Spring Break 2014 : FLORIDA!!!

After the Great (read, Miserable) Winter of 2013-2014, we all needed a good thaw. And where better than Florida. Buddy and Jackie just finished their house in Fort Myers Beach. The Archers would be there. And Aunt Joanie and Uncle Fred had plenty of room for us in Naples. Count us in! Only 20 hours of road separated us from our final destination. I must admit, I dreaded the drive and often tried talking myself into spending the $1700+ on airfare. But in the end, we loaded the Flex and began driving after school on Thursday. Just 4 gas-ups later we were rolling into Fort Myers Beach. It really was as easy as that. The kids stayed busy with movies and whatnot. Never complained. We had plenty of snacks in the car. The kids got decent sleep. Matt did most of the driving while I kept him company and occasionally tried to catch a few winks, 10 minutes at a time. And before we knew it, we were in the Sunshine State!

Still in Buchanan but PUMPED for our big SPRING BREAK!

Friday
First stop, Fort Myers Beach!

Buddy and Jackie's little beach cottage is just as cute as can be! Very airy and bright. As we walked in the front door you could see all they way through the french doors in the back and their new pool and the canal beyond. After shedding our "We just came from Michigan" attire and getting into our swimsuits, we enjoyed their pool then took a stroll on the beach.

 

Then it was off to the Gardner's residence in Naples. Aunt Joanie went all out stocking her pantry with our favorite snacks, the kids favorite cereal, and the fridge with Matt and mine's favorite beers! The kids couldn't wait to try her pool and hot tub. Then we had a great dinner with Joan, Fred and Fred's sweet sister's, Katie and Deb. Exhausted from the drive, we went to bed early, anxious for our next full week of vacation!

Saturday
A quick breakfast and the kids were in the pool! We checked out the coolness of the Gardner's yard and picked some lemons for fresh lemonade.

Hank loved the "Jungle Trees"

It was a little cool and breezy, but a heck of a lot warmer than us Michiganders had felt in months, so off to the Naples beach!

Then to FMB for a little dinner with Nan and King and the Archers and Ohlunds!

Sunday
Sunday our boating, fishing, shelling, island-hopping trip was cancelled due to wind, but Aunt Joan came up with a great Plan B: Airboat in the Everglades! We brought Brody along for the adventure!

So Sweet! Eleanor and Hank holding hands!

 The airboat's maneuverability was amazing! The views great. I loved the mangroves. And we saw a gator!

Just down a bit was the gallery of great photographer, Clyde Butcher. His photography was amazing! And..we saw more gators! They were everywhere!

Standing along the guardrail looking at the alligator, one of the kids asked "Can it get out of its cage?" No cage, kids.

And Joanie has never even been. Can you believe it!

What an exhausting day!

Monday
Fort Myers Beach day!

 

A pair of dolphins entertained us as they swam super close to shore and apparently caught a fish!

Then back to the beach house where we all tried our best to catch a fish. Matt did the best by catching a beauty of a stick.

Tuesday
We started out the day with the awesome Naples Zoo! We just love that place! So beautiful. Like a botanical garden and zoo wrapped in one!

Carolyn was collecting sea shells

An awesome Banyan tree

Goof balls

Carolyn wanted the map. She loved being our guide and couldn't wait to get to the giraffes.

 

 

The giraffes were pretty amazing. All males (or else they'd fight over the females) and only 4 and 5 years old. Carolyn stepped right up. I expected on of the kids to be scared and not want to feed them, but they all loved it. When Hank couldn't reach, Carolyn didn't hesitate to give him a lift.

We couldn't leave without seeing the gators being fed

Everyone was hungry so where else could we possibly go for lunch but Uncle Fred's restaurant! It was seriously one of the best lunches I've ever had. 

Just around the corner from the restaurant was a wonderful little park. The kids had a blast. It was a beautiful day!

Then back to Joan and Fred's for a swim.

And the best end to a great day in Naples? Watching the sunset at the beach of course!

Matt and Joan discussing how they just saw the "green flash".

 

Wednesday

Another day in FMB with kayaking, gecko hunting, swimming, movies, and birthday fun! But before we left the Gardner's place, I found Hank traveling up and down the outside of the stairs. Before I could say a thing he said, "It's okay, mom. I'm careful. Aunt Joanie said I can do this if I be careful."

 

 

Eleanor and Brody had a blast hanging out with each other and catching geckos. I'm not sure how many they caught but they named quite a few: Stone, Baby Stone, Red Head...

We took the little kids out in the kayaks to look for dolphins in the gulf. We didn't find any but it was absolutely beautiful cruising along in the gulf.

 And Hank finally got the confidence to swim in his lifevest! He looked like a little unicycle rider the way he stayed completely upright and kicked his legs.

 

 Jane and Jackie did a little kayaking themselves

 

The little went in to watch Frozen and Hank just couldn't take it any longer. First nap of vacation.



 

And we had a little pre-birthday celebration for Carolyn with her choice of dinner: tomato soup and grilled cheese!

 

Thursday
Happy sixth birthday to our darling Carolyn Mae! How great to be able to spend your birthday in beautiful Naples, Florida! The kids' room had been kind of a disaster the entire vacation. Beanie Babies and miscellaneous toys everywhere. But when I woke up on Thursday, I found the girls in full cleaning mode! What a great start to our last day of vacation.

The last big thing I wanted to do on our trip was to visit the Naples Pier. So we did!

 

 

 

 

 

After a nice little birthday dinner, Carolyn want to see the sunset and get ice cream. Great plan!

Hank "juggling sand"

Carolyn and her new favorite giraffe and little monkey

Whatbamboooooo!

Friday
Vacation is over. I've never been more sad to leave a vacation. What a great time we had! And we had that great time together as a family! Perfection!

Taking our time getting home, we broke the drive up by stopping to see our friends Joe and Darla. They have a wonderfully guest friendly home near Birmingham, AL. It was so nice to see them and catch up over pizza, beer and cigars (for the guys).

 

Saturday

 

We cruised right along all morning and stopped for some southern lunch just south of Louisville. Back on the highway we hit a terrible traffic jam and went only 15 miles in over 3 hours. No joke. But again, the kids were great. We were just at the end of the jam before Hank yelled, "Dad! Just drive!"