....please fasten your seatbelts......

.....after a full and busy week, we are ready.....Florida is calling.....it's a trip we have had planned for ages......as we are taking the grand tour of the sunshine state to see friends, spend time with family, visit new places we haven't been and to have some R&R.....and tomorrow morning can't get here soon enough.....

.....leading up to this week, we had our first dentist appointment for Elsie.....there was so much hype leading up to it....she and I had a date to my dentist where she tagged along, just she and I..... she assertively counted my teeth with the technician.....she was even given the task of being in charge of manhandling the spot light.....and we made a very big deal of my acceptance of the token freebee toothbrush, as only Mommies who brush their teeth every day get a special toothbrush.....

.....so a few days later, she and I had another special date, just she and I, to her dentist....and all was going beautifully as she handed over our bus ticket to make our trek to 70th St.....

.....so very proud for being my helper on the bus, she couldn't resist from belting out The Wheels on the Bus at the top of her lungs......I just listened with a big grin on my face, as any time I would try to sing with her, I would get the hand in the face......

.....No Maahee, only Elsie sings.....

......and then she was tired of me documenting the bus to the dentist event, so she inquired about taking some pics of her own....and she did just that.....

.....not bad for a 2.5 year old.....

.....and we were chipper and happy all the way until it was time to lay back in the chair and open wide....

.....so there is a reason that there aren't any pictures to document the big event after the bus ride.....we counted a few teeth and decided we would try again in 6 months....

.....so after an ice cream treat for just she and I to talk about things, we came home to some summer peaches....one of the many things we are enjoying scratching off our summer list.....

.....and then she was back to her old self again....

.....and this week, the girls also enjoyed raiding Momma's closet....how, of all my accessories, Callie found my special scarf that Stefan bought me when we were in London, I have no clue.....

.....the girl's got good taste....I'll leave it at that....

.......my baby girl also got her first shiner after crashing into her sister during playtime....

....it's much better now, but I had to take an iphone picture after it happened to show Stefan I wasn't exaggerating when I said she had a swollen welt under her eye.....

.....and after a hectic initial beginning of the week, we slowed it down to start packing for our two week jaunt....

......one of the great things about dragging the car seats into the house to bring on our trip is that they serve as comfy places to squeeze in a Backyadigans before bedtime......Daddy thought of the idea and the girls were thrilled with a new seat in the house....

.....good idea, babe.....that actually gave me 20 minutes to shut and seal four suitcases filled with flip flops, sun hats, aprons to bake with our Bambi, water shoes, sundresses, and some new cooling mist spray I found on sale for $2.....

.....besides gearing up for the hot and steamy weather, the laughter filled times with our family, and the reuniting of old friends; I am anxious to make some memories with my girls.....

.......I can't wait for them to smell the Florida air that is distinct the instant you step onto the jetway that leads to the airport terminal.....the way Florida hair feels after a day at the beach.....the smell of Bambi's house after she has labored, cooked and cleaned for days; anxiously anticipating our arrival, the perfect  example of graciousness....the sound of our Pops's loud, hearty and generous laugh.....

......and I know we will take many photos that will resurface in the years to come such as one like this....

.....I'm not sure where my Dad found it, but he emailed it to me just days ago.....and it made me so  excited to take my girls and my husband back to the place I love the most......some of the most precious memories I have......home....

......so here's to making new memories....

....tomorrow we are off.....