miami-day 5

On our last day (Saturday), we packed our suitcases, checked out of the hotel, and headed to Hollywood Beach.  We had to drive both rental cars since we would be heading straight to the airport from the beach.  This was a bit annoying, and traffic was crazy, but we both really wanted Brooke to see the beach in Florida.  It was a gorgeous day, but we could have done without the 25+ hour winds!  It was seriously so crazy.  The car seat cover was flying around like crazy and poor Colby couldn't catch his breath.  We finally rigged it so that it blocked most of the wind, and headed down the boardwalk.  

At first, Brooke wanted Daddy to carry her.  I think she was unsure of all the sand, haha. She didn't want to feel the water either, but Kevin said it was warm.  I stayed back with the stroller, and this cute little guy.

She was, however, IN LOVE with chasing after all the seagulls.  She ran back and forth after those silly birds, and was squealing with delight.  Her fear of the sand also quickly dissipated as she threw it up the in the air, kicked it, and ran all over it. 

We enjoyed a yummy meal (pizza and greek salad) at one of the restaurants along the beach, chased a few more birds, ate some Ben and Jerry's, and decided to get on our way.  That morning, we had finally heard back from our friend, Diana Salvadore (previous post), so we arranged to stop by and see her before flying home.  It was so nice to see her again, and she loved seeing our babies.  Brooke was super shy, which is understandable since they've never met.

And just like that, our time was over, and we had to get to the airport.  We dropped off our rental cars, and headed over to security.  As Kevin opened his backpack, he said, "Did you take out my laptop", to which I replied "No, why?".  Then he told me that it was not in there.  What??!!  He was 100% positive that he packed it in his backpack at the hotel, and it had been in the car all day.  We parked in a parking garage at the beach and I heard Kevin lock the van multiple times, and I locked it at Sister Salvadore's house, so we had no idea how it could be missing.  There were no signs of the van being broken in to, and my iPad and Kindle were both still in the backpack.  It didn't make any sense, and we were both SICK about it!  At that point, there was nothing we could do.  We just had to continue through security and get to our gate.  Kevin made a comment about how, besides the loss of the actual laptop, we also lost all the GoPro footage.  His phone still had all the pictures, so those weren't lost forever.  At the time, I was thinking the GoPro stuff was all boating footage, which is sad to lose, but not traumatic for me.  It wasn't until a few days later that I realized that meant all the footage of when Brooke was using her little baby walker, kicking her chubby legs in the pool for the first time, her first time on the swings, etc.  I totally cried when I made that connection.  Oh, and when I realized that we lost the letter that Kevin wrote to Brooke the morning we were in the hospital waiting for our son to be born.  Makes me so so sad because it was seriously the most precious letter ever!

It's just kind of disgusting that we live in a time when people steal from each other, with no regard for the personal information they probably deleted just to sell the computer.  I guess I hope that they deleted it, because it's creepy to think of the alternative :/  It just didn't make sense though!  Why steal the laptop, but leave behind the other electronics?  A few days later, after replaying the day in my head a million times, I think I figured out when it was stolen.  After packing everything up, Kevin pulled the van outside the lobby (which was also right by our room), and began loading up our stuff.  He made maybe 2-3 trips back and forth, while I nursed Colby in the room.  On the final trip out, he took Brooke with him.  I finished up, and walked outside.  I saw Kevin inside the lobby, and figured the van would be locked, but walked over to wait next to it.  I tried the door, and it was unlocked, so I strapped Colby in his car seat only minutes before Kevin came back out.  The car was unattended for maybe 5 minutes (tops!), but someone must have been watching and took the opportunity to open the van and grab what they could.  SO ANNOYING!  I asked Kevin if he thought I should call the hotel and ask if they had security cameras, but it would really only help if the person stealing was an employee or someone identifiable to the manager.  Kevin figured it was a lost cause since they wouldn't even bring us fresh towels the night I called to request some (since housekeeping hadn't even come to our room that day).  I figured her was right, but a few days later, I made the call anyway.  The manager was actually pretty helpful, but said that he couldn't see anything on the footage tapes.  It was worth a shot :(

Lesson learned...Never leave your car unlocked, even when you are super close.  And back up everything from your computers!!

miami-day 3

Despite Kevin being up a lot during the night to blow his nose, etc, Brooke slept like a rock.  This is how I found her after Kevin left for work.  Did I mention that she's awful at bed sharing??  It's a good thing Daddy likes to snuggle, haha.

