~Florida: Evening on the Beach~

Our last evening in Florida we made our way back over to the beach to take pictures and watch the sun set.  It was actually a lot cooler that day and with my achy pregnant body I wasn't about to get in the water, but the kids didn't seem to mind too much and still wanted to wear their swimsuits.

Seaweed collecting was a favorite pastime for Elyssa. She is a beach girl, like her mama.

Kungfu fighting?  Not sure what the little man was doing in these pictures. 

Grandma was there to make sure she didn't get swept away.  :-)

The kids used the sand and seaweed to build fairy beds or nests.

Our best attempt at a group shot.  Love Alec and Elyssa's faces.  

Then we tried to take some pictures of just our family, but the kids were feeling way to goofy to just stand and smile.  Lyssa has to be the best part of this picture.  

None of them were exactly wall worthy, but I think we still had fun.  

Nick and I have pictures of the two of us snuggled together at every beach we have ever been too. This was not going to be the exception just because I was pregnant.

Daddy and his daughters.  I must have been standing on higher ground here because I am not as tall as my sister.

I've never been one to take belly shots while pregnant.  I don't mind that other people do it. I just don't feel comfortable with it myself, but Ryan snapped this one really quick and painlessly and I actually think it's a beautiful picture.  If only that was a large as I ever get pregnant!  This was me, just over half way and is one of the only pregnant belly shots of me in existence.  Way to take a one and only, Ryan!

Beautiful Erin, a month behind me, expecting her first child, a sweet baby girl.  I was beyond thrilled when she told me.  I may have even cried.  

At a certain point I looked over and saw Elyssa having this beautiful moment and simply had to take a picture.  She was just staring off at the clouds and that beautiful place where the ocean meets the land, taking in natures beauty.  

Then I sent the other two munchkins to sit by her.  They are always so cute together.

This picture became my new computer desktop photo.  Two little monkeys, snuggled up being sweet together, with one little monkey calmly looking out at the world.  

We made our way back to the house, packed up our bags and prepared for the journey home.  We woke up before the dawn and drove back across the keys, up the coast to the airport in time to make our flights to our respective homes.  I wanted to cry when I hugged my parents goodbye at the airport, and some of my children may have shed a tear or two.  It's never long enough!  It was a beautiful vacation and a wonderful way to end 2012.  

Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa!  

We love you more than all the grains of sand in the ocean.

~Florida: Lazy Day on Big Piney Key~

By Sunday morning we were pretty beat... at least I was pretty beat.  The kids were still buzzing with energy.  We had a lazy morning and then a short FHE type church meeting with the munchkins before Grandpa Steve got to work breaking open a coconut for the kids.  They saw them on the ground all around the neighborhood and were desperate to get one open.  Too bad it was rotten inside.  I doubt even the fuzzy antler key deer wanted to eat the rotten ones, though they did enjoy our compost. 

Just down the road was a little pond with an alligator we simply had to check out.

We tried to take a little walk around the pond... 

but quickly learned that the trail was closed.  Bummer.

The kids still had an adventure though, and danced around together for a little bit before making their way back to the cars. I love it when they are sweet to each other.

Back at the house Grandpa pulled out a paper airplane book and some supplies to try and teach the kids how to make really cool paper airplanes.  They enjoyed making them and then shooting them off the upstairs deck.

While Grandma and Grandpa were out kayaking, Ryan pulled out his camera and caught some beautiful shots of our kids. I love this one of Lyssa. 

This little girl has such amazing eyes.

His laughing face makes me so happy.

I'm never super comfortable in front of the camera, but especially not when I'm pregnant.  Still I knew I needed to take advantage of the opportunity to get a picture with Nick.

Such a cute daddy/daughter picture.  

Beautiful Erin and Ryan.  

Ryan let Lyssa draw pictures on his tablet computer.  She thought that was a pretty awesome way to do art. 

Grandma and Grandpa coming in from their kayaking excursion.

I finally decided it was time for me to have a turn in the kayak so Nick, Cordy and I went out for a bit.  Poor Nick's arms were pretty tired from taking the kids out earlier in the day so we didn't go too long, but I was happy to realize that despite my pregnant state my arms were still quite strong and capable.  I could have gone for another hour!

Lovely lazy way to spend our last day in Florida.

~Florida: Farmers Market & Key West~

After a long day before on the beach some of us were a little slow getting our sunburned bodies going, but eventually we were ready and out the door to experience the sites and sounds of Key West!  These chipper people were up and at them a bit earlier, with plenty of time to catch this darling grandparent/grandkid photo.  

First stop was at an outdoor market on Big Piney Key. 

We checked out the handy work of the locals (as well as some not so locals probably working in sweat shops across the ocean) and picked up some hats for the kids, a Florida Keys beach towel, and some pretty silver butterfly jewelry for me. 

We also got lots and lots of tiny bananas and fresh amazing strawberries that I quickly devoured.

Once we made our way down and across Key West, we took a tour of Ernest Hemmingway's home.  

Pregnant sisters after checking out the gardens and graveyard for the Hemmingway five toed cats.  

Picture depicting the Hemmingway house, covered in five toed cats.

This was a corner of the upstairs in the guest house, where Hemmingway escaped to do his writing.

An attempt at taking a family picture in the beautiful gardens.

Erin and Ryan at the Hemmingway house, our amazing tour guides/photographers for the trip.

Another attempt at a family picture.  The asian tourists couldn't help but gawk at us with our three young children and my big swollen belly.  

I'm pretty sure I actually noticed a few of them attempting to sneak a picture.  

We did more exploring around the historic parts of town, with lots of walking and merrymaking happening all around us.  The kids liked this old schooner, and were bummed they couldn't climb it.

Instead they went with Nick and Grandpa Steve in the ocean ship salvage museum and saw all sorts of cool things, like a giant heavy block of silver grandpa picked up.  Alec was impressed with his strength.

Is all this pirate treasure?  Huh?

After climbing many many steps the kids made it to the top of the look out tower.

This was a zoomed in view of those of us who decided to stay down below.  My legs were so terribly swollen and painful with the heat, humidity.  It was nice to take a break for a bit and relax.

What a beautiful view!

After messing around in the historical square...

We eventually made our way back to our cars.  It was quite the walk Nick, Cordy, Grandma and I did to get to our car with all the chaos and partying starting on the streets as the evening rolled in, but eventually we made it and took our tired bodies home to bed.