Checking in at the Portland airport on Friday evening (May 14th):
We took the red-eye flight from Portland to Miami with a lay-over in Seattle. We were really concerned about how Tycen would do because the night before we left, he threw up again (making that the 10th day of being sick with a bad stomach virus). Thankfully, he didn't throw up again on our trip. He had bad diarrhea on the plane and I had to frequently change his diaper, but considering what could've been, we weren't complaining! :)
Tyce and Shaylie did amazing on the flight. They slept nearly the entire way from Seattle to Miami (6 hour flight)! This was still much less sleep than they are accustomed to, though (~12 hours/night). Scott and I weren't sure what to expect, so we both drank a big coffee in Seattle and therefore, couldn't sleep on the plane. We had the kids in our laps, so I'm not sure how much sleep we'd have gotten, anyway. So, needless to say, we were all pretty exhausted on Saturday when we arrived in Florida.
After collecting our luggage, we picked up our rental car and drove to Ft. Lauderdale. We had some time to spare before we could check-in to our condo, so we used our portable navigation to find a place to eat and do some grocery shopping (I was so excited they had a Whole Foods :)
After checking in to our condo, The Wyndham Resort, we quickly unpacked, got situated, took a much needed shower and set off to explore the small town of Pompano Beach (where our condo was located, just outside of Ft. Lauderdale). We ate an early dinner that evening and all went to bed early :)
Snuggling before bedtime:
We had high hopes of having Tyce and Shay stay in the same room together and Scott and I stay in the master bedroom, but they had a really hard time sleeping in the same room. We tried to put them together for the first few nights, and each night had to separate them. So, we ended up sleeping in separate rooms with the kids (not quite what we had envisioned on vacation...but the price we are willing to pay as loving parents :).
On one of the first few days we were in Florida, we went to a really neat animal show that was located in the courtyard of our hotel. We were able to pet all of the animals we saw except the porcupine. Tyce and Shaylie were somewhat apprehensive, but I think it was more shyness toward the stranger holding the animals, rather than the animals themselves.
Shaylie petting the alligator:
Tycen petting the scorpion:
Anteater:
Shaylie and Tycen with a fancy bird (I can't remember the type):
Shaylie petting a toad:
We also saw (and petted) an albino python and adorable honey bear (that looked more like a monkey).
Another fun thing we got to do was go to Butterfly World. The pictures don't do the place justice, as it's hard to capture the beauty of a butterfly with all it's colors in a picture.
In the butterfly sanctuary we were surrounded by butterflies:
Walking across the suspension bridge:
Looking at the ducks:
We didn't stay with these birds too long because we were warned that they bite:
Tycen really liked them and wished we could've stayed longer :)
Love birds:
Shaylie found a baby pineapple:
Beautiful parrots:
Beautiful Shaylie:
And our handsome Tycen:
Enjoying the natural surroundings:
Shay Shay modeling butterfly antennas in the gift shop:
We went on a few family runs along the beach, which I absolutely loved :) The scenery was so so beautiful and you get a much different workout running in Florida than you do in the PNW because of the humidity and heat.
This picture was taken before our run in Pompano Beach. The locals thought we were crazy to be running in the late morning/early afternoon and advised us to get up at 5 am to run...doesn't quite work with two toddlers on Pacific time :)
All ready to go with their shades and snacks:
Pompano Beach boadwalk:
Running along Ft. Lauderdale beach boardwalk:
The run wore them out! Notice Shaylie fell asleep mid-bite :)
Family picture at Ft. Lauderdale beach before dinner:
Dinner at Spazio's Restaurant:
Scott and I enjoyed these super-sized margaritas!
Entertaining ourselves at the dinner table:
Munching on some homemade yams and carrots. They also started to expand their palates on this trip and ate some restaurant food, too! Here they enjoyed a little bit of salmon, roasted veggies, mashed potatoes and pizza :)
Beach day!!
Playing at Ft. Lauderdale Beach:
Sampling the ocean water:
Two of Scott's best friends live in Florida and we were able to get-together with them and their families on a few different occasions, which was a lot of fun! He played baseball at University of Portland and was roommates with both Andy and Derek. Andy was also one of Scott's groomsmen in our wedding.
Dinner with Ryder (8 mos), Dawn, Derek and Andy (left to right):
Playing at a park near Derek and Dawn's house:
This was definitely the neatest park we've ever been to!!
Shaylie fell asleep on the way to the park and missed out on the action:
Tyce swinging with Ryder:
Eating lunch at Derek and Dawn's house:
Dinner in Pompano Beach at Champs! Restaurant:
Andersen Family:
Hazlett Family:
Scott, Tommy and Derek:
Tyce was eying this balloon from across the restaurant and his Daddy went and got it for him...what a great daddy!! Tyce LOVES balloons :)
The guys had a guys' night out one night and decided us girls should have a girls' night, too :) All the daddies stayed at our condo with the kids and we had a fun night out in Hollywood, Fl. It was Dawn's first girls' night since Ryder was born, which was pretty special :)
Me, Juli and Dawn:
We had a lot of really fun times at our hotel. Our condo had 2-bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, a full kitchen and dining room and they provided 2 high chairs and 2 pack-n-plays for the kids.
Eating breakfast:
Tyce feeding Shaylie some cereal:
Running around in their swim diapers after playing in the pool:
Their favorite hiding spot:
All ready for the sunshine!
Good times on our balcony:
Eating lunch
Can we go to the pool now?!
We spent a lot of time at the pool:
We flew back home on Saturday, May 22nd at 8 am, ET. We arrived back home around 5 pm, PST. It was a LONG travel day, but oh, so worth the trip! We had a fantastic time and are already anticipating our next family vacation :)
