The Saturday 7

1. Well, in case you're not on facebook, here's the news of the week: we're in Florida! We left frigid Michigan bright and early on Monday morning, and despite a bit of anxiety along the way, we had a smooth flight and made it to Florida by 11:20 that morning. 

Levi did better than I expected with the mask, and was content to watch a movie on his tablet for most of the flight!

It wasn't super warm, but we headed right down to the beach anyway.

Lena found these cool coral formations on the beach

We also found our first sand dollar! I've never found one before, but this year, we've seen multiples washed up on shore!

We crammed Levi's remote control excavator into our suitcase specifically for this purpose. Haha.

2. Tuesday ended up being cold and rainy most of the day.

We slept in, went out for lunch, then did what any smart person does on a rainy day: 

Hit up the library! 

Because Justin's parents are snowbirds, they have a library card here, so we were able to check out books. Woohoo! 

Family reading time!

The kids also made a fort:

3. Wednesday was finally sunny and warm-ish.

We drove to a beach down the road, but underestimated the wind. We didn't last very long.

Girl after my own heart

Levi has been obsessed with making sand castles all week, but this beach is more shell dust than sand, so it's not the best for construction.

Back at the condo, Lena found a balance beam that has kept her entertained all week:

4. Thursday was slightly warmer again. Lena rode circles around me in the courtyard while I drank my morning coffee . . .

Then these three enjoyed some reading in the sun . . .

While Levi and I took our cameras down to the beach:

We tried the pool, but it was a very chilly 64 degrees (which is brutal on these spoiled kids who are used to Niki's heated 85 degree pool!). 

Later we headed down to another beach/jetty. Levi had been wanting to go fishing all week, so he got his wish. Within 15 minutes, he caught his first fish:

Justin and his dad continued fishing for a while, but the rest of us walked over to the beach. We weren't wearing swimsuits because it was chilly, but after sitting in the sun for a while, Lena and Levi couldn't handle it, so they started jumping in the waves.

We were thrilled to see a dolphin swimming right by the shore. They're kind of hard to photograph, so this is the best I got:

The whole time we were at the beach, there was a guy fishing near us. I had just told Lucy, "Look, I think he got something" when he came up to us and asked if any of the kids wanted to help him reel in a sting ray! I'm sure you can imagine which one jumped at the chance. Haha.

I couldn't believe how fat it was!

That night, we got to see a beautiful sunset. Lena, of course, had to do some gymnastics while the lighting was cool.

5. Finally, Friday dawned warm and sunny. It actually got hot enough that I broke out the shorts for the first time! We spent the morning on the beach by our condo, dredging up sand fleas:

Disgusting beetle-like things that burrow into the sand. Justin's dad uses them as fishing bait. 

We also found shark teeth and some pretty shells.

The crazies swam in the ocean for a little while. I stayed in my chair introducing my Michigan legs to the sun (with copious amounts of sunscreen because I don't tan like I used to).

After lunch we went to yet another beach to check out the pier.

Another construction project

A little help from the expert

On the pier

Making "hot tubs"

Livin' the life

Hitching a ride to go see the sunset

Gymnastics outtakes 😂

Yes, I am angelic

6. And that brings us to today - another gorgeous sunny day in the high 70s. Justin's dad has been hassling Levi about taking off his training wheels all week, and he finally gave in today.

Levi has very little balance and an abundance of anxiety, so it didn't go super well. Haha.

The pool water had warmed up to 68 degrees, so we tried that again.

Later on, Justin took Lucy downtown to check out all the shops, while Lena, Levi, and I hit the beach again. (Sick of beach pics yet? Too bad.)

These two got along surprisingly well all week and had lots of fun together. 

Tonight, Justin's parents sent us on a date while they watched the kids. We went to a restaurant called Gold Rush, where Justin ate an entire rack of ribs and I drank my weight in Mr. Pibb. It was amazing. 

7. I had some thoughts about our week jotted down to share, but this has gotten out of control, so maybe I'll save it for another time. We're headed home tomorrow, and while I'm dreading the cold, it will be nice to get back into our routine. So I'll finish this off by saying we are so grateful to Justin's parents for hosting us, entertaining us, loving on our kids, feeding us, and putting up with the disruption we bring to their retired lifestyle. There's no way we could afford these annual Florida vacations without their generosity!