Grammy's visit

After Mia's babysitter quit, Matt did some quick thinking and had his mom fly down to visit and to babysit (again, another plus of having family closer).  It was great having her here and taking her out sightseeing.  Unfortunately, this was the week that our camera battery died and we can't seem to find out charger since the move, so I didn't get pictures like I would have wanted to.  We took her to the Castillo de Leon- the old fort in St. Augustine and it was so cool.  The cement used to make the fort was made of crushed shells and mortar so Makaela had a great time inspecting the different shapes of the shells in the walls.  Then we chatted about pirates, invasions and alligators in moats (great conversations for a 4 year old).   We took her out to a pizzeria a friend had recommended and it was amazing- pizza as good as Brooklyn.  St. Augustine was also having a historic fair so we got to wander around as people dressed up told us how people farmed, lived and made a living in the 1600-1700s when St. Augustine was founded. There was a blacksmith actually doing ...well, I don't know what they do, but he was doing something with the iron.  Makaela got a sterling silver bracelet and ring made by the blacksmith (thanks Grammy).  It was great having her here and she helped us out so much, not only with watching Mia, but she cooked, cleaned, and made some very decadent desserts...we may be thanking her, but our waistlines are not :-)  Can't wait to see her again when she comes down with Papa during the summer!

Eater afternoon

On Easter, we decided to explore St. Augustine and considering I hadn't been to the beach, it was an easy call where we were going to go.  We headed down to St. Augustine beach and were so excited to see a toddler water park and a beautiful pier.  We got to watch the surfers out there and Makaela remarked how much it reminded her of Hawaii and how we had to bring her surfboard (her boogie board) back to the beach so she could surf. Nana really enjoyed the walk and we loved the scenery.

 We are just loving all the pelicans here.

Easter Morning

Holidays get more fun the older the kids get.  Matt and I were itching to give clues so Makaela could find what the Easter baskets the bunny left them.  Makaela also assumed the big sister role and found Mia's basket for her too.  Bailey cleaned up and we found him eating the candy that had fallen out of the baskets or stealing it when the girls weren't looking.  We had a big breakfast and then Nana prepped dinner for later on.  Easter dinner was a feast (I really miss Nana's cooking) and we had enough food to last us a few more dinners. 

Easter Celebration

This year Makaela got a 3D Easter egg coloring kit so she was loving writing words on the Easter eggs.  Below is one that says "Mommy" but the picture didn't come out too well. 

Matt's parents sent an box of Easter goodies and inside was an old fashioned Easter bonnet.  Matt looked great in it, but the intended recipient did not like it so much. 

Our community held a Spring Celebration so we headed to the amenity center with our neighbors for the fun.  Makaela and Mia loved the mini petting zoo.

 Makaela and Daniel (our neighbor) loved the bouncy obstacle course.

 We even had an early visit from the Easter bunny.  Neither one of my kids cried this time. It was great.

The

 Then we had the Easter egg hunt.  It was pandemonium.  Makaela grabbed as many eggs as she could (ah, that competitive spirit) and Mia was just interested in opening them and shoving the candy in her mouth.  Matt jumped in to help in her "collection".

 Makaela was nice and shared some of her eggs with younger neighborhood kids.

Great Nana's Visit

      The day after we got home from NC, my nana came to visit.  The girls absolutely loved her and Makaela talked her ear off.  Matt watched the girls one day so we could go out sightseeing. We went through all the art galleries, looked through many jewerly shops (the eclectic kind, not the ultra expensive), did wine tasting and ate tapas. It is so nice taking people out sightseeing because you tend to see the sights through a different perspective.  

       We also explored the beach areas (which I hadn't been to yet believe it or not). We made it to St. Augustine Beach, and it is so fun.  We didn't have swim suits, but there is a splash garden for the toddlers and a big playground right outside the beach access.  We walked the pier and Makaela got to inspect some very large pelicans, watch the surfers and ask people what they were "fishin" for.  For lunch we tried Panama Hatties and ate on the terrace with beach views. 

