Another First...A Real Family Vacation

Warning: This post is extremely picture heavy. Proceed at your own risk.

Last week we got back from our first 'real' family vacation. I say 'real' because we have taken time away from work and our routines to head up to my in-laws cabin in northern WI, but we have never gone on a vacation to a new place with the kids. Matt and I usually take at least one trip each year just the two of us (highly recommended!!) but we realized we should take a family vacation when we noticed the kids talking fondly about our last trip to Washington. (It was an interview for Matt over 2 years ago and we flew from Columbus, OH to Washington state--took 3 flights-- and it was only 2 days long. The kids and I played in the pool at the hotel and met up with Matt and the other physicians for dinners at night, which were not suited for young kids who were up 3+hrs past their bedtimes due to the time change, but they did great. And the highlight of that trip for them was when we got bumped on our last flight home in Atlanta and had to stay the night in a hotel--a very nice one--and got room service the next morning at 5 am for breakfast before we flew home.) Needless to say, a real vacation was in order!! Matt had a conference in Ft. Lauderdale for a few days, so we decided to go for a full week. Neither of us had ever been and the kids hadn't seen the ocean, so we thought it would be fun. AND some of our good friends were also going to be at the same conference and we scheduled our trips together, staying in the same hotel (that was seriously genius of us Jen!)
I took so many pictures from our trip and believe it or not, these are the narrowed down pics that I just couldn't leave out. There are many more--but I am actually restraining myself here! I was going to do several different posts, but I think I will just put it all together....lots of pictures, lots of stories and even more great memories! No one in our family (including Matt and I) wanted to leave. We had an amazing time! (I do think it helped that we went in to this trip realizing it would be more of a 'trip' for Matt and I than a "vacation".....lowering our expectations and realizing it wouldn't be very relaxing for us but would be lots of fun and we would be making lots of memories certainly helped. And I think as a result, we had an amazing time!)

We flew in on Tuesday and the kids did great on the plane rides...we had a layover in Atlanta which was only about 45 minutes. Blake had a rough time on the second flight, being a child that hates to be confined and was overly tired. But we made it! Wednesday morning we drove to the grocery store to pick up a few things for breakfasts and lunches before Matt headed to his conference. Then the kids met up with the Lundquists...finally! (The kids had been asking when they would see Kael and Elli from the moment our plane landed!)

Our kids' first time at the ocean

As you can tell from this next picture, we had some fears to deal with. I made the mistake of showing the kids what a jellyfish was and making sure they knew not to touch it (I hadn't been warned as a kid and got stung). As a result, the kids were all terrified of being in the sand by the water that first day....Jen was trying to get Elli in the picture and the poor thing was so scared. I tried to reassure the kids that we would probably not see another one on our entire trip.....

so they finally relaxed a bit and enjoyed the beach

Blake's reaction to the ocean, sand and freedom to roam!!!!!

...trouble....

Wyatt and Kael found a piece of bamboo (not sure where it came from!) and pretended to be rowing in the ocean....

..then tried to figure out if they could break it...

(unsuccessfully)

..and then the dads got back from their conference and Drew pointed this out to the kids...

and we were back to square one with reassuring the kids of the safety of the beach!!

This jellyfish was about 5 times as big as the first one I had shown the kids...

but it is quite an amazing creature!

Thursday was my 31st birthday and I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend it!

Drew and Jen had chocolate covered strawberries sent to our room, which everyone in my family thoroughly enjoyed!! Thanks guys!

Thursday ended up being our only rainy day while we were there. Matt skipped out on the conference in the morning to be with us on my birthday, so we all headed down to the pool (the kids were much more comfortable here without the fear of any jellyfish!)

(the pool was so great...heated with a heated lazy river...and the restaurant servers brought food and drinks out to the pool AND beach all day long!!)

Blake constantly wanted to get in on the boys' games of tossing the football in the pool

Sadie and Elli played 'babies', 'mommies', and 'sisters' constantly while we were in the pool. They were truly in their own little world.

We noticed we were getting a bit wet, but it's hard to tell its raining when you are already in a pool! I believe it was Sadie and Elli who shouted, "It's raining!" and we quickly saw some dark clouds move in and the pool area clear out. We loaded up all 6 kids, 2 strollers and plenty of toys and towels and took cover on the patio at our hotel.

