Family Vacation - Ft. Lauderdale Bound

We departed Anna Maria Island for Ft. Lauderdale after spending 4 nights, just the three of us. I loved the island so much, and I really do hope to spend another family vacation there again one day.

We had to be checked out of our unit by 10 on Friday morning. On our way out of town, we had to stop by the donut shop, which our photographer recommended, for some specialty breakfast treats!

Our drive to Ft. Lauderdale was about 3 hours. Sid took a good nap and with only one stop, we were there!

I love his little leg kicked over the side of his seat.

Our accommodations were a little tough on us. It was Aaron's dad's place, so location was perfect because it was in the same multi-family unit as Katie and Aaron. We only had a one bedroom and we just aren't used to that with Sid. We made it work though, even if it meant Sean had to take a nap on the floor with couch pillows.

That night we made vegetable lasagna, with homemade noodles! Katie is really into cooking like we are, so we enjoyed cooking all together the 3 nights we were there!

I have no clue what was so funny!

We ate dinner each night together around the table :)

After dinner the first night, we put the babies to bed, then grabbed some wine and enjoyed sitting out on the dock by the boat! They live on the intracoastal waterway (I mean it's literally in their backyard...

When you're driving down the main road, in between each street there are these waterways. Katie and Aaron live down this street on the left. See those two palm trees in the back? That's their spot just under the first tree you see. 

We were entertained by boats passing by. There was one party barge that passed and Sean was ready to hop on board!

On Saturday morning, Sean, Sid and I went to the grocery store and for a nice walk. Later that day, Aaron took us for a long boat ride! We didn't go out into the ocean because of the winds that day, but the intracoastal waters kept us very entertained. There were HUGE yachts and HUGE houses to look at! And restaurants and bars along the route. Sid loved being on the boat, particularly in the captain's chair ;)

It's hard to read, but on the yacht below, the name across the back says, "Straight to Voicemail!" I loved it! 

When we got off the boat, we put the babies down for a nap and then went for a dip in their pool. It was a little chilly, but I had gotten so hot on the boat that the water felt perfect to me! That evening LSU played FL (ironic?!). Sean and I cooked étouffée for everyone and then we watched the game! 

On Sunday, which was our last day in Ft. Lauderdale, Katie and Aaron took us downtown. The wind was so strong it was almost not enjoyable. But it was cool to see what downtown Ft. Lauderdale was like. It was just a long strip of restaurants, bars, and souvenir shops along the beach. We got to watch some kite surfing, too!

Breakfast! 

Our little buddy was such a trooper. He had to adapt to Lilo's schedule and it pushed his napping quite a bit each day. He pulled through though. Here he is just chillin' in the stroller while we cruised along the beach :)

Kite surfers!

Lilo on her Daddy's shoulders. She didn't want to ride in the stroller anymore.

Sean took his shirt off for this picture. Oooooooh, my husband ;)

Once we got back from the beach, we were all pretty wiped. Babies took naps, and Sean and I got busy packing. We had an early flight out the next morning. That night Katie and Aaron made us chicken tacos that were soooooo good! So good in fact, that I got the cookbook the recipe came out of for my birthday a month later :) We partook in a glass of wine after dinner then went to bed early.

We didn't see the Richie's the next morning because we left so early. Thankfully, getting to the airport was painless. We got our rental car returned, hopped on the bus to get to our gate and boarded pretty quickly. Sid, once again, did amazing on the flight home. It was a little bit longer than our first flight. He nursed on takeoff and then fell asleep for a long time. When he woke up, we fed him some snacks and pulled out a few toys. Next thing we knew it was time for our decent. We had the nicest lady next to us who even let Sid sit on her lap to look out the window. So nice of her. I don't think I'd want a stranger's kid to sit on my lap!! 

We made it home, safe and sound. Here is our traveling-trooper-toddler back at DFW. Jack picked us up at the airport and brought us home. 

Thinking back on this trip, I'd do it again in a heartbeat. We really couldn't of asked for a more seamless vacation. I love my boys so much, and look forward to the next time we can get away from it all and enjoy what's important...each other :) Thank you daddy for taking time away from your busy work to escape with us. We had a blast!! Can we go back now ;)