Finally, the Florida Pics!!!

Florida: January 17 - 25, 2009

Okay, this is a long post with lots of images. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say none of you have dial-up, but if you do I apologize (first because there are so many pictures, and second because you still have dial-up). Please enjoy and don't be a stranger to comment on your favorite ones. I am planning on framing up a select few of these so I can hang them in Andrew's sailboat-themed room. Neat idea, right?

This is on the way down, in the airplane. Andrew had a major meltdown, and throughout the 3 hour flight, he became increasingly frustrated (well, why can't I run down the aisle of the plane?). Anyway, that's him relaxing. That's a random dude next to me. I just used my coat as a buffer zone so he didn't see any nip.

This is our rental car. Yeah, a Mustang. The only positive was it was LATCH-equipped, so installing the carseat was a breeze. I was laughing the entire time because while we did request a compact car, we didn't expect THIS beast. I couldn't see over the dashboard (we sat so low in it); my hubby kept saying as we were driving that all he could see was hood. It was also pretty loud. It worked, but yeah. Not the best. Our Focus gets way better gas mileage too. I give it a C minus.

These were taken on our first full day in Florida. The beach was just steps away from our hotel. VERY nice, because the beach wasn't busy at all and the waves were calm. Here is my husband showing off his Wisconsin glow. :) (Have you ever seen a skinnier Wisconsinite? I haven't either).

Mommy showing off her Wisconsin glow. By the end of the week, I had a nice tan, actually.

This would be the part where Andrew starts rubbing his eyes, getting sand in them. Naptime! I walked back to the hotel with him and got him to take a nice, long nap. Yay, I watched Mean Girls while Daddy enjoyed the sun! Oh well, I made myself a mean sub sandwich and that thing was GOOD!

Later on, we took a nice walk down to the pier. We purchased a cheapie umbrella stroller from Target, and thank goodness we did because we ended up using it throughout the trip! Oh, had to get sandals for the little dragon too.

It was a long day! Look how tired he is (haha). We'll put it this way--he napped better than he slept at night. GOOD GRIEF. I didn't think to ask for a crib at any of the hotels, so it was a big party every night--Andrew going back-and-forth between Mom and Dad--giving kisses and squealing with delight when we tried to get him to lie down.

Day 2 at the beach. Andrew is on the prowl.

It has been a long time since summer, and dang it--I'm going to catch some rays even if the water is cold!

For some reason, Andrew wanted to run away. He did this the entire day!
It was a picture-perfect day!

Mommy slept in while Daddy took Andrew to the beach in his jammies! :) For some reason, he reminds me of a prison escapee!

We headed down to Homestead, FL to the Fruit and Spice Park (remember, my hubby is a plant FREAK, and he is especially keen on bananas). Here goes Andrew! He was very independent and walked most of the park--I was proud of him!

Is this a ball? No, I guess it's a coconut. :)

After a skinned knee, Andrew went in the stroller.

Us being dorks. :)

One last pic of my boys...

The next day we were in Key Largo, and it was cooler, so we headed down US Highway 1. This is a little ways before the Seven Mile Bridge.

This was the day where it only got up to 57. Cold (for down there). I only have a sweatshirt on because the wind was insane (obviously--look at Andrew's hair!).

These were taken at our hotel in Ft. Lauderdale. Andrew is looking for "Eeeeees" (his word for airplane; I have no idea why, but it's so darn cute!).

One of my favorite pics of him, showcasing his trademark hair...

Daddy and Andrew relaxing in the late afternoon sun...

Hey, Mom! Whatcha doin?

Our last two days were spent at Ft. Lauderdale Beach. It was so much fun! Honestly, Florida can be as much fun as Cancun. :)

He played with my hair pick for most of the trip and would not let go--that is until he lost it on the beach at some point on the last day. :(
My boys playing in the sand!

Love, love, love this pic! It's my most favorite. The sun is perfect, the way they are posed is perfect (they didn't know I was taking the pic), and I love the composition.

I love this picture of him--the way the sun is glinting off the ocean is just gorgeous.

I love the look of determination on his face in this one...
He looks like a model here...Andrew has a lot of potential, eh?

For some reason, I was all crooked in this one--yet, it works. I still think it's a neat shot...
The hotels/condos along Ft. Lauderdale Beach

Some things I learned about Florida: people drive really, really fast. There are a ton of stop lights (or as they call them, "signals") and traffic goes really fast only to come to a halt. The music stations are way better--seriously, the station I listen to here (the only one that plays pop/rap/R&B) doesn't play half the music they play down there; also the deejays here gab non-stop, whereas they have more commercial-free time down there. Publix is AWESOME! That's the main grocery store besides Winn-Dixie, or as we liked to call it, Winn-Shitzie! The cars are so CLEAN down there. No salt/sludge/dirt on them. The cars are also NICER down there. We saw so many fancy cars--lots of wealth in the area.