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.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter from our family to yours.

So glad I insisted on getting a few pictures of them before they changed out of their church clothes.

Sisters.

I did a double take of this picture the first time I saw it.  Nora looks
so much older I barely recognized her.  She is a beautiful girl, inside and out.

Advent 2014 Highlights

For the past three years throughout the advent season I plan a different Christmas related activity for the kids  starting December 1.  Some activities are wintery/Christmasy type of crafts and others are more service based (I'd like to incorporate more of those as they get older).  After the first year of doing them I saw how much fun Nora, Myles and even I had doing them it's been something we've done ever since and will continue to do for years to come!

Here are some of t he highlights from this year's Advent Activity Calendar. 

Pick out the family Christmas tree.

{Sideways... sorry}
Christmas Bingo. They loved this and asked many times
to play again.  A nice, easy activity that's easy to do while
Greta was napping.

Shopped for each other at St. Paul's
Christmas Shoppe. 

About the above - they each had $5 to spend (items inside range from $1-$5 and have been donated by parishioners). I went in with Nora to shop for Myles and Greta while they waited in the  hallway. Then Myles went in with Dan.  I love how thoughtful they both are when picking out gifts for each other. Nora picked something for Myles then would find something else and put her first choice back then go back to that first choice.  Ultimately they both chose great gifts for each other.  

Myles got Greta Christmas tree shaped bubbles (he was very adamant those were for her and never changed his mind - and guess what.... she loved them) and Nora got a 5-pack Hello Kitty chapstick. Right up her alley.   Nora picked out a Spider-Man puzzle for Myles (they were both in a huge puzzle kick at the time and he does like Spider-Man) and a opposites board book for Greta.  

Decorate the Christmas tree.

Attend the Christmas events at Friendship Park (right behind
our house!) Met a reindeer, took "sleigh rides" around the park,
made ornaments and got their faces painted. 

Finding Jesus - a nativity hunt around the
neighborhood of our church that ultimately
ends with finding baby Jesus in his manger
on the alter of church. 

Put Christmas lights up in your room.

Make special gifts for grandparents and great-grandparents.

Make and decorate Christmas trees out of waffle cones
except I didn't get the right kind of cones so we had to eat
some of them to made the bottoms as even as we could.

A Gram original activity - make a holder to display the
Christmas cards we receive.

All aboard the Guenther Express!
Popcorn and hot chocolate as we go on a tour of
Candy Cane Lane.

Wrap the presents you bought for your siblings.

You've been socked!
Very cute -- you fill a stocking with goodies (cookies,
candy, etc.) and ding-dong-ditch it on someone's door step.
Mallory dropped it off at our house and we dropped in off at
Myles' friend Lucas' house.

Make a gingerbread house.
First time we've done this. Bought the pre-
made kit from Costco and worth every single penny.
Myles, who tends to abandon the activity well
before Nora, decorated for a solid 45 minutes.

Our third annual trip to the fire department
to deliver homemade cookies to thank them
for their service.

It's a personal favorite of theirs.

That's us on the right. Zoo Lights is another favorite. This
year Greg joined us which was extra special. Now they
want him to come every year.

And quite possibly my favorite picture. Classic.
Christmas Eve breakfast with Santa.  Never ever a line for
this one at a local restaurant.

Kids' Last Visit with Grandpa Grandpa

On August 10, the kids and I were in Wisconsin for a visit.  It was a beautiful day.  We headed over to see Grandpa.  He always loved seeing them.  He'd watch.  He'd laugh.  He'd ask questions.  He was thrilled when one of them would come sit by him.  

Greta usually wasn't a big fan of sitting on Grandpa Grandpa's lap but there was something about this day... she snuggled right in there and didn't mind one bit.

Nora and Myles always liked to visit.  My Uncle Greg would generally meet us over there.  He would take the kids on rides on Grandpa's motorized wheelchair and take them for walks around the halls where they'd pretend to use the fire extinguishers and put out the fires saving all the people. 

Feeding Cheetos to the turtles.
That's typical food for their diet, right?

There was something so wonderfully perfect about this day -- especially looking back on it. Grandpa was feeling extra energetic and took a ride with us out to the fountain.  

Greta got her toes wet in the fountain.

I snapped a selfie with Grandpa.
My absolute favorite and it warms my heart
just looking at it.

Greta with my Uncle Greg.

Grandpa taking Greta for a ride on the scooter.

Before we headed back inside I snapped a rare picture of all three kids with Grandpa.  And they're all looking! 

Grandpa with his three great grandchildren.
 He was always so proud to tell his friends about them.

This perfect visit would turn out to be their last visit. A short nine days later Grandpa met his creator. Looking back on this visit is something so special to me.  Normally, Grandpa would pass on coming out with us ("oh that's ok... you just go") and Greta would cry if you tried to set her down on his lap.  But none of that happened.  God knew what was going to happen, as He always does, and He gave this visit as a gift to us. For this and many reasons, I thank you Lord. 

We love you and miss you, Grandpa.  The kids still pray for you at night adding, "even though we don't have to pray for you because you're  in heaven with Jesus."  

Thank you for all the Monday pick-ups from the babysitters when I was a kid.  I'm still amazed at your timeliness -- always pulling up at exactly 4:00.  Sometimes 3:59 but never 4:01. And thank you for doing your Saturday morning rounds. We could always count on you at 9am and we count on the bottom of your car scraping the driveway as you backed out.  I feel lucky to have had those times with you.

I hope you're enjoying hearing the birds chirp again...