Florida!

On a whim, we decided now was the perfect time for a family vacation to Florida.  Wisconsin is so cold, Bennett still flies free for a month as a lap child, and I'm not working and so am not restricted to certain travel dates around school's schedule.  Brad started doing some searching and we found cheap flights to Fort Myers.  We wanted to stay on Fort Myers Beach, where my mom loved to visit, but there weren't any houses available.  We found a great house with its own pool in Naples though!  

Overall we had a blast and enjoyed the warm sun, but traveling with two small kids is a logistical nightmare and not quite the "vacation" we're used to.  We had to lower our expectations a lot.  In all we had to pack two big checked suitcases, two carseats and one base, two strollers, a diaper bag, a laptop bag, a boppy, and a backpack.  I think the airline saw us coming a mile away and were very helpful.  We were able to get an extra seat on both flights since they weren't full - thank Goodness!  Ben as a lap child would've been a tight squeeze.  We had maybe 20 minutes on each flight that was rough with whining/fussing at the same time, but otherwise it went pretty well.  Our flight home ended up being delayed by 2 hours, so we didn't get home until 11:30pm!  Thankfully both kids slept most of that flight.

We were able to enjoy the weather, but had to work around napping and eating schedules which was interesting.  Eleanor was not into nursing outside in the heat (can't blame her) so that was a little challenging.  

The first day we were there, we saw a spring training game - Red Sox versus the Twins.  Our seats were in the pure hot sun so we weren't going to stay, but thankfully we found a shady spot on the second level so we could enjoy a few innings at least.

The first day, Ben wasn't into the pool but by the end of the trip he cried when we made him get out.  It helped that the pool was 90 degrees I think!  We got him this floatie called a Puddle Jumper and it was perfect for him!  He never really swam around on his own, but he would "swim" with us, jump into our arms from the deck, and he played a lot on the pool stairs.

Eleanor also loved the warm water!  She got to swim around 4/5pm each day once the pool was shady.

It was so fun to dress Eleanor up in summer clothes for a change!  We borrowed some 3 month clothes from our friends since by the time it's summer here, Eleanor will be in 6 month clothes.  Can't wait for little rompers and dresses this summer.  We had to buy this bouncy seat in Florida...it was too tough not having anywhere to put Eleanor down. She loved it! :)

There was a great beach in Naples that was a short drive from our house.  We went there in the mornings and then swam in our pool in the afternoons.  This beach had some shady areas until about 11:30, so we hung out there.  I was super freaked out about Ben and Eleanor getting any sun on them, as you can tell.  I am happy to say their baby skin is still as white as when we left, so I think that's a win! :)

Brad and I did get some pool time, too.  Thankfully the kids afternoon naps overlapped all except one day, so we had 1.5-2 hours in the pool and pure sun with no worries each day! :)  It was so nice to be outside, be barefoot, and go on walks each night.  I just cannot wait for it to start being nicer out here!  Coming home to 39 degrees was rough!