Florida Vacation, Part IV

Will and Owen made their first trip to Florida when they were three months old. Pat and I were too tired to realize that when you travel with infants, you are really only getting a change of scenery rather than a break from the chaos of everyday life. We sort of got slapped in the face by our own vacation, like SO WHAT DID YOU SILLY PARENTS THINK WOULD HAPPEN? DID YOU THINK YOU COULD SIP CORONAS ON THE BEACH WHILE YOUR CHILDREN SLEPT SOUNDLY IN A NEARBY PLAYPEN? THEY AREN'T EVEN OLD ENOUGH TO WEAR SUNSCREEN! AND SPEAKING OF SLEEP, JUST BECAUSE THE WEATHER IS WARMER AND THERE ARE PALM TREES OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW, YOUR SONS WILL CONTINUE TO AVOID SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT! AND THOSE THREE BOOKS YOU BROUGHT? FORGET IT! AND YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE WASTED YOUR MONEY ON A "NURSING" SWIMSUIT FOR YOUR POST-PARTUM, SWOLLEN BODY BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? YOU'll BARELY HAVE TIME TO WEAR IT!

While most of my memories from that first trip are quite fuzzy, I do have one clear one: since Pat and I were up very early most mornings, we'd strap the boys into their Bjorns, and walk the beach at sunrise. One morning, we walked past another couple, maybe in their 40s, and seeing the two sets of chubby baby legs bobbing on our chests, they stopped to tell us that they, too, had twin sons. At the time, their twins were five or six, and they just smiled knowingly at our tired faces and assured us that things -- like vacations -- would only get better as our boys got older.

And lo and behold, they were right.

This year marked our fourth family vacation to Florida with Will and Owen, and it finally felt ... easy, fun and dare I say, relaxing. We spent two days in Disney World and five days in Vero Beach, Florida. (We are very fortunate that my parents continue to invite us to stay with them at their time share home which is located in the heart of Disney property.) I can't remember the last time I rode so many rides in the Magic Kingdom, and nothing brought me more joy than listening to my sons squeal with delight while riding Big Thunder Railroad rollercoaster, the Mad Hatter Tea Cups and Dumbo's Flight. I was reminded why I loved this place so much as a kid.





This winter is one of Florida's coolest on record (this information comes straight to you from my Great Aunt Gwen, an almost life-long Floridan who has an awesome southern drawl and usually refers to you as "sugar" ... except that is sounds like "shugah"). The weather was in the upper 50s and rainy during our stay in Orlando, but that didn't stop the boys from swimming in the resort pool. The lifeguards, who wore stocking hats and gloves, shook their heads in disbelief at the "crazies" who were willing to swim in such "cold" temperatures. (I know what you fellow Minnesotans are thinking: they have no clue as to the true meaning of COLD.)



Since we've made this trip with the boys so many times, Pat and I have learned a few things along the way. For instance, we only fly direct flights when we travel with the boys. One three-hour flight is all the boys have patience for at this point, and in the interest of preserving our parental sanity, we bite the bullet and pay a little more for this convenience. This year brought a new set of lessons, the main one being this: bring along another adult who is willing to help you look after your kids. I know what you are thinking: A NANNY?!! Well, sort of, but not really. We invited along our former nanny, Meghan, who seemed pretty happy to take a few days off of work and join us on the beach. Meghan has become one of our dearest and most trusted friends, and in exchange for taking her with us, she babysat a couple of times so we could have a few nights out with my parents. She also helped keep an eye on the boys at the pool and on the beach. I was keenly aware of how great this situation was when Pat and I were sitting on the beach one late afternoon with gin and tonics, enjoying a blissful half-hour to ourselves while Meghan and Bridget took the boys on a walk.

AND BRIDGET! I almost forgot!

Since Meghan's accountant-husband is in the middle of tax season, Meghan brought along her friend Bridget instead, whom my entire family adored. And who wouldn't? She's sweet, polite, helpful with the boys and calls herself a "meat and potatoes kind of girl," which according to the Sireks, makes her darn near perfect.



Life along the beach was pretty laid back. The boys started their day by having juice and bagels with their Bumpa, then made their way to the pool or the beach.











One morning, the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund did a turtle release. During the cold snap in early January, they rescued this beauty from the dangerously chilly inland river waters, and it was warm enough when we were there to release him back to the ocean.



Our days were spent building sand castles, fishing, walking the beach searching for shells and feathers, and riding down the pool slide.





We took one last picture before making the trip home:



It was one of the best vacations of my life, mostly because Will and Owen had such a wonderful time. Another thing Pat and I have learned about vacations: the success of the trip rests almost entirely on your child's enjoyment of the trip. It's a cliché, but it's true -- it's just not about us anymore. And we are perfectly fine with that.

The day we arrived home in St. Paul, we received ten inches of snow. The end.