Home Sweet Home

Well, our trip to Florida was a complete success. In fact, I would just assume get back on the airplane and fly back (after sitting in the sun for a few days, somehow this weather just doesn't agree with me). Oh well, at least we had a taste of what's hopefully to come in the next month or two.

Our trip began by leaving Michigan just as a cold front was coming in (I believe the beginning of the week was down around 0 degrees and the end of the week had blustery snow). So, we couldn't have left during a better week. The girls did well on the plane as well. I wasn't really concerned about Kyra, but having Katie as a lap child was a bit concerning (when was the last time you saw a 22 month old sit still for 2 minutes, let alone 2 hours). However, she did fairly well - and of course fell asleep as we were landing. Our friends who took us in for 2 days, were as always very hospitable (thanks again Jon and Stacey). We had a good time catching up with them, feeding the ducks at a local lake, and tasting some of the food at the local eateries (Jon ALWAYS knows where to find the best food). Our favorite of course is Parksdale Farms, where they serve the BIGGEST strawberry shortcakes ever, and boy are they tasty.

We then traveled to Kissimmee, Florida. We stayed in a very nice condo, and enjoyed the two large pools and hot tubs nearby our room. Unfortunately, the lazy river that I wrote previously about was not there, but we still had a great time lounging by the pool.

My husband was gracious enough to let me catch some rays while he played with the kids in the pool, on quite a few occasions. Katie was hesitant to swim the first day, but by the end of the week, you just mentioned the word pool, and she would come running to you with a swimsuit. She was even going under the water by the end of the week. Even Kyra was voluntarily dipping her head under the water, which is a REAL accomplishment for her, since she has always been terrified of water in her face!

We spent one other day going to the Florida Aquarium. We had been to this aquarium before, but it has a very nice layout that is not too big (so we could do it in a half days time), but big enough that it holds kid's interest. Then there is a huge play area outdoors for the kids to play at while you eat lunch. Grandma and Grandpa had fun seeing the excitement in their eyes and spending the day with the kids. The kids were pretty tired by then, so they snoozed off and on as we took a drive out to see the manatees at the Tampa Electric's Generating Plant. They stay in the plant's canal because the water is so warm.

Our Kissimmee stay ended with a night on the town with just my hubby. His parents watched the kids, while we went out for dessert for Valentine's Day. We started out at Old Town, an amusement park of sorts, where we both challenged the thought of a bungie jump. Of course, I chickened out at the last moment, so we settled for race cars instead. We then headed to an Italian Restaurant for tiramisu and some coffee. It was a good night, full of much needed adult conversation without the kiddos.

So, now we are home, and back to reality. Yesterday it was freezing rain, today it's just freezing with snow. Yet, indoors it is warm and cozy, the kids are glad to be back in their own beds, and our every day schedule is coming back into play. It was fun to be on vacation, but there is always something about home sweet home that makes it so inviting to come back.