A Breath of Fresh Air

And so we return. Our trip was AMAZING. Active, lazy, full, and slow all at once. It was EXACTLY what we all needed after this long winter.

:: "We going a Flowda Mama!!!" We sure are Ainsley::

The weather was immaculate. Hot and sticky. Sunny and breezy. We played and ate hard. Slept soundly (even with all 4 of us bunking together for the first time). It was grand.

::my little fashionista::

Ainsley loved the water just as much, if not more, than last year. She tromped through the waves, only stopping when Ian and I would swoop her up when she was up to her neck. She walked boldly to the sandbar, raked and scooped sand galore, and investigated every shell she could get her hands on.

::Louise was not going to miss out on all the sand fun::

Having cousin Connor to play with was such a joy. He and Ainsley are best pals when they're together. Laughing, eating, playing and tantruming in sync. He loves "baby Weez" and she sure thinks her big boy cousin is cute.

::who needs words when you have a picture like this?::

We tried to instill some basic swimming knowledge on our little water worm who jumps into the pool with no one there to catch her, runs to the deep end and willingly dunks her head under. She can now blow bubbles, jump in without assistance (with floaties), kick and move those little arms in syncing circles to swim the pool from end to end. We're pretty proud.

Miss Louisey Bean couldn't have done better. She slept like a champ, napping 3-4 hours a day in the shade of the pool cabana with the ocean breeze at her back. She loved the pool, not so much the float, but being held. She'd scoot her little bum off the edge to "jump" in her own baby way. That dumpling surprises and delights us every day.

We got it all done. Ice Cream at Pinocchio's, Gramma Dots fried grouper sandwiches, key lime pie, Key West beer, fresh Florida grapefruit, Farmer's market BBQ and lots of pool side lunches. Bike rides around the Island, mornings at the pool and afternoons by the beach. Now that was the life.

::traditional Florida double sink baths, so fun and efficient too::

Ian and I even got a date night. We enjoyed two beers a piece and good island bar food at the Lazy Flamingo. We chatted like we were back in college when we were first dating when we could have stayed up all night talking, and sometimes did. Like we didn't have babies to get back to, like we had all the time in the world. I love that boy.

::"cheers-ing" their famer's market strawberries::

we also ate mini donuts and cupcakes...best farmer's market EVER!

We talked about life, parenting, the future. We are in such a good place. Really settling into ourselves, our marriage, our growing family. Life is comfortable and good. Right now in this moment I have everything that I could ever want. I am the luckiest.

This vacation is such a unique one because it's not just about us, or the place, but family too. It's a reunion of the Sullivan clan. People know us down there. They know we're some of them. It's great to feel like a part of something big and traditional.

::Louise was pretty excited about Connor's birthday cake. Who am I kidding, she smiles like this ALL THE TIME!::

A new tradition is celebrating Connor's birthday. We missed it by days last year and I was happy to get to partake in the festivities this year. He did so well sharing his new toys with Ainsley and I was amazed at Ainsley's patience and restraint when he was opening gifts. She sang happy birthday OVER AND OVER to him and when he wasn't listening she'd physically turn his head to make sure he was looking at her. Oh how I wish I'd gotten a video of that.

::My big growing girl::

We ended the week with a pool side must-go BBQ with the whole clan (minus Julie and Jenny and Joe who had already departed paradise). The kids adorned handmade matching Grammy originals. Ainsley felt so pretty that she sat still for 5 whole minutes while I double french braided her hair for the very first time. I will cherish those dresses forever.

Even the 80 minute flight delay on the trip home and Ian's terrible airsicknesses thanks to some rockin' departure turbulence couldn't put a damper on the trip. It was just long enough. I feel refreshed and renewed with enough energy to left to come home do the mass amounts of laundry and grocery shopping/cooking needed to get through one more day until a quiet weekend with my favorite three people.

Thank you Florida. Until we meet again...adieu.