     Apparently the day of exploring was not over yet because Makaela asked the waitress where the lighthouse was. We got directions and headed there.  Unfortunately you have to be 44 inches to walk up the lighthouse and when Makaela was measured, she walked right up, stood on her tip toes and claimed she was tall enough.  The docent didn't fall for that though. 

     Nana also made us an enormous pot of sauce, meatballs, sausage and ribs so we are set up for dinners for a while.  Matt is in heaven with all the meat and I haven't had her sauce in ages.  We ate very well for Easter.

      It was nice quality time with her and since she lives near Ft. Lauderdale, we will try to make sure we visit more often.

Airport Escapades

Our trip back to FL was an interesting one.  We had to drive two hours to the Norfolk airport and during our drive, we hit a massive thunderstorm.  It was raining so hard, I could barely see the car in front of me. I was worried we would be late, but we made it in plenty of time and Virginia was sunny for take off.  The girls were great on the first flight, but by the second one Mia was so overtired, she was on overdrive.  I tried to let her walk it out and she was walking through the airport like a rock star.  Of course when I told her to stop walking because we were at our gate, she threw a fit.  It is always fun walking on a plane with a screaming, kicking toddler and people rolling their eyes at you.  Luckily both girls passed out as soon as our plane started moving.  I know I keep saying this, but  I will not be flying with the girls by myself anytime soon again.

warmer day on the beach

The following day was a bit warmer so we decided to head down to the beach for real this time (with bathing suits and all).  It was so fun. The kids loved collecting sea shells and jumping waves. Donald and John dug the kids a moat for building sand castles and during the digging process, the kids found the sand crabs.  They must have collected 20 crabs during the day.  Mia entertained herself in the sand and made friends with many new adults.  She had one woman building sand castles for her and then she would knock them over. I told the lady she didn't need to play with Mia, but she said her own children were grown and don't build sand castles anymore so she was enjoying it. Makaela did a have sad moment though.  I guess being at the beach made her miss Hawaii and while we were having a ball with our friends, she shed a few tears about missing her other friends. I was just thrilled to spend time at the beach with good friends and my beautiful girls again.

The older girls buried themselves up to their waists, but we were not doing the same for Mia.

Me, Kristin and Gabrielle

Me and my best high school/college buddy

We went out to dinner and it was over a dock.  As I watched the girls together, it amazed me how much they communicated even though Mia doesn't speak. I hope they grow into best friends as well (although I am not holding my breath). I did appreciate a beautiful moment though.

On the beach

We went to the beach one day to take some family pictures.  Kristin is a professional photographer so we all planned out to get some great pictures. Mia was so excited to see the ocean.  Unfortunately, it was quite cold so we tried to keep the girls out of the water, but poor Mia ended up taking a face plant in the water anyway. Poor girl was frozen and I ended up stripping her down and ushering her back home while the rest of the kids played on the beach.  The cold didn't deter them from the beach...like all kids.

Dance Lessons

We decided to play freeze dance, but when Beyonce's "Single Ladies" came on, it became a dance lesson.  Gabrielle is a pretty good teacher!  Now I'm sure I have to sign Makaela up for dance class.

Mia on Vacation

During the vacation I got to have lots of bonding time with Mia since she was a bit too young to play with the older kids and since she is a climber, I had to keep my eyes on her constantly.

Being Silly

Gabrielle brought down some silly string for the kids to play with and it seems like the adults had more fun with it than the kids. We were reverting back to our high school years.  It was great seeing them run around and squeal and boy, did we make a mess!

Makaela and her silly string

Donald helping Ava out

Even Mia got caught up in it

Sisterly love

Corolla Go Carts

 Because it was a little chilly, we tried to find activities to do other than the beach.  We headed to the Go Cart track.  I stayed back with the two little ones, while Makaela road with Kristin.  They had a blast.

Donald and Liv

Kris and Makaela had a little bit of a lead

Gaining on Ava and Gabrielle