I'll start by saying that I had very low expectations for this trip. Like I've said before, it hasn't been a great start to our year. I fully expected someone to get sick, for it to rain the whole time, heck even for one of our flights to get cancelled….and admittedly because of all of the coverage of the Malaysian plane disappearance, my imagination
Thankfully, none of that happened and we had a perfect little 5 day getaway (which, as it turns out, is the perfect amount of time to take 2 kids under 3 with you on vacation). Dare I say that by the end of day 4 in the sun, Andrew and I both agreed that one more day of sun would have been too much. That seems impossible to even think right now as I'm looking at the snow forecast for tomorrow, but it's the truth.
We opted for an afternoon flight so that we would have a stress-free morning. Dad even came over to entertain the girls while Andrew and I finished packing.
We changed it up this trip by hiring someone to drive our minivan to the airport and then pick us up on our return. This was cheaper than parking at the airport AND way more convenient since we were just dropped off curbside ($195 round trip, including tip). It also meant that we didn't have to haul the double stroller and all of our luggage from long term parking. And we didn't have to remove our carseats from our minivan. We have one travel carseat that we always take with us and then chose to rent one form our rental car company for $60. It's actually not recommended to check your carseats since the bumping around down in the cargo bay can compromise its safety. I could write a whole review on how incredibly awesome our Britax b-agile double stroller is, but I will save that for another time. Just a quick note that it is too big for them to put through x-ray, so you do have to wait 5 minutes for the TSA to hand inspect it. When you are walking through security with an infant and skipping the scanners, you have to wait for a hand-swipe anyway, so it's not that big of a deal to wait for the stroller.
Time in NYC Laguardia security = 10 min. = happy parents.
= hey, we have time to kill, let's go get some cupcakes!
Our plane was delayed coming into NYC, so we passed some more time by jumping from seat to seat and eventually got to watch our plane arrive. Adalyn was superduper excited to see her "blue plane".
Given some of the seat licking that occurred, it's kind of a miracle that no one has come down with a freak virus. ;)
An abundance of snacks, the televisions on JetBlue and the iPad were the key to us not getting kicked off the plane.
This is such a weird post 9-11 shot for me. I have so many memories of this flight path with the World Trade Center in view. It's bizarre to see the new tower in the distance.
I adore these shots I took on landing.
Turns out that renting a minivan was cheaper than renting a mid-size SUV so we cruised around Florida in style. ;) First stop was Chik fil A to fill our bellies and then we were off to Hutchison Island!!
We were treated to many gorgeous sunrises off the balcony.
And we found ourselves at the pool by about 9:30am everyday. It was surreal for me to take these images of my Nonni and Adalyn together. I have identical photos of me doing the same. I was so proud of Adalyn for wearing her "wings" and with no fear, jumping right into the pool. Definitely my daughter.
Naps everyday occurred in the stroller.
My uncle came up to visit for a few hours on Sunday. It was so great to see him!
The majority of the first day was spent in the pool, as Adalyn did not want to get out!
And by some miracle, the kiddos were pretty well-behaved at dinner every night.
Icecream was the reward. :)
I was kicking myself a bit that I did not go out to the beach and take images on this particular morning. It was just so, so beautiful!
The beach proved to be a place of fun as well.
Who is this 12 year old?
Ellie had her first taste of sand.
And Adalyn her first dip in the ocean with Daddy.
E was a bit freaked out and much preferred to be playing in the sand without the company of the water.
Camera note: I brought along my backup camera (Canon 5D Markii) and my 35L and 85 1.8 because I thought it would be great to have both a wide and longer lens. I really liked this choice it will now be my go-to vacation set. While something like a 24-70 would be very versatile, I could never just bring one lens with me out of fear that something could happen, and since the 85 1.8 is so light and small to carry around, it's a great addition!
Lunch was eaten outside every afternoon.
To add in some fun to Monday evening, my friend Ute (www.utechristinphotography.com), who was also in FL for vacation, came up to our beach to take family pictures!! I cherish these so, so much!!! Thank you Ute!
After the shoot, Adalyn was perfectly happy to climb the "dunes" until dinner time.
We went out for some yummy St. Patrick's Day food and green beer after. :)
That evening turned to a bit of rain and cloudy skies the following morning, so Andrew and I took turns running on the beach. When I got back from my run, the sky had cleared, and it was back to the pool!
Oh how the limb chop slays this image for me. But I do still <3 it.
What I give to be able to watch this sunrise again tomorrow.
We went out to a "fancy" dinner on our last night, and Adalyn got to feed the fish and birds while we waited for our table.
The next set of images were all taken with the Pentax WG-3 Underwater Point and Shoot. The jury is still out on this camera. I need to use a bit more to really recommend it for vacation shots. I've been really itching to buy some underwater housing for my Markii but just can't justify it at this time. I also know that focusing underwater is difficult and that the focal points of my Markiii would work much better. But I don't think I will ever risk putting my 3rd baby underwater. haha There is a possible trip to Hawaii happening in August and I might make the call then. We shall see! For now, the WG3 images…. My biggest issue with this camera was my inability to control settings. It's all auto folks, and that just doesn't work for the kind of images I like to take. Still some winners though and I'm grateful I had it with me!
And there you have it! Florida 2014. Check out Florida 2012 for a fun comparison!
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