The rain passed in about 10 minutes and the sun emerged again. But just as quickly as we got settled at the pool again and everyone in the water did another rain cloud move in.....at this point, Jen and I made the decision to abandon our plans of a day outside and move to plan B. There was a nearby mall that we had wanted to check out and since Matt and Drew had our rental car, we called a shuttle and loaded up all 6 kids and 2 strollers and headed to the mall.

I'm not quite sure how to sum up our time in the mall other than to say that this mall had possibly never seen 6 kids enter it, let alone all at one time. Wherever we went inside the mall, we got stares and looks from everyone as if to say, "What are those things? And what are they doing here?" I looked to Jen at one point and asked if she was noticing the same thing, to which she she replied, "Well I guess these are all the people who come down here to get away from their own grandchildren, so I'm sure they aren't crazy about our kids." Getting lunch for all 8 of us was quite a scene, not to mention they didn't have highchairs for the little boys. After Jen and I crammed our food in our mouths, we asked a woman in the food court area if there was a kids play area (not expecting there to be one). She directed us to the far back corner of the mall, right next to the bathrooms, where there was a conference-looking room with a small plastic Fisher Price house inside it, a little table, and a TV with cartoons on it. But it was perfect for us---closed off from all the snobby people in the mall who didn't appreciate our children's energy and a safe place for the kids to move around. But before we went it, we took everyone to the bathroom....Blake needed to be changed, Jen needed to make Beckham a bottle (who was quite upset and hungry at this point) and Wyatt, Kael, Sadie and Elli all had to use the restroom. And as soon as we got in there and Jen went to make Beckham's bottle, his formula spilled all over the floor----Jen and I just looked at each other and had to laugh. I'm sure 2 children ago, when we both only had one, we wouldn't have laughed. But at this point, what else could you do. We made it out of there, let the kids move around a bit in the play area, and headed out of that mall as quickly as we could. (When we got outside to wait for our shuttle, we had learned that during our 2 hours in the mall there had been a huge thunderstorm--could you imagine if we had been outside with all 6 kids during that?! )

It seemed like the shuttle was taking a bit long and the kids were all getting tired, so Jen called and found out they had sent our shuttle to the wrong location and didn't have another with car seats, so we just decided to walk back to our hotel. It was a 2 mile walk and the kids did get a bit tired, but we were just thankful the rain held off and we made it back in one piece!!!

(stopping along the way to give the kids' legs a rest and take a pic)

Blake and Beckham took their naps in the strollers during our walk, so once we got back to the hotel we just hung out in the lobby waiting for Matt and Drew. The kids found some games (Chutes and Ladders, Checkers, CandyLand). Blake and Beckham were climbing all over the furniture and on the ground, but it kept them occupied and I scored a free Pina Colada from the bar for my birthday!!)

Once the guys got back from the conference, Jen and I attempted to explain our day but it was no use....we were so 'punchy' and tired and just kept laughing at how comical it really was. But a great adventure!

We walked to dinner than night....all 8 of us...and had a great time for my birthday dinner!

These girls loved being together!

Friday proved to be a much different day....beautiful sun shining, warmth and well-rested kids!

Matt went on a deep-sea fishing trip during the morning with some of his friends/colleagues....

and caught a 55" barracuda!!

The guides on the boat said it was the biggest barracuda anyone had caught on their boat in 8-10 years! And our friend John (who was on the boat also) later told me that Matt resisted some serious peer pressure from everyone on the boat to get that thing mounted. They told him it would cost about $1200 to get it mounted and came all the way down to $800, but thankfully Matt still declined. I mean, it's really awesome, but where in the world would we put that thing? Over our fireplace? I think not.

Meanwhile back at the hotel....

John's wife Jamie and his daughter Paxton (3 days younger than Blake) joined us one the beach while the guys were fishing. And Blake and Paxton enjoyed playing together...

although I think Paxton wondered why Blake was eating so much sand. Don't worry Paxton, we wondered the same thing!

Matt and John came and joined us for lunch before heading back to meetings in the afternoon.

And yes, John and Matt ended up finding yet another jellyfish!

...chasing waves...

These girls are so giggly together and they found the boys to be so silly!

We couldn't get Wyatt and Kael to stop for a picture, but these two are always up for it!

Isn't that view spectacular? Just building some sandcastles...

