We did a thing! A vacation thing. We went to visit my parents in Florida for a week. It was fun but also stressful and... about as unrelaxing as a vacation can be. I suppose that's life with two small children. We flew in on a Saturday afternoon. The kids were pretty good on the plane. Evie was a little whiny but no big deal, and no one broke down through TSA this time. OK I almost did, but people were being so rude. The kids were fine. Andrew was happy to watch tv and squirm and grope his neighbor, but she said it was OK because he's little.
When we got there we just got everything situated and chilled out. It's tiring flying with kids! So they promptly put themselves in front of the TV.
The next day we were still too tired to do much. The kids went to sleep really late, and we had a pool, so we just went there. Andrew loves water, but he doesn't like to sit still, so it's tough with him. I had to follow him everywhere and he kept getting out.
Evie thought she owned the pool and did not care who was in it or what they were doing. Including us. She just wanted to run around and she didn't have swimmies, so eventually we had to leave because she wasn't listening.
The next day we went to Juno beach. Evie LOVES the beach, but she is so drawn to the ocean that she has a hard time staying away. I think it meets a lot of her sensory needs, but we had to have 2 people with her at all times, and eventually we had to leave because she couldn't stay away and the currents were strong. I hated taking her away but it was getting dangerous and this child can't listen. Honestly I think she just doesn't understand that somehing that feels good and meets her special needs can be dangerous.
Andrew was happy just to walk. Honestly this kid is just a happy guy. He wants to run and climb and as long as he can he's cool. He usually likes water but he couldn't understand why the water kept chasing him, so he mostly stayed on dry sand. Here he is with my mom, who is NOT an ocean person.
The water there is amazing. It's so clear and blue. I can't wait to get back to the beach by myself/with Andy. And with the kids when they understand danger a little better.
The next day we took the kids to a playground. It's not really a November activity up here, so it was nice for them to get to play and climb and run. The park is huge and enclosed and has tons of stuff for Evie. She had a blast, and Andrew walked around until he found a patch of flowers to sit in, and he just sat and watched the world. He's so sweet.
Tuesday night Andy and I went to happy hour on the water and got drinks (he may have had a few too many) and delicious food. And 2 hours to ourselves.
On Wednesday we went to a lagoon, which we had to leave early because... surprise! Evie wasn't listening. She kept running next to that wall on the left and I didn't want her to fall onto the big rocks there. She refused to listen, refused to not climb the lifeguard tower... etc. She had the biggest of big meltdowns when we left. Again, because there's so much sensory fulfillment and she just doesn't get the concept of danger. Prior to that, though, she played in the water, which was only chest height on her, with no waves or undertow. Andrew and I sat in the shallow part and saw crabs and fish. This place was awesome.
My mom and I took Evie to a nature center. She was great on the tram ride and inside the center. We saw this cool turtle named Sirena, and I got a Christmas ornament for me and a fake snake for Evie. I don't know why she wanted that but.. she likes it, so it's cool.
My dad and I went snorkeling at the Blue Heron Bridge twice. The first time we didn't see much because the tide went out before we found what we were looking for. The second time we saw the whole thing and got video I'm waiting for my dad to cut for me. He saw a stingray but I missed it. I did not, however, miss the jellyfish. They're so cool to look at but not so much to get stung by. Ow.
This guy is Blue Heron famous. He's everywhere. He's in pamphlets, and was there when wer were down in March. People try to take him out further to keep him away from all the kids that pick him up, but he's having none of it.
My mom and I took Andrew to Juno pier on Friday. I was really hoping to see some huge fish or a shark fin, but no luck. It started storming as soon as we got back in anyway.
He did, however, get to use a super cool chopping cart, which, as you can see, he enjoyed.
This is Evie and daddy on the plane home. We were in the first row so she didn't have a tray but they made it work.
And this guy? Well... see for yourself.
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