! I have about 10,000 pictures to treasure the memories <3.
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