Florida 2014

What do you get when you survive one of the longest, snowiest, coldest winters that Chicago has had in decades? A family that was MORE THAN READY to head south for a week of Florida sunshine! We had a BLAST on our trip and I could spend days telling about how much fun was had, but I'll spare the details and share a few highlights:

The kids did GREAT in the car. On the way down, we left at 4pm and drove through the night. Thanks to the help of an additional driver (TiTi) and some handy dandy Benadryl for the kids, everything went well! After spending the last few hours of the drive in horrible rain, we made it safely there by about 7am. The trip home was better than we could've hoped for. We left at about 2:30am (after Tyler and I could squeeze in a few solid hours of sleep) and made it home by 5pm. The kids did an awesome job in the car and we made the most of our time together by creating bragging rights - we are now the family that has the largest portion of the Frozen soundtrack memorized!

The first few days were a bit chilly and damp, so we made the most of our time inside. The kids decorated eggs, played lots of games, read plenty of books, helped in the kitchen, and watched a few movies.

Easter was a fun and relaxing day. The kids had a blast with all of their treats and toys. They were quite excited about the fact that they had the freedom to eat candy pretty much all day!

The last part of the trip was spent soaking up the sun! We loved our time at the beach each morning. The kids loved splashing in the water - it took awhile for Joel to get the courage to go in, but once he did, he loved it! They also made the most of having a giant sandbox at their disposal.

We spent the afternoons at the pool, where the kids also had a great time. Caleb is a fish, just like last summer. Leah got brave enough to begin swimming without her floaties (yikes!). And Joel could probably spend all day just floating around, blowing bubbles, and squirting his "shooter gun"!

Overall, it was a MUCH needed and MUCH enjoyed trip. We all loved the family time and fun memories that were made. We're incredibly thankful for Grandpa and Grandma who keep this tradition going every year....you guys are the best!

Oh, and of course, there are no pictures to document the MOST memorable moment of the trip - beating Dad in our nightly game of Hearts. Yes, after a few nights of him winning, I finally took the trophy!