Notice Blake's arms....he discovered he could pick up a handful of sand and then drop it and feel it on his head and shoulders...thankfully none got in his eyes!

..keeping his hat on was a serious struggle as well...

Lazy River Fun

And a Goodyear Blimp sighting! Apparently there was a PGA tournament in Miami, just 30 miles down the beach

and forgive me, but there are several pics of the sky, sunrise and sunsets

I just couldn't get over the beauty from our Creator's hands

(and all the views like this were taken from our balcony)

A typical morning...enjoying some time on the balcony

Our hotel was perfect for us.

Blake wasn't the least bit intimidated by the waves. He often walked straight into the ocean and we had to run after him. He would get knocked back a bit by the waves, but often times wouldn't even get knocked down! While all the other kids were running away from the waves, he was running head on into them!

Football with the Dads

..naps...

..some body-surfing by Drew and Matt...

(Matt's hands:)

..couldn't resist those sand-covered bottoms!!

..escaping before the waves got them...

Drew and Matt took turns taking each of the kids into the ocean, despite some serious hesitation (to put it mildly).

One of my favorite pictures from our trip....

you can see the excitement and shock on Sadie's face, as well as being able to see each drop of water splashing all around them!

...digging holes...

(because that's what boys do...they dig!)

Our hotel also had an "Ice Cream Emporium" conveniently located between the lobby and the elevators. So we frequented the place several nights after dinner. Unfortunately this is the only picture we have of the girls enjoying their 'scream'. But it was a huge hit, not only with the kids, but also the adults!

Breakfast on the patio at our hotel

A nice old lady offered to take our family picture...not the best, but it's all I've got!

(standing on the stairs of our hotel that lead down to the beach)

(facing the ocean with our hotel behind us)

On our last day there, we went on the water taxi through the canal system in Ft. Lauderdale. Thankfully Jen and Drew had gone a few days earlier with their kids and gave us a few tips on how to make it more kid-friendly, so we took their advice.

Blake roamed the boat, making friends (our enemies!) with everyone.

Sadie was very protective and didn't want Blake to fall in

The water taxis basically give you a different view of Ft. Lauderdale, showing you all the mansions and yachts of famous/wealthy people. It was fun, but we were glad we didn't do it all day!

The kids loved the helicopter on top of this yacht (gives you an idea of just how ridiculously massive these things were)

This was one house!! Apparently owned by the lady who started Sunglass Hut--who knew?!

Steven Spielberg's yacht.....notice the boat inside it in the lower right corner...

I can't even tell you all the costs they shared with us, but the slip alone costs $50,000/month! Not to mention the staff on board the ship and the gas!

We ate lunch on Las Olas Blvd., a well-known shopping and eating area that we ate several dinners at. This lunch place was AmAzInG!! We had wood-fired pizzas and the best bruschetta I think we have ever had!

Wyatt took a turn with the camera.....

..he was most proud of this one...

("Mommy, don't those blue glasses look amazing?")

And I had to agree....I thought the blue glasses against the white tablecloths were brilliant. I am so thankful our kids have picked up on our desire to see beauty everywhere, even on a simple table setting!

Getting some gelato...

My boys on the water taxi ride back to our hotel...

..attempting to entertain this one...

And I couldn't resist a picture of this handsome guy! How am I so blessed?

...Our final sunrise from our room...

The trip home...Blake slept on both flights, which was unbelievable! He was in this position for over an hour...I think people thought we drugged him! But the week was finally catching up with him!

We had such an amazing time in Florida and the kids are already asking when we can go back. We had some great family time without any distractions and also some great time with friends. The kids loved calling each other's hotel rooms and talking on the phone in the morning about what we were going to do that day. They also loved being able to see each other right before bed at night and first thing in the morning. Sadie keeps asking when she can see Elli again and thankfully we only live about an hour and a half apart, or else I think she would go through serious withdrawal. It certainly wasn't a very restful vacation for Matt and I, but it was so much fun. Blake decided to wake up around 6am the last few days, so Matt and I took turns going for runs/walks with him until about 7:30 when everyone else woke up. And having a 15 mos. old presented a few challenges, but all in all it was a lot of fun. Thankfully for us, Matt and Drew often attend the same conferences, so hopefully there will be many more Sorensen/Lundquist vacations to come!