.....two weeks in Florida is never enough.......two weeks with friends and family isn't either.....and it all comes to a close for us tomorrow.....
.....we have already started the conversations with Elsie about taking a trip, riding in an airplane, packing our bags, sleeping in our own bed when tomorrow night comes.....and she just looks at us and says,
I don't want to go home.....
......and why would she when we have spent days like this......
.....the initial first week of our trip was spent on the west coast of Florida.....our girls stayed with my Mom and her husband for a week and Stefan and I drifted in and out in between visits with friends and mini escapes to find alone time.....but when we drifted back in, we settled to do the things I love most....
.....to this day, I can still sit on the beach half covered in the white bubbles and shallow water that lingers from the last wave, talking to my Momma.....it never gets old and it's one of the things I like to do best with her.....we just sit and talk.....we did when I was a girl, a teenager, a young professional and a newly wed.....covering all of the highlights in that time of my life.....my Momma just listening or asking questions that would move us into sidebar stories or new topics to discuss....and now when we sit, talking at the beach; we have our conversations with the occasional pause to build a sandcastle, bury our feet in the sand with an oversized shovel or to adjust a sun hat.....
.....my girls love the ocean too, so I hope that they will have the same sweet memories that I have of my Mom......days with my girls that will be filled of many chats as we lounge in the sand, allowing the waves to help carry the moments to be cherished and lovely memories.....
....but besides good conversations, my girls also enjoy the adventure and amusement that the ocean provides.....especially when you have a brand new Dora mini boogie board that Bambi bought......
.....and it was just as fun to teach Elsie to ride waves as it was to watch her surf them......
......really any floating device in which she could ride waves was a big hit....
......and there is something to be said about days when nap time lingers long into the afternoon, spontaneously making the decision to head to the beach to finish our day.....we can swim, lounge, imagine, run freely until the skies become darker.....
......leading us home to later bedtimes that roll into lazy mornings filled with french toast shaped like stars and circles.....
......leading us home to later bedtimes that roll into lazy mornings filled with french toast shaped like stars and circles.....
.....and in between all of the chaos that can bestow itself on trips.....like the excitement of seeing loved ones, new things to find in homes that are wonderful to touch and explore, easy going schedules that can sometimes be easy going and sometimes not......I can take moments to watch the enjoyment and bewilderment that my girls experience.....
.....a first taste of french toast.....
......a car ride with their Bambi who rides with the littles in the back.....
......the first time your head is sun kissed and doused in the salty, sweet ocean from a wave educed tumble.....
......saying goodbye to a man in uniform.....
.....trying out really big girl slides for the babes who are not babies, but still not quite the independent toddler......
.....and watching the independent toddler show her little sister how it's done.....
......it has all been joyful......the two weeks in Florida has been so special for our family of four......two full weeks with Daddy everyday, a break from our little life in our tightly snug apartment, time with friends and family who are near and dear, but live too far away, time with my side of the family.....nights full of laughter, good conversations, good banters, late night pizza.....and always an early start because the girls can't wait to do it all over again.....
.....and this just covers a small fraction of the trip......
......we'll be back in NYC tomorrow, leaving me with many days ahead of getting reorganized, stocking refrigerators and cabinets with necessities, readjusting the girls to our routine and spending many nights when the house is quiet and I can look at my blank slate that has become this blog.....a white piece of virtual paper that can capture my memories, favorite pictures, thoughts, feelings and pull it all together to share with others, but to also capture and save it for my girls....real love and experiences they may only know through reading this....an opportunity for them to look at moments of their lives when they lived so fully.....and Florida was one of those times....
.....that in itself is something to anxiously anticipate....
.....more to come.....