I was thankful that we didn't have anything scheduled until noon that day because I felt exhausted when I woke up!  We enjoyed a quiet morning in the hotel room, then headed over to Specialized Speech, which was the outpatient clinic I worked at when we lived in Florida.  It was only about 15 minutes from where we were staying, and I was excited to see the owners and all the therapists I used to work with.  I keep up with a few of them on Facebook, so in a way, I felt like I kind of knew what was going on in their lives.  They ordered lunch for me too, which was really thoughtful.  They were having a lunch meeting (which usually happened a few times a month), so they let me crash it.  At first, I felt a little stupid walking in with my two kids since everyone was already seated in a circle, but after a few minutes it was totally normal.  I was sitting next to John and Jennifer (the owners), and it was so nice to catch up with them.  Brooke was pretty content to play with her Cinderella figurines (which she LOVES), while I chatted away.  Jen wanted to hold Colby, and she got the cutest giggles out of him.  Everyone kept commenting how interactive he was for being only 2 months old...but I think it's because they are used to working with babies who have delays, haha. 

I really did love working there, and I was grateful to have a chance to go back and not only see my friends, but to also express my appreciation for a wonderful experience working there. When we left, we stopped at Steak and Shake to get Brookie a sandwich.  And some cookies :)

 

Then we headed to the park for the afternoon.  Colby was asleep, so we let him rest in the car.  I felt like it was safe since we parked right next to the playground and the whole parking lot was empty.  Oh, and I opened the windows of course so he would be comfortable :) 

Brooke was cracking me up.  We took turns going down the slide, and when it was my turn, she squatted at the bottom and told me that she would catch me.  I think she loved my undivided attention, and I loved playing and running with her. We also made some pretty sweet movies of us going down the slide together. 

I think this girl would swing all day if I would let her!  I love that she is getting a little more adventuresome and more willing to use the big girl swing. She just looks SO big to me though.  Kinda makes me realize even more that time is passing by quickly!

When we made it back to our room, she wanted to wear her nightgown again.  Not really sure why, but I consented and she had a great time playing until it was time to meet Daddy for dinner.  (We didn't bring many toys on our trip, but these figurines kept her busy for hours.  She would "set them all up", and play "missing Princess", in which she would make the Prince ride on the horse and look for Cinderella.  And every time she would tell me about Anastasia and "Bazella" (Drizella), who were not very nice and didn't make good choices.  Hahaha, I loved it.)

We ate at our favorite place, The Village Tavern.  It was kind of strange to be back in a place we lived without kids, and doing all the things we did before we had two precious ones to worry about.  It really felt like a different life.  I love our life now, but looking back, our life was pretty care-free.

After dinner, we decided to drive past the new temple, which was completed after we left.  When they announced the Ft Lauderdale temple in 2010 (I believe), we never imagined that it would be built 2 exits north of where we bought our town home.  It is actually located in Davie, but is still called the Ft Lauderdale temple.  It would have been pretty great to have access to the temple when we lived there instead of having to make the 3.5 hour drive to Orlando, but I guess it keeps things in perspective.  Another cool side note:  Sister Salvador, a convert that we were close to, received her endowments shortly after we moved away.  Everyone knew her because of her strong testimony and personality.  Well, she received a special assignment to help with the chandelier in the celestial room. We talked on the phone periodically, and she told me about how she was able to hang all the crystals on the chandelier and what an amazing experience that was.  Pretty cool!  She now works in the temple every week, and teaches the gospel doctrine class in the ward.

Since it was 9:45 when we pulled in the parking lot, most cars were gone.  We did see a yellow car though, and Kevin immediately commented that it had to be Bishop Fisher's car.  Fisher was the Bishop of the Flagler Ward from when we lived in Doral.  We figured he must be a temple worker, and that surely he would be leaving soon.  So, we decided to walk around the grounds until he came out.  Seems a little stalker-ish when I write it out, but we planned on walking around anyway :)  Brooke REALLY wanted to go inside, and when we told her that the doors were locked, she said, "We can call the fire fighters and see if they can open it."  Hahaha, good idea my girl.

Well, sure enough, a few minutes before 10, Bishop walked out of the temple and we were able to go chat with him.  He is no longer the Bishop of the ward, but was called as a Sealer in the temple.  He is such a good man, and it was nice to see him again.

It was a full day, but so great!

miami-day 4

My weather app was correct, and we had a VERY rainy day.  It literally rained the entire day!  I hadn't thought to bring umbrellas, so we improvised and used baby blankets as we ran in and out of places.  Our first stop was a place called Young At Art.  I was hesitant to go because tickets were $14 each, but due to the weather, and the fact that I didn't want to stay in the hotel all day, we didn't have a lot of fun indoor options. It ended up being pretty great anyway, so I guess it was money well spent.

They offered a lot of fun activities for kids, with an artsy flair :)

One of her favorite things was "driving" an actual subway train.  The whole thing would vibrate when you put it into gear, which she thought was amazing.  Oh, and she also loved the section of African drums, but I only took a movie and not a picture. 

When we left the museum, Brooke promptly fell asleep.  I think it was a combination of exhaustion and the constant rain.  I decided to just stay in the car to let her finish napping, but we were in there for almost 2 hours!  Colby slept the first hour as well, but then we had some mommy-baby bonding time. 

My little chunky man :)  He really was so happy and just talked and talked to me.

That night, we picked Kevin up from work and drove down to South Beach and walked around on Lincoln Road.  A whole stretch of Lincoln Road is closed to cars and instead has tables set up for all the restaurants located among the retailers.  We used to love going to Lincoln Road with Andre and Daleth, and it was so much fun to be back.  The weather was a little cooler than we were used to (mid 60's), but was still perfect for walking around.  Brooke was in love with all the fountains.  And the dogs :)  This area never disappoints in the people-watching department either, haha.

We ate at an Argentinian place which was fine, but not amazing.  But we were seated right next to a fountain, and they brought some heaters next to our table, so it really was a perfect set-up.

This picture makes my heart happy.  I love my little family, and I am thankful for all the time I have been able to spend with my little ones without the distraction of household tasks, etc. Although vacations are not as relaxing with kids, it still is so nice to have a break from the normal routine and the feeling that I need to "get things done" each day.

And what's not to love about sharing a bed with this cute little baby?  So darling!

miami-days 1 and 2

Back in December, Kevin found out that he would need to travel to Miami in January.  He was told that his family could tag along if we wanted :)  Kevin asked me my thoughts, and I wasn't too sure about traveling with a 2.5 month old baby, all staying in one room together, and being with the kiddos all day away from home.  Then there was the expense of it all.  It was a lot to consider.  One night, I came down from putting Brooke to sleep and Kevin informed me that he found round trip flights for $106.  Seriously??  I don't think I have ever flown anywhere for that cheap.  It seemed a shame to not take advantage of great air fare, so we decided to do it.  The company would cover the hotel and Kevin's rental car, but I decided that I wanted my own rental car so that I didn't have to wake up early every morning to take Kevin to work, and have to pick him up again each evening in traffic.  That was a wise choice :)

Packing for me and the kiddos was a lot of work, but I was also really excited for an adventure and a break from the norm.  Kevin dropped me off with the kids while he went to park our car in long-term parking.  He thought I might just wait for him by the ticketing booths so he could help me through security with the kids, but I was feeling ambitious.  And the kids did fabulous!

I made Kevin take my picture when he met up with us because I was pretty proud of myself, haha.  Maybe not a big deal to some people, but I was happy that I could do it on my own. It really was a great age to travel with Colby because he still slept a lot and I could easily carry him in the wrap.

On the plane and ready for our adventure!  Brooke slept the majority of the flight because it was almost 2 hours late in taking off (9:30 pm) and Brooke hadn't napped that day.  I was glad she slept on the flight because once we landed in Miami, got our rental cars, and made it to the hotel, it was almost 2 in the morning.

The first night went smoothly, everyone slept through Kevin getting ready for work, and both kids didn't wake up till like 10 am.  We went to lunch, and headed to Flamingo Gardens, which was only about 15 minutes from where we were staying. (Note: We were staying at the Grand Palms Resort and Spa, which was right next to where our town home was.  The place wasn't fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but the location was perfect!)

The alligator was HUGE!  And the fence was so short.  It was pretty crazy to me, and after a few minutes, I decided that we should move along.  From multiple trips to the everglades, I know that alligators can jump in the air almost twice their length.  An eight foot alligator and a 4 foot fence didn't seem very safe to me.

It was a beautiful day, and not very busy.  I stopped once to nurse Colby outside, and it all just seemed very easy.

Colby enjoyed being outdoors in the 70 degree weather because there was tons to see.

We even got to see them bring the fish cart out and feed all those hungry birds.  I really wanted to ask them if Brooke could throw a few fish, but since they didn't offer, I figured it was maybe against the rules.  Would've been fun though :)

Brooke took a nap in the car on the way back to our hotel, and then we spent some time exploring the grounds at the resort.  Those lions were a favorite of Brooke's. We were basically buying time until Kevin was done with work.  He texted about 6:30 saying that he should be done soon.  Well, he didn't leave till 7:30, which seemed too late to go out to dinner.  Oh, and Kevin said that he felt super sick, like he might have the flu.  Great :(  So, I ordered take-out from an Italian place near by, which Kevin picked up for us so I didn't have to load up the kids.  By the time he made it through traffic, stopped to get medicine, picked up our food, and came to the hotel, it was almost 9!  And Kevin looked like death.  Not exactly how we planned the evening to go.  I was just crossing my fingers that the rest of us wouldn't get sick.   Kevin had chills, so we cranked up the heat in our room and tried to sleep.  The kids surprised me again, and slept so well.  We had two double beds, so Brooke slept by a sick Daddy, and I kept Colby next to me.

colby-two months old

I am sure that I will say this every month, but I can't believe how big he is getting! He mostly wears 3 month clothing, but even those are getting a little snuck.  At the beginning of the month, he started smiling and talking all the time.  I don't remember Brooke being so vocal at 2 months, but Colby definitely likes to hear himself coo and squeal.  I love to hear it, too.

Other things to note this month: loves to suck on his hands, rolls to his side, and pushes off with his feet to scoot backwards when he is laying on his back.  This make diaper-changing a little interesting!

He started doing a little better with his sleep, but still woke up multiple times a night to nurse.  I used a rolled up blanket to prop him on his side most nights, and that seemed to help him sleep longer.  We still swaddled him as well, but he hated those swaddle sacks.  We simply used the Aden + Anais blankets, which were the perfect size for our growing baby. 

We started him on tummy time, which he tolerated in small increments.   After 3-4 minutes, he would lay with his face down and complain, haha.  Good thing he had a good cheer leader that got SUPER excited when she knew it was tummy time for Colby.

Brooke still loves her little brother and is very attentive to him.  She likes to help me, and although she doesn't want to hold him very often, she will ask me occasionally.  I think it's hard for her to manage him, but her little chair was the perfect place to prop him up by her.

At his 2 month appointment, he weighed 12 pounds, 15 ounces, and was 23.5 inches long.  I warned Brooke that Colby probably wouldn't like his shots, but that she could hold his hand to help him be brave.  She did just that :)  I was very proud of her, and Colby calmed right down as soon as I could pick him up.   It never gets easier seeing your kids get shots.