Florida

Nick had another work trip to Florida this time, so Camille and I tagged along, we added a few extra weekend days, crammed all his work into a few long days (for Nick) and we had a great vacation. 

Our biggest concern was the long flight there and back, so we loaded up her backpack full of toys and games, loaded the ipad with some movies and crossed our fingers for an empty seat. 

Our first stop was Universal Studios in Orlando so we could check out the Harry Potter theme park Nick has been wanting to go to since it opened. 

The only rides Camille could go on were in Dr. Seuss Land. 

She was really excited to see the Cat in the Hat, but when we got close, she screamed and cried until I took her away. This makes me nervous for Santa this year! 

Hogwarts

Butterbeer and Pumpkin Juice

                                     

 The castle

Our next stop was Tampa where the majority of Nick's stores were, so Camille and I checked out both the zoo and aquarium while he was working. 

 Back at the hotel for naptime, Camille showed off her latest trick...

Step 1: scaling the side of the pack and play

Step 2: Front flip with a back landing

Step 3: Securing the targets: plugs

Step 4: 3 plugs and baby, successful mission!

At the aquarium, Camille's favorite tank was the floor to ceiling tank with the sharks and barracudas swimming around

Our first Florida gator sighting

These sting rays were at least 3 times the size of Camille

She was more excited about the ducks in this tank than the fish. I loved that mostly everything was just her height and she could wander around on her own. We had to use a stroller at the zoo and she just doesn't like being in it for long periods of time, plus I kept having to take her out and put her back in to see certain animals which really made her mad! 

I took this photo for Carter... an aquarium with a robot dude made of legos inside.

After Tampa, we made our way south to Fort Myers and spent a day exploring Sanibel and Captiva Islands. We got some good recommendations from Sarah and her mama who have spent a lot of time in that area. 

Our first stop was the Ding Darling Nature Reserve for some bird and gator viewing. 

 We saw a lot of cool birds, but my iPhone camera just can quite capture things more than a few feet away and we forgot our regular camera, so I don't have much to share. 

 Camille enjoyed pointing out the birds

There were hundreds of white pelicans along the banks

We finally saw a gator right before we were leaving the park! 

And of course Camille was sleeping so she missed it

 Our next stop was a beach to check out the cool shells. It was a cloudy day and the water was pretty cold, so we didn't brave it, but Camille did have fun checking out the shells (as long as she didn't have to touch the sand - she still doesn't like sand!)

The Mucky Duck restaurant - decent food and an amazing location right on the beach so you can grab a bite and then take a stroll on the beach! Thanks for the recommendation Jean! 

 Killing time while dad does his thing at one of the stores.

After the last couple of stores, we headed across the Everglades and towards the Keys! 

At the ranger station in the Everglades, gators were just hanging out right below the viewing platform.

I made Nick slam on his brakes and turn around to get a close up of this guy hanging out on the side of the road

 Next stop: Gator Park. 

Peacock at a gator park?

Some gator wrestling

Baby gator

Nick was the expert gator spotter on our airboat tour

I wasn't planning on taking Camille on the boat given her history of boats and puking, but when we got there, the guy at the park talked us into having her go. She didn't love it, but she was fine with it for the most part and there was no puking, so that was a plus :)

She wore the headphones for about 2 minutes before ripping them off. 

Nick holding a "teenage" gator

After the gator park, we met up with our friends Meagan and Dan who also happened to be in Florida the same week we were. They were leaving the Keys the same day we were driving down, so we caught them for a cuban meal in Miami. 

Camille loved dancing to the music, as long as the musicians didn't actually try to talk or interact with her in any way.

Our 2.5 days in the Keys flew by as we tried to see some sights, hit the pool and get some relaxation in before heading home. Nick found us a real gem, the Coral Bay Resort, that was amazingly gorgeous on the outside and livable on the inside. Our fellow patrons were a group of about 6 early 20's dudes who spent the entire weekend consuming large amounts of alcohol, and a group of about 8 ladies in their 50's-60's who were trying to keep up with said dudes. That being said, us old folks with the kid were quite calm guests. 

Dada and Camille playing on the dock

Getting ready for the sunset

It's us!

Paradise.

None of the hotels on the Keys have much in the way of beaches so they all bring in fake sand. Camille still wasn't a fan of the fakie.

We mostly stuck to the pool where she made dada stay for a good few hours each day

Our trip to the beach lasted about 15 minutes before the combination of cold ocean water and sand forced us back to the hotel pool.

 Our breakfast nook. Eating "wiwis" as Camille calls them. 

Camille's typical lunch of rice and beans. This kid lived on rice and beans and fruit the whole trip.

Bean face

Worst part about traveling to Florida = 6.5 plane ride home. At least we opted for the nonstop flight, but even so, 6.5 hours is a really long time. Camille was AWESOME the whole flight. We are quite lucky to have such a good plane flier. Now if only we could master car trips :)