Disney & the Beach 2015! Part 1 - Disney World

Family trip 2015 is in the books and summer hasn't officially even started yet. :) We took the boys to Florida for the week to spend a few days at Disney World and then finish the week off in Naples at the beach! It was the perfect combo vacation and we agree that following up the hustle and bustle of Disney with 4 days at the beach was the ideal set up. Now, to take a REAL vacation without the kiddos. ;) Only kidding. A little.


Vacationing with the Smedbergs is EXACTLY what we needed! They are Disney experts, told us exactly what to pack, had all the tricks, told me which Fast Passes to get and I didn't have to look at a map once. What a relief! Then, to spend the second half of the week at their waterfront home that is totally child-proofed, kid snack-approved, stocked with wine, with a pool and boat and FUN conversation was just what we needed. We are lucky to know them! We all agree that we look forward to vacationing together when there can be a few day camps for the kiddos sprinkled into the itinerary ;)

Orlando - The house!
We rented a great 5 bedroom 5 bath house in Reunion Resort. It was brand new, had a great kid-friendly pool, spacious kitchen and backed to a golf course. There are pros and cons to staying on property and renting a house but here are some quick pros that we enjoyed going the house route:

1) We enjoyed hanging out in the living room or outside or cooking dinner after the kids went down. In a hotel room, once the kids go down, you're kinda stuck there.

2) private pool that you can access quickly. A quick hour swim before bathtime? Why not. That wouldn't have been as easy at a huge resort. Plus, we were all right there so conversation was easier vs. chasing kids around a huge area.

3) Cooking our own dinners was nice, healthier and cheaper. Not to mention, beverages were cheaper than buying at a hotel restaurant!

4) Doing laundry, drying pool towels, etc was a breeze.

5) Space to spread out. 5 bed, 5 baths gave us the freedom to figure out sleeping arrangements when we got there and even gave us the option to change things up if we needed to.

Disney World
Day 1: Magic Kingdom
It's a small world, The Little Mermaid, Peter Pan, Dumbo rides, roller coaster for the boys were all great! The kids were the perfect age to really experience the magic :) We even got in on some parade action and ice cream before the afternoon rains came in and we headed back to the house for some naps.

Day 2: Animal Kingdom
A Bug's Life 3D show, Dinosaur show, safari ride were all really cool! I'm glad we changed it up and did this instead of a second day at MK, which is originally what I had planned.

Day 3: Lunch at T-Rex, Downtown Disney, Drive to Naples!

(Pictures from phones coming soon!)

Summer Vacation 2014 - Mustang Island!

We took a last minute trip down to Mustang Island (outside of Corpus Christi on the way to Port Aransas) the last week in August. We stayed at the Seagull Condos, where we spent almost 20 years as kids. It was good to be back - this time with my own kids. It was crazy to see them enjoying the same pool and running the same spaces that Amanda, Andrea, Byron (my cousin) and I used to as kids. Most schools were back in so it was quiet and we had the place to ourselves. Byron took vacation time that whole week we were there so we got to seem his family plenty, which was so nice! He works for TABC so it's cool to hear his stories :) He and Cara have Emily (3 y.o.) and Jackson (6 months) and this was our first time to meet Jackson so it was really special! Ma enjoyed the whole week so much and I'm so happy she and my mom made the trip!

The condo

Ma meeting Jackson for the first time!

My cousin Byron with his baby boy

Ma and Walker having a heart to heart

*kisses*

Proud Mama: Not one sunburn for the entire family! My fair baby stayed covered up like this the whole time. :)

He clearly needed a little lovin' ;)

Byron with his daughter, Emily

We loved our lazy time in the condo too!

We spent one day at the Texas State Aquarium - I love that place! 

Grayson in awe of the fish

Shark!

Emily and Grayson exploring together

Grayson petting a baby shark 

Grayson sitting like a little man. I dress them in coordinating outfits to stifle his growing up ;)

Walker doesn't sit still for pics these days!

Emily and Gray touching stingrays

There is an otter on my head! ;)

I mean, no words...

Ma with her 4 great-grandchildren - this was not an easy photo to get! :)

The rest of the trip was a mix of relaxation and lots of work! Packing bags, snacks, waters, sunscreening and changing kiddos, swim diapers, pooping in swim diapers, removing wet swim diapers with poop in them, toys, towels, pacifiers that fall in sand, baby eating sand, pack everything sandy back up, head up, baths, changing kiddos, more towels, hanging wet clothes and towels to dry.....and then it's LUNCH TIME. That is JUST the morning! And then you do it all over again after nap. It's a lot of work! But naps after the beach are some of the best and we all took advantage. :) Not having schedules or anywhere to be was so nice. And we loved having Beau all to ourselves that week. I think we both agree that we prefer Destin sand and beaches to South Texas (duh) so we are going to try to get back to Destin (Seaside, really) next year. Overall, loved seeing our family and had a great trip with a lot of great memories!