Fort Myers Beach: Part 1

We were invited down to Dan's aunt and uncle's place in Fort Myers Beach for a week in March and we jumped at the chance.  An amazing place to vacation with not one but two grandmas there to help with the kids at the end of a long winter? Why wouldn't we say yes?!

The posts about our stay are kind of long (and I did by best to scale down) so I broke it up into two separate posts. Well, really three if you count the post about Disney too.

Let's start with the plane.  It was a first for all three of our kids.  We chose a very early flight (because they seem happiest in the morning) 6:30/7 o'clock-ish which meant we had to leave our house at 4:45am.  Ugh.  Nora woke up 20 minutes before she had to because she was excited.  When Dan woke Myles he immediately started jumping on the bed chanting, "Florida! Woo hoo!"  And Greta slept until just before we had to shove her into the car.  We were off to a great start.  

Still learning the whole concept of personal space. 

Excited for their first plane ride! 

 I had lots packed for Greta to do on the plane.  I was pretty nervous about how things would go.  No parent wants to have a screaming child on the plane. I hardly needed any of it.  Snacks, Gram, a couple of short-lived activities and eventually the iPad was all she needed.

Pom poms into an old milk bottle. Put in. Dump out.
Repeat. Entertaining for a 17 month old.

Coloring and stickers in their own notebooks
along with Frozen.

 Dan sat with Nora and Myles while Greta sat with my mom and me across the aisle.  With about an hour left in the flight, my mom and I got ditched and she finished watching Frozen with the others. Super-Dad with all three kids while I looked on.  I'll call it a success.  

We have arrived! 

And quickly changed into tank tops.
85* and gorgeously sunny.

Coming off the heels of swimming lessons, they wasted no time getting their suits on and jumping in.  I think it was within an hour of arriving.  And why not?

   

While we were there her wind-blown hair developed the cutest wave
in the back.

Uncle Bob and Aunt Mary's house is right along the canal where
you can see jumping fish. If you look closely in the right third of the
picture you can see a fish mid-flight.

Greta was so relaxed during this trip.  Truly the happiest I've seen her.

 

She didn't care for being in the water at the beginning of the week
but by the end that had completely changed. 

Practicing her back float.  By the end of the week she could float without
the life jacket.  Her record was 24 seconds. 

A short walk to the beach.

Greta's first trip to the ocean.  Let's just talk about this for a minute.  I will never ever forget it.  She loved it.  There was no fear for her.  My cheeks hurt from smiling as I watched her experience it. I can still hear the squeals of delight. 

 

  

Nora spent most of her time on the beach
collecting shells. 

Joy radiates from this picture. 

As I said, she had no fear of the ocean. She wanted to go deeper and deeper.  The waves didn't phase her one bit.

She didn't even mind the sand on her toes. 

She's going to move away to a warmer climate when she's older.
I can tell already.

 The pool and the beach.  This is how we spent most of our days. The perfect relaxing